Red Lentil Dahl with Curried Butternut Squash and Carrots

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 pound butternut squash
• 1 medium vidalia onion
• 1 cup carrots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons ginger
• 1 tablespoon curry powder 
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon McCormack® Peppercorn Medley
• 1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed if needed
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Directions:

Mince ginger and garlic and set aside.  Mince the onion and set aside. Peel and cube butternut squash and set aside.  Slice carrots and set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a sauteuse pan until golden brown.  Brown squash, carrots, onions, garlic, and ginger until the vegetables are tender, approximately 15-20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Add in curry powder, salt, and pepper and cook approximately 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add lentils, stock, and water and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 25 to 40 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Myrtle's Note:  I made some changes, but I will also say that the ingredient list and the directions on the original recipe did not match up.  I assumed the directions and so, while I added salt since it was not on the list, it was not enough.  The recipe above is a combination of both what I did do and what I will do next time, such as use an entire teaspoon of salt.  The main change was both change the type of and reduce the liquid, based on what I know works with the Red Lentil Dahl recipe. I also changed the type of oil and increased the carrots.  Biting into the butternut squash and carrots with the lentils was rather tasty.  Because I omitted the cilantro oil, I am not sure what value the lemon juice has.  Next time I plan to use lemon grass (similar to the Vietnamese Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes) and will change the recipe here if it works better.  In a nut shell, the vegetables were a great addition to the red lentils, but the lentil base did not have as much flavor as the Red Lentil Dahl and so the bites without the vegetables were not quite as good. My thoughts on the next round are to add 1 tablespoon lemongrass and at least double the curry to 2 tablespoons.  I also am thinking it might be best to add the curry while the vegetables are cooking.  Maybe.  All that aside, I really liked this dish.  I just know it can be better.

Yield: 6 servings

Adapted From:  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Curried-Squash-and-Red-Lentil-Soup-351416

Roasted Butternut Squash and Goat Milk Cheese Pasta

Ingredients:  

• 2 Butternut Squash
• olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/8 cup flour
• 2 cups hot milk
• 6 ounces goat's milk cheese
• 1 tablespoon Gourmet Gardens® Minced Garlic
• Sea salt
• McCormack Peppercorn Medley®
• Ground thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 16 ounces (dry) shell pasta

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Directions:

Cut two butternut squashes in half length-wise.  Scoop out seeds and stringy flesh and discard.  Place all four halves on metal pan.  Generously cover exposed flesh with olive oil, using your fingertips to work it into the flesh.  Generously salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with thyme.  Roast for 55-60 minutes, until fork tender.  The top will be browned.

Scoop out the flesh of one butternut squash (both halves) and purée.   You will need 1/2 cup for this recipe.  You can freeze the rest in 1/2 cup portions for making this or other recipes at a later date.

Score the other butternut squash (both halves) down to the peel in a grid, so that you create one inch cubes. Separate the cubes from the peel.  You may end up with a bit of light colored inner peel on the bottom of the cube that you will want to trim away.  

Bring a large pot of water to boil, adding a bit of salt and olive oil to the water.  Boil the shell pasta 12 minutes (or according to the package directions).

Start the sauce at the same time as you add the pasta to the boiling water.  In a large (5 quart) sauteuse pan, melt butter and garlic and let it simmer.  As it is simmering, heat up your milk.

Add flour, slowly, stirring constantly.  Allow mixture to turn golden brown, stirring constantly.  It should look a little bit foamy.  

Slowly, stirring constantly, add the milk to the mixture.  Allow to simmer strongly, still stirring.  Whilst it is simmering, add in nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon thyme,  1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.  The sauce will reduce and thicken. 

Once it has thickened, stir in the goat milk cheese.  It will eventually melt and disappear into the sauce as you continue to stir.  Then add 1/2 cup puréed roasted butternut squash to the sauce and stir thoroughly.

Finally, drain the pasta after it finishes cooking.  Then add drained pasta and cubed roasted butternut squash to the sauce and toss.  Serve warm.  

Myrtle's Note:  This will freeze well.  When re-heating, add a bit of milk or heavy whipping cream to the bowl before you put it in the microwave.  

Yield:  6-8 

Source:  Myrtle's head!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cheese Pasta

Ingredients: 

• Butternut squash
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• McCormick® Peppercorn Medley
• 1 tablespoon roasted garlic butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3 oz Brie cheese (no rind)
• 2 oz extra sharp white cheddar cheese
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 8 ounces mezze penne pasta
• 3 bacon slices

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Directions:

Slice the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Smear the entire exposed surface with olive oil, salt, and generously pepper.  Roast at 400 for approximately 40-45 minutes.

While the butternut squash is roasting, snip the bacon into quarter inch strips.  Drop into a pan and cook until crispy.  [I have found that cutting it raw before hand instead of crumbling afterwards makes for a more evenly cooked bacon "bit."]  Let drain on paper towel and set aside.

Shred cheddar.  Soften cream cheese.  Cut Brie into small bits.  Set aside.

Once the butternut squash is roasted, scoop out a generous cup for the recipe.  The rest can be used for something else tasty.  Alternatively, you can roast just one half.  Smash or purée and set aside.

Bring to a boil water and add the pasta.  I add tiny bit of salt and olive oil to my water.  Cook, drain, and set aside.

In a sauteuse or high sided frying pan, melt the roasted garlic butter.  Using a flat whisk or cooking fork, slowly mix in the flour until you have a thick paste.  Allow the mixture to cook for a bit before very, very slowly beginning to add the milk, stirring constantly.  Once the milk is completely added, allow to simmer for a few minutes to begin the thickening process.

Next, very, very slowly add in the cheeses, alternating types and stirring constantly.  Once all the cheeses are melted, sprinkle sage and nutmeg across the top and salt and pepper to taste.

Now, slowly stir in the butternut squash.  Mix thoroughly to ensure a complete blending.  Once blended, add in the pasta and stir thoroughly.

Serve in bowls.  Garnish with the bacon crispy strips.

Myrtle's Note:  This recipe is half of the original.  Since I had only half the brie needed, I supplemented that part of the recipe with Havarti.  I am looking forward to having this again with the full portion of brie.  I also substituted yellow cheddar with Wisconsin white, added sage, and started with a béchamel sauce rather than straight milk.  Finally, I have seen several ways of roasting butternut squash.  Usually, I cube it and toss it on the baking stone, but this time I roasted it whole.  I liked not having to slice or peel, just split and seed!

Yield:  4 servings

Adapted from:  http://www.farmgirlgourmet.com/2011/10/roasted-butternut-squash-brie-mac.html

Butternut Squash, Sage, and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Hazelnut Brown Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash (2 lbs)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
• 1 garlic clove minced
• Salt
• McCormick® Peppercorn Medley
• 3 oz. aged goat cheese
• 60 wonton wrappers
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Directions:

Cut squash in half length wise and scoop out seeds.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast until the flesh is very tender.  Approximately 30-35 minute.  Allow to cool.  Turn off the oven.

Scoop out squash flesh into a medium bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.

Melt the tablespoon of butter in a 10 inch skillet over moderate heat.  Add onion, sage, salt, and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until onion is golden brown, approximately 5-8 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook, approximately 1 minute.

After allowing the mixture to cool, add it and the goat cheese to the squash and blend together.

To make the ravioli, set one wonton wrapper on a lightly floured surface.  Place a dollop of the squash mixture into the center.  Dip your finger in water and went the surface of the wonton all around the dollop of squash.  Place a second wonton on top and press together, allowing all the air to escape.  Trim the edges, if desired.  Transfer the ravioli to a kitchen cloth (not terry cloth) to allow it to dry.  Repeat until the filling is finished.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

In a 10-inch skillet, cook hazelnuts in the stick of butter until the butter begins to brown.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and keep warm.

Add 1/3 of the ravioli to a gently boiling pot of salted water (approximately 1 tablespoon per every 4 quarts) and cook until they rise to the surface and are tenter, approximately 6 minutes.  Do not allow the water to return to a vigorous boil once you have started cooking the ravioli.

With a slotted spoon to drain off excess water, transfer the cooked ravioli to a buttered baking sheet with sides, cover with foil, and keep warm in the oven. Cook remaining ravioli in two batches.

Divide ravioli among six plates and top with sauce.

Myrtle's Note:  I minced the onions (to mask them) and minced the hazelnuts into as fine a ground as possible.  I also added cream to the brown butter sauce.


Yield: 6

Source:  The Gourmet Cookbook (2004), Ruth Reichel ed., p. 236-237

Butternut Squash Brunch Braid

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups butternut squash, seeded and cubed (1/2 inch or smaller pieces)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Peppercorn Medley 
• 4 slices Wright's thick slab, applewood smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled/chopped 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1can Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet 
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, fresh grated or shaved
• 1 egg white, beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Reduce to 375 degrees after roasting the squash.

Directions:

Peel and cube the butternut squash into small pieces.  Place in a bowl and toss with olive oil, peppercorn medley, and brown sugar.  Spread onto an edged baking stone and roast for approximately 30 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, cook the bacon to crispy, golden brown.  Place on paper towel and let cool.  Crumble or chop into small pieces and put into a small dish.  Thoroughly toss the thyme into the bacon bits and set aside.

Lay out the crescent roll dough.  If you have the perforated kind, place the four rectangles together into a larger rectangle and pinch the seams together.  Take kitchen shears and fringe the long edges, approximately 1.5 inches or so deep on each side.

Once the squash is finished, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Add the bacon bits to the squash still in the pan and toss well.  Then, line the middle of the dough (between the fringe cuts) with squash and bacon mixture.  Top with Parmesan cheese.

Two at a time, pull the fringe pieces up on each side and press together in the middle.  Once you are finished, there will be gaps along the top, almost as if you had braided the top of the dough. Brush the top with egg white.  Bake 20-25 minutes, until deep golden brown.  Let sit for five minutes before cutting.


Myrtle's Note:  The recipe called for onions, but I do not like onions. If you do, chop one small-medium onion into fine pieces.  Brown in the bacon grease.  Then mix the onions, bacon bits, and thyme together in a small bowl.  Then toss all three into the squash before loading it onto the dough.  I doubled the brown sugar because one tablespoon did not coat my cubes well.  I also changed the recipe from black pepper to the peppercorn medley and doubled the amount.  I also increased the parmesan cheese.  While I made it with fresh grated Parmesan, I plan to use fresh shaved Parmesan going forward.  Finally, the recipe called for layering the bacon (and omitted onions) on the bottom and topping them with the squash.  I believe tossing everything together made for a better filling, a better bite for each bite.


Yield: 4-6

Source:  http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/butternut-squash-brunch-braid/06955b57-4dba-4eb0-9040-95be19384c05