Stuffed Acorn Squash

Stuffed Squash

Do you ever get bored with everything you usually eat?

Me too. Even though I experiment a lot. My default for dinner, especially when I’ve had a busy day, is the old fashioned plate containing meat-starch-vegetable (or 2 vegetables). Because that’s how my Mom cooked and it feels comfortable.

But on a weekend, or when I have more time, I can move away from that. Like with this one-dish dinner: Stuffed Acorn Squash. It has everything: meat, starch and vegetable all-in-one.

But here are the bonus points: first, it has just a little meat, which is a good thing if you’re trying to reduce the meat protein from your meals.

Second, it has just a little carb (a small amount of breadcrumbs).

Third, it has lots of vegetables, presented in a way that people who balk at vegetables will eat.

Fourth, you can prepare it ahead and pop it into the oven to finish cooking.

And finally, it looks beautiful, so it makes a terrific dish for company. If not for dinner, then as a first course or for brunch.

My recipe says to cut squash in half, but I prepared this batch using whole squash (I cut the cap off at about 1/3 of the way down), so take your choice (if you use whole squash, buy 4 smaller ones rather than 2 large).

I also used carnival squash because it’s so pretty, but acorn squash work just as well and usually cost less.

You can bake this stuffing in a ramekin if you prefer (and in that case you can peel and cut up the raw squash and use it in place of the carrots).

Stuffed Acorn Squash

• 2 acorn squash

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 1 cup chopped yellow squash or zucchini

• 1 cup ground turkey

• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach

• 1/4 cup chopped raisins

• 1/4 cup chopped almonds or toasted pignoli nuts

• 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 2 large eggs

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half crosswise and scoop out the seeds (you can rinse them off and roast them separately to use as a snack). Wrap the halves in aluminum foil and bake for about 35-45 minutes or until tender. Set aside. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. While the squash is roasting, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes, to soften them slightly. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the zucchini, turkey, spinach, raisins, nuts, breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme and cayenne pepper and toss ingredients to distribute them evenly. Mix in the eggs and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into the baked squash hollows. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 2-4 servings

Osso Buco

Osso Buco

Osso Buco for the lady …

Remember that old TV ad? A waiter (or maybe it’s the chef) is carrying two dinner plates and he puts one in front of a woman and says “Osso Buco for the lady” with a great big grin on his face and she seems pretty happy too.

I don’t know why that ad flashes through my mind occasionally like some old dream that I half remember.

But what I can’t remember is if it was an ad for toothpaste (the toothpaste will clean away the tomato sauce stain). Or whether it was for Alka Seltzer (which wouldn’t say very much for the food, would it?). 

I did a Google search but came up with no information. 

But I think about this ad every time I make Osso Buco, one of my favorite winter dishes. It’s a comforting, hearty, warming and nourishing dinner. I make a big batch in advance, wrap portions in plastic containers so that every time I need a quick dinner there is one I can take out of cold storage.

Veal shanks can be expensive, for sure. I wait for a sale, buy lots and then cook.

I also serve Osso Buco for company. It’s a beautiful dinner that’s rustic but fancy too, especially over risotto or pasta. Pasta’s easier, so that’s usually the way for me.

Osso Buco

• 4 large or 8 small veal shanks, 2” thick

• 1/4 cup flour

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 carrot, finely chopped

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped

• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

• 1 strip lemon peel 1-1/2” long

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1/2 cup veal or beef stock

• 2 tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped (or use canned tomatoes)

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

• freshly ground black pepper

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh marjoram or oregano or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Dredge the veal shanks in the flour. Shake off excess flour. Heat the olive oil in a deep sauté pan over medium heat. Brown the meat, cooking for about about 12 minutes, turning the shanks occasionally. Remove the meat from the pan. Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lemon peel, wine, stock, tomatoes and tomato paste to the pan. Bring the ingredients to a simmer. Return the meat to the pan. Sprinkle the ingredients with the salt, pepper and marjoram (or other herb). Cover the pan and simmer gently over low heat for about 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Makes 4 servings

Potato Latkes with Lemongrass Yogurt Sauce

Latkes!

Now there’s a good word. 

The word we generally hear around this time of year because Hanukkah (or Chanuka if you prefer) is coming (sundown on December 8th). And on Hanukkah we eat:

Latkes!

Ohmyohmyohmy. They’re another of those really really wonderful things to eat. Crispy. Crunchy. Hot. Fried. 

It really doesn’t get much better. Even if latkes are among those foods that help pack on the 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years.

Try to limit yourself if you can. :) These are quite luscious.

I have made potato latkes more times than I can even imagine. It’s tough to be the one at the stove, sampling and all. If you get my meaning.

I have lots of potato latke recipes. The first step is which kind of potatoes to buy: baking (Russet, Idaho). They’re the driest, so your latkes won’t be as soggy as they might with other varieties.

Second: how to grate the potatoes. I’ve hand grated them; used the food processor shredder; first shredded then chopped the potatoes with the S-blade. They’re all good methods, but my kids like the shredded version the best. 

We also like latkes with sour cream. REAL sour cream, not the fake non-fat stuff. But actually, Chobani 0% plain yogurt is absolutely wonderful too. Nice and tangy and thick.

Okay, a few of us prefer applesauce. But not from my side of the family.

I’m adding a recipe for Lemongrass-Yogurt Sauce too, because there’s always someone (usually me) who wants to try something new. This one’s a goody.

Potato Latkes

4 large peeled baking potatoes

1 large onion

3 tablespoons matzo meal, breadcrumbs or potato starch

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

vegetable oil for frying

Grate the potatoes and onion into a bowl or, if using a food processor, shred the potatoes and onion together. If you prefer latkes softer, after shredding, place the shreds back into the food processor and use the S-blade. Process the potatoes and onions to a fine consistency. Either squeeze the vegetables in a kitchen towel over a bowl or place the mixture in a rigid strainer set over a bowl and press the vegetables. In either case, wring or squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the matzo meal or breadcrumbs or use the solid potato starch that remains at the bottom of the bowl containing the squeezed liquid. Stir in the eggs, salt, pepper and baking powder. Heat about 1/4” vegetable oil in a cast iron or other heavy heat retaining skillet over moderately high heat. Drop some of the potato mixture into the pan, using equal amounts to make each pancake. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until the pancakes are golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dairy sour cream, nonfat plain yogurt, applesauce or Lemongrass-Yogurt Sauce (below) Makes 12-16

Lemongrass-Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 scallion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons finely chopped lemongrass

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped chili pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lime peel

2 tablespoons lime juice

salt

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly to distribute them evenly. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Makes about one cup

Gluten-Free Hello Dolly Cookies

Yes, yes, yesterday I was all about how to keep the pounds off during the holiday season and then I went and baked some Hello Dolly Bars.

But I do have a good excuse. First, I bake for a bi-monthly Tea our local Hadassah group hosts for cancer patients and their caregivers at Stamford Hospital, so these will NOT wind up in my freezer where they will tempt me (or Ed).

Second, I needed to bake some gluten-free cookies and experimented with these well-known bar cookies. Instead of using graham crackers I substituted almond meal and it worked out really well.

I confess — I did taste! But as I mentioned yesterday, just a taste, not two or three pieces.

I have no idea why these are called Hello Dolly Bars. I know people who call them Magic Bars or 7-Layer Bars. Some people have said the name has something to do with the Broadway musical, “Hello Dolly,” which opened in 1964, but recipes for similar cookies were around before then, so I don’t think so.

You can use this recipe with the usual graham cracker crumbs (1-1/2 cups instead of the 2 cups of almond meal). I have also made them with chocolate cookie crumbs. Also, I use almonds because my daughter is allergic to walnuts and pecans, but you can use those. Or cashews.

Gluten-Free Hello Dolly Cookies

2 cups very finely ground almonds or almond meal

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips

1-1/3 cups packaged coconut shreds

14-15 ounce can condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ground almonds and melted butter together and press into the bottom of a 9”x13” baking pan. Sprinkle the surface with the cinnamon. Scatter the nuts and chocolate chips evenly on top. Scatter the coconut evenly on top. Pour the milk gradually over the entire surface to evenly cover as much as possible. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan. Cut into 36 bars. Makes 36

Roasted Arctic Char with Cherry Tomatoes and Asparagus

Did you overeat over the Thanksgiving weekend?

Mmm hmm. Me too.

So here’s the bad news. I’ve read that Thanksgiving, the beginning of the “holiday season,” is the starter point for weight gain and that the average number of pounds a person puts on between the end of November and January 2nd is about 7.

Yes, there are some recent studies that say it’s only one pound.

I’m already there though and they didn’t poll me for that study.

It’s hard not to be a glutton when there are so many goodies around as temptations. Stuffing and gravy, Hanukkah latkes or doughnuts, Christmas cookies, hot chocolate with marshmallows. The list goes on.

There are recipes for low-fat or low-calorie versions of our favorites.

But they aren’t really as delicious as the real thing.

And there are diet and nutrition experts who write about the ways to refrain from over indulging.

But how many of us actually pay attention? 

I can only speak for myself.

I don’t.

I enjoy food, create recipes, write about food for a living, so keeping myself at a reasonably normal weight is always a problem, exacerbated during the holiday season.

But I do try to keep to a sort of a plan. Instead of refraining entirely, one of the ways I try to keep from at least going over the average is to stop stuffing. One doughnut, not three or even two. 

And I try to eat well in between celebrations, meaning lots of fish, vegetables, whole grains. Skip the fried. Keep away from the cookies in the freezer. No bread for dinner unless I’m serving soup.

I think this helps.

One of our favorites of the season is Arctic Char. It’s filling, mild but tasty, and easy to prepare. It’s also not one of the more expensive fish, comparatively speaking.

Here’s a recipe for a recent version I made. It includes colorful and nutritious vegetables (tomatoes and asparagus) so it’s like a meal in one, though you can add a side dish if you like.

Roasted Arctic Char with Cherry Tomatoes and Asparagus

12-15 medium asparagus

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 pounds Arctic Char

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the woody bottoms from the asparagus, rinse the stalks and dry them in paper towels. Rinse and dry the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Place the vegetables in a roasting pan and pour one tablespoon olive oil over them. Roll the vegetables to coat them. Place the asparagus in the center of the pan and put the fish on top. Mix the remaining olive oil, mustard and lime juice and spread this mixture on top of the fish. Move the cherry tomatoes around the pan. Scatter the dill on top of the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 12-15 minutes or until cooked (slightly rare or cooked through). Makes 4 servings

Sweet Potatoes with Roasted Apples and Honey

Admit it. You love this right? Sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows.

Say it. Confess. 

Even if the so-called sophisticates say it’s declasse to love this. (The same people who say they don’t eat franks-in-blankets either.)

It’s okay to like this. The marshmallow part I mean. And the franks-in-blankets too (is there really anyone who doesn’t love those?)

It’s the underneath stuff that should be the tasty part anyway. 

Here’s my newest version of sweet potato casserole: Because the potatoes are sweet enough in my opinion, I don’t add gobs of brown sugar. I use just a little honey. I also shake in some cinnamon (you could use allspice, nutmeg, ground ginger, vanilla) because it warms the flavor and gives it a hint of sweetness too.

This year I mixed in mashed, roasted apples and apple cider instead of the usual orange juice. This casserole seems more autumn-like, softer-tasting with the roasted apples and cider.

It’s easy to make too. Mine’s already done for tomorrow. Bake the casserole to reheat. Put the marshmallows on about 5-6 minutes before you serve, to brown and melt them.

And btw, you don’t have to use the marshmallows. For a plain dish, just reheat the mashed sweet potatoes as is.

I’m just sayin’

Happy Thanksgiving.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES WITH APPLES AND HONEY

• 4 large sweet potatoes

• 2  apples, peeled, cored and quartered

• 2 tablespoons butter, coconut oil or margarine

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4-1/3 cup apple cider 

• salt to taste

• marshmallows, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roast the sweet potatoes for 25 minutes. Place the apple pieces in a baking pan, place in the oven and roast for another 25-30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and apples are tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop the sweet potato flesh into a bowl. Mash the apple and add to the sweet potatoes. Add the butter, honey and cinnamon. Mash and mix thoroughly to blend ingredients. Add some of the apple cider, using enough to mix the ingredients to the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt. Place in a casserole dish to reheat. Can be made completely ahead. For marshmallow topping: reheat the casserole until completely heated through, cover with marshmallows and reheat for a few minutes to brown the top.

Makes 8 servings

Sean Dunn Ginger Gluten Free Pumpkin Tart

Recently I posted a recipe for gluten-free pumpkin pie and Sean Dunn sent me a message thanking me for it. She also sent me her own gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe. It’s made with a cookie crust.

Cookie crusts (usually made with about 1-1/2 cups crushed cookies mixed with about 5 tablespoons melted butter) are ideal for creamy pies like pumpkin (chocolate cream, banana cream, coconut custard, etc.) because they don’t get soggy (which sometimes happens with a traditional pie crust).

So, here is her recipe, a pumpkin pie using a gluten-free crust made with gingersnaps.

From Sean Dunn:

This recipe is easily made gluten free by substituting gluten free ginger snaps in for normal ones. I particularly like it because it is not too heavy after a big meal like thanksgiving, and it is not over spiced like store bought pumpkin pie. In my experience this recipe has been a crowd-pleaser, and you’ll soon be getting requests for the recipie.

Ginger Pumpkin Tart

Adapted from this recipe. 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups crushed ginger snaps
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree,
• 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• Pinch salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put a 9-inch removable-bottom fluted tart pan on a baking sheet.

Make the crust by combining the ginger cookie crumbs and melted butter in a large bowl, until well blended. Add the crumbs to the tart pan and evenly press over the bottom and up the sides with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake until set and a bit darker in color, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, condensed milk, egg yolks and salt until well blended. Pour the filling into the cooled crust, return to the oven, and bake until set and beginning to brown on the top, about 30 minutes. Remove tart from the oven, cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator, at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

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Enjoy!

Bitter Greens Salad with Orange

Bitter Greens Salad with Orange 

There’s always so much food on Thanksgiving that everyone I know complains, including me.

Before: there’s going to be too much food. Day of: there’s too much food. Day after: there was too much food.

The complaining is a necessary part of the routine IMHO, maybe in a way to forgive ourselves the plenty. And for overeating of course. 

But the whole idea of Thanksgiving IS the plenty. Isn’t that symbolic of all the things we are thankful for?

Well, I don’t want to get any more philosophical. So I’ll just say I like serving lots of food, even if everyone groans “there’s too much!” and then eats everything and then complains. Call it the Jewish mother in me.

But honestly, one thing I find helpful when serving a meal of plenty that includes heavy dishes like stuffing and potatoes and gravy and vegetables with crusts or sauces, is to have a salad too. Not just as an extra, another side dish to put on the table, but because salad ingredients, especially if they have robust greens (arugula, endive, radicchio, watercress and so on) and acidic dressings (vinaigrette as opposed to Ranch or thick sour cream dressings) help balance and lighten up the meal. 

Here’s a salad made with three kinds of hardy greens, cut with chunks of orange, a little crunch of nuts (you can leave these out if you wish) and a light citrusy dressing. It’s pretty too, adding a bit of color to the meal.

Bitter Greens Salad with Orange

• 3 navel oranges

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 3 large Belgian endives

• 1 bunch watercress

• 1 small head radicchio

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 3-4 tablespoons toasted pignoli nuts, optional

Grate enough of the peel of one orange to equal one teaspoon. Place in a bowl and add the white wine vinegar, olive oil and mustard. Halve the orange that has been grated and squeeze the juice from one of the halves into the bowl. Mix to blend the ingredients completely and set aside. Reserve the other half of the orange for other purposes. Peel the remaining two oranges and remove all the white pith that surrounds the segments. Cut the orange flesh into thick slices, then cut the slices into chunks and set aside. Wash and dry the endive leaves and cut them in half. Place the endive in a bowl. Wash and dry the watercress, discard any thick stems and add to the bowl with the endive. Wash and dry the radicchio leaves, cut them if they are large, and add them to the bowl and toss the greens. Pour the dressing over the leaves and toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter the nuts over the salad if desired.

Makes 8 servings

Kale and Potato Gratin

With Thanksgiving approaching I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who voted for me in the MobileSkillet App contest. This is the company that held a recipe/foodphoto contest and the winner will get an App created for the idea.

I was a semi-finalist and then became a finalist with 9 other possible winners!!

Last step: I had to submit four essays. Handed them in this morning, hours before the deadline. Sound familiar to anyone?

Please root for me! They let us know in December

And thanks again.

Here’s the finalist recipe and photo:

Kale and Potato Gratin

6 servings
 

INGREDIENTS

4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes

1 large bunch kale 

4 tablespoons butter 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1-¾ cups low-fat milk

Salt

Black pepper

⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

4 ounces Swiss cheese

2 slices homestyle white bread

1½ ounces Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2. Butter an 8 X 8-inch baking dish or cake pan.

3. Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Place them in a saucepan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Let the potatoes cool and cut them into slices.

4. Place half the potato slices on the bottom of the baking dish.

5. While the potatoes are cooking, wash the kale and remove the thick stems from the bottom. Chop the leaves and thin stems coarsely.

6. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Immerse the kale and cook for 7-8 minutes or until soft. Drain and squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop the kale into smaller pieces and set it aside.

7. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for about one minute. Gradually add the milk and stir until the sauce is smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and the nutmeg.

8. Grate the Swiss cheese and add it to the pan. Stir to blend it in.

9. Stir in the kale. Spoon half the mixture over the potatoes in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining potatoes and kale mixture.

10. Grate the bread to make fresh breadcrumbs. Place them in a bowl.

11. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and mix it into the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the kale.

12. Grate the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle it over the bread crumbs. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone

Bread Stuffing with Figs and Hazelnuts

I always make three stuffings at our Thanksgiving dinner: my Mom’s famous “filling” which is basically mushrooms, onions and celery mixed with barley shaped egg noodles and eggs PLUS the old, beloved Chestnut-Sausage recipe that, if I didn’t make, Ed and my kids would march out in protest, PLUS a new one which I change every year, just because, why not? 

This year the new version will be this one with hazelnuts. My decision was based partly on Hurricane Sandy. I lost power for 6 days and had to discard a lot of food. But as I was cleaning out the freezer I discovered a perfectly good a container full of hazelnuts, so why not use them up? 

When I make a stuffing with nuts in it I like the idea of adding fruit too. The sweet taste is a good balance for the savory, salty ingredients. Fruit also adds texture, which I think is very important in a good stuffing. This version has two kinds: chewy dried figs and crisp, tender fresh apple, both play against the crunch of the hazelnuts.

I make my stuffings a day or two ahead and cook them in a casserole dish, but you can actually use this one as a stuffing, right inside the bird (cut down on the stock in the recipe). I try to use a shallow dish, because we like stuffing crunchy and a shallow dish gives you more surface area to brown. For moister stuffing outside the bird, use a deep casserole.

BREAD STUFFING WITH FIGS AND HAZELNUTS

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 large, tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup cut up dried figs

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts

8 cups 1/2-inch diced bread cubes

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock*

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. Add the apple, figs and raisins and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Spoon the mixture into a large bowl. Add the nuts, bread cubes, parsley, rosemary and thyme and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the stock (*1 cup if you cook the stuffing inside the bird; 2 cups if you bake the stuffing separately or prefer a moister stuffing). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the bird OR place the ingredients in a casserole. To cook outside of the bird: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes or until the top is browned and crispy.

Makes about 12 cups