Beef Stew with Butternut Squash - Rindergulasch mit Kürbis

Finally, the rain arrived. It has been more than time. It was only one storm over the weekend moving through, and we need many more. But it's a start. When it is dreary outside, I always like to make some braised dishes. Bad weather and braising just go well together :) After checking freezer and fridge, I put together this simple beef stew with butternut squash, kale onion, garlic, and lots of spices. We had oven roasted potatoes with it, but it will be great with mashed potatoes, polenta or couscous, I can imagine.

Endlich kam der Regen ! Wir haben es mehr als nötig. Es war zwar nur ein Sturm, der durchzog übers Wochenende, aber besser als nichts. Immer wenn es draussen so richtig ungemütlich wird, mache ich am liebsten Schmorgerichte. Ich finde, das passt einfach gut zusammen. Dieses einfache Gulasch mit Kürbis, Grünkohl und vielen Gewürzen ist einfach und schnell gemacht. Wir hatten im Ofen geröstete Kartoffeln dazu, es schmeckt sicherlich auch prima mit Kartoffelpü ( muss nicht so high tech sein wie hier ;), Polenta oder Couscous.

-=========  REZKONV-Recipe - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Title: Beef Stew with Butternut Squash
Categories: Beef, Braising, Vegetable
     Yield: 4 Servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups

      1     teasp. Paprika
      1     teasp. Smoked paprika
      1     teasp. Ground cinnamon
    3/4     teasp. Salt
    1/2     teasp. Ground ginger
    1/2     teasp. Crushed red pepper
    1/4     teasp. Freshly ground black pepper
    450     grams  Beef stew meat, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
      1   tablesp. Olive oil
      4            Shallots, chopped or onions
      4            Garlic cloves, chopped
    1/2       cup  Red wine
    1/2       cup  Fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
      1     large  Can no-salt-added diced tomatoes,
                   -- undrained
      1     small  Cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1
                   -- pound)
      1     bunch  Kale, leaves torn from stems, roughly chopped
    1/4       cup  Chopped fresh cilantro ( optional )

============================ SOURCE ============================
            adapted from Cooking Light, JANUARY 2011
            -- Edited *RK* 02/07/2014 by
            -- Ralph Knauth

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef, let brown
on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add shallots; cook 4 minutes or
until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and spices; cook 1
minute, stirring frequently. Deglaze with red wine, let reduce to a
couple tablespoon. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Turn
down heat, cover and braise for a hour or so. Add kale and squash,
bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until
squash is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Good side is oven roasted potatoes.

Nutritional Information Amount per serving Calories: 283 Fat: 9.5g
Saturated fat: 2g Monounsaturated fat: 4.8g Polyunsaturated fat:
0.5g Protein: 25.6g Carbohydrate: 25.7g Fiber: 4.8g Cholesterol:
67mg Iron: 4.6mg Sodium: 617mg Calcium: 103mg

Ralph. Easy, good.

=====

==========  REZKONV-Rezept - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Titel: Rindergulasch mit Kürbis
Kategorien: Fleisch, Rind, Gemüse, Schmoren
     Menge: 4 Portionen

      1      Teel. Paprikapulver
      1      Teel. Paprikapulver, geräuchert
      1      Teel. Zimt, gem.
    3/4      Teel. Salz
    1/2      Teel. Ingwer, gem.
    1/2      Teel. Chilischoten, klitzeklein
    1/4      Teel. Pfeffer
    450     Gramm  Rinderschmorfleisch, in 1 1/2 cm Würfeln
      1      Essl. Olivenöl
      4            Schalloten, gehackt oder Zwiebeln
      4            Knoblauchzehen, klitzeklein
    1/2     Tasse  Rotwein
    1/2     Tasse  Hühnerbrühe
      1      groß. Dose Tomaten, gehackt, mit Saft
      1     klein. Butternut Kürbis, geschält, in 1 1/2 cm Würfeln
      1      Bund  Grünkohl, geputzt, gehackt
    1/4     Tasse  Koriandergrün

============================ QUELLE ============================
            adapted from Cooking Light, JANUARY 2011
            -- Erfasst *RK* 07.02.2014 von
            -- Ralph Knauth

Das Öl in einem schweren Topf erhitzen, das Fleisch darin von allen
Seiten braun braten, ce. 10 Minuten. Zwiebeln zugeben, anschwitzen,
dan die Gewürze und den Knobi dazu, 1 weitere Minute braten. Mit dem
Rotwein ablöschen, reduzieren lassen. Brühe und Tomaten angiessen,
aufkochen, zudecken, Hitze runterschalten und ca. 1 Stunde schmoren.
Grünkohl und Kürbis zugeben, aufkochen, zudecken, Hitze
runterschalten, 25 Minuten schmoren, bis der Kürbis weich ist.
Abschmecken, zum Servieren Koriandergrün darüberstreuen.

Mit im Ofen gerösteten Kartoffeln servieren.

=====

pork chops with kale and squash - Schweinskoteletts mit Kürbis

Coming back from a long weekend, spend in Santa Barbara with our son and his fiance, all i had to cook at home was 2 pork chops from the freezer, a small butternut squash, some sweet potatoes and some kale. Definitely enough for a quick and tasty dinner :) I cut the squash in 1 inch pieces and fried it in some olive oil. Than I added the kale, cooked it for a short while, added some water and let it simmer, covered, until done. In the meantime, I fried the pork chops and made a little pan sauce with wine, mustard and heavy cream. The sweet potatoes went into the oven for roasted sweet potato fries. A quick and healthy dinner, which tasted really good :)

Als wir von einem verlängerten Wochenende in santa Barbara, wo wir Sohnemann und Verlobte besuchten, zurückkamen, war alles, was ich zum Kochen hatte, 2 Schweinskotelett, ein paar Süßkartoffeln, ein Butternut Kürbis und etwas Grünkohl. Zeit, kreativ zu werden : Ich habe den Kürbis in Olivenöl angebraten, den Grünkohl zugegeben, kurz mitgebraten , mit etwas Wasser abgelöscht und zugedeckt fertig gekocht. In der Zwischenzeit die Koteletts schön braun gebraten und aus Wein, Senf und Sahne eine schnelle Sosse gemacht. Schnell und gesund, und es schmeckt auch noch :)

-=========  REZKONV-Recipe - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Title: pork chops with butternut squash and kale
Categories: Main, Pork, Vegetables, Winter
     Yield: 4 Servings

      2     large  Pork chops
      1   tablesp. Flour
    1/2       cup  Wine or water
      2   tablesp. Mustard
    100        ml  Heavy cream

============================ SQUASH ============================
                   Olive oil, s+p
      1     small  Butternut squash, cleaned, cut in 1 inch pieces
      1     bunch  Kale, cleaned, coarsly chopped
    100        ml  Water / stock

============================ SOURCE ============================
            selbst
            -- Edited *RK* 01/21/2014 by
            -- Ralph Knauth

Salt the pork chops and let sit for 1/2 hour.

Heat olive oil in a wide pan with lid. Add squash and cook for 10
min., turning once or twice. Add kale, cook for a minute or so. Add
water / stock, bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 10 min.
Uncover the pan, season with salt and pepper and reduce the cooking
liquid.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in a heavy pan. Fry the pork chops
from both sides, until golden. Take out of pan and keep warm. Roast
the flour in the pan for a minute, deglace with the wine and cook
for a couple minutes. Add cream and mustard, bring to a boil. Adjust
seasonings.

Slice the pork, serve with the sauce and squash. A nice side are
oven roasted sweet potatoes.

=====


==========  REZKONV-Rezept - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Titel: Schweinskotelett, Grünkohl und Kürbis
Kategorien: Fleisch, Schwein, Winter
     Menge: 4 Portionen

      2      groß. Schweinskotelett
      1      Essl. Mehl
    100        ml  Wein, trocken oder Wasser
      2      Essl. Senf
    100        ml  Sahne

============================ GEMÜSE ============================
                   Olivenöl, s+p
      1     klein. Butternut Kürbis, geputzt, in 2 cm Stücke
                   -- geschnitten
      1      Bund  Grünkohl, geputzt, grob gehackt
    100        ml  Wasser/Brühe

============================ QUELLE ============================
            selbst
            -- Erfasst *RK* 21.01.2014 von
            -- Ralph Knauth

Die Schweinskotelett salzen und pfeffern, 1/2 Stunde stehen lassen.

Olivenöl in einer grossen Pfanne mit Deckel erhitzen, Kürbis darin
anbraten. Nach etwa 10 Minuten den Grünkohl zugeben, kurz mitbraten,
mit Wasser/Brühe ablöschen und mit dem Deckel zudecken. 10 min
simmern lassen, dann den Deckel abnehmen, s+p und die Flüssigkeit
einkochen lassen.

In der Zwischenzeit Öl in einer schweren Pfanne erhitzen, die
Koteletts darin von beiden Seiten braun braten,  Aus der Pfanne
nehmen, warmstellen und kurz nachziehen lassen. Etwas Mehl in der
Pfanne rösten, mit Wein/Wasser ablöschen, einkochen lassen. Sahne
und Senf zugeben, aufkochen, abschmecken.

Fleisch in Scheinen schneiden, mit dem Gemüse und der Sauce
anrichten. Dazu im Ofen gebratene Süßkartoffeln.

=====

Christmas Day Dinner - Weihnachtsessen 2013

In the beginning of the year, I ordered a Country Ham at Col. Newsom from Kentucky, which was supposed to be the centerpiece of our Christmas Dinner this year. A couple weeks ago, It arrived by mail and I had it cut in half by my friendly butcher Erik. Three days before the Christmas Day Dinner, I put it in a large tub and let it soak for 3 days to remove some of the salt. All what was left to do than was to cook it very slowly to keep it tender. It came out gorgeous, with a very unique, great flavor. It tastes much stronger than regular, brined ham, so the key to enjoy it is to slice it very thin. Red Eye Gravy is a perfect accompaniment.

The other sides on the plate : Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onions with Gremolata, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup and Chipotle Chilis. It was a very nice, stressless dinner, great to prepare in advance and interesting with its Italian and Southern elements. Before the ham, we had Michael Chiarello's Very Green Broccoli Soup with Hazelnut Gremolata and dessert was Pear Ginger Crème Brûlée Pie ( which deserves an own post later on )

Michael Chiarello's Very Green Broccoli Soup with Hazelnut Gremolata

Anfang des Jahres habe ich einen speziellen Schinken, einen luftgetrockneten, leicht geräucherten Landschinken aus Kentucky, einen Country Ham, für unser Weihnachtessen bestellt. Vor ein paar Wochen kam er tatsächlich an, und ich ließ ihn bei meinem Metzger in halb schneiden. # Tage vor dem geplannten Verzehr habe ich ihn in Wasser eingelegt, um ein bisschen vom Salz auszuschwemmen. Das einzige, was sonst noch zu tun war, war ihn ganz langsam sieden zu lassen. So bleibt er schön zart. Der Geschmack war auzgezeichnet, und eine Red Eye Sauce, eine Sauce mit Kaffee, passte bestens dazu. 

Der restliche Teil desWeihnachtsmenüs : Als Vorspeise eine ' sehr grüne Broccoli Suppe mit Haselnuß Gremolata, Beilagen zum Schinken waren gerösteter Butternut Kürbis und rote Zwiebeln, Kartoffelbrei, Grüne Bohnen und Süßkartoffelbrei mit Ahorn Sirup und Chipotle Chillies. Der Nachtisch war ein Birnen Ingwer Crème Brûlée Kuchen ( der einen eigenen Post verdient, später )

===== Title Index (2 recipes) =====

Country Ham with Red Eye Gravy

Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Maple Syrup and Chipotles

-=========  REZKONV-Recipe - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Title: Country Ham with Red Eye Gravy

Categories: Pork, Main, Christmas

     Yield: 12 Servings

    1/2            Dry cured 'Country" ham, butt end or shank end

      2      cups  Bourbon

========================= FOR THE GRAVY =========================

    1/2       cup  Plain, strong coffee

    1/2       cup  Water, boiling

      1   tablesp. Flour

                   Pepper

    1/4       cup  Heavy cream

============================ SOURCE ============================

            Classical Southern Cooking, Damon Lee Fowler

            -- Edited *RK* 12/26/2013 by

            -- Ralph Knauth

Under cold, running water, scrub the ham all over with a stiff brush

to remove all mold. Place in a large tub and cover with cold water,

soak for 2 or 3 days, changing the water three times during this

process.

Drain the ham, put in a large pot and cover with water. Bring slowly

to the boiling point, skimming off the scum that rises to the surface.

Add the bourbon, reduce the heat to a barely perceptible simmer.

The steam bubbles should just break the surface of the water so

that it hardly moves. Never allow it to actually boil. Simmer the

ham for 3 to 4 hours, until it is just tender. Turn off the heat,

than let the ham cool a bit in the liquid. Drain, cut off the skin

and some of the fat layer and carve into very thin slices. Serve

with the gravy.

For the gravy, fry some bites of ham and some of the fat you can cut

off the ham before cooking it. Remove the cracklings, than stir in

the flour and cook for a minute or two. Deglaze with the coffee, add

the hot water and let cook for 5 minutes until it thickens. Add some

cream, if you like and season with pepper. Serve in a warmed

sauceboat.

=====

-=========  REZKONV-Recipe - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Title: Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Maple Syrup and Chipotles

Categories: Side, Thanksgiving, Oven

     Yield: 6-8 Servings

  2 1/4        kg  (about 10 medium or 5 large) sweet potatoes,

                   -- scrubbed

1/3-1/2       cup  Maple syrup

    3/4       cup  Sour cream or créme fraîche

      4     teasp. Purée from canned chipotles

  1 1/2     teasp. Ground cinnamon

                   Salt to taste

============================ SOURCE ============================

            NY Times, Adapted from Bobby Flay

            -- Edited *RK* 12/19/2013 by

            -- Ralph Knauth

This is a Bobby Flay recipe ginned up specifically for Thanksgiving

in response to a request from The Times back in 2003. Mr. Flay came

through in spades: The sweetness of the potatoes is amplified by

maple syrup, then taken in a completely different direction by the

addition of fiery chipotle sauce. Sour cream knits the dish together

perfectly.

TIME 45 minutes

PREPARATION 

Put oven rack in middle position and heat oven to 375

degrees. Place potatoes on large baking sheet and bake until soft,

35 to 40 minutes for medium potatoes, up to 1 hour for large.

Meanwhile, combine syrup, sour cream or créme fraîche, chipotle

purée, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. When

potatoes are tender, remove from oven and slice in two lengthwise.

Scoop hot flesh into a potato ricer or food mill, and purée into

bowl with other ingredients. Stir with rubber spatula to combine.

Potatoes should be light and fluffy. Taste for seasoning, transfer

to warm serving bowl and serve immediately.

=====

===== Titelliste (2 Rezepte) =====

Gekochter Schinken mit Kaffee Sauce

Süsskartoffelbrei mit Ahornsirup und Chipotles

==========  REZKONV-Rezept - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Titel: Gekochter Schinken mit Kaffee Sauce

Kategorien: Fleisch, Schwein, Hauptgericht

     Menge: 12 Portionen

    1/2            Schinken, ca. 10 Pfund, luftgetrocknet ( Country

                   -- Ham )

    500        ml  Bourbon

========================= FOR THE GRAVY =========================

    150        ml  Kaffee, stark

    150        ml  Wasser, kochend

      1      Essl. Mehl

                   Pfeffer

    100        ml  Sahne

============================ QUELLE ============================

            Classical Southern Cooking, Damon Lee Fowler

            -- Erfasst *RK* 26.12.2013 von

            -- Ralph Knauth

Den Schinken gut unter kaltem Wasser abbürsten, in einer groosen

Schüssel, gut mit kaltem Wasser bedeckt, für 2 oder 3 Tage

einweichen. Dabei das Wasser dreimakl wechseln.

Den Schinken aus dem wasser nehmen, gut abtropfen lassen, in einen

großen Topf geben und mit kaltem Wasser bedecken. Erhitzen, bis das

Wasser fast kocht, dabei den aufsteigenden Schaum abschöpfen. Den

Bourbon zugeben und die Hitze so regulieren, das das Wasser gerade

nicht kocht. Schinken 3-4 Stunden sieden lassen, dann etwas im Sud

abkühlen lassen. Aus der Kochbrühe nehmen, und in sehr dünne

Scheiben schneiden. Mit der Sauce servieren.

Für die Sauce etwas Fett und Schinkenstücke, die man vor dem Kochen

abgeschnitten hat, in einer Pfanne auslassen. Aus der Pfanne nehmen,

das Mehl in das Fett einrühren nd kurz braten. Kaffee und Wasser

angießen, durchkochen, mit Pfeffer abschmecken. Wer will, kann auch

etwas Sahne verwenden. Sauce in einer angewärmten Saucenschüssel zum

Schinken reichen.

Ralph. Sehr gut. Weihnachtsessen 2013.

=====

==========  REZKONV-Rezept - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Titel: Süsskartoffelbrei mit Ahornsirup und Chipotles

Kategorien: Thanksgiving

     Menge: 6-8 Personen

      2        kg  Süsskartoffeln

    100        ml  Ahorn Sirup

    200        ml  Schmand

      4      Teel. Chipotles in Adobe Sauce, püriert

  1 1/2      Teel. Zimt

                   Salz

============================ QUELLE ============================

            NY Times, Adapted from Bobby Flay

            -- Erfasst *RK* 19.12.2013 von

            -- Ralph Knauth

Ofen auf 190°C aufheizen. Kartoffeln auf ein Backblech geben, mit

einer Gabel einstechen und backen, bis sie weich sind, ca. 1 Stunde.

In der Zwischenzeit die restlichen Zutaten verrühren. Wenn die

Kartoffeln weich sind, in halb schneiden, kurz ausdampfen lassen und

dann das weiche Innere auslöffeln. Mit der Kartoffelpresse in den

Schmand Mix drücken, gut verrühren. Die Kartoffeln sollten leicht

und luftig sein. Abschmecken, sofort servieren.

=====

I'm back :)

After a long, long hibernation, I'm back to blogging. Thanks, Petra, for the recurring pushes :) It finally paid off ...

I'm not sure yet how I will play this blog. i'm " facebooking " all my daily dinners ( or sometimes lunches or breakfast ) over at Leite's Culinaria What's for dinner, so I guess I will post here only the more interesting stuff ;)

So, than let's begin with our dinner yesterday. I still had this butternut squash from our last CSA delivery laying on the counter, and while browsing through some of my Italian cookbooks, I found a interesting recipe in Anne Bianchi's Italian Festival Food : Gnocchi di Zucca, Butternut squash gnocchi. It was not very complicated, just boil the squash with some onion, puree it, thicken it with some semolina flour and knead it with regular flour. That worked quite well, I had just one problem with the recipe. Instead of the suggested 1/2 cup flour, I needed almost 2 cups. In the beginning the only way to work in the flour was with the bench scraper. And in the end, the dough was still somewhat sticky. But good enough to roll it into ropes, cut the gnocchi and roll them over the gnocchi board to give them that ridged surface, to which the sauce clings so nicely. As a side , i made broccoli with garlic. Again, really easy. Just peel the stalks, cut the broccoli in large ' flowers ' and blanch it. Than brown some garlic in olive oil and cook the broccoli for a couple minutes in the flavored oil. Yummy.

-=========  REZKONV-Recipe - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Title: Gnocchi di Zucca - Butternut Squash Gnocchi
Categories: Side, Appetizer, Vegetable, Italy
     Yield: 4 Servings

============================ GNOCCHI ============================
      2   tablesp. Butter
      1    medium  Onion, thinly sliced
    900     grams  Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
                   Salt
    1/2       cup  Water
    1/2       cup  Semolina flour
      1     large  Egg yolk, lightly beaten
      2      cups  Flour, AP, unbleached

=========================== TO SERVE ===========================
      8   tablesp. Taleggio or montasio cheese, or other soft,
                   -- sharp tasting grated cheese ( I used Parmesan
                   -- )
      4   tablesp. Butter for the brown butter

============================ SOURCE ============================
            adapted from Italian Festival Food, Anne Bianchi
            -- Edited *RK* 12/07/2013 by
            -- Ralph Knauth

Heat the butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add onions and
sauté for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add squash, season
with salt, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the cooked onion and squash to a food processor and puree.
Pour the mixture back into the clean skillet, add 1/2 cup water, and
heat to boiling. Pour in the semolina in a thin stream, whisking
constantly, for 3 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Remove
from the heat, and pour mixture into a wet baking pan and let cool
completely. Stir the egg yolk into the cooled squash mixture and
transfer to a floures surface. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding
flour as needed to create a smooth, dense dough ( It was a sticky
mess in the beginning, so I used a bench sraper to get the dough
started. )

Divide the dough into quarters and roll each quarter into a 3/4 inch
wide rope. Cut the rope into 1 inch pieces and roll them over a
gnocchi board to create a ridged surface ( you can use thetines of a
fork instead, though I think the gnocchi board is much easier ), and
transfer to a floured board. Continue rolling and cutting the dough
until all the dough has been used.

Brings 4 quarts of aggressiveley salted water to a boil. Heat the
butter in a wide pan over medium heat and let brown.

Add the gnocchi, a few dozen at a time, to the water and bring to a
boil again. When the gnocchi float to the surface, remove them with
a slotted spoon and add them to the brown butter. Cook for a few
minutes, than plate on warmed plates and dust with some fresh grated
parmesan cheese.

A very nice side to that is sautéed broccoli rabe or broccoli with
garlic.

Ralph. Very nice, great colors on the plate. Something different to
do with a butternut squash ...

=====