A Simple Weeknight Pork Chop with Mustard & Apples

Everyone needs a collection of recipes that will allow them to have dinner on the table within 45 minutes or so of walking in the door in the evening. At our house, this usually means pasta...or maybe a salad. But last week I rediscovered an old favorite pork chop recipe that can easily be prepared in the aforementioned time frame.

When I arrived home after my week away with my friends, it was dinner time and this pork chop recipe was already in process in our kitchen. The original recipe (from Simple French Food) instructs you to bake the browned pork on a bed of apples in heavy cream mixed with a little Dijon and reduced white wine. The lack of cream in our kitchen had not been discovered until the dish was already started. So, while the pork chop sizzled away in the pan, I looked around for some alternatives.


We happened to have some fresh pressed apple cider on hand, so I altered the recipe to use the cider. I liked the resulting dish a lot. It is light, the flavors are clean and it is so easy that anyone can make it. And since in the fall we almost always have apples and cider on hand, it's an easy "pantry" dinner that will probably be making regular appearances on our dinner table.

I have shared the recipe as I made it—with just one pork chop. But you could easily adjust the recipe for as many pork chops as you want to cook—just increase the other ingredients accordingly and choose a casserole or gratin that will hold all of the chops comfortably. Depending on your tastes and appetite, one large pork chop will serve one or two. In my house, it serves two.

Since one of the selling points for this recipe is how quick and easy it is to prepare, choose side dishes that can also be easily cooked in the amount of time it takes to prepare the pork and apples. Rice is a good choice, as are mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes. There are many green vegetables that will cook quickly and would make a fine accompaniment...blanched broccoli, green beans, or Brussels sprouts...wilted Swiss Chard or Spinach....

Apple Cider-Baked Pork Chop

1 large or 2 small apples—about 1/2 lb. (I like Jonathon or Golden Delicious, but any flavorful apple that holds its shape when cooked will work)

Unsalted butter

1 8- to 10-oz. boneless pork loin chop—you can also use one on the bone, it will just take longer to cook

Salt & pepper
Dijon Mustard to taste
1/4 to 1/3 cup apples cider

Butter a small casserole (I use a 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-quart shallow gratin). Peel and core the apple(s). Slice 1/4-inch thick and spread in the prepared gratin.

Place in a 400° oven and bake for 15 minutes—the apples should be just beginning to give up some juice.


Season the pork with salt & pepper. While the apples cook, brown the pork in a little butter—about 7 to 8 minutes per side.

When the apples are done, spread a thin film of mustard all over the pork chop and set it on top of the apples. Deglaze the pan the pork was cooked in with the cider, scraping to release the caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan and reducing slightly. Pour the reduced cider over the apples and return the casserole to the oven.

Continue to cook until the pork chop is done to your liking. I cook mine to about 135° to 138°--it will still be juicy if removed at this point. Cooking time will be about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the pork chop.

Set the pork chop on a plate and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes. While the pork chop rests, scrape the apples into the pan that you used to brown the pork. If the apples have released a lot of liquid, or the cider hasn't reduced sufficiently during the baking process, bring the apples to a simmer to allow the liquid to reduce a bit. Depending on the apples you chose to use, you may end up with a loose compote of apples or a rustic and chunky savory applesauce.  You may not wish to reduce the apple compote at all.  If this is the case, simply reheat when ready to serve the pork.   In any case, don't forget to add the pork resting juices to the apples when you reheat them.

To serve the pork, slice thinly on an angle and fan on one or two serving plates. Serve the apples under, on the side or over the pork (depending on their final consistency and look). If you prefer to serve family style, lay the sliced pork back in the casserole and top with the warmed apples. Serves 1 or 2.

Corn & Sweet Potato Chowder

Corn Chowder is one of my favorite soups. I'm not sure how this particular soup came by its name since a chowder is technically a chunky, stew-like fish and/or shellfish soup. The term chowder comes from the French word chaudière.  A chaudière is the type of pot in which these hearty seafood soups were traditionally prepared. Even though the source of the name is a bit mysterious, everyone seems to know what you mean when you say "corn chowder".  I don't think I'm alone in my affection for it. I freeze sweet corn from the farmers market every summer just so I will have corn on hand to make this soup when the weather turns cold.

We haven't had too much cold weather yet this fall.  But on Tuesday, as I headed to Lawrence to teach my soup class, the sky was a thick blanket of gray and a cold wind was blowing...perfect weather for a soup class. How lucky is that?

In its most basic form, corn chowder includes bacon, onions, potatoes, corn and either milk or cream. It is typically thickened with a roux (flour cooked in a bit of fat—in this case bacon fat and butter). The recipe that I turn to most often is from The New Basics Cookbook. I make it almost exactly as written, only omitting a final garnish of sautéed red pepper (a widely popular addition) and sliced green onions. There is nothing wrong with this garnish—corn and peppers are a great combination—I have just been in the habit of leaving them out.

When you make the soup, make sure that you cook the bacon until it is almost crisp—it will continue to render a bit after the onions are added, but not too much. If the bacon isn't sufficiently rendered, you will have flabby pieces of fatty bacon floating around your soup. Also, make sure you take the time to cook the onions until they are very tender before adding the flour and proceeding with the rest of the recipe. Crunchy bits of onion are unpleasant in a soup full of soft textures.

As you work through the recipe, you'll notice that there is an addition of butter before the onions are added to the pan. If the bacon is very fatty, this butter may not be necessary. On the occasion when the bacon does give off a lot of fat, I add the onions to the bacon and only add butter if the pan appears to be dry. There should be enough fat in the pan so that the onions are gently sizzling in the fat. If they aren't, add some or all of the butter. Before adding the flour, check the pan again to see if more fat is needed. If the onions have absorbed all of the fat, or the bacon was very lean, then you may need to add more butter. There should be enough fat in the pan to form a paste with the flour.

A couple of years ago, when the weather began to cool off and I was in the mood for corn chowder, I had some of the first sweet potatoes of the season in my pantry. I also found that I was short on Idaho potatoes. Not wanting to run to the store, I thought I would substitute sweet potatoes for some of the Idaho potatoes. We loved the resulting "Corn & Sweet Potato Chowder". I almost always make it this way now. It's perfect for this time of year. What surprises me today is that I had never thought of this combination before. Sweet potatoes are great with bacon. Furthermore, I am particularly fond of corn paired with sweet potatoes (or winter squash)....something about the sweetness of these two vegetables together pushes my taste buttons. And if you still have some sage left in your garden (it usually hangs on for a while), try adding some to the onions and bacon as they cook.  It makes a nice accent to the sweet and salty flavors of this autumn variation on traditional corn chowder.




Corn & Sweet Potato Chowder

4 oz. sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 T. unsalted butter

1 large onion (about 10 to 12 oz.), cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 2 cups)

1 T. minced fresh sage, optional

3 T. flour

6 c. chicken stock or canned low-salt broth

2 Idaho potatoes (about 1 1/2 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 4 cups)

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 3 cups)

4 c. fresh or frozen corn

1 c. heavy cream (half & half or milk may be substituted)

Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste



Cook bacon over medium-low heat in a large soup pot until fat is rendered and bacon is beginning to brown around the edges. Add the butter and melt. Add the onions (and sage, if using) and sweat until tender and translucent—about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the flour to the cooked onions and continue to cook briefly. Add the stock and Idaho and sweet potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender—12 to 15 minutes. Add the corn, cream and some salt & pepper. Bring back to a simmer and cook until the corn is hot through and tender. Add more stock or water if the soup is too thick. Taste and correct the seasoning.  Makes about 3 quarts of soup.

Variation:  To make a more "traditional" corn chowder, omit the sweet potatoes.  Reduce the stock to 4 cups and the flour to 2 T.  Omit the sage, or replace with picked thyme.

Printable Version

A Week of Food & Friends and a Butternut Squash Served Three Ways

 

 I just returned from a magical week away at the lake with friends. At one time or another, all of us have cooked professionally, so in addition to long walks and long conversations, we cooked up a storm. Since I was more interested in talking, cooking and eating than in documenting the things we made (I was on vacation after all), I don't have any exact recipes to share. Even if I did have detailed recipes, a post documenting all of the wonderful things we had (fish tacos with Nancy's fresh homemade tortillas, orange and pecan cream scones, herb butter baked salmon, roasted beet salad with goat cheese and walnuts, a chocolate cake called Miette's Tomboy from Rose's Heavenly Cakes...) would be impossibly long. Instead, I thought that today I would write about one humble ingredient that wove its way into three of our meals through the creative impulse of three different cooks...a butternut squash.

The night we arrived in Chicago, before meeting up with the rest of our group the next day and heading on to the lake house, three of us shared a meal at a fun little Italian restaurant in Wicker Park called Francesca's Forno. Inspired by a risotto we had shared there, Molly suggested that we make a main course risotto and a simple salad for one of our evening meals. I suggested one of my favorite combinations of Butternut squash and mushrooms. This was what we tentatively had in our minds as we set off for the Garden Market.

Anyone who cooks knows that your plans often change once you actually start shopping. This is especially true at a produce market. We had picked up our butternut squash and some mushrooms when I spotted some fresh lima beans.

Fresh lima beans are almost never available where most of us live, so we decided to get some thinking they would be a nice addition to our "Autumn Risotto". There were also some lovely first of the season parsnips that we grabbed knowing that we would find some way to use them during the week.

To prepare the squash, I halved it horizontally at the point where the neck begins to widen into the seed cavity. I peeled and diced the neck

 and halved and seeded the cavity end.

My plan was to roast the two cavity halves "whole"

in order to make a coarse purée that could be stirred into the risotto during its early stages and to roast the diced neck pieces so that they could be folded into the risotto at the end (along with the sautéed mushrooms and cooked lima beans).  

As I cooked the risotto, the plan changed. The squash was pretty large—way too much even for the pound of risotto that we were preparing. We didn't weigh the one we purchased, but I have one here at home now that weighs just under two pounds and it is smaller than the one we purchased for our risotto. We decided to roast the diced pieces and put them away for another meal and just use the mashed cavity end of the squash in our risotto.

To prepare our Autumn Risotto, dice a medium onion and mince a fat clove of garlic. Sweat the onion and garlic in 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter along with a pinch of salt and 6 or 7 large sage leaves cut into a fine chiffonade. When the onions are very tender, add a pound of Arborio rice and continue to cook for a few moments until the rice is hot and sizzling in the butter. Add about 3/4 cup of white wine and cook until the wine has been completely reduced and/or absorbed. Begin to add the stock a ladleful or two at a time, waiting for each addition to be absorbed before adding more. The risotto does not have to be stirred constantly, but it should be stirred regularly and frequently. For a more complete description of the risotto process, see my earlier post on risotto. Be sure to continue to salt the risotto with the successive additions of stock, so that the resulting risotto will not be flat or bland. Pay attention to how salty your stock or broth is when adding salt and remember that the final addition of Parmesan will add to the saltiness of the dish.

After three or four additions of stock add the coarsely mashed squash purée and continue to cook.

While the risotto cooks, sauté a half pound of sliced Crimini mushrooms in some olive oil and butter; set aside.

The lima beans should be prepared before you begin to cook the onions since they will take at least 20 to 30 minutes to cook. To cook them, simply simmer them in some lightly salted water until they are soft and tender. Set the lima beans aside; reserving the cooking liquid too. 

We only purchased a quart of broth, so we used the lima bean cooking liquid as part of our cooking liquid for the risotto. Just use as much as you need.


When the risotto is almost finished fold in the drained lima beans and mushrooms with an addition of broth or bean liquid. When the rice is cooked through, but still has texture, remove it from the heat and add 4 tablespoons of butter, a handful or two of Parmesan and a sprinkling of minced flat leaf parsley.  Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper and the consistency with bean liquid—the risotto should be fluid, but not soupy, and very creamy. 

 

We served the risotto with a green salad and a Vouvray. The five of us sat at the table and continued to nibble, so there was only a small amount left, but under ordinary circumstances I think there was easily enough risotto for six entrée portions. To my mind, the unplanned addition of the lima beans was actually what put this risotto into the memorable category. I love lima beans, but have never had them in risotto and the combination of the soft limas with the creamy risotto was a revelation.

The next evening Nancy put some of the roasted cubes of butternut squash into a wonderful salad...sort of a vegetable crouton addition to a green salad.


 She dressed the salad with a sherry-shallot vinaigrette that included a little bit of garlic, Dijon and honey. She also added toasted pecans, thinly sliced red onion and a generous amount of shaved Parmesan to the salad. It was beautiful and tasty—nicely complimented by a roast chicken, mashed potatoes and the parsnips, roasted and then finished with a small amount of maple syrup.

The following day for lunch, Molly turned the remaining diced roasted squash into one of my favorite dishes of the week—a favorite because it was so simple and beautiful, with nothing extra and nothing missing. She warmed the squash, remaining limas (we had cooked all that we purchased and only used a generous cup in the risotto) and leftover slices of maple-roasted parsnips, creating a simple autumnal vegetable medley. The colors and shapes were lovely together. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture of it.

As you can probably tell, the food at the lake house was wonderful. We even received another lesson from Bonnie for her special Cardamom Bread (someday I'll convince her to write a guest post).


I will savor the tastes of this week for months to come. But as I look back, it is not just the food and cooking that made it so very special. Rather, it was the laughter, conversation and camaraderie in the kitchen and at the table. And now that I am home, it isn't just one more meal that I crave. How I long to have more time...  for one more walk through the woods...

or along the beach...




in the company of my very dear friends.






French Apple Tart

Ever since I attended cooking school I have been in love with French-style tarts. I love American pies, but given a choice, I will always choose to make (and eat) a tart. Tarts are so versatile and beautiful. I try to sneak tarts—savory and sweet—into my cooking classes as often as I can.

This past week I taught a class that included several classic French dishes. I ended the class with a Tarte aux Pommes. You can't get much more "classic" than this tart. If you have ever walked in to a French pastry shop, you have seen this tart. It is amazingly beautiful. It is also surprisingly easy to make.

Since we are in the middle of apple season, now is a good time to try your hand at making this tart. The apple traditionally used is the Golden Delicious—it is sweet, apple-y tasting and holds its shape when cooked. But any flavorful apple that reliably holds its shape when cooked could be used. Patricia Wells suggests Jonagold, Gravenstein, Gala or Cortland. I imagine that Braeburn and Jonathan would also be a good choices, but honestly, my favorite is the Golden Delicious. Because it is sweet, it doesn't require lots of sugar. It is also widely available. Apples are very regional—I don't think I have ever seen a Gravenstein, and although I have lived in Cortland country, I don't anymore.  They occasionally make an appearance in the grocery stores where I live now, but I can't count on finding them.

The Tarte aux Pommes consists of two layers of apples. A beautiful sunburst-like spiral of apples is spread over a thin layer of a thick, homemade apple compote. The compote is quite easy to make. The only trick is to make sure that you cook it until it is no longer "wet". When you draw a spoon through the compote in the pan, a path should remain without any liquid bleeding out of the compote.

It should be thick enough to mound on a spoon.

If the compote is too thin, it will make the crust soggy.  Much of my recipe is taken from the one that Patricia Wells includes in her book, Simply French. One of the things I love about her recipe is the inclusion of a vanilla bean in the compote.

You can make the compote without it, but adding it makes the tart extraordinary.

For the decorative spiral of apples on top of the compote, choose apples that are uniform in size. I prefer to thinly slice the apples by hand rather than using a Mandoline-type slicer. If your knife skills aren't the best, slicing by hand will provide good practice. But beyond that, when you slice by hand, all of the slices from each half apple remain next to each other on the cutting board. It is an easy matter to scoop up the sliced apple half and fan it in an arc around the edge of the tart. If you use the mandolin, the slices fall randomly onto the cutting board and it is more of an effort to create a neat looking spiral since you have to take the time to pick and choose slices that "fit" next to each other.

Classically, this tart is finished with a glaze of an apricot jam-like substance called nappage. This gives the finished tart a beautiful sheen. It also helps preserve the tart for longer keeping in a pastry shop case since it protects the fruit from the air. Unless a tart has been prepared well in advance of when it will be served, I find the apricot glaze to be pretty unappealing. Oftentimes the apricot glaze is poorly applied and is thick and gloppy. I prefer the method that Patricia Wells uses: When the tart is hot from the oven, dredge with powdered sugar. Then, run the tart under the broiler until the edges of the apples are browned. Not only does this accentuate the beautiful spiral of apples, it also forms a light glaze over the whole tart as the powdered sugar melts. It tastes great and looks truly elegant.

When you serve this tart, your knife skills will come into play again. Make sure that you choose a sharp knife with a long, thin blade. Be careful to use a gentle sawing motion as you cut. If you press down with the knife (rather than sawing back and forth), you will squash your lovely tart. When sliced properly, the slices of this tart will be beautiful, even if you must slice them into very narrow wedges for a buffet...or tasting portions for a class.

Tarte aux Pommes

(French Apple Tart)

2 Golden Delicious apples (about 7 to 8 oz. each)
1 T. unsalted butter
3 T. sugar
3 T. apple cider or water
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3 Golden Delicious apples (about 7 to 8 oz. each)
1 partially baked 9- to 10-inch tart shell (Pâte Brisée)
2 T. melted butter
2 T. sugar
powdered sugar

Peel, core and dice the 2 apples. Place in a saucepan with the butter, sugar, cider and the vanilla  bean and seeds. Cover and cook over moderate heat until the apples are tender and beginning to fall apart—10 to 15 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat and continue to cook, stirring and mashing with the back of a spoon or a heat-proof spatula until you have a coarse purée that mounds on a spoon and doesn't "weep" liquid. Let cool.  Remove the vanilla bean.

Peel, halve and core the remaining three apples.

Lay the apples cut side down on the cutting board and using a sharp knife, slice the apples cross-wise as thinly as possible—they should be 1/8-inch thick or less.

Spread the apple compote in the partially baked tart shell. Fan the apple slices, tightly overlapping one another, in two concentric circles—starting with the outside circle and overlapping the inner circle partially over the outer one. (It will be easier to make the inner spiral of apples lie flat if you first use the smaller "end pieces" of the apples to fill in the center of the tart, building it up to the same level as the outer circle of apples.)  Brush the apples with melted butter and sprinkle the granulated sugar evenly over the apples. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake in a 400° oven until the apples are lightly golden and tender to the tip of a sharp knife—about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Broil the tart until the edges of the apples are a deep golden brown—watch carefully, the tart will burn easily. Cool slightly and serve. Slice using a thin, sharp knife.

(Recipe adapted from Simply French, by Patricia Wells)

Pâte Brisée

(Basic Pastry Dough)

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour (150g)
scant 1/2 t. salt
8 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (112g)
3 to 4 T. ice water

Combine the flour and the salt in a medium-sized bowl. Rub the butter into the flour until the butter is in small pea-sized pieces. Drizzle 3 T. ice water over the flour/butter mixture. Using your hands, fluff the mixture until it begins to clump, adding more water if necessary. If, when you squeeze some of the mixture it holds together, the dough is finished. Turn the dough out onto a counter and form into a mound. Using the heel of your hand, gradually push all of the dough away from you in short forward strokes, flattening out the lumps. Continue until all of the dough is flat. Using a bench scraper, scrape the dough off the counter, forming it into a single clump as you do. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and press into a thick disk. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

To roll out the crust, let the dough warm up for a moment or two. Butter a 9-to 10-inch removable bottom tart pan and set it aside. Flour the work surface and the rolling pin. Begin rolling from the center of the dough outward. After each stroke, rotate the dough a quarter turn—always making sure that there is sufficient flour to keep the dough from sticking. Keep rolling and turning until you have a round of dough that is about 1/8–inch thick. Brush off the excess flour and fold the dough circle in half. Slide the outspread fingers of both hands under the dough and gently lift it and transfer it to the prepared pan. Unfold the dough and ease it into the pan being careful not to stretch it and making sure to press the dough firmly into the corners and up the sides. Using your palms, gently press the dough against the edge of the pan to cut it off flush with the edge of the tart pan. Chill the tart shell for at least 1/2 hour.

To partially bake the tart shell, line the pastry with aluminum foil or parchment paper, pressing it into the corners and edges. Add a layer of pie weights or dried beans. Bake in a 425° oven for 10 to 18 minutes. When the pastry begins to color on the edges, remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the pastry dries out and turns a pale golden color. Let cool before filling.

Butternut Squash with Caramelized Sweet Onions & Swiss Chard—A Simple Side Dish for Fall

After my cooking demonstration Saturday for the Farm Tour I had some peeled and diced butternut squash left over. If you like butternut squash, you have probably done the work of peeling, seeding, and dicing many times and you know what a great "leftover" this is.  I wanted to make sure that I used it so I put it in a visible spot in my fridge. But since I haven't cooked a meal at home since the tour, I had forgotten about the squash until today when I opened up the refrigerator to look and see what I had on hand to cook with for dinner tonight.

In addition to the squash, I had a bunch of Swiss chard from the farmers' market. Swiss chard and butternut squash are good partners—the slight bitterness of the greens compliments the sweet squash nicely. My original thought was to roast the butternut squash and serve it alongside the wilted Swiss chard. But as I was standing at the counter stripping the leaves away from the chard stems my eyes fell on a bowl of little sweet onions that I purchased at the market a couple of weeks ago. They seemed like the perfect addition, so I caramelized them and tossed everything together. I really liked the result—a definite keeper.

This side dish would go well with almost any sautéed, grilled or roasted meat that you wanted to serve with it.  It would also make a nice vegetarian entrée if served with a round of baked goat cheese.  I served mine with a very special roast chicken. On Monday evening I had dinner at a friend's house.  She has just put in an outdoor, wood-fired oven...that she built herself!  I will not attempt to describe the oven in detail, because in my ignorance I'm sure my description would include many inaccuracies.  I will just say that once it is fired up, it holds its heat for long periods of time.  Learning to cook in it includes learning how to take advantage of this property.  We were invited to bring a chicken with us so that while we enjoyed an incredible meal—that had been prepared from start to finish in her oven—our chickens (to be taken home with us) were happily roasting away.  The chicken has been a delicious treat. 

Butternut Squash with Caramelized Sweet Onions and Swiss Chard

I prepared this dish for two, but obviously it can be multiplied to feed as many as you like.

Olive oil
5 to 6 oz. sweet onions (2 small or one medium), halved, cored and thinly sliced
8 to 9 oz. diced (scant 3/4-inch) butternut squash—about 12 oz. before peeling and seeding (about 2 cups, diced)
1 bunch Swiss Chard, stems pulled away and discarded and leaves roughly cut cross-wise (see note)
Salt & pepper

Warm some olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the onions along with a pinch of salt and toss to coat in the fat. When the onions begin to soften and color, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the onions are very tender and caramelized. 

While the onions cook, toss the butternut squash with enough olive oil to lightly coat and spread in a baking dish  

or on a sheet pan and roast in a 425° oven until tender and caramelized—about 30 minutes. Stir once about half way through the cooking so the squash will color evenly. Remove from the oven and set aside until ready to finish the dish.

When the onions are cooked, remove them from the pan and add them to the pan with the finished squash. Return the sauté pan to the heat and increase the heat to medium high. Add a little more oil to the pan and add the chard a handful at a time.  Use tongs to turn and coat the chard in the oil as you add it. When all of the chard has been added to the pan and has begun to collapse, lightly season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook until the chard is tender.

When the chard is tender add the squash and onions to the pan, toss to combine and heat through. Serves 2.

Note: It isn't necessary to spin the chard dry after washing it. Just drain it well. Any water left clinging to the leaves will help it to wilt and will evaporate off quickly during the initial cooking.



Printable Recipe

A Butternut Squash & Bulgur Pilaf for the Kaw Valley Farm Tour

I mentioned in my last post that this had been a busy week. One of the highlights of my week was participating in the Kaw Valley Farm Tour. The Kaw Valley is the river valley of the Kansas (or Kaw) River running from Junction City, Kansas east to Kaw Point in Kansas City. Every year for a weekend in October a group of growers situated in the Kaw River Valley get together and open their growing and producing operations to the public. It is a fabulous opportunity for people in the area to see what is growing and thriving in their own back yards.

Yesterday and today were picture perfect early October days with sunny blue skies, puffy clouds and the cool feel of fall in the air. Everything is still green after our unusually wet summer and there is just a tinge of color beginning to show in the leaves. Even if you weren't interested in the stops along the way, the drive through the Kaw Valley on such a day would be a worthwhile way to spend some time. Being outside in such a beautiful place when the weather is so lovely is amazingly restorative. I wish that I were a landscape photographer so that I could share the beauty with you.

My part in the weekend's activities was a short cooking demonstration and tasting yesterday at a the Blue Jacket Crossing vineyard and winery. I have to confess that I wasn't sure how my part of the day was going to go. I had not visited beforehand and it is not uncommon for a chef to go into a situation where they simply have to make the best of it. But this was not the case at Blue Jacket. The delightful couple who own and operate the winery graciously welcomed me and had a special place set up for me to do my demonstration. Despite the rather stiff Kansas wind, I truly had a wonderful time (I hope I get to go back).


Demonstration mis en place ready to go



Tastings

Prior to the event they had sent me six of their wines to try so I could match my food to some of them. Not surprisingly they sell out of their dry wines almost immediately after they are released; so at this point in the year, I was tasting, and would be preparing something to go with, their sweeter wines. Since the farm tour is a celebration of locally grown foods, I decided I would make the bulgur pilaf (Kansas is wheat country, after all) that I posted about in the spring and change it up a bit for the fall.

The spinach that appears in the original pilaf could easily have been changed to Swiss Chard and would have been a fine addition to an Autumn pilaf.  Swiss Chard makes an appearance at the Farmers' Market in both the spring and the fall. But the butternut squash has been looking particularly nice this year, so I thought I would use that instead. Also, I thought its sweetness would be great with the wines. Initially I thought about also incorporating some eggplant because I think eggplant and butternut squash are good partners during the short season when they come into the market together. The pilaf that I made with both butternut squash and eggplant was really good, but the presence of the eggplant seemed to require the addition of a generous squeeze of lemon juice.  This would have made it a poor match for the wines.

I eventually settled on a pilaf with just roasted butternut squash, pistachios, golden raisins, loads of mint and the optional addition of chickpeas for when it is to be served as an entrée. Without the chickpeas it is a wonderful side dish for Autumn.  I think it would make a nice addition to the Thanksgiving table.  And judging from the reaction of those who tasted it yesterday, it would be very well-received...even by people who think they don't like "whole grains".
 

The pilaf paired very well with Blue Jacket's award winning Seyval Reserve (a lovely white, which I had not tasted before I arrived) and their Nouveau Beaujolais-style Wolf Red. So in addition to having the pleasure of watching people taste and enjoy the pilaf, I got to see their eyes light up as they tasted the pilaf and the wine together.

The tasting room at the winery is open year round, so if you are in the area, check out their website and drop in to see them and taste their wines while you enjoy the spectacular view of their Kaw Valley Vineyard. (While you're at it, make a batch of this pilaf to take with you. With the addition of a little yogurt, some fruit and a bottle of wine, it would make a great picnic lunch.)





 Bulgur Pilaf with Butternut Squash,

Pistachios & Golden Raisins

2 to 2 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut in a scant 3/4-inch dice (about 5 c. diced)
3 to 4 T. olive oil, divided
1 small onion (about 6 oz.), diced (you will have about 1 c. diced onion)
1 fat clove garlic, minced
kosher salt
1 t. ground cumin
pinch cayenne
1 c. (6 oz.) medium bulgur, rinsed and drained
1 1/4 c. water
1/2 c. golden raisins
1/4 c. mint chiffonade
2 T. minced flat leaf parsley
1/2 c. toasted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Toss the squash with 1 to 2 T. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 425°F oven until tender and caramelized—20 to 30 minutes (stirring once so it will brown evenly).

Warm 2 T. olive oil in a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid over moderate heat. Add the onions along with a pinch of salt and sweat until tender and translucent. Add the garlic, cumin and cayenne and cook until fragrant—about a minute. Increase the heat to medium high and add the drained bulgur along with a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook for a minute. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered until the bulgur is tender—12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and scatter the raisins over the surface of the bulgur. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Transfer the bulgur to a large bowl. Add the herbs, roasted squash and pistachios and toss until everything is well combined. Serve warm or room temperature. Serves 4 to 5 as side dish.

Variations:
- To make a more substantial pilaf to be served as an entrée, add a 1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (if using canned, drain and rinse before adding). Add the chickpeas with the roasted squash and pistachios.

- For a late summer variation, top and tail a medium eggplant (about 12 oz.). Cut into a 3/4-inch dice and toss with salt, pepper and olive oil to coat and spread on a baking sheet. Transfer to a 425° oven and roast until tender and caramelized—about 20 minutes. Add to the pilaf with the butternut squash. Substitute walnuts for the pistachios and add 2 to 4 tablespoons of lemon juice to the final pilaf.

- Add 10 oz. of stemmed spinach that has been wilted, squeezed dry and roughly chopped.