Super Foods count here is three. Not too bad. This turned into a very successful experiment. jwa was a bit skeptical, as he is with all things that involve pumpkin. Although, once I told him I was using butternut squash as a substitute, he relaxed. He has some kind of weird pumpkin phobia that strikes in the Fall and doesn’t leave until Spring.

I changed this a bit from the original — I added olive oil, the sausage and the roux. I also used chicken broth in this version (mahahahaha, Vegetarian Times!) rendering it meat-laced and definitely un-vegetarian. You can use vegetable broth if you’d like.

Feta-Pumpkin (Squash) Casserole
Based on a recipe in The Vegetarian Times
1 tbsp olive oil (plus a little extra for the pan, if desired)
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 small white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, diced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 medium butternut squash (or small sugar pumpkin), peeled and cubed
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 vegetarian sausages (I used apple-sage veggie sausage but hey, you could omit the sausage or use chicken, turkey, pork or lamb sausage)
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp rubbed sage (or 1 tsp fresh sage, shopped)
2 tbsp toasted bread crumbs
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 2-quart baking dish (or use non-stick spray). In a saute pan, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute, stirring until onion is soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini and sausage. Continue to cook until it all gets a little color and starts to look tasty.

Next, comes the pumpkin or squash and the tomato. Add it all in and stir a bit. Let saute for about 5 -6 more minutes. Then, add the butter and let it melt. Sprinkle in the flour and combine. Cook it for just a minute to get rid of raw flour taste.

Add the sherry and broth. Stir and let it all thicken up. Set the pan aside and cool off just a bit so you don’t scramble the eggs. You can also temper the eggs with just a little bit of the sauce in the pan — I think I did that in addition to letting it cool for about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg and egg whites, buttermilk and yogurt.

Add feta and spices to the sauteed vegetables and then the yogurt/buttermilk combination. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Spoon into a loaf pan or square casserole dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bread crumbs. Bake 25 minutes or until bubbly. Serve hot.

When you spoon it out it may look a little messy. Ehh. That’s just the way it goes. It’s a casserole — a dairy-based casserole — it’s not going to photograph well or look magazine-perfect. It’s kinda going to gloop out onto your plate. But, it’s great tasting, so who cares if it’s not super pretty? Not me.

Super Foods: Yogurt, Pumpkin (Squash), tomato

Next Friday will be a Sugar High Friday…on a Friday! Hooray!

Here’s a recent meal that we had that was kind of based on a recipe I saw in Bon Appétit, but I changed a lot of it, so it ended up pretty different. It started with a butternut squash on the counter that I really had to use and a recent trip to Pok Pok shack for Khao Soi Kai (the noodly-chickeny-coconut soup) and its accompanying hot chili paste, plus extra tasty embellishments (cilantro, lime, pickled things, crunchy things). What to do with the leftover chili paste? Hmmmmmm…

Then I see a recipe for squash, coconut milk, lime, curry paste, jalapeno and noodles. The wheels start to turn. turn. turn. turn. I go to the store and pick up a few more things, defrost the shrimp I have in the freezer and here I am with:

Butternut Squash with Coconut, Lemongrass, Shrimp & Basil, etc…
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Thai chili paste (or 1 minced, seeded jalapeño chili, or some other kind of hot chili paste, or etc..)
1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 piece of lemongrass, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can light unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach
1/2 lb shrimp, cleaned and if desired, tails removed (I do that when I put it in soups, just because it’s easier to eat)
Juice of 1/2 a lime
12 ounces dried udon noodles or linguine
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Extra Garnissh: Chopped green onions

Shrimp waiting patiently…

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic and squash. Sauté until nice and slightly golden, about 7-10 minutes. Add the curry and cumin seeds and mix to combine.

If your skillet is big enough to hold everything, use it for the rest of the soup. If not, use a big soup pot for everything and transfer the squash, onion mixture to the bigger pot after you add the broth. So, add broth and scrape up any golden, cooked tasty things from the bottom of the pan. (Transfer here if needed). Add the ginger piece and the lemongrass. Stir in coconut milk and chili paste — just a bit here, you can always add more. I probably added about a 1/4 teaspoon total and it was plenty hot and spicy.

Simmer uncovered until squash is completely tender and liquid is slightly reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Add the spinach and shrimp. Cook 2-3 more minutes until spinach has wilted and shrimp is about done.

Meanwhile (and you should start this step when you add the coconut milk and everythign else to the squash), cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain noodles. Add the noodles into the squash mixture and toss to blend. Give it all a squirt of lime and top with basil and green onions, if desired. Try to fish the lemongrass and ginger out. Serve. Have extra chili paste on the side for crazy people. Plan the next trip to Pok Pok for more soup and all the soup extras.

This was one of those recipes where I saw it on TV and rushed right out to get the ingredients. Plus it just looks so pretty all put together. jwa really liked it too — he had three bowls. And hey! It’s a salad. Salads are healthy and good for you.

The original recipe boiled the Brussels sprouts to cook them, which, you know, why boil when you can roast? Also, this way, you don’t loose any nutrients from the vegetables out in the boiling water — you just crispy them up. This will probably work for about four people as a nice side — this would be great alongside a bowl of soup. As a whole meal figure two hungry people.

Colorful Winter Panzanella
Adapted from a recipe by Michael Chiarello
For the croutons:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
4 cups day-old bread, crust removed, cubed
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
1/2 a red onion, sliced thinly lengthwise
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar (I substituted red wine vinegar)
Gray salt
1 lb peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash (1/2-inch dice)
1/4 cup plus 2 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, then quartered (if sprouts are very small, just halve)
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add the olive oil to a large skillet over moderate heat and let it heat up a bit. Add the garlic and thyme, and immediately add the bread cubes. Toss to coat well. Add most of the grated cheese and stir. Transfer bread to a baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and salt and pepper and gently toss again while still warm to melt the cheese. Bake stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside but still soft within, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Soak the sliced onion in the vinegar and a pinch of salt for about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Toss the squash with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Next toss the Brussels sprouts with about a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper and arrange on a second baking sheet.

Bake both vegetables until the squash is tender and lightly caramelized, about 15 to minutes and the sprouts are tender and begin to turn about golden, 10-12 minutes. Let both cool down just a bit.

Into the reserved red onions and vinegar, whisk in remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with pepper. Taste and adjust olive oil to vinegar ratio if needed.

In a large bowl combine the roasted squash, croutons and sprouts. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Add the parsley leaves and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Garnish with grated Parmesan and serve.

This was creamy and cheesy and squashy. The color makes it look like it’s a regular cheddar mac and cheese but that’s really the color of the roasted butternut squash. Sneaky! But, of course, there’s cheese in it too, so it’s not like the meal is completely healthy. On the other hand, it’s also not completely unhealthy. It’s a nice mix of good for you and gooey, melted cheese in a bowl.

Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese with Sage
1 lb elbow macaroni
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb peeled and cubed butternut squash (You can also use whole squash, just slice in half, remove seeds and bake it that way. Scoop roasted squash out and use that in place of the roasted cubes).
2 cups 2 % milk
1 tsp jarred rubbed sage (if using fresh sage, mince it and use a bit more)
a nice sprinkle of nutmeg
3 cloves garlic, minced
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1 small onion, diced
2 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 - 3/4 cup grated fontina, mozzarella or provolone cheese (or a combination of cheeses — I used the above mix)
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash cubes with the olive oil, salt and pepper to season. Roast in the oven 30-40 minutes until soft and beginning to caramelize. Set aside and turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a pan and add the onion, sage and garlic. Saute until soft, over medium heat, about 4-5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to combine. Let it all cook about 2 more minutes. Then, pour in the milk and stir and let come to a boil to thicken up.

Next, add the cheeses (add as much of the grated mix as you’d like — I just sort of added a big handful, tasted and called it enough after a little bit more), cayenne and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Then, mix in the squash. Use a whisk to break it up a little.

You want some of the squash pieces to blend with the sauce but you also want some pieces to stay a little chunky. Add salt and pepper to taste. It should be so good and creamy that you taste another spoonful of the sauce just because you can. Ha! It’s good to be the cook.

Keep sauce warm and covered while you cook the macaroni in salted, boiling water until just al dente. Combine the pasta with the sauce and pour into a buttered (or non-stick spray-sprayed) casserole dish.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and dot with a little butter or hit it with a little spray of olive oil or canola oil.

Bake 30-40 minutes until it’s all bubbly and the top starts to brown a little.

We had the squash mac and cheese with Everyday Italian’s Pancetta Brussels Sprouts (in a test run for Thanksgiving). They were excellent and we will be having these Thursday!

So, after giving it much thought and trying to figure out what will work the best timing-wise, I think I have a menu. Some things from last year stayed around — the awesome Martha Stewart Cranberry Relish, some things left — the sadly so-so Martha Stewart Green Bean Casserole.

Pre-Dinner Snacks

* Raw Veggies and Orange-Tahini Dip

* Rosemary Cashews

* A few cheeses (sage-cheddar and port salut, perhaps) with a lovely cracker selection

The Main Event

* Roasted Free-range, Organic Turkey (cooked like last year), Apple-Pecan-Sage Stuffing, and America’s Test Kitchen Giblet Gravy

* Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Shallots (just throw them in the roasting pan for the last 1/2 of turkey cooking, then finish them on a baking sheet, at a higher temp (400) while the turkey rests)

* Goat Cheese & Rosemary Mashed Potatoes or Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes — I can’t decide…

* Cranberry-Orange Relish

* Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta & Chicken Broth

* Carrots & Parsnips with Honey-Lemon Glaze

* Butterflake Rolls

Dessert this year, will be a Pumpkin-Orange-Marscapone Pie, a recipe I found in Sunset Magazine. It sounded really good and so I did a test half recipe the other day in a few 1-cup ramekins. Yeah. It’s very good. The original recipe called for crushed gingersnap cookies but I used crushed amaretto cookies.

Pumpkin-Orange-Marscapone Pie
(from Sunset Magazine)
2 cups finely crushed gingersnap crumbs (about 32 gingersnaps) — or 2 cups crushed amaretto cookies
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
3 eggs
1 can pumpkin purée (15 oz.)
2 tsp orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
1 1/2 tsp freshly grated orange zest
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup crème fraîche (you could also just use all whipping cream)
Optional: 1/4 cup slivered almonds for the top

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a 10-in. pie pan, stir together cookie crumbs with melted butter and press into a crust. Bake until set, about 6 minutes. Set aside.

Increase heat to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, and 2/3 cup sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each egg. Add pumpkin, 1 tsp. orange liqueur, citrus zests, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until smooth.

Pour filling into crust and (if using) scatter almonds on top of the pie, along the inside rim. I liked the almonds, but honestly, they got a little soggy after refrigeration. I may skip them when I bake the Thanksgiving pie and just scatter some toasted almonds on top before serving. In fact, that’s probably what I’ll do.

Bake until edges are firm but center still jiggles a bit, 45 to 50 minutes (bake any extra filling in ramekins — check the ramekins after 35 minutes, mine took about 40). Cool to room temperature, then chill at least 6 hours and up to overnight.

When ready to serve, beat cream, crème fraîche, and remaining 2 tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. orange liqueur in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Serve pie with orange whipped cream.

***

Helpful Thanksgiving links:
Food Network’s Thanksgiving Planning Countdown and Turkey Calculator
Some good tips for what to do a week ahead to 15 minutes ahead of the meal and a cooking time calculator.

Cook’s Illustrated Turkey Help
Hints, recipes, tricks and what not to do — that manner of thing. In the same vein, The Cook’s Illustrated Complete Book of Chicken is a great resource. Yes, it says chicken but it actually covers all poultry — turkey, hen, duck, and more.

The Splendid Table is doing a Web streaming Thanksgiving show on 11/23, titled Turkey Confidential.

Butterball Holiday Guide
More hints, tricks, recipes, etc…