Entries Tagged as 'recipe'

Butternut Squash, Savory

November 9th, 2009 2 Comments

Heather says:
This autumn side dish is nearly as easy as the sweet version. Use herbs that best complement other elements of the meal. Consider using thyme instead of rosemary or stick with black pepper if neither seem to complement the main course.

Savory Butternut SquashIngredients:

  • Butternut squash, halved & seeded
  • water
  • Turkey stock or chicken stock  approximately 1/2 cup in a small, square container, more in a wider, shallow container
  • pinch of kosher salt – fresh ground pepper to taste
  • approximately 1/2 – 1 tsp fresh rosemary or thyme

Preheat the oven to 400F. Lay the halves of butternut squash open side down and bake for 1 hour.

Peel the squash and cut into manageable pieces (approximately 1″ thick). You want pieces large enough to serve, we’re not going to mash the squash.

Place the pieces in a casserole dish, add the stock, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, add a generous amount of fresh ground pepper and top with the fresh herbs.

Cover tightly, either with the lid of the casserole or aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes (this is flexible it can be as low as 325 and as high as 400) to allow the flavors from the stock and herbs to infuse into the squash.

Serve.

*Make ahead tip: The squash can be baked and cup ahead of time, expect it to take longer to heat through.*

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Apple, Cranberry, Sage Dressing

November 5th, 2009 8 Comments

Heather says:

Inside the bird it’s called stuffing, outside it’s dressing. Sometimes families or regions will call one the other. It doesn’t matter here. This recipe is for a savory dressing that contains sweet apple, tangy dried cranberry, and crunchy almonds. The original recipe called for sausage, but I use sausage in the cornbread dressing I serve. If you’d like to use sausage, use 1/2 pound of pork or turkey sausage. Brown it and use the drippings instead of the first 2 TBSPs of butter to saute the onions and celery.

Apple Cranberry Sage Dressing

This recipe yields 10 servings and can easily be doubled.

  • 2 3/4 cups cubed whole wheat bread (A total of 5.5 cups of bread cubes the exact ratio of white to wheat isn’t that important)
  • 2 3/4  cups cubed white bread
  • 1 onion, diced (approximately one cup if you diced everything ahead of time)
  • 2 – 3 celery ribs, chopped (including the leaves)
  • 4 – 6 fresh sage leaves, chopped (dried works well, too)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary (fresh works better, use slightly more)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 Granny Smith or other tart apple, cored, peeled, and chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds – toasted
  • 1 cup turkey stock  (if using homemade, you’ll need 1 tsp salt)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided) + extra to grease the baking dish / roasting pan

Spread the cubed bread on a large baking sheet and toast at 350. This takes in the neighborhood of 5 – 7 minutes. Watch it carefully the last few minutes. Dump the toasted cubes into a large bowl and set aside.

Butter a 9 /13 baking dish. (This a holiday feast, try not to reach for the baking spray, think of the children)

If you haven’t already, toast the almond slivers, either on a baking sheet in the 350F oven for just a few minutes 3 – 5 or in a dry skillet. Watch them carefully, its very easy to cross from toasted to burnt, err on the side of caution.

In a large skillet heat 2 TBSPs of butter over medium heat. Just when it starts to foam, add the onions and celery, turn the heat to low. Stir frequently, cook just until the onions are soft, then add the apple, sage, rosemary, and thyme (I’m about to break into song here, are you going to Scarborough Fair?) Cook just until it smells divine, maybe another minute, stirring frequently.

Turn off the heat, add the cranberries, almonds, and butter. Stir until everything is coated. Pour the contents of the skillet into large bowl with the toasted bread cubes. (If you’re using the sausage add it now, too). Mix everything thoroughly. The butter has picked up a lot of flavor from the herbs and it’s important that this is well mixed.

If you are using homemade stock to which no salt has been added, stir a tsp of salt into the stock).

Pour 2/3 of the stock over the bowl and mix again. Spread the mixture into the baking dish, drizzle with the remaining turkey stock, and cover with foil.

If you are making this ahead of time, place this in the refrigerator (you can make this up to 24 hours ahead). Allow it to come close to room temperature before baking.

If it’s going directly into the oven bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and broil or continue baking until lightly browned.

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Toaster Pastries: Fearless Friday #24

October 30th, 2009 14 Comments

Heather says:

Does anyone ever notice how Thursday just seems to sneak up on a person? I mind my own business, but it seems to happen every seven days or so. This week I managed to squeeze in a quick Fearless Friday. I decided to try out making a homemade version of PopTarts™. Guess what? They are fabulous, absolutely butt ugly, but fabulous. I think with practice and tweaking the technique I’ll figure out how to make them pretty, but I don’t really care if they ever get there.

fearless-fridays1Fearless Fridays are a chance for cooks of any skill level to push their boundaries in the kitchen. We all have boundaries, whether it’s a food we don’t care for or a skill we’ve never attempted. Anyone is welcome to join in this carnival by sharing a link to their latest attempt at fearlessness (it doesn’t have to be from today, the carnival just runs on Fridays). This series isn’t about perfection, it’s about trying something new and knowing that sometimes we fail. So don’t worry, we want to hear about the flops just as much as the successful attempts. If you don’t have a blog, please share your adventure in the comments.

-Ugly- Toaster Pastries

There's room to grow here

There's room to grow here

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour + extra for dusting
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 6 TBSP room temperature coconut oil -I avoid shortening whenever possible, but you can use an equal amount here-
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • Egg wash = 1 egg + a few tsp cold water + beaten
  • Filling = your favorite jam

Tools:

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt.

Use two forks, your clean hands, or a pastry blender to work the 6 TBSPs of coconut oil into the flour mixture. Keep working it in until thoroughly blended. Add the milk and use a spoon or spatula to mix thoroughly.  The dough will be very soft and a little sticky. That’s normal.

Generously sprinkle your work area with flour and turn the dough out of the bowl.

Knead dough

Have you ever tried taking pictures one handed while kneading? That's an adventure.

Knead the dough 10 – 15 times. To do so:

  1. push the ball of dough with the heel of your hand
  2. grasp the edge of the dough with your fingers
  3. fold the dough over
  4. turn 90 degrees
  5. repeat

Divide the dough in half. Next time I make this, I’m going to wrap it and let it chill in the refrigerator while the oven preheats to 350F and I hunt down my rolling pin. -One would think it would be in the drawer where it’s supposed to be, but no, not ever.-

Roll 1/2 the dough into a narrow strip about 1/8th inch thick. Try to keep the rectangle somewhere between 3 – 4″ on the short side.

I managed to do that with the second half of the dough.

Once you have a rectangle, use a butter knife to cut it into smaller rectangles of approximately the same size. Shoot for an even number.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or just grease a baking sheet.

Transfer half the rectangles to the sheet.

dollop of jamGrab your favorite jam, use a clean fork to give it a good stir, this makes it easier to spread. Add a generous dollop of jam to the center of each rectangle already on the baking sheet. (The blackberry was great, the peach was lovely, but the pastry where I mixed the two was divine.) Spread the jam as evenly as possible, but leave about 1/2 inch from the sides to prevent leaking during baking.

Beat the egg with the 2 – 3 tsps of water in a small bowl to create your egg wash. Use a pastry brush or your fingers to line the edges of the jam laden pastries. Carefully transfer the other rectangles from your work area and use a fork to crimp the edges.  Poke each pastry a few times with the fork to create vents.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350F. They will be very pale, but done. Transfer the pastries to a wire rack to cool and store in an airtight container.

Toast just as you would any other toaster pastry. Enjoy the fact that you know every ingredient that created these ugly little marvesl.

In the future, I will be experimenting with the jam to pastry ratio and I will lightly sprinkle the tops with a coarse sugar before baking.

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Mushrooms: Burgundy Buttons

October 27th, 2009 6 Comments

Heather says:

I only have a tolerable picture of these earthy, savory delights. I was so excited about the meal that I forgot to take a picture of the mushrooms before we ate. I haven’t been to Outback in a long time, but I have missed their optional mushroom side. There was just something about those mushrooms simmered in wine that made the steak’s flavor amazing. Actually, I learned that there is a word for that flavor combination, it’s called Umami a Japanese word for that neglected fifth flavor we all know but struggle to identify (the first four are salt, sweet, sour, and bitter). That tidbit came from this week’s giveaway Notes on Cooking.

This recipe is simple and only takes up one burner. As a side dish it handsomely accompanies and enriches any rich, savory meal. Think of autumn flavors: squashes, potatoes, meats prepared with heavier flavors. Stay away from light or citrusy tones. If you’re grilling steaks, start it before you head outside and it’ll be ready to go when the steaks are done resting. If you’re cooking for two, halve the recipe, unless you’re cooking for me.

Burgundy button mushroomsBurgundy Button Mushrooms

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 onion, diced small
  • 2 cups beef broth or stock (or bouillon in water)
  • 1 lb button mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine (Burgundy, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon*, Zinfandel, or Pinot Noir) – you can increase this a little if you want a stronger wine flavor

Beef broth diced onionIn a 10″ skillet, bring the diced onions and beef broth to a gentle simmer. Let it hang out for 15 minutes at this stage. This step reduces some of the water content, concentrating the flavor and lets the onions get familiar with the broth. Do NOT boil the broth and complain to me that you ruined your favorite pan. A bubble here and there is good, roiling craziness is bad.

While the stock and onions are simmering: wash, pat dry, and quarter the mushrooms. Quartering is about as exciting as it sounds, just cut the mushroom in half, then half again.

button mushrooms in wineAfter the 15 minutes have elapsed, add the mushrooms and wine to the skillet. You may need to increase the heat just a little to bring it to a simmer, but do NOT boil. Simmering will remove all but trace amounts of the alcohol, but will allow the wine to keep its flavor. Simmer the mushrooms for 15 minutes. This further concentrates the stock and lets the mushrooms both absorb and share their flavor.

Serve.

beef filet burgundy mushrooms

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Lentil Pilaf, Side Dish

October 3rd, 2009 14 Comments

Heather says:
This side dish is great for those avoiding simple carbohydrates. It would also easily convert to a vegetarian / vegan dish simply by switching to vegetables stock. I pull out this recipe as the temperatures start to drop, I particularly like it next to the slightly sweet vegetables of Autumn (squashes, pumpkins, roasted vegetables).

Just for the record, I’d like to note that lentils are not the world’s most photogenic legume, but that doesn’t lessen their appeal.

Lentil PilafLentil Pilaf

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c. chopped bell pepper, any color (I’m cheap, so it’s green, but red or yellow would be fab)
  • 1/2 small or medium sweet onion, diced
  • 1  carrot chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup or so mushrooms, roughly chopped *OPTIONAL*
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cups chicken stock or broth or one can + 1/4 cup water
  • 1 c. dried lentils, washed (check for stones, grit etc)
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • fresh ground pepper to taste

boiling lentilsHeat the chicken stock and lentils to boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. While that happens. . .

softening vegetablesHeat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and give it a moment to heat. Add the diced onion and chopped carrot and cook for two to three minutes, stirring once in a while. Once the onion and carrot start to soften, add the bell pepper and garlic clove. Stir occasionally until the bell pepper starts to soften. Remove from heat and add the mushrooms, if you would like and give it a good stir.

When the lentils have simmered for twenty minutes, remove the cover and add the cooked vegetables and lemon juice. Stir well and continue cooking over low heat just until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Submitted to: Mouthwatering Monday at A Southern Fairytale.

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