Category: From the garden patch

Winter Broccoli and Squash Gratin

January 5, 2014

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I love the crispy and savory crust on top of the sweet broccoli and squash. This dish is gluten-free, thanks to Ian’s Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs.  Any vegetable or combination of vegetables will work well with this recipe, but choose your vegetables with similar densities or you’ll end up with mushy broccoli and hard carrots.

Winter Broccoli and Squash Gratin

Serves 4 as a vegetarian main dish or 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

  • 1# butternut squash, chopped into 1″ chunks
  • 3 C gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 heads of broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds) chopped into florets the same size as the squash
  • ¾ C grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ C EVOO
  • ¼ C sour cream, whisked with 1T of cream or milk
  • 3T capers
  • 3 garlic cloves

Directions: Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly butter a 3-quart casserole dish. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs,  Parmesan cheese, capers, and EVOO. Over the top, grate the three cloves of garlic, using a fine grater, over the crumbs. Stir all ingredients and combine thoroughly.

Steam the butternut squash for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain, and place in the casserole dish. Steam the broccoli for 5 minutes or until crisp tender, give them a cold water rinse, drain again, and add the broccoli to the squash in the casserole dish. Evenly spread the sour cream & cream mixture on top of the broccoli and squash. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top.

Bake (using the convection option if you have it) for 15 minutes or until golden brown. If your gratin is not brown after 15 minutes, broil on high for 3-5 minutes. Do not over bake.

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Farro with Brussels Sprouts and Pistachios

November 22, 2013

Lately, Friday nights have gone retro – back to our early years of marriage when we used to spend Friday night date nights at home. We’d put our babies to bed, I’d cook a quick meal or we’d get takeout, and we’d watch a movie curled up together on the sofa. Date night at home has evolved. We don’t do take-out anymore and I like to create new cocktails and try out new recipes. Tonight, I recreated a favorite restaurant cocktail and made this farro dish. It has a nutty, heartiness that’s perfect for a chilly, fall night. The farro is served hot, but I think it could be just as tasty if it was served cold as a salad.

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Farro with Brussels Sprouts and Pistachios, adapted from Food and Style NY

Ingredients for the farro:

  • 6C water
  • 1t sea salt
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1C farro (pearled barley is a good substitute)

Ingredients for the Brussels sprouts:

  • 3T EVOO
  • 1T butter
  • 12oz. Brussels sprout, trimmed and sliced lengthwise in ⅛” slices
  • 1 large shallot or 3 small shallots, sliced into ⅛” slices
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ⅓C shelled and salted pistachios
  • ¼-½C reserved cooking liquid from farro
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

Farro directions: Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the salt, garlic, bay leaf and farro. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until tender but al denté. Drain well, remove the garlic and bay leaf, and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid.

Brussels sprouts directions: Heat a large non-stick skilled to medium-high heat. Add the butter. As soon as the butter is melted, add the olive oil. Stir well and add the Brussels sprouts and shallots. Sauté for about 7 minutes until golden-brown, stirring only from time to time. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute or two, until the garlic has released its flavor but has not browned.

In a large serving bowl, combine the farro, Brussels sprouts, and pistachios. Season to taste. Serve as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish.

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

November 10, 2013

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After a day spent cleaning the yard and the house this was just what my husband and I needed. We ate this cheesy, comfort food by the warmth of our fireplace. It was comfort food on a fall evening. You can substitute gluten-free pasta, but I don’t recommend it – the pasta can get too mushy. Stick to regular Prince pasta and you can’t go wrong.

Ingredients for crumb crust:

  • 1 sleeve of low-fat butter crackers (Nabisco, they’re crispier)
  • 3T unsalted butter (Kerrygold), cut into 6 pieces
  • 1t sea salt

Ingredients for cheese sauce and pasta:

  • 1# elbow macaroni (I like the good old standby Prince brand)
  • 5T unsalted butter (Kerrygold)
  • 5T flour
  • 3T dry mustard powder
  • 1t sea salt
  • 1t white pepper
  • ½t cayenne pepper (or more)
  • 5C whole milk
  • 8oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I like Cabot)
  • 8oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (Kerrygold or Cabot extra sharp)
  • ½ of an organic butternut squash, cubed, about 3-4cups

Directions for crumb topping: Put the crackers in a baggy and using a meat tenderizer mallet, crush the crackers into crumbs. Melt the butter and set aside. In a small bowl, add the cracker crumbs and melted butter. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Directions for the cheese sauce and pasta: Preheat oven to 400°.

Steam the cubed butternut squash for 3-5 minutes until barely tender. It will continue to cook in the oven so don’t overcook it.

Boil the pasta just shy of al denté. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat and add the flour, dry mustard, and cayenne. Whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about one minute. Gradually which in milk; bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly (mixture must reach full boil to fully thicken). Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened to consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Turn heat off and whisk in the cheeses until melted. Add the cooked pasta and butternut squash. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Pour into a 3-quart casserole dish. Top with the crumbs. Bake on the top rack for 15 minutes until the topping is browned. Garnish with fresh parsley sprinkled on top.

 

Homemade Hummus For A Party

September 21, 2013

I love hummus. The first time I had hummus I was in college and went to a classmate’s engagement party – I couldn’t stop eating it. My daughters loved the hummus and shredded carrot roll-ups I made them for school lunches. Before I had a food processor, I’d make the hummus in a blender and then spend more time scraping it out than I did making it. Hummus is still a staple in our refrigerator and a go-to snack. It’s garlicky deliciousness is perfect for carrot or pita dipping.

I must admit I’ve been lazy lately and have been buying it at the market instead of making it myself like I used to do. I’ve heard of some new recipes for “super smooth” hummus where the skins are peeled from the chickpeas – NO thanks! Imagine peeling each and every chickpea? Unless there’s some divine angelic choir experience from it, I don’t have time to peel them. I prefer simple, fresh goodness when it comes to hummus. So grab your food processor (or blender) and get going. You’ll make enough for a party.

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Hummus

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:

  • 2 – 15oz. cans of organic chick peas, drained with the liquid reserved
  • 1C of tahini, with some of the oil from the jar
  • ¼C EVOO
  • 4 peeled garlic cloves, cut in half
  • the juice from 2 lemons
  • 1½ t salt
  • ½t cumin
  • 2-3 shakes of cayenne pepper

Directions: Drain and rinse your chickpeas, reserving the liquid to add later. Pour the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper in the bowl of a large food processor and process until smooth, about 5 minutes. You may have to scrape down the side to get it to mix.  With the motor running, slowly drizzle the EVOO into the bowl. Add the liquid from the chickpeas, one tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency. Serve with pita chips or vegetables.

My snack-sized Weck jar ready to go with me to work on Monday.
My snack-sized Weck jar ready to go with me to work on Monday.