November 23

Getting in the Spirit

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• Pumpkin Soup [View Recipe]

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  Ingredients

  • 1 medium pumpkin
  • 2 tablespoons oil (divided)
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 small onion (minced)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • .25 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 whole nutmeg
  • 1 1-inch piece ginger (peeled)
  • 4 cups stock (divided)
  • cranberry orange relish

  Instructions

  We start by preheating the oven to <temp val="425"/>. We rinse and pat dry the pumpkin and then carefully halve it&#8212;close to the stem and root end. We rub ½ tablespoon of the olive oil on each cut end, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then lay them, cut side down, on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

  We roast the pumpkin for about an hour. We want the flesh very tender. We set it aside to cool for a few minutes.

  When the pumpkin is almost cooked, we heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, we add the onion and stir. We peel and mince the garlic and add it along with some salt and pepper to the tender onion. Next, we add the curry powder, some gratings of nutmeg, and grate the ginger directly into the soup using the microplane. We lower the heat.

  Meanwhile, when the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, we scoop out and discard the seeds. The flesh is spooned out into a bowl.

  When the vegetables are tender, we add the pumpkin to the Dutch oven, along with 3 cups of the stock. We bring it to a boil, lower the heat, partially cover, and cook for 20 minutes to meld the flavors.

  Using our immersion blender, we purée the soup (taking care of the hot liquid!). As necessary, we add some additional chicken stock until the soup is the desired consistency. We taste for seasoning and serve hot, topped with some cranberry relish from one of our favorite sous-chefs.

• Fried Oysters [View Recipe]

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  Ingredients

  • oil
  • 1 small container oysters
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • salt

  Instructions

  We start by heating our Dutch oven over medium-high heat with two inches of oil. We place a frying thermometer inside the pot. We want the oil to reach <temp val="375"/> to start frying.

  Meanwhile, we drain the already shucked oysters in a colander. We add the panko crumbs to a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, and then add the oysters. We shake.

  When the oil is ready, we gently lower a few of the oysters into the oil. We stir with the chinese "spider" strainer, and, after about 2 minutes when the oysters are browned, we remove with the spider to a paper-towel lined plate. We sprinkle with coarse salt and repeat with another batch.

  We serve the fried oysters hot!

• Roasted Cauliflower