Butternut Squash, Apple, and Onion Galette

There is a reason there isn't a picture - next time I will put a piece of foil under the whole thing to make tranferring it from the cookie sheet to the platter easier.

I also used refrigerated pie crusts (both of them that come in the box) instead of making my own dough. I included the dough recipe but cannot vouch for it. If you don't make our own pie crust, the preparation is quick as you leave the skin on the apples and squash.

I used a combination of acorn and butternut squash too. The Dijion whole grain mustard from trader joes worked well. Leftovers were equally as good the next day.

Ingredients
Dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Filling:
1 large baking apple, such as Rome Beauty or Cortland
1 small or 1/2 medium butternut squash (about 3/4 pounds), halved, seeded, and skin on
1 small yellow onion, peeled, root end trimmed but intact
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1/3 cup crumbled Stilton or other blue cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)** Since I hate blue cheese, I used about the same amount of feta in its place

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

For the dough: Pulse the flour and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few bean-size bits of butter in it. Add the egg and pulse 1 to 2 times more; don't let the dough form a mass around the blade. If the dough seems very dry, add up to 1 tablespoon of cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time, and pulsing briefly. Remove the blade and bring the dough together by hand. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

For the filling: Halve and core the apple. Cut each 1/2 into 8 wedges and put them in a large bowl. Slice the squash and cut the onion into wedges so that both are as thick as the apple wedges, and add them to the apples. Add the butter, rosemary, and thyme and toss gently to combine. Don't get distracted like I did, the butter will solidify quickly on you. Season with salt and pepper and toss again.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch disk. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and brush with mustard. Starting 2 inches from the edge, casually alternate pieces of apple, squash, and onion in overlapping circles—if you have extra pieces of one or another, tuck them in where you can or double them up until to use all the filling. Fold and pleat the dough over the edge of the filling. Bake until the crust is brown and the apples, squash, and onions are tender and caramelized, about 55 minutes. Scatter the cheese over the filling and bake until melted, about 5 minutes more. Cool the galette briefly on a wire rack. Cut into wedges and serve.

Spiced Carrot and Feta Gnocchi

From the top: minted cream sauce, spiced carrot and feta gnocchi, asparagus orange salad, and mashed roasted eggplant

So... when I was making this recipe, I was pretty sure it was going to fail. The recipe notes that the dough is softer than most gnocchi recipes, but I was not prepared for just how soft it would be. It's very wet and sticky, and I couldn't shape it without dipping it in flour first. Then, I couldn't remove the excess flour from the gnocchi before cooking them, so many of the cooked pieces had an ugly translucent coating over them. (Thankfully, the sauce covered that up.)

But I am very glad to say that this seemed to be everyone's favorite part of the meal. The gnocchi turned out light, fluffly, and gently spiced, and the delicate cream sauce provided a nice complement of flavors.

For those of you trying this at home, I highly recommend chilling the gnocchi in the fridge for at least a couple of hours prior to cooking them to help them hold their shape. Maybe you could even freeze them. Otherwise, you will end up flinging sticky doughballs from your fingers into boiling water, making a mess and probably scalding your hands in the process.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds carrots
• 1-1/3 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 10 oz. / 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala, plus more to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Minted cream sauce:

• 1 oz. butter
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons shredded mint
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions:

1. Cut the carrots into large pieces and steam, boil, or microwave until tender. Drain amd allow to cool slightly
2. Put the carrots in a food processor, add the feta and blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and sift the flour and spices over the top. Add the egg and mix to form a soft dough. Taste after this and adjust seasoning as needed. Lightly coat your fingertips with flour and shape teaspoons of the mixture into flat circles. Place on top of a floured surface and set aside in refrigerator (or freezer) to set. (Note: here is where I had problems forming the gnocchi. You may need to roll the teaspoons of dough in flour in order to shape them.)
3. To make the minted cream sauce, melt the butter in a frying pan and saute the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and golden. Stir in the cream, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
4. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi, in batches, in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Transfer to warmed serving plates using a slotted spoon. Stir the mint through the sauce, drizzle over the gnocchi, and serve.

Serves 6-8.

Jamaican Jerk Tofu

The flavors of the marinade were delicious, but something about the baked tofu lacked a certain sumpin'-sumpin'. If I were to do this again, I would maybe try grilling the tofu for some extra texture. I did press the tofu for a couple of hours prior to marinating so it would soak up as much flavor as possible.

For the carnivores out there, this marinade would be terrific on chicken or pork... or goat, if you want to go balls-out authentic.

Jamaican Jerk Tofu

Makes 2 blocks of tofu, serving 4-6.

6 scallions, sliced thinly (discard top 1/3 of green ends)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, minced
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. thyme
1 Tbs. vegan brown sugar
1-2 blocks extra firm tofu

1. In a large bowl, mix the first nine ingredients, including olive oil.

2. In a smaller bowl, combine spices and brown sugar. Add to liquid mix and stir.

3. If using one block of tofu, spray an 8 x 8 pan with oil. Slice tofu into three slices from its narrow end. Place in pan and pour HALF of marinade over tofu. For two blocks of tofu, use a 9 x 13 pan, and pour ALL the marinade over tofu.

4. Let stand for 15 minutes. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Ethnic Vegan

Layered three-cheese russet and sweet potato gratin

This recipe probably has the most going on it, of all the things I made for our Scandinavian dinner. The list of ingredients may make you skeptical, but trust me, they combine to make a lovely flavor that is more than the sum of its parts.

From The Swedish Table, by Helene Henderson

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 pounds baking potatoes (about 2 large), such as russet, peeled and sliced 1/8" thin
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
• fresh ground nutmeg to taste
• 3 teaspoons thyme, minced fine, divided
• 1 pound sweet potato (1 large), peeled and sliced 1/8" thin
• 3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, thawed and divided
• 3 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers, divided
• 1 cup cheese, such as Gruyere, mozzarella, or Parmesan, or any combination, freshly grated
• 1-1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Rub botton of a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
• Add a third of the russet potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with a third of the garlic, a third of the thyme, and a small sprinkling of nutmeg.
• Add a third of the sweet potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and brush with 1 tablespoon of orange juice concentrate and a third of the adobo sauce. Spread a third of the cheese on top and add a third of the cream.
• Repeat twice, creating three layers of potatoes, each ending with the cheese and cream. Dot top layer with remaining butter.
• Bake until potatoes are fork-tender, crisp, and golden on top, about 45-60 minutes. Cover dish with aluminum foil if the top begins to burn.

Serves 6-8.

Easy Veggie Enchiladas

I used to have an enchilada recipe that was delicious, but a huge bear to prepare (it involved frying the tortillas, pre-cooking the veggies, etc.). I rarely made it since it was so much work and required so much space - something my postage stamp size kitchen doesn't allow. This is a scaled down weeknight version that Jake and I think is nearly as good.

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 zuchinis, choppped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cups shredded cheese
10 tortillas
1 jar enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350.
Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into bottom of pan.
Mix onion, zuchini, red pepper, black beans, and most of cheese in a large bowl.
Put 1/2 cup or so of the veggie mixture into the center of each tortilla, roll up, and place in pan.
Once all the enchiladas are in the pan, pour remaining sauce on top, and top with remaining cheese.
Cook uncovered for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

Black Bean Chili

This is one of my go to recipes on a cold day like we've been having. It is easy, requires few ingredients, and leftovers are great on nachos. (I even mixed some leftover chili with half a jar of Tostitos queso to make a delicious bean dip for the Superbowl that got rave reviews!)

Ingredients:
2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cans diced tomatoes (with juices)
1 can chopped mild green chiles (drained)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 cubes of frozen garlic from Trader Joes - love it!)
1 red pepper, chopped
2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin

Saute the onion, garlic, and red pepper until soft. Add beans, tomatoes, chiles, and spices, and stir. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Note: This recipe is very flexible, so feel free to add extra veggies if you want something more hardy. Last time, towards the end of the cooking time, I added a cup or so of Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn, and it was a hit.

Baked Ziti

This is another recipe I've made a few times for company and just made again this weekend. I absolutely love the make-ahead aspect. I omit the peas, because if you've ever had a meal with Jake he's probably told you about his hatred for peas.

Janice's Vegetarian Baked Ziti
(apparently from the Sopranos Family Cookbook, but I found it on google)

For the sauce:

1 (10-ounce) package white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (28-ounce) cans tomato puree
4 basil leaves, torn into bits
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh or frozen peas (unless you are having Jake over!)

For the pasta:

1 pound ziti
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Regiano
1 cup ricotta
8 ounces mozzarella, diced

To make the sauce: Cook the onion in the oil in a large skillet until tender and golden. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato purie, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the peas.

Meanwhile, bring at least 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add the ziti and salt to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente, tender yet firm to the bite.

Drain the ziti and place in a bowl. Toss with about 3 cups sauce and 1/2 cup grated cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon half of the ziti into shallow 3 quart baking dish. Spread the ricotta on top. Pour on 1 more cup of sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella. Top with the remaining ziti, sauce, and grated cheese. Cover the dish with foil. (At this point, the ziti can be refrigerated for several hours, or overnight. Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.)

Bake the ziti for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 30 minutes longer, or until the center is hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Servings: 6 to 8.

TIP: I made this once in a 9x13 pan and it overflowed. (This seems to be a pattern for me.) This time I made it in two round baking dishes - one 2.5 quart and one 1.5 quart, and it was just perfect.

Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagna

I made this lasagna about a year ago for our dinner club and just made it again this weekend for my ILAB friends. It takes a little bit more effort than I usually like to expend on cooking, but it is delicious and well worth it for a special occasion. This time I bought peeled and pre-cut organic butternut squash from Trader Joe's, and it shaved a good 30 minutes of fighting with a knife off the total time for me. But for me, making the white sauce is even more scary than chopping the squash - I'm always convinced it is not going to come together.

The recipe claims to serve 6, but it would have to be 6 starving people with nothing else on the table (it's in a 9x13 pan!). I think 9 really big servings or 12 medium servings is more realistic. One last tip -- just because you have extra filling and you know it is going to be delicious, do not give in to the temptation to pile it up above the top of the pan! The extra will spillover, burn on the bottom of your oven, and set of the smoke alarm. (The sad thing is I should have learned this lesson 12 hours earlier when I was making Molly's delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cake and did the exact same thing!)

On to the recipe (complements of epicurious.com)...

INGREDIENTS

For squash filling:
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 cup hazelnuts (4 oz), toasted , loose skins rubbed off with a kitchen towel, and coarsely chopped

For sauce:
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups milk
1 bay leaf (not California)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

For assembling lasagna:
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, coarsely grated (2 cups)
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3 oz)
12 (7- by 3 1/2-inch) sheets no-boil lasagna (1/2 lb)

PREPARATION

Make filling:
Cook onion in butter in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add squash, garlic, salt, and white pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, sage, and nuts. Cool filling.

Make sauce while squash cooks:
Cook garlic in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking. Add bay leaf and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes. Whisk in salt and white pepper and remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. (Cover surface of sauce with wax paper if not using immediately.)

Assemble lasagna:
Preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss cheeses together. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in a buttered 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish (or other shallow 3-quart baking dish) and cover with 3 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets. Spread with 2/3 cup sauce and one third of filling, then sprinkle with a heaping 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layering 2 more times, beginning with pasta sheets and ending with cheese. Top with remaining 3 pasta sheets, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.

Tightly cover baking dish with buttered foil and bake lasagna in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let lasagna stand 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Potato Chimichangas

This recipe is from my neighbor Mary. She's made them for us a few times, and Jake and I both love them! The recipe is not exact, but very flexible. (Really, how can you go wrong with tortillas, potatoes and cheese?)

Chimis
3 russet potatoes
1 green pepper (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (pressed)
goya adobo seasoning
tortillas
sour cream
shredded cheese

Boil the potatoes until you can easily stick a fork in. (Tip: do this early, and then stick in fridge to cool so that they will be easy to peel.) Peel skins from potatoes, and cut into cubes. Saute the pepper and onions in olive oil. Add the cubed potatoes to the peppers and onions. Sprinkle with adobo (liberally, to taste) and add the garlic.

In each tortilla, put the potato mixture, a spoonful of sour cream, and a little cheese. Wrap and roll. At this point you can either put them in the fridge overnight or cook immediately. Heat slowly either on the grill or on the stove.

Serve with salsa. You can slice these to serve as appetizers, or serve them whole as a main course.

Baked artichokes with Gorgonzola and herbs

Artichokes are another very Italian food, and since they are back in season I wanted to incorporate them into dinner, too. I had never cooked one before, because they struck me as a high-maintenance vegetable: they are easy to overcook or undercook, their cut surfaces brown almost immediately, they have fuzzy inedible junk in the middle of them, and they are sort of a mess to eat, as you pull off leaves one and a time and drag them between your teeth to get the good stuff out, and you discard the rest. Fussy, no?

However, they are delicious.

One of the purposes of us girls having our dinner club is to try making things we have never cooked before, expanding our culinary repertoires. I enjoy looking for new dishes to challenge me in the kitchen.

The following recipe is not from The Silver Spoon (although that cookbook dedicates eight pages to the lovely carciofi) but instead comes from Giada de Laurentiis of the Food Network.

Baked artichokes with Gorgonzola and herbs

Salt
4 artichokes
3 lemons
10 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, room temperature (MG - I recommend a Gorgonzola dolce rather than one of the stronger varieties)
2 tablespoons cream
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Trim the artichokes by cutting off the top 1-inch or so. Cut the stem close to the base of the artichoke, so that the artichoke can sit up straight, and remove some of the bottom leaves. Using kitchen shears, trim the sharp points off any of the remaining outer leaves. (MG - at this point, I recommend having a bowl of acidulated water ready for your artichokes, so you can drop them in as you finish trimming them. They get brown fast!)

Add artichokes to the boiling water. Halve the lemons and squeeze the juice into the boiling water. Toss in the lemons.

Cook the artichokes until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and let cool.


Boiling the artichokes with the lemons


Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the Gorgonzola, cream, thyme, 2 teaspoons parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. In another small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the center choke of the artichokes using a small spoon. Stuff the cheese mixture into the center of the artichokes.

Place the artichokes into a baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the artichokes, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until the artichokes are heated through, the cheese is melted, and the bread crumbs are crisp and golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.

Makes 4 servings.


The finished products, clockwise from top: Italian white bean hummus;
potato gnocchi; a selection of Italian cheeses; fennel,blood orange, and
walnut salad, baked artichokes with Gorgonzola and herbs, and tomato
sauce (notice the fancy serving dish).