It's That Pumpkin-y Time Of The Year - Slow Cooker Spicy Pumpkin Chicken Corn Chowder

It's too bad we don't think about pumpkin that much during the year. Even out of season for the fresh vegetable, the canned version is versatile. You can do more with it than just pie. Did you know it's very good for dogs, and they seem to love it? Just feed it to them before it gets loaded up with sugar and spices.

This is a lovely slow cooker recipe that results in a hearty, flavorful chowder. It's loaded with potatoes, corn and chicken. The pumpkin adds a great creaminess, and the chipotle chiles bring some good heat. And it's easy too, due to the use of my favorite kitchen appliance.

Please do use the garnishes. The bacon really gives a umami bomb and the cilantro brings a green freshness to the finished dish. The chowder freezes well, but freeze it without the bacon, which will just get soggy with thawing and re-heating.

Mangia!

Slow Cooker Spicy Pumpkin Chicken Corn Chowder

Boulder Locavore

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Yield: 10 cups chowder

Ingredients

1 cup Red Onion, chopped

1 teaspoon Olive Oil

1 pound Red New Potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-size pieces

2 cup Frozen Corn Kernels

¼ cup Flour (gluten-free or regular)

6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

2 cups Rotisserie Chicken, shredded (home cooked chicken may also be used)

1 15-ounce can Pumpkin (unseasoned); or the equivalent homemade

1 canned Chipotle Pepper, diced

1 teaspoon Adobo Sauce (from the can of chipotle peppers)

¼ Heavy Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional Garnish: crumbled bacon and torn cilantro leaves

Instructions

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium high. Add the chopped onions and sauté until the onions are translucent. Set aside.

Add the potatoes and corn to the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with the flour and toss to fully coat the potatoes and corn. Spread evenly on the bottom of the slow cooker.

Add the sautéed onions evenly on top of the potatoes and corn, followed by the chicken. Next add the broth and the pumpkin; gently stirring to combine them. Top with the chopped chipotle pepper and adobo sauce.

Cook on high between 4-6 hours until the potatoes are soft. Stir in the cream. Salt and pepper for taste. Add garnish if desired and serve.

It's Getting Cold Out There - Time for French Onion Soup

It's strange to me that Phoenix seems to have more weather, as in changes of weather, than my San Diego birthplace. The change from burning summer heat to chilly winter nights and mornings finally happened, and I just can't remember when San Diego has ever been this cold. Except when I lived in the mountains. Of course, San Diego doesn't have multiple straight days of plus-100 heat. The Colonel says every day in San Diego is 63 degrees. He's probably not far off.

With some nights in the 40s, it's officially Soup Season. The Colonel had mentioned French Onion soup recently, and who doesn't like a nice hot ramekin of savory, bubbly, gooey cheesiness. Yes, yes, there are onions in there, but the real star is the Cheese.

Mangia!


French Onion Soup
Epicurious

INGREDIENTS

2 lb medium onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced lengthwise

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dry Sherry

3/4 cup dry white wine

4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth (32 fl oz)

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

6 (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal slices of baguette

1 (1/2-lb) piece Gruyère, Comte, or Emmental

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Special equipment: 6 (8- to 10-oz) flameproof soup crocks or ramekins; a cheese plane

PREPARATION

Cook onions, thyme, bay leaves, and salt in butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in wine and sherry and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in broth, water, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

While soup simmers, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Arrange bread in 1 layer on a large baking sheet and toast, turning over once, until completely dry, about 15 minutes.

Remove croûtes from oven and preheat broiler. Put crocks in a shallow baking pan.

Discard bay leaves and thyme from soup and divide soup among crocks, then float a croûte in each. Slice enough Gruyère (about 6 ounces total) with cheese plane to cover tops of crocks (I just sliced thinly with a regular knife), allowing ends of cheese to hang over rims of crocks, then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts

November has just flown by, and it's been a busy month. The need to cook wonderful things doesn't go away during busy times, but trying to carve out time to write posts is difficult when lovely holiday distractions are all around you.

There had been a package of ground lamb staring me in the face whenever I opened the freezer, and the closer to Thanksgiving it got, the greater the need to make some room for turkey carcass and leftovers. So, it was ground lamb's turn.

I love all things Mediterranean, Moroccan and Middle Eastern in cuisine. The spice blend in this stuffed dish tends Moroccan, and although a stuffed veggie dish, there's plenty of met to sink your teeth into.

Mangia!

Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts
Courtesy: Serious Eats

Ingredients:

4 medium eggplants, halved lengthwise

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 pound ground lamb

7 tablespoons pine nuts

⅔ ounces chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons tomato paste

3 teaspoons superfine sugar

⅔ cup water

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon tamarind paste

4 cinnamon sticks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place eggplant halves, skin side down, in a large roasting pan that allows them to fit snugly. Brush flesh with 4 tablespoons olive oil, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Roast 20 minutes, until golden, and remove from oven to cool.

While eggplant cooks, heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet. Mix together cumin, paprika, and ground cinnamon. Add half of spice mix to pan, along with onions. Cook over medium-high heat about 8 minutes, stirring often. Then, add lamb, pine nuts, parsley, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper. Continue cooking, stirring, for another 8 minutes, until meat is fully cooked.

Place remaining spice mix in a bowl, and add water, lemon juice, tamarind, and remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, cinnamon sticks, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix to combine.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour spice mix into bottom of eggplant pan. Spoon lamb mixture onto each eggplant half. Cover pan tightly with foil, and return to oven. Roast 1½ hours, removing foil to baste with sauce twice during the process, until eggplant is completely soft and sauce is thick. You may need to add a bit of water as the eggplant cooks. Serve warm, or room temperature.

Quick Dinner Of Soul-fulfilling Goodness - Parmesan-crusted Chicken Fingers With Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce And Mashed Potatoes

The Colonel had a very long day last Friday, and didn't have a chance at all to stop for lunch. He was hungry, hungry, hungry upon walking in the door. We had a package of chicken tenders, picked up from the Used Meat section at Safeway a few days before, and some taters, and a bag of frozen peas. I decided on Chicken Fingers. Fried, savory goodness, with mashed potatoes and a side of peas.

The fingers are just a wing-it kind of thing, and I have no recipe to consult, but here is my take on them. I have a new potato ricer, and while I really like to make mashed or smashed potatoes with chunks and peels, I thought I'd give the ricer a whirl and have smooth, dreamy, creamy taters.

Instead of gravy, I made a simple pan sauce to go with the potatoes and a Honey Mustard dipping sauce for the chicken. Buttered peas on the side make you feel virtuous about serving a vegetable although it's really just another excuse for butter.

Mangia!

Parmesan-crusted Chicken Fingers With Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

1 pound Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2' inch chunks
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk, or more as needed
Salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a stockpot and add water to cover by a couple of inches. Salt the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Drain potatoes and transfer to bowl. Return stockpot to heat, and reduce to very low. Working in small batches, add some potato chunks to the ricer and squeeze into the stockpot. Repeat until all potatoes are riced. add butter and milk and stir to melt the butter. Salt and pepper to taste and hold on very low heat.


Chicken Fingers

1 pound chicken tenders
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2  cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons butter

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup mayo
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey

Mix the ingredients for the dipping sauce and set aside.

Beat the eggs with Worcestershire sauce in a bowl big enough to dip tenders into. Combine the panko, Parmesan, and next 4 ingredients in a separate bowl big enough to dip tenders into. Dip each tender in the egg mixture, and then into the coating mixture, and set aside on a plate.

Heat the oil over medium high heat until almost smoking. Working in batches, fry the tenders on one side for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn once and cook for about another minute. Transfer to plate lined with paper towels and repeat with remaining tenders. Transfer to oven to keep warm on very low heat. Return saute pan to heat.

Add wine to deglaze pan, scraping up browned bits. Add shallots and capers and cook until slightly reduced. add 1 tablespoon of butter at a time until butter is melted and incorporated.

Serve the chicken fingers with the dipping sauce and the potatoes with the pan sauce.

When The Diners Let You Down, Make The Corned Beef Hash Yourself

The Colonel and I have been on a hunt for good diner corned beef hash, and generally check the menu for it at any breakfast place we're at. We haven't come across a truly great, or even fairly good batch yet. I had a hankering for it so decided to make it this past weekend.

I am not ambitious enough to corn my own beef, so over to the Fry's for a brisket in a bag. Bonus: leftovers for sandwiches!

For inspiration, I went with a recipe from Epicurious, but "kicked it up a notch" with a technique gleaned from Emeril Lagasse's Smoked Salmon Hash: mustard, lemon juice, Cayenne and capers added to the cream specified in the recipe.

Mangia!

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs

Adapted from Epicurious, with a nod to Emeril

1 lb baking (russet) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1-lb piece cooked corned beef, chopped

1 cup chopped onion

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons capers

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

4 large eggs (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

PREPARATION

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water to cover until just tender, about 3 minutes, then drain. 

Sauté onion and bell pepper in butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in corned beef and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Mix cream, mustard, lemon juice and capers together. Add cream and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

If desired, make 4 holes in hash and break 1 egg into each, or just cook the eggs and serve beside the hash or on top of it. 

Días De Los Muertos - Chicken Enchiladas With Red Chile Sauce and Ginger Deadmen

It's like you're ready for the Day
of the Dead prom

It is Day of The Dead season! YIPPEE! I can wear my sugar skull apron! The Colonel is wary of this look.

I planned chicken enchiladas for dinner. Chicken enchiladas are something my Dad and I would make together, me of course being sous chef to his Executive. I drew the chopping and grating assignments. They were very simple but oh so delicious. Just chicken, tortillas, red chile sauce, onions and cheese, topped with cheese and fresh shredded iceberg lettuce. I still make them essentially the same way, but I make my own sauce, and add black olives and cilantro.

I thought about making a Dad altar this year, this first Días in my adopted state, but time just got away from me. Altars are traditional in the celebrating of Days of the Dead. The first day (November 1) is for honoring those children who have passed. Day Two is for elders. But Dad is getting his enchiladas on Day One, and he'd be perfectly ok with that. He did manage to stay a Kid At Heart in many ways even into his older years.

Dad's wouldn't have been this elaborate

What a Dad altar would contain: Milky Way Dark candy bars, a multi-tool (Leathermen) keychain, a picture of him from his abalone diving days, a picture of him in his National Guard uniform, an ice cream cone, a radio (for weather updates), candles and Pan de Muertos. He loved his tools, candy, ice cream and Mexican pastries. And storm-watching.

The sauce is from a recipe in Aida Gabilondo's Mexican Family Cooking. I've been making it for years. Petal is Hispanic and she approves it heartily. I made some for her during a visit to her when she lived in Ohio and made an extra quart or two so she could "drink it like a soup". Or just have extra to use in enchiladas. It's a very traditional dried New Mexico chile sauce. The chiles are boiled to soften and then pureed with garlic, next cooked with a roux until thickened, and seasoned with chicken bouillon and vinegar.

I used to boil the chicken, with onion and garlic, salt and pepper, and a bayleaf, but I got lazy this time and picked up a rotisserie chicken, augmented with 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and 3 drumsticks I had in the freezer. I roasted the parts at 450 degrees with salt and pepper for 30 minutes. The Colonel, Kagan Puppy and I snacked on crispy chicken skin while I continued working.

I also bought pre-grated cheese, because...lazy. I draw the line at pre-chopped onions. Something happens to the taste of onions when they are mechanically-handled and kept chilled. They don't taste right and the texture can get weird.

You'll want to form a filling assembly line of sorts, with your mise en place spread out on a wide counter, leaving room to place plates of sauced tortillas for filling. It can go very quickly with help. I usually have three plates going, so that I can fill one, add to a pan and quickly go back for another plate.

How they are supposed to look

I found some really cute cookie cutters online with a stamped design on them, for "Gingerdeadmen". I thought, how cute and how hard can it be to decorate them? Turns out: very. But I gave it a game try. Can't say I enjoyed the recipe I chose that much. They seemed a little bland. I think next time I'd go with a little more molasses and add some cloves.

I went for a reverse icing design, figuring that would be easier than trying to fill in the skulls. Less area to cover. To do it again, I'd make more effort to find an icing tube with a finer tip. The fat tip didn't make it any easier.


I served the enchiladas with leftover white rice and a simple black bean salad of beans, grilled corn, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro and a lime cumin garlic dressing.

¡Olé!

Mangia!

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

Sauce adapted from Mexican Family Cooking
Enchiladas adapted from Dad

30 to 36 dried New Mexico chiles, stemmed, seeded and washed
3 quarts water
9 or 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
10 tablespoons flour
10 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
10 cups shredded chicken
10 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
2 large onions, chopped
2 7-ounce cans sliced black California olives
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
36 corn tortillas
2 cups vegetable oil
6 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
Sour cream for serving

Put the chiles and water in a large stockpot and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, pushing the chiles back into the water occasionally. Let cool in the pot.

Working in batches of 3 or 4 chiles, 1 cup of cooking liquid and 1 garlic clove, puree in a blender until smooth. Drain through a sieve into a large bowl. Repeat until all the chiles are pureed.

Heat the flour and 10 tablespoons of oil in the stockpot, stirring, until the roux is a blonde color. Add the pureed chiles all at once and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bouillon, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm on the burner.

Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add one corn tortilla at a time, with tongs, turning after a couple of seconds, to soften the tortilla. Dip the tortilla in the sauce and transfer to a plate. Fill each tortilla with about a scant 1/8 to 1/4 cup of chicken and cheese, a sprinkle of onion, a few olive pieces and a bit of cilantro. Season each enchilada's filling with salt and pepper. Roll and place in a casserole dish. Pack them fairly tightly so that you end up with about 12 or 13 in a 13" casserole. Pie pans work well too.

Heat over to 350 degrees. Pour remaining sauce evenly over enchiladas, topping with leftover cheese, onions and olives. Sprinkle with queso fresco. Save any remaining chicken tossed with a little sauce for quesadillas. Bake the enchiladas for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Top with lettuce and serve with sour cream.

Ginger Dead Men

Adapted from All Recipes

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon,

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla;mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Press the design stamp side of the cutter firmly into dough and cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days.

Emeril’s Jambalaya

The first, and nearly only, "celebrity" cookbook I bought was Emeril Lagasse's New New Orleans Cooking. I lost it in the Cedar Fire in 2003, and promptly re-purchased it once I started getting insurance checks, but was also gifted one by my work associate Allen. So, I had two. Get over it. I really enjoyed it and remember making Pine Nut-crusted Chicken with Roasted Poblano Sauce for a girlfriend who was visiting, and made his Smoke Salmon Hash many, many times.

I had three stints cooking "professionally", trying out my kitchen skills in a real restaurant setting, that of a small microbrew pub owned by a friend which served sandwiches and burgers. He gave me this chance because he would periodically put on a special prix fixe menu, an event which usually resulted in about 20 to 25 tickets. I planned the first one* with a New Orleans theme: Smoked Salmon Hash, Jambalaya and Eggs Pontchartrain, which was basically eggs scrambled with onions and peppers and Creole seasonings (you have to have an egg dish....it was brunch). The Jambalaya was based on Emeril's recipe; so was the hash. We sold 45 tickets, a house record.**

I planned the menu; he approved it. I prepared a shopping list, which he also had to approve. We had a bit of a tussle about the Jambalaya, because I really wanted shrimp in it, but we were already using smoked salmon for the hash, and he tried to keep the price point below $10 (he knew his customers). In the end, we went with chicken and andouille, and I felt guilty about the smoked salmon and bought that ingredient on my own.

I came in beforehand, working a couple of nights before the event, after I'd get off work, in order to prep as much as could be prepped ahead of time. During service, the Jambalaya was to be kept warm, and the hash was mixed ahead of time, but had to be finished in a skillet, to brown and crisp. Between that and cooking a serving of eggs to order, I would have my hands full.

The prepping worked out very well, and I was glad I had seem to plan so well, but it was not without its drama. One of the waitresses there, who was a friend of mine as well, was a spirited, fiery gal, and at some point the night I was there prepping the hash (potatoes cooked to 95%, veggies chopped, everything mixed together with the flaked salmon) had some run in with a regular and came back to the kitchen in a huff. She grabbed my spice jar, with the Creole seasoning, and proceeded to dump about a cup and a half over the fully combined mixture. BAM!

She left and the owner walked back to see me looking very dejected. What can you do?, he asked. I scraped out as much as I could, tasted to see how much of a salt bomb it was (nuclear), and started adding a little sugar at a time, tasting and tasting, until it neutralized the disaster. And did not speak to her for the rest of the evening. On event night, I banned her from touching anything at my station.

At one time, I regularly prepared batches of Emeril's Creole and Southwestern seasonings and kept them in old spice jars. They're very versatile and tasty.

The Colonel loves Jambalaya. He basically adores anything with rice, although he recently confessed his all-time favorite meal is....wait for it...Chili Cheese Dogs. Hmm.

This one has shrimp, andouille and chicken and comes together pretty easily and quickly.

 Laissez les bon temps rouler! I mean, Mangia!

Emeril’s Jambalaya

Ingredients

12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped

4 ounces chicken, diced

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce

3/4 cup rice

3 cups chicken stock

5 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced

Salt and pepper

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Directions

In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. 

*The next two were: Cinco De Mayo with an enchilada casserole, Petal's Chile Relleno Casserole and Flag Rice; and Dad and Grad's Night Italian Feast with Pasta Putanesca and I forget what else.

** Number Two was less spectacular, coming in at about 30 tickets. Dad and Grad night was a bomb because everyone was doing Dad and Grad things elsewhere. Place was dead. Did about 25 tickets.