Fettucine with Butternut and Gorgonzola Sauce

Source: Cooking Light

This rich dish works well for a dinner party--simply add a tossed salad, bread, and wine. Gorgonzola is a creamy blue cheese that creates a luscious sauce. If you use another type of blue cheese, the sauce will still taste great but not be as creamy. To help cut prep time, look for prechopped butternut squash, which some large supermarkets stock in the produce section.

1 tablespoon butter
3 cups vertically sliced onion
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, divided
8 cups hot cooked fettuccine (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, squash, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper; sauté 6 minutes or until the squash is almost tender. Add minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Cover and set aside.

Bring 2 cups milk to a boil in a saucepan. Combine the remaining 1 cup milk and flour, stirring well with a whisk; gradually add to boiling milk, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup cheese, and stir until smooth.

Combine squash mixture, pasta, and cheese mixture in a large bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon salt; toss well to combine. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parsley, chopped walnuts, lemon rind, and the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 429(25% from fat); FAT 11.9g (sat 6.6g,mono 2.2g,poly 2g); PROTEIN 17.6g; CHOLESTEROL 26mg; CALCIUM 299mg; SODIUM 723mg; FIBER 5.4g; IRON 3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 65.5g

Julie Grimes Bottcher
Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2006

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Source: Williams-Sonoma

This is my altered recipe:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon dried sage
6 cups vegetable stock
2 cups butternut squash puree* (mine turned out to be a little less)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup caramelized onions*
2 cups Arborio rice
/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add 1/8 teaspoon of dried sage and heat until the butter browns. Cover the bowl to keep the butter warm.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the stock and squash puree. Bring just to a simmer, 8 to 10 minutes; maintain over low heat.

In a large saucepan or risotto pan (I used my Le Creuset French Oven) over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until softened and caramelized, about 45 minutes (see notes below). Add rice and stir until the grains are well coated with the oil and are nearly translucent with a white dot in the center, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 3/4 teaspoon sage and the rosemary. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed.

Add the simmering stock mixture a ladleful at a time, stirring frequently after each addition. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding more. (I almost never use as much stock as they call for. After several ladles, I begin tasting and stop as soon as the rice is tender, but still quite firm. In this case, I froze the leftover stock - about 1.5 cups left - and squash puree for use in a soup recipe later on.)

When the rice is tender to the bite but slightly firm in the center and looks creamy, after about 30 minutes, stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the cheese, salt and pepper. Add more stock if needed so the rice is thick and creamy. Let stand for 2 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sage butter and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

*My Notes:

I halved my butternut squash, scooped out the seeds and roasted it, face down, on a foil-lined baking sheet at 350º for minutes. I scooped the flesh off the skin and pureed it in my food processor until smooth.

While the squash is roasting, you can caramelize the onions.

For the caramelized onions, I thinly sliced one large onion. I heated 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a French Oven on medium heat and added the onion, seasoned them with a bit of salt and pepper, then reduced the heat to low and covered the pot. I slowly cooked the onions for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to add more liquid to the pot as the onions cook down - I used white wine as needed.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup

Source: Food Network, Emeril Lagasse

1 butternut squash, about 2 pounds, peeled and diced (I found two recipes online that conflict on this amount. One says 3-4 pounds of squash, the other says 1 1/2-2 pounds. I used just over 2 pounds and it worked just fine.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup wild rice
3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch (I used a lower-fat turkey kielbasa)
2 cups fresh corn kernels (I used frozen since fresh corn isn't as readily available now, but fresh is always better)
1 1/2 cups half-and-half (if you up the squash for a little more substance in the broth, I think you could use a lower-fat milk here)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool completely. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool.

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and reason with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Salsa Verde Turkey Burgers

Source: Rachael Ray

1 avocado, halved and pitted
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used 1/4 cup - that was plenty for 4 burgers!)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt
1 pound ground turkey thigh meat (I used a less-fat version)
1/2 cup salsa verde (My salsa verde - Wegmans brand - was a bit watery, so I drained it first)
4 slices (4 ounces) pepper-jack cheese (I used Monterey-jack that I had on hand)
4 Kaiser rolls, split
fresh cilantro
2 small green or red tomatoes, sliced

Scoop the avocado flesh into a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise and garlic and mash with a fork until well combined but chunky. Season with salt and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey and salsa. Divide the mixture to form 4 patties.

(We did these on the grill after chilling them for a bit.) In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the patties for 4 minutes on one side. Flip and top each with a slice of cheese; cover and cook for 4 minutes more.

Spread the avocado aioli on the split side of each roll bottom and cover with 1/4 cup cilantro. Top with a patty and 2 tomato slices; set the roll tops into place.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Chiles and Garlic

Source: A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen, by Jack Bishop

Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 small canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced, with 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (I used one and found it on the verge of being too hot)
5 cups water (I would probably use vegetable broth)
Salt

Paprika-Brown Sugar Croutons

2 slices sandwich bread, crusts removed, bread cut (I used whole grain sourdough)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar
Salt

Minced fresh cilantro leaves for garnish (skipped)

1. For the soup: Halve the squash lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard the strings and seeds. Cut the squash into pieces about the size of your hand. Remove the skin and a layer or two of flesh (you want to remove any whitish or green flesh beneath the skin) with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Cut the peeled squash into 1-inch chunks.

2. Heat the oil and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add the chiles and adobo sauce and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with garlic and chiles, about 1 minute. Add the water and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer briskly until the squash is very tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until very smooth. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt to taste. The soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for several days. Warm over low heat.

4. For the croutons: While the soup is cooking, move an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the bread cubes, oil, paprika, brown sugar, and salt to taste in a small bowl until the bread is coated evenly with spices. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until the croutons are toasted and crisp, about 10 minutes.

5. To serve: Ladle the pureed soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with a few croutons and some cilantro and serve.

Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage and Wild Mushrooms

Source: Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats

2 tablespoons of EVOO (I did not use any oil at all)
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
1/4 pound shiitake mushroom caps (I used 1/2 pound), sliced
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced (I used about 5 ounces of white button)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 14-ounce can pumpkin puree (I used 2 cups of butternut squash puree)
1/2 cup (2 turns around the pan) heavy cream
pinch of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated (I used more like a pinch)
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives (I didn't have any)

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic, onions and mushrooms. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender and mushrooms are browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add chicken stock and heat for one minute. Stir in pumpkin and incorporate - it will be thick. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Top with cheese and chives.

I talked about this recipe HERE.