Cooking for Shabbat

I woke up early this morning, just as the sky was lightening before dawn, and felt like cooking, which hasn't happened in far too long. Huzzah! So I turned on the little light over the stove (in the evening, I turn on the overhead lights, but somehow that's too much in the morning), and started cooking.

First up, I diced a small onion, then chunked a medium butternut squash, and put them on a tray with olive oil, herbed sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. That went into a hot oven to roast. (I'd forgotten just how much vegetables shrink when roasted: the tray that was full going in was much less so coming out. I'm debating roasting the other butternut squash this afternoon, though that would mean stopping for onions, as I've yet again run out.)

Next, I heated the cast iron skillet and added seven small apples, peeled and sliced. There was a lone plum hanging around the fridge, too, so that got diced and added, too. I put in a little brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, a tiny bit of ground ginger, and a couple of splashes of the only fruit juice I had in the fridge, which was grape juice. I let them get friendly while I made a drop biscuit batter, substituting olive oil for the solid fat, vanilla soy milk for dairy milk, and adding a little brown sugar and cinnamon. That went on top of the partly-cooked fruit, and into the oven, since biscuits also cook at high heat.

I sauteed a bunch of veggies together. In order of addition: two small diced onions, some crushed cloves of garlic, diced crimini mushrooms (6 ounces? however many Boston Organics had given me in a paper bag), three peeled and sliced stalks of broccoli, then the florets, and two diced medium zucchinis. The plan is to cook the rest of the short-grain brown and black rice mixture the parents gave me (perhaps with some other grains, to balance the amount of vegetables), then add the vegetables, black beans, olives, perhaps some olive paste, spicy red pepper and eggplant spread, and cheese (I have the end of some Leicester, the end of that Italian cheese, and a wedge of something Parmesan-esque).

I got the pareve soup pot out, and started some soup. I didn't have any onions left, but there were the tops of some leeks I'd gotten weeks ago, some of which were the lighter green. I washed them, chopped up the lighter green bits, and added a couple of crushed garlic cloves to sautee a bit. When I added water, I put in the green leek tops, a huge sweet potato in cubes, and small chunks of the teeny parsnips from the last farm distribution. This afternoon, I'll take out the big leek pieces, mash the rest, and season it. I suspect it needs something else in there, too. I'm not sure with what, though. Suggestions?

The last thing was starting challah dough, this time with white wheat and bread flour, plus multi-grain flakes and flaxseed meal. As soon as I get home, I'll punch it down and give it a second rise (as long as I can before baking). I'm looking forward not only to rolls, but tomato sandwiches.

If I stop at the farmer's market this afternoon, I want to get onions, a couple of apples, and possibly some salad greens, to round dinner out with a salad (greens, apple, feta, maybe some almonds, and some radicchio, if it's still good).

Non-cooking things to do this afternoon: take out the trash (the eruv will be down this week, so I need to do this before candlelighting), move the plants and table around.


And for Veterans/Remembrance Day: letters from people in military service