Almond Butter

I like almond butter, but it’s really expensive in the stores. So I tried making some at home. It turned out very well, actually, except I think next time I will add a little salt and a little sugar. Or something to sweeten it and salt it a bit.

You need a food processor for this, and two cups of almonds. I used the metal blade I normally use for chopping vegetables, etc. I also used the slivered almonds you can buy in bulk anywhere, but you can use whole almonds as well. I did not roast them.

Put the almonds in the food processor and turn it on (not pulse). Leave it on until the nuts are all ground up and the butter forms a ball in the middle of the bowl. It’s great fun to watch, so don’t abandon your post. You might have to stop it and scrape the sides a couple of times. Once it forms a ball, you’ll see the oil (a greasy look) on the side of the bowl.

It’s done. It should keep, I anticipate, about a week in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge. Maybe less. I don’t know. But definitely not more.

Thank you, KitchenAid!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Preparation time: 30 minutes (assuming rice is leftover, otherwise about 45 minutes)

Cooking time: 5 minutes

It’s squash season, in case you didn’t notice 🙂

Most of the squash recipes I see seem to be for a sweetish stuffing, which I didn’t care for. So here’s what I did, and oh it was good. So good.

You need: 1 acorn squash; 1 cup cooked brown rice; 3-4 green (spring) onions; 1/4 cup slivered almonds; salt

How to: Preheat your oven to 400F. If you don’t have rice ready, set to to cook now as well. Cut the acorn squash in half, from stem to base, VERY CAREFULLY. The best way to do this is to insert the knife in at the top and slide it down and in slowly. DO NOT put your fingers in the path of the knife. DO NOT cut a wet squash. They are difficult to cut and you could cut your hand badly. (No, I didn’t cut mine – I leave jobs that require grace to the OH).

Anyway, cut the squash and scoop out the seeds and fibers. You can separate and clean the seeds and roast them on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes or till browned (stir them around once in the middle). Salt to taste, and they taste excellent. Throw away the stringy part.

Place the squash halves face down on an oiled pan. Bake in the oven for about half an hour. Poke it with a knife, and if it goes in easily it’s done.

In the meantime, chop the onions (small).

When the squash is done, let it cool a little and scoop the insides out with a spoon. Gently; don’t tear the skin.

Heat some oil and saute the onions. Add the almonds and stir quickly for a minute or so.

Add the squash pulp that you scooped out and stir. Add the cooked rice and stir. Add salt. Stir.

Put the filling back in the squash skins (because it looks pretty) and serve.

Veggie-Feta Pot Pie

Preparation time: (assuming filling is leftover) 1 hr

Cooking time: 40-45 minutes

For the filling: I used leftovers from the filling for my calzones from the night before (but without the cheese). I sprinkled ¼ cup slivered almonds and about ¼ cup of feta over the veggies. The almonds and feta added a lovely flavor to the veggies. Definitely worth making, if you have the time and the energy.

FOR THE PIE CRUST

This recipe is for a double-layer crust.

You need: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tsp salt; ¾ sup vegetable shortening (it works better than butter); ½ cup cold water

How to:

1. Put the flour in a bowl and blend in the salt and vegetable shortening. You can use a metal fork to break the shortening into the flour until all the shortening has been worked into the flour. The texture should be loose and grainy, not compacted.
2. Chill the dough for an hour in the fridge or 30m in the freezer.
3. Add the ½ water and blend in with a fork.
4. Divide the dough into two portions and form them into balls.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
6. Roll out one half into about ¼ inch thick and place it in the pie pan. Cut the extra edge off with a butter knife.
7. Add the filling. Roll out the top crust.
8. Wet your finger and run it around the edge of the bottom crust (to help seal the pie). Place the top crust over the pie. Cut off the extra edge and press down to seal.
9. Brush some oil over the top of the pie.
10. Cut three vents in the top. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes.

Glorious Vegetable Calzone

 

Preparation time: 1 hr 20m for the dough, 20m for the vegetables.

Cooking time: 30m for the vegetable filling, 12-15 m for baking

This was astonishingly tasty. I’m very pleased with myself. It’s not something you can whip up at the end of a long day, but you could make some up ahead and freeze them for just such a day…

We made the dough in a bread machine, but you could knead it by hand and let it rise. You would probably want to knead it for about ten minutes or so, cover it and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until it has more than doubled in size. This will make four calzones, each of which is a good-sized meal for one hungry person.

You will have some vegetable filling left over, but you could always freeze it and make calzones some other day 🙂

THE DOUGH:

You need: 3 cups all-purpose flour+2 tsp wheat gluten (or 3 cups bread flour); 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 1 cup+2 tbsp water; 2 tbsp oil; 2.5 tsp active dry yeast (we used “bread machine yeast”)

How to: If you are using a bread machine, add all the wet ingredients first, and then the dry ones, with yeast being the last thing you add. Follow instructions on your bread machine.

If you are doing this by hand, knead for 10-12 minutes, cover, and let rise as discussed above.

THE FILLING:

You need: 1/2 cup carrots; 1 kohlrabi; 1 medium-sized bell pepper; 1 small onion; 1 small yellow squash; 1 cup diced tomatoes; 1/2 cup peas (frozen is good); 2 tbsp slivered almonds; and to taste: rosemary, thyme, salt, red chili powder, paprika; grated Parmesan, grated mozzarella.
How to: Dice the vegetables into about 1/4″ cubes. The smaller the pieces, the better they will work as filling.

Heat oil, add the vegetables in the following order. Stir after adding each one, and give it a couple of minutes before adding the next: onions, carrots, kohlrabi, squash, peppers, almonds. Stir well and cover. Let it cook about 5-6 minutes. If it starts to stick to the bottom, add the tomatoes. Stir well. Do not add water. If it is still sticking, add just a little bit of water- about 1/4 cup. Add the herbs and salt and let it cook (carrots and kohlrabi should be soft, but not mushy).

THE CALZONE:

Divide the dough into two and follow these instructions for each half. Preheat the oven to 400F.

1. Roll out the dough and divide into two.

2. Put a little filling into one side of each half. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan and grated mozzarella over the filling.

3. Wet the tip of your finger and run it along the edge of the rolled-out dough, then fold the top half over and seal it by pressing it down. With a knife, cut three vents in the top. Brush a little oil over the top of each calzone.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 400F or until brown. The dough should not become hard.

5. Cut in half, let it cool, and eat 🙂

Gajar (carrot) halwa

Dessert. There are a number of different ways of making this, but here’s an easy way. I haven’t actually tried this to see if it works, but my mum says it does, and so it should.

You need: 2 litres milk; 1 lb. grated carrots; 1 lb. sugar; 2 tbsp ghee or unsalted white butter; slivered almonds (lightly toasted)

How to:

Sautee carrots in ghee until colour deepens. This usually takes two to three minutes.

Add milk. Simmer carrots in milk till all milk is absorbed.

Add sugar and cook until thick (it should come away from the sides easily). Add the almonds.

P.S. My mother says this works best with dark carrots, not the lighter “English” ones.