Tag Archive for 'butternut squash'

Butternet Squash, Farro & Sausage Soup

Published by mel on February 4, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.

Butternet Squash, Farro & Sausage Soup

Before I begin waxing poetic about soup, a story. Every year at Thanksgiving, I roast garlic. Usually for my famous Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. This year, for a too-greasy Roasted Garlic Manchego Gratin from Food & WIne. The process is always the same — place garlic cloves in a shallow baking dish, drown them in olive oil, cover with foil, spill oil in the hot oven, smell smoke, then run around with paper towels trying to mop up burning, smoking oil from the bottom of the oven while trying not to burn myself or set anything on fire. Sounds fun no? It’s awesome.

Since this happens every year in my mom’s usually-clean oven, she bought me a teeny, tiny Le Creuset dutch oven that’s just the right size for roasting garlic. And as a bonus, it comes with a snug-fitting top so I won’t spill hot oil all over the place. Sometimes traditions must come to an end. This cute little pot is also useful for blog photos. See how pretty my soup looks?

Moving on, this soup is thick and hearty, really flavorful, super simple. Start with a couple of very spicy sausages, add butternut squash, pearled farro, chicken stock and curry powder…maybe a few handfuls of baby spinach for color, and you’ve got a delicious little lunch that’s satisfying and warm on a cold day. It also sets off my new Le Creuset mini-pot nicely!

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Our Thanksgiving Menu & Two Pie Recipes

Published by mel on November 18, 2008 in dessert, entree, recipe and sides & bites.

Carrot Pumpkin Soup
Pie recipes are from last year and I can’t seem to find any photos…will update the post with pie pictures next week!

Thanksgiving is 10 days away. Menus are finalized, grocery shopping is in full force. Thanksgiving recipe testing is complete! And so, here’s the final menu and recipes for Pupmkin Mascarpone Pie with a Gingersnap Crust and a Crunchy Apple Pie.

Carrot Pupmkin Soup with Crushed Hazelnuts
…flavored with smoked paprika, shallots and sherry vinegar.

Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Roulade
…filled with caramelized onions and figs, goat cheese, toasted pecans and fresh cranberries. Wrapped in peppered bacon and basted in pear jam.

Corn-bread and Chorizo Stuffing from Gourmet
…Olive oil instead of vegetable oil, fresh tarragon instead of dried oregano, chicken stock instead of broth, and probably some dried fruit (apricots?) soaked in brandy.

Potato Gratin with Roasted Garlic and Manchego from Food & Wine
…Probably remove the rosemary (my mom’s not a fan) and replace half and half with whole milk. Maybe add some caramelized shallots too.

Roasted Butternut Squash stuffed with Wild Mushrooms, Leeks and Chestnuts
…Halved and roasted butternut squash, stuffed with wild mushroom and leeks, sauteed in butter and tossed with chestnuts. Sprinkled with panko breadcrumbs and baked until slightly browned.

Pumpkin Walnut bread, Banana Pecan bread, Lemon Poppy bread

Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie with Gingersnap Crust (Recipe below)

Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie (Recipe below)

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Butternut Squash Tortilla Soup

Published by mel on November 5, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.

It seems as though the Fall ingredients and soup trend continues over here. It’s not that I want to overload you with squashes and harvest fruit, it’s that I just can’t help myself. This tortilla soup has become an instant favorite at my house. It’s got sweet, roasted butternut squash and shredded chicken simmered in a chili powder-spiked broth with crumbled, salty blue corn tortilla chips. I’m such a sucker for anything sweet, spicy and salty.

The star here really is the roasted butternut squash. While I’m all for shortcuts, canned and frozen squash won’t give you the same roasted flavor as fresh. Now, I know a whole, fresh butternut squash is an intimidating thing. Unless you’ve got a hacksaw or cleaver in the house, splitting this thing open may be a bit more than you’re willing to take on. My suggestion? Ask the supermarket to halve it for you. Most markets will willing do it for no charge, then all you have to do is roast the halves on a cookie sheet with olive oil and salt. Once it’s done, simply scoop the roasted squash out with a spoon and use it anyway you’d like. (Can anyone say roasted butternut squash pizza?)

I like my butternut squash in all forms, but this tortilla soup might emerge as the favorite. Healthy, hearty and satisfying, it makes a perfect lunch or weeknight dinner. A great, seasonal twist on a classically delicious soup.

Related: Chorizo and Blue Corn Tortilla Soup

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Butternut Squash Farro w/Pancetta and Cardamom Pecans

Published by mel on October 30, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.

Butternut Squash Farro w/Pancetta and Cardamom Pecans

I think I may have a problem. I’m completely and totally obsessed with Fall ingredients. Pumpkin, squash, sage, pecans, cranberries, cinnamon, cardamom and anything “smoky”, but especially smoked paprika. There’s just something about smoked paprika that brings out the pumpkness of pumpkin and the squashiness of squash. But I digress…

I had planned on making a fall-flavored farro risotto, which I’ve made before and love, but it turns out I was too lazy to stand and stir for 30 minutes (I opted for sitting on the couch sipping coffee instead). And honestly, the stirring just wasn’t necessary this time since pureed butternut squash gives the farro that creamy risotto-like consistency. It also didn’t hurt that I toasted the farro in rendered pancetta fat. Everything’s better toasted in rendered pancetta fat. Everything.

So, I cooked up my toasted farro in some white wine and chicken stock, then stirred in the butternut squash, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. This farro goodness is topped with cardamom honey toasted pecans, sage and crumbled pancetta for a deliciously warm, smoky sweet bowl of comfort food.

I’d like to promise you a break from all of this fall food, but I don’t see an end in sight as I’m also slightly obsessed with planning our Thanksgiving menu with my mom, and I’ve got all of these autumnal recipes to test out. So, bear with me while I cook every squash and cranberry in sight.

Related:
Cornmeal & Cayenne Shrimp w/Cheddar Farro Risotto
Causage & Chard with Farro Risotto
Farro Salad w/Bacon & Cauliflower
Butternut Squash Beef Stroganoff
Autumn Turkey Pumpkin Lasagna
Homemade Cranberry Spice Granola Bars

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Butternut Squash Beef Stroganoff

Published by mel on October 20, 2008 in entree and recipe.

Butternut Squash Beef Stroganoff

A couple of years ago I found and made a recipe for Turkey Pumpkin Stroganoff that was absolutely delicious. Since then, I’ve moved twice and lost the recipe along the way. Yesterday was the first almost-cool day of the year in Miami. It was overcast and breezy and I wanted to make something a little spicy, beefy and noodly. Stroganoff was just the thing.

Although I’m loving pumpkin and turkey right now, I decided against trying to recreate the lost recipe, and used butternut squash and lean ground beef instead. Mostly, because I was too lazy to drive out to the good grocery store and the one nearby doesn’t carry organic ground turkey. This happens a lot. Anyway, I spiced it up with sweet and smoked paprika, nutmeg and caraway seeds for a warming fall dish.

This Stroganoff would be equally delicious with your favorite winter squash or pumpkin, and you can add chunky cubes of it, or creamy pureed squash. Go ahead and use ground turkey or beef, or even thinly sliced steak in the traditional method for Stroganoff. I would also add some portabello mushrooms next time to give it more of an earthly flavor and I might even bake it with some breadcrumbs scattered on top. I love baked pasta (who doesn’t?) and this just might be the best way to reheat the leftovers!

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Goat Cheese Tartlets, 5 Ways

Published by mel on October 7, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.

camero_ilefrance-131
Photo Credit: Agustin Sanchez

Vote for this recipe!

Awhile back, the Ile de France cheese company sent me a free wheel of Camembert cheese to blog about. Since one would be insane to turn down free cheese, I accepted and made roasted fig, prosciutto and camembert “sushi” drizzled with honey. Nothing better than creamy cheese, fruit, cured meat and honey. Nothing.

I guess it was a success because Ile de France sent me some more free cheese. This time, a large piece of goat cheese and the chance to submit my recipe for a chance to win $1,000! Free cheese and a chance to win some cash? Yes please. So, I invited my photographer friend and co-worker Augi and his wife Meli (one of my homeys from high school) over for goat cheese tartlets.

camero_ilefrance-161
Photo Credit: Agustin Sanchez

I made a simple tart crust, which I stuffed into mini-muffin tins for appetizer-sized tartlets. Because I couldn’t decide on just one filling, I made five. And it can’t hurt my chances in this contest, right? Here were the 5 finalists:

  • Cracked Pepper Smoked Salmon & Dill (my favorite, I think) – #4 in photo above
  • Dried Apricot, Almond and Honey (Tom’s favorite) – #1 in photo above
  • Roasted Fig – #3 in photo above
  • Cardamom and Mustard Seed-spiked Butternut Squash – sadly, not pictured
  • Caramelized Onion & Pear (my second favorite) – #2 & #5 in photo above

The point here is that you can have fun with the fillings and the possibilities are endless. Each were tasty little bites and my guest photographer snapped away while I cooked and sipped from a Red Hook ESB. A perfectly relaxing Sunday afternoon.

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rustic, crispy lasagnas

Published by mel on February 8, 2008 in entree and recipe.

crispy lasagne

I’ve been thinking about individual lasagnas for a long time because everyone loves the crispy and burnt corner piece and if lasagnas were baked in little dishes, they’d be crispy and burnt all around. So, that’s what I was going for. I also had some butternut squash, arugula and prosciutto on hand, so I opted for more of a non-traditional lasagna.

When I took them out of the oven, I was afraid I had over-crisped them and they would be way too difficult to eat. They were super crispy, but I kind of loved them that way. The top layer of the pasta was crisp and chewy like a cracker, and the insides were sweet and salty and sturdy. Now I really want to try it out with more traditional ricotta, red meat sauce and mozzarella lasagnas. Maybe next week.

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butternut squash & crispy prosciutto salad

Published by mel on January 25, 2008 in entree and recipe.

butternut squash & crispy prosciutto salad

I like salads that are room temperature, or even a little warm because you can actually taste the ingredients. There’s nothing more unappealing to me than a pre-made, super refrigerated salad from a deli or grocery store. Tomatoes are especially gross when they’re really cold. Not that there are any tomatoes in this salad – I’m just saying…

Anyway, I made a salad last night with freshly roasted butternut squash, which is rather annoying to prepare from a whole squash and so I will be using the frozen cubed kind from Whole Foods from now on. I also crisped up my prosciutto by broiling it in the oven. (I know you’re not supposed to heat/cook prosciutto, but it wasn’t the fancy expensive kind and I wanted something closer to the consistency of bacon.) I used both Arugula and Watercress (for peppery-ness), feta cheese (for tang) and pumpkin seeds (for crunch) then tossed everything in a citrusy Dijon vinaigrette.

I’ve used quite a bit of parentheses in this post, and I’ll try to refrain from doing so in the future (promise).

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