D is for Dinner: October 2011 Archives

Pumpkin, butternut squash and adzuki bean soup

Canola oil
2 onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups butternut squash, small dice
2 cups pumpkin, small dice
1 1/2 cups roasted tomatoes (we use roma), diced
6 cups veg stock
2 cups cooked adzuki beans
Cinnamon, ground
Coriander, ground
Chipotle pepper, minced
Salt and pepper
For garnish, chopped cilantro, fried shallots and spiced pepitas

In the canola oil, cook the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, cinnamon, coriander and chipotle. Cook for a few minutes more. Add the pumpkin&squash, cook until lightly golden. Add stock and tomatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Serve with a spoonful of adzuki bean in the center of the bowl, top with desired garnishes.

courtesy of Marysol Foucault, Edgar Cafe

As a bambino in Italy, Luciano Pradal would stuff his pockets with hot chestnuts to keep his hands warm on the way to school. He describes chesnuts as his miracle food.  

Now he's roasting chestnuts, and even trying to grow his own chestnut trees here in Ottawa. 

Luciano shared a recipe below that he uses to make "ancient power-bars" using chestnut flour.

You can check out Luciano's custom-made roaster on Saturday, October 22nd.

He'll be roasting nuts as part of Oktoberfest in the Byward Market.  You can find him outside La Bottega at 60 George Street. 

Catagnaccio (Tuscany)

Ingredients:

500g Chestnuts flour                                               

500 ml of water                                        

a handful of Sultan raisins (soaked in warm water or in Zibibbo, white wine.)

100g Pine nuts                                                       

100g Walnuts pieces                                                    

6-7 tbsp Olive oil                                         

Fresh rosemary's leaves 

(You can add salt, honey or maple syrup, small pieces of nuts, pistachio or any of your favourite nuts)

Fresh rosemary leaves and a few little branches on top for decoration and flavor 

Procedure:

Soak the sultan raisin in warm water for half an hour.

Sift the chestnuts flour into a bowl; add the water until you obtain a liquid mixture.

Strain the raisins. Add to bowl, along with the pine nuts, pieces of walnuts, the leaves of rosemary and the olive oil; make sure you keep some for the final decoration.

Mix well until you obtain a very smooth mixture, pour it, one centimeter thick, in a previously well oiled pan, decorate the surface with the pine nuts, the raisin, the walnuts pieces and little branches or leaves of rosemary, sprinkle some olive oil on top.

Put it in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (400 F) for half an hour or until the castagnaccio starts to get dry and form some cracks.

A legend that dates back to 1449, says that the man that eat Castagnaccio offered to him by a lady, will fall in love and marry her.

Chef Jordan Holley of Social Restaurant and Lounge in the Byward Market dug into his root cellar for D is for Dinner.

Celery Root Pave

Ingredients:
5 Celery root,
1 cup shallots
1 cup 35%cream
1/4cup + 1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
Salt to taste
2 oz blue haze cheese, crumbled

Method:
Using a paring knife, peel celery root and shallots.
Very carfully on a mandoline, or benriner slicer, slice shallots and celery root.
in a heavy bottomed sauce pan, slowly cook shallots over medium heat, along with thyme in 1 tbsp butter, being careful not to color them.
Brush a 9x13 loaf pan with melted butter...
Begin layering the celery root in the bottom of the pan. brush each layer with melted butter, and season with salt
Between every second layer, add some of the cooked shallots. Continue this process untill all celery root and shallots have been used.
Once finished, pour the 35% cream over the top, and sprinkle with Blue Haze.
Cover with tin foil and bake @ 375 F for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Or until a knife inserted in the centre feels no resistance.
Once cooked, let cool for approx 15 minutes, then, using another loaf pan, and some cans of soup as weights, press the pave over night... this will result in a better presentation and help the layers hold together.
Reheat at 325F untill heated through.