Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash


yield: 4 –5 SERVINGS
prep time:10 MINS
cook time:30 MINS
total time:40 MINS

Easy Maple Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash. Cubes of butternut squash tossed with maple syrup, cinnamon, and rosemary, roasted to caramelized perfection.

Ingredients

  •  1 large butternut squash — about 3 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
  •  1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  •  1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  •  1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt — no not table salt, or the recipe will be too salty (or reduce the amount and add a bit at the end as needed)
  •  3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  •  1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  •  1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions

  1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat two baking sheets with nonstick spray.
  2. Place the squash cubes in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and maple syrup, then sprinkle the salt, cinnamon, and pepper over the top. Toss to coat, then divide between the two baking sheets, discarding any excess liquid with that collects at the bottom of the bowl. Spread the cubes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets, taking care that they do not overlap.
  3. Place the pans in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven, turn the cubes with a spatula, then return to the oven, switching the pans’ positions on the upper and lower racks. Continue baking until the squash is tender, about 10 to 15 additional minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the rosemary over the top. Serve warm.

Using the new Wolf Steam Oven

As a part of the renovation of the kitchen at our home at Creek View I made the decision to migrate to a single oven and add the Wolf Steam Oven Model CS030/CM/B/TH as a part of my appliance package.

I began using my new kitchen in mid-October after living in our guest quarters and cooking with a microwave and as weather permitted our Weber grill from February to October.

I have been experimenting with the steam oven capabilities. I will continue to add finding as I discover new uses for the features.

First let me start by saying we have 9 hens and a rooster here at Creek View, so when production is in full swig we product about 5 dozen eggs per week, so I am always looking for new use of the eggs.

Egg Salad; one of our favorites.

Steaming eggs in the Steam Oven is a breeze.  Simply load up the oven with the number of eggs you would like to hard boil, hit the Steam button and set the timer for 19-minutes. When the time signal your done plug them in to a bowl of ice water!  Anyone who has ever had chicken, know how difficult it can be to peel fresh eggs; not the case when boiled using the stem oven, when cooled about 10-minutes the shell almost com off in one piece.

Egg Plant Parmesan

The first step in making eggplant Parmigiana is to purchase the eggplants.  I usually try to select male fruits because they have fewer seeds, so check a few and look for the round bellybutton where the flower was attached, also because many grocery store are staffed by folks the do not care about how they handle the produce look for eggplant with out soft spots.  You should know your store and be able to find the best product. Simple, right? Not always. Some are harder to tell than others. If you fish around in the bin, comparing as you check out different bellybuttons, you’ll find it easier to make a final decision, just as I did when making my choice

The female is on the left (slit) and the male (round) on the right

Note: To salt or not to salt prior to cooking? Sprinkling salt over eggplant slices before cooking them draws out the vegetable’s moisture. It’s a process known as “degorging”.

Larger, older eggplants have brown seeds that contain a bitter liquid. Salting eggplants removes some of this liquid and improves their flavor. In general, it’s not necessary to salt smaller eggplants since they have fewer seeds than larger eggplants.

I like the taste of eggplant and prefer to fry the eggplant lightly for that reason.  I do not use breadcrumbs, I simply dip in season flour and then egg wash; eggs beaten with a little water and then fry.

Seasoned flour for dipping and egg wash

I salted the eggplant for this version because there were some brown seeds.

I like to fry my eggplant is a fryer, (375-degrees) it takes a bit longer, however, it uses less oil because the temperature is easier to control, however it you do not have an electric fryer it can be done in a pot with a frying thermometer or simply in a sauce pan.

Assembly is easy, a bit of sauce in the bottom of a pan, a later of eggplant slightly overlapping, with a layer of mozzarella cheese and your favorite marinara sauce.  I suggest that you do not use pre-shredded cheese. It’s a tempting shortcut: spend a few more dollars for a bag of shredded cheese and save time—and potentially skinned knuckles—by not having to grate the cheese yourself. I usually prefer to shred my own mozzarella for pizza, pasta bakes, etc., since most pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents like cellulose powder (miniscule pieces of plant fiber) that can make the cheese stiff and dry.

Bake at 350-degrees for about 30 minutes, I like to make a day ahead and re-heat because I thing the flavor meld better.

 

It’s been awhile

Well I’m back, I have been busy moving, renovating our Rivah house and traveling. We spent a about a month in Cambodia and Vietnam so I wanted to post a few recipes for my readers.  While there I took a cooking class and a street market tour to familiarize myself with the local ingredients.  You can find more about some of the local fruits at this post on our travel blog.

Potato Leek Soup

Leek and Potato Soup

L

Save prep time by peeling and dicing the potatoes while the leeks are cooking in the second step.

You can use either Yukon gold or Russet potatoes for this soup. The Yukon golds will result in a creamier soup.

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 large leeks (about 3 cups, chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
  • 2 pounds potatoes (Yukon gold or Russet), peeled, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, less or more to taste
  • Pinch of dried marjoram
  • 1 or 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Sprinkle of Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce
  • White or black pepper to taste

METHOD

1 Clean and cut the leeks: Cut off the roots of the leeks. Cut the leeks lengthwise, fan them open under running water to dislodge any dirt or mud hiding inside. Cut off the tough dark green tops and discard (either compost or freeze for making stock).

Slice the white and light green parts of the leeks crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place the slices in a bowl of cold water and agitate them with your hands to dislodge any remaining dirt. Then scoop out the leeks with a sieve or slotted spoon.

2 Cook leeks in butter to soften: Melt butter on medium heat in a 3 to 4 quart thick-bottomed pot. Add the chopped leeks, stir to coat with the butter.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low, cook for 10 minutes until the leeks are softened. Check to make sure the leeks are not browning.

3 Simmer the soup: Add the broth, diced potatoes, bay leaf, marjoram, thyme, and a teaspoon of salt to the pot.

Increase the heat to high to bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to maintain a low simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through.

4 Purée the soup: Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprig. Use an immersion blender or standing blender to blend about half of the soup if you want a chunky soup, or all of it if you would like your soup to be more smooth.

Note: if you’re using a standing blender, purée the soup in batches, don’t fill the blender more than a third full at a time, and remember to hold down the lid while the blender is going.

5 Season the soup: Add the parsley, and cook a few minutes more. Add a few dashes of Tabasco to taste.

Add freshly ground pepper and more salt to taste. (Potatoes soak up salt, so you may need to add more salt than you expect.)

Sloppy Joe

THE BEST HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES

6 SERVINGS 

prep time 5 MIN

Cook time 20 MINS 

total time 25 MINS 

Step away from the canned sauce and give these homemade sloppy joes a try! They’re truly the best version of a childhood favorite!INGREDIENTS

  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1/3 green bell pepper, minced
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2/3 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard
  • 3/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • dash of hot sauce (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat butter and oil in large skillet over MED/MED-HIGH heat.  Add beef and brown, breaking apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 5 minutes.  Drain.
  2. Add onion and bell pepper to same skillet and cook 2-3 minutes, until soft.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or so, until fragrant.  Add beef back to the skillet and add tomato paste.  Stir well.
  3. Add ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, red pepper flakes (if using), and black pepper.  Stir well to combine.
  4. Cook over MED heat for 10-15 minutes, until mixture has thickened to your liking.  Remove from heat and serve over toasted buns.

MARINARA SAUCE

  • 1(6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 cup water
  • 4(28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
  • 12cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 14cup fresh basil
  • salt
  • 1 -2 teaspoon sugar as needed
  • ONION MIXTURE
  • 2 TBLS olive oil (3 onions, chopped fine)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the onion mixture: Heat oil in oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

For the marinara: Add tomato paste to  onion mixture in pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in water and tomatoes and simmer over low heat until sauce is no longer watery, 45 to 60 minutes. Stir in cheese and basil and adjust seasonings with salt and sugar.

Green Lentils with Sweet Curry

Green French Lentils

4 servings

1 cup dry green lentils
3 cups of chicken stock
1 tsp sweet curry

Simmer lentils in a saucepan covered until all of the liquid is absorbed into the lentils. This should take between 15-20 minutes, about ½ way through add the curry.  Just before serving add salt to taste, in this recipe I used Himalayan pink salt.

Can be halved.

Duck Tacos with Korean influence

2 Duck breast (4 halves)

Taco Marinade

4 cups soy sauce
2 cups cola
12 cloves
4 bay leaves
6 star anise
30 black pepper corns
1-½ cups Rice Wine Vinegar
5 cinnamon sticks 4 garlic cloves
12 allspice berries

Cook for 20-minutes and cool.  Marinate duck breasts for 24-hours.  Pat the duck breasts dry and add to hot pan and sauté.  Slice fot tacos. Serve with pickled red onions, cilantro, kimchee and tomatillo sauce (Salsa verde).

 

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Tomatillo salsa verde, a delicious Mexican green salsa made with roasted tomatillos, chile peppers, lime juice, cilantro, and onion.
To cook the tomatillos, you can either roast them in the oven, or boil them. Roasting will deliver more flavor; boiling may be faster and use less energy. Either way works, though boiling is a more common way to cook the tomatillos.
Prep time: 10 minutesCook time: 15 minutesYield: Makes 3 cups
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lb tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)
2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped (you can use whole for more heat if you want)
Salt to taste
I like to include a few garlic cloves in with the oven roasting method.
METHOD
1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

2 Oven Roasting Method Cut the tomatillos in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

3 Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar (if using) in a blender or food processor and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.

Chef Mike