Cooking up the good life

My mom is visiting us right now.  Bless her heart, we sent her a huge list of things to bring with her, most of which she squeezed in to the two allotted 50 (!) pound suitcases. Among the various socks, fleeces and sheets was perhaps my most beloved and most missed thing of all: Maple Syrup.

When the locals here read through my cookbook, many of them comment on the predominance of this same particular and unfamiliar ingredient. I LOVE MAPLE SYRUP. The deep amber color and smooth, slightly  sticky texture mirror the dense brown forests from whence it comes.  The earthy, sweet and woody flavor works in everything from a savory stir fry, to a spicy chicken dish to perfect granola, handles both heat and coolness with finesse, and complements the entire flavor spectrum without ever losing it’s structure or depth. Thus far, I have baked cookies, made three batches of pancakes, prepared a simple salad dressing, a lovely stir fry and a wicked sauce for salmon.

It is an interesting experience to be without a familiar food that you have come to know and love.  I am sure my relationship with this particular ingredient is well beyond the normal user’s, but I find it’s versatility endless and my palate continuously pleased. There is beautiful local honey here, something I also love, and I have found it to be a reasonable substitute for most things, but my allegiance to the valuable sap will not wane….it will only grow in it’s absence. My mom brought 1 quart-barely enough to get me through a week.  At home, I buy the stuff by the gallon, really!  An expensive habit perhaps, but I’d consider swapping Syrup for Malbec on many a night-though I have yet to drink it straight out of the jar.

In any case, as a proud Minnesotan, our  liquid gold is an absolute treasure, and I am happy to been enjoying it on this side of the world.

The following recipes are all from my book, and are great for this late fall season.  Although I am currently experiencing spring-70-80 degree days and hot sun right now, believe it or not, I miss fall cooking and this time of year!

Polenta with Tomato Jam (vegan without the cheese garnish)

In my family, polenta is as loved as chips or crackers. It can be firm or soft, cut into any shape, and topped with just about anything—and it’s corn! I use corn grown and ground by Greg Reynolds of Riverbend Farm. It is unlike any other cornmeal I have had. He uses a combination of a few heirloom varieties, it is grainy and corny, while also as soft as flour. The tomato jam is sweet, spicy, and tangy all at once, and provides a perfectly balanced finish to the delectable polenta.

Polenta:

3 cups water

1 ½ cups polenta or coarse cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

Bring the salted water to a boil, then slowly add cornmeal, whisking regularly to remove lumps. Simmer mixture and continue to stir for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread ½ inch thick in a 9 x 12 inch oiled pan. Let cool. When cool, cut into desired shapes using a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass.

Tomato Jam:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapenos, deseeded and minced

1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and minced

1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

¼ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil and sauté onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeno for about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, syrup and salt and allow to simmer on very low heat until very thick, about 30-40 minutes. When cool, spoon onto cut polenta, and top with a small dollop of chevré and a sprig of thyme or pinch of micro greens.

Greens with Miso Dressing and Toasted Almonds  VEGAN

This is the recipe that I use in cooking classes to prove to anyone that I can get them to eat leafy greens.  People love this combination of sweet, spicy, savory and sour. The toasted sesame oil is balanced by the rice vinegar, which is complemented by the miso, and tempered by the maple syrup, which works perfectly with the mustard, all of which are topped off with the crunch and flavor of the almonds. The dressing also is delicious on just about any vegetable, and even on proteins like tofu and fish.

The Family Kitchen: Crushing almonds can be fun. You don’t need to use a knife or a tool at all. My favorite way to do it is under the bottom of a jar. So far it is the most efficient method I have found for crushing toasted nuts.  Kids can also use a rolling pin.

2 pounds assorted  greens (arugula, mustard, spinach etc), well washed and dried

2 medium onions or 2 washed leeks sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 cups sliced or crushed almonds, toasted

Miso Dressing:

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons stone ground mustard

½ cup miso paste

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons tamari

Heat oils in saucepan, add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes until soft, then add garlic and ginger. Add the greens handful by handful, stirring constantly. Sauté until all the greens are added and they have wilted into a bright green—about 2 minutes. Remove immediately from heat and place in a large bowl. Allow the mixture to cool, add the toasted almonds. In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients, then toss with vegetable mixture. This sauce is also excellent on fish or chicken.

Serves 8 to 10

Greek Squash or Pumpkin in Phyllo Casserole

This is a very unusual and delicious way to use pumpkin or squash. The pumpkin meat is sautéed with leeks and garlic until creamy and tender, then combined with feta cheese and layered with phyllo. It is at once traditional and very modern. This dish is hearty on a cold evening, and filled with color and flavor. Phyllo dough is delicate and can be very tricky to handle. It’s best to buy it frozen and allow to thaw slowly. Unroll it gently and have a moist cloth handy. Keep the sheets flat, and keep them covered with the moist (but not too wet) cloth while assembling this dish. Remove 1 to 2 sheets at a time. If the sheets get gooey, your cloth is too wet.

The Family Kitchen: Although the phyllo needs to be handled with care, it is a fun ingredient to use. The kids can unroll the large sheets, and have a try at putting a layer or two of this dish together. They certainly can be at hand ready with the oil to brush on top of the layers of dough. If you need to cut the dough, a pizza cutter can be an effective way to get a fairly straight line.

2 large squash (butternut or kabocha are nice) or 1 medium pumpkin, cut in half and seeds removed

2 leeks, cleaned and sliced into rings

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

4 eggs, beaten

1 pound feta cheese, crumbled

1 package phyllo dough

Bake squash at 375 degrees face down in 1/2 inch water in a deep baking pan until very soft. Remove from the oven and cool, and then remove the squash meat into a bowl and mash. In a large skillet, sauté the leeks and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft—about 3 minutes. Add the leeks and garlic to the mashed squash, add the eggs and feta cheese. Season with salt, pepper, add the maple syrup and combine evenly. In an oiled 8 x 10 inch baking pan, lay one or two sheets of phyllo to fit the pan, brush with olive oil, add another one or two sheets of phyllo. Then cover with half the squash mixture. Layer with one or two sheets of phyllo, brush the top sheet with olive oil, and layer with yet another one or two sheets of phyllo. Spread the rest of the squash mixture over these layers and top with a final two sheets of phyllo. Poke several holes through the top layer of phyllo (I find that a small paring knife works well for this) and brush with olive oil. Bake at 375 for 35 to 40 minutes until the casserole is firm and nicely browned.

Serves 6 to 8

Nut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies   VEGAN

I am a cookie fanatic. I love them fresh out of the oven, so I rarely bake more than I can eat at one time (I won’t say how many that is).  I also like to keep them simple, and I find that ever since I started using these recipes, which are mostly maple syrup-sweetened, and egg free, my tastes have changed. Standard butter, white and brown sugar crunchy cookies no longer suffice. These cookies are dense and moist—the cookie qualities that I love, and hopefully you will too.

Note—If you want to be frugal, you can extend these recipes to 3 dozen

½ cup oil or butter

1 cup maple syrup ( or ½ cup maple syrup and ½ cup sugar)

1 cup nut butter-almond or cashew

½ tablespoon vanilla

3 ½ cups pastry flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Combine wet and dry ingredients separately. Add dry to wet Mix well and place on an oiled pan. Flatten with hand. Bake 8 to10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Makes 2 dozen