Butternut Squash Pasta

Butternut Squash Pasta

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1C ricotta cheese
1C parmesan cheese, divided
1C heavy cream
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 C pine nuts, toasted
1 lb pasta (any shape will do, pappardelle in the picture)
1tsp cumin
2T butter 
2T olive oil
Zest of one lemon
Basil
S&P

Preheat oven to 400.  Toss squash with cumin, S&P and olive oil and roast until soft and slightly browned (around 30 minutes).  Allow to cool slightly.  In a food processor, combine cooked squash, ricotta, lemon zest, and pulse until combined and squash is pureed.  Taste and season to taste.  Drop the pasta into boiling, salted water.  While the pasta cooks, in a wide saucepan melt butter, when sizzling, add squash mixture and stir.  Pour in about a cup of pasta water to thin to a thick sauce consistency.  Taste and season.  Add cooked pasta and 1/2 to 1C heavy cream, toss well.  Serve with bacon, pine nuts, basil and more cheese. 
 

Mere's Favorite Chili

Mere's Favorite Chili

1.5 - 2.0 lbs lean ground beef
2T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced 
2T Chili powder
1T cumin
1T Paprika
1t - 1T smoked paprika
1 bottle Shiner Bock beer (or another dark bitter)
1 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
2 - 3 cups beef broth
2 14oz cans red kidney or pinto beans

In a large skillet (with a lid) heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until just translucent.  Add beef and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.  Saute until all watery liquid evaporates and the beef is very brown and crumbly.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant then add the rest of the spices and stir well.  Let this cook a minute (don't worry if it looks like everything is burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan...that's the good stuff and will come up when you add the beer!) then pour in the beer.  Scrape up the bits off the bottom of the pan as the beer bubbles and starts to evaporate.  Add in the tomatoes and 2C of beef broth, bring to a boil.  At this point I check for seasoning and add S&P if necessary then add in the beans.  Pop the lid on and let simmer at least an hour or more.  Keep an eye on it and add more broth if necessary.  Serve with grated cheese, onion, sour cream, avocado or Frank's Red Hot.  &*If you really like it spicy, add 1/2 to 1t cayenne or chopped jalapenos with the onion.  Or both!

Jaeger Schnitzel

Jaeger Schnitzel

 

Schnitzel:
3 large chicken breasts sliced across and pounded thin OR 
6 bonless pork chops, pounded thin
1C flour
2 eggs
1T dijon mustard
1 1/2 C panko bread crumbs
Canola oil
Quartered lemons for serving

Sauce:
1T butter

1 lb sliced mushrooms (I used cremini)

2 T flour
1/2 cup dry sherry or marsala
1 - 2 C chicken stock
1/2 C heavy cream

For the chicken:
Preheat oven to 200.  Over medium, heat enough oil to come about half way up the sides of a large cast iron skillet.  While the oil heats, get to breading your chicken.  In three shallow dishes - one for flour, one for egg and mustard, one for breadcrumbs.  Season all three liberally with salt and pepper.  Bread starting with flour, then egg, then breadcrumb then into the hot oil.  Don't crowd the pan, 2 or 3 at most in the pan at one time.  Fry until golden on both sides.  Remove from pan, drain on paper towel then remove to a rack over a baking sheet and pop them in the oven and get on with the next batch.  Once their all fried, keep warm in the oven while you make the sauce.

Pour all but 1T of the frying oil out of the pan.  Add the butter.  When it sizzles, add the mushrooms. *If you're feeling fancy, you can add onion now and caramelize it until it's golden brown THEN add the mushrooms.  Saute until browned.  Add S&P and 2T flour.  Stir around for about a minute.  Add the sherry and stir until it's absorbed most of the flour.  Add in about a cup of chicken stock.  Bring to boil and add more if it's too thick.  Turn off the heat and finish with the cream.  Ladle a generous portion over the chicken and serve.  

Note:  You can never have too much sauce, it's really good over spaetzle too.  Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

 

1 lb. short pasta (Macarone, Ziti, Penne...etc.  I used Rotini)
2 C butternut squashed, cubed and steamed or roasted
4 T butter
3 T flour
2 C whole milk (approximate)
2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz. goat cheese
1 C fresh bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
 S&P

Preheat oven to 375.  Get a large pot of boiling water on to boil.  Cook for 2 minutes less than package directions, reserving a cup of cooking liquid before draining.  Set aside.  While that happens, get going on the sauce.  In a large, wide, ovenproof skillet (I used a cast iron enamel braiser but really anything goes as long as it's big enough and oven proof) melt butter.  Add the flour and whisk into a paste.  Add your milk and keep whisking over medium heat until the sauce thickens.  Season generously with S&P.  Add in 1C of the cheddar and the rest of the cheese.  Stir until melted and combined.  Add in the pasta and your squash (I cheated here...used the steam in bag from Target but I've also roasted fresh in a hot oven with S&P, which is obvi. better).  If it looks thick, add in some reserved water until it's a bit soupy.  Combine your bread crumbs, 1 T melted butter, garlic and reserved cup of cheddar and sprinkle over the top.  Bake until browned and bubbly, about half an hour.  

*If you don't have any breadcrumbs, like I didn't when I made this, just whizz up some bread with the garlic and butter.  
 

Asian Spaghetti

Asian Spaghetti

1 lb Ground Pork
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 head broccoli OR 8 oz spinach
3 cloves garlic, minced
 5T soy sauce
5T fish sauce
S&P
Olive oil
4 spring onions, sliced
Sesame oil  
12 oz Chinese egg noodles, like ramen

Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until almost smoking.  Add a little olive oil to almost coat the bottom of the pan and add the meat, season with S&P.  Let brown until it's almost all crispy crumbles.  This takes a little while...keep stirring and breaking it up. While your meat cooks, bring a large stockpot of water to boil for the noodles.  

Once the meat is browned, add in the mushrooms and broccoli or spinach.  Stir fry until the mushrooms begin to brown and give off some liquid.  Add garlic and stir just a few seconds until fragrant.  Add in soy and fish sauce.  Turn down the heat to low.  Cook noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain, reserving one cup of cooking water, and rinse under cold water.  Add noodles back to the pot and drizzle over sesame oil and stir to keep from sticking.  Add the meat mixture to the pot with the noodles and toss thoroughly, adding reserved water to thin if necessary.  Garnish with green onions and enjoy!    
   

Fast, Easy Chicken & Dumplings

Fast, Easy Chicken & Dumplings

For the soup:

1.5 lb chicken tenders, chopped and seasoned with 1T salt, 1T pepper and 1T poultry seasoning

2T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 qt good chicken broth

For the dumplings:

2C AP flour

3t baking powder

1t salt

1T chopped parsley

2t chopped thyme

4T Crisco (cube then place on a plate in the freezer)

1C milk or buttermilk (or a mix of both)

In a large, heavy bottomed dutch oven, heat olive oil and saute chicken until browned and cooked through.  Remove with a slotted spoon a plate.  Add onion, leek, celery and carrots and saute until onion is translucent.  Add garlic, bay leaf and saute another 30 seconds to a minute.  Add chicken broth and a quart of water.  Cover and bring to boil, reduce to simmer while you get on with the dumplings.

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk to combine and break up the flour.  Add in the herbs and stir to combine.  Add your semi-frozen Crisco (it never really freezes all the way) and using two knives of a pastry cutter, combine with flour until it resembles coarse sand.  Slowly add in the milk while stirring just until the dough comes together.  You will probably only use 3/4 of the milk.  Remove to floured surface and roll out until about 1/2 in thick.  Cut into strips and pop them on a tray and back into the freezer for about 15 minutes.  

Slowly add your dumplings to the soup, one at a time and without stirring.  Cover the pot and allow them to steam for another 15 minutes.  Very carefully stir, cover and turn off the heat.  Allow the soup to sit for a few minutes before serving.  Feel free to add more parsley or thyme to brighten it up then serve it up in big bowls to hungry children.

Dolma

DOLMA

1lb. ground beef or lamb

1C uncooked brown or white rice

1 small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1T olive oil

1/4C parsley, minced

4 bell peppers, any color

3 large, firm tomatoes

3 zucchini

2 lemons

Optional:  baby eggplant

Cook rice according to package directions and allow to cool.  Saute onion and olive oil until translucent.  Add in meat and garlic and continue to saute until the meat is brown and crumbly.  Be sure to season with S&P each time you ad something to the pan.  Set aside to cool while you prep your veggies.  

Remove tops and de-seed peppers.  Remove tops and carefully scoop out tomato pulp and seeds into a strainer over a bowl.  Remove tops and bottoms of zucchini and very carefully scoop out the inside.  I find a long somewhat sharp tea spoon works well for this. Same for eggplant, if using.  Season insides of your veggies.  

Combine your meat, rice, parsley and a squeeze of lemon, mix thoroughly.  Taste now and re-season or add more lemon to your liking.  Firmly pack each of your veggie shells with the meat/rice mixture and place them upright in a large enamel coated cast iron dutch oven.  Start with the peppers and fill in with smaller veggies so that it's tightly packed.  If you don't have enough room, it's ok if the zucchini hang out on top.  

OPTIONAL STEP:  Go back to your tomato juice - squeeze the pulp to get as much juice out as possible and add in the insides of the zucchini and eggplant.  Add a little water and whiz it up in a blender or with an immersion blender.  Alternatively, you can just chop the insides finely OR leave them out entirely.  I usually either blend it up or just add the tomato juice and about 1/2 cup of water.  It just needs some liquid in the pan so the veggies steam.

Pop a heavy lid on your pot, bring to boil and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes until the veggies are soft but not falling apart (see that pic above?  I went off and did something else and my tomatoes fell apart.)  Serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

Note:  If you have leftovers this makes a fantastic soup.  Just sort of mush up the veggies and add some beef or chicken broth and reheat.  Yummy with crusty bread.