This is a great, extremely simple fall dish, which requires very little attention while cooking, so you can pay attention to that delicious-looking vegetarian (or omnivore) you duped into coming for dinner. You’ll need:
1 medium pie pumpkin
1 (or more) Serrano pepper
1 medium bell pepper
1/2 a yellow squash
1 medium scallion
2 cloves garlic
Oil
Light soy sauce
White wine
Flour tortillas
Parmesan cheese
A date (that you’re not paying)
Before your date arrives, cut your pumpkin into quarters, remove the seeds (roast separately if you like), and roast it in the oven until about 3/4 done – some char, but still pretty firm. Let it cool while you dice your pepper, squash, scallions, and garlic. It’s still not cool enough yet; you might as well go take a shower so that you don’t stink so foully.
By the time your intended victim arrives, the pumpkin should be cool enough, so peel and cube it. You should probably pour drinks now too. You need all the help you can get.
Back in the kitchen, heat up a few tablespoons of oil in a large sauce pan on high, and set a sautée pan on another burner at medium heat with a splash of oil. Take time to make clever conversation. When the oil is very hot, add your Serranos and 3/4 of the scallions, frying for about 30 seconds. When your spices have fried enough, add half as much soy sauce as you added oil, letting all that reduce for another 30 seconds or so, and tossing some garlic into your sautée pan.
Now, add your bell pepper and squash, tossing briefly to get oil and garlic all over. Add your pumpkin to the large pan and put a loose-fitting lid on each vessel. Spend five minutes cleaning your workspace, you sloppy bastard: your date will be impressed with your conscientiousness. After that stir each of your dishes a few times and re-cover them. Use five more minutes to explain the videos you forgot to hide.
Come back to stir the pumpkin, and toss the remaining scallions in with the squash and peppers. Go pour more drinks and glare longingly for three minutes, then spend two more plating a couple of tortillas and sprinkling them with grated parmesan. The squash and peppers should be nice and caramelized now, so remove them to a bowl. Stir the pumpkin again and spend however much more time it needs to set the table. Make clever conversation the whole time, but remember to be yourself (unless you’re insufferable…ok, just be someone else).
When the pumpkin is nice and tender and falling apart, it’s done. Put it on your tortillas with some squash and pepper mix and then, while those relax and melt the cheese for a bit, deglaze your pumpkin pan with some white wine. The deglazing liquid makes a good sauce base, but really you’re only doing this to impress your date. Make sure the plume of steam is visible.
Serve your tacos with a basic salad in a vinegary dressing and a boutique beer. Also, make sure that your date drinks a lot, and you both have a breath-cleansing dessert.

This article is from Guest Blogger Wendy Stengel.
Thanks for the great cold weather recipe Wendy. It is actually on the chilly side today. The photo is from the Library of Congress. Thanks Library of Congress!
-JAY
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There are two versions of this recipe: the one for people who are used to cooking and recipe reading, and the one for people who are cooking challenged and want a step by step that really is a step by step.
The Short Version:
Caramelize 3-4 onions. Brown 3 lbs cubed beef. Deglaze with 12 oz beer. Add 8 oz. beef stock. Cover, cook at 350 for 3.5 hours. Stir in thyme. Serve over buttered egg noodles.
The “Cooking Challenged” Version:
Preheat your oven: 350 deg. F.
Caramelize 3-4 onions. Which means….
Slice up 3-4 onions. Put them in a COLD big skillet (don’t use non-stick, unless that’s all you have) on the stove top. Turn the heat to medium low. Stir OCCASIONALLY. Like, every 5 minutes for the first 15 minutes. Don’t stir too often. We’re trying to develop a nice brown caramelly onion, and that will mean some brown stuff on the bottom of the pan, too. When you stir, the onions will pick up the brown stuff on the bottom of the pan. If things start sticking, you can add oil, about 1 tsp at a time, up to about a tablespoon or two. The whole process should take AT LEAST 20 minutes. If it’s been 20 minutes, and they’re not all brown and sweet and complex, turn up your heat some. 😉 How do you know they’re done? They’re brown, and they taste sweet and complex. Scoop the onions into an oven proof stew pot, casserole, or Dutch oven (that has a lid).
Brown 3 lbs cubed beef. Which means….
Get 3 lbs of beef, and cut it into half inch or inch cubes (what kind of beef? Round or Chuck. Beware “stew meat”.). Season with salt and pepper….don’t be shy. This is the only salt and pepper we’re putting in the whole dish. I go by feel, but I think it was prob. 2 Tbls salt and 1 Tbls pepper. Toss the cubes in 3 Tbls flour–should lightly coat all pieces, all sides. IN THE SAME SKILLET YOU COOKED THE ONIONS, add 1 Tbls oil, and heat to medium-high. Put in your beef…you’ll probably have to do it in batches, because you do NOT want to stack or squish your meat in the pan. Flip or turn your cubes as they get brown. The bottom of your pan is going to get GROSS. Brown, gunky, icky. THIS IS GOOD. If things start sticking, add a little more oil. As they get all browned on all sides, transfer them to the stewpot/casserole/Dutch oven. Keep going until you’re all done….
Deglaze your pan with 12 oz dark beer. Which means….
All that gook on your pan? We’re going to scrape it up. Pour a bottle of dark beer (Think German or Belgian in style…I used a Wisconsin “Bavaria” beer) into your skillet, which is still on high heat. Use a tool that has a big flat edge, and scrape, scrape, scrape up all the gook you developed. That’s flavor, baby. You don’t want to waste it. When it’s all up off the pan, pour the beer and gook mixture over the onions and beef.
Add 8 oz (1 cup) of beef stock/broth. (Self-explanatory. Actually, if its not, write me. If at all possible, DON’T use the little cubes. They’re WAY salty.)
Cover, and put the whole shebang in the oven. You’re going for 3 hours, 30 minutes cooking time.
In the meanwhile……at the 2.5 hr mark, bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Use your biggest pot, so you can cook up a mess of noodles. At the 3 hrs, 15 minutes mark, dump a package of wide egg noodles into the boiling water, AND TAKE OUT THE CARBONADE.
“What???? You said 3.5 hrs!” Yes, I did. We’re going to use Carry Over Cooking. That stuff is hot, and it’s going to stay hot outside the oven, too. Take a sprig or two of fresh thyme, strip it of its leaves, and dump them into the carbonnade. Give the sauce a quick taste to see if you want more salt, and if so, dump it in. Stir, and RE-COVER. It will cook the thyme just enough. (Using dried thyme? Put it in at the 2.5 hr mark).
When the noodles are done, drain them, put ’em in a bowl, and butter heavily.
Dish up noodles on plates, and serve carbonnade over the noodles.
To be very authentic, CARB OUT. Add crusty bread to the side, with lots of soft creamy butter.
Oh, and, of course:
SERVE WITH BEER.
A nice hearty red wine would taste lovely with this, sure, but, be Belgian! Drink beer!

I live in Georgia. The obvious choice then, when searching for interesting things to pickle, was a peach. Adding balsamic vinegar, Vidalia onions, and Serrano peppers to my frenzied preservationism, I came up with a very tasty end-of-summer treat.

Ingredients:
– 1 not-quite-ripe peach
– 1/2 Vidalia onion
– 1/2 Serrano pepper, diced
– Balsamic vinegar
– Kosher Salt
– Sugar

I sliced peach into strips, roughly chopped the onion and diced the pepper, putting them all in a glass bowl. I then heated enough balsamic to cover that, dissolving in salt and sugar (you have to do this to your own taste). Don’t let the vinegar boil – just heat it enough to get the salt and sugar dissolved! Pour it over the produce, and seal with plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for two or three days to pickle.
Now, this is delicious already – sweet and sharp and perfect in a salad – but I wanted to go farther. This pickle was going to get post-processing!
I took out the peaches, and about half of the liquid (not the onions or peppers!) and put them in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the liquid came to a boil, I lowered the heat and let it reduce (this takes a looooong time) until it became nice and syrupy, coating the now soft peach slices.
I poured all of this over vanilla ice cream, and it was totally bloody awesome. I used the remaining peach-infused vinegar as salad dressing for a while, which was also pretty darn good.

Somehow, I just discovered pickling. Everything has been getting pickled in my house, from cucumbers and radishes to tomatoes and yes, even peaches. That last one is still a work in progress. One thing that has been especially successful is my old friend tindora – the little guys take so well to brine!
Slice your tindora and place in a glass bowl with not too much extra room. In a glass saucepan, grind mustard seed, coriander seed, salt and sugar to taste. I don’t like too much sugar, but that’s up to you. Add vinegar (white or cider – experiment with what you like!) and warm over medium heat until all the salt and sugar dissolve. Stir in some sliced Serrano peppers, for heat. Now, pour this over your tindora (should be enough to cover) and seal the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for a couple of days, then enjoy.
Having made all these pickles, the question arises – what on earth do I do with them? The other night I came up with a surprisingly tasty solution. Layering different fresh (and pickled) ingredients, this dish is full of contrasts – temperatures, textures, and flavors – and made for a very satisfying and delicious meal. Healthy too! You can adjust any part of the recipe, from how you do the pickles to the kind of fish, etc., but I do recommend that the pickles be fairly bitter (not too sweet) and a firmer fish, since you don’t want it falling apart.
I used:
Tindora pickles
Fish (I used tuna, but a lighter fish might be nice too)
Avocado
Light soy sauce
Mirin
Sesame oil
Rice
Cook your rice. When that’s done and relaxing, fire up the wok with some sesame oil, and toss in your fish with a bit of soy sauce. While the fish is cooking, spoon out a bowl of rice and get out your pickles and avocado. Also, mix about a quarter-cup of sauce: half soy sauce and half mirin, with a splash of oil. When the fish is ready, quickly dice your avocado (don’t do this ahead of time, or it will brown), and make a bowl of rice. On top of the warm rice, put the cold pickles, hot fish, and room-temperature avocados and sauce.
Serve immediately.

I had a fairly ginormous brunch yesterday, and was consequently not all that hungry for dinner, but figured I’d better get some vitamins (besides those found in eggs Benedict and a Bloody Mary). I wanted something simple and fresh, which those ingredients could easily provide. Much as I love obnoxiously complicated dishes and weird ingredients, I rarely have time (or energy) for such feats, and tonight I didn’t want much anyhow.
I also had a bunch of bloody gorgeous spinach and Vidalia onions sitting in my fridge, begging for a home on my love handles. I was only too happy to oblige!
What I used:
Half of a medium Vidalia onion
About half a pound of fresh spinach
2 tbs. butter
3/4 tsp. herbes de Provence
½ tsp celery salt
Salt
Black pepper
Fish sauce (optional)
Cider vinegar (optional)
Wash and tear the spinach into a saucepan (don’t dry it fully). Cover the pan and turn on the heat to medium. When the lid gets hot to the touch (there is a reason my fingers have mile-thick calluses!), reduce ton low, and let sit for about three minutes. Now add your butter, herbes, celery salt and regular salt, stirring well. Re-cover and remove from heat, letting it all melt together while you dice your onion. If you want to kick up the flavor a bit, I recommend adding a splash of either fish sauce or cider vinegar here too, depending on your mood.
Once the butter is all nicely melted, remove the spinach to a bowl, using a slotted spoon to keep as much butter as possible in the pan. Set that aside, and return the pan to the stove, turning the heat back on and adding a bit of black pepper. Sautee the onions until they’re as done as you want them (I like ‘nicely caramelized’). When it’s all done, deglaze with white wine.
The finished spinach and the finished onions are each a really tasty dish, and together make a fantastic light dinner. Or a great side dish. Or, if you really must, a stellar burger topping.

Unlike neighboring China and Japan, Korean food has not caught on in such a big way here in the US. I think this is sad – not that kim chee isn’t delicious and awesome, but Korean cuisine has so many other things to offer.
Chap chae (or jap chay) is one such offering. This classic dish is usually made with yam noodles, some variety of veggies, with or without meat, and can be served either with barbecue or as a main dish itself. I’d never attempted to make chap chae before, but a recent conversation with a friend about how he misses the Korean joint in his home town reminded me that I’d at some point acquired a basic recipe for the stuff, and should try it.
Based on the availability of certain ingredients, and my own whims, I’ve made some alterations to the original recipe. My results were really delicious, and the leftovers are even better – I’ve been eating this batch for a week! Be aware that it is a large recipe…you will need a big wok, or to cut quantities.
What you’ll need:
12 oz rice stick noodles
3/4 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 carrot, julienned
1 zucchini, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
2 Serrano peppers, diced
8 shitake mushrooms – stems removed and diced
1/2 pound sirloin cut into thin strips
1 tbs black sesame seeds
2 tbs sesame oil
3/8 cup light soy sauce
3/8 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos (or more soy sauce).
3/4 cup rice wine
2 tbs sugar
3 cloves garlic (diced)
Pinch ground ginger
Black pepper
Fresh mung bean sprouts
Soak your noodles in hot (not boiling) water for about 20 minutes, until soft, then drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Mix the soy sauce, Braggs*, oil, ginger, black pepper, sugar, and a quarter of the garlic and Serranos, together in a glass, and set it aside to infuse a bit, while you chop all your veggies.
Heat some oil in a (VERY) large wok, and add about a third of your sauce plus another quarter of the garlic and Serranos and toast till they start to brown. Reduce heat to medium and add your steak and stir fry for about 4 minutes or until almost done. Remove from the wok (keep as much of the oil in as you can) and set aside.
Now add your carrots, red peppers and zucchini, and stir in the sesame seeds. Stir fry all of this for a few minutes, until everything is almost-but-not-quite tender. Now add the onions and mushrooms(and a bit more oil if needed).
After another minute or so, add back your steak and the rest of your garlic and Serranos. After that’s all in, cut the noodles with a knife and stir them into the wok, followed by the rest of your sauce. Stir fry until everything is well mixed and the right texture. Be very careful not to cook the noodles too long, or it’ll get mushy!
Remove everything to a bowl, and deglaze your wok with the rice wine and a splash of soy sauce. Once that reduces by about half, pour it over the dish as a sauce and stir it in. This is entirely optional but I think it’s tasty.
Serve hot with a garnish of cold mung bean sprouts.
Like I said: I make no claims to authenticity here, but it is yummy. The only alteration I may make in the future would be to pickle the carrots beforehand, perhaps in mirin.
* I decided to make the sauce by halving the soy sauce and using Braggs because it makes the dish a bit less salty, which is nice for many reasons, and also because it adds a flavor I like. Do as you wish.