Good Old Punkin' Pie

It's that time of year again... Thanksgiving is rolling in and bringing with it the crisp air and pumpkins & squash showcased all around the city. Here on Alabama St. we're preparing to host Mara's family, and with that comes a grand meal on Thursday afternoon. We've got pomegranate/pistachio stuffing, Nanny's yams, a Heidi Hen Diestel Ranch organic turkey, Jared's brussel sprouts, and much much more.



One of my favorite things about fall is seeing the pumpkin patches along the coast - row after row of little orange globes popping out from the bed of green below them, and the different colored squash of all shapes & sizes around them. With thanksgiving coming up, what better way to use fresh pumpkin than making a delicious, homemade pumpkin pie. No need for the canned puree when you have these little gems growing all around you.



We made this pumpkin pie for dessert for our second Sunday Supperings, and it was a smashing success. Hope you'll enjoy!


Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Filling:
1 medium sugar pie pumpkin (to make 1 ½ c pumpkin puree)
½ c brown sugar
¼ c white sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
12 oz condensed milk
cheesecloth

Dough:
1 ¼ C flour
¼ tsp salt
½ C butter chilled & diced
¼ ice water


Filling:
- Bake whole pumpkin at 400 degrees until very soft and slightly caving in. Open pumpkin, remove seeds (save if you want to roast after!) and scoop out filling.
- Place pumpkin into cheesecloth and strain out as much water as possible. In a blender, puree until very smooth.
- Mix pumpkin puree with the rest of ingredients.

Dough:
- In a large bowl combine flour & salt. Cut in butter with pastry cutter or fork until mixture resembles course cornmeal. Stir in water a tablespoon at a time until mixture begins to come together (you may need to add an extra tablespoon or two of water).
- Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to overnight. Remove from fridge and roll out dough to fit a 9” pie plate. Place crust in plate and press down bottom. Pinch edges all the way around the top.
- Blind bake crust under pie weights for 15 min at 400.
- Add filling & bake at 350 for 35 min, or until a toothpick comes out almost clean from the center.

eat LIVE & live healthy!

long before energy star appliances and stovetops that boil water in 60 seconds (that flat out scares me), we were somehow able to find means of cooking food that would not just taste great, but be great for us. we were also able to find creative solutions to actually cooking the food, like pickling and fermenting foods, so that they retained their original nutrients while gaining more and more good bacteria.

our bodies maintain a delicate balance of flora & fauna, but we are constantly killing off the good bacteria our bodies need to fight disease and keep us healthy. eating live, raw foods, such as yogurts and fermented foods, is helpful not just after a round of intense antibiotics (which kills the good stuff along with the bad) but also on a daily basis, to maintain that delicate balance. plus fermented foods just taste great. one of my favorite live foods is kimchi, a traditional Korean pickled vegetable dish. this recipe is a not-so-traditional one – I’ve added paprika for a bit of a smoky taste, and I didn’t bury it in my backyard while it fermented. but it tastes great and it’s simple to make. enjoy!







Kimchi of Sorts

2 heads napa cabbage, cored & thinly shredded
2 carrots, sliced in thin rounds
3 green onions, chopped
1 daikon radish, sliced in thin rounds
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons salt
½ teaspoon paprika

Mix ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Using a meat tenderizer or any other heavy kitchen tool, begin to pound down the mixture, releasing their juices and softening the vegetables. Mix well as you go. Once they begin to reduce in volume, transfer to a large jar or food-safe bucket and pound down further. Continue to press & pound down the mixture until its own liquid reaches an inch above the top of the mixture – if this doesn’t seem possible add water to cover. Place a lid on the jar but do not tighten. Sit unrefrigerated for at 5 - 10 days, or more or less to taste. Transfer to smaller jars (save some of the liquid, it’s filled with good bacteria) and refrigerate.

*Notes: I like to press down the mixture at least once a day to make sure the vegetables are consistently immersed). Also, try removing some of the kimchi after 5 or so days and refrigerating it, and allowing the rest to continue to ferment a while longer. See the difference in taste and decide which way you prefer it.

I remember the first time I saw a kumquat – it was in the Tel Aviv shuk (market) and they were piled high like a million mini-oranges. after I got over the initial shock that they are in fact called Kumquats – which I thought was a joke - I proceeded to pop one, then another, into my mouth. I remember the initial burst of sour as I crunched through the skin, which molded into sweet as the juices released. kumquats have since become one of my favorite fruits and I throw them on salads all winter long. they’re very versatile as they’re delicious whole, cut up, raw on salads, or cooked down into various sauces or chutneys. kumquats themselves are warming and help to alleviate phlegm, and are used in conjunction with ginger in Chinese medicine to alleviate coughs. this recipe came out of an inkling my lady and I had on a warm, late-winter evening a week or so back, when we decided it was time to get the grill going once again.

we woke up very early and headed out to the Monterey Fish Company at their wholesale location here in San Francisco on Pier 33. It was incredible to see crate upon crate of various fish – from tiny shiny night smelt to three feet long bass with mouths wide-open. Monterey Fish Company focuses on sustainable seafood and quality product, and we went in ready to get whatever type of fish they suggested. after a great tour of the facility and a little poking and prodding around, the fish mongers suggested we try Opah. Also known as moonfish, popular in Hawaii, this fish has a light flavor but meaty texture, so it was good for the grill. we came up with this chutney recipe to accompany the fish, and for the seasoning of the Opah we simply put salt, pepper, lemon zest & a little lemon juice on either side just before grilling. the chutney would be great with any fish that yields well to a citrus-y flavor.

Grilled Opah with Kumquat Chutney

¼ red onion, minced

apple cider vinegar to cover minced onions

2 cups kumquat

1 fennel bulb, sliced very thin

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 teaspoon minced Serrano chili

¼ cup white wine

1-2 tablespoons agave (to taste)

2 teaspoons mint, sliced thin

sea salt

1. Soak onions in apple cider vinegar to cover for 5 minutes, strain and set aside both vinegar and onions for use later.
2. Sweat down fennel and ginger, chili & a pinch of salt for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add kumquats and cardamom and cook covered on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, allowing kumquats to soften.
3. Add white wine and allow to cook off uncovered for another 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of reserved apple cider vinegar, plus the onions and agave. Cook until mixture is bubbly and thickened, and the kumquats very soft. Add salt to taste.
4. Remove from heat and garnish with mint. Serve over grilled opah or any meaty fish.