Back to Butter: A Traditional Foods Cookbook - Nourishing Recipes Inspired by Our Ancestors (26 page)

The sound, smell, and feel of walking through dense rows of corn is such a welcome hug of summertime. This dish is a perfect complement to our Sweet Ham Loaf (
page 138
). Even though fresh is best, frozen corn (from summer’s bounty) can certainly be used. Simply pulse
_1
/
2
cup (65 g) corn in the food processor to substitute for the grated corn.

1
/
2
cup (65 g) fresh corn grated off the cob (about 2 medium ears)

1
1
/
2
cups (195 g) fresh corn cut off the cob (about 3 medium ears)

5 tablespoons (40 g) fresh-milled, sprouted whole wheat pastry flour (
page 55
)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) maple syrup

1 tablespoon (9 g) seeded and finely chopped jalapeño pepper

1
/
2
teaspoon sea salt

1
/
4
teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

4 tablespoons (56 g) butter, melted

4 eggs

1 cup (235 ml) plain kefir (
page 42
)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Have ready a 2-quart (2 L) baking dish.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the corn (grated and whole), flour, maple syrup, jalapeño, sea salt, pepper, and melted butter. Stir well with a spoon to combine.

In a small-size bowl, combine the eggs and kefir, whisking until well combined. Add to the corn mixture and stir until well combined. Pour into the ungreased baking dish.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the pudding rises up the sides of the baking dish and the top turns a delicious golden brown.

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

RECIPE NOTE

Using a box grater to grate the corn releases the milk from each broken kernel. Note that the amount of corn needed varies depending on the size of the ears. The corn must be thoroughly cleaned of silk and patted dry before grating.

Brussels Sprouts with Onions and Crispy Bacon

winter

I believe John married me because he had my mom’s brussels sprouts at our holiday meals. ’Nuff said.

1 pound (454 g) small brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise

1
1
/
2
cups (355 ml) homemade chicken stock (
page 82
)

1
1
/
4
teaspoons sea salt, divided

5 strips bacon, roughly chopped

1
1
/
2
cups (240 g) thinly sliced yellow onion

3 tablespoons (42 g) butter

1
/
2
teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

Combine the brussels sprouts, chicken stock, and 1 teaspoon of the sea salt in a 2-quart (1.8 L) pot with a lid. Set aside.

In an extra-large-size nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel–lined plate. Set aside.

In the same pan with the hot bacon drippings, cook the onion over medium-high heat until browned and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Over high heat, bring the salted sprouts to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-high and cook for 8 minutes, until fork tender (avoid overcooking sprouts to help retain their shape). Remove from the heat and drain well in a colander, then return to the hot pot. Add the butter, remaining
1
/
4
teaspoon sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Cover and allow the butter to melt. Uncover and stir to generously cover the cut side of every sprout with the melted butter.

Heat a large-size cast-iron skillet over low heat and arrange as many sprouts as possible in the pan with the cut side down. Once the sprouts are arranged, raise the heat to medium. Sauté for 5 minutes, without stirring, or until the sprouts are nicely browned. More butter can be added if needed. It may be necessary to brown the sprouts in 2 separate batches to fit. Once nicely browned, turn off the heat.

When ready to serve, warm the caramelized onions slightly and spoon over the browned sprouts, stirring carefully to combine. Sprinkle the crispy bacon over the top and serve immediately.

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Baked Acorn Squash with Kale & Pancetta Stuffing

Repeat after me: “Vegetables are good when they are in season.” Tomatoes in summer, asparagus in spring, acorn squash in early fall and through the winter—it makes a huge difference in taste. Therefore, don’t even try this dish in the spring! The key here is a great, in-season squash.

FOR SQUASH:

2 small acorn squash (1 to 1
1
/
2
pounds [454 to 680 g] each)

12 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup (235 ml) homemade chicken stock (
page 82
)

10 whole fresh sage leaves

1
/
2
teaspoon sea salt

12 whole black peppercorns

1
/
2
teaspoon whole fennel seeds

FOR STUFFING:

1
/
2
-pound (225 g) chunk pancetta, diced small

1/3 cup (80 ml) reserved pancetta fat

2 cups (300 g) small diced turnip

2 cups (320 g) small diced sweet onion

2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1
/
4
teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

10 cups (670 g) packed, destemmed, and roughly chopped kale (about 2 bunches)

1
/
4
teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons (30 ml) balsamic vinegar

TO MAKE THE SQUASH: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Have ready a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) glass baking dish.

Cut each squash in half lengthwise from end to end and scoop out the seeds. Do NOT pierce the skin of the squash. Simply place the squash, cut-side down, in the bottom of the glass dish, trapping 1 clove of garlic under each piece of squash. To the surrounding dish, add the stock, remaining 8 garlic cloves, sage, sea salt, peppercorns, and fennel. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the squash can be pierced easily with a fork.

TO MAKE THE STUFFING: In a large-size sauté pan over medium heat, brown the pancetta until crispy and the fat has melted away, stirring frequently. With a slotted spoon, transfer bits of pancetta to a paper towel–lined plate. Set aside. Pour the hot fat into a glass measuring cup, to control the amount used in the next step.

Pour 1/3 cup (80 ml) hot pancetta fat back into the pan, and over medium heat, sauté the turnips for 5 minutes. Add the onion and continue to sauté over medium heat for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and sauté 1 additional minute, stirring constantly. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the kale, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Then remove the lid, add the sea salt, balsamic vinegar, and reserved pancetta. Using tongs, toss the mixture until thoroughly combined.

Once fork tender, remove the squash from the oven. Carefully turn the squash cut side up into individual serving dishes. Remove any herbs that may have clung to the squash meat. Liberally sprinkle sea salt and pepper over each squash, then fill each cavity with a liberal cup of kale mixture. Serve warm.

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS, 1 HALF SQUASH AND 1 CUP STUFFING EACH

RECIPE NOTE

• The rendered pancetta fat may not supply a full 1/3 cup (80 ml). If this is the case, simply add enough melted butter to produce the needed amount.

• A salad spinner works nicely here to remove unwanted moisture from the freshly washed kale.

The Reversible Sweet Potato Casserole

This recipe is a “choose-your-own-ending” recipe. Containing both a sweet (holiday) topping and a less sweet (everyday) topping, it is designed to suit your year-round needs. Sweet potatoes, both the white and orange-fleshed varieties, and yams all work well in this dish.

FOR CASSEROLE:

2 pounds (908 g) sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces

1
/
2
cup (112 g) butter, melted

1
/
2
cup (112 g) sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract