Favorite Autumnal Recipe Swap

Slow cooker Split Pea Soup

These are not exact measurements

I add about 350-400 g of rinsed and sorted split peas (you can mix green and yellow) in the bottom of a crock pot.  You do not need to soak peas, but you can to shorten cooking I suppose

Add a ham bone or some other sort of gammon/ham.  I tend to get a small cheap gammon joint (unsmoked) and chop it up. 

Add a couple ribs of chopped celery and a couple chopped carrots. 

A couple cloves of chopped garlic or equivalent dried/powdered

Bay leaf or two (optional--I don't tend to use)

Generously grind some black pepper AND add a couple of dashes of white pepper

I then either add homemade stock (heated) or use those little stock pot jelly things.  If I use the jelly things, I add boiling water.  Either way, I add a couple of teaspoons of Marigold bouillon. 

Don't stir until it's done.

Put it on high for about an hour, then switch it down to medium for 6-8 hours until peas are tender.  You can add salt after it's cooked to taste.  You might not need any.  You can mash it with a potato masher or run it through a blender, but I like it a bit chunky.

Thanks, LA! That sounds great! Might cook some up this weekend if the weather stays this dreary.  I love soup on dreary days...

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin black beans
1 chile pepper, seeded and chopped (pick whichever is your favorite kind)
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Handful chopped coriander

1. Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion, red pepper, garlic, and salt. Saute until soft, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the sweet potato and lime zest, and cook 10 to 15 minutes more, continuing to stir occasionally.

3. Add the tomatoes, black beans, chile pepper, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cocoa, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Serve over rice, if desired, topped with coriander or with corn bread, biscuits, or torilla chips alongside.

Serves 4 if you're having it with rice.  Might serve slightly less if you eat it on its own.

Butternut Squash Risotto.... I used leeks instead of shallots as the shallots in the market looked like they had been dead 20 years...

anyway this is from  from Ina Garten and it's DELICIOUS

    * 1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
    * 2 tablespoons olive oil
    * Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    * 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
    * 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
    * 2 ounces pancetta, diced
    * 1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
    * 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
    * 1/2 cup dry white wine
    * 1 teaspoon saffron threads
    * 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan. Mix well and serve.

Pumpkin Dip which is fabulous with gingersnaps!

My mom's pumpkin bread recipe. Every year, the day after Halloween, my mom would cut up the pumpkins, puree them, and make pumpkin bread. We would always have so many loaves and she would end up giving a lot as Christmas presents.

An apple crumble pancake recipe I created.

and the best ever roasts chicken with apple stuffing!!