butternut squash

Fat and Happy Acorn Squash & Turnip Soup

23 Dec 2011
squash soup

Would you like something rich and creamy? How about Roasted Acorn Squash & Turnip Soup? Sounds good, huh?

I like creamy soups. In fact I love creamy soups. Except sometimes I seem to like them even better when there's no cream in them. Does that make any sense?

Sure sometimes a touch of cream will elevate a recipe. That's because fat binds flavors together. It creates a sum that is greater than its parts. So I have no problem with cream. But there are other fats that do the job just as well as cream. Like butter. I have no problem with butter. In fact wasn't it Julia Child who mockingly said: "If you are afraid of cream, just use butter."? Or was it the other way around? Oh well. No matter. My point is– I am not one of those people who is afraid of fat, in any form. So if fat is called for in a recipe, and I believe it will make it better, I scream bring it on. No fear here.

In fact I am far more afraid of chemically altered processed foods that are deemed "fat free" than I am of any of the fats that God gave us. Because whenever I see "fat free" printed in big bold chemical ink on my food I have to wonder what they replaced the fat with, and how the hell they got it out. Oh, and particularly– where in God's name did they put it? But that's a digression.

I wanted to talk about "health food" my way. It's not a new concept but it has certainly fallen out of fashion.

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Roasted Acorn Squash & Turnip Soup

Acorn Squash Soup
By jgreghenry Published December 22, 2011
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 (1 1/2 lb) acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
  • 1 pn each, salt & white pepper, or as needed
  • 5 T unsalted butter
  • 2 leeks, cleaned, halved lengthwise and roughly chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped
  • 2 clv garlic, peeled & smashed
  • 1 t sugar
  • 0.5 lb turnips, pelled & roughly chopped
  • 6 c chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pn ground coriander
  • 3 T brandy
  • 0.25 c celery leaves, as garnish (optional)

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Season the squash with salt and white pepper. Place 1/2 tablespoon butter into each cavity and place the squash halves on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until tender and caramelized, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let it cool on the tray.

Melt the remaining butter in a medium soup pot set over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, carrots and garlic. Sprinkle the mixture with sugar. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes, until softened. Add the turnips, stock, bay leaf and coriander then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, season with salt and white pepper. Cover and cook another 20 minutes, until the turnips are very tender. Remove the bay leaf.

Scoop the flesh from the cooled squash halves straight into the soup pot. Using an immersion blender puree the mixture until very smooth, or use a standard blender working in batches if necessary. Return the soup to the soup pot (if using a standard blender) and add brandy. Bring the soup to a simmer and adjust the seasoning. Garnish withe celery leaves. Serve warm in individual bowls

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Bacon Compote & Butternut Squash Polenta

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Bacon Compote & Butternut Squash Polenta
By jgreghenry Published March 7, 2011
Prep time: 60
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 c butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 3 T olive oil, divided
  • 0 salt and white pepper as needed
  • 5 c chicken or vegetable stock
  • 0.125 t freshy ground nutmeg
  • 1 t rubbed dried sage
  • 1 c coarsely ground yellow polenta
  • 0.5 c fontina cheese, grated
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 24 fresh sage leaves
  • 2 one-pound pork tenderloins
  • 4 sli applewood-smoked bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
  • 2 clv garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 small onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 t fresh thyme leaves
  • 4 tart green apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 0.5 apple cider

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl toss the diced butternut squash cubes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and white pepper. Lay the cubes out in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast until soft and beginning to color, about 20 minutes. Let cool somewhat them puree then in a food processor until very smooth. Set aside. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the stock, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, nutmeg, and dried sage to a boil. Add the polenta, in a slow gentle stream, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to very, very low and cook, whisking all the while until it begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Switch to a wooden spoon, cook, stirring the polenta from time to time until it is soft and creamy, about 20 minutes. You may need to add a few teaspoons of water if it gets too stiff. Add the butternut squash puree, cheese and butter. Stir to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside covered and warm. You may need to reheat it with a few teaspoons of water right before serving. Return the oven to 400 degrees F. Mince 8 of the fresh sage leaves. Set aside. Bring the tenderloins to room temperature, dry them completely with paper towels. Place a roasting rack on a baking sheet. Sean the pork well with salt and white pepper. In a large skillet set over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the pork tenderloins one at a time and brown it well on all sides. Repeat with second tenderloin. Remove the pork from the skillet, and place them on the rack without touching each other. Place the rack in the center of the oven and roast until an internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F for slightly pink or 150 degrees F. for cooked through but juicy. About 25 minutes. While the pork cooks, add the bacon to the same skillet you used for the tenderloins and cook it over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crisp. About 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cooking an additional minute. Add the onion, minced sage, and thyme. Cook stirring and scraping the bottom, until the onion is tender. About 5 minutes. Add the apples, stirring often until softened and lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to high and add the cider to deglaze the skillet. Lower the heat and reduce until the liquid thickens, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Cover to keep warm and set aside off the heat. Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest about 10 minutes. Cut the pork into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange them over a bed of the warm butternut squash polenta and serves the apple-bacon compote on the side. Garnish with the remaining sage leaves. Serve immediately.

Notes:

serves 8 Source: Adapted from CIA Greystone's Seasons in the Wine Country

Proper Cooking Keeps Pork Tenderloin Juicy and Flavorful

07 Mar 2011
Pork Tenderloin from Sippity Sup

Pork tenderloin is like the piggy version of filet mignon. It’s basically the same part of the beast. It is one of the leanest cuts of meat out there. Which is a great argument in its favor. It is also very versatile, easy to cook and easy to eat. There are no bones and essentially no fat. These facts as well as its relatively low price have made it popular.

But like a beef filet it’s not the most flavorful cut. Compared to pork butt or beef rib eye the tenderloins are rather, well… bland.

But bland can be an opportunity, if looked at in the right light. Because the tenderloin has a terrific soft texture. They are pretty to look at, especially for picky eaters and those who don’t really want to know what they are eating. That’s because they lack fat.

The lack of fat means cooking can be tricky with tenderloin. I have seen some pretty dry specimens in my day. I spent a lot of years avoiding the tenderloin of both the cow and the pig. But as the years go by, many of us need to watch our fat intake. So we need to make compromises every once in a while. The old axiom of fat equals flavor, remains true. But fat isn’t the only thing with flavor in this world.

This Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Bacon Compote & Butternut Squash Polenta is a perfect example. Plenty of flavor on the plate. But getting big flavor will be a waste of time if the meat is cooked to death and tastes like an old shoe.

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Can I Make Butternut Squash Tart with Anchovies? Just Try and Stop Me!

10 Feb 2011
Butternut Squash Tart

Butternut Squash Tart with Romaine Lettuce and Anchovy Vinaigrette. Hmmm, you say?

That's some unholy mashup of taste and texture. Maybe you should boil some water. Maybe I am pregnant. Because squash and anchovy cravings may seem a bit odd to quite a few folks.

But what can I say? I had an itch to make a butternut squash tart, and a craving for anchovies. So I made a recipe up that satisfied both the itch and the craving. It's loosely based on a custard-style pumpkin pie. Only my version is fully savory. I knew it would be good before I even started making it. Still I figured it needed a little yin for its yang.

Butternut squash, especially when roasted as it is in this recipe, gets a certain sort of savory sweetness that really satisfies. So I figured the yin of those complex caramelized sugars would balance nicely with the yang of something salty. I also knew it needed something fresh and crisp. A salad would be perfect. But it neeeded to be a simple salad, really more of a crunchy garnish– so that the creamy texture of the squash tart could still rule the plate.

I decided on chiffonades of crunchy baby romaine leaves. Well once romaine was decided, it wasn't too far a reach to start considering anchovies. The Caesar salad has assured that these 2 ingredients will always be considered partners.

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