Butternutty Leftovers

After roasting up 3 small butternut squash for the  Thanksgiving holiday, we had some leftover.  I wanted to try something new with them.  Previously, I would have made a homemade butternut squash ravioli (will post this recipe later), or a butternut squash puree.  Tonight I wanted something different. 

On a recent weekend getaway with my husband and baby Beckham, we sought out a place called the Trempealeau Hotel for their somewhat famous vegetarian eats.  We at the Walnut Balls as an appetizer, and they were worth the drive from Winona.

There were a few things I remembered from the flavors, and I did my best to recreate them in a butternut squash kind of way.  I also made patties out of them instead of balls. 

Savory Butternut Patties

1 Medium butternut squash roasted then cooled
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp minced onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
2/4 cup walnuts blitzed finely in a food processor
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove the roasted squash from the skin.  Mash the squash until you have a mashed potato consistency.  Add the egg, bread crumbs, nutmeg, onion, carrot, walnut, parsley, cheese and pepper, mixing lightly until combined.  Add more bread crumbs if the consistency is too wet to handle.  Prepare a large saute pan with olive or vegetable oil.  Heat to medium high.  Take about 1/2 cup of mash into your palm, making a hamburger sized patty (or smaller, depending on your tastes).  The patties will be very lose, and will need to be placed directly from your hands to the pan.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Transfer to paper towels to remove excess oil.  Sprinkle salt on top while hot.

The patties can be served with an aioli, tartar sauce, or eaten alone.  They can also be served in some flat bread with aioli or avacado and lettuce, much like falafel. 

Pictures next time!

Homemade Wheat Crackers

Let me start out by saying that I will give credit where credit is due.  It is not often that I follow a recipe.  When I do, I tend to use the recipe as a kind of guideline and modify it in whatever means I would like.  This is how I cook.  Mostly by memory and largely by practicing the same techniques over and over until I achieve the results I am after.
This brings me to my latest recipe.  It was a new one, and definitely worth the work, but modified nonetheless.   

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp table salt
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
3/4 tsp sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray.  Mix all purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt in a medium bowl.

Add olive oil to the bowl with flour and salt mixture, and then slowly add the water, much like a pie crust.  Stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the dough comes together.  I found that using my hands until I had the desired consistency worked well.

Divide the dough into three balls.  Cover two of the balls with some saran wrap and set aside while you work the first ball.

Lightly flour your work space and with your fingers press the dough as flat as possible.  Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a thin sheet, and a small cookie or biscuit cutter to shape the crackers.  Place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Lightly brush the top of the dough with water and sprinkle the top of each cracker with the sea salt. Bake for 8-10 minutes till slightly golden.  Remove and let cool.

 

Pumpkin Curry Soup

A fall favorite in our home is the most delightful pumpkin curry soup.  I have made this recipe with canned pumpkin, roasted butternut squash, and fresh roasted pumpkin.  In all varieties, it is both easy and delish.  Two thumbs up from my 12-year-old, so in my opinion, it’s perfect.  

Pumpkin Curry Soup

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup chopped onion (1 small)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling (2 cups pumpkin puree or roasted butternut squash as a sub)
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in curry powder, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute.
2. Add broth and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in evaporated milk. Transfer mixture to food processor or blender (in batches, if necessary); cover. Blend until smooth. Serve warm with a dollop of chevre if preferred. 

Makes about 6 one cup servings.

Sweet Pea Risotto

Yum.  Seriously.

Occasionally, when Brad and I realize that we haven't had any alone time together, we decide to have a late dinner.  We put the youngest two children to bed and have a nice relaxing meal, sometimes with candles, but always with wine. 

Friday night was one of these nights.  It's been a few weeks since we have had eaten anything that we hadn't shoved down our throats without a second look, or a meal where we didn't have one child with a poopy diaper and one that was throwing food.  I love my kids, but I love my husband as well, and we LOVE our dinners together.

The menu consisted of lobster tail for him, ciabatta rolls, and sweet pea risotto.  It wasn't meant to be the star of the show.........but it was.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• fresh mint sprigs (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the rice and stir until coated. Add the wine and stir until all the liquid is absorbed. Add 1 cup of the broth and cook until absorbed, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the remaining broth ½ cup at a time, waiting until each portion is absorbed before adding the next. Continue until the rice is cooked al dente, about 35 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
4. Meanwhile, puree 2 cups of peas in a blender or food processor.
5. Before serving, stir the peas into the rice until fully incorporated, then fold in remaining whole peas. Garnish with the mint, if desired.

Lefse

As a true Scandinavian, my first post must reflect my heritage. 

Every year as the holiday season approaches, my mom and I decide who will present their batch of lefse at the family gatherings.  It's usually me.  Not because Mom thinks mine is better or hers is worse, but because it's a trophy of sorts.  One that a Scandinavian is proud to present, and I must admit, it's a bit intimidating.  It's a tradition that has been handed to me by her, and to her by my great-grandmother whom came from the country of origin. 

So, again, this year, I present my trophy with a humble heart.

Lefse
3 Cups riced potatoes.  Russet works well.
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp. salt
3/4 C flour

Peel and cut enough potatoes that will amount 3 cups when riced.  The amount will vary depending on the size of the potatoes.  When fork tender, drain entire contents in a metal colander, and let steam for 10-15 minutes.  Ricing the potatoes is much easier when the potatoes are warm, but they need to steam to minimize moisture in the final product. After steaming, rice the potatoes into a large glass measuring cup, until you reach 3 Cups.  Place into a large bowl adding the rest of the ingredients.  Mix with a large wooden spoon.  This recipe doubles and triples very well.  The consistency of the dough is light and not sticky.  Add more flour if needed or a touch more oil if the mixture is too dry. 

Place about 1/4 Cup ball of dough onto prepared Bethany pastry board (see below).  Using a Bethany square cut rolling pin, roll the dough gently and evenly, until you can see through the dough to read the board underneath.  If your dough is too thick, you will have a potato bread, not lefse.  Using a lefsa paddle, place the rolled out dough onto a 500 degree prepared griddle.  Leave the dough to cook about a minute, checking frequently to flip when the dough is cooking into a nice browned color.  Brown on both sides, and set aside to cool on a stack. 

The true Scandinavian will enjoy lefse plain.  No butter, no sugar, no cinnamon, no nothing.  For those that need a little more flavor, add what you must.

 Steaming Potatoes

 Prepared Bethany Pastry Cloth

 Completed dough

 Baker-in-training

Ready to be Flipped

Skal!  (Cheers!)