A Stack of Dishes

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vegetables

Pan Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Seeds

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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







 
 

Friday Night Eggplant

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Asian Inspired Eggplant

A quick simple post for a simple Friday night sup. A long strange week in the kitchen left me feeling like a needed a little something special without pulling out all the pots and pans. I purchased an eggplant earlier in the week with an inspiration to do something smokey and some sort of stuffing? but I got myself into an Asian mood, probably a hang over from the Thai rolls yesterday.
So late in the afternoon, during my 4pm “must sit on the couch now for a few” break, I pulled out Kylie Kwong’s book Simple Chinese Cooking. I really enjoy her cooking style and the easy simple recipes. The techniques are also so straight forward and easy to master, it’s like magic. The hardest part really is gathering the ingredients such as sichuan peppercorns, shao hsing wine and malt vinegar. Once they are established in the pantry it’s an easy delight pull it all together.
It’s fascinating to me how a handful of simple ingredients can be transformed into something so unimaginably different and delicious.
Eggplant Salad
Adapted from Kylie Kwong’s, Simple Chinese Cooking
 
 
1 large eggplant, peeled
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon finely sliced spring onions
pinch ground white pepper
 
dressing
 
1/4 c malt vinegar
2 tablespoons shao hsing wine or dry sherry
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
 
Cut eggplant into long slices lengthwise, then cut into 3/4″ strips. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and lay on tray in single layer. Set aside for 10 minutes.
 
Dressing: place all the ingredients into a small heavy-based saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 mins, then set aside to cool.
 
Place eggplant in colander and rinse well under cool water. Drain and pat dry.
 
Arrange eggplant in one layer on a heatproof plate that will fit inside a steamer. Steam covered for 6 mins or until eggplant is just tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from steamer and allow to cool slightly.
 
To serve, arrange eggplant on a plate and spoon over dressing. Sprinkle with onions and white pepper.
 

Potato Red Beet Gratin

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Oh my dear readers, how I have missed you. It has been an unusual Summer with traveling and preparing my apartment to be sold. The end of the days leave me in a heap, hardly wanting to cook, let alone shoot.
But now the grind is easing up and I am getting my verve back at the stove. The drier, cooler temps also help tremendously.
And so, the first creation out of the kitchen comes this gratin. I am a bit proud of myself as this is of my own making. A bit of inspiration from here and there and thus we have it. Beautiful isn’t it? and remarkably delicious as well. I can’t wait now to have a dinner party, I think this would make a remarkable talking point.
I made this in a smallish ramekin/souffle dish. 4″ in diameter to be exact. I am cooking for one these days as my fiancee is away at our home in Louisiana and remain behind in NYC until the apartment sells. So no need for anything larger. Half for today, half for tomorrow.
Potato Red Beet Gratin with Goat Cheese
 
2 medium red beets, peeled
2 medium potatoes, peeled
1 clove garlic, rough chopped
2oz goat cheese, chevre
fresh thyme leaves
3/4 c milk
S & P to taste
 
Oven at 35o˚
 
 
First I prepared the dish by greasing it up with some oil.
 
On a mandeline I first sliced the potatoes into very thin slices. I layered half of them along the bottom of the dish interspersing thyme, s & p
 
Then on the same setting I sliced up the raw beets and layered them on top of the potatoes, trying to keep an even layer and not allowing them to pile too much in the center.
 
Finishing off the dish with the rest of the potatoes, thyme and seasoning.
 
In the blender I placed the cheese, milk and garlic and gave it a healthy whiz. 
 
Carefully, allowing the liquid to seep around the slices, I poured the milk mixture to the rim.
 
Into the oven it went with a light cover of foil to start out with.
 
After about 40 mins I removed the foil and baked for another 20 mins or so until the top was  browned and the juices had been absorbed into the potatoes and a fork pierced through the center confirmed doneness.
 
After removing it from the oven I let it sit for about 20 mins, then turned it out onto a dish by flipping it over.