Butternut Squash and Goat CheeseMash

Ingredients

·         1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes

·         3 ounces goat cheese

·         2 tablespoons milk

·         1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

·         Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1.      Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2.      Once boiling add in a big pinch of salt and the cubed butternut squash.

3.      Cook the butternut squash until soft, about 10-15 minutes depending how big your cubes are.

4.      Drain the water out of the pot and add in the goat cheese, milk, rosemary, salt and pepper.

5.      Mash with a potato masher or immersion blender/stick until desired mashed consistency is reached.

6.      Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Apple Crumb Pie

Ingredients:

·         Pie Crust

·         5 large apples, cored, peeled, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices¹ (approx 8-10 cups total - use a variety for better flavor)

·         2 Tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice

·         1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

·         1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·         1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

·         1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumble Topping

·         1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour

·         3/4 cup (95g) chopped walnuts, such as Diamond of California

·         1/3 (75g) cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Directions:

1.      Crust: Prepare or defrost crust.

2.      Make the filling: In a large bowl using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir the apples, lemon juice, flour, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla extract together until thoroughly combined. Set filling aside as the oven preheats; this time allows the apples to begin letting off their juice.

3.      Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).

4.      Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9x2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Spoon the apple filling into the crust, leaving some of the liquid in the bowl-- don't want all that in the pie. Use a small paring knife to trim excess dough off the edges.

5.      Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and walnuts. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the butter. The crumble topping will be thick and crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.

6.      Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.

7.      Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired. Cover pie leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

8.      Make ahead tip/Freezing: This a great pie to make 1 day in advance-- after it cools, cover tightly and keep at room temperature. The pie crust dough can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baked pie freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Prepared filling can be frozen up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Pear-Ginger Pie

 

Yield: One 9-inch pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus macerating and cooling time

Cook Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes, plus macerating and cooling time

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds (6 large) Pears—peeled, quartered, cored and sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick

½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon, granulated sugar, divided

½ cup crystallized ginger, roughly chopped

¼ cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1 flaky piecrust

1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1.     In a large bowl, toss the pears with ½ cup of the granulated sugar, the crystallized ginger, cornstarch, orange juice, salt, cinnamon and ground ginger. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.

2. Preheat the oven to 350º. Strain the pears of any excess liquid and transfer the liquid to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the liquid back to the bowl with the pears and toss to incorporate.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of the pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie tin pressing to fit the tin, leaving at least 1 inch of overhang on the sides. Spoon the filling into the tin over the dough, spreading to make an even layer.

4. Roll out the other disk of pie dough into a 10-inch square. Using a knife, cut eighteen ½-inch strips of dough. Take 3 strips of the dough and braid into 1 strand. Repeat this process until you have 6 braided strips. Place 3 strips horizontally across the pears, then pull alternating strips back and lay the additional strips perpendicular. Trim off the extra dough, then roll up the edge to make a rim around the dish. Using your fingers, crimp edges of the pie.

5. Brush the dough liberally with the beaten egg, then sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar over top. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling has thickened, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing and serving.

CELERIAC PUREE

CELERIAC PUREE

Total Time:
55 min
Prep:
30 min
Cook:
25 min

Yield:4 servings
Level:Easy 
Ingredients
3 heads celeriac, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 cups water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream – I substituted Greek yogurt

Directions
Brush excess dirt off of the celeriac. Cut off the bottoms and tops, cut into quarters and peel. Rinse in cool water if there is any remaining dirt or debris. Cut into 1/2-inch thick dice.
Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan over low heat just until it shimmers. Add the celeriac, garlic, salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, just until it begins to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the water. Bring to a boil and cook until the celeriac is tender and easily pierced with a fork, approximately 20 minutes. Drain the celeriac through a colander and return to the pot. Using a stick blender, puree until no lumps are present, approximately 1 minute. Place the butter and heavy cream into a microwave proof bowl and heat just until the butter is melted, approximately 45 seconds. Add the cream and butter and continue to puree with the stick blender for another minute. Serve warm.

Delicata or Butternut Squash & Turnip Soup

Delicata or Butternut Squash & Turnip Soup

•  3 tablespoons butter
•  1 tablespoon olive oil
•  2 cups cubed butternut squash
•  2 cups cubed turnips
•  1 cup thinly sliced celery
•  1 onion, diced
•  3 cloves garlic, minced
•  1 quart chicken stock

•  1 bay leaf
•  1 tablespoon honey
•  1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
•  1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•  3/8 teaspoon ground coriander
•  1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•  salt to taste (optional)

Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the butternut squash, turnips, celery, onion, and garlic; cook and stir until the vegetables just begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a large pot over medium heat until simmering.Transfer the vegetables to simmering stock, and add the bay leaf, honey, pepper, nutmeg, coriander, cayenne pepper, and salt. Continue simmering until all the vegetables are softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Penne with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Mushrooms

1 lb Penne or similarly shaped pasta (Gemelli, Cavatelli, Small Shells)

1 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage

1 bunch of broccoli rabe

1 lb Portabella or Crimini mushrooms, sliced or roughly cut in halves and quarters.

Sliced garlic, 2-5 cloves depending on preference

Olive Oil

About 1 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, more or less depending on preference

Remove casing from sausage if necessary. Break up into medium sized pieces and sauté in stainless steel or cast iron pan at high heat until brown. Set aside.

If cooking with Portabella mushrooms, remove gills. In the same pan, sauté mushrooms with salt and pepper until browned. Remove mushrooms and set aside.

Broccoli Rabe - Separate leaves and snap flowers from woody stems.  Cut stems on an angle or set aside for another recipe. Blanch broccoli rabe in salted water at a rolling boil for 1-2 minutes. Set aside.

Place ¼  cup olive oil and sliced garlic in a large stainless steal pan. Bring pan to medium heat. When garlic is fragrant add blanched broccoli rabe. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add olive oil as necessary.

Add mushrooms and sausage to broccoli rabe. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes and turn off heat.

Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving pasta water. Return meat and vegetables to medium high heat. Add pasta to sauté.

Spread ½ cup cheese on top of pasta and ladle pasta water over, stir to create a sauce. Add Crushed Rep Pepper and Black Pepper to your preference. Continue adding cheese gradually and ladling pasta water until desired consistency and pasta is cooked to desired texture. Garnish with Parsley.

Almost all the ingredients in this recipe can be substituted to accommodate your tastes and refrigerator.

Use grilled chicken or ground veal/lamb instead of sausage. Omit meat for vegetarian option.

Use kale, spinach, swiss chard or the tops of root vegetables instead of brocolli rabe.

Add other vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, artichokes and tomatoes. Add tomatoes to sauté early if you desire them to cook down or add later if you would like them to keep their shape.

Add sliced fennel, shallots or onions to garlic at the beginning of the sauté. Add thyme, chopped rosemary or  add and remove stem of sage to olive oil for different flavor profiles.

Garnish with tarragon or edible flowers instead of or in addition to parsley.

fingerling potatoes

Ingredients

1 Lb fingerling potatoes, cut lengthwise {about 1/4″-1/2″ thick}

1 Tablespoon butter, divided

1/2 Teaspoon Italian seasoning

Salt & Pepper

1/2 Cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil

Directions

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter. Add potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes, 5 minutes on each side.

Add 1/2 tablespoon butter and Italian seasoning. Stir. Let cook for an additional minute.

Add cheese and cover until melted.