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I crave this Afghan pumpkin dish when it’s cold out, and will sometimes make it with a butternut or other orange-fleshed winter squash, if pumpkins aren’t around. I originally got it from my dad, who cut this recipe out of the Boston Globe years ago when I belonged to a winter CSA whose pumpkin crop just would not quit. This definitely came to the rescue. The Globe article was a recreation of the kaddo served at Helmand, a well-known Afghan restaurant in Boston. My version comes from my memory of the original (which I have since lost and can no longer find online), as well as tips from random other kaddo recipes I’ve incorporated over the years. If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can cook the pumpkin in a skillet, and then transfer to a baking or roasting pan, covered with aluminum foil, to bake.

Aside from dealing with the pumpkin, this comes together easily. The time it takes to bake the pumpkin is exactly how much time you need to prepare the two sauces.

The pumpkin

One 2 to 2.5 pound sugar pumpkin
2 tablespoons sunflower (or other vegetable) oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

The garlicky yogurt sauce

1 cup plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
Salt and black pepper, to taste

The tomato meat sauce (or tomato lentil sauce–see * below for a vegetarian adjustment)

2 tablespoons sunflower (or other vegetable) oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 pound lean ground meat–lamb is amazing in this, but beef is traditional and works great, too (or about 2 cups cooked lentils, see * below)
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare the pumpkin:

The goal is to remove the skin and seeds and to get it into 1-2 inch chunks. My strategy is to cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Then, cut 1-to-2 inch wide slices (as if you were slicing some type of melon to serve) and use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off the slices. If you’d like, you can do this part a day or two before, to save a little time on the day you are planning on eating this.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven (with an oven-proof lid). Cook the pumpkin pieces, turning frequently, until golden brown. For maximum flavor, make sure they are well-browned before moving on. Spread out the browned pumpkins chunks into an even layer.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle it over the pumpkin. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender.

While the pumpkin is baking, make the garlicky yogurt sauce and the tomato meat sauce.

Mix up the garlicky yogurt sauce:

Mix together yogurt with one clove minced garlic in a bowl; season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Make the tomato meat sauce:

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and cook the onions until lightly browned. Add ground meat, a clove of minced garlic, and salt and black pepper. Mix well and cook until beef is cooked through. Add tomato sauce and water. Bring mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook about 20 minutes, or until it has thickened.

To serve: divide the cooked pumpkin among four bowls, add the tomato meat sauce, and top with the garlicky yogurt.

*For a vegetarian version, substitute cooked French green or black beluga lentils when prompted to add the ground meat. I recommend these specific lentil varieties, as they hold their shape better when cooking, which I think works better in this dish.

To prepare the lentils:

• Add 1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed, and 2 cups water to a pan.
• Bring to a gentile boil.
• Reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered for about 25 minutes or until softened. If they start to dry out before they are done, stir in a little water and continue cooking. They should be tender but still hold their shape when done.
• Make these first (before cooking the pumpkin), and set aside until needed.

This healthy dish fits perfectly in a Dutch AVG (Potato-Meat-Vegetable) diet. If you really want to do it right, you make it an Afghan King Deal, it comes with Qabuli Palow (recipe) , the national pride of Afghanistan is a kind of pilaf with many bells and whistles such as pistachio and raisin. Add a Lamb Korma (recipe) and you are assured of a golden triangle. This way you get to know Afghanistan in a different way than you are used to.

Shopping list, for 4 people

• 800 grams butternut squash, diced
• oil

For the tomato sauce:

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 200 ml water
• salt and pepper
• 100 g sugar
• 400 ml tomato sauce (e.g. passata)
• 2 cm ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1/4 tsp black pepper grains (finely chopped in the mortar)

For the yogurt sauce

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• salt
• 200 ml Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves

Gift Bourani – Recipe

1. Heat oil in a wok / large frying pan. Bake the pumpkin cubes for about 6 minutes, until they are light brown
2. Mix all the ingredients for the tomato sauce and add to the pumpkin
3. Put a lid on the pan and bake on low heat for 20-25 minutes until the tomato sauce has slightly reduced is.
4. Mix the ingredients for the yogurt sauce
5. Season everything with salt and pepper and serve!

Autumn is upon us and one of the most notable ingredients that come out this time of year is pumpkin and thanks to Orlando Pest Control, the pumpkins are free from any pests. It is very important to keep the pumpkins free from pest. Give them a call if you need Orlando Pest Control. Pumpkin is usually made in sweets and desserts. If you need It’s all been overdone with the pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin cheesecakes, all using canned pumpkin puree. Our followers on Facebook challenged us to try out a savory dish, using fresh pumpkin. And so the search begins, but I didn’t have to look very far.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, there lies the biggest Afghani community in the United States in a suburb called Fremont1. Therein has tons and tons of Afghani restaurants and one of my favorite dishes that they all serve is the Kaddo Bowrani.

I normally don’t see pumpkin in the entrée or appetizer sections of a menu and I was immediately drawn to this. So the first time I tasted it, I immediately fell in love with it. I order it every time. And when I introduce people to Afghani food, I always order this for them to try. You got the sweetness of the pumpkin and the cool neutral taste of the yogurt with the saltiness and meaty texture of the meat sauce. I really like that balance.

Amazingly, the ingredient list is simple and looks to be something that can easily be cooked at home. Let’s begin, shall we?

Ingredients:

Pumpkin layer:

One 2 to 2.5 pound sugar pie pumpkin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Yogurt layer:

1/2 cup plain thick Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt & pepper to taste

Meat layer:

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound lean ground lamb
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup water

Prepping the pumpkin layer:

Preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C)

With a strong knife, cut through the pumpkin into quarters.

Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds and the strings.

After the pumpkin has been cleaned out, peel the outer skin with a HEAVY DUTY vegetable peeler and cut into 2 inch chunks. Put in a roasting pan and sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar, and olive oil and toss until evenly coated. (It looks a lot here because I accidentally used 2)

Roast in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Yogurt sauce:

While the pumpkin is roasting, let’s do the other 2 layers.

Crush a garlic clove. This can be done easily under a chef’s knife.

Mix the crushed garlic with the yogurt,salt and pepper. Set aside.

Meat layer:

Chop up one onion and sauté in a pan, constantly stirring, over medium heat (6 on my oven) with a little olive oil until lightly browned. This took about 5 minutes.

Add in the ground lamb and crushed garlic, salt and pepper, and brown the meat. This took me about 5 minutes.

When the meat is browned, add the tomato sauce and the water.

Reduce the heat to simmer for about 20 minutes. It’ll cook down to a thick sauce.

When the pumpkin is done, it should be fork tender (meaning a fork can run through it easily). If it’s not, continue to roast in the oven in 5 minute increments.

Plate it up! First put on the pumpkin layer, the top that with the yogurt, then top that with the meat sauce. This can easily be a vegetarian dish by omitting the meat.

Notes:

– Prepping of the pumpkin was the most time consuming. Removing the strings is not that simple if you don’t want to risk removing a lot of the pulp. Also, peeling the pumpkin was not a simple task. The skin is very hard but I was able to do it because my peeler is pretty strong, just have to force it more than usual.
– I made a mistake of not following the original instructions of browning the pumpkin before roasting. I was assuming that it work like other vegetables where the sugars would have caramelized and give nice color. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen.
– By not browning beforehand, I believe it added to the roasted time. Browning kick starts the internal cooking of the pumpkin hence a shorter time. I put the pumpkin in cold.
– Putting raw garlic in the yogurt layer was too intense for me. As much as I love raw garlic, it didn’t seem right. Maybe next time, I’ll opt for a roasted garlic instead.
– You can use any time type of ground meat for the meat sauce. I just used lamb because I felt that was the most authentic.

This is the signature dish of Helmand Restaurant in Boston, costs $7.95 and it’s attracted a fair bit of acclaim. It’s been described as Afghan sweet and sour.

Ingredients

For the pumpkin

2 small butternut squash or similar, about 2.5kg in total
6 tbsp veg oil
3 tbsp sugar
for the yogurt sauce
500ml yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh mint
½ tsp salt

For the meat sauce

1 large onion, finely diced
2 tbsp veg oil
500g beef mince
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp tomato paste

Method

Prep time: 10 min
Cooking time: 2h 30 min

Main

Step 1

Preheat oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2.

For the squash

Step 1

Peel, deseed, and chop it into large chunks. Put in a bowl and toss in the oil and sugar until evenly coated. Place the pieces in a single layer on a large baking tray, cover with foil and bake for 2½ hours. Give it a good shake a couple of times during cooking. The sugar will get absorbed into the squash which should turn a caramelized dark orange.

Step 2

Meanwhile,

Make the yogurt sauce

Step 1

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

To make the meat sauce

Step 1

Sauté the onion in the oil in a heavy pan. Add the meat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until it is broken up into small pieces and evenly browned. Add all the other ingredients and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes or so. Lower the heat and let simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Remember to contact Orlando Pest Control to rid your pumpkins from pests.

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Main course – 4 persons

2 medium onions
5 vine tomatoes
1 fresh green jalapeño pepper
4 tbsp peanut oil
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander seeds
3 cloves of garlic
800 gr chilled pumpkin pieces
200ml water
1.5 tsp salt
200 gr Greek yogurt
2-4 drops of peppermint

Preparation method:

1. Cut the onions into half rings and the tomatoes into wedges.
2. Cut the stalk off the jalapeño. Cut the pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a sharp knife. (If you like it spicy, you can leave the seeds of the jalapeño pepper on.) Finely chop the flesh.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions over medium heat for 3 minutes.
4. Add the tomato, pepper, turmeric and coriander seeds and fry over low heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grate the garlic.
5. Add ⅔ of the garlic, pumpkin pieces and water to the onion-tomato mixture and bring to a boil.
6. Add the salt, put the lid on the pan and let it simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Remove the lid from the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the garlic with the Greek yogurt
8. Add 1 drop of peppermint oil to the yogurt-garlic sauce and taste the sauce and add more drops of oil to taste if necessary.
9. Season with pepper and possibly salt.
10. Serve with the garlic yogurt sauce.

Combination Tip:
Delicious with brown rice or quinoa

You most probably went shopping and were presented the various beef filet mignon packages available in the butcheries and supermarkets. Even better, you decided to ask for the whole tenderloin in order to enjoy many meals from the different cuts you would obtain from it. In any case, your mouthwatering steak needs to be cooked to give you what its entire worth. It is quite oblivious that cooking without knowledge will give poor results unless you are the type who is gifted in trying out things. Get to know the many recipes available for you on the Internet and learn the quick approaches. You will be surprised just how many ways results will be thrown to your choices.

You may want to package it and only use a small bit. In that case, learning how to cut into small pieces is important. Normally tenderloin rarely has fat in it. However, there is a thin layer of membrane that needs to be removed. Afterward, cool the tenderloin in the freezer for ease of cutting. Cut your pieces into desired thickness with a sharp knife. You will realize that your pieces get smaller as you cut towards the tail of the tenderloin. Fold the filets with meat paper and store them in the refrigerator leaving the one you are to cook on the cutting board.

Before preparation, make a decision on the method you want to use as it authorizes the method you will use for preparation. There are various ways you can cook beef. These include grilling also known as broiling, pan-frying, and roasting. Then, prepare your beef filet mignon according to the method you have chosen and keep it ready for cooking. If you are using the grilling method, season your meat for around thirty minutes. To do this you can sprinkle pepper all around and even better rub more garlic paste together with pepper to give better quality. For better results wrap bacon around the beef and pin with a toothpick that has been soaked in water. This gives an oil layer all rounds and ensures flavor as you maintain moisture. Preheat your grill before cooking your steak for better results.

All the methods used will differ in way of cooking but one thing to take note of is that high heating is required first and then controlled heat can be used to moderately cook the meat to the desired liking. Traditional cooking methods require that you high heat the meat then transfer it to low heat to ensure complete and safe cooking.

Among the many recipes that one can get to go along with your beef filet mignon include Steak Diane where one tablespoon butter is heated for one minute, then salt and pepper added then heating with medium-high heat for 2 minutes having added the tenderloin steaks. The meat is then chilled for five minutes before real cooking. Other recipes include Beef Tenderloin Tips and Dijon Greens, Thai grilled mignon salad, sautéed among others. Having the recipes readily available will help you enjoy every bit of your meal.

Finding out where to buy a recipe book holder is made considerably easier if you have a computer and can look online. A recipe book stand is an extremely useful piece of equipment to have in your kitchen, as it keeps your workplace tidy and makes it easier to look at your recipe whilst mixing ingredients.

Most good kitchen outlets will have cookbook stands although as a general rule they will normally only be selling a particular brand. For instance, if you’re looking for an iron cookbook holder you may only be able to purchase this in certain stores.

Go online and search for all the different designs

Going online will give you the opportunity to look at several manufacturer’s designs, and will also enable you to compare prices and read reviews written by previous customers.

A clear acrylic recipe book holder can be viewed online at Amazon and several other retailer’s sites. These holders can be purchased at a reasonable price and are particularly useful if you are a messy cook, as they are easy to clean and provide good protection for your books.

Iron holders are very popular and add a touch of elegance to the kitchen, particularly in an older property. They are decorative, practical, and strong, and hold the pages of your cookbook down with weighted cords. They do not, however, have protective coverings so if this is an issue you can always provide your binder with a beautifully designed cover.

Wooden recipe book holders are always acceptable, and most come with a tab that will hold the pages in place. The beauty of a wooden holder is that if you decide to change the décor, you can always paint it the color you want to blend in with the rest of the kitchen. Once again, they normally do not come with a protective covering.

A comprehensive search for a good cookbook stand is important

All these recipe book holders can be found by searching online. It’s so easy to carry out a comprehensive search in order to be sure that the one you eventually choose is both the best one for your kitchen, and is also the cheapest one you can find in the design of your choice.

I first skilled Afghan delicacies once I moved to the D.C. area. There became an area on Route 1 in Alexandria that wasn’t fancy however the meals became great. All had been first-rate however I’ve had a gentle spot for pumpkin all my life (lengthy earlier than it have become trendy). So of the 3 dishes, I have become a fan of Kaddo.

I like to feature the lamb for a few more taste and protein boost.

Kaddo Bourani

For the pumpkin:

• Four cups of cubed and peeled pumpkin
• 2 tbl of olive oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/four cup of coconut sugar (you may use white sugar however I choose coconut sugar due to the fact its low glycemic index. Some recipes additionally name for greater sugar – plenty greater – however in case you get a very good pumpkin just like the amber cup pictured on this post, you won’t want the more calories).

For the yogurt sauce:

• 1 cup cashews soaked for an hour
• 2-three garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp dried mint
• half of tsp salt
• For the beef sauce:
• 1/four cup olive oil or ghee
• 1 massive onion, finely diced
• 1 pound grass-fed floor lamb (you may use floor red meat however lamb is traditional)
• 1 massive tomato, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 massive garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/four tsp floor coriander
• 1 half of tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly floor pepper
• half of tsp floor turmeric

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Wash the outdoor of the pumpkin. Cut in half. Scrape out the stringy stuff and seeds at the inside.
• Cut halves into three″-four″ portions or so.
• Peel the pumpkin portions.
• Place pumpkin portions in a massive bowl. Drizzle with the oil after which sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Mix till all portions are coated.
• Place the pumpkin portions in a pan massive sufficient to preserve the portions in a unmarried layer. I line the pan with parchment paper to make for simpler smooth up.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for two half of hours, then baste the portions with the pan juices, cowl them up again, and bake for every other forty five minutes.
• The pumpkin portions ought to be darkish orange and translucent.

Make the yogurt sauce:

• Drain cashews and mix in a excessive velocity blender with lemon juice and a sprint of sea salt till smooth.
• Add garlic and mint, pulse to mix.
• Cover and refrigerate till equipped to serve.

Make the beef sauce:

• Brown the onions withinside the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
• Add the beef and prepare dinner dinner over medium-excessive heat, stirring, till it’s far damaged up into small portions and the pinkness is sort of totally gone.
• Add all different ingredients (besides molasses) and prepare dinner dinner, convey to a boil.
• Lower the warmth and allow simmer, covered, for approximately 15 minutes.
• Uncover, upload molasses and allow reduced.
• Add 2 tablespoon of yogurt sauce and blend thoroughly.

Serve:

Hot pumpkin, pinnacle with yogurt sauce then warm meat sauce.

Cooking tips and tricks is not only about the final product or the ingredients. It is the entire process of preparation of that soulful food and the experience of joy it brings with it. Being a woman, I always remember that the way to my man’s heart is through his stomach! Let’s look at few cooking tips that can prove useful for a great cooking!

It is important that your kitchen is well organized. Make sure every utensil and cleaning aides are placed back where they were taken from. This reduces the time taken to look for things and avoids frustration. Also, spices and ingredients that are used regularly should be kept in stock to prevent last minute hurry. Multitasking is also an important part of today’s cooking. So, while you are thickening the sauce, you can prepare a salad. Also, frozen food like frozen chicken, vegetables, peeled ginger-garlic etc. can also be useful.

Having a set of good quality knives is necessary for easy cooking. It saves a lot of time and also helps in providing a good appearance to the dish. Invest in good quality utensils too, as they make a huge difference to the quality of dish produced. eg: using a high-quality non-stick pan can reduce the amount of oil used, which will increase the health value of the dish directly.

Learn more about how to select the best ingredients to ensure they are fresh and of good quality. Facts like fish shouldn’t smell fishy and if an egg floats in water, it is bad. It is also good to know about the benefits of the ingredients used. Dairy products like butter, cheese, condensed milk should be preserved at a stable low temperature and should not be stored for very long periods of time. In case of any packed or canned ingredient, it is critical to check the expiry date of the product.

Lastly, if you enjoy the aromas and feel of a dish coming together as your creation, it will show in the final product!

Cooking lobster is a task not destined for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, the easiest and most flavorful way to cook lobster is by cooking it while it is alive. This may sound barbaric to some, but at the end of the day the only way to achieve the perfect tasting, succulent lobster is to cook it from fresh. Beginning the cooking process while the lobster is alive is as fresh as one can get! If you think you’ve got what it takes to cook a lobster yourself, then whip out your apron and get ready because we’re going to delve into a step by step guide for cooking lobster.

Choosing the Lobster

The truth is that there is no great secret to choosing a live lobster. It all boils down to one’s preferences. Factors such as a lobster’s gender, age, and shell type are the most influential things to consider when choosing the lobster as they can have quite an impact on the overall flavor. Female lobsters usually have a wider tail than males which is where most of the meat is found. This is why many people prefer them. The best way to tell the gender is to lift the tail and inspect the “swimmerets”. On a male, the swimmerets are hard, while a females will be softer and slightly hairy.

When it comes to determining how old a lobster is, the only way researchers can think to do so is to go by the lobster’s size. –And even this practice is merely a theory, as researchers simply can’t think of any other reliable method to determine the lobster’s age. The best method is to hunt for the smaller—or younger—ones. The younger the lobster, the more tender the meat will be!

Lobsters’ shells come in two varieties: hard and soft. The type of shell a lobster has really doesn’t have any bearing on the quality of the meat. Hard-shelled lobsters don’t require delicate handling during shipping, but a hard shell can make the cooking process take a little longer. Soft-shelled lobsters are said to have sweeter meat and cook very easily, although they do risk a higher chance of cracking if they are handled too roughly.

Preparing the Lobster

Lobsters should be stored in the refrigerator or cool place (below 40 degrees F) until it is time to cook them. The lobster should also be eaten within 24 hours from the time of purchase for maximum freshness. At this point, you’ll probably be eyeing the rubber bands around the lobster’s claws, wondering if you should remove them or not. While it is perfectly okay to cook the lobster with the rubber bands on, it can influence a bit of a rubbery taste in the meat. If you are feeling brave, go ahead and snip the rubber bands as quickly as possible before cooking the lobster.

Cooking the Lobster

Most people agree that steaming is the best way to go about cooking lobster because it retains the most flavors and juices of the meat. Boiling is a super-easy method, but the water can easily breech the shell and cause a loss of flavor. Baking has the opposite effect where the meat can easily become dried out and rubbery.

To steam the lobster, you will need a large, deep pot filled with about an inch of water. Sprinkle a little bit of salt in the bottom and bring the water to a boil. Once you have a rolling boil going, you can snip the rubber bands from the lobster’s claws (if you decide to), then place the lobster head-first directly into the pot. Cover with a lid immediately. The cooking time varies depending on the weight of the lobster. A lobster weighing between 1 and 1 ¼ pounds should cook for 10 – 12 minutes, 1 ¼ to 2 lbs should cook for 12 – 18 minutes, 2 – 3 pounds should cook for 18 – 25 minutes, and 6 – 7 pounds should cook for 40 – 60 minutes. After removing the lid, you should see a nice bright red lobster waiting to be served!