Pumpkin Scones... with an edge of spiciness!

This is the first-ever Nigella Lawson recipe I've tried!  I did not alter the recipe one bit from the way I found it in Better Homes and Gardens' October 2010 issue.

I've never had sorta spicy pumpkin scones, so I wanted to try these.  She suggests serving them warm, with a little butter.  I'm taking them to church on Sunday, so I hope they're also good warm temperature, without butter.

I should tell you, they remind me of moist, puffy Cheez-Its.  Just a little bit.  Hope that's not a personal affront to a Nigella.  They really are good.

First, melt the butter.  Then, add to it the pumpkin, the Parmesan cheese, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper (to taste - agh! who knows?!  I used 3/4 tsp. for a triple recipe) and chili-flavored oil.

Stir until it's evenly combined.  Here's where you can taste it to see if you did ok with your pepper or if you overdid it.  If you overdid it, I have only one suggestion and it's completely my own so it might not work:  add more pumpkin.

Then, combine your flour, baking powder and baking soda.

Fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.  The going could get a little rough, so make sure you're feeling strong.



It looks so bakerly, doesn't it.

This is what you're going to love!  No kneading, no rolling.  Just flour a surface and dump your dough onto it.

Pat it into a 1" high oval and commence with your biscuit cutter (or 2" glass).

You know the drill.  Start at the outsides.

Line these puppies up on ungreased baking sheets and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, until light golden brown.  They will puff up, not out much, so just make sure you give them about an inch breathing space.

Brush the tops with milk to give them a little glaze.

And lookie here, you have big Cheez- I mean, Pumpkin Scones!  Delicious with coffee or milk!

I tripled the recipe to feed a crowd, but here's the single-recipe (makes 12 scones) version.

Pumpkin Scones
by Nigella Lawson in BHG October 2010

3/4 c. canned pumpkin puree
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
ground white pepper or black pepper, to taste
2 tsp. chili-flavored oil
1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
milk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl combine the pumpkin puree, Parmesan, melted butter, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and chili oil.  Stir well to mix.
2. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Fold into pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined into a dough.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Pat to 1" thick oval.
4. Cut dough into scones using a round 2" biscuit cutter dipped in flour. Place scones 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Reform dough and repeat.  You should get 12 scones.
5. Brush tops of scones with milk to glaze.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.  Cool slightly.  Eat warm with butter if desired.
For directions on freezing dough or baked scones, just head over to the BHG website.  This retyping information feels too much like secretarial work for a Saturday!

Spicy Pasta with Sweet Potatoes

I decided to make dinner during lunch today, to free up my evening a bit.  Perhaps I'd want to go to the gym right after work.  Perhaps I'd want to run by the post office.  Perhaps I'd want to do laundry.

Well, instead I went to the grocery store and bought a frozen turkey, a bag of salt and two 2 liters of Diet Dr. Pepper.  I'm a recent convert from Diet Pepsi.

All beside the point.  Here is the point:

When you try to make a full meal in the last half of your lunch break, you're going to leave a mess behind.

I knew it would happen, and I did it anyway.  I would like to mention I didn't just make this pasta-sweet potato dish.  I also made sweet and spicy tilapia.  That's what made me late back to work...

Back to the recipe, though!  Spicy Pasta with Sweet Potatoes.  I found it in Better Homes and Gardens' November 2010 issue.  Why did I choose it?  It might have had something to do with the fact that it boasts a $1.25 per serving cost, and we love sweet potatoes.

Peel one reeeeally big sweet potato and chop it into 3/4" cubes.  This should be about 2 cups.  Toss the sweet potato with a decent drizzle of olive oil and 1/2 teapoon each sugar, chili powder and cinnamon.

Put these in a baking dish and bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

Then boil water and cook your pasta.  The recipe calls for rigatoni, I used rotini because I'm forever substituting.  Rigatoni would be better.  When you drain it, reserve 1 cup of the water, please.

Now here comes the fun part - make the spicy sauce!  I don't love Thai-inspired sauces, but this was delish.

In a saucepan, combine 1/3 cup peanut butter (I used smooth), 3 oz. cream cheese, cubed (I used 1/3 less fat), 2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce (Sriracha), and 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (I used reduced sodium).

Add the 1 cup of reserved pasta water and whisk it all together.  Heat over medium heat.  While that's happening, take a look at your green onions.  I like them as much for their looks as I do for their smell and flavor.

All right, enough looking.  Thinly slice them.  A diagonal might be more aesthetically pleasing, if you want to get pretty with it.  Dump half of the green onions in your spicy sauce.

Your sweet potatoes should be about done by now.

Dump it all together.

Top with the other half of your green onions.  They really add a nice pop of color, and the bright, fresh, light taste the pasta needs!

I am so thankful for a husband who will try just about anything!  He liked this dish a lot.  Next time, I'll only use 1/2 the Sriracha, though; I will add a little more water so my sauce isn't quite so thick; and I'll serve it topped with chicken.  Yum...

Here's the recipe in a format that's a little easier to follow.

Spicy Pasta with Sweet Potatoes
(Better Homes and Gardens November 2010)

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes (2 cups)

1/2 tsp. each sugar, chili powder, and cinnamon

8 oz. dried rigatoni

1/3 c. peanut butter

3 oz. cream cheese, cut up

2 tsp. Asian chili sauce, such as Sriracha

1 Tsbp. soy sauce

6 green onions, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 450.  Oil a rimmed baking pan; set aside.  Place sweet potato cubes in bowl.  Toss with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and the sugar, chili powder and cinnamon.  Spread in prepared pan; bake 20 minutes or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

3. In saucepan, combine peanut butter, cream cheese, chili sauce, and soy sauce; whisk in 3/4 cup of the hot pasta water.  Stir over medium heat until heated through.  If too thick, stir in additional water.  Stir in most of the green onions.  Serve sauce over pasta with sweet potatoes and remaining onions.

Serves 4