Pasta with Squash, Brown Butter and Rosemary

I love butternut squash. I decided the other day that I could live on just fall produce - squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apples, pears, beets, figs, parsnips.....the list goes on. I would miss blueberries and raspberries, but not a lot else.

I tried this dish because I wanted and easy recipe for comfort food. And this made the cut. The parmesean melted when I put it on top, and when eating leftovers, there were chunks of cheese that had congealed back together. Sounds gross, but YUM. This is a must-try for a cold winter day.

[I just went back to the original recipe and realized that Rachael Ray started her post with the same 4 words. That's just weird.]


3 lbs butternut squash – peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
salt and pepper
1 lb box pasta
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large bowl, toss the squash, onion, olive oil and rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.

Add the roasted squash, brown butter and 1/3 cup parmesan to the pasta and toss; season with salt and pepper. Top with the pine nuts and remaining parmesan.

[Note: I increased the amount of pasta and cheese significantly from the original recipe. Didn't seem to make sense to me to use 3 pounds of squash with only 2/3 cup of pasta.]

Original recipe here

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Fried Kale, Tomatoes, Feta, and Pesto Vinaigrette

At the end of the summer I made a few great pasta salads - after I got the puppy and didn't have much time to cook. I had never actually cooked with kale before, and figured I should probably try it. I definitely don't LOVE kale like some people do, but don't hate it either. I mostly chose this recipe because I love pesto. Anything + pesto = deliciousness. This recipe makes a lot - good for a week of lunches!

8 oz. whole wheat pasta
6-8 oz. kale leaves, coarsely chopped
1 T olive oil (for stir-frying the kale)
1 cup cherry tomato halves
1/4 cup crumbled Feta (or more - as desired)

1 T lemon juice
2 T white wine vinegar
2-3 T pesto
2 T olive oil

Cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain pasta into a colander placed in the sink and let it drain well.

While the pasta cooks, chop up the kale leaves (cutting away the inner ribs if they're large), and wash in a salad spinner if needed. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the kale all at once, and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the kale has wilted and is starting to get tender. (It should still be a little chewy but not raw tasting.) Turn off pan and let the kale cool.

Mix together the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and pesto, then whisk in the olive oil to make the dressing. (Start with 2 T pesto and then taste to see if you'd like to add the other tablespoon for more pesto flavor.)

When the pasta has drained well but is still warm, transfer it to a bowl and stir in about half the dressing. Let the pasta sit while you cut cherry tomatoes and crumble the feta.

Stir the cooled kale into the pasta in the bowl. Add the tomatoes and gently combine; then add more dressing as desired (depending on how moist you like your salads.) If you don't use all the dressing save it for drizzling over tomatoes or to perk up any leftover salad. Gently stir in the crumbled Feta, season salad to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve.

Original recipe here

Sugar Snap Pea & Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad

Unfortunately I didn't get a very good photo of this - I had to take this at work, on my desk! Sad face. Had to post this though, because it's totally delicious. I'll try to get a better photo next time. This is another pick from the Eating Well in Season cookbook.


1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk (or sour milk - add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1/2 cup milk)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2.5 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or however much you like!)
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
8 oz whole-wheat bowtie pasta
8 oz fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (I used orange), halved
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (I left these out)

I did all of these steps at about the same time, so start wherever!

Puree cottage cheese until smooth in a blender or mini food processor. Add buttermilk and oil; process until smooth. Stir in dill, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in boiling water until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Add peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water.

Toss pasta and peas with tomatoes and scallions, and toss with dressing just before serving.

Eastern European "Minestrone"

 

I just noticed that I only had one post in the month of November - how time flies! I have a few recipes on the to-do list, but I am shocked that I only posted one recipe last month. At least it involved pumpkin beer, I guess.

Thankfully, it's now Christmas cookie season, so I'll be getting on that as soon as I can. I have a work trip to DC next week (two days of meetings, then visiting a friend for the weekend), so I might have another lag. But then cookie season will be in full force.

Back to the recipe for this post. This soup is really interesting and delicious - and it makes a lot. And it's super easy! I had this for lunch every day for one week, and it was tasty, but a bit much. I suggest sharing! This is another recipe from the Moosewood cookbook.

1.5 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery (I left this out, since I wasn't able to buy 1 piece of celery)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2.5 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds (I left this out since we didn't have them)
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup green beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I definitely used more than this)
1/2 cup diced peeled beets, turnips, or parsnips (I used parsnips, 'cause I love 'em!)
3/4 cup diced red or yellow bell peppers (I just used one full pepper)
1 15-ounce can white beans, drained
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 quart (4 cups) water or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 ounces whole grain linguine or spaghetti, broken into 1 inch long pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

In a large soup pot on medium heat, cook the onions, garlic, and celery in the olive oil for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the paprika, bay leaves, and caraway and stir for a minute. Add the carrots, green beans, beets, and bell peppers, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the white beans, tomatoes, water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta pieces, cover, and simmer on medium heat until the pasta is al dente, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the dill. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Lemon, lime and garlic shrimps

This recipe has become a favorite of mine and Dave's, and it is really simple, especially if you use frozen shrimp. We usually just make pasta with this dish and put the shrimp dish on top - the pasta tastes really great with all of the olive oil, parsley, and lemon and lime zests.

4 Tbsp Olive Oil
150 g Peeled Large Prawns, thawed if frozen, pat dry
3 Cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
Zest of 1 Big Lime
Zest of 1 Lemon
½ tsp Chili Flakes
3 Heaped Tbsp Chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley
1 Tbsp Breadcrumbs
Sea Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

Pasta (I usually use ziti)  
Lemon and lime wedges



Preheat oven to 425˚F.
 
Place the olive oil in a baking dish large enough to fit the prawns in a single layer. Warm the oil in the oven for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the oil is hot.

Meanwhile, toss the prawns with all the ingredients except the butter.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and add the prawns in the hot oil and scatter the butter on top. Return to the oven and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the prawns are just cooked. Season the prawns lightly with sea salt if necessary and serve immediately with lemon wedges on top of the pasta. 

Original recipe here