Squash Risotto with Taleggio & Fried Sage Leaves

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Butternut squash risotto.  Hardly a new idea, I know.  You’ve probably been seeing it on restaurant menus every fall and winter for decades.  You probably already have your own way of making it at home.  Why should you bother reading about this risotto rendition?

I’ll tell you why.  Because tonight you are going to bypass the Gorgonzola Dolce that you’d usually put on top and opt for a super stinky, creamy Taleggio instead.  You’ll grate the squash and let it get as silky and creamy as the rice.  You’ll go ahead and take the extra thirty seconds it takes to fry a couple of sage leaves to add a little contrast, a bit of crunch.  Then you’ll sit back and realize there will always be room in your heart (and tummy) for another bowl of butternut squash risotto.

Just a few ingredients: rice, shallots, sage, cheese.  You’ll also need wine, broth, butter, and oil, but they’re a little camera-shy.

Prepping is super easy.  Just shred the squash, dice the shallot, and you are ready for pan-action.

You probably know the drill- heat some oil and butter, saute your shallot, add some arborio rice, get a little toasty.  A splash of white wine for the pan, a splash for the cook.  In goes the squash, slowly add broth.  Don’t rush it, don’t ignore it too long.  It’ll be worth the trouble, I swear.

Heat a touch of oil and fry your sage leaves until they are crispy and fragrant.  Look at you, fancy pants!  Now you have two garnishes for your dinner: fried sage leaves and an infused sage oil to drizzle over the top.

Put it all together.  Risotto, spoonful (or two) of melty Taleggio, crispy sage leaves, a touch of herb oil.  Yeah, that’s right.  It’s good.  Real good.

Squash Risotto with Taleggio & Fried Sage Leaves
 
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Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a first course. Leftover risotto can be formed into a cakes or croquettes for a delicious lunch.
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1½ c. Arborio Rice (short grained Italian rice)
  • 1½ c. Butternut Squash, grated (fast in the food processor or use box grater)
  • 2 medium Shallots, minced
  • ½ c. Dry White Wine
  • 4-5 c. Vegetable or Chicken Broth, hot
  • 3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
  • 1 Tbsp. Butter
  • few sprigs Fresh Sage, divided
  • Taleggio Cheese (as much as you like!)
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 Tbsp.olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in wide sauce pan over medium heat.
  2. Add minced shallots, season with salt, and saute until translucent.
  3. Add rice and saute until it takes on a little golden color and makes a "click" sound as you stir it around the pan, about 1 minute.
  4. Add wine and allow rice to absorb.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1 c. of the hot broth, grated squash, and a sprig of sage.
  6. Cook over medium-low heat, about 45 minutes, stirring often and adding more broth as the pan becomes dry. Taste and season as necessary with salt and coarse black pepper. The risotto is done when the rice is cooked to a creamy consistency but still has a little firmness in the very center of the grain.
  7. Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in small sauce pan and fry sage leaves until crisp and fragrant. Removes leaves and sprinkle with salt, reserve oil.
  8. Divide risotto among warm plates. Top each portion with a spoonful of Taleggio and a couple fried sage leaves. Drizzle with reserved sage oil.

 

Lamb Chops with Sweet & Sour Squash Ragu

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I hear people become more extraordinary versions of themselves in extreme situations.  You know, suddenly have the strength to lift a mangled Cadillac to release a trapped baby, find courage to run inside a burning building to save an elderly woman’s cat, selflessly throw yourself in front of a speeding bullet, figure out what to do with half a butternut squash and lamb chops that were picked up on a whim…

You can probably guess which of these situations I found myself in recently and I am happy to say the old lady and her cat are very happy to have both survived the blaze.  It was nothing, really.  I’m sure you would have done the same.

Oh, you don’t buy it?

Fine, you win, it was the one about the squash and the lamb and it felt pretty extraordinary at the time.  It was one of the weeknights where I was cranky and tired and really just wanted to come home and crash, not cook, and definitely not take a zillion food pictures.  But that boyfriend of mine happened to be coming home at the same time and just had to stop by the grocery store and discover lamb loin chops were on sale.

Matt has the tendency to go to the store, make a bee-line for the meat or fish counter, buy whatever looks good, and count on me to come up with the rest.  When I’m in the right mood, it’s fun and I can pretend I’m on Iron Chef, without the pressure.  When I’m tired and don’t feel like cooking it feels more like a chore for a taken-for-granted housewife.

But I have a cooking blog now.  I’m not just cooking for myself or Matt, I’m cooking for all of you.  It’s my duty and an honor.  Plus, there were lamb chops on the line.  I had to rise to the occasion.  So I stepped out of my cranky-pants, rooted around the fridge, and became the more extraordinary version of myself.

What did I find in the refrigerator?  Half a squash, green olives, mint, red onion, a lemon.  Let’s grab some currants, cinnamon, and vinegar from the cupboard and see if we can land this dish somewhere between Sicily and Morocco.

No time to dilly-dally, we’re on a mission.  Let’s chop the onion, get it sizzling, and put it all together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let it bubble and perk.  This is going to taste way more complex than you’d think possible for a thirty minute simmer.  Sear your chops, make some couscous, and you’re there.  Dinner!  You did it.  You’ve uncovered your extraordinary self.  You stepped up, impressed yourself, impressed that person you sometimes feed.  You’re good under-pressure and this beats moping around in your crabby-pants.

 

Lamb Chops with Sweet & Sour Squash
 
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This quick squash ragu could easily be served without the lamb as a vegetarian/vegan main course.
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Serves: 2, generously
Ingredients
  • 2 c. Butternut Squash, cubed
  • 2 c. Tomatoes, crushed
  • ½ medium Red Onion, diced
  • ¼ c. Dried Currants
  • ½ c. Green Olives, pitted and chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • ½ tsp. Fennel Seeds
  • Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 1 Tbsp. Lemon Peel, julienned
  • 1 Tbsp. Honey
  • 1 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. Fresh Mint
  • 1 Tbsp.. Fresh Oregano
  • 4 Porterhouse Lamb Chops (loin chops)
  • Prepared Couscous
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add red onion, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes, season with salt and saute until the onions take on a little color, 2-3 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, boil squash until it is slightly tender, about 5 minutes, and drain. This will speed up your dinner significantly.
  3. Add crushed tomatoes and squash to onions along with cinnamon stick, lemon peel, currants, olives, honey, and vinegar. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and maintain a simmer until the squash is tender, the tomatoes have reduced, and the flavors have married, about 30 minutes, adding water if pan becomes too dry.
  4. In the final 10 minutes of cooking, prepare couscous and lamb chops. The lamb chops are seasoned with salt & pepper and seared in a lightly oiled pan 2-3 minutes per side. Allow to rest while you finish the ragu.
  5. Season ragu as necessary with additional honey, vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Stir in chopped mint and oregano.
  6. Serve ragu over couscous and top with lamb chops. Sprinkle with additional herbs, if desired.
Notes
You could also braise chunks of lamb in the ragu rather than serving with seared chops.

Autumn Harvest Quinoa Muffins

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I’ll admit it.  On occasion, after eating what is essentially dessert for breakfast five days straight, I feel a tiny twinge of guilt.

But what’s a girl to do?  A girl’s gotta eat.  And this girl has got to bake!

Solution: a healthy, hearty, grainy, good-for-your-body muffin.  No delicate, dainty muffin here.  This is a muffin that wakes up, steps into steel-toed boots, fastens its toolbelt, and gets to work.  And it works hard.  It’s going to get you out of bed, out the door, and carry you all the way through ’til lunch.  This muffin is not going to flake out on you.  How many other muffins can you count on to do the same?

Building blocks:  quinoa (it’s a super-food, you know), squash, apples, raisins, nuts.

That’s grated butternut squash, not cheddar cheese.  Hmm…cheddar might not be a bad idea…next time.

Combine dry ingredients, brown a bit of butter, whisk egg with buttermilk, toss the quinoa and other tasty touches together in a bowl.

butternut squash, golden, raisins, pecans, apple, brown butter, cinnamon

Bring it all together.  Into a muffin tin and into your oven.

butternut squash, quinoa, muffin, golden raisins, pecans, nuts, apples, cinnamon, hearty, healthy, whole grain, whole-wheat

Golden & toasty, a little crunchy, a lot healthy, super satisfying.  I call middle-right, you can have top-left.

squash, apple, raisin, quinoa, muffin, fall, hearty, healthy

You are going to love these wholesome, nutty muffins.  They’re so good you might not even want to go back to your more decadent breakfasts next week.  You may even make another batch, try another variation, other whole grains, different secret vegetal add-ins.

healthy, whole grain, squash, apple, pecan, raisins

Or maybe you’ll rediscover the jar of nutella.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Autumn Harvest Quinoa Muffins
 
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These muffins are wholesome, flavorful, and moist with just enough crunch. Customize them with your nuts and favorite dried fruits.
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1½ c. All Purpose Flour
  • 1 c. Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • ½ c. Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1½ c. Buttermilk
  • 1 Egg
  • ¼ c. Unsalted Butter, melted and browned
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1 c. Cooked Quinoa
  • 1 c. Grated Apple (1 medium apple)
  • ½ c. Grated Butternut Squash
  • ½ c. Golden Raisins
  • ½ c. Pecans, chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Butter or spray a 12 cup muffin tin.
  2. Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon in large bowl. Mix well.
  3. In medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, browned butter, and vanilla.
  4. In another medium bowl, combine quinoa, apple, squash, raisins, and pecans.
  5. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.
  6. Fold quinoa mixture into muffin batter and scoop into prepared muffin cups.
  7. Bake until golden and tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

 

Sweet & Spicy Toasted Squash Seeds

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I try to take time to do a couple nice things for myself everyday.  Today I drank my coffee in bed, took a walk with my camera, and made myself a tasty treat that didn’t require any trips to the grocery store.

If you’re like me, you eat a lot of squash throughout the fall and winter.  And if you don’t, you’re missing out on wondrous squash soups, squash risotto, roasted squash hash, squash puree, stuffed squash, and…

…lots and lots of squash seeds.

But those are not garbage or even compost.  Those seeds are your favorite autumnal snack!  They’re the best thing to munch with beer, contribute a little crunch to a salad, or add a little pop to your perfectly pureed soup.

Super easy to make- just clean, soak, season, and toast.

 

 

 

I enjoyed some of my seeds under a clear blue sky with a glass of apple cider and a good book.  What are you going to do with yours?

 

Sweet & Spicy Toasted Squash Seeds
 
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These roasted squash seeds make a crunchy garnish for soups and salads and are a perfect nibble with drinks.
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Ingredients
  • 1 c. Squash Seeds (cleaned, soaked in salted water overnight, and rinsed)
  • 2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • ½ tsp. Cinnamon
  • ¼ - ½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 tsp. Rosemary, finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp. Kosher Salt
  • 1 Tbsp. Dark Brown Sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325°.
  2. Combine prepped squash seeds with oil, spices, rosemary, salt, and sugar; stir until seeds are evenly coated.
  3. Spread seeds evenly over baking sheets and bake until seeds are golden and toasty, about 25 minutes. Stir often and watch carefully as these can easily be burned.
  4. Allow to cool before serving or transferring to an airtight container.