Butternut Squash Sauce

So after we had the Butternut Squash "Ravioli" with Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce a couple nights ago, I got to thinking: Who wants to eat copious amounts of butter all the time? This pasta was seasonal, delicious and fresh - why muddy it up with loads of unhealthy sat-fats? So instead I decided to make a whole other sauce for the leftovers. In fact, I just finished it for lunch and it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S... 

You pretty much wanna do exactly all the same steps you would if you were to make the Ravioli Recipe, only double the amount of the filling mixture and reserve that second half to slather on top! OR, try the following:

Butternut Squash "Filling" Sauce

Ingredients:

One batch of Butternut Squash "Ravioli" Filling Recipe

500g Short Pasta (i.e. Fusilli).

50 g Pancetta.

1 Lb Shiitake Mushrooms, roughly sliced.

1/4 C Asiago or Parmesan Cheese, finely grated.

1/4 C Pine nuts, toasted.

1 Bag of Winter Braising Greens.

1/2 Large Spanish Onion, sliced.

1/2 Lemon, for juice.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Good Swig of Balsamic Vinegar.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper for taste.

What to Do:

Once you have the butternut squash mixture, mushrooms and pancetta ready you can go ahead and make the rest of your dinner (or lunch, in my case).

First, in a non-stick pan over medium heat fry the pancetta. Once it is crispy but still pliable remove and let drain on a paper towel.

Turn down the heat to medium-low and while the pan is still hot (and still has the grease from the pancetta), throw in the mushrooms. Stir well. You may need to cover them to sweat a little if they look like they might burn. After about 10 minutes remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large pot, heat a couple Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, toss in your onion and stir well. Cook for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened and beginning to brown.

Remove from the pot and set aside. In the same pot, toss in a couple more Tbsp of olive oil, the braising greens and give them a good stir. Add 1/4 a cup of water or so, put the lid on the pot and allow to steam, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, as the greens steam, salt some water and cook the pasta according to package directions.

Once the braising greens are reduced in size (and they will - a LOT), and are almost cooked (this takes only about 7 minutes) throw in a swig of balsamic vinegar and stir. Allow to reduce. When you can smell the vinegar and it's beginning to caramelize to the pot it's finished. Pull it off the heat, mix in the onions, sprinkle lightly with lemon juice and set aside.

Drain and rinse the pasta after about 8 minutes or so (el dente) and return to the pot. Mix in the squash mixture, mushrooms, and greens. Pour contents into a nice big serving bowl and top with asiago or Parmesan cheese, pancetta and pine nuts.

Eat.

Butternut Squash "Ravioli" with Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Who doesn't love pasta?? (Besides you, brother!).... Pasta is the ultimate comfort food. It's soft. It's chewy. It's savoury and delicious. I love pasta..... Who doesn't love pasta??

One day soon I hope to actually make some pasta by hand. It seems very simple and tastes so much better than the store bought stuff. My issue though, is with the flour. I have something of a phobia with respect to touching the flour. It has a funny texture and I don't like how it feels between my fingers. It's actually a bit of a stumbling block for me since so much of what I want to make requires touching flour: Bread, pizza dough, and of course, pasta. I WILL triumph over my flour phobia...... or at the very least, get some of those surgical rubber gloves and tie 'em off at the wrist with elastic bands to ensure the safety of my flourless hands... Either way.

So, because of this fear - when I wanted to make ravioli the other day I decided to cheat a little and use wonton wrappers. Wontons aren't exactly the bees knees (they certainly aren't home-made pasta by any means), but they are tasty and they work in a pinch if you don't have any flour - or can't touch it. All in all, these turned out gorgeous, savoury, creamy and melt in your mouth delicious.... And while it is a bit of a process, it's really a very simple one.

Butternut Squash "Ravioli" with Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Store Bought Package of Wonton Wrappers, thawed.

1 Medium Size Butternut Squash.

2 Shallots, finely diced.

1 Clove Garlic, minced.

Pinch of Nutmeg or All Spice

1/2 C Butter, unsalted.

1 Medium Handful Sage Leaves.

1/4 C Pinenuts, toasted.

1 Lemon, for zest and juice.

1/4 C Pancetta, roughly chopped.

1/2 C Asiago Cheese or Parmesan, finely grated.

1 lb Shiitake Mushrooms, stems snapped off & thickly sliced.

1/4 C Cranberries.

1-2 Free Range Organic Eggs, lightly beaten.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

So first, you wanna cook that squash! They are a bitch to peel so: Preheat your oven to about 375 degrees F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise or into fourths, starting from the middle width-wise (which ever is easier and safer for you). Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the cut sides and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Now lay the squash cut side down on a baking pan, cover with tin foil, and bake for anywhere from 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool and then the skin should very easily slip off the squash. Chuck the cooked squash in a bowl, mash gently and set aside.

Meanwhile, you can heat some olive oil up in a medium to large non-stick pan over medium heat. Toss in the shallots and garlic and let soften, stirring often to ensure they don't burn. After about 7 minutes, pull off the heat and toss into the squash. Add about 1/4 of a cup of the Asiago or Parmesan and lemon zest. Season with the nutmeg or all-spice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix/Mash well. If you want - this can also be done in a food processor for a creamier more delicate filling.

While you wait for the filling to cool down a bit, heat up that frying pan again and toss in the pancetta. It should take only a few minutes for it to crisp up nicely. Set aside in a bowl.

Make the raviolis! Make sure to work with only one wonton wrapper at a time. Keep the rest covered with a sheet of cling-film and a damp towel or they will dry out. In front of you, lay down a wrapper. Spoon some of your squash filling in the center (not too little, not too much - you will have to experiment a bit).

Brush the egg along the edges of the wrapper and place a second wrapper on top. Starting from the edge of the filling (careful not to squeeze it out!), gently apply pressure to the wontons out toward the edge. Make sure you get all the little air bubbles out. Lay on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with a towel and set aside. Continue. You will only need about 3 - 5 raviolis per person but you can freeze the rest.

Now, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Once it's at a rolling boil you can (gently) toss in the raviolis. Cook about a minute or so (until they float nicely to the top) and remove with a slotted spoon. Depending on how many you plan to cook you may have to do this in batches of about 12 - 15 per batch.

 While your water is coming to a boil, again in that same frying pan (you may need to wipe it out at this point)heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Toss in the mushrooms, stirring occasionally. Cook until soft - about 10 minutes. Dump into your pancetta bowl and set aside.

Once your water is almost to a boil, in that same frying pan melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sage when the butter starts to sizzle a little and stir. After a couple of minutes the butter will turn a nice medium amber color. Remove from the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice, stir, and set aside.

To plate: Place 3 - 5 raviolis per plate. Top with the mushrooms and brown butter sauce - make sure to get a couple leaves of the sage on each plate. Finish with a sprinkle of asiago or Parmesan, cranberries, pine nuts and serve.

Eat.

Charitable, much?

I don't suppose anyone has a spare pick-up truck laying about for the next few months so I can jump on the Truck Farm train, eh?

EXCITING NEWS: My land-lady is letting me tear up the grass and build planters in the front yard to grow my veggies this year. Peace out 7 gallon pails! Any suggestions regarding the type of wood I need to assemble these babies??

Home-made Yummy Cabbage Rolls

We've been getting the last of the Winter veg (I hope) in our Saanich Organics boxes lately. Lots of squash. Lots of parsnips and rutabegas and leeks and braising greens. Also, lots of cabbage. I like Winter veg. And I certainly like cabbage. But I gotta tell ya - at the end of the Winter growing season, all I can think about are lovely Spring beets. Carrots. Baby salad greens... And Summer fresh tomatoes. Garlic. Juicy, colorful berries. Herbs. Oh man, I can't wait!

In the meantime, however, we have cabbage. So, we have cabbage rolls. Or at least, we will once I make them.... I did make them. And they were very yummy. So as far as my whining about Winter vegetables goes, I'll just shut my mouth. Or rather, I'll open it and stuff in some delicious home-made cabbage rolls.

PS. You can substitute mushrooms, squash, zucchini, and any other veg you want in lieu of the meat if you want a vegetarian roll.

Home-Made Yummy Cabbage Rolls



Ingredients:

1 Lb. Pastured, Organic Ground Beef.

1 Lb. Organic Ground Pork.

1 Large Head Cabbage (Savoy works nicely, but any winter cabbage will do), washed.

1/2 Large Spanish Onion, diced.

2 Cloves Garlic, minced.

1 Medium Carrot, finely sliced.

2 Stalks Celery, finely sliced.

1 Egg.

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice.

1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce.

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar.

Handful of Fresh Herbs (Thyme, Parsley, Oregano), chopped.

Approx 16 oz. Tomatoes with Sauce (i.e. Plum or Other) + 16 Oz. Tomato Sauce, mixed together.

1 C Brown Rice, cooked and cooled.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to Taste.

2 C Chicken Stock (*optional).

What to Do:

So first, you want to try to remove as much of the core of the cabbage as possible. Take a small pairing knife and from the butt of the cabbage, cut out as much of the hard, circular core of the cabbage as possible. This will help the leaves to loosen as they cook. Don't worry if you don't get it all, you can pry the leaves off gently if necessary.

While you are doing this, heat a large pot of water (and the chicken stock if using) and some salt over high heat. Bring to a boil and add  the cabbage. Return to a boil and let cook for 3 to 5 minutes. The leaves should peel away from the head relatively easy (I used BBQ tongs to get mine off and to avoid the scalding water). Place leaves in a bowl to cool as they come off.

Once cool, pat dry well. You will need to cut the "Stem" out of the center of each leaf or else they will be too tough and won't roll well. You will end up with a thin "V" shape in the center of each leaf. Lay aside.

To make your filling you first want to soften the vegetables. In a large frying pan, heat a couple table spoons of olive oil over medium heat. Toss in the onions and let cook a couple minutes to soften. Add the garlic, carrots, and celery. Stir well.

Once they're soft, remove from the heat and let cool. In a large mixing bowl, throw in the beef, pork, rice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, herbs, egg, and a good heaping of salt and pepper. Add the softened veg. Mix well.

Before you roll, in a medium to large casserole dish spread a thin layer of the tomatoes/sauce.

Now, lay out a leaf with the "V" cut open to you.  Place a good dollop of the meat mixture in the center. Fold the V opening over itself to seal the opening. Roll the lettuce over the meat and then tuck in the sides - continue to roll till you hit the end of the leaf. Place folded edge down in the casserole dish. Continue this process until the dish has one solid layer of cabbage rolls, very tightly tucked together so they won't fall apart in the cooking process.

Dump the rest of the canned tomatoes and sauce on top and cover. Bake for 2 hours.

Serve with perogies, sour cream, sauteed onions, smatherings of butter, and hot Italian bison sausage (that's what we had with it). YUM!

Eat.

Truck Farm!

I am in love!... with Truck Farm! Truck Farm is "a Wicked Delicate film and food project: a mobile community farm, a documentary about urban agriculture, and - a public art and education project" ( I just stole that description from their website)... I describe it as a super cool way to think about growing vegetables with very little land and resources. Of course, we don't all have a spare 1986 Dodge Pickup laying about - but we do have potential growing containers (and if we don't they are pretty easy to find for cheap and/or free).

As a CSA (community supported agriculture: members purchase a "share" in the food crops and get to help reap what's been sown. More often than not, they are small scale, organic and locally operated), Truck Farm helps us think about the politics and social impacts of food (re)distribution - the foundation of a more equitable food system.

ANYHOW - here it is. I've embedded all 3 episodes for your viewing pleasure. Each one is about 7 minutes and they're really fun. And cute. And really, a spectacular idea. I do apologize for the size of the players - they aren't very blog-size friendly but to be honest, I really don't know how to go about fixing that.

Now, without further ado - TRUCK FARM!








Coming up next: The recipe for my super delicious home-made cabbage rolls! 

Dan Barber: How I fell in love with a fish | Video on TED.com

A way to potentially farm fish in an ethical and sustainable manner! Is there land available for this?? What do we need to do in order to make something like this work?

PS. Thanks for the link Jana!!

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Holy crap! So I was about to begin my entry today and provide you with a recipe for the most delicious veggie burgers you will ever eat when I was violently accosted by An "Ethical" Eater's Address. I don't know what got into me! Sometimes I feel like my ethical food decisions are constantly in battle with my taste buds. It's a fine line I walk every day when I decide what's for dinner. And lunch. And late night snacks. And breakfast. And second breakfast... It's a burden really - but not at the same time because for me it's more than just about good food. It's about real food. Oh dear, here we go again. Let's get to the recipe shall, we?

PS. When I was a vegetarian I'd occasionally find myself craving meat. Though I really don't think it was the meat I wanted, but instead, something inside the meat - Iron? Protein? I'm not sure. In those moments though I'd just throw a batch of these babies together and the craving would pass. Black beans are loaded with good stuff  like quality protein, fiber, iron, and antioxidants. Plus they're low in fat and very delicious. Especially when they're made into burgers. I originally found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and I've been playing with it ever since. So, here we go...

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:

1 (19oz) Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed.

1/2 Red or Yellow Bell Pepper, cut into 2" pieces.

1/2 Onion, cut into wedges.

3 Cloves Garlic, peeled.

1 Free-Range, Organic Egg.

1 Tbsp Chili Powder.

1 Tbsp Cumin.

1 Tsp Hot Sauce.

1/2 C Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs.

5 Whole Wheat Burger Buns.

Burgler Toppings of Your Choice.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, smash black beans until thick and pasty. I usually start with my hands to get them going and then finish/detail them with a fork.

In a food processor, finely chop pepper, onion, and garlic. This only takes a few seconds. Don't pulse too long though or you'll liquidize them. Stir into mashed beans.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, chili powder, cumin, and hot sauce. Stir into mashed beans.

Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. You may or may not need to add another 1/4 C of breadcrumbs.

Divide mixture into five portions. Careful not to man-handle them too much, roll/shape into balls in the palm of your hand and squish into patties - if you play with them too much they won't stick together.

Place on the baking sheet and bake in the oven about 10 minutes - gently flip - and bake 10 minutes more. Serve with your favorite burger toppings such as mustard, avocado, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, etc...

Eat.

An "Ethical" Eater's Address

Being a vegetarian is really not so bad, you know. Not so long ago, I was a vegetarian. When people found out, they would typically do one of two things:

First would be the constant criticism of my choice to not eat animal parts and insist that we are meant to be omnivores. True. We are. What we aren't meant to do, however, is eat the massive scale, corporatized meat products that are shoved down our throats via supermarket isles and clever marketing that hide the truth about what goes into those animal parts. Not that vegetables are inherently ethical - there is an awful lot of violence done to our bodies, the workers who harvest the veggies and the Earth in large scale produce production as well.

The other thing they would do is get defensive - as if for one reason or another my personal and private choice to not eat meat was somehow an attack on their choice to eat it. I didn't care what they ate. Wait, that's untrue. I did care because I was concerned for their health and well-being, but otherwise go ahead - eat that 20 oz slab of mass-produced, hormone & abuse induced beef. That sounded judgmental, didn't it?

Regardless of their reactions, however, it was always paired with the question "Why don't you eat meat?". My answer to this always was (and still is to this day), "Why do you?".

Interestingly, when I hopped back on the meat-bandwagon (albeit, from a different, and more "ethical" angle than I had before), I still got/get the same two responses from people. Criticism and defensiveness. Let me say it here and now for all of you still listening:

Eat what you want. Just get/be educated about your food system and where/who it comes from. Knowledge is power. It's liberating and inspiring. It's not easy, but it's important. And truthfully, it only takes a few hours out of your life to figure out. We've never in the history of our civilization been so disconnected from our food and it's production and distribution. It's scary! Most of us put more effort into researching and choosing a cell phone plan than we do into finding out about what could very well possibly be the most intimate thing in our lives - our food. As a non-vegetarian, ethical eater - this is my deal. What's yours?

This really has nothing to do with my rant - I just thought it was funny. And sadly, kind of true. Oh dear.

 

Sweet Potato, Apple & Braising Greens Warm Winter "Salad"

Salad greens are currently out of season. Obviously. 

So are my favorite things to put in salads - strawberries, and tomatoes. 

With winter in full force here in Victoria (seriously, we have about a foot of snow on the ground. What is THAT about??), seasonal eaters need to accommodate their eating preferences to what's around right now. Living on Vancouver Island there is luckily still much to be eaten in the way of fresh produce. And while there may not be summer salad greens just yet, there are winter greens - and anything green with a bit of winter fruit (i.e. apples!) can be called a salad in my books! So when we found a recipe c/o Epicurious that honed in on this idea, I jumped on it.

Sweet Potato, Apple & Braising Greens Warm Winter "Salad"

(Slightly amended).



Ingredients:

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled & cut lengthwise into quarters and then crosswise into 1/2" slices.

3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted.

1/2 Tbsp Fine Sea Salt.

1 Tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper.

1 Large Baking Apple (i.e. Red Delicious or Granny Smith), cored and cut into quarters.

4 C Loosely Packed Braising Greens.

2 Tbsp Lossely Packed Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves, coarsley chopped.

1/3 C Veggie Stock.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degree F.

On a foil lined, and lightly greased baking sheet, toss potato slices with 1 Tbsp melted butter, 1/2 Tsp salt and 1/2 Tsp pepper. Bake until cooked through and slightly caramelized - about 20 minutes. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp butter. Add apples and saute until tender and golden brown - about 12 minutes. Remove and keep warm.

In that same pot, combine remaining butter, and veggie stock. Add greens and saute, stirring occasionally, until wilted - about 5 minutes. Lower heat to low-medium and add sweet potatoes and apples. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.

Stir in parsley, remaining salt and pepper and serve hot.

Eat.

Cheater's Apple Mango Chutney

This isn't really a recipe - it's a cheater's recipe. But it really worked in a pinch for the Lingcod Cakes. Plus, I got to use up some of the extra chutney left over from the vindaloo John made the other day. It can be so difficult sometimes to use up all the sauces/condiments in the fridge so if I get the chance to, I'm gonna do it. Even if it means cheating.

Cheater's Apple Mango Chutney

Ingredients:

1 Tart Apple, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges (i.e. Granny Smith).

1 Tbsp Un-Salted Butter.

Pinch of Kosher Salt.

Tsp Lemon Juice.

3/4 C Store-Bought Mango Chutney. 

What to Do:

Melt the butter in a small non-stick pan on the stove over low-medium heat.

Once melted and starting to bubble, add the apple, salt, and lemon juice and stir well to coat.

When the apples are just starting to colour, pull them off the heat, dump em on a cutting board and chop em up roughly.

Once cooled, chuck em in the chutney, stir to combine.

Serve with the Lingcod Cakes.

Eat.

(See? Told you it was a cheater's recipe).

West Coast Ling Cod Cakes

After a weekend of chowing down some pretty heavy foods I really couldn't bring myself to eat another burger. Or heavy cheese based pasta (heaven!). Or whatever else it was that I ate and can't quite remember. HA HA - the fog of rich food gluttony. That can't be good.

So in an effort to lighten things up a bit I came up with this recipe for Lingcod Cakes. My inital pairing with this was going to be a nice winter salad. However, it occured to me that in our box from Saanich Organics this week we got some braising winter greens - so John helped to put together this dish from Epicuious: Sweet Potato, Apple Braising Greens Warm Winter Salad.

The mildness of the fish really lent itself nicely to the flavors of the dish, while the sweetness of the Cheater's Apple Mango Chutney paired well with the bitterness of the greens. It was exactly, what I wanted.

Lingcod Cakes

Ingredients:

1 Lb Lingcod Fillets.

1 Chorizo Sausage Link.

1/2 C Coconut Milk.

1/2 Small Red Onion, finely chopped.

1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped.

2 Small Celery Stalks, finely chopped.

1 Lemon, zest & juice.

1 Lime for juice.

Small Handful Parsley, chopped.

Small Handful Cilantro, chopped.

1/2 C Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs.

1 1/2 C Panko Crumbs.

2 Free-Range, Organic Egg, lightly beaten.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black pepper.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degree F. On a lightly greased piece of aluminum foil, lay your fish.

Season well with salt and pepper and top with lime juice, coconut milk, half the cilantro and half the parsley. Wrap the fish up tightly and place the parcel in the center of a baking pan (in case it leaks).

Bake for about 20 minutes, remove, and let cool slightly. Once cooled, pull fish from the parcel and crumble with your hands into fine pieces.

While your fish is cooking, heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Toss in your chorizo and cook through (about 7 minutes). If necessary, add a bit of extra-virgin olive oil to the pan and throw in the onion. Allow to soften slightly and add the garlic, celery, and lemon zest. Heat through about 5 minutes. Just before you pull it off the heat, chuck in the rest of your herbs, mix well.

Allow to cool slightly and throw the chorizo mixture into a food processor and pulse a few times to dice very finely.

Add to your fish, along with the lemon juice, some salt and pepper, 1 egg, and bread crumbs and mix well.

Now, divide mixture into 8 portions. Gently (and quickly) shape into balls in the palm of your hand, and lightly squish them into patties - set aside on a lightly greased baking tray and place in the refrigerator for about a half hour to firm up a bit.

While your lingcod is in the fridge, in 1 bowl whisk the second egg and lemon juice and in another place your panko crumbs with a little salt.

Once firm, remove the lingcod from the fridge and dredge each cake in the egg mixture and then the panko crumbs.

In your frying pan, heat 3 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Gently place your fish patties in the pan and sear on both sides until golden brown. Let drain on paper towels. Depending on the size of your pan you may need to do this in two batches.

Serve with some extra lemon, Chutney, and the braising greens. Delicious!

Eat.