Techniques: How To Cut An Avacado

1. Cut the avacado in half, around the pit. Twist the halves to separate.
2. Remove the pit with a spoon.
3. Spoon out the insides of the avacado.

Recipes: Hummus

Hummus
Prep Time: 20 min
(including tahini)
Cook Time: 20 min
(including tahini)

Ingredients
Hummus
1 16 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon sunflower seeds (optional)
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

Tahini
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil


Grind sunflower seeds in a Weston Multi Seed Grinder. Simmer all ingredients for the hummus in a medium saucepan until chickpeas are mushy. Puree in a Weston Food Mill, Roma by Weston La Petite Saucemaker, or Roma by Weston Tomato Strainer and Sauce Maker.

To make tahini from scratch, toast the sesame seeds 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Grind sesame seeds and olive oil in Weston Multi Seed Grinder until paste forms.

Eggplant Hummus

To make eggplant hummus, pierce one eggplant with several holes and roast in a baking dish with half a cup of salt water at 375 degrees. Cut into thin slices and follow the steps above to make hummus, including the eggplant in the ingredients.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Roast a red pepper on a grill for best taste. Chop into smaller pieces, then follow the steps above to make hummus, including the roasted red pepper in the ingredients.

Pesto Hummus

Chop 1/4 cup fresh basil. Follow the steps above to make hummus, including the basil in the ingredients.

Avacado Hummus

Cut one avacado and follow the steps above to make hummus, including the avacado in the ingredients. For tips on cutting an avacado, visit the techniques section of The Cooking With Weston Recipe Book.

Recipes: Ginger Pumpkin Roulade

 Ginger Pumpkin Roulade

Serves 6-8  Prep Time: 45 min  Bake Time: 10 min

Ingredients
Filling                                                                       Cake
1/2 pound fresh pumpkin, cubed                         1/2 pound pumpkin puree             
(preferably a Cinderella Pumpkin)                        1 cup flour
12 ounces mascarpone cheese                             1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons unsalted butter                              1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons heavy cream                                   1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar                                    1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons cinnamon                                 1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg                                  1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger                                    3 eggs
1 tbsp crystallized ginger                              1 cup brown sugar

To cube a pumpkin, see the page for Cutting an Acorn Squash. Simmer the cubed pumpkin in 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter until soft. Pour half into the Roma by Weston La Petite Food Strainer with the remaining ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare and bake the cake. Then, puree the remaining pumpkin without any other ingredients.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Beat together eggs and brown sugar. Add in the dry mixture and the pureed pumpkin. Pour it onto a baking sheet with a Weston Baking Mat on top and bake ten minutes or until an inserting toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and roll up in the baking mat. Allow the cake to cool completely. Once it has cooled, carefully unroll it. Spread the chilled filling over it and remove from the baking mat. Carefully roll it back up, creating the roulade. Spread the remaining filling over the top and sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon and crystallized ginger. To preserve, store in a Weston Vacuum Dome and place in the refrigerator.

Recipes: Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie
Prep Time: 30 min. Cook Time: 40 min.

Ingredients
Filling
1 pound fresh pumpkin, cubed (preferably a Cinderella Pumpkin)
5 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon crystallized ginger (optional)

Crust
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon whole milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

To cube a pumpkin, see the page for Cutting an Acorn Squash in the Cooking With Weston Recipe Book. Simmer the cubed pumpkin in 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter until soft. Pour into the Roma by Weston La Petite Food Strainer with the remaining ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the pie crust.


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Place shortening in a large bowl. Pour hot water and milk over the shortening and beat together. Add the dry mixture and beat until dough forms. Roll out and spread over a pie tin.


Pre cook the crust until hot to the touch. Pour filling into crust and bake for 40 minutes, or until filling is firm. Let cool on a cooling rack. Sprinkle with crystallized ginger, a pinch of cinnamon, and a pinch of brown sugar. To preserve, put pie into a Weston Vacuum Dome and place in the refrigerator. 

Techniques: Chopping Ginger Root

• First, cut the ginger root into three or four smaller pieces.
• Peel off the skin with a potato or vegetable peeler.
• Cut into slices
• Then, chop into smaller pieces

Recipes: Crystallized Ginger

Crystallized Ginger
Makes about one cup
Prep Time: 20 min
Dehydration Time: 4 hr.

Ingredients
Half of a ginger root, peeled and chopped
3 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon




Preheat your Weston Dehydrator. Bring water to a boil and stir in sugar until dissolved. Add in chopped ginger (for a How To on chopping ginger root, visit the Cooking With Weston Recipe Book) and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and let sit another ten minutes.

Strain the ginger and dab with a cloth to remove excess moisture. Place on a netting roll in the Weston Dehydrator and dehydrate for four hours, or until ginger is dry but still chewy. For help on using a dehydrator, visit the Cooking With Weston Recipe Book. Toss in 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to coat. To store, use a Weston Vacuum Sealer.

Recipes: Pumpkin Ravioli with Frangelico Sauce

Pumpkin Ravioli with Frangelico Sauce
Serves: 2   Prep Time: 1 hr. 30 min.   Cook Time: 5 min.

Dough
1 1/2 cups Semolina
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/8 cup white wine

Filling
1/2 pie pumpkin, cubed
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Sauce

1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons Frangelico hazelnut liqueur

2 oz crushed hazelnuts for garnish (optional)

Cube a half of a pie pumpkin and sautee in butter until soft. Let cool, then drop the pumpkin into the Roma by Weston Sauce Maker & Food Strainer (you may drain the butter or include it in the filling). Simmer with heavy whipping cream for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.

Sift together Semolina, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Crack eggs and pour wine into center of dry mixture. Turn mixture into center until mixed thoroughly. This dough should be somewhat drier than regular pasta dough. Knead for five minutes and let rest for 20 minutes.

Finish kneading by rolling through the Roma by Weston 6" Pasta Machine at setting seven, folding over a few times. Finish rolling the pasta sheets by feeding them into the machine, lowering the setting each time until setting setting two. Remember to constantly flour the dough.

Trim the sheets with the wheel cutter (comes with the ravioli attachment). Attach the Ravioli Cutter Attachment to the machine and insert the handle. Divide the sheets with a horizontal line into two equal sized sheets. Place the two sheets onto the wooden rollers of the attachment. Start cranking the handle, making sure the dough is being fed into the machine.

Drop the pumpkin filling in between the two sheets. Turn the handle to seal this row, and then repeat. When the ravioli sheets are complete, allow them to dry for 10 minutes before tearing them apart.

Cook ravioli in boiling water for 4-6 minutes. Rather than cooking them, you may also freeze the ravioli at this point to save them for later. Add a little olive oil or vegetable oil to keep them from sticking together if you choose to freeze them.

Simmer Frangelico and heavy whipping cream for 20 minutes, then drizzle over ravioli. Garnish with crushed hazelnuts.