After church, while chatting with two single guys we know, a spontaneous invitation for dinner and pumpkin pie (yes, made from pumpkins I grew - pictures to come soon!) was thrown out. And late in the afternoon, a young guy Tim has known most of his life texted and asked if he could come by to pick up two pumpkins I'd promised him ...
... so I took out of the fridge the pumpkin flesh I'd roasted earlier in the week and whipped up a pumpkin pie. I used my standard pie crust that my dad gave me in 1990 (another story) which always turns out flaky and wonderful, and tried a new recipe I found on epicurious.com that had a nut topping - it was delicious!
I happened to have made ratatouille earlier in the week, and to go along with that I made (for the first time!) potato pancakes with green onions. The turned out delicious, too - although they take way longer to cook than I anticipated. With the pre-made ratatouille, dinner was made with little fuss and in no time at all.
Around 6:30 p.m. Doug arrived, Scott came around 7:00, and Aaron wandered in around 8:30. The baseball playoffs were on in the living room, conversations were happening in various rooms, lots of laughing, a little beer, and lots of food. By the time Aaron got here, there wasn't any ratatouille left, but he arrived hungry. As usual. ;-) I presented him with the remaining potato pancakes and, upon his request, my homemade applesauce, and he was content with that. Quite content.
It was a lovely evening. It was a deeply satisfying evening.
I've talked about this before - the deep satisfaction I receive from feeding people food, especially yummy food that makes them happy, and especially people I love. But we also had some significant conversations, shared from our hearts, laughed out loud, and had a great time. No plan, no stress, no fussing about - just a simple, casual, spontaneous gathering.
Lovely. Satisfying. Feeding our hearts and our bellies. :)
The recipes ... but of course, I couldn't follow them exactly, so here are the recipes as I made them with links to the original recipes below.
Baked Ratatouille
1 large eggplant, unpeeled
2 zucchini
2 red bell peppers, stems, ribs and seeds removed
1/2 lb button mushrooms
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/3 c tomato paste
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1/4 c water
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 c chopped fresh basil or parsley (optional, but delicious)
Preheat oven to 400' F. Lightly coat a large roasting pan with olive oil.
Cut eggplant, zucchini, red bell peppers, and mushrooms into equal-sized pieces - aiming for 1/2" to 1" pieces - this is so they will all cook evenly. As they are sliced or cut-up, add them to the roasting pan. Add sliced onion.
In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, vinegar, water, oil, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, and stir until blended and smooth. Add to the roasting pan, then stir and toss to combine and coat the vegetables evenly.
Bake until vegetables begin to soften, about 30 min, stirring once at the halfway point. Reduce the heat to 325'F. Cover the roasting pan and bake until the vegetables are soft and tender, but not mushy, about 30 min longer, stirring every 10 min.
Remove from oven, uncover, and let stand 10 min. Stir in the basil or parsley and serve. If not using all of it, or cooking it ahead of time, stir in the basil or parsley just before serving to preserve the best of their flavor. Delicious served over rice, pasta, mashed pots, potato pancakes, couscous, or even good quality bread.
Pumpkin Pie with Brown Sugar-Walnut Topping:
topping
1/4 cup plain walnut pieces
1/4 c of candied walnuts (see below)
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
small pinch of salt
crust
1 unbaked pie crust
filling
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup canned pure pumpkin (I used homemade puree)
1 cup evaporated milk
preheat oven to 425'F
for topping
Combine all ingredients. Using on/ off turns, blend to coarse crumbs. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
Combine all ingredients. Using on/ off turns, blend to coarse crumbs. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
for filling
Whisk brown sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in medium bowl. Add pumpkin and milk and whisk until well blended and smooth.
Whisk brown sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in medium bowl. Add pumpkin and milk and whisk until well blended and smooth.
Pour filling into unbaked crust, then cover crust with foil. Bake at 425' for 15 min, then lower heat to 350'. Bake until
filling is firm - not jiggly - about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle topping evenly over top of
pie. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F;
continue to bake for about 10 min., or until topping is slightly browned. Transfer pie to rack and cool
completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day
ahead. Tent with foil and chill. Let stand at
room temperature 2 hours before serving.
Candied Walnuts for Pie Topping
1 cup walnuts, chopped (about 3 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat baking sheet lightly with butter. Combine walnuts and all remaining ingredients in medium bowl; toss to coat. Spread nut mixture on prepared baking sheet (some nuts may clump together). Bake until nuts are deep golden and sugar mixture is bubbling, stirring occasionally to break up clumps, about 15 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container.)
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Pie-with-Brown-Sugar-Walnut-Topping-355849
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