Apple Jelly Layer Cake - Testing

https://food52.com/recipes/23704-old-fashioned-apple-jelly-cake

2 cup sugar (450g) (I want to try decreasing by 1/4 cup)

3 1/2 cup flour (450g)

1 Tbsp baking powder

228g/1 cup butter, cut into pieces

5 eggs

1 cup milk

1 Tbsp vanilla 

500-600g apple jelly

1. Prepare four 8" cake pans by buttering them.
2. In a mixer bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
3. Gradually blend the butter in until thoroughly combined - it will look like rough sand. 
4. Add the eggs one at a time before adding the milk slowly, and finally the vanilla.
5. Divide the cake batter into four equal portions and pour into the cake pans. 
6. Bake at 325F for 15-20 minutes per layer, or until layers are golden around the edges and a toothpick comes out clean. 
7. Allow layers to cool a bit in the pan, then turn out onto a clean dish towel or cooling rack.
8. While the layers are still warm, put the first layer on a serving platter. Spread a layer of the apple jelly (I SHOULD KNOW THE WEIGHT), apply the next layer and repeat until you put the fourth layer on.
9. Spread the rest of the jelly over the entire cake. Let it cool completely before serving.

Zuppa d’Orzo Trentina with Beans - Untested

https://www.davidezambelli.com/ricette/minestra-d-orzo-trentina/

150g hulled barley (preferable, but pearl is ok)

60g dried borlotti beans

350g potatoes, small cubes

150g carrots, small cubes

2 celery stalks (90g) small cubes 

100g Savoy cabbage or cabbage, small cubes

40g leek, small cubes

1 cleaned pig's trotter (or smoked ham hock) about 500g

80g bacon ends, large chop

Approximately 2 litres of water

400 ml milk

Salt to taste

1. Soak the borlotti together for 8–18 hours. 
2. Bring the water to a near boil, add the drained beans and the barley, then all the vegetables cut small. 
3. Cook covered for 20 minutes, then add the hock and the bacon ends, salt, cover with a slight gap, and simmer for 90 minutes stirring occasionally. 
4. (Here you could remove it from the heat and refrigerate overnight to remove the cold fat cap on the surface.)
5. Thirty minutes before the end, add the 400ml of milk — this is what gives the soup its characteristic creaminess and body.
6. Remove the bacon ends and the hock. You can either set it on a board cut into serving pieces for diners to help themselves or chop the bacon in chunks and shred the hock and mix in (removing fat, skin and bone of course).

Green Harissa - Untested

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/gjustas-green-harissa

Schmear this on sandwiches, use it to marinate shrimp or chicken, or spoon a dollop onto eggs.

Makes about 2 cups

½ onion, halved

1 tomatillo, husk removed, rinsed

1 jalapeño, halved, seeds removed from 1 half

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tablespoon plus ½ cup olive oil

2 cups cilantro leaves with tender stems (from about ½ bunch)

2 cups parsley leaves with tender stems (from about ½ bunch)

2 cups trimmed arugula

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemon or 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Toss onion, tomatillo, jalapeño, garlic, and 1 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing once, until vegetables are soft, 12–15 minutes. Let cool.
2. Purée vegetables in a food processor along with cilantro, parsley, arugula, vinegar, preserved lemon, and remaining ½ cup oil until smooth; season with salt and pepper.
3. Harissa can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Cornbread with Acorn Squash - Testing

It's apparently a First Nations thing (the originators of cornbread) to add acorn squash mash to cornbread. This makes me very curious, so I'm going to try to incorporate it into my own recipe for cornbread.

1- This worked quite nicely. I made it in a shallower pan and in the Ninja oven, so the middle is a bit underdone and the top is a gorgeous brown (which means that baking it longer would have made to too dark). Next time I'll use a wide pie plate or cake tin, and maybe in the big oven, just to see? Anyway, I was looking for ways of using the acorn squash other than just baking it or stuffing it (I have an aversion to stuffed vegetables, I have no idea why), and there is precious little. I already have lovely soup though. I discovered that it is an Eastern Woodlands First Nations vegetable (my stomping grounds as a youth), and that acorn squash was used in the traditional cornbread.

½ cup milk (125g)

125g finely mashed acorn squash

6 Tbsps (3oz/84 gr) melted fat (butter, lard, olive oil, whatever)

2 large eggs

1¼ cups (210g) cornmeal 

1¼ cup (180g) flour

2 Tbsps to ⅓ cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Halve the squash, brush with a little oil, roast with the cut-side down until completely tender — 35-45 minutes. Scoop and mash smooth until there are no lumps.
3. Grease bottom and side of a round cake pan or line with parchment paper.
4. Whisk the milk, butter and eggs in large bowl.
5. Plop in the remaining ingredients all at once and stir just until the flour is moistened (the batter will be lumpy).
6. Pour it into the pan.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and it passes the toothpick test.
8. Cut into wedges and serve.

Chicken with Beluga Lentils and Swiss chard - Untested

A dish built in layers: browned chicken, lentils that take on that depth, and greens folded in at the end to soften and lift.

3 Tbsps. olive oil

1 chicken cut into 8 parts (skin on)

½ tsp salt, to taste

½ tsp chili flakes

1 cup leeks (cleaned and sliced (about 2 large leeks))

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp smoked paprika

1 cup beluga lentils

1 cup white wine 

14oz fire roasted tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth 

1 Tbsp hot sauce

½ tsp salt (to taste)

¼ tsp pepper

~250g Swiss chard, stem sliced thin, leaves chopped

1 Tbsp fresh thyme 

1. Heat the oil and the butter in a large lidded casserole. Season the chicken, then fry for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
2. Pour off excess fat, but leave enough to carry flavour.
3. In that same pot, add the onion (this might be a better place for stems) and fry about 5 minutes, until soft. 
4. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the Swiss chard stems, sliced thinly, cooking just as the stems start to soften.
5. If the pot feels dry or the fond threatens to catch too hard, loosen it with a splash of wine or broth. Let it reduce slightly; this is where the sauce begins to form.
6. Add the lentils and stir them to coat, then add the tomato, paprika, and broth. The liquid should feel sufficient but not excessive — this is not a soup. Bring it to a gentle simmer.
7. Add the chicken legs and thighs first, nestled into the lentils. Simmer very gently for about 15 to 20 minutes. 
8. When the lentils are just starting to soften, add the breasts and cook for about another 15 minutes.
9. Check the amount of liquid, if it's too soupy, let it cook uncovered to reduce the liquid. If too dry, add a little broth.
10. Fold in the chard leaves and continue to cook slowly for another 2 to 3 minutes.
11. Last but not least, add the vinegar and stir through. 
12. It does well to leave it sit off the heat for a bit; the lentils will thicken slightly and the flavours round out. If it cools too much, just reheat.

Neapolitan-style Pasta with Lentils - Untested

https://memoriediangelina.com/2025/01/18/pasta-e-lenticchie/

These with tomato

https://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Pasta-e-lenticchie.html

https://blog.giallozafferano.it/martanoskitchen/pasta-e-lenticchie-nere-della-tuscia/

Serves 4

250g (8 oz) French-style green lentils, soaked overnight

1 litre (4 cups) cold water

2–3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp salt

1 medium onion, thinly sliced across the grain

2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp salt

Splash of dry white wine

250g (8 oz) linguine, broken into 4–5 cm lengths, or ditali, tubetti, or similar

1 tsp salt per litre of pasta water

½ tsp red wine vinegar

Olive oil to finish

1. Put the lentils in a pot with the water, garlic, bay leaf, olive oil, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, partially covered. Cook 25–40 minutes if soaked, 45–65 if not. They're done when a lentil crushes completely between two fingers with no graininess. As they near the end, smash a quarter to a third of them against the side of the pot — this thickens the liquid into something that will cling to the pasta rather than pool beneath it. Keep the pot moist, topping up with hot water as needed.
2. Start the onions when the lentils are about halfway done. Cook them low and slow in the olive oil with the garlic, adding a tablespoon of water whenever the pan looks dry, until completely soft and translucent — about 20–30 minutes. Add the white wine and let it cook off, another 2–3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the onions to the lentils and stir through.
3. Cook the pasta in well-salted water until noticeably underdone — 2–3 minutes short of packet time. Reserve about 200ml (¾ cup) of pasta water before draining.
4. Add the drained pasta to the lentils along with the reserved pasta water. Stir well, taste for salt, cover the pot, and turn off the heat. Leave to rest for at least 1 hour — or make it in the morning for the evening. This rest is the technique, not optional.
5. To serve, stir in the red wine vinegar, add a small ladleful of water, and reheat gently until warm through. Adjust consistency with more water if needed. Finish each bowl with a thread of olive oil.

Notes

Lentils: Soaking shortens cooking by 20–30 minutes. Canadian French-style green lentils are interchangeable with du Puy for this dish. Beluga lentils work but need more effort to smash and a little more time; add 10–15 minutes to the cooking range.

Pasta: Broken linguine is traditional in the Neapolitan original. Broken spaghetti is fine. Ditali or tubetti need no breaking and are perhaps the most common alternative.

Seasoning: Three salting points accumulate — go conservatively each time and taste after combining.

Roasted Acorn Squash Cornbread - Untested

Other Sources:

https://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/roasted-squash-cornbread

https://anitaliandish.com/2023/02/03/winter-squash-skillet-cornbread/

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 35 min 

1 cup pureed roasted acorn squash (about 1 medium squash)

1 ½ cups cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)

1 cup milk (or water, for a more traditional, dairy-free approach)

2 large eggs

¼ cup melted butter or sunflower oil

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Optional sweetener: 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey 

1. Roast the Squash: Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut acorn squash in half, remove seeds, and roast face down on a baking sheet for 45 minutes or until tender. Scoop out 1 cup of flesh and mash it well or puree it. 
2. Prepare Oven/Pan: Lower oven temperature to 375°F. Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish or a cast-iron skillet. 
3. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. 
4. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed acorn squash, milk, eggs, maple syrup (if using), and melted butter/oil. 
5. Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. 
6. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.