Roasted Pumpkin with Merkén Chile & Honey

Two weeks ago I got a terrible head cold that at first made my throat feel like a solid piece of rock and then morphed into congestion and then just left me aching. When I finally got a solid night of sleep (like a really solid night of sleep--12 hours, or more), I felt like I could think again. Smelling, tasting, and swallowing were still a day away. 

The worst part of a head cold to me is that your body feels totally fine--like you could run a mile- but the minute you try to do anything, you realize it was a terrible, terrible idea. By Friday I felt well enough to hit the climbing gym again, and doing so plastered a fixed smile across my face. I could taste again too, so when I got home I cooked the pumpkin I hadn't found energy to cook earlier in the week. Golden pumpkin with savory Merkén Chile: it was the first thing I smelled all week. 

That pumpkin filled my house with the scent of it's caramelizing edges and steaming Merkén chile. They were beautiful, but that smell was what really swept me off my feet. A drizzle of honey was all that was missing. (Doesn't honey make everything better?)

If you can't find Merkén chile don't sweat it: you can use any kind of smoked red chile flake in this recipe. 

Roasted Pumpkin with Merkén Chile & Honey

Published October 19, 2017 by Caitlin

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 small pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2 teaspoons merkén chile, or other smoked red chile flake
• 1-2 tablespoons honey 
• Garnish: 2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice pumpkin half, remove stem, and seeds. Slice into wedges, about 1-inch thick.
2. Fit a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place pumpkins on pan, and brush with avocado oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and merkén. Place in oven, and bake for 30-40 minutes, until pumpkin is tender all the way through, and starting to brown on the edges.
3. Remove from oven, and drizzle lightly with honey. Garnish with minced cilantro.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup

Colorado has 53 peaks that reach to 14,000 feet above sea level but up until this week I haven't summited a single one. This has been on purpose, for the most part: hiking has never really been my thing, and when I discovered I had a stress injury in my foot from running, I thought I would have to retire the idea of long hikes (and runs) for good. 

But then I had one of those days where I just wanted to be outside, in the thin air. You know the feeling: an ache for adventure. That's when my roommate started talking about doing a 14er called Mount Bierstadt, which is known for being one of the more approachable peaks in Colorado. I surprised even myself when I said I wanted to join. We packed up our bags and prepped for an early departure the next morning. 

The trailhead is above tree line, so even before you start hiking the air is thin and the scenery is alpine in nature. You actually start hiking downhill which had me worried from the get go (thinking, I'll have to hike up this hill when I'm done and tired!) but then the heavy lifting starts quickly. We kept up a quick pace and summited two hours later! It was easier than I expected. My legs continued to move out of muscle memory, but I knew as soon as I stopped they'd become heavy. We had a quick snack, and then headed back down.

Back at the car, cold drinks were our reward. Back home, a real meal and some well-deserved couch time (it was Game of Thornes night, and we couldn't skip that!) 

This soup: I grew only cherry tomato plants this summer, because I love them so. I find they give great output. This soup is perfect for rainy fall days when the tomatoes are copious and weather allows you to turn the oven on to roast a few tomatoes. 

Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup

Published August 22, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 5 cups cherry tomatoes, assorted
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon avocado oil
• 1/3 cup cream
• 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan or 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Dash cayenne or red pepper flakes
• 3 sprigs basil, plus more for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes in bowl with minced garlic and drizzle with oil. Toss until all tomatoes are coated in oil. Spread out on sheet pan. Place in oven, and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the skins are just starting to turn brown. Remove from oven.
2. Scrape tomatoes into the jar of a blender. Add cream, parmesan or nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, cayenne, and basil. Puree until few chunks remain. Pour into serving bowls.
3. Top soup with extra cheese and basil. Serve hot.

Ecuadorian Garlic-Chile Dipping Oil

La Casa de la Abuela is a restaurant with weathered wood tables and a big covered patio. It sits on the main road of La Union, a small town that doesn't even leave a mark on the Google Map of Ecuador. There, in that little town, I experienced the best meal I ate in Ecuador, despite the road noise.

One of the first things that was brought to the table was sliced fresh tomatoes with basil and a drizzle of garlicky, herby oil. There was something about that oil that made those tomatoes shine! Next arrival to the table was a big bowl of seemed muscles and clams, without a doubt freshly caught that morning. We drizzled the same garlic oil over each clam shell in delight. Was it the clams that were stellar or just the oil? Or both? 

We took turns guessing how they made the oil, until finally the owner and chef came to the table, bearing a jar full of the stuff, and the list of the ingredients. 

Just garlic, parsley, and red chiles in olive oil will give you a taste of that night in Ecuador. Drizzle it freely over seafood, dress a caprese salad, use it to make a salad dressing, or drip your favorite bread into it. 🤤

Ecuadorian Garlic-Chile Dipping Oil

Published August 8, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yields: 1 cup   |    Total Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 fresno chile (in Ecuador, they would use a small red chile called Pico de Pájaro, but I am unable to find that locally)
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Mince garlic, fresno chile and parsley and place in jar.
2. Add salt and oil, to jar. Allow to sit covered, in fridge, for 24 hours so that the flavors seep into the oil.
3. Use as a drizzle or dipping oil.