While we normally eat spaghetti squash tossed with nothing more than a a bit of olive oil and a handful of fresh-grated parmigiano reggiano, I decided to splurge this time around and used the versatile squash to create a rich and creamy gratin.

This gratin was inspired by a recipe I found at Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen.  I’m sure her sour cream version is wonderful, and that’s what I had originally planned to make, but when I realized that I had some heavy cream that needed to be used, I opted for that instead.  I also added some shallots along with the garlic, and decreased the amount of herbs (mainly because I was completely out of fresh herbs).  The resulting dish was absolutely delicious!

We’ve actually been on a bit of a spaghetti squash kick around here lately, and have eaten it again since I made the  gratin.  This last time, I sauteed some garlic in olive oil, added a generous pinch of crushed red pepper, then tossed the spaghetti squash strands in the garlic oil until heated through.  I then seasoned it with salt and a handful of fresh chopped parsley and served it with a bit of fresh grated parmigiano reggiano.  Since this is one of my favorite ways to eat spaghetti, I thought I’d give it a try with spaghetti squash.  It was wonderful!

What’s your favorite way to eat spaghetti squash?

Spaghetti Squash Gratin

1 spaghetti squash, baked until tender*
1 large (or two small) shallot(s), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 t. dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano, divided
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. Remove seeds and shred spaghetti squash.  Place spaghetti squash strands in a large bowl, and discard shell.

2. Cook shallots in butter over medium-low heat until softened.  Stir in garlic, cook for a minute longer.  Scrape shallots and garlic into bowl with squash.  Add thyme, heavy cream, sour cream, and half of the cheese.  Toss together well until ingredients are evenly distributed.  Pour into a greased casserole and top with remaining cheese.

3. Bake uncovered in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Yield: approximately 6 servings

*How to cook spaghetti squash

Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Red Pepper

1 spaghetti squash, baked until tender*
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
generous pinch of crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley
salt to taste
fresh grated parmigiano reggiano (optional)

1. Remove seeds and shred spaghetti squash.  Place spaghetti squash strands in a large bowl, and discard shell.

2. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook until just lightly browned.  Add crushed red pepper, then add spaghetti squash.  Toss spaghetti squash strands until well-coated in the garlic oil and heated through.  Season with salt and toss with parsley.  Serve with fresh grated parmigiano reggiano, if desired.

*How to cook spaghetti squash

Around the Web:

• Spaghetti Squash Gratin from Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen
• Spaghetti Squash with Bacon and Turnip Greens from Cooking by the Seat of my Pants
• Spaghetti Squash and Chard Gratin from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• New Mexican Spaghetti Squash from Karina’s Kitchen
• Moroccan-Spiced Spaghetti Squash from Smitten Kitchen

I’m beginning to think there’s nothing quite as satisfying as making a tray of slow-roasted tomatoes.  Now, I know I’ve said this about a lot of things.  Bread, for example.  And it’s true that there’s nothing quite as satisfying as making a loaf of bread with your own two hands.  But man, these tomatoes are something.  And they are simple.  So simple, that the extraordinary flavor almost doesn’t make sense.  The flavor is sweet, but intense.  Sultry, even.  You’ll see.  You’ll be smitten, too.

If there’s one thing I learned about food while living in Sicily, it’s this:  less is more.

Simplify.

Want to learn how to cook?  Quit trying to follow complicated recipes out of fancy books.  First, you must simplify.

What ingredients do you like?  Walk through the produce section of your grocery store or your local market without a grocery list and without any particular recipe in mind.  What catches your eye?  What calls to you?  Pick it up, take it home, and see if you can figure out the simplest way to make it taste really great.

There are very few ingredients, animal or vegetable, that wouldn’t benefit from something as simple as a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt, or a squeeze of lemon juice.

But wait, you want to know about these tomatoes, don’t you?

The great thing about slow roasting tomatoes is that you can make even run-of-the-mill grocery store tomatoes taste great.  All you need are a couple of baskets of grape or cherry tomatoes, some cloves of garlic, olive oil, salt, and that jar of Italian seasoning that’s been hanging out in the back of your spice cabinet.  See?  It’s simple.

While the idea of turning on the oven for three hours during the last heat wave of summer probably isn’t that appealing, the temperature will be so low that you won’t even notice it’s on.  Trust me, I did it yesterday.  And yes, we really are having a heat wave here in Southern California.

It’s highly unlikely that you’re going to have any leftovers, but the tomatoes can be stored with a bit of olive oil in a covered container in the refrigerator.  The garlic cloves can be peeled and eaten (mmmm…roasted garlic…) or just tossed in with the tomatoes for extra flavor.  But again, make sure everything stays refrigerated if you aren’t going to eat them immediately.  But, you will eat them immediately.

My absolute favorite way to eat these tomatoes is on bruschetta smeared with goat cheese.  If you’re in search of a simple appetizer that will completely blow your guests away, here it is.

Now these tomatoes are certainly not my idea.  There are tons of recipes for slow-roasted tomatoes floating around out there and really, I suggest you customize this to suit your own taste.  The version I like comes from Deb at Smitten Kitchen, so be sure to head over there to read about her gorgeous tomatoes and gorgeous new baby, before making some of your own.

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Cherry, grape or pear tomatoes (or whatever tiny tomatoes you prefer)
Garlic cloves, unpeeled
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Combination of dried Italian herbs (such as fennel, oregano, basil, or thyme)*

1. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper and heat oven to 225 degrees.

2. Cut enough tomatoes to fill the sheet pan (about 2 small baskets should do the trick) and place them cut-side up on the parchment paper.  Scatter a handful of unpeeled garlic cloves throughout the tomatoes.

3. Drizzle olive oil all over the tomatoes, then sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.

4. Mix together some of your favorite dried Italian herbs (or just use a commercial blend) and measure out about 2 teaspoons of the mixture. Grind the herbs into a powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle then sprinkle evenly over the tomatoes.

5. Bake tomatoes at 225 degrees for 3-4 hours, or until they have shriveled but still contain a bit of moisture inside.  The time will depend on the size of your tomatoes, so start checking early.

6. Let cool and eat immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator.  The garlic cloves can be peeled and eaten or stored in the jar with the tomatoes for a few days, refrigerated.

Recipes Notes: *I really like to include a good amount of fennel seed in my herb mixture.  Even if you think you don’t like fennel, you might enjoy it here.  I like to grind the herbs into a powder before sprinkling over the tomatoes, especially if using fennel seed and/or rosemary.  But, it’s completely optional.  I generally combine five or six different dry herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, and fennel.  Use as many or as few as you like.  You might even try leaving the herbs out completely.

Around the Web:

• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes at Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes at A Veggie Venture
• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes at The Perfect Pantry
• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes with Sea Salt and Coriander from Orangette

This week I am participating in the second round of Eating Down the Fridge. The challenge was created by Kim O’Donnel of The Washington Post blog A Mighty Appetite.  The goal is to completely avoid food shopping (including eating out) for a full week, and instead concentrate on using what is already stored in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.  Because I have been out of town, I started the challenge a couple of days late.  But as of Monday, I have done no food shopping or eating out (with one exception) and I plan on continuing at least through Monday, but perhaps even longer if I can.

Perhaps a week doesn’t sound like a very long time to go without shopping, and for those of us without kids it’s not that long at all.  But my goal for this challenge is to use up things in my freezer and pantry that have long been neglected.  And although I don’t do major grocery shopping more than a few times a month, I am used to popping up to my local market a few times a week for various ingredients, fresh fruits and vegetables.  And quite frankly, I’ve been eating out a lot lately, so eating 21 meals in a row at home will be a bit of a challenge for me!

Yesterday at lunchtime I was starving.  But as I rummaged around my kitchen, I realized that I had no quick snacks to grab.  I had no bread to make a sandwich, no crackers or bananas to smear with peanut butter, and no leftover dinner to reheat in the microwave.  It shouldn’t have been a big deal since I have a fridge and pantry stocked with ingredients, but I had let myself get too hungry and I really needed something fast.  Yes, I could have eaten a bowl of cereal, but I decided to step up to the EDF challenge, and start eating down my fridge.  I drank a tall glass of water to quell my hunger pangs while I started searching for something to prepare.

I found a half-empty jar of marinated artichokes hiding in the back of my refrigerator and decided it was time to use them up.  My first thought was pasta.  So I pulled a box of penne out of the pantry, found a container of kalamata olives and some feta cheese (score!) in the fridge, and was about to get to work.  And then I had a change of heart.  I remembered the jar of tahini and cans of garbanzo beans in the pantry and decided to throw the leftover artichoke hearts in a batch of hummus instead of tossing them with pasta.  And as I was lamenting my lack of pita chips or crackers to go with the hummus, I remembered the package of frozen naan I had picked up at Trader Joe’s on my last visit.  Perfect!  Since hummus only takes minutes to put together, I had lunch in front of me even faster than if I had made the pasta.

Artichoke Hummus

1 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped or pressed
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
juice of half a lemon (or more, to taste)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
small squirt of Sriracha (optional)

1. In a food processor, combine garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Process until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary.  Add salt and Sriracha (if using) to taste. Extra lemon juice or tahini may also be added to taste.

2. Spoon hummus onto a plate, creating a bit of a well in the center.  Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.  Serve with your favorite flat bread, crackers, chips, or fresh vegetables.

Recipe Notes: Ingredient amounts, including garlic can be adjusted to suit your own taste.  Be careful with the hot sauce, a little bit adds a nice boost, but too much will overpower the flavors of the hummus.  If you cook your own garbanzo beans rather than using canned, reserve a bit of the cooking liquid to thin the hummus in place of plain water.

Although I have commited to Eating Down the Fridge this week, I did go out to dinner with friends last night because it had been planned before I joined EDF.  I’ll be extending the challenge for an extra day to make up for the dinner out.  Interested in participating in the next round of Eating Down the Fridge?  Join the Facebook Group to receive alerts about upcoming events.

You also might have noticed that I took a week off from The BBA Challenge.  I was in the mountains with my family for a few days and decided I would rather spend quality time away from the computer rather than worry about completing my weekly bread post.  But I will be back Monday to tell you about making Peter Reinhart’s version of Challah!

Related Recipes:

• Whole Wheat Pita Chips
• Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
• Mediterranean Olive Hummus
• Chickpea Soup with Ginger and Coriander

Around the Web:

• Jalapeño & Lime Hummus from Karina’s Kitchen
• Parsley Hummus from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Hummus from Closet Cooking
• Slow Roasted Tomato Hummus from Andrea’s Recipes
• Cilantro Lime Hummus from Two Peas and Their Pod

I love brown rice, but I have to tell you that more times than not, I am unhappy with the texture when I cook it at home.  I have no problem turning out batches of perfectly steamed white rice, whether it’s on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the rice cooker.  But up until yesterday, every method of cooking brown rice seemed to come up short.

After searching the Web for ‘Perfect Brown Rice,’ I found a wonderful little article at Saveur.com with a rice-making method that sounded like the perfect solution to my brown rice dilemma.  I tried it immediately with some Brown Basmati and turned out my very first batch of perfect brown rice! The rice was tender but certainly not mushy. And the grains were separate rather than being stuck together.

The only thing that bothered me was the fact that Saveur told me to use 12 cups of water for one cup of rice.  It just seemed wasteful.

So, I tried again, this time with short grain brown rice.  On my second attempt, I reduced the amount of water to four cups per cup of brown rice and the results were once again perfect!  So if you’ve ever had problems cooking brown rice or if you’re curious about switching to whole grain rice but aren’t sure the best way to prepare it, I really suggest giving this method a try!

And don’t forget to read the short article about cooking brown rice at Saveur!

Perfect Brown Rice

(adapted from Saveur)

brown rice (whichever type you prefer)
water – use at least four cups of water for every one cup of rice
salt – to taste

Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds, swirling the rice around with your hand.  Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.  When water boils, add the rice, stir it once.  Turn heat to medium and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After 30 minutes, pour the rice into a strainer over the sink.  Let the rice drain for 10 seconds, then return it to the pot, off the heat.  Immediately cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and set it aside to allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes (if your pot lid isn’t extremely tight, place a piece of aluminum foil over pot then place the lid on top of foil for a tighter seal). After ten minutes, uncover rice, fluff with a fork, and season with salt to taste.

notes: *the original Saveur recipe instructs you to use 12 cups of water for one cup of rice. This seemed wasteful to me and after trying a few times, I decided that four cups of water for each cup of rice works perfectly fine. You can cook as much rice as you want, just try to stick to that general ratio.

This rich and creamy Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Gratin is flavored with garlic, fresh thyme, and Manchego cheese.  The ingredients are simple but indulgent, making this a perfect side dish for your next holiday meal.

It seems like we just finished eating a huge Thanksgiving meal and it’s already time to start thinking about Christmas dinner.  Between the big holiday meals and all the Christmas baking I plan on doing, I think I’ll have to ask Santa for some larger clothes this year!  But hey, that’s what New Year’s Resolutions are for, right?  I’ll worry about dieting in January.

I made my first Butternut Squash Gratin for Thanksgiving 2007, and although everyone seemed to enjoy it, I really thought it was kind of boring.  That dish was made with butternut squash, heavy cream, fresh thyme, and Gruyere cheese.  I know, it sounds good.  But it was just lacking something.  Although I never tried making a different version, it’s always been there at the back of my mind, waiting to be revised.

Since I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with sweet potatoes in savory dishes lately, I thought it might be fun to add some sweet potato to the Butternut Squash Gratin to liven up the squash a bit.  I also added some garlic to the cream and used fresh sage in addition to the thyme.

The first version tasted really good but I decided I didn’t care much for the sage.  I loved the addition of the garlic and I thought the butternut squash and sweet potatoes went together nicely.  The sweet potatoes added a great punch of flavor and just a bit of sweetness that really perked up the dish.

The final version of the recipe is still very simple, but the garlic and sweet potatoes give it that something extra I was craving.  And I really love the Manchego cheese (that idea came from EAT).

I think this would be a great side dish for either Thanksgiving or Christmas as I think it would go nicely with just about any type of main course you could dream up.  Although it might be a little too rich for anything but a special occasion, I do think most of us can handle a dose of heavy cream during the holidays!

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Gratin with Manchego Cheese

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 pound peeled butternut squash, quartered lengthwise*
1 pound peeled and trimmed sweet potatoes**
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Manchego cheese (or Gruyère)

1. Get Ready: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a small pot bring cream and garlic just to a simmer.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Butter a 9″x13″ shallow casserole dish or gratin dish of similar size and set aside.

2. Prepare the Ingredients: thinly slice the squash and sweet potatoes (no more than 1/8 inch thick) and keep them separate from one another.  Measure out chopped thyme, salt, pepper, and shredded cheese and have them handy. Stir the cooling cream to help prevent skin from forming.

3. Build the Gratin: In the buttered casserole dish, spread half of the sliced butternut squash out in a single overlapping layer.  Sprinkle the squash with 1/3 of the salt, pepper, and thyme and then about 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Using half of the sliced sweet potatoes, build a new overlapping layer.  Again sprinkle with 1/3 of the seasonings and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.  Using the remaining squash, make another layer and sprinkle the last third of the seasonings and another 1/2 cup of cheese (you should have about 1/2 cup cheese remaining). Use the last of the sweet potatoes to make one final layer on top.  Stir the garlic cream mixture then pour it evenly over the top of the gratin, being sure to cover the top layer of sweet potatoes.  Shake the dish gently to distribute the cream.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

4. Bake the Gratin: Cover the dish with foil and bake in the middle of a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil, move the gratin to the top 1/3 of the oven and bake, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and the vegetables are tender when pierced with a sharp knife. You may also place it under the broiler for a few minutes if you wish the top to be a deeper brown (but watch it closely!). Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

Yield: 12 servings

Recipe Notes: *I used the neck of a medium butternut squash and quartered it lengthwise. Butternut squash can easily be peeled with a vegetable peeler. Measure out one pound of squash after it is peeled and the stem has been removed. Save the remaining squash for another use. **Peel the potatoes and remove the pointy ends (save them for soup!) so you’ll have more uniform slices.  You need about one pound of prepared sweet potato.

Squash and sweet potatoes should be thinly sliced, no more than 1/8 inch thick.

You will need about 2 cups of shredded Manchego Cheese. If you can't find Manchego, you may substitute Gruyere.

Get your seasonings ready. You'll need chopped fresh thyme, salt (preferably kosher), and fresh ground black pepper.

Use half of the butternut squash slices to form a single overlapping layer in the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish (or use a similar sized gratin dish).

Sprinkle the squash with 1/3 of the salt, pepper, and thyme then sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of cheese.

Now use half of the sliced sweet potatoes to form another single overlapping layer.

Now sprinkle with another third of your seasonings and another half cup of shredded cheese.

Use the rest of your butternut squash slices to form another layer. This should be your third layer of vegetables.

Now sprinkle the remaining third of your seasonings and another 1/2 cup of cheese. You should still have about 1/2 cup of cheese remaining.

Now use the last of the sweet potatoes to form the top layer of the gratin.

Pour the garlic-infused cream evenly over the top of the sweet potatoes.

Finally, sprinkle the top of the gratin with the remaining shredded cheese. Feel free to add a little extra if you have it!

Bake the gratin, covered with foil, in a 400 degree oven. After 30 minutes, remove the foil. It should be bubbly and the vegetables should be almost tender when pierced with a sharp knife.

Bake the gratin, uncovered, in the upper third of the oven for an additional 20 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and the vegetables are completely tender. If you want it darker, pop it under the broiler for a few minutes at the end (make sure to watch it closely!).

Allow to cool for about half an hour before slicing. Enjoy!

Related Recipes:

• Cranberry Applesauce with Fresh Ginger
• Sweet Potato Buttermilk Dinner Rolls
• Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese
• Sourdough Stuffing with Apples and Bacon
• Curried Turkey Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Walnuts
• Apple Galette
• Red Velvet Cake

Around the Web:

• Butternut Squash Gratin from Daily Bread Journal
• Smashed Butternut Squash and Potato Gratin from Dressing for Dinner
• Pumpkin Gratin from Thyme for Cooking
• Sweet Potato Gratin from Anne’s Food
• Sweet Potato Gratin with Manchego from EAT

This is one of my favorite salads ever.  It combines all of my favorite things: broccoli, bacon, raisins, and cashews!  How can you go wrong with that combination?  I even had a hard time taking the photo because I  just can’t stop eating this salad once it’s put together.

I just remembered that I made this salad last year for Thanksgiving.  It’s getting close, but I decided to throw it up here in case there are any other procrastinators out there looking for last minute Thanksgiving side dish ideas.  It really is simple enough to throw together at the last minute!

Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Raisins

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
salt
fresh ground black pepper
4 cups broccoli florets (about 2 small heads chopped into small florets)
6 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cashews, roughly chopped

1. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, brown sugar, and vinegar; add salt and pepper to taste.

2. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, bacon and raisins.  Add dressing and toss well.  Store, covered, in refrigerator until ready to serve.  Stir in cashews before serving.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Recipe Notes: Because the broccoli isn’t cooked, be sure to cut it into very small florets. If you prefer to stay away from raw broccoli, the florets can be blanched (boiled or steamed for only a minute or two until broccoli turns bright green but is still crunchy) before the salad is made. I don’t normally use the thick stems, but others have suggested peeling and finely chopping the stems for the salad, so I’ll try that next time.  You can add a bit of chopped red onion to the salad for extra flavor.  Also, as other commenters have pointed out below, sunflower seeds can be substituted for the cashews if that’s what you prefer.  There are several variations of broccoli salad floating around out there, feel free to create your own!

It’s been quite a while since I’ve shared any recipes from Sicily, hasn’t it?  I learned this Zucca Gialla in Agrodolce, or Pumpkin in Sweet and Sour Sauce, in a cooking class I took from my friends Alberto and Liliana in Catania.  In the version I learned, the pumpkin slices were sauteed in olive oil rather than grilled, but I decided to put my own twist on it today!

I’m wondering if there are any people out there who bought a few sugar pumpkins this year with the intention of finally making homemade pumpkin puree for their Thanksgiving pies.  I did.  And no, I never got around to baking those pumpkin pies from scratch.  But this recipe is so delicious and so simple to make, I’m not regretting it all!

I have the original recipe somewhere around here, along with the other recipes I learned from Alberto and Liliana.  But I just didn’t feel like digging through my (still unpacked) boxes in the office.  So you’re getting my improvised and Americanized version of Zucca Gialla in Agrodolce.  I do remember hearing that the old Sicilian way to serve this dish is with thinly sliced raw garlic and chopped fresh mint adorning each slice of pumpkin.  I didn’t do that, but feel free to try it!

For those of you who don’t live in San Diego, land of year-round grilling, you may revert to the original recipe and brown the pumpkin slices in olive oil rather than cooking them on the grill.  You could even throw a smashed clove of garlic into the oil to flavor it while it’s heating.  Just remove the garlic before adding the pumpkin so it doesn’t burn.  Brown the pumpkin slices in batches over medium heat, adding olive oil as needed, then remove them to a serving platter.  Drizzle with the sweet and sour sauce before serving.

Zucca Gialla in Agrodolce (Sweet and Sour Grilled Pumpkin)

1 – 1 1/2 pounds sugar pumpkin*
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
kosher salt
3 tablespoons wine vinegar (red or white)
3 tablespoons white sugar
chopped fresh mint or parsley (optional)
thinly sliced garlic (optional)

1. Prepare coals or preheat your gas grill. Cut Pumpkin in half, scrape out seeds and membrane. Peel each half and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, one clove of minced garlic, and a generous pinch of kosher salt.  Add pumpkin slices and toss well to coat.

3. Grill pumpkin slices over medium to medium-heat for a few minutes on each side or until just tender. Watch closely and don’t let them burn.  Remove grilled pumpkin to a serving platter.

4. In a small saucepan, mix vinegar, sugar, and any garlic oil left in the bowl.  Cook until sugar is dissolved and mixture thickens just slightly.  Drizzle sweet and sour sauce over the pumpkin on the serving platter.  Garnish with fresh chopped mint or parsley and thin slices of raw garlic if desired.

Recipe Notes: *If you can’t find sugar pumpkins, try substituting butternut squash or acorn squash.  If you decide to saute the pumpkin slices rather than grill them, start with two tablespoons of oil in the pan, and add more as needed.  When all the slices have been cooked, add the vinegar and sugar to the remaining olive oil in the pan and heat until sugar is dissolved and sauce thickens just a bit.  Serving the pumpkin with thinly sliced fresh garlic and fresh chopped mint is traditional.  I prefer to skip the raw garlic and serve it with either fresh chopped mint or parsley.

Yield: four servings.

This sugar pumpkin was intended for a pie, but we're happy he ended up on the grill instead!

Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the insides. Save the seeds for roasting if you're into that kind of thing!

I find that a vegetable peeler works very well for peeling pumpkins (and butternut squash).

Cut the pumpkin into slices that are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. They don't have to be perfectly uniform.

The whole process only takes a few minutes!

Toss the pumpkin with olive oil, garlic, and salt until well coated.

Grill pumpkin over direct medium heat for a few minutes on each side.

To get decent grill marks when using a gas grill, make sure you preheat the grill while you are preparing the pumpkin.

Related Recipes:

• Bruschetta
• Blood Orange and Green Olive Salad
• Pasta with Pistachio Cream Sauce

Around the Web:

• Grilled Kabocha Pumpkin and Asian Pear Salad from Fresh Approach Cooking
• Toasted Pumpkin Seeds from Simply Recipes
• Thai-Spiced Pumpkin Soup from 101 Cookbooks

Today is my friend Ruby’s birthday and since she doesn’t live close enough for me to cook her a birthday meal, I told her she could pick today’s recipe for Pinch My Salt.  She chose a curry rice salad with artichokes that she says my mom used to make.  I have a vague recollection of the salad, but I think it must have had some ingredients I don’t like because I don’t remember eating much of it.  But, since it’s Ruby’s birthday, I decided I could create a curry rice salad that we would both enjoy!

The problem is that I don’t have the exact recipe for the salad Ruby remembers.  There are tons of curry artichoke rice salad recipes out there and many of them start with a box of chicken-flavored Rice-a-Roni.  I knew I could come up with something better than that, so I’ve been working on a new version of the salad for a couple of days.  What Ruby likes best about the original salad is the combination of creamy mayonnaise, curry powder, rice, and artichoke hearts.  She left the rest of it up to me.

I decided to keep the recipe simple, but opted to make a homemade curry mayonnaise rather than use mayonnaise from a jar.  Making the mayonnaise from scratch doesn’t add any extra time to the recipe because it can be made while the rice cooks, but it adds tremendously to the flavor!

Rather than start with a box of flavored rice, I used plain basmati and cooked it with butter, cumin seeds, and chicken broth.  Rice cooked this way is delicious enough to eat plain, but is also a great base for the salad.  When the rice cooled I added the curry mayonnaise, chopped artichoke hearts, and toasted almonds.  It tasted delicious but definitely needed some color.  Fresh chopped parsley and some chopped red bell pepper added the color and complimented the curry flavor well.

My husband and I have really enjoyed eating the salad for the past couple of days, and I hope Ruby likes it too! Hopefully we’ll be able to get together after Thanksgiving to cook and celebrate both of our birthdays (they’re only a week apart). I requested a pumpkin roll!

Happy birthday Ruby!

Curry Artichoke Rice Salad

1 cup basmati rice
2 tablespoons butter (can substitute olive oil)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 large jar (14.75 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)*
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted.**
1 recipe curry mayonnaise (see below)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional)

1. Put rice in a mesh strainer and rinse well under running water, swishing it around for a few minutes.  Drain well.

2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add cumin seeds and stir for a few seconds. When seeds have darkened and are fragrant, add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice grains have turned opaque and a few of them are just starting to brown.  Add chicken broth, stir, and let come to a boil. Turn heat down to low, cover pot and let simmer undisturbed for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff rice with a fork and pour into a large bowl.  Allow to cool.

3 While rice is cooking and cooling, make the mayonnaise, chop the vegetables, and toast the almonds.

4. When rice has cooled, stir in the artichokes, almonds, bell pepper, parsley and curry mayonnaise.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes: *I prefer the Cara Mia brand of artichoke hearts. **To toast almonds, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and stir until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from skillet immediately and let cool. If you really don’t want to make the mayo from scratch, use one cup of good quality mayonnaise and whisk in one tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. To turn this salad into a meal, add one or two cups of cooked shredded chicken. Would also be good with leftover turkey!

Curry Mayonnaise
adapted from Molly Wizenburg’s Homemade Mayonnaise

1 egg yolk*
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 t. white wine vinegar
1/4 t. dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
3/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon curry powder

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and salt.  Start adding oil, a few drops at a time, whisking continuously, until you’ve incorporated about 1/4 cup of the oil.  Add remaining oil, still whisking continuously in a slow, steady stream.  Mayonnaise should be thick and creamy.  Whisk in curry powder, brown sugar, and cayenne.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Recipe Notes: *Raw egg is not recommended for infants, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems. To avoid the risk of salmonella infection, you can use pasteurized egg yolk instead. But, I’ve always just used regular fresh eggs from the grocery store.

I love lemons.  Love love love them!  So it should come as no surprise that lemon curd is one of my favorite treats.  Sweet and tart, rich and creamy, it’s just one of those perfect creations that I can’t imagine living without.

I first tasted lemon curd only a couple of years ago.  I was staying with my aunt and uncle and was going through a ’scone stage.’ I don’t know how many batches of scones I made in a week, but it was plenty.  Since I’ve always heard that lemon curd is the perfect accompaniment to scones, I decided to try a batch.  My Aunt Kathy and I fell in love with it and now my scones just seem lonely when I eat them without lemon curd.

Well, I’m going through a scone stage once again so I decided to try out the Lemon Curd recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook.  I generally have a hard time following a recipe without changing anything, but this lemon curd was made exactly as directed.  I have to warn you that it’s very, very tart.  But I absolutely love it that way!  I’ve eaten it on several cranberry orange scones (these but with orange zest instead of lemon) and I’ve also been stirring it into bowls of my favorite plain Greek yogurt.  And since this recipe made quite a large batch, I might just have to bake some more scones in the morning!

Although I am really enjoying this batch of lemon curd, it’s not as thick as other recipes I’ve tried. I’m not sure if it’s something I did wrong, or if it’s supposed to be this way, but I think next time I might try this Foolproof Way to Make Luscious, Light Lemon Curd that I read about at Fine Cooking.

Lemon Curd
from The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
pinch of salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

1. Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and salt in a heavy medium-sized saucepan. Cook, stirring, over moderately low heat until mixture warms, then add butter and cook, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold the marks of the whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10 minutes.

2. Immediately pour curd through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon to help force it through.  Discard what is left in strainer.  Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then refrigerate, covered, until cold.

Yield: about three cups

Recipe Notes: For me, it took much longer than ten minutes for the lemon curd to thicken, although I think that might have had something to do with the faulty burners on my stove.  However, it never thickened enough to hold the marks of the whisk like the recipe said.  I finally removed it from the heat when it was visibly bubbling and poured it through the strainer.  It did thicken in the fridge, but it’s still not nearly as thick as lemon curds I’ve made in the past, so keep that in mind. The lemon curd can be kept, refrigerated, for about a week.  And I’ve heard that it can also be frozen, although I haven’t tried that myself.  Also, as I mentioned earlier, this is a very, very tart lemon curd. This is perfect for my taste, but if you prefer more sweet than tart, you should perhaps try a different version of lemon curd.  I’ll add links below to several recipes.

Lemon curd is wonderful spread on fresh, hot scones but it’s also great on muffins, or even toast.  The Gourmet Cookbook suggests folding it into whipped cream for an instant lemon mousse, and I’ve already mentioned how much I love it stirred into some thick, plain yogurt.

Related Recipes:

• Buttermilk Cranberry Scones
• Apricot Cream Scones
• Quick and Easy Lemon Cake
• Giant Lemon Sugar Cookies
• Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

Around the Web:

• Lemon Curd from Becks and Posh
• Homemade Lemon Curd from Lex Culinaria
• Alton Brown’s Lemon Curd from Food Network
• Lemon Curd for Scottish Shortbread from Fine Cooking

This is almost too simple to be called a recipe.  But since I know that many people don’t think to make their own croutons at home, I thought I’d give you this little reminder.  Homemade croutons are simple to make, they are a great way to use up stale bread, and they taste better than anything you can buy at the store.

Consider the amounts and instructions below to just be a basic guideline.  You can stick to the basics, like I did this last time, or you can add whatever herbs and seasonings you like to make your own homemade croutons recipe.  Have fun!

Sourdough Garlic Croutons

8 cups sourdough bread cubes (about 3/4 inch)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic powder and salt.  Put bread cubes in a large bowl.

2. Drizzle a tablespoon of oil around the outside of the bowl, toss well with a wooden spoon.  Continue adding oil, a tablespoon at a time, and tossing in between.  When you’ve added all the oil, continue stirring and tossing bread cubes for a few minutes longer.  Eventually the bread will be uniformly coated with the oil (for the most part). Taste a few of the bread cubes and add extra salt and/or other seasonings if you wish.

3. Spread the bread cubes out in a single layer on a parchment-lined half sheet pan.  Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven, checking and stirring the croutons every five minutes, until golden brown and crisp (probably 10-15 minutes total).  Allow croutons to cool on the pan and then transfer to an airtight container or Ziploc bag.

Recipe notes: You don’t have to make a full 8 cups of croutons.  These are the amounts of oil and seasonings I used for 8 cups, but feel free to divide the recipe in half or even a quarter if you only have a small amount of bread to use up.  Also, you can use whatever bread you like and whatever seasonings you like.  Have fun and experiment!

In the summer I love to eat homemade croutons on green salads, but in the fall and winter, I find myself eating them more often on soups!  I really enjoyed them on some Split Pea Soup the other day!