WRAL reporter Brian Shrader and our own Lisa Prince feature seasonal recipes in their Got to Be Good Cookin’ segment using ingredients grown and available right here in North Carolina. This month recipes feature great fall flavors like pumpkins, purple potatoes, country ham and turnip greens.
Honey Roasted Vegetables features North Carolina purple potatoes, carrots, parsnip, butternut squash, honey and thyme. Brian notes that this recipe is serving up a side of fall. Lisa suggests trying the honey glaze on a number of combinations of root vegetables.
Ingredients:
1⁄4 pound purple or white potatoes (diced)
1⁄4 pound baby carrots (peeled)
1⁄4 pound parsnip (peeled and diced)
1⁄4 pound butternut squash (diced)
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter (divided)
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chicken broth or water
1⁄2 teaspoon fresh thyme (chopped)Instructions:
Place roasting pan in oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir together olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in preheated pan. Add the potatoes, carrots, parsnip, squash, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallot; saute 1 minute. Then add honey and chicken broth, bringing to a boil and stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, cook 5 minutes or until mixture is syrupy.
Drizzle over the vegetable mixture and cook for 10-20 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with thyme.
The next recipe is for a pumpkin pound cake and was shared by Betty Thompson from Nash County at the N.C. State Fair. Lisa notes that it is easy to make and hard to eat just one piece. It features fresh N.C. eggs, pumpkin and pecans.
Ingredients:
Pound Cake:
1 yellow cake mix
3⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup water
4 eggs
1⁄2 cup oil
16 ounces pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
3⁄4 cup chopped pecansIcing:
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanillaPound cake instructions: Mix ingredients until well combined and bake in a greased Bundt pan at 350 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes.
Icing instructions: Beat with a mixer until smooth and spread on cooled cake.
The next recipe, also including seasonal favorite pumpkin, is a pumpkin bread pudding with caramel sauce that Brian calls “perfectly spiced.” Lisa suggest serving the dessert warm, with whipped cream. The recipe below includes instructions for using fresh pumpkins in your recipes.
Ingredients:
4 cups white bread (cut into cubes)
4 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 1⁄2 cups milk
1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream
3⁄4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon rum or brandy
1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon cloves
2 tablespoons cold butter (cut into pieces)Caramel sauce:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 cup butter
1⁄4 cup whipping cream
1⁄4 cup honeyInstructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- x 13-inch baking pan. Dry bread cubes on a cookie sheet in oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Place bread cubes in pan. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, pumpkin, sugar, salt, rum or brandy, and spices. Pour over bread cubes and let sit for 10 minutes until bread is fully soaked. Dab butter over top and bake for 40-50 minutes. Serve with caramel sauce.
A medium–sized (4-pound) sugar pumpkin should yield around 1 ½ cups of mashed pumpkin. This puree can be used in all your recipes calling for canned pumpkin.
· Baking method: cut the pumpkin in half and discard the stem, seeds and stringy pulp. In a shallow baking dish, place the two halves face down and cover with foil. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 1 ½ hours or until tender. Once the baked pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh and puree or mash it.
Caramel Sauce
Bring ingredients to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; boil stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 15 minutes before serving.
The final recipe for the month is a turnip green stew that includes county ham, onion, red and green pepper. Lisa suggests serving with corn bread or a biscuit.
Ingredients:
2 cups country ham (chopped)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional)
3 1⁄2 cups chicken broth
16 ounces turnip greens (fresh or frozen)
2 cans (15.5 ounces) cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup onion (diced)
1 cup red pepper (diced)
1 cup green bell pepper (diced)
1 cup celery (diced)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon pepperInstructions:
Saute ham in hot oil (oil is optional) in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Prepare turnip greens by removing the stem and chopping. Rinse well and drain. Add broth and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Add water to just cover the vegetables if needed. Cover and reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 25 minutes.