A Stack of Dishes

Something good is cooking...

Small

Pan Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Seeds

by

Happy First Day of Spring!! So you’re probably wondering why I made butternut squash- such a Fall/Wintery thing, to eat on what has turned out to be one of the most beautiful days yet. Well I guess because I never felt that Winter really arrived and I still had time to get around to making some nutty squash. When I saw the calendar this morning I said, Wait! Wait! *sigh*

I’ve been having a hankering for squash the last week or so and just hadn’t gotten to it. Until now. So there.

But here is my spin- remember back in January when you sternly looked yourself in the mirror and said- Yes! This year I am going to eat healthier and lose a few? Well, consider this a new first, and this dish is a fantastic place to start.

I diced up a half a squash (loving that they sell them peeled and in halves around here) and gave it a quick, high heat sauté with a nice hunk of garlic and then tossed it all with some pepitas and black sesame seeds.

I’ve got a little trick for making the cubes tender without the mush. I first put a nice sear on the squash and then right into the pan tossed in a few tablespoons of water and covered the pan with a lid. The steam cooked the squash through and brought out the nutty buttery taste. After the water evaporated just another minute directly on the heat and I was good to go.

Originally I made a thyme balsamic molasses to go with it, but really just liked the straightforward earthy taste of the squash.

Serve this dish warm over tender Bibb lettuce leaves and enjoy, and be content that you’ve done yourself some good.

Pan Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Seeds
serves 4 as a main salad or 6-8 as a side dish
 
.5 med/large butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
2T olive oil
1T black sesame seeds
small handful of pepitas, roasted and unsalted
S & P
Whole Bibb lettuce leaves from 1 head, cleaned and dried




In large frying pan heat oil on medium high. 


Add garlic and sautee for 2 minutes to release the flavor into the oil. Take care not to burn or brown the garlic.


Toss in the squash and stir to coat with oil and garlic. Then let it sit for 2-3 mins to get a sear on the cubes.


Toss and let cook another 2-3 mins as before.


Add 2T of water into pan and cover with lid. It will sputter and steam, which is what you want.


After about a minute remove lid and allow any remaining water to cook off. Then gently toss the squash for a few more seconds before serving.


Spoon warm squash over the lettuce leaves and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and pepitas.


Season to taste with S & P







 
 

Lemony Celery Salad With Torn Black Olives Over Feta

by

Such a simple salad with simple ingredients that are better than the sum of it’s parts. I first made this salad one late Spring for a friend on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It was a superbly warm day, much like what we had yesterday here in NYC.

A cool Chardonnay was poured and a crusty baguette was served on the side while soft classical music played as the afternoon eased on.

Celery has such a bright clean fresh taste, but so hard to take solely on it’s own. The radishes not only offer a twinkle of color, but also a nice sharp snap to this salad. Soft fresh feta offers some heft and the lemony vinaigrette just mellows it all out. I love the black olives- an intense punch of color and a nice note of earthiness.

This would also be great along pate, or a lobster salad.

Can you tell I am itching for warmer, sunnier days?

Lemony Celery Salad with Vinaigrette
serves 4
 
4 stalk of celery with the leaves
4 radishes
4 oz block of fresh feta cheese
black olives of your liking
 
1 lemon zested and juiced
.5 clove garlic, finely minced
.25 t dijon mustard
~.5c fruity olive oil
S & P
 
Slice the feta into 4 equal pieces and place each one on a plate.
 
Either by hand or mandolin, finely slice radishes and celery, reserving the leaves. Set aside.
 
In separate bowl combine lemon zest and juice, garlic, mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. The feta and olives have plenty of salt, so go lightly here.
 
Whisk together while slowly dribbling in olive oil until emulsified. Taste as you go for balance- either adding or eliminating olive oil as needed.
 
Toss celery and radishes with dressing and spoon over the feta.
 
Tear olives while removing the pits and toss over the salad.
 
Enjoy! Here’s to warmer days ahead!

 

Sublime Sunday: Gravlax

by

Sunday mornings are for ease and quiet and maybe some classical music and perhaps the NY Times scattered about. If there is going to be any entertaining it needs to be low maintenance.
Fish for breakfast, according to my dear friend Anthony, is SUCH a NY thing to do. Seriously, raw fish during the tender lights of day? and not anything mild or boring, but smoked or cured, such as this gravlax that I laced with garlic chives and meyer lemon zest.
Now, Let me say that I’ve been chided by a Swiss fellow for not recanting the true history of raclette in one of my recent posts (truth be told, I never recanted ANY history) and I don’t propose to the be the master of the “must know” about gravlax- BUT I can tell you this…
It’s one of the easiest things to make and delightfully enjoyable- especially for those  watching waistlines.
I purchased a beautiful piece of wild salmon that I hand picked from the fish monger. Once home I gave it a good rinse and patted it dry. Then I took a generous amount of flaked salt, minced some garlic chives and grated the zest from a meyer lemon and then, after combining all three, covered the flesh of the fish very generously. I put the flesh side down onto a large plate with a little well in it, wrapped it tight in plastic then placed another opposing plate on top.
Into the fridge it went and I took a bottle of wine and my ever constant bottle of bubbly, and lay them on top to keep plate pressed to fish. Then just left it.
A few days later I removed my little bundle, drained the liquid that had been pulled out of the fish and it was ready to slice and serve.
The zest and garlic chive gives the Salmon a lovely mellow flavor. It’s nice enough to eat just so on some crackers or chewy bread. Typically I serve my gravlax with some honey mustard- just take 3:1 parts of mustard and honey and stir together. You can adjust this formula to your taste. More mustard more heat.
And that, my dears, is it. A beautiful and delicious dish that requires a whole lot of nothing to do. The most difficult thing to do is slice it all.  Sharpen your knife with the thinnest blade as best you can and channel your inner Zabar Salmon Slicer and have at it.
The thin folds of the salmon make little bright jewels on the plate. Keep this cold until ready to serve and store any left over as soon as possible after serving.
Enjoy my doves!