Alright, here's one that all of you can make, but some of you may think you can't, but you really can. There are just a few ingredients, easy, no frills cooking instructions, and it is a wonderful side dish that goes well with most anything.I came up with this by bastardizing a recipe for a potato gratin that I have used for years. It is a great recipe, but I found myself one day without enough potatoes to make a gratin, cakes, mashers or anything, so I got creative. I was actually fairly amazed at how well it turned out. I would put it on any fall menu were I still game-fully employed in the regular restaurant industry. I hope you will try it out, and I hope you like it.
ingredients:
- one small to medium butternut squash, peeled
- enough small to medium sized potatoes to make the squash weigh two pounds (about two), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- one quarter sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1.5 c. heavy cream ( do not be scared here)
- 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese ( you can use the expensive stuff if you want, but you don't have to, and most folks have this on hand already)
- salt and pepper to taste
- sprinkling of dried thyme, about a teaspoon
method :
- first of all, I must try and demystify the butternut squash. Sure, you see them in the store and think, "hmm I bet that would be good, but I dunno....looks like a lot of work..." Stop right there. It is easy as pie to break one down if you follow a simple procedure. Use a normal vegetable peeler to peel it, although you may have to be a little more aggressive in your peeling stroke, it will peel just like a carrot. Make sure when you peel it that you get all traces of green rind looking stuff off, down to the flesh. Once you have it peeled, lop off both ends with a sturdy knife. If big knives scare you, place a kitchen towel between your hand and the blade of the knife as you apply even pressure over the whole of the knife, one hand on the handle, the other over the back of the blade. At this point I like to break it down further in two steps, the "neck" and the "bulb". The neck is easy, just slice it down the center along it's length, and then slice those halves into 1/8 to 1/4 inch pieces. The bulb requires a little more cleaning, but not that bad. Just slice it in half and use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds*. Then break it down so that you have slices similar to those of the neck. Easy squash butchery, there ya go! Now you are ready.
- since the recipe calls for 2 pounds of vegetable matter, you will need to use a scale, but not really though, although it is great to have a digital scale around the house for baking etc. If you can't find one at your local kitchen supplier, or you don't want to visit your local "head shop" then go on line. There are many different types of scales, you just want to make sure you get one that will allow you to use various forms of measure (metric/standard...) and that will handle poundage. I like to start by placing a large, light weight bowl on my scale and "taring" it, or "zeroing" it out.
- as you begin to cut up your veggies, add them to the bowl, that way you can keep an eye on the weight, start with the potatoes first, then the squash and again, if you really go over, just use a little more cream and a bigger casserole dish.
- once all of your veggies are in the bowl, potatoes, squash and sweet onions, add all the other stuff and mix well. use the same bowl you measured in, less mess.
- transfer the ingredients to a lubricated 9"X9" casserole dish and use your hands, or a spatula to press it evenly into the dish. if the stuff looks a little dry, no matter, the squash will release a bit of moisture during the cooking process and provide all the liquid the dish needs. if you have gone over with the veggies and they don't fit, move up to 9"X13" and increase the cream in the recipe by one half cup, for a total of 2 cups...the cheese, that's your call.
- cover the dish and bale @ 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, carefully remove from the oven using potholders and remove the covering. place the casserole back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes, or until she starts looking too browned.
- allow the dish to rest 10 to 15 minutes to set, then enjoy. this will provide a nice side dish for at least 6 to 8 people ( with the small casserole)
* cook's notes.
1) yes, if you so desire to go through the laborious task of sorting seeds from pulp, they are very much roast-able like pumpkin seeds, good garnish material, or additions to morning cereals, hot or cold.
2) you may choose to dress this one up by using fresh thyme in the dish, and fresh parsley or chives as a garnish, and I absolutely LOVE the use of fresh herbs as well as other ingredients whenever possible, however, the theme of this show is to make the most out of what you have, most folks have dried thyme in their spice rack, and if you don't, and you like my recipes. do yourself a favor and get some SOON. It is a big favorite of mine and shows up frequently.
3) This recipe suggestion, like most of mine, is but a template...a place from which to start exploring. I use Yukon Gold potatoes because I love them, but you can use any potato you want, sweet potatoes even. I have heard that the more orange the food, the better it is for you, but I AM NOT A DOCTOR, NOR A NUTRITIONIST AND YOU SHOULD RESEARCH NUTRITION FACTS ON YOUR OWN, maybe we can eventually set up a ling to a website for that type of info??? But my point is, play around a bit, mix and match flavors and ingredients, I bet a little curry powder would go a long way in here. In any case, get familiar with easy to make recipes like this one so that you can throw together good, home cooked foods for your soul and your family.
No comments:
Post a Comment