Our Recipes: Butternut Squash Soup with Brandy

Ingredients:

- 1 ½ cup sour cream

- ½ cup maple syrup

- 2 tsp salt

- 1 big butternut squash or 2 small – sliced in half length side, deseeded  & roasted

- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil + 1 tbsp for battering a baking dish

- 2 medium onions – chopped

- 4 celery stalks - sliced

- 4 medium carrots – chopped

- ¼ dark brown sugar

- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

- ¼ tsp ground cloves

- ¼ tsp nutmeg

- ½ tsp – 1 tsp cayenne pepper (careful very hot)

- 4 Macoun apples – chopped (These are late autumn apples with very firm flesh. They are juicy and snow white, tasting sweet with a hint of berry.) You are welcome to use any apples you can get in the store.

- 2/3 cup brandy

- ¼ cup honey

- Ground pepper to taste and more salt if needed.

Directions:

- Roast the butternut squash. (You can roasted the same day or the night before).

- Heat the oven to 350°F (around 175°C). 

- Butter baking dish.

- Place squash in the baking dish cut side down and add 1/2 cup of water.

- Bake til tender - around 1 hour.

- Let cool aside for 30-45 minutes.

- Peel the skin. Set aside.

- In a small bowl mix sour cream and maple syrup with a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of water.

- Cover and set it aside.

- In a large stockpot melt butter (or add olive oil instead).

- Add onion, celery, carrots.

- Stirring, cook until onion is transparent (around 10 minutes).

- Add brown sugar, spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, 2 tsp salt), stirring, cook around 5 minutes.

- Add apples and brandy. Keep stirring – 5 minutes.

- Add roasted squash and 4 cups of water.

- Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

- Add more water if desired or if the soup is too thick.

- Let cool for 30 to 45 minutes.

- Puree till smooth.

- Pour in honey and add salt and pepper to taste. Puree to stir honey in. 

- To serve, garnish with a dollop of maple-cream mixture.

It's great in the fall season! 

Makes around 6 servings. 

Sometimes if I cook too much, I freeze it. Still tastes great. 

Have fun cooking! 

World Cuisines: Pancakes (USA)

Ingerdients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 1/4 cups milk (room temperature or slightly warmer)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled down
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract - optional
- additional butter or vegetable oil/frying spray

Preparation:
- Sift the flour with baking powder once or twice into a large bowl for better fluffiness.
- Add sugar and salt to the flour.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg, add the butter and vanilla and mix together.
- Slowly add the milk and gently beat in.
 - Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the wet mixture slowly, stirring constantly and gently.
- Mix until smooth. Do not overmix because you will end up with flat/heavy pancakes.
- It is ok if there are few lumps. 
- Heat a large skillet or your favorite pancake-size skillet on a medium high heat.
- Add some butter/lightly grease the skillet and pour some pancake batter on it. (1/4 of a cup or how much you want for desired size).
- Fry until golden brown.

Today, I made 4 pancakes (5 1/4 inch) for 2 people. 

Top with your favorite fresh fruit, butter, maple syrup or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Our Recipes: Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

- 1/4 tsp. olive oil

- 1 cup chopped yellow onions

- 1 cup chopped peeled carrots

- 1 cup chopped celery

- 1 tsp. minced garlic

- 2 cups washed lentils (I usually use the big, green ones)

- 1 20 oz. can washed tomatoes in juice

- 8 cups veggie stock or chicken stock (you can make your own from chicken wings)

- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 

- 1/2 tsp. cumin

- 1/4 tsp. chili powder

- 1 tsp. paprika

- 1 tsp. dried basil

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. pepper

- 1 bay leaf

(If you want your soup to be spicier, add some more chili and/or cayenne pepper)

Directions: 

- Heat a large stock pot over medium heat.

- Add the olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. 

- Add the onion, carrot, celery & garlic.

- Cook until onion is soft (2-4 minutes).

 - Stir in lentils, tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, paprika, basil, salt & pepper. 

- Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer until lentils are soft about 20-30 minutes. 

- Remove bay leaf before serving.

World Cuisines: Vietnamese Chicken (Vietnam)

Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch (around 2-3 cm) fresh ginger root peeled and finely grated
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice (if you can't get it, just skip it)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
- Set the chicken aside.
- Mix remaining ingredients together.
- Marinate the chicken(best a few hours before cooking or overnight)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake 30 minutes.

Serve with your favorite green salad or steamed vegetables.Makes 2 servings. Bon Appetit!

Our Recipes: Fried Okra

Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound of fresh okra
- 2 eggs
- 1/2  cup flour
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste

Direction: 
- Chop okra into 1/2 inch pieces
- Whisk the eggs with salt, black peeper and cayenne pepper together in  a bowl
- Heat the oil in a deep skillet or wok
- Dip the okra pieces in the egg mixture and put it on a plate
- Sprinkle okra with the flour (I used a sifter  so it is easier to spread the flour evenly)
- Fry okra util golden brown, flipping it occasionally

Makes 2 srevings

Our Recipes: Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket Joint

Ingredients:
- 2lbs/1kg beef brisket joint
-1/2 garlic head (each clove peeled and cut in a half)
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 allspice berries
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper 
- 1/4 tsp red crushed pepper
- 1/8 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 small or medium-sized baking sleeve

Preparation:
- The night before cooking put beef in a bowl/baking pan and line with aluminum foil. 
- Pour canola oil over the beef and smear it all over. 
- Sprinkle all the spices evenly on the whole meat piece. 
- Put garlic all around the meat. 
- Wrap the brisket with aluminum foil and put away into the fridge until baking time. 
- On the baking day, preheat the oven to 160C.
- Unwrap the beef and move it into the baking sleeve. 
- Add 1/2 cup of water and close the bag with the clip for the baking sleeve. 
- Move the beef in the sleeve into a clean baking pan and put in the oven. 
- Bake 2.5 hours.
- The sleeve will behave like a big bubble after several minutes of baking. You can use a skewer or a pointy knife to poke a hole in the sleeve.  
- When the beef is done, carefully cut the bag open. Be careful - the steam which will come out of the bag is very hot. Move the beef with a large fork onto a serving dish. Cut into slices.
- Bon apetit!

Makes 6 servings.