recipe

KNR, p. 157 “Butternut Squash with Chestnuts”

 

 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. There. I’ve said it.   🙂

All that fun food brought by people showing off their best recipes? The outrageously delicious pies? How could it not be a foodie adventure?

 

But, wait, you say… remember Lola’s food puzzle dish? Unrecognizable in any food group that we could figure out? That’s why it’s an adventure. You never know what will turn up.

 

Last year, we were invited to dinner at a college pal’s house. (Translation – we go waaay back) Everybody brought a side dish and the butternut squash was one of the standouts. I happen to love butternut squash, but at home we usually have it whipped and buttered. Mary’s version is so much more interesting. She added chestnuts and rutabaga and now it’s the only way we serve it.

 

Mary told us the secret ingredients (she cooks creatively and doesn’t always make a dish the same way twice) and Sheila and I went to work on crafting a recipe that could be shared. Well…Sheila cooked and I tasted, to make sure the balance of flavors worked. I did do some wicked peeling, chopping, and scooping though. 😉

 

Ingredients

4-5 cups cooked Butternut Squash (4 pound squash yields 5-6 cups)

1 teaspoon olive oil, extra virgin, cold-pressed

1 teaspoon Sea Salt + 1 teaspoon Sea Salt

2 Tablespoons water for baking squash

2 cups cooked Rutabaga, rough mashed or pureed (1 medium rutabaga)

3 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

1 dozen Chestnuts, cooked and peeled, for garnish (Gefen sells a package of recipe-ready chestnuts – already peeled and cooked)

Pepper (to taste)

 

Preparation:

Start the prep of the squash first, then after it is in the oven, start the rutabaga prep.

Squash:

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Place whole squash in microwave. Prick 2-3 times with cooking fork. Microwave on high for 4 minutes to make it easier to slice.
  3. Remove from microwave and cut in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and place both sides face up on baking sheet.
  4. Lightly coat with olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the sea salt.
  5. Place 1 Tablespoon water in each of the bowls of squash, place tray in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  6. Turn the butternut squash face down in the oven and cook for another 20 minutes, or until tender.
  7. Remove the squash from the oven, scoop out all the meat, place the meat in a standing electric mixer, and mix on high for 1 minute.
  8. Slow to medium speed and add butter, nutmeg, and cream. Mix until well blended.

Rutabaga:

  1. Peel the rutabaga and slice into 1/4 inch thick pieces.
  2. Add 1 teaspoon Sea Salt to 2 quarts boiling water. Add rutabaga slices to the pot (Water should cover the rutabaga).
  3. Boil until tender enough to break apart when pierced – about 40 minutes.
  4. Drain rutabaga.
  5. Rough mash with spoon if you’d like a dish with texture or put through a food processor if you want a creamy mashed potato texture.

 

Add rutabaga to squash in the mixer bowl and whip on high for 3-4 minutes or until mashed potato consistency, adding salt if needed and pepper to taste.

 

If you are making this ahead of time, place the finished mixture into a large bowl suitable for reheating.

Garnish with chestnuts and serve.

 

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 6

 

*Many thanks to Mary Gerrard for the delicious addition to the Thanksgiving table.  🙂

*Photo by Patti Phillips

 

 

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KNR, p. 84 “Creole Chicken Salad for lunch, please!”

 

 

Creole Chicken Salad

It’s hot and humid and that means salad weather has arrived. But, I need more than a  lightweight veggie-only salad for lunch, so Sheila makes a great chicken salad with some real zip for us. We didn’t want to heat up the kitchen, so we picked up a cooked chicken from the grocery store. The deli counter sells garlic & herb, barbecue, and plain roasted chickens. We like the garlic & herb the best because the chicken already has a great flavor before we add any other ingredients. And, it can also work as a stand-alone roasted chicken for dinner.

 

As always, Sheila and I work as a team. She directs me toward the chopping board to make quick work of the veggies while she chunks the chicken. When all mixed together, the chicken salad can be served warm right away in a sandwich roll, or chilled for two hours in the refrigerator to be placed in the center of a salad platter later on. Depends on how hungry we are as to whether we can wait to eat, but we’ve had it both ways and liked it.

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Creole Chicken Salad
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups cooked chicken
  • 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped (preferably purple onions)
  • 1 cup tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 cup celery, diced
  • 1/2 cup red bell peppers, chopped
  • 1/2 cup yellow (or green) bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder (Hot Mexican)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
  1. Pull the meat off the cooked chicken while it’s still warm from the store.
  2. Then cube into 1 inch chunks and dump into a large bowl.
  3. Add onions, tomatoes, celery, yellow bell peppers, and red bell peppers, but do not mix.
  4. Add mayonnaise – still no mixing.
  5. Add garlic powder, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne powder.
  6. Time to mix it all together.
  7. Taste and adjust seasonings or other ingredients as desired.
  8. Serve on toasted roll while still warm.
  9. Chill the rest of the chicken salad for two hours if you can wait to serve it as part of a salad platter.
  10. The recipe gets spicier overnight, so keep that in mind if you are making it the day before an event.

*Photo by Patti Phillips

 

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KNR, p. 112 “Chicken Veggie Feta Stir-fry”

 

Chicken Vegetable Feta Stir-fry

Sheila left me on my own for dinner.

I know. I’m a big boy and I could always have fired up the grill or ordered take-out if I needed to. But, I was on a mission to prove that I could throw together something tasty that did not involve cooking over hot coals.

I opened the fridge and found some cooked chicken cutlets (Sheila never leaves an empty refrigerator) and I scrounged around for other stuff to mix with the chicken.

Zucchini from the garden, tomatoes from the neighbor, and feta cheese left over from the Greek Salad we had for lunch. My mouth was watering already.

Easy dish, combining fresh produce and leftovers. Sheila gave me a thumbs-up when she saw the photo. Try it and let me know what you think.  🙂

 

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Kerrian's Notebook, p.112 "Chicken Vegetable Feta Stir-fry"
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Greek
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2+
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cooked chicken cutlets, cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 2 cups raw zucchini, cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 2 small tomatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks (about 2 cups)
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
  1. Saute chicken, spices and veggies in the olive oil, until heated through.
  2. Tomato will start to disintegrate in about 8-10 minutes.
  3. Stir frequently.
  4. Add 2 tablespoons feta cheese and stir until cheese starts to melt.
  5. Remove from heat and place directly on plates.
  6. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon feta cheese over finished dish.
  7. Serve warm.
  8. Makes two generous portions.

 

 

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