Holiday Recipes – From the Traditional to the Not-So-Much

Local restaurants and food venues share holiday recipe ideas!

Tocabe

Founded in 2008 and owned by Matt Chandra and Ben Jacobs, Tocabe is the only American Indian owned and operated restaurant in Metro Denver. The restaurant’s warm, open space features American Indian cultural elements infused with contemporary design to create a unique, welcoming atmosphere. Tocabe takes it origin from Grayhorse: An American Indian Eatery, which was established in downtown Denver in 1989 by the Jacobs family (tribal members of the Osage Nation). Tocabe uses some of the family recipes from Grayhorse along with additional Osage recipes to create a fresh take on American Indian cuisine. www.tocabe.com

An American Indian Eatery’s Green Chile Stew

INGREDIENTS 

1 large potato

8 ounces fresh ground beef

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

4 cups cold water

1?3 cup flour (might need more depending on how much grease is in the meat)

3?4 cup mild green chili (prefer fresh, but can substitute with frozen or canned)

1?2 cup hot green chili (prefer fresh, but can substitute with frozen or canned)

1 1?2 cups corn (prefer cut off cob, but can substitute frozen or canned)

2 teaspoons green chili powder (optional)

grated cheese (optional)

sour cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Peel and cube the potato into 1/2 inch diameter pieces and set aside.

In a saute pan on medium heat, cook the ground beef and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Break into serving sized pieces (whatever size you want).

Cook the green chili powder, if you are using, into the beef.

While the beef is cooking, place 4 cups water in a stock pot with the potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until fork tender; do not cook until the potatoes mash.

When all the rawness is cooked out of the beef, turn off the heat. Slowly add the flour while mixing into the beef in order to make a roux. Mix the flour into the beef completely until no dry flour remains.

Once your roux is complete, add to the stockpot with the cooked potatoes. Add the green chiles, corn, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Fully mix all the ingredients and place the stockpot back on the stove top.

Bring up to temperature on medium heat, stirring occasionally. This may take up to 30 minutes or more. Feel free to add cheese or sour cream, if desired.

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The Art of Cheese

An artisan cheesemaking school in Longmont, CO – now located in the new Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese Creamery.  Offering 15 different classes covering over 30 different cheeses.  Register online at www.theartofcheese.com.  Gift Cards available, too! 

Part I: Make your Handmade Artisan Ricotta

INGREDIENTS

1 gallon whole milk

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

3 TBSP butter

¼ tsp baking soda

DIRECTIONS

Start with 1 gallon milk ( Cow, goat or sheep milk will work; whole milk preferred)

Heat milk in a heavy pot (double-clad stainless steel or enameled cast iron works well) to 185 degrees, stirring regularly to keep from scalding.

At 185 degrees, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. Stir for about a couple of minutes. You should see curds begin to develop and eventually the milk they are floating in will look somewhat clear with a yellow-ish tinge. If you don’t get this clear separation between the curds and whey, keep heating up to about 200 degrees and if needed, add another teaspoon or two of vinegar.

Ladle the curds into a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Drain for 1 minute.

Add 3 TBSP butter and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Stir.

Part II: Combine  with other simple ingredients and bake

INGREDIENTS

2-3 cups fresh, warm ricotta

zest of 1 lemon

1 ½ tsp dried herbs*

2-3 TBSP olive oil

DIRECTIONS 

Add lemon zest to your warm ricotta and stir

Add 1 tsp of your favorite dried herb blend and mix into the lemony ricotta. (*I like HerbSalt produced by Gayle’s Salts out of Boulder but you can use any blend of herbs you like. If your blend doesn’t contain salt, add a pinch of nice sea salt to bring up the flavor.)

Put 2 TBSP of good olive oil in an oven-proof skillet or baking dish and swirl around to coat the dish.

Spoon your ricotta mixture into the dish, drizzle the top with a little more olive oil and sprinkle a few more herbs on it.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes until bubbly and slightly browned.

Serve with lightly toasted baguette slices.

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The Kitchen

The Kitchen is a family of restaurants co-founded by Hugo Matheson and Kimbal Musk with the mission of “Community Through Food.” The Kitchen family includes The Kitchen community bistro, Next Door community pub, and Next Door cocktail lounge. The Kitchen was established with the driving philosophy that ingredients should be consciously sourced from a community of like-minded farmers, ranchers and purveyors to ensure the highest quality results. The Kitchen seeks to promote organically grown foods that support health and wellbeing and is committed to environmentally-friendly practices, including composting, eco-friendly packaging and recycling.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Farro and Chickpeas

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut

into 2/3-inch cubes

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Sea salt and black pepper

1 pound farro

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 cup chopped whole canned tomatoes

1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Fresno chili pepper

Tahini Sauce:

1 clove garlic

Kosher salt

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons tahini paste

Water

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425º. In a large bowl, toss butternut squash cubes with garlic, allspice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Leave in the bowl for 5 minutes to let seasonings penetrate. Place on a baking sheet and roast until soft and slightly caramelized. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Rinse farro in a bowl and remove any floating bits. In a pot, combine farro with 1 tablespoon salt and cool water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until farro is soft—about 10 minutes after it comes to boil. Drain and rinse under running water to stop the cooking.

Make the tahini sauce: Finely chop garlic. Sprinkle coarse salt over chopped garlic, then press garlic with the flat side of a chef’s knife. The salt will grind the garlic into a paste under the knife. Mix crushed garlic with lemon juice and tahini paste. Thin with a little water and olive oil. Taste for seasoning. The sauce should be very bright and flavorful. If it isn’t, add tahini and/or lemon juice to spruce it up.

Redstone Meadery

MeadMosa

2 parts Redstone Black Raspberry, Sunshine or Boysenberry Nectar

1 part orange juice

A dirty little cocktail that will make you smile

The Sunshine

Jigger of Stohl’O

2 thin slices of orange

Shaker of Redstone Sunshine Nectar

Serve over ice in a rocks glass or tulip glass

A nice mixer without the heavy alcohol taste