CRANBERRY PUMPKIN TEACAKES

2 Cups Drained, Puréed Jarrahdale* Pumpkin
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice or Zest of One Lemon
1/2 Cup Cranberries, fresh or frozen – dried may also be substituted but will not give as fresh and tart of a flavour

Heat the oven to 350ºF.
Prepare large hole muffin tins with a spritz of spray oil.
Drain the pumpkin in a large mesh sieve in order to remove any excess liquid.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar and oil.
Add the vanilla, cinnamon, salt and lemon.
Once combined, add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, mixing only to moisten.
Fold in the cranberries and drop by the spoonful into the muffin tin.
Filling about 3/4 full, flatten the tops the back of a clean, dampened finger or spoon to make each cake even and level.
Bake for about 18 minutes or until a cake tester can be removed cleanly.

Allow to cool slightly then remove from tins to a rack to cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar.
Serves perfectly with a big hat and a steeped Earl Grey.

*Jarrahdale pumpkins are beautiful, blue ridged heirlooms which originated from Australia. Terrific for baking, they have a velvety texture with a mild sweetness and a vibrant orange flesh. Of course other unseasoned pumpkin purées may be substituted if one can’t be found.

Upon returning from vacation I couldn’t help but notice one of my pumpkins from my collection. The skin of my Marina Di Chioggia had turned much darker than its original green and although I don’t know a whole heck of a lot about pumpkins and their various shades green, I do know that my prized Marina Di Chioggia is one of the most delectable of all the gourd breeds.

From the coasts near Venice, love is in the air for the pumpkin aptly nicknamed “Deliziosa”. The hard, green shell of this heirloom pumpkin may be a pain to peel, or even get into for that matter, but it’s sweet, subtle flavour and silky flesh certainly make it worth it. To claim victory over the tough to surrender peel, just make one cut around to get in and clean out the seeds, then simply roast the pumpkin in a short depth of water for about 90 minutes at 350ºF.

Of all the heirlooms gathered from the patch this season, the glorious Marina Di Chioggia is perfect for just about any recipe. It’s sweet yet delicate and can hold it’s own beautifully in pies, pasta and of course, gnocchi.

Perpetually intimidated by making gnocchi, with or without eggs, I found that this pumpkin is a great addition to the delightful dumplings. Typically worried about them being gummy and dense or at worst, falling apart in the cooking water, I found nothing of the sort. The dough was quite soft, so depending on the extent of draining you do, climate you live in and any other moisture factors, you may have to adjust the amount of flour to create a workable dough.

…And with a terrific yield, everyone can look forward to a few great pumpkin recipes to add to autumn and holiday collection.

MARINA DI CHIOGGIA GNOCCHI

1 1/2 Cups Marina Di Chioggia Pumpkin, about 1/2 roasted
1 Russet Baking Potato, baked in it’s skin
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Scant 1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme Leaves
Pinch of Black Pepper & Nutmeg
1 3/4 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour, plus extra for rolling

Prick with a fork and bake the potato in a 350ºF oven for about 1 hour or in a microwave for 10-12 minutes, turning it over after 6 minutes.
Once the potato is just cool enough to handle, break it open and scrape the inside and continue to mash with the fork or a potato ricer.
Remove the roasted pumpkin from the skin. Place it in a sieve and allow it to drain as much extra moisture as possible.
Purée or pass the drained pumpkin through a sieve.
In a large bowl, mix the potato and the pumpkin purée with the remaining ingredients, adding in the flour 1/4 cup at a time.
Once the mixture comes together as a smooth, workable dough, transfer it to a flat board and cut it into eight pieces.
One by one, roll each of the pieces into 3/4″ diameter cylinders then cut them into 1/2″ pieces.
Using the back of a floured fork, push and roll each of the cut pieces down towards the end of the fork to create the ribbed gnocchi shape.
Roll in additional flour, if necessary and set aside.

Put a large pot of slightly salted water on to boil.
Once the water is rapidly boiling, drop the gnocchi in.
Cook only until the gnocchi begins to float, about 2 minutes, watching carefully being sure not to over cook.
Drain all at once or with a slotted spoon.
Serve immediately with butter, pesto, classic tomato sauce or toss with spinach and thyme.

SPINACH THYME TOSS

Heat about 2 Tablespoons of lactose free margarine (or butter) and add 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh or dried thyme leaves.
Once the margarine has melted and the garlic begins to sizzle, add a full handful of baby spinach leaves, about two cups and sauté to wilt.
Toss the cooked gnocchi with the spinacg to brown slightly.
Serve immediately.

With autumn here it’s not to tough to find the cooler weather ingredients. As the farmer’s markets begin the preparation of shutting down for the winter, the fall finds and harvest colours are still filling the tables.

Since Jack-o-Lanterns aren’t very good for eating, I used the Jarrahdale pumpkin left from my day at the patch. Although I didn’t have to worry about the abundance of carving pumpkins flooding the market, I figure a butternut squash may also do in a pinch.

With winds blustering and my grocery bag full, I was set for anything including a challenge.
Upon making my dinner, I was quite excited to read of A Slice of Cherry Pie’s call for my same three ingredients. It seems that shopping locally and celebrating of seasonal food isn’t all that uncommon, so if you too found these great ingredients at your local market, you can check out her round up for this and other great recipes using these wonderful autumn finds.

PUMPKIN MUSHROOM & LEEK RISOTTO

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Leek, white and green part, finely chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 Cup Dried Mushrooms, Chanterelle, Porcini or Portabella
2 3/4 Cups Water
1/2 Cup Arborio Rice
1/2 Cup Roasted Pumpkin*, diced
2 Tablespoons Dry Vermouth
1/3 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Thyme leaves
1/4 Teaspoon Rosemary, finely minced

*The pumpkin I used was a Jarrahdale. Sweet and smooth, it’s also great for baking. It’s a medium to large pumpkin so I knew I would have leftovers.
To roast, half, seed and slice the pumpkin into 1″ crescents.
Lightly coat, spray with vegetable oil or put a small amount of water to cover the bottom of the baking dish.
Cover with aluminum foil and roast for 1 1/2 hours at 350ºF or until soft and tender.
Remove the skin and roughly chop.

Heat the water and reconstitute the mushrooms for 15 – 20 minutes. Strain and reserve both the mushrooms and water.
Heat the oil in a medium stock pot.
Add the leek and garlic to soften; about 3 minutes.
Pour over the vermouth and cook for another 2 -3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.
Add arborio, stirring to coat and toast for about 1 minute.
Pour over about 1 Cup of the strained liquid, stirring well until absorbed repeating with another cup and stirring.
Stir in the last of the water, salt, herbs and the cubed pumpkin.
Test the rice for tenderness, it should be al dente.
Chop and add reserved mushrooms.
Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Serves 2.

One of the best things about living in Canada in the fall, other than the fabulous hauls from the farmers market, is that other reason why we appreciate the almighty maple tree.
The nectar of nature, maple syrup is truly a spring gift, however delicious, a simple autumn walk can be just as spectacular. The colourful displays the scarlet and rusted orange maple leaves screaming their last vibrant shrieks before plunging to their deaths is always enough to get my heart racing back to life.

When I recently took part in a detox diet, I realized my longing of food. No, I didn’t crave fatty snack food or sugar, per se, it was the bread. Neglected of fruit, sugars and wheat among (many) other things, it was the bread I craved.

Always a creative person, by mid-diet, I was determined to solve my dilemma.
Only restricted by wheat, gluten and yeast, I set out to find any alternative.
Scanning the aisles of the health food store, I found various root and bean flours which met my specific diet requirements. Knowing that some of these new flours would lend an undesired new flavour twist to my creation, I found the most mild; brown rice, cranberry bean, arrowroot and soy flours then set off to work.

Inspired by a dense, sticky snack bread sent to me from my Blogging By Mail partner, Arden. Her Kruidkoek was spiced, but not too sweet, perfect for something like, say, pumpkin.

Next having to go sugar-free, I knew I wouldn’t get the sticky, sweetness of that super Dutch snack, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t looking for cake, I wanted my bread back. Something to clean my plates and dip in my soup. Something just to finally eat and feel satisfied again. The maple syrup was perfect in this regard. Not the same sweetness as sugar and just a hint of smokiness – perfect.

What I ended up with made me feel like I was cheating, isn’t that terrible? Great on it’s own and with the Roasted Vegetable Soup, I finally I felt like this diet was really working for me. I had my bread, I felt whole again.

MAPLE PUMPKIN QUICK BREAD

1 1/4 Cups Soy Flour, may be substituted with unbleached flour
1/2 Cup Cranberry Bean Flour, may be substituted with whole wheat flour
1/4 Cup Arrowroot Flour, may be substituted with whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder, gluten-free
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 Cups Pumpkin Purée
1/3 Cup Molasses
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
1 Cup Soy Milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon, ground
1 teaspoon Ginger, ground
1/2 teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Cooking Spray or oil for greasing

Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
Sift the flours, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl.
Combine the pumpkin purée, molasses, maple syrup, milk, spices and salt in a large, 1 litre measuring cup.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to moisten, do not over mix.
Once all the flour has been absorbed, lightly spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and levelly pour in the dough.
Bake for 55 – 60 minutes or until a cake tester can cleanly be removed.
Allow the bread to cool in the pan completely, if you can resist the aroma.

Bake this and other doughy delights and celebrate World Bread Day 2007.

Who knew that if given the choice, most grown-ups will avoid roasted parsnips and squash if they are served on their own? Made me happy, as I eyed the level of the dish near the end of dinner. I knew where these left over vegetables were going after the Thanksgiving dishes were done.

Funny thing, us people. Sure, presentation is important but so is how we connect with food. Being forced to eat sloppy, bitter, mashed squash as a kid might just hinder the most grown up of grown ups away from rediscovering it through a lifetime of hate. However, have a chilly autumn day and place a warm, satisfying soup in front of that same taster and you just might get an entirely different story.

ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP WITH CANNELLI BEANS & THYME

1/2 Baby Blue Hubbard Squash, approx. 1 1/2 Lbs, seeded
3 Carrots, 2 to roast, 1 to dice
1 Sweet Potato
5 Parsnips
1 Onion, Finely diced
1 Celery Stalk, finely chopped
6 Cloves garlic
6 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
10 – 12 Cups of Water
1 – 15 oz Can Cannellini or White Kidney Beans

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking dish or a small roasting pan with parchment paper.
Slice the seeded squash into wedges, 1″ thick.
Peel two of the carrots and the parsnips. Cut them into thirds and slice them in half.
Peel the sweet potato. Slice it in half, then cut it into 3/4″ pieces.
Peel the garlic, leaving the cloves whole.
Add prepared vegetables to waiting roasting dish. Drizzle with 2 -3 tablespoons of olive oil, tossing to coat.
Top with 3 sprigs of thyme and cover the dish with foil, just before placing it in the oven.
Roast for about 50 – 60 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.
Once the vegetables have roasted and cooled, remove the peel from the squash.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large stockpot.
Add the diced onion, celery and last carrot.
Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the roasted vegetables, 2 sprigs of thyme and enough water to cover everything.
Bring to a simmer and reduce to medium heat.
Cook for about 30 minutes or until everything is well softened and incorporated.
Mix with an hand immersion blender.
Purée to your desired consistency, I left mine a bit on the chunky side.
Adjust seasoning as necessary.
Add beans and sprinkle remaining thyme leaves just prior to serving.

On a recent trip to the country side, it was easy to absorb the surroundings and be thankful for what we have. The warm autumn days have brought with it a tremendous bounty.

While on the road, we were fortunate to experience one of the more remarkable pumpkin patches of recent memory. Flooded by the sea of orange, we washed up by the barn only to be further delighted by the classy heirloom varieties our hosts, the Nauman’s, had so knowledgeably grown over the past 100 days or so.

Beautiful and rarely seen French and Italian heirloom pumpkins soon filled my cart once only destined to carry orange carvers. Pink, red, blue and green classics, fit for a princess’s coach were on their way into my life to nobly, and tastily end theirs.

During the purchase of my great pumpkins, I naturally dreamed of creamy, spiced pies but thoughts shift creatively with vegan visitors and Thanksgiving at your doorstep.

Cracking into my vibrant Rouge Vif D’Etampe, I couldn’t help but imagine it’s outcome. This stunning, old French heirloom is also known as Cinderella’s Carriage, as it was used as the artist’s model in the Disney classic. It’s lovely, dense, creamy orange interior yielded about 5 cups of puréed intention. Ideal for baking, the Rouge Vif is smooth and easy to relieve of any excess liquid. This pumpkin easily puts any Holiday can of pie to shame and is well worth the small, extra effort.

SAVORY PUMPKIN TART

1 Shallot, minced
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 1/2 Cups Rouge Vif d’Etampes Pumpkin, cooked and strained
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Dried Sage
1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme
1/8 teaspoon Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
1/2 Package Firm SILKEN Tofu
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Arrowroot Powder

Divide, seed and peel the pumpkin. Cut it into approximately 2″ cubes.
Steam until tender or place the pumpkin into a pressure cooker with a small amount of water and cook for 5 – 7 minutes.
Drain the pumpkin and place it into a mesh sieve. Stir to “purée” and leave it to sit, releasing as much water as possible.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Heat the oil in a sauté pan.
Mince the shallots and garlic. Sauté until softened.
In a food processor, combine the pumpkin, tofu, shallots and garlic.
Finely chop the rosemary and add it and the other spices along with the salt, pepper and lemon juice to the pumpkin mixture.
Once the spices are well combined add the arrowroot powder; pulse to combine.
Spread evenly over prepared crust and bake for 30 minutes.

OLIVE OIL TART CRUST (Gluten Free)

1 Cup (Cranberry) Bean Flour
1/2 Cup Soy Flour
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Frozen
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Ice Water

Freeze pre-measured olive oil in a small bowl.
Measure flours into the bowl of a food processor, pulsing to sift.
Add the salt and frozen olive oil.
Combine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
With the motor running, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Stop once about half of the water has been added to begin checking the consistency of the dough by pinching the crumbs. The dough should hold together but not be sticky.
Add the remaining water as necessary.
Bring the dough together into a ball, then flatten it into a disk.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Roll the chilled dough 1/8″ thick to fit a 10″ tart pan.
Fit the dough in the pan and dock the dough with a fork.
Line the dough with a circle of parchment.
Add dried beans or pastry weights.
Blind bake for 12 minutes and allow to cool in the oven slightly before removing.