Wake-up: Under-the-weather in Fairbanks, AK

Hello Friends! I had to take a last minute trip north to Alaska last Wednesday. Then I got really sick (no I don't think it was swine flu but I had a fever of 102). I am only now feeling well enough to read my inbox and pop over here to let you know why I did not post Sunday Supper yesterday. I spent most of Sunday sleeping.

TEB, MIA and mom drove out to the Knotty Shop for ice cream and shopping. Grandma and Jimmie even came over for dinner and I slept through it all. I woke up to head over to my sister's house, help TEB put MIA to bed and watch a little TV. I have been using my natural medicine cabinet and feel so much better today. Sunday Supper will be back next week.

photo credit: Winter warmers by H is for Home

Sunday Supper: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds + Mulled Cider

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds + Mulled Cider

There are many things I love about fall but two of my favorites are roasted pumpkin seeds and mulled cider. I have to confess that my most recent attempt at roasting pumpkin seeds has been my one-and-only success. Mulled cider is so easy to make, especially once I tell you my little trick - pre-packaged mulling spices. I keep the pantry stocked because you never know when you need to spice up that old red wine or to warm your insides with some delicious cider. The recipe is very simple: Heat your beverage of choice (red wine or apple juice) with 2-3 tablespoons of mulling spices over the lowest heat setting as possible for 30 minutes. That. is. it. Now keep reading for the easy roasted pumpkin seeds recipe.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
By Cayenne, adapted from NW

Spray oil
Sesame oil
Salt & Pepper
special seasoning (optional)
cookie sheet
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Rinse your pumpkin seeds well and get all the little bits of pumpkin outta there. Spread on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry or let them air out for a bit. Take a cookie sheet and spray with a bit of olive oil (I use the Misto Olive Oil Sprayer).

2. Put the pumpkin seeds into a small bowl and add a drizzle of sesame oil, mix well. Spread seeds in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Give them lots of room. Crank some freshly ground pepper over them.

3. Now comes the part where you can dive into your spice drawer and use just about anything to seasons these guys. I used Denali SP'ICE Alaskan Alder Smoked Sea Salt for one batch and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning for the other batch. My favorite was the alder smoked salt.

Bake for 5-10 minutes but check them often.

photo credit: Cayenne 10.23.09

Weekend: Happy Hallooween

BOO!

Sunday Supper: Vegan Asian-style Lettuce Wrap

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Vegan Asian-style Lettuce Wraps

I was inspired to create this recipe after envying all the people eating vegan lettuce wraps at my friends' spectacular wedding. Their entire menu was vegan and unfortunately for me the lettuce wraps had cilantro (yes, I am one of those cilantro haters). Everyone raved about the deliciousness of the lettuce wraps and I wanted some too.

Vegan Lettuce Wraps
by Cayenne, sauces from RecipeZaar

1 package veggie ground (I don't have a brand preference just as long as it is plain flavored)
couple cups green cabbage shredded
handful shitake mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, sliced and separated into green portions and white portions
1-2 tablespoons ginger, grated
water chestnuts, canned and sliced
1 head butter lettuce

Stir Fry Sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Special Topping Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp hot mustard
2 tsp water
1-2 tsp garlic and red chile paste

The key to stirfrying all this up is to having prepped before you start cooking and to add spices until it "smells fantastic." Seriously, you want to smell that ginger and garlic as it cooks in the pan. I store the ground filling, lettuce, and sauces all separate in the fridge so it makes a great lunch for the next few days.

1. Prep all stir fry ingredients and mix up the sauces.

2. Heat sesame oil in large frying pan or wok. Dump in the veggie ground and cook until heated all the way through.

3. Add the garlic, onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms to the pan. After a few minutes throw in the ginger. Now it should start smelling delicious. When almost done add the stir fry sauce. Cook until cabbage is tender and the mushrooms browned.

4. Plate the stir fry into lettuce cups and drizzle with the Special Sauce.
photo credit: Cayenne 10.18.09

Sunday Supper: Jamie Oliver's Grilled Mushroom Risotto

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Grilled Mushroom Risotto from Jamie Oliver's book Jamie at Home, recipe here.
Grilled Mushroom Risotto
Adapted slightly by Cayenne, from Jamie Oliver's cookbook Jamie at Home

6 ⅓ cups chicken stock (approximately and definitely used homemade)
Handful dried porcini mushrooms (could not find any)
Olive oil 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks celery, trimmed and finely chopped (was out of celery)
14 ounces risotto rice - found at Whole Foods on the top shelf of the rice section)
⅔ cup white wine (or vermouth)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large handfuls wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (don't use button mushrooms) Few sprigs fresh tarragon and/or parsley, leaves picked and chopped
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons butter
2 handfuls freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Extra-virgin olive oil

1.Saute the onion (and celery if you got it) with the olive oil. Turn up the heat and add the rice. Mix well with the onions and get coated in oil. Add the wine and keep stirring until the rice has soaked up the wine.

2. Add a ladleful of stock, slowly and gently stirring the rice so that it does not stick. Keep up the simmer and adding stock after each batch has been sucked up by the rice. Taste the rice every so often to see if it is done. This step took ~30-40 minutes. Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding ladles of stock.

3. When you think the rice is just al dente, take a dry large cast iron pan and grill the mushrooms until they are juicy and soft. Throw the mushrooms and herbs into a bowl, squeeze half a lemon over them, and maybe at a touch of salt (I did not add any extra salt).

4. Remove the risotto from the hot burner and stir in the butter and the Parmesan. I had to adjust with a bit more stock and cheese. Keep gently folding the cheese in until you get a creamy texture.

5. Put a lid on it and let the risotto sit for 3-4 minutes. Pour yourself a glass of wine (ya know the rest of the white wine that you used at the beginning of the recipe).

6. Plate the risotto with a pile of mushrooms, dusting of Parmesan, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Our friend AD was over for "dinner" (it was 10:30p by the time this dish was done) and everyone declared it a success. I had to alter the recipe quite a bit and the risotto was still delicious. I will be making this again as I have since found dried porcini mushrooms.

If you can find the dried porcini mushrooms. Add this step at the beginning: heat the stock to a low simmer. In a bowl cover the porcini mushrooms with hot stock and let sit until soft (just a few minutes). Reserve the stock but remove remove the porcini and chop. Add the porcini after the wine has been absorbed. Continue with step 2 above.

photo credit: Cayenne 10.09.09

Sunday Supper: Jamie Oliver's Old Fashioned Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Old Fashioned Sweet Shortcrust Pastry for making Sweet Pies straight from Jamie Oliver's book Jamie at Home, recipe here.

Making pie crust is scary because the results are highly variable, at least in my experience. I was looking for a go-too pie crust that I could count on and I believe Jamie's recipe is just that recipe. I was surprised at both how stressful it was to make this crust and how easy it will be to make it in the future. Just do a little practice before bringing this out for Thanksgiving.

Pie Crust Recipe
makes about 2 pounds

3 1/2 cups organic, all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 cup icing sugar (confectioner's or powdered sugar), sifted
1 cup plus 2 tbsp good quality cold butter, cut into small cubes
zest of 1 lemon
2 large free-range or organic eggs, beaten
a splash of milk (substituted soy)

I really think having cold butter is the key here. You don't want to change the chemistry or consistency of the butter before or while it is combined with the flour. Chill your butter and a large cookie sheet in the fridge before starting.

1. Cube the butter and put it in the freezer while you prep the flour (~5-10 minutes).
2. Sift the flour from a height (12 or so inches high) onto the cold cookie sheet.
3. Quickly, but thoroughly, work the butter into the flour by smooshing it between your thumbs. When the mixture is a fine crumb add the lemon zest (or orange zest, pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, or vanilla seeds)
4. Beat the eggs lightly and add to the flour/butter mixture. Add a splash of milk as you gently work the mixture into a ball.
5. Divide into 2 balls. Flour lightly and pat it into a flat round. Wrap each round with saran wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

That is pretty much it! Mix up your fruit with your favorite spices and maybe some agave syrup (or sugar if that is your preference). Roll out your crust and be inventive with shapes and pans.

I had company over for this pie crust making extravaganza. One friend brought fresh tiny apples from Julian so we used those for the filling. We made 6 muffin-size pies and a regular pie with a bottom and top. In addition I was able to make a regular pie with a lattice top. It really was so easy. Now go make some pie crust!

photo credit: Cayenne 09.20.09

Celebrate: Walnut Wood Bed Frame

Finally, there is an end to the bed saga. I had sorta given up on finding a bed, until of course I found the perfect bed. Within 3 days the new bed frame was installed in our bedroom.

The new bed frame with evening sun coming through the window.

Now lets get into some of the specs on this wonderful bed. It was made by a local (Long Beach, CA) craftsman named Peter and I feel truly lucky to own one of his pieces. The bed is perfect: solid walnut wood, low profile, small footprint, industrial strength brackets to hold it together with easy deconstruction for moving. Peter designs and builds simple, modern furniture that is very versatile.

Check out the square post legs (similar to the Anders bed from Room & Board) and the swirling grain of the headboard.

My home is a bit of eclectic mid century modern and the bed fits right in. Check out Peter's blog, Pete's Furniture, for a peek into his wood working world. I personally fell in love with the teak booster seat, as I am part of the 1% of the population who will issue a ban on any neon colored plastic junk from entering the house.I really could not be happier about our new bed. Now off to get some zzz's!

photo credit: Cayenne 09.26.09