Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce

Don't leave out the lemon juice. It adds a nice acidity to the otherwise very heavy cream sauce. (I followed the recipe exactly, so click the link to get it)

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Eat Rating: Delicious. Very heavy though, so prepare to be filled.
Difficulty: Easy to Medium.

Peach Butter

Like apple butter, but sweeter

Of the various jam recipes, this one is probably the easiest (you make it in a crockpot, thus relieving the need to stand over a hot stove), but it takes the longest. The recipe said it should take 6 to 12 hours to cook. My crockpot must not be as hot because it took me nearly 24 hours.

Eat Rating: Awesome. Sweeter than apple butter, but just as spicy and delicious.
Difficulty: Easy to Medium. Requires food processor, crockpot and canning equipment.

(For a refresher on canning jam, see previous post on Strawberry Jam or check out this site from the USDA.)

Recipe makes about 5 pints or 10 half pints.

Adapted from Pick Your Own

10 cups of peaches, peeled and pitted (about 30 peaches)
4 cups of sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice

Puree the peaches in the food processor. You want the peach mixture to be as smooth as possible to make smooth butter.

Add the peaches, sugar and spices to the crockpot. Stir until combined. Turn the crockpot up to high. Cover with the lid ajar so that there is some room for steam to escape. (LN: A good way to do this, as the recipe suggests, is to take two butter knives and lay them across the top of the crockpot. Then set the lid on top of the knives. Just a warning, though, the heat oxidized the metal in one of my knives so now it has all these dark gunmetal-gray splotches.)

Cook the peach mixture for 6 to 12 hours. You want the mixture to reduce by about half. To test if it's ready, stir and then pull out the spoon with some of the peach butter on it. Let cool for a minute then turn the spoon over. If it's ready, most of the butter will stick to the spoon. You want it thick, the consistency of natural peanut butter. If it's not thick enough, continue to cook for another hour, then test again. It if gets too thick, add a little water.

Pour hot peach butter into hot jars, top with lids and rings. Water bath can for 5 minutes.

The butter will keep unopened for up to a year. Once opened, eat within 2-3 weeks.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Pasta and Mozzarella

Better than tomatoes.

In a fit of inspiration (insanity?), I bought five pounds of peppers at Eastern Market the other day. The intention was to pickle them, but then a recipe for stuffed peppers struck my fancy. After I made those, I was one pepper short of the pickled peppers recipe. Instead I roasted them and left them in a jar of olive oil in my fridge for a few days. I thought I might try making a red pepper pesto to use up the leftover pine nuts, but then I found this recipe, which seemed perfect. Pine nuts and red pepper might be weird anyway.

The recipe calls for you to use store bought roasted red peppers. You can obviously do that, but to roast your own, heat the oven to 450 degrees and place two red peppers on a baking sheet. Cook 10 minutes, flip over and cook 10 more on the other side. You want the skins to be blackened and shrivelling. Remove from the oven and use tongs to place in a bowl. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap. The skins should slide off easily. Tug the stem and the top and seeds should also remove easily. Use immediately or pack in oil in a jar and refrigerate.

Eat Rating: Awesome.
Difficulty: Easy. Requires food processor or blender.

Adapted from Food and Wine February 2008, via Kate in the Kitchen

1 lb dried gemelli (LN: I'm not even sure which one that is. I used penne)
2 roasted red peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic
2 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (LN: Omitted. I was out.)
9 fresh basil leaves, divided
6 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

While pasta is cooking, place the peppers, olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, tomatoes and 3 basil leaves in a food processor. Pulse to combine.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and toss with the sauce and mozzarella. Tear up the rest of the basil and add to the pasta. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Enchiladas Verdes

Enchiladas Verdes.

I apologize for the delay in posts. But rather than making excuses, I shall make promises. I took a class last week on pickling, so posts on Leah's Adventures in Pickleland shall begin shortly. Look for a bunch of posts on peaches in the near future as well.

I love Mexican food. But I am a wimp when it comes to spicy things. Seriously. Sometimes I start sweating when I eat salsa. I've had these enchiladas booked for awhile (since May 21st, if my Delicious account is to be believed), but was a little bit scared of them because of the serrano chiles. So I just cut them out. I know, pretty wimpy. But I thought the enchiladas were perfect without them. If you aren't a wimp, feel free to add them back in.

Eat Rating: Awesome.
Difficulty: Easy to medium. Requires a food processor or blender. Also a tolerance for hot oil.

Adapted from Eating Out Loud

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (LN: You can also use breasts. These were on sale.)
6 cups water
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 small onion, cut in half
1 carrot, cut into chunks (LN: omitted. I dislike carrots.)
4 serrano chiles, seeded (LN: omitted because of previously disclosed wimpiness.)
2 lbs tomatillos, husked
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
12 corn tortillas
1/2 cup oil for frying (LN: I used peanut oil. Canola oil would work too.)
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

In a medium sized pot, place chicken, water, two cloves of garlic, half of the onion and carrot if using. Bring to boil, then reduce to medium, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chicken and shred it into pieces. Reserve the broth.

Bring a second pot of water to boil. Place two more garlic cloves and chiles, if using, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatillos, cook another 7 minutes, then drain.

Place the chiles, garlic and tomatillos in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the remaining half onion and cilantro. Pulse again. Add one cup of the stock, pulse one last time until combined. Pour the sauce into a saucepan (you can use that second one from before if you'd like) and cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened a little. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Get out a baking dish, a large 12-14 inch one and set next to the stove. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet or cast iron pan until hot. Add the corn tortillas one at a time, cooking about 10 seconds each side. Remove from the oil, let drain for 30 seconds or so on a paper towel, then dip the tortilla in the tomatillo sauce. Fill with chicken, pour a little tomatillo sauce in the middle, then place in the baking dish. Repeat with the other tortillas, then top all of them with the remaining tomatillo sauce. Cover dish with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with the monterey jack cheese then cook for another 8-10 minutes until cheese has melted.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a helping of black beans.

Enchiladas as modern art.

Roasted Summer Squash with Feta Vinaigrette

Squash + feta = yum.

I love roasting vegetables. I think it's because I lived in the suburbs as a kid and we would spend half the summer grilling out on our deck. Sadly, our tiny apartment in the city also has a tiny yard and no space for a grill. There's a guy down the street who grills in his front yard. I've considered this, but I think our landlords would dislike it if I destroyed their nicely cultivated flower beds by placing a charcoal grill in the middle of them.

So I content myself with roasting. One day, I'll get around to buying some planks to add smoky, grilled flavor to my roasted foods. But in the mean time, I am content with the crispy, deliciousness of a plain roast.

I first saw this feta vinaigrette recipe on The Bitten Word. It's from Food and Wine magazine, one of the few food-related magazines I have yet to subscribe to. I followed their directions, but my vinaigrette came out a little too oily (You can see the olive oil pooling a little around the edges of the dish in the picture.) So I would suggest adding a little less oil and incorporating it gradually while whizzing the food processor. Mine was also not as creamy, I think because I bought some fresh aged feta at the farmer's market that was more Greek style. Look for French-style feta, the kind made from sheep's milk. Also, the recipe makes a good deal of vinaigrette, about 3/4 cup or so.

Feta vinaigrette.

Adapted from The Bitten Word, Food and Wine magazine, June 2009

2 medium-sized summer squash, any shape
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
3 oz. feta, crumbled
2 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup olive oil (LN: As noted above, you might need less)
Salt to taste (LN: Omitted. My feta was pretty salty already)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash the squash and chop off the ends. If you have a long thin squash, cut in half lengthwise, then chop into 1-inch half-moon pieces. If your squash is more round, cut into quarters. Toss squash with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and a little salt, then lay out flat on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, turning squash after 10 minutes.

While the squash is cooking, combine the feta, vinegar, water and oregano in the food processor. Pulse to combine. Through the spout on the top, gradually add the oil while the processor is whizzing until you have a dressing consistency.

Remove squash from oven after 20 minutes and let cool. Drizzle squash with feta vinaigrette and serve immediately.

With a grill: If you do have a grill, try grilling the squash instead. Wash and cut off ends, then slice the squash in half lengthwise. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes until tender, then cut into chunks and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Pesto!

Basil + pine nuts + garlic + oil

For Meatless Monday this week, I made CCO some pesto. It's apparently his favorite sauce. I am not an enormous fan, but we ate it on some of the leftover gnocchi from a few weeks ago and it was delicious.

Eat Rating: Awesome (if you like pesto, of course). Very basilly and nutty.
Difficulty: Easy. Requires either a blender/food processor or mortar and pestle (for the hard-core among you)

45 fresh basil leaves, about 1 cup packed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup walnuts

Combine the basil, garlic, salt and nuts in the bowl of a food processor (or blender) and pulse several times. You want the mixture to be a little mealy, don't overmix or the basil will turn to liquid. Through the feeder tube, gradually add the oil while pulsing. Pulse just until combined. Add to 1 lb of cooked pasta (gnocchi) and serve.