Butternut Casserole

We've had a hard time growing winter squash in the greenhouse.  Between the heat, the squash bugs, the cucumber beetles, and the diseases associated with all of the above, we've never had a good crop until this year. The guineas killed the bugs. But most importantly, we got some extra special seeds from the fantastic folks at the local seed company, Commonwealth.

Butternut Casserole

1 medium butternut squash (2 pounds, more or less)

2 eggs

3 Tbs maple syrup

1/4 c cream (or milk or the milk substitute of your choice)

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

1/4 tsp salt
nutmeg

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Put the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet with sides. Bake for 40 minutes (more or less, depending on the size and shape of your squash) at 375 degrees (more or less, depending on if you have something else in the oven at a slightly different temperature) until it feels cooked  when you poke it with a fork. Let cool at room temperature until you can handle it. (I sometimes do this the night before.)

Preheat oven to 350.

Scoop out the squash pulp and mash it with your favorite mashing method. Potato masher, electric mixer, stick blender, food processor.  Any of them work.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the nutmeg, and mix well. 

Pour into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake for 45 minutes or until it seems cooked when you wiggle the dish.

It's mildly sweet, and a perfect fall side dish.

Quick Caprese Salad

I've given you the Traditional Caprese Salad Recipe. This is the quick version, and honestly, it's the one I usually use. 

 Quick Caprese Salad

• 2 # of a variety of excellent homegrown tomatoes
• 12 oz. fresh mozzarella balls
• fresh basil
• really good olive oil
• balsamic glaze
• fresh ground salt and pepper.

Slice or chunk the tomatoes (if you have grape or cherry tomatoes, you don't even have to do that). Put the tomatoes in your serving dish, and sprinkle some salt on them. Chop the basil (which is really easy with herb scissors). Add the basil and mozzarella balls to the tomatoes. Toss lightly. Drizzle with lots of olive oil and balsamic glaze. Add pepper and salt to taste.

Rebaked Potatoes

 I used to have a copy of Mollie Katzen's The Enchanted Broccoli Forest book. It was one of my favorite cookbooks.  I've been looking for her recipe for Rebaked Potatoes. I have found a recipe that's similar, but not exactly what I remember. So I'm writing down what I did, so I'll at least have a starting point next time I try to make it. And with any luck, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest will magically reappear on my shelves, so I don't have to guess again.

Rebaked Potatoes

4 fist-sized baking potatoes (Russet or Kenebec)

1/3 C mayonnaise

1 C cottage cheese

4 hard cooked eggs, finely chopped

1 1/2 T dijon mustard

1 t salt

2 t fresh dill weed or 1 t dried 

1 C grated cheddar

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1/2 t ground pepper

Topping:

extra grated cheddar

paprika

sliced tomatoes (optional)

Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven until done. When cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the potato innards, leaving 1/4 of the potato near the skin.

Place the potato innards in a bowl. Mash them with the mayonnaise and cottage cheese. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the topping). Mix well.

Put the potato skins in a 9x13" baking dish. Fill each of the potato skins. Put a tomato slice on each potato and sprinkle extra cheese and paprika over the top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

 Overrun with broccoli? Craving something cheesy?  Try this Broccoli Cheddar Soup.         

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

4 cups chopped broccoli

4 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)

2 bay leaves

1 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup chopped onion

4 large gloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

1 cup grated sharp cheddar

1/2 cup grated mozzarella or gouda  

1 cup 1/2-n-1/2

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Put the stock, broccoli, carrots and bay leaves in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 7-10 minutes until the broccoli is tender.

2. In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Stir until the onions are translucent.

3. Add flour to the butter and onions. Stir until there are no flour lumps. Let the flour cook for a minute to reduce the raw flour taste.

4. Slowly add the stock and vegetables to the butter and flour, stirring as you go.

5. Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Add the nutmeg, cayenne, basil, salt, and pepper.  Stir well

6. Add the 1/2-n-1/2 and stir.

7. Sprinkle the cheddar and mozzarella in very slowly, stirring as you go. (If you dump the cheese in too quickly, you run the risk of having a big lump of cheese at the bottom of the soup.)

Red Simmered Chicken Wings

This is my oldest son's favorite recipes when he was growing up.  It is the easiest meal in the world to make. Just start some rice, start the chicken wings, and stir-fry whatever vegetables are handy as a side dish. A three course meal in under an hour.

Red Simmered Chicken Wings

Ingredients

• 4 # chicken wings cut into sections (save the tips for making chicken stock, if you are cutting the wings yourself)
• 4 scallions, cut in 1" slices on the diagonal
• 1/2 C soy sauce
• 1/2 C sherry
• 1 C water

Method

• Put wings, soy sauce, sherry, and water in a pot
• Bring to a boil
• Reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes
• Uncover and add the scallions
  
• Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes more, stirring frequently to make sure each of the wings is uniformly cooked in the yummy sauce.

Many versions of this recipe call for brown sugar, but I have never made it with the sugar, and I'm pretty sure it isn't necessary.

 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookes with Honey!

I grew up eating chocolate chip cookies made with honey.  They were sweet, soft, and oh so delicious fresh out of the oven. I was surprised to find out that other people thought that Toll House cookies were good. 

Now, I like both kinds.

This is a recipe that my grandmother found during WWII rationing. They could get honey, but sugar was definitely harder to get. 

We always doubled the recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/3 C butter

1 egg

1/2 C honey

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C chocolate chips

 

• Cream butter
• Add honey and egg. Beat
• Sift dry ingredients together and add to mixture
• Stir in chips and vanilla
• Blend well
• Chill
• Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet
• Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes
   

Asian Slaw with Pac Choi

We can't seem to grow a decent cabbage in the greenhouses.  It's an embarrassment. However, we can grow pac choi. Pac choi has a few advantages over cabbage - crunchy texture, bright green leaves, no hard core in the middle. 

However,  if you have a cabbage on hand and find yourself without pac choi,  you can substitute one for the other and have a perfectly delicious slaw.

Most recipes for Asian Slaw use ramen noodles with the flavor packets.  The list of ingredients on the flavor packet is pretty terrifying, so I make the slaw without it.

Fresh Asian Slaw with Pac Choi

Salad:
1 # pac choi (the full sized stuff, not the baby), sliced thin (food processors make this so easy)
1 carrot, sliced thin
5 scallions, sliced
1 C microgreens, pea shoots, or bean sprouts

Dressing:
2/3 C oil (whatever type you like)
1/3 C cane sugar 
1/3 C rice vinegar
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp tamari

Crunchies:
1 packet ramen (any flavor because you are throwing it out)
1/2 C slivered almonds
1/2 C sunflower kernels (optional)

1. Toss the salad ingredients
2. Mix all the dressing ingredients in a pint mason jar and shake well.
3. Preheat the oven to 450. Break up the ramen. Toast the ramen, almonds, and sunflower seeds in the oven for 5 minutes or so, stirring half way, until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool.

Now all your ingredients are ready.  Just before serving, toss everything together.