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Apple Cake with Pumpkin Whipped Cream

Another favorite…

1/3 cup plus ½ cup cane sugar
¼ cup apple cider
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 large Honey Crisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1¾ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
½ cup apple cider
½ cup extra light olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square pan (any shape will be fine)

Stir together 1/3 cup sugar with apple cider, lemon juice and cornstarch in a small saucepan, then stir in the apples. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt and remaining ½ cup sugar in a medium bowl.
Whisk together egg, cider, oil and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the flour mixture- whisk till combined.
Spoon the batter into baking pan spreading evenly. Then pour apple mixture evenly over batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or till cake is done.

Pumpkin Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup confectioners sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree

Whip the cream in a standing mixer till soft peaks form. Add the sugar and pumpkin puree. Whip for another minute and chill for an hour before serving with cake.

Honey Orange Walnut Cake- Great for Rosh Hashanah

This cake is delicious- everyone loved it. It was light yet very moist due to the honey orange syrup.

Try it for the upcoming holiday.

1 ¼ cup white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon orange zest

Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and orange zest in a medium bowl. Whisk to aerate. Keep aside.

¾ cup raw sugar
1/3 cup extra light olive oil
1 egg
¾ cup 1% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup toasted chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a 9 inch round cake pan.

Beat the sugar and olive oil in an electric mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the milk and mix for 30 seconds and add the walnuts. Add the dry mixture to the wet and mix well and pour into the round cake pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the done. Let cool and take out of pan onto a flat platter.

Honey Orange Syrup

1 cup honey
¼ cup water
¼ cup fresh orange juice

In a small saucepan, combine the honey, water and orange juice. Bring to a boil and cook on simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn heat off and slowly drizzle the honey syrup on to the hot cake. Repeat till all of the syrup is absorbed.

Let the cake cool before serving.

Apple Cranberry Bread with Orange Zest

1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup extra light olive oil
¾ cup turbinado sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups grated apples
1 cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons fresh orange zest

Heat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan and keep aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Keep aside. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add one egg at a time mixing in between. Add the grated apples, cranberries and orange zest and mix well. With a rubber spatula mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated.
Transfer the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 5 minutes before taking it out. Cool completely before serving.

Pork Ragu with Penne

1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup pancetta, chopped
½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups beef broth
½ cup half and half
Salt
½ pound penne, al dente- ½ cup spare pasta water
2 tablespoons truffle paste or 1 tablespoon truffle oil

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the pancetta and sauté for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Add the carrots, onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the pork and separate with the back of a wooden spatula while sautéing the meat on medium high heat about 2-3 minutes. Add the beef broth and cook on medium low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, till a thick sauce is formed. Add salt and half and half. Add the truffle paste or oil. Mix well and add the cooked pasta and pasta water. Check for seasonings and serve.

Sauteed Okra with Onions

Bhindi

10 ounces frozen chopped okra, thawed or fresh if you can find it
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 serrano chilies, cut and split in half
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 teaspoon aamchoor

Line a large plate with a sheet of paper towel. Place the okra in one layer and microwave for 3 minutes. The reason for this step is to remove the wet slimy texture frozen okra has.
In a cast iron or non-stick frying pan heat the olive oil. Add the onions, serrano chilies and sauté over high heat. Add the okra. Stir constantly careful not to burn but brown evenly. Once the okra and the onions are dark brown and well sautéed, add the salt, turmeric, garam masala and cayenne pepper. Take off heat and add the lemon juice. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Drunken Noodles

Sauce

¼ cup fish sauce
¼ cup sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons corn starch

Mix all the ingredients into a small bowl with the corn starch. Keep aside.

8 ounces big flat rice noodles cooked according to package direction and separated, once separated, drizzle some oil into the noodles and massage through with fingers to avoid sticking together
2 tablespoons peanut oil
½ pound medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 serrano chili, sliced, optional
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup Thai basil, leaves only, chopped
2 packs of baby bok choy, trimmed and sliced in half
2 eggs, room temperature

Heat a wok like pan with the peanut oil. Add the onion, garlic and chili. Saute on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the grape tomatoes and the bok choy and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the noodles and sauce. Bring to a boil and add the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes and add the 2 eggs. Mix really well until the eggs are incorporated and the dish becomes creamy. Add the basil, mix well and check for seasonings. Serve warm.

Herbed Ricotta and Potato Gnocchi

1 one pound russet potato
½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 egg, beaten
½ cup freshly ground Pecorino Romano
1 cup plus more flour

Cook the potato till soft to the fork. Take the skin off and put the potato through a potato ricer into a bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, chives, egg and cheese. Mix well. Gradually add the flour, one tablespoon at a time till the dough comes together and not sticky- try not to over knead the dough. Separate into four sections and roll each into ½ inch thick logs on a floured surface. With a knife, cut bite-sized gnocchis. Place on a floured cookie sheet and let sit for an hour. Make the sauce in the meantime.

Marinara Sauce

1 can San Marzano tomatoes (chopped or whole, if whole, crush them with fingers)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as necessary.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi for 2 to 3 minutes or till they float to the surface. Serve with marinara sauce and freshly grated cheese

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