Butternut & Delicata Squash Gratin

Oh yeah, this is one of my "DANG!" moments, as I just took my first bite (and in no way my last!)

 

A while back my friend Marcella invited me over for lunch and made a crazy-good butternut squash gratin.  I couldn't get enough.  With the holidays approaching, I thought it would be the perfect side for Thanksgiving, so I asked her for the recipe. It seemed a little daunting, so I've put it off....until today.  That butternut isn't getting any younger, and neither am I!

 

Marcella had taken a Deborah Madison recipe and mixed it up a bit, and then I took hers and mixed it up a little again, not much, cuz it was soooo good.

 

I must say, this is a bit of a labor of love for someone like me, because it takes time and patience (I generally have more of one, less of the other - if you know me, you know which is which!).  But trust me, this is worth the little extra time.

 

One of the best things about this gratin is the layer of caramelized onions on the bottom.  I used 4 medium-sized onions (you can use even a couple more), thinly sliced them and sautéed them for about a half hour over medium heat in a little butter and olive oil.  I used a cast iron skillet, so I think I could've lowered the heat a little more and cooked them even longer, but on medium, some of them started to get a little overcooked, so I pulled them off the heat after 30 minutes.  A really good caramelized onion will take about an hour....go low and slow.

 

 

 

While they were cooking, I prepped the squash

 

 

I bought a 2 pound butternut squash.  I try to buy ones with a really long neck, so that I can just use that and not bother with the bulb end, which is always a little precarious to peel and deal with.  For this recipe, I had enough squash with just the neck.  I sliced the butternut and delicate into half moons and tossed them with flour in a large bowl.

 

 

 

 

When the onions were done, I put them in the baking dish and added sliced red potatoes and rosemary to the skillet. This is layer #2. Just cook them a few minutes, turning to get a little color on them and get the cooking process started.

 

 

Layer those guys on top of the onions in the baking dish.  And then cook the squash and some sage in the same skillet (adding more oil) until they get a little bit of browning, too.

 

 

When those puppies are done, layer them on top of the potatoes.  You're almost there!!  Well not really, you have to wait an hour to cook it.....I said it took patience!

 

When everything is layered in the dish, top it with blue cheese.  I use Pt. Reyes blue cheese because it's local (and I dig that) and it has such a powerful flavor that you don't need to use much.  If you use another kind of blue or even Gorgonzola, be sure to taste it to see how strong it is, and decide if you may need more.  We all know what a cheese hound I am, so if I can get away with only 3 ounces, don't go crazy, people.

 

Then a mixture of warm chicken broth and milk gets poured over it.  It'll help mix with the flour on the squash and create a tasty little "glue" that holds it all together (well, that didn't sound so tasty, but trust me.)

 

 

Cover it and bake it for 25 minutes.  Then take off the foil and add chopped walnuts (or pecans) and return it to the oven, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. 

 

 

 

Pull it out and try to not stick your face in it!

Let it sit for about 10 minutes....patience is a virtue, peeps.  And today, for once, I was virtuous.

 

And this is what you get.  The most delicious gratin on the planet!  The squash is tender and savory, the onions are beautifully sweet, the rosemary potatoes are hearty, the nuts give it a perfect crunch against all that tender goodness, and the cheese.....oh, the cheese.

 

 

I hope this finds it's way onto your holiday table!

 

 

Butternut & Delicata Squash Gratin

Serves 6-8

4 tablespoon olive oil, divided

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided

4 large onions, thinly sliced

2 lb butternut squash

1 delicata squash (about ½ lb)

3 tablespoons flour

6 baby red potatoes, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon diced fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons chicken stock

3 ounces Pt. Reyes blue cheese, crumbled

1 cup chopped walnuts

Salt & pepper to taste

·         Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

·         Add onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 30 minutes.

·         Meanwhile, cut butternut in half just above the bulb end.  Peel, seed and cut each half in half again, lengthwise.  Cut into thin half moons and place in a large bowl.

·         Cut delicate in half lengthwise, seed (no need to peel), and cut into thin half moons.  Add to butternut squash.  Toss with flour and set aside.

·         When onions are done, season with salt and pepper and place in the bottom of a 7X11 baking dish.

·         Preheat oven to 350⁰.

·         Heat remaining tablespoon of butter in same skillet.  Add potatoes and rosemary and cook about 4-5 minutes to lightly brown.

·         Layer the potatoes on top of the onions.

·         Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet.  Dust off excess flour and add squash slices and sage, turning to coat.  Cook about 5 minutes just to warm through a bit.

·         Layer squash on top of potatoes and season this layer with salt and pepper.

·         Warm milk and broth in a small sauce pan.

·         Top squash with cheese and pour milk mixture over the entire gratin.

·         Cover and bake 25 minutes.

·         Remove cover, add nuts and continue baking, uncovered, an additional 20 minutes until bubbling and lightly browned.

·         Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.

 

oh yeah, you can thank me later.....





Grilled Persimmon Salad

My friend Chris came to a cooking class last week and brought me a gy-normous persimmon from her garden.  She plopped it in my hand and said, "See what you can do with that!"

It's been sitting there in my fruit basket staring at me every time I walk in to the kitchen.  Taunting me..."hey, what are you going to do with me?"  I know they're great in salad, so I went to the market for a little inspiration.  I came home with a pomegranate (it's color goes so beautifully with the persimmon, and gives the salad a nice little crunch), an avocado and a package of romaine hearts.  Doesn't get much easier than that.  But there that persimmon sat for the past few days.

 

 

So today after spending a few hours working in my office, I was getting hungry.  I was in the mood for something warm, but I also wanted something easy.  And there was that persimmon looking at me.  And then I got an idea.

 

 

I absolutely love a grilled salad!  it's so much more interesting than just plain ol' romaine leaves.  Cut the romaine in half and brush with olive oil.  Cut the persimmon into wedges (I only used about half of that guy), and place it all on a hot grill (got to love California weather; it's almost Thanksgiving and I'm still grilling).  In just about 3 minutes, flip the romaine and persimmon pieces and let it grill up on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.  You can serve the romaine whole , which makes for a very pretty presentation, but I think it's easier to eat if you cut it up.

 

 



I chopped half the avocado and added it to the salad along with the pomegranate seeds,  and then made a quick dressing with the other half.  I dig this salad more than I ever thought I would. Grilling the persimmon give is a sweet, smoky, peppery flavor and it's so tender.  Mixing it with the sweet and crunchy pomegranate seeds was genius (can I say that?)...and makes it sooo pretty.

I think this festive salad is worthy of being on your holiday table this season.

Grilled Persimmon Salad
Serves 2

1 large head Romaine hearts
1 medium persimmon, cut into 12 wedges
1 pomegranate
1 avocado
Juice of half a lemon
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
Pinch salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for grilling

• Preheat grill to medium high heat.
• Cut romaine in half lengthwise, keeping stem in tact.  Brush cut side with olive oil.
• Place romaine and persimmons on grill, close cover and cook 3 minutes.
• Flip romaine and persimmons over and grill an additional 2-3 minutes, until persimmons are slightly tender.
• Cut avocado in half.  Chop half for salad.
• Place the other half in a small blender or mini chopper, add lemon juice, thyme leaves, salt and pepper.  Blend until combined, then with the motor running, slowly add olive oil and a little water if needed to thin out the dressing.
• Place romaine on plates, top with persimmons and avocado.  Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and drizzle with dressing.

You can thank me later......

Butter Me Up!

Last night I was hungry, but didn't feel like going to any major effort to get some food in my head.... it's been a loooong week.  So I went to the store and roamed the aisles looking for inspiration.  I found it in a package of fresh potato and ricotta gnocchi.  I make my own (and sweet potato gnocchi - yum!), but I just didn't have the energy for that, so I broke my "no packaged food" rule - fitting perfectly in my 80/20 rule.  The 80/20 rule is that 80% of the time I eat right (real, healthy, whole foods), so that 20% of the time when I veer off track, I don't have to beat myself up.

Maybe it's the time of year, maybe it's the simplicity that I was looking for, but either way, I was going to really work that 80/20 rule with a Sage-Brown Butter Sauce.  When I posted the picture of my dinner on facebook, I got a huge hit of "likes" immediately....everyone loves butter, apparently! Duh.

This is such a great quick weeknight fix...I think once the water was boiling, it took about 5 minutes to get dinner on the table.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and toss in the gnocchi.  When they float to the top, they're done.  Get them out with a slotted spoon, and save the cooking liquid in case you want a little starchy water for your sauce.  I use this approach whenever I cook pasta.

I grow sage in my backyard, so I plucked about 8 leaves for my sauce.  You can put them in whole, which looks pretty, but I like to run a knife through them, rough chop, to release even more of that earthy sage flavor.

Melt a stick of butter (I know, it hurts me a little bit to write that, but once in a while it won't kill you) in a large skillet and add the sage leaves.  When the butter is sizzling, add walnuts or pecans, and continue cooking a few minutes until butter starts to brown and nuts get lightly toasted.

Add the gnocchi to the skillet and toss it in the lovely sauce.  I added a little bit of chopped spinach (trying to make me feel better about all the butter!) and then topped it all with a tiny bit of gorgonzola.  I can hear the leftovers calling my name.

Oh come on, you know you want to.....

 

Gnocchi in Sage Brown Butter Sauce
Serves 2-3

12 oz. fresh gnocchi
1 stick unsalted butter
8-10 sage leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
2 cups chopped baby spinach
2 tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola
Salt & pepper to taste.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. (Pasta water should taste like the sea.)
• Add gnocchi.  When they float to the top, they are done; just a few minutes.  Remove from pot,
• Meanwhile melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. 
• Add sage.
• When butter begins to sizzle, add nuts and stir to coat with butter.
• When butter begins to brown, after about 2-3 minutes, add cooked gnocchi and spinach.
• Stir until spinach is wilted.
• Remove from heat, top with gorgonzola and season to taste with salt and pepper.

You can thank me later......