Roasted Winter Squash

Roasted Winter Squash

For years I heard about the hokkaido pumkin/squash from my Danish friends, but I have not been able to locale it here in California. Well, now I learned that is the same as the red kuri squash, and I found this in my local Whole Foods Market. 

I'm still on the quest to get my husband to love squash, so I had to find a way to make it, in a different way than I made other squash dishes. I actually thought that hokkaido/red kuri would be sweeter than it was, and sweet and mushy squashes will never persuade my husband, that winter squash is his thing. I really like winter squash, and I love having them as another option instead of potatoes. I like that squash is high in vitamin A, and has a good amount  (1.8g/100g) of dietary fiber. (Potatoes have 2.4g/100g.)

So I needed to season it with some bold flavors. I stumbled upon a recipe from the Danish blog "loisogbearnaisen," baking the squash with red onions and carrots. It looked so so good, and adapted my version from this.

Serves 2 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small or ½ medium red kuri squash/hokkaido pumpkin

• 1 red onion

• 2 carrots

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1-1½ teaspoons salt

• 1-2 sprigs rosemary

• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F (200℃). Halve the squash lengthwise, and scrape the seeds out. 
Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler and cut  into bite size cubes. Peel onion and carrots and cut them in bite sized chunks.

Place all the vegetables in an ovenproof baking dish. Toss with oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Sprinkle rosemary and pumpkin seeds.  Roast until just tender with some bite to them, about 30 minutes.

Serve with any kind of meat, or eat it alone for a nice healthy lunch.

Enjoy!

Scalloped Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Scalloped Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and maybe its time to change up some of the sides. I really loved the scalloped hasselback potatoes I've posted previously, and thought that I might work with sweet potatoes too. The smoked gouda and the sweet potatoes and with the caramelized crunch works perfect.

I have a feeling that these sweet potatoes could very addictive. I might have to put a waring label on this post. 

Serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes

• 6 fl oz (5 dl) heavy whipping cream

• smoked gouda

• 2 sprigs thyme leaves, leaves only

• salt

• 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar

Direction:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Grate the cheese, and mix it with cream, thyme and some salt.

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly on a mandolin. Toss the potato slices in the cream/cheese mixture, making sure to cover each slice. 

Purple and orange sweet potatoes

Stack the potato slices and lay them in ovenproof dish with their edges aligned vertically. Continue to fill the dish with the potatoes until the dish is filled. Pour excess cream/cheese mixture evenly over potatoes.

Cover dish with tin foil, and bake the potatoes for about 35 minutes until  the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife

Take off the foil and sprinkle the brown sugar on top, and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes until the sugar has caramelized.

When the potatoes is done, take the dish out of the oven and let the potatoes rest for a few minutes, before serving.

Enjoy!

Lemon Pistachio Israeli Couscous

Lemon Pistachio Israeli Couscous

After getting to know the flavor of preserved lemons in Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Green Olives, I wanted to try more recipes with preserved lemons. I bought David Lebovitz's "My Paris Kitchen" and I had to try this yummy recipe. I mad a couple of changes, making it to my linking.

Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta shaped like rice or small balls, If you cant find them in your grocery store, you can substitute it with orzo.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200 g) Israeli couscous, cooked according to package instructions
• ½ preserved lemon
• ½ cup (1 dl) Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• ½ cup (1 dl) dried fruit, chopped (I used apricot, cherry and prunes)
• 2 tablespoons pistachios, unsalted, coarsely chopped
• pepper to taste

Directions

Scoop out the pulp from the preserved lemons into a strainer over a bowl. Press the pulp to get all the juices out, this will be the dressing to the couscous. Discard the pulp. Dice up the rind, and add it to the bowl with the juice.

Chop fruit, parsley and pistachios, and add it to the bowl.

When the couscous has absorbed all the liquid and is cooked al dente, add the butter and stir until melted.

Mix all the ingredients and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Asparagus with Parmesan

Asparagus with Parmesan

My first memory of asparagus is from my parents vacation house. They had a big asparagus bush, in the middle of one of the flower beds. I remember my mom, breaking of some of the small asparagus shoots just out of the ground. There would only be a few shoots every month, and my parents ate them like a snack, only washed and completely raw. 

I don't remember having asparagus for dinner other than the canned version, but maybe we did.

As adult I really love asparagus, it's a really easy side to prepare, whether you grill, boil or eat them raw in a salad.

This is one of my favorite ways to cook asparagus. The cream gets infused with the taste of asparagus, and the salty/nutty parmesan completes the dish. Actually if you just add some boiled fresh pasta, you can call it dinner.

What are you looking for when you buy asparagus?

Look for spears that are nice and firm, best of all is if you can find locally grown asparagus in season. Enjoy asparagus the day you purchase them, or wrap the bases in a damp paper towel, place in a plastic bag, and refrigerate for up to a few days.

I like the thinner asparagus, but if you are going to grill them, I would go for the thicker ones, so they won’t dry out, while grilling.

The most delicate part of the asparagus is the top of the spear.

How to prepare asparagus for cooking

When you prepare your asparagus for cooking, there are 2 schools. Either you cut the ends off and/or peel them, or you snap off the ends. I like to snap the ends off. 

Hold each stalk about half way down its length and at the thick end. Now bend it until it snaps. Discard the  little stub, or use it for flavor in a soup or casserole. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch green asparagus
• butter or oil, just to cover the bottom of the skillet
• 100 ml whipping cream
• ¼-½ cup (1 dl) parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Directions:

Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes, turning asparagus to ensure even cooking. The asparagus will turn more vibrant green. Ad the cream, and cook it down to about half. Add the half of the parmesan, and stir until the cheese is melted. Plate the asparagus and sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

The Danish version

Asparges med Parmesan

Til 4 personer

Ingredienser:

• 1 bundt grønne asparges
• smør eller olie, kun nok til at dække bunden af panden
• 1 dl piskefløde
• 1 dl parmesan, revet

Directions:

Smelt smørret på panden og steg aspargesne i ca 5 minutter, vend den undervejs, så de ale bliver tilberedt samtidig. Aspargesne bliver mere klargrønne af opvarmningen. Tilsæt fløden, og kog den ind til ca. halvdelen. Tilsæt så halvdelen af osten. Rør rundt i "saucen" indtil osten er smeltet. Server Aspargesen med resten af osten drysset over.

Velbekomme!

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower

One of my favorite vegetables is cauliflower. It's very versatile, I use it as rice, raw in salads, boiled, roasted, everything goes with Cauliflower. 

These roasted cauliflower florets are a perfect side for a roasted chicken. 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• salt
• shaved parmesan 
• (capers)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475℉ (250℃).

Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil, and season with the lemon pepper, cumin and salt. Place baking sheet in the oven and cook for 18-25 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. I like a good caramelization on the cauliflower, so I put them in the oven before the oven is preheated all the way.

Remove cauliflower from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan and some capers (if you have some). Serve immediately while still warm.

Enjoy!

The Danish Version:

Ristet Blomkål

Ingredienser:

• 1 medium blomkål, skåret i buketter
• olivenolie
• 1 tsk citronpeber
• ½ tsk spidskommen
• salt
• høvlet parmesan 
• kapers

Fremgangsmåde:

Varm ovnen op til 250℃.

Kom blomkålsbuketterne i et ovnfast fad i ét lag, eller læg dem spredt på en bareplade. Hæld olivenolien henover. Drys citronpeber, spidskommen of salt på, og vend det hele rundt så alle buketterne er dækkede. (dette kan også gøres i en frysepose før man kommer blomkålen i fadet/på pladen.

Kom blomkålen i ovnen og bag dem i ca 18-25 minutter, vend dem rundt undervejs, så de får en jævn farve. 

Tag blomkålen ud af ovnen og kom parmesan og kapers (hvis du har nogle) henover, og server den straks.

Velbekomme.