Stop by Jonathan’s free cooking demonstrations at Eastern Market on Saturday mornings to learn more and to pick up more free recipes using fresh market ingredients.
The holiday season is on — which means entertaining fabulously and being fabulously entertained while enjoy slightly-too-busy time with friends and family. I’ve got two Market-fresh dishes for those parties where you want to impress and the healthy dinner you need as a break from puff-pastry-wrapped bites and platters of cookies.
Let’s start with divine decadence: handmade pumpkin and cheese curd pierogi with a toasted pepitas tahini, crème fraîche. Make them bite sized for the hors d’oeuvres win. Roast a pumpkin from Marvin at Long Meadow Farms and head around the corner to Sona Creamery for their homemade, fresh cheese curds and crème fraîche (and a cheese platter – every entertainer’s best friend!).
Next, make a giant pot of light-yet-boldly-flavored soup for a few healthy dinners in between the parties. Some ground meat from Canales Quality Meats and healthy root vegetables from Dan at Agora Farms and David and Valerie at Sunnyside will fill a pot that you can eat off of all week.
The last thing you need is a great hostess gift. Stop by Hill’s Kitchen or Sona Creamery for a copy of my new book, Seasons to Taste – 127 recipes inspired by the fresh and delicious foods available on the Hill. Or order online at SeasonsToTasteCookbook.com.
Pumpkin and Cheese Curd Pierogi
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbs butter
- 2 cups puréed Hubbard squash or other rich pumpkin
- 2 cups chopped cheese curds
- 1 tsp chopped rosemary
- Nutmeg
- Cayenne
- Sherry vinegar
- 1 cup toasted pepitas
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/4 cup crème fraîche
Directions:
- Make dough: Stir together flour and egg. Stir in water. Knead in additional water as needed. The dough should be tacky but not sticky, and slightly springy. Rest under a towel for 5 minutes.
- Make filling: melt butter in a 12” skillet. Add pumpkin and cook to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temp. Stir in cheese curds and rosemary. Season to taste with a pinch each of nutmeg and cayenne, and a splash of vinegar.
- Roll dough out to 1/8” thick. Cut into about 3” circles with a biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Fill with 1-2 tbs filling and seal edges. Press with fork to close tightly.
- Cook pierogi in boiling water tunnel they float, about 3 minutes.
- Make sauce: grind pepitas in a food processor. Bring together into a paste with oil, stir through crème fraîche and season.
Moroccan Meatball Soup
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb each lamb, pork and beef
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp hot Paprika
- 1 tbs chopped thyme
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp each cinnamon and cumin
- 1/4 tsp each turmeric and cardamom
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 bulb celery root
- 1 large carrot
- 6-8 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 pound spinach, chopped
- Sherry vinegar
Directions:
- Mix together lamb, pork and beef with egg, paprika and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Fry a small piece to check seasoning. Shape into 1” meatballs.
- Warm 1 tbs olive oil in a 6 quart soup pot over medium heat. Fry meatballs in batches until browned. Reserve.
- Pour off all but 2 tbs fat and add onions to the soup pot. Cook 5 minutes until soft.
- Blend spices with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir into onions and cook 1 minute.
- Cut vegetables into 1/2 pieces and add to onions. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add stock and cook until vegetables are fork tender.
- Return meatballs to pot and cook 5 minutes until heated through.
- Add spinach and cook until wilted.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper and vinegar.