Pumpkin Raisin Bundt Cake,...

For my Grandma Hunky, and my beloved Amanda. It is fall and pumpkin is begging to be taken into the house and used up. If you are an ambitious cook, make your own pumpkin puree. I have given you this recipe using canned pumpkin puree. It is fine to use some canned things in the kitchen. We are not all Thomas Keller and are not selling slices of cake for $14 in Napa.

Preheat oven to 350F. *Note you will turn this down to 325 when the cake goes in.

Mise en Place

For the Cake.
1 1/3 - cups Vegetable Oil (safflower is best)
2 - cups Granulated Sugar (substitute 1/2 cup brown if you like)
3 - whole Large Eggs
1 - tsp Vanilla (pure extract or / half a bean rubbed into sugar)
1 - 15oz can of Pumpkin Puree

3 - cups AP Flour (use unbleached when you can)
1 - tsp Baking Soda (half this above 5000 feet, that means Denver)
1 - tsp Salt
1 - tsp Cinnamon
1/2 - tsp Nutmeg (my favorite spice)
1/2 to 1 - cup of California Raisins (depending on how much you like Raisins)

For the topping
1/2 - cup Fine Chocolate Chips
2 - TBS Vegetable Oil
1 - cup Sweetened Coconut

Cream the sugar and oil together. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then vanilla. And finally pumpkin puree. Do not over mix. Too much air = a collapsed cake.

Sift together the dry ingredients, and toss the raisins in this dry mix. Tossing the raisins keeps them suspended in the batter when baking. Add the dry mix to the wet. Mix well, but do not overmix.
Pour mix into a well greased Bundt pan. Use pan grease (1 part Crisco:1 part Vegetable Oil:1 part Flour)

Place on middle rack of oven on a sheet pan. ****TURN OVEN DOWN TO 325F!!**** Bake for 1hr/25min or until inserted pick comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 20min, then turn out.

While the cake is cooling, toast coconut. Melt chocolate over double boiler. Add oil and stir until fully incorporated. Drizzle chocolate over cake and sprinkly the coconut while chocolate is still liquid.

You Like Chorizo?

There is something really sexy about making things yourself, with your own hands. Maybe it's the fact that you know what went into it. Or, that you are in control,...of the ingredients that is. But if you ask me, I think it's because you get to put your hands in it. Everything, and I mean everything, taste better when you make it yourself. Whatever it is you make, it never tastes like the store bought version. And that is just fine by me.

When it comes to making your own sausage, you can control lots of factors. How coarse of a grind you want, how hot (spicy) you like it and if you don't like a certain spice, you can just leave it out!

I Love making my own Chorizo. And it could not be easier to do. All you really need is a means by which to grind meat. Here, I use my KitchenAid. The extra set of hands in the kitchen that every self respecting homemaker should not be without. Yes they are expensive, but you can pick up a refurbished one on EBay for around $100. If you don't have a KitchenAid, or you want to out do me and go REALLY old-school, keep your eyes open for a counter side model at the flea-market.

Before you get started you will need to cover your work area with a table cloth or something similar. It makes clean up a breeze. I also like to have two large pans (2" hotel pans work great).

Pork
2 - lbs Pork (cubed to fit in your grinder)
3.5 - tsp Salt
6 - tbs ground Red Chili (cheyenne is cool)
6-20 - dried hot Red Chili Peppers (Lara, the ones at the mexi-mart)
4 - tbs Spanish Paprika
6-10 - whole peeled Garlic Cloves
2 - tbs dried Oregano
2 - tsp Cumin (whole seeds are best but ground is cool. just use less)
1 - tsp ground Black Pepper
1.5 - tbs Brown Sugar (1 tbs sugar 1tbs molasses is better)
1/4 - cup apple cider vinegar (only use this type of vinegar!!!)
2 - tbs water

Remember when I said it cold not be easier. Well, here is the method of production.
Combine all the ingredients.
Grind. Portion into Ziploc baggies and freeze.
TahDah.

Pictured here is the two types of grind textures you may get from the various dies included in your KitchenAid grinder attachment kit. On the left is what I call "Cafe`" grind. It is a little larger. Great for chili. This is done with the larger of the two dies. On the right is "Fine" grind. I use this for Chorizo, and even run the sausage through the grinder twice.
Whether you are using a hand grinder or your KitchenAid, the silver skin (connective tissue between muscles) will get caught up in the blade before the die. If your struggling to get things through the grinder, clean this out. Clean it out between grindings anyway.

Beef
Substitute:
12-14 - roasted Garlic Cloves
Basil for the Oregano
1.5 - tsp ground Cumin
Use only Brown sugar, no molasses
1/3 cup Cider vinegar
4-6 Chipotle peppers for dried chili peppers, if you like that flavor. i do. I like the canned Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce. It gives great flavor to the finished product.

The beef is great for making Mexican Pinto Bean soup.

Soak Pinto beans over night. Brown onion & garlic in a pot with Olive oil. Add beans, cover with water by double. Salt, Pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for two hours. Add Chorizo, one cup of rice, 1 tbs Chalula hot sauce, 1 tsp dried Sage, 1 tsp driedOoregano. Cook 30 more minutes. Top with Crema or shredded Queso Blanco.

Cheers.