Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I'm generally terrible at posting things in time for holidays and special events, but I promised myself I was going to post something before Thanksgiving, even if it meant losing sleep. Fortunately, I haven't lost any sleep getting this done. This post, instead, cuts into my essay-writing time. Yes, sleeping and blogging are higher on the list than finishing any of the gazillion essays I have due in the next 2 weeks. I hope none of my instructors are reading this.



If you're not a big pumpkin pie fan, this pumpkin bread pudding is a good alternative. And you get to kill two birds turkeys with one stone. Let me explain. The pumpkin bread recipe makes such a large amount that you'll have enough to feed 8 to 10 people at dinner and make this dessert. How awesome is that?

For the pumpkin bread, I used this recipe posted by Sass and Veracity. However, I left out the rosemary because I knew I wanted to make a dessert with some of the bread and I'm not particularly fond of rosemary. And if you're wondering, I always use canned pumpkin to save time. Works same same, as they say :-)

The pudding recipe I always use is this one I found on All Recipes. How much bread will you need? Just enough to fill up an 8x8 pan. That's a little more than the 6 slices called for in the original recipe and I think it results in a more dense pudding. You may also consider substituting half and half for any part of the whole milk. Since the pumpkin bread doesn't have raisins, I threw those in. Or you could use a mix of raisin bread and pumpkin bread. If you decide to serve with the caramel sauce, you may consider cutting down on the sugar a bit. I think I used 2/3 cup.

I'm not even going to attempt to explain how to make caramel and luckily there are plenty of recipes and instruction on the Interwebs. It's easy once you've done it a couple times, but if you're a first timer, read through the method explained on Simply Recipes. Elise's method is easy to follow and her recipe makes a fairly thick sauce. I like my sauce thinner so I tend to use more liquid. No, the liquid does not need to be cream. I've used milk before and it was fine. For the sauce I made to go with the pumpkin bread pudding, I used 1 cup sugar, 1/2 stick butter, 1/4 cup coffee mixed with about 1/2 cup half and half.

The finishing touch is the whipped cream, but boy, wouldn't a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top just be spectacular?

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving everyone!

Regional Recipes Cuba Round-up!

I know you all have been eagerly awaiting the Cuba round-up. Well, wait no longer! There may only be a handful of submissions, but they do a great job showcasing Cuban cuisine. Prepare for an appetite whetting! (Or is it to have your appetite whetted? Maybe I should just stick to plain old whet your appetite? Whichever you prefer, you get the point.)

Let's begin:

Arroz con salchichas submitted by [eatingclub]vancouver. Did you think Vienna sausages were only eaten in Vienna? Haha! The Cubans, like many other cultures, have taken these humble cocktail weenies and turned them into something delicious.



Pastelitos de guayaba y queso also submitted by [eatingclub]vancouver. Need a sweet finish for your Cuban-themed meal? (Or any other meal, for that matter?) Why not try these ultra simple pastries stuffed with guava and cheese? Careful though, they can be quite addictive.



Picadillo submitted by Eats Well with Others. Cubans sure seem to have the comfort food down! Ground beef sauteed with bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, garlic, olives and spices severed over quinoa. How simple but satisfying does that sound?



Ropa vieja submitted by The Creative Pot. Beef slow cooked with bell pepper, onions, tomatoes and spices. Again, amazing how the Cubans have perfected hearty comfort foods despite the tropical climate. I suppose having a pitcher of cool, minty mojitos to wash it all down with helps :-)



Black bean soup submitted by me. Okay, maybe this is more of a stew. Add more liquid and it's a soup. Either way, don't forget the ham hock. It's a tasty, filling meal served over rice.



A big thanks to the bloggers who participated!

Now, I know that the end of the year is crunch time for everyone, what with the holidays, end of the fiscal year for some, end of the term for teachers and students, etc. So in choosing the next region, I asked myself where I'd want to go for a little R & R if I could escape the end of the year chaos. And that would be Hawaii or any of the other islands of the South Pacific for that matter. Basically I'm talking the little islands between the Americas and Asia, including New Zealand (but let's leave out Australia and Japan this time). Here's a map, if you're interested.

Can't wait to see what people come up with! I'm hosting next time. Send your submissions to me at blazinghotwok(at)gmail(dot)com by December 15th. Hope you will participate!

Cuban Black Bean Soup

What is Cuban food? That’s the question I’ve been trying to answer these last 3 weeks and I’m still not sure I have it down. There’s the popular Cubano sandwich with so many variations that I’m not sure which is the original. (And should I care when they all sound so good?) Cubans seem to be fond of roasted pork, which they marinate in citrus, garlic, and cumin. I’ve done that, but I didn’t know it was Cuban. It was vaguely labeled “Carribean-inspired pork.” Mojo and sofrito are also words associated with Cuban cuisine, but they’re different from the Spanish versions. And despite popular belief, chilies and cilantro are not typically used in Cuban cuisine, although they are ingredients commonly found in other cuisines of the region. So how’s a girl supposed to sort it all out?

I did say soup, right? Well, it is a soup but I just ladled it over rice!

Overwhelmed (and underwhelmed) with all the information on the Interwebs, I just decided to "wing it", as they say, and cobbled together a recipe for black bean soup. It's got all the necessary components, like sofrito, cumin and bay leaf. It's also quite tasty, if I do say so myself.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

• 1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 head garlic (approx 5 cloves), crushed
• approx 1/2 to 1 tbs cumin seed
• approx 1 tbs chopped oregano (thyme will also work)
• 2 to 3 bay leaves
• 2 cups black beans, soaked overnight
• 1 large ham hock (optional)

Make a sofrito by throwing the bell pepper, onion and garlic into a food processor and pulsing until you get a uniform mixture. In a large pot, add a couple of healthy glugs of olive oil (approx 3 tbs). When it’s hot, add the cumin seed followed by the sofrito. Cook until the sofrito gets soft and most of the moisture has evaporated, about 10 minutes or so. Add the oregano and bay leaf. Add the beans (rinsed), ham hock (if using) and about 6 cups of water or chicken stock. The beans should be covered by the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer until the beans are tender. Once the beans are tender, add salt to taste.

I used a pressure cooker, which took 20 minutes once it got up to pressure (15 psi) and allowed the pressure to release naturally. The beans came out perfectly tender as did the ham hock. I served the beans and shredded ham hock over long grain rice. It may not look like much, but I’ll tell you, this was a very delicious and comforting meal.

This is my submission to Regional Recipes. The spotlight's on Cuba. If you've got a Cuban recipe you're dying to share, I'm hosting and will accept submissions until Thursday. And definitely check back for the roundup at the end of the week.