Roasted Delicata (or Acorn) Squash with Red Onions

You can use delicata or acorn squash here, the delicata has a tender skin, and never needs to be peeled. If you want to peel the acorn squash, wait until after it cooks. We adapted this one from myrecipes.com, but it looks like it originally came from Adam Hickman at Cooking Light. 

Ingredients

·       1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

·       1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

·       1 tablespoon honey 

·       2 teaspoons olive oil

·       3 garlic cloves, sliced

·       2 (12-ounce) delicata or acorn squashes, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch slices

·       1 (1-pound) red onion, cut into 12 wedges

·       1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

·       1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

·       Cooking spray

·       3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1.    Place a baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 475° (leave pan in oven).

2.    Combine first 5 ingre­dients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add squash and onion; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Carefully remove preheated pan from oven; coat pan with cooking spray or brush with oil. Arrange vegetable mixture in a single layer on pan. Bake at 475° for 20 minutes or until tender, turning once. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and chopped parsley.

Adam Hickman, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2013

Basic Roasted Acorn Squash

We found this simple recipe on chow.com, along with this fitting description:

After roasting, the center of this acorn squash becomes a tiny swimming pool of melty butter and molasses-y brown sugar—need we say more?

INGREDIENTS

·       1 medium acorn squash (about 1 pound)

·       1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and at room temperature

·       Kosher salt

·       Freshly ground black pepper

·       2 teaspoons packed light or dark brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

1.     Meanwhile, cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Cut a small slice off the rounded side of each half to stabilize the halves so they sit upright.

2.      Place the halves cut-side up on a baking sheet. Using your fingers, coat the flesh of each half with 1 piece of the butter, then season generously with salt and pepper. Divide the sugar and remaining butter pieces between the squash cavities. Roast until fork tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Pumpkin with Pork

(Frugal Gourmet Cooks American, by Jeff Smith)

1 slice thick bacon, diced (or a tablespoon of butter, oil or drippings)

6 c fresh, peeled and sliced (1/4" pieces) pumpkin (about half a smallish pumpkin)

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced

1/2 c chicken broth

1 pound pork butt or shoulder, cut into 1/8" strips

1/2 t ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

In a big frying pan or wok or Dutch oven, saute the bacon until it is transparent.  Add the pumpkin and onion.  Stir around in the rendered bacon fat.  Add the broth.  Cover and cook over medium heat until the pumpkin is tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove the vegetables from the pan.

Reheat the pan and saute the pork until done, about 5 minutes.  Add the vegetables to the pan and toss with the cumin, salt and pepper.  Cover for just a minute so that the flavors develop.

Pumpkin, Cabbage and Chicken Soup

(Adapted from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American and other recipes)

6 c peeled, seeded, and sliced pumpkin (about half of a smallish pumpkin)

3/4 c onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic

2 T vegetable oil

4 c chicken stock or broth

1 small green hot pepper (optional) (or red pepper flakes)

1 smoked ham hock (don’t leave this out - it really adds to the soup!)

3 pounds chicken thighs (2 pounds if you’re using boneless skinless thighs)

Salt and pepper to taste (needs a fair bit of both)

4 – 6 c shredded cabbage

In a large pot, brown the onion and garlic in the oil.  Add everything but the cabbage.  Cover and cook about 2 hours.  Add cabbage about 15 minutes before serving. Or cook it 6 – 8 hours on low in the crockpot, adding the cabbage for the last hour.

Pumpkin Basics

Storing pumpkins. (from Carb Wars, by Judy Barnes Baker) Wash them well with a solution of 2 tablespoons of chlorine bleach to a quart of water.  Rinse well, dry thoroughly, and wrap them individually in newspaper.  Keep them for a week or so in a warm room to harden the skins, then move them to an unheated garage, basement, or other cool place, but don’t let them freeze.  They will keep for several months.  They can also be packed in sand or sawdust to extend the storage time.  Don’t set them directly on a concrete floor unless you put a wooden or cardboard base under them.  Any hard squash can be stored this way, including spaghetti squash.

Freezing pumpkin. There are two ways to do this. You can either freeze chunks of raw pumpkin or you can cook the pumpkin and puree it and then freeze the puree. The puree can be used like canned pumpkin. The frozen chunks can be used in recipes that call for raw pumpkin. I’ve done it both ways, and I think that freezing the puree is a lot easier. Freezing it in chunks means peeling it and cutting it into small pieces while it’s raw, and that’s a lot of hard work. If you freeze the puree, you cook it before you take it out of the shell, so you don’t have to cut it into little pieces and also means you can just scoop out the flesh rather than having to peel it. (If you do end up peeling the pumpkin, I’m told that one of those Y shaped peelers works a lot better the old fashioned straight kind.)

A.    To freeze raw pumpkin chunks, peel the pumpkin, thoroughly scoop out the seeds, and cut the flesh into 2 to 3cm (about 1 inch) chunks. Loosely fill it in freezer bags. Do not pack it too tightly, or the frozen chunks will stick together and make it difficult to remove only a portion. (from http://allrecipes.co.uk/how-to/193/how-to-freeze-pumpkin.aspx)

B.     To freeze pumpkin puree, start by cooking and pureeing the pumpkin. (see below) Measure out either one or two cup portions, then put them in freezer bags. A small can of pumpkin is about 2 cups; a big can is about 4 cups. Measuring it before you freeze it means that you can pull out and thaw only as much as you need.

Making pumpkin puree. Cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom, and pull out all the seeds and stringy slimy gunk inside. (Don’t forget to save the seeds to roast!) Depending on the size of the pumpkin, you can either put the halves cut side down in a baking dish with about 1 inch of water, or you can cover the cut side with foil and put them foil side up on a cookie sheet. If you have a monster pumpkin, you can cut it into smaller pieces and cover the cut sides with foil, then bake it foil side up. Bake at 350 for anywhere from about an hour for a small pumpkin to two hours for a big one. It’s done when you can stick a knife into it easily. Let it cool, then scoop out the flesh and puree it in a food processor, a food mill or a colander. Now it’s ready to use immediately as you would canned pumpkin, or frozen. (see above) I haven’t tried it, but I’m told you can cook a small pumpkin in a slow cooker, too. Poke a few holes in it to let out the steam, then cook it on low for 6 – 8 hours, then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds, then remove the flesh from the skin, and puree it as usual. (http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/11/easy-peasy-slow-cooker-pumpkin-puree.html) Or, if your pumpkin is too big, try cutting it up and removing the seeds before cooking it in the slow cooker. (http://thehappyhousewife.com/cooking/how-to-cook-a-pumpkin/) However you do it, save the seeds for roasting.

Pumpkin Seeds

Or any kind of winter squash seeds, actually. I've used pumpkin, spaghetti squash, and delicata squash, and have read that other kinds (acorn, butternut, buttercup, hubbard, etc.) work, too. 

Put the seeds in a bowl of warm water and rub them thoroughly to get rid of the slimy stuff. Most of the seeds should be pretty clean anyway, but some will be stuck in the strings. If you squeeze the end that’s stuck in the strings the seeds should squirt right out. (It’s kind of fun, actually!) When the seeds are clean (don’t forget to save the water and the slime and strings for the compost pile), put them in some salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer them for 10 minutes. Drain, and spread them out in a baking sheet that you greased with a tablespoon or so of oil or drippings. Bake on the top shelf of the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until they start to brown. Smaller seeds, like from delicata squash, may be done in as little as 5 minutes, so check them frequently. 

What I like about this way of fixing the seeds is that you eat the whole thing, shell and all. No fussing around trying to shell them, though of course you can if you want to. I was very doubtful about that when I read it and expected to shell the seeds whatever the recipe said, but it turned out that they were right and I was wrong.

They're free, except for the salt and the oil, since you got the pumpkin for Halloween or the squash for the squash-ness of it.

Variations:

1.      Sprinkle a bit of any of the following over the roasted pumpkin seeds (http://www.chow.com/galleries/38/10-ways-to-spice-up-pumpkin-seeds#!562/old-bay-pumpkin-seeds ): cinnamon and sugar, seasoned salt, jerk seasoning (add before roasting the seeds), Old Bay Seasoning, Creole seasoning, wasabi powder and ground coriander, barbeque seasoning (add to seeds before roasting), or jalapeno powder.

2.      Or try these (http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/10/roasted-pumpkin-seeds-spicy-sweet-salty-recipes.html ): Ginger-Orange Zest Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Cheesy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, or Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

3.      Or try your favorite spice blend, either sweet or spicy. I wonder how they’d be with a bit of pumpkin pie spice and sweetener?

Stir-fried Italian Sausage and Peppers

Do you like Sausage and Peppers? I usually don’t, because the peppers are always way overcooked, at least for my taste. I prefer them tender-crisp, like in a stir-fry. If you like the peppers "overcooked" and soft, try ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS. But if you like your veggies to still have a bit of bite to them, try this stir-fry dish. Take your pick. A lot of people must like the overcooked peppers, because that’s the way most recipes say to cook them!

(based on a recipe from Taste of Home, Apr/May 2003)

1 lb Italian sausage links, cut into 1/4” slices

1 medium green pepper, cut into thin strips

1 medium or 1/2 large red pepper, cut into thin strips

1 medium onion, thinly sliced and quartered

1 T lard (or oil or half butter and half olive oil)

1 firm tomato, coarsely chopped

1 t minced fresh parsley, or 1/2 t dried parsley

dash each salt and pepper

Cook the sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Turn the heat up to high and add the peppers, onion and tomato and stir-fry until tender-crisp. If using dried parsley, add it with the vegetables. If using fresh, add it at the end. Check the seasoning and serve.

Fajita Salad

Sort of like a taco salad, but made with fajita-cooked meat and veggies. You can add whatever toppings you want - sour cream, shredded cheddar, salsa, jalapenos, olives, guacamole, etc. If you’re not going to eat all six servings immediately, put aside the extra meat and veggie mixture before you put it on the lettuce or add the toppings. Then, when you’re ready to eat it, just heat up the meat and veggies, and continue with making the salads.

(based on a recipe at tasteofhome.com)

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1-1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips

1 sweet red pepper, julienned

1 green pepper, julienned

1 medium onion, halved and then thinly sliced

1 head iceberg or other lettuce, roughly chopped or shredded

2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Toppings – sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, salsa, etc.

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice and seasonings; add the chicken. Seal and turn to coat; refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

In a large skillet, saute peppers and onions in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Remove and keep warm.

Discard marinade. In the same skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink. Return pepper mixture to pan; heat through.

Put a pile of lettuce on each of six plates. Top with the chicken and pepper mixture, then with the tomatoes. Add the toppings, or pass them and let each person add his/her own.

Italian Sausage and Peppers

Do you like Sausage and Peppers? I usually don’t, because the peppers are always way overcooked, at least for my taste. I prefer them tender-crisp, like in a stir-fry. This is the more traditional version, which results in "overcooked" peppers. Or try my version, STIR-FRIED ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS. Take your pick. A lot of people must like the overcooked peppers, because that’s the way most recipes say to cook them!

(based on a recipe from Taste of Home, Apr/May 2003)

1 lb Italian sausage links, cut into 3/4” slices

1 medium green pepper, cut into thin strips

1 medium or ½ large red pepper, cut into thin strips

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced and quartered

1/2 T butter

1/2 T olive oil

1 firm tomato, coarsely chopped

1 t minced fresh parsley, or 1/2 t dried parsley

dash each salt and pepper

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Serve with a slotted spoon. 

To my way of thinking, this would be best as an omelet filling, or, if you cut the sausage in smaller pieces (say cut it into fourths lengthwise and then into half inch or so slices), as a filling for a quiche. 

Sausage Squash Casserole

(based on a recipe from sugarfreelowcarbrecipes.com)

1 lb. zucchini or summer squash, coarsely grated
1 lb. sausage

1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp sugar or equivalent sweetener
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cup (6 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350°. Cook the zucchini, sausage and onion in a large skillet or Dutch oven until the meat is browned and the vegetables are done. In a bowl, mix all other ingredients together. Spread mixture into 9×13 casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Moussaka

Moussaka is sort of a Greek lasagna that uses eggplant instead of noodles. Sort of. If this looks like too much work, try SIMPLIFIED MOUSSAKA instead. You cook the meat and vegetables together and make a single layer of that, then pour the custard over the top. It's not quite as fancy, but just as good!

(from a recipe in Carb Wars, by Judy Barnes Baker, 2007)

2 globe or 6 Asian eggplants (about 2 lbs)

5 T olive oil

For the tomato sauce:

1 small onion, peeled and chopped (about ½ cup)

1 lb ground beef or lamb

1 T tomato paste

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1 fresh tomato, peeled and chopped, or 1 c diced canned tomatoes

2 T fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 c beef broth or water (you might not need this if you start with a fresh tomato)

Salt and pepper to taste

For the custard:

2 T butter

1 c heavy cream

Generous pinch of ground nutmeg

2 eggs beaten with a fork

Salt and pepper to taste

6 T grated Parmesan

Peel the eggplant and cut into 3/8” slices.  Salt both sides of the slices and place in a colander set over a bowl.  Put a heavy dish on top to press out the liquid.  Let stand for 30 minutes.  Rinse to remove the salt and blot the slices with paper towels until dry.  Heat oil for frying in a large skillet and sauté the eggplant on both sides until golden brown.  Remove the eggplant and set aside.  (Or brush the eggplant with olive oil and put them under the broiler for about 5 minutes per side instead.  It will be quicker.  Don’t let the thinner slices burn.)

To make the tomato sauce:  Add the onion to the pan in which the eggplant was cooked and sauté until soft.  Add the meat and continue to cook, stirring, until brown.  Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

To make the custard: Heat the butter and cream on low in a small saucepan, while stirring, until smooth.  Add the nutmeg.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Dip out a little of the hot cream mixture and mix it with the beaten eggs to temper. Stir the egg mixture back into the pan and blend until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the moussaka:  Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease a 9”x13” baking dish.  Put one third of the eggplant slices in the bottom of the greased baking dish, cover with half the meat sauce, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of cheese.  Repeat.  Use the last one third of the eggplant slices to make the top layer and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Pour the custard evenly over the dish and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until brown.  Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting. 

Simplified Moussaka

MOUSSAKA is sort of a Greek lasagna, with eggplant instead of noodles. Sort of. It usually calls for slicing, salting, draining and frying the eggplant, then making multiple layers of the eggplant alternating with layers of sauce, before topping it with the custard. This is a simplified version. It doesn't look as fancy, but it's a lot easier! And even though it looks complicated from these directions, it really isn't.

(based on a recipe from Carb Wars, by Judy Barnes Baker, 2007)

For the meat and veggie sauce:

1 lb ground beef or lamb

2 globe or 6 Asian eggplants, peeled and diced (about 2 lbs)

1 small onion, peeled and chopped (about ½ cup)

1 T tomato paste

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1 or 2 firm fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1 c diced canned tomatoes

2 T fresh parsley, chopped

¼ c beef broth or water (you shouldn’t need this with fresh tomatoes)

Salt and pepper to taste

For the custard:

2 T butter

1 c heavy cream

Generous pinch of ground nutmeg

2 eggs beaten with a fork

Salt and pepper to taste

6 T grated Parmesan

To make the meat and veggie sauce:  Start browning the meat in a big skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion and the eggplant and cook until the meat has browned and the onion and eggplant are soft. Drain the fat off if there’s a lot of it in the pan. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

To make the custard: Heat the butter and cream on low in a small saucepan, while stirring, until smooth.  Add the nutmeg.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Dip out a little of the hot cream mixture and mix it with the beaten eggs to temper. (If you don’t do this, you’re likely to end up with scrambled eggs when you put the eggs into the hot cream.) Stir the egg mixture back into the pan and blend until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the moussaka:  Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease a 9”x13” baking dish. Spread half of the meat and veggie sauce in the baking dish and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Spread the other half of the meat and veggie sauce over that, and sprinkle it with the rest of the cheese.  Pour the custard evenly over the dish and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until brown.  Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting. 

Applesauce for Canning

The basic idea behind making applesauce is to cook the apples, mush them up, and get rid of the skins and cores somewhere along the way. If you have a food mill or strainer, you can cook the apples before getting rid of the skin and cores. The strainer does the work of peeling and coring. Otherwise, you must peel and core apples prior to cooking. When canning applesauce (and any fruit with no additives) you may process in a boiling-water-bath canner.

Canning supplies
Water bath canner (or a very large stock pot with a rack on the bottom)
Canning jars (can be reused)
Canning lids (must be new)
Canning rings (can be reused)
Jar lifter
Large stock pot, or two smaller pots
Food mill, strainer or sharp knife for peeling and coring
Small, clean, damp cloth
Plastic spatula
Cake rack, for cooling

Ingredients:
Apples, about 21 pounds for 7 quarts (a mix of tart and sweet varieties)
½ cup of water or apple cider

Instructions:
Fill your canner with water, and add your clean jars. Bring to a boil. Once the jars have boiled for 10 minutes, they are sterile. If this happens before your sauce is ready, just turn it down to low until you are ready to fill your jars.

Wash and quarter the apples, place in large pot or pots, making sure it is not so full that you can’t stir.

Add the water or juice and begin to heat them up. Cover and simmer, but be sure to stir often to prevent sticking. Once the apples are very soft, press them through a food mill or a strainer. If you use apples with a reddish skin, it will have a lovely pink hue!

If you don’t have a food mill or strainer, you will just need to peel and core your apples first. Then once they are soft, you can mash them up with a potato masher. If you want a finer, smoother consistency, you can use a wire whisk after mashing them roughly.

If desired, add sugar and/or cinnamon. Reheat the sauce to just boiling, stirring often. Fill sterilized, hot jars with hot applesauce, leaving ½ inch head space. Remove air bubbles with a spatula, wipe rim with damp cloth,  place lid on top, and screw on bands, just hand tight.  Lower the jars into the boiling water bath, and process for 20 minutes (start timing after the water starts boiling).  Remove jars and cool on a baking rake. Make sure all the lids have sealed before storing in your cupboard. Enjoy!