Buttercup Squash Gnocchi

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Andrea

If you looking for something different to do with all that squash you’ve been buying at the farmer’s market….and you like to play with your food, definitely give this recipe a try. It’s very comforting and yummy on a gloomy, chilly fall day. We enjoyed this as a side dish for a dinner party, but it could easily be served as a main dish with a salad for a ‘meatless’ meal. It does take a bit of time, but it makes quite a bit of gnocchi – enough to freeze. I would say this recipe makes enough gnocchi to serve as a side dish for 2 meals for 4 people. I made this recipe with butter/onion/sage leaves which goes really well with the squash. All those fall flavours and a little fresh nutmeg mixed into the dough…mmmm. I was lucky enough to be able to pilfer some fresh sage from Cathy’s (of Dragonfly Herbs) garden – and at this time of year, fresh sage is available in the grocery stores. *Also, the reason I chose buttercup squash over butternut is due to water content. I found butternut squash too moist – you want the potato and squash as dry as possible so you aren’t adding tons of flour.*

Buttercup Squash Gnocchi

makes about 140 gnochhi, maybe more

1 2lb buttercup squash (not butternut)

1 medium potato

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (approx)

1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

1 egg yolk

to finish:
1/4 cup of butter

1 small onion or shallot, finely diced

5-6 fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped

1/3 cup grated asiago or parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F. Split squash in half and place cut side down on baking sheet. Wash and place potato on baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes until squash is aromatic and tender (fork will easily pierce). If the potato isn’t cooked through, continue cooking in oven, or finish cooking in microwave for a few minutes.

Turn squash right side up and let cool until you can handle it with your hands. Scrape out flesh into bowl, and mash. Peel potato and grate into squash, combine. Add salt and mix.

Combine flour, nutmeg and pepper. Place flour on clean countertop and form a well. Place squash/potato mixture in well and place egg yolk on top. Mix egg yolk into squash with clean hands, and then slowly start incorporating flour into squash….gradually mixing it in with your hands until you have a soft dough that is not too wet. Do this gently — all the flour doesn’t need to be incorporated. You want a dough that can be easily rolled into ‘ropes’ without falling apart, but also you want it to be tender, not tough and hard.

Cut dough into 6-8 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and cut into bite-size pieces. Use your own judgement. (see picture) Keep pieces separated on a lightly floured pan and cover with a clean tea towel.

*At this point you can freeze them, then once they are frozen solid, put them in portions in ziploc bags.

Bring large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Place gnocchi into pot. Stir gently. When gnocchi rises to the top, continue to cook for about 30 seconds or so more. Meanwhile, heat large non-stick pan to medium. Melt butter, add onion or shallot and saute, about 5 minutes. Add sage leaves and saute briefly. Using slotted spoon, drain gnocchi and add to butter/onion mixture. Toss to coat. Put into serving dish and top with cheese.

*you can also put some ridges on your gnocchi with a fork and boil, then serve with tomato sauce and cheese. Go crazy, the world is your oyster.

split and clean your squash (approx 2lb total) (1 kg)

mash cooked squash, grate potato (potato ricer is best)

make well in flour mixture, put squash mixture in middle, mix in yolk, then flour

divide your soft dough into portions

roll dough portions into ropes

cut ropes into bite size pieces "gnocchi"

add gnocchi to boiling salted water....wait until they float

saute onions...then add sage leaves, then saute gnocchi

Freakish delish

can also be done with a nice tomato sauce

Pistachio-Dusted Date and Goat Cheese “Truffles”

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Andrea

I’m posting a few of these great appetizer recipes since I recently catered a cocktail party and thought that you, out there in the world, might enjoy having these recipes on hand. These little numbers take a bit of time and are messy to construct, but the benefit is that they are relatively simple and you can make them 2 days ahead — just wrap and refrigerate and you’re good to go. Don’t make these too big, they are rich, so 2 bites should suffice. Everyone at the party I catered commented on these cheese truffles – they look really nice, and they cover so many elements – sweet, tart, salty, savory. You can’t go wrong. They would make a nice starter to an Indian themed get-together too. If you bring these to a party, you will get lots of ooohs and ahhhs. 😉

Pistachio-dusted Date and Goat Cheese “Truffles”

from Dish Entertains

makes about 20 truffles

4 oz goat cheese, softened

2 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp cassis or port

salt and pepper to taste

10 dates, pitted and cut in half

1/2 cup pistachios, finely ground

Directions

In a bowl, mix together cream cheese and goat cheese. Add cassis or port and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until smooth. Chill for 30 minutes.

Measure out about 1 tbsp of cheese mixture and press a date half into it. Wrap cheese around date and roll into a ball. Roll cheese balls into ground pistachios to coat evenly. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. Enjoy!

mix cheeses, add cassis, salt and pepper, mix.

wrap cheese mixture around half of a date

roll cheese balls in crushed pistachios

keep refrigerated and covered until ready to serve

Savory Double Cheese Pecan Shortbreads

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Andrea

savory double cheese pecan shortbread cookies

Here’s a quick recipe that comes in handy if you need to bring something to a cocktail party, or you can keep the dough in fridge or freezer and bake them in the oven at the last minute, when company arrives. They are rich and tasty, and go well with a glass of wine or a cold beer. It’s a really good recipe to keep in your ‘appetizer’ repetoire. As usual, they are easy and taste great!

Savory Double Cheese Pecan Shortbread Cookies

from Pastry Queen Parties

makes about eighty 2 inch cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Asiago cheese

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans

Directions:

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and cheeses on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the flour, salt and cayenne pepper and beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the pecans. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a roll about 2 inches in diameter (or make it square like I did for square cookies) and 8-10 inches long. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. (Dough can be made up to 2 weeks in advance, wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Or wrap and freeze for 3 weeks).

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpats. Unwrap dough and slice into 1/8 inch slices. Place on baking sheet and bake until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges and crisp, about 10 minutes. *Important* Keep remaining dough cold while cookies are baking. Let baking sheets cool in between batches or cookies tend to spread out and lose their shape. Enjoy with a glass of wine or a cold glass of beer.

easy ingredients

mix butter and cheeses, add flour and pecans

form dough into 2 logs

shape into round or square logs about 10 inches long and wrap

slice and bake after chilling dough

enjoy with a glass of wine

see how much this dude is enjoying himself?

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Andrea

chocolate chip biscotti

I wanted to make some cookies to mail to a friend, and when I saw this recipe on Foodtv.ca, I thought they’d be perfect. I was right! I mean, I consider myself a cookie connoisseur and especially love biscotti. Plus, individually wrapped and packaged in a box or tin, these are great to mail in a parcel. Anyway….the fact of the matter is, I became completely obsessed with these and ate seven of them yesterday. I mean, I mailed several, but had several leftover….today I brought them over to my daughter, Emily’s house, so I would stop eating them.

If you’ve always wanted to try to make biscotti, this is the perfect recipe to start. They are super easy, no fancy ingredients and make a delightful treat dipped in a coffee or tea. So, try them. 🙂

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

(makes about 3 dozen 3-4″ biscotti)

From Foodtv.ca (Michael Smith)

Ingredients

¼ cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar on medium speed in a mixer until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Mix.

In separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to butter/egg mixture. Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.

Form dough, which will be sticky, into 2 logs, with floured fingers, approx. 12 inches by 3 inches.

Place in oven and cook 20 to 24 minutes, until slightly firm to touch. Cool. When able to handle, slice into 1/ 2 inch slices diagonally using a serrated knife. Place slices back on baking sheet, and continue to bake for 7 minutes, flip over and bake additional 7 minutes. Cool. Enjoy dipped in coffee or tea. So good.

batter will be sticky

fold in chocolate chips with a spatula

form into 2 logs using floured fingers

cook for 20-24 minutes, remove when slightly firm

slice with serrated knife, bake again, cool, and enjoy

Turkey Apple Meatloaf

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Andrea

turkey apple meatloaf

I love turkey burgers…so thought I’d try this recipe when I saw it in the Kingston-Whig Standard while I was waiting for my oil change. Give this a try, it’s easy and it’s seasonal with finely diced apples in it. The recipe calls for 2 pounds of ground turkey, so I divided it into two 8 x 4 aluminum loaf pans, instead of one large loaf (but go ahead if that’s the size loaf pan you have on hand)-one for dinner, one for sandwiches the next day. I enjoyed both, but let’s face it, a meatloaf sandwich is special and this one does not disappoint.

Turkey Apple Meatloaf

adapted from Foodland Ontario

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium apple, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 small or 1 large firm apple, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (if you have it, I didn’t use it)

2 lb ground turkey

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1.5 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp bbq sauce (I used PC Louisiana style mustard based bbq sauce)

Directions

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, stirring occasionally.

Stir in garlic and apples; cook for about 3 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove from heat. Stir in bread crumbs and parsley, if using.

In large bowl, combine ground turkey, egg, mustard, Worcestershire, salt and pepper; stir in apple mixture until well combined.

Press turkey mixture lightly into two 8 x 4 aluminum loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray. Spread bbq sauce over top of loaf (loaves). Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for about 40 minutes to 1 hour or until digital rapid-read thermometer registers 165°F (74°C).