Winter Squash & Sage Ricotta Tarts

 

Inspired by an item in the Starbucks bakery section (that I ironically did not even taste…), these tarts emanate the fall season!  I used acorn squash because we had it on hand, but in hindsight I think butternut squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato would be better as they tend to have a bolder flavor. Enjoy for brunch or while on a picnic!

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. butternut squash, sugar pumpkin, or sweet potato (peeled, seeds removed, and cut into bite-sized cubes)

·         1/4 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, shredded

·         1/2 medium sized red onion, thinly sliced

·         8/10 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

·         balsamic vinegar

·         1/2 cup ricotta

·         1/4 cup goat cheese

·         1 sheet ready-made puff pastry dough

·         1 egg (or Egg substitute)

·         flour, for dusting

·         salt & pepper

 

Directions:

1.    Remove puff pastry from the fridge. Place on counter and cover with towel. Allow dough to come to room temperature as you prepare remaining tart components (this will take about 40-45 minutes, but longer is fine).

2.    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3.    Peel, remove seeds, and cube squash.  Place in a medium-sized bowl with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.

4.    Shred sage leaves. Add 3/4 of the sage to the bowl with the squash and oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

5.    Place seasoned squash on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, to prevent sticking. Roast in the heated oven until squash is slightly under cooked. It should have some give when poked with a fork, but be careful not to cook thoroughly, as it will continue to cook while pastry dough is baking. When squash is ready, remove from oven and allow to return to room temperature.

6.    Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.

7.    Meanwhile, very lightly sauté onions and mushrooms with a splash of balsamic as a faux carmelization. Season lightly with salt and pepper. These veggies also will continue to cook in oven while pastry dough is baking, so again be careful not to over-do it here.

8.    In a small bowl, combine remaining sage, ricotta, and goat cheese. Mix with a fork until thoroughly combined.

9.    Lightly flour a table or countertop as a surface for working with pastry dough. Diving dough into 6 equal sized rectangles. Roll dough a bit thinner with a rolling pin or side of an aluminum can.

10. Lightly grease an air-bake baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place pastries on baking sheet. Poke each tart with a fork multiple times in the middle where you will be placing cheese and veggies. This will allow air to escape and prevent dough from puffing up underneath your other ingredients.

11. Assemble tarts. First, spread on a thin layer of the cheese and sage mixture in the middle, leaving about a centimeter border around all the edges. Next, arrange carmelized onions and mushrooms on top of the cheese. Finally, top with squash cubes.

12. Create egg wash by beating the egg in a small bowl. Use a paintbrush to spread egg wash around the edges of the tarts. This will help with brown the dough to get a nice crispiness.

13. Pinch the edges of the dough inward to form a crust-like outer rim (sort of like pizza).

14. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Serve warm or allow to cool and eat at room temperature. If saving, store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

 

Lied Lodge Maple Glazed Pork

1 hour 42 minutes.  Michelle completed her first half-marathon at a lovely trail race in the middle of nowhere (i.e., Shenandoah, Iowa).  After running for almost two hours, hunger had a tendency to set in.  So, even following a full day of eating, we were still in the mood for a nice big dinner.   

We were staying at a bed and breakfast in Nebraska City and had planned to eat at the Lied Lodge—a previous favorite.  We dined on smoked pork with a maple glaze, an acorn squash puree, and mini roasted potatoes.  While we enjoyed the dish quite a lot, we were certain we could do better….

So we did.

 

Maple Glazed Pork

Ingredients:

·         Single pork tenderloin, cut into 5-6 medallions

·         For the spice rub:

o   2X salt

o   2X pepper

o   2X paprika

o   2X ancho chile powder

o   1X cayenne

o   2X onion powder

o   1X garlic powder

o   1/2X allspice

·         For the glaze:

o   1 clove garlic, minced

o   1/2 shallot, finely, chopped

o   1/4 onion, finely chopped

o   1/3 medium-sized green apple, finely chopped

o   3/4 (15 oz.) can chicken broth

o   white wine

o   salt

o   pepper

o   3 scant tablespoons maple syrup

o   1 tsp. orange zest and 1 Tbsp. orange juice

·         12 baby bella mushrooms

 

Directions:

1.    Combine spice rub ingredients in a small bowl.  Sprinkle evenly over pork medallions. Place spiced meat in the fridge and allow it to set while you prepare the glaze.

2.    Put the garlic, shallot, and onion, in a medium sized sauce pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until brown and sticking to the bottom of the pan.

3.    De-glaze with a bit of white wine.  Let the wine cook down (approx. 2 minutes).

4.    Add the chicken broth, green apple, maple syrup, orange zest, orange juice, and more pepper.  Let the sauce cook down for approx. 5 minutes on medium heat. 

5.    Put the sauce mix in a blender and frappe for about 1 minute.

6.    Return sauce to the pan and cook on medium heat for approx. 3-4 minutes more.  Stop once the sauce starts to thicken up a bit.

7.    Prepare mushrooms.  Skewer onto kebab sticks.  Spray with non-stick cooking spray and lightly season with salt, pepper, and onion powder.

8.    Preheat grill to medium-high heat.  Sear meat for about 2 minutes per side to achieve a nice crispy char on the outside.

9.    Meanwhile, position mushrooms on the grill on a spot where the heat is a bit lower.  Grill until tender.

10. Lightly brush on glaze and sear for another minute per side.

11. Reduce heat to medium low and leave meat on grill until cooked through.  You can add another layer of glaze at this point, if desired.

12. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.  Serve with additional glaze, if desired. 

 

Savory Acorn Squash Puree

Ingredients:

·         1 medium-large sized acorn squash, halved and seeded

·         cinnamon

·         nutmeg

·         1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

·         1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion

·         1 small green apple, cored and chopped

·         salt

·         fresh ground black pepper

·         ground sage

·         2 Tablespoons chicken broth

·         2 Tablespoons milk

·         2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

·         freshly chopped sage

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.    Place the squash halves, cut sides up, in a large baking dish. Sprinkle the insides lightly with cinnamon and nutmeg. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan by about 1/4-inch, cover with aluminum foil, and roast until the squash is tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

3.    Remove the squash from the oven, uncover, and let sit until cool enough to handle (you can speed up this process using the fridge, if needed). Using a grapefruit spoon, scoop the flesh from the squash into the bowl of a food processor.

4.    Lightly sauté the shallots, onion, and green apple with olive oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant.  Season lightly with salt, pepper, and sage (remember that you can always add additional seasonings later, if needed).  Add chicken broth and simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are very tender.

5.    Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the apple mixture to a food processor with the squash. Add milk and puree the mixture on high speed until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Finally, add parmesan cheese and puree until smooth.

6.    Keep warm in low-heat oven until you are ready to serve.  Alternatively, you can simply warm it up in the microwave for a minute or 2 before serving.

7.    Sprinkle on fresh chopped sage.  Place pork tenderloin atop puree and serve with mushrooms. 

 

Battle Sweet Corn

Could anything be more appropriate in the Cornhusker state?  Actually, yes…we’ll step back and admit that attending or watching the Husker game tonight would have been more appropriate than missing it in lieu of preparing a gourmet meal as we decided to do.  Can’t say we regret the decision, though!  Corn purchased fresh at the Farmer’s Market this morning was the highlight of all our dishes. 

 

Indian Corn

We wanted to start off with corn in its purest and simplest form.  There’s nothing more satisfying than gnawing on this tasty veggie straight up off the husk. To make this variation, we combined Rick & Tom Ruf’s cooking methods with some of our favorite Indian seasonings. Soooo yummy!  And we walked away inspired to try other new seasoning combos on our grilled corn in the future.

 

 

Ingredients:

·         Fresh Corn in the husk

·         butter

·         Spice rub (ratios to follow):

o   graham masala X3

o   red curry powder X1

o   cumin X1

o   pepper X1

o   kosher salt X1

 

Directions:

1.    Prepare “Injun” corn ala Rick and Tom Ruf. I.e., soak corn with husks still on in a sink (or other sizable vessel) filled with water for at least 20 minutes.  Pat dry with a towel.

2.    Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat. Grill corn for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until charred on the husk. Turn occasionally for equal cooking.

3.    Remove from heat.  Husk and spread on butter. Season with spice rub. Eat!

 

Corn Risotto & Corn-adew Side Salad

 

 

Corn Risotto

The lengthy directions list for this recipe may seem intimidating, but we promise it’s worth the work and worth the wait. The corn came through nicely in both the base of this dish and as a key player in the main event.  The sweetness of the corn contrasted well with the earthy flavors from the mushrooms and celery. At the last minute, we also added a bit of fresh sage for depth.  It was difficult to show restraint when eating this course because it was so tasty!  We had to force ourselves to put down our spoons and save room for other courses, as the risotto could have been a meal by itself. 

 

Ingredients: 

·         4 cloves garlic

·         1/3 of an onion

·         olive oil

·         2/3 cup Arborio rice

·         white wine (approx. 1/4 to 1/3 cup)

·         1 cob fresh corn

·         1 can whole kernel corn (no salt or any additives other than water)

·         2 cans chicken broth

·         3-4 stalks of celery (chopped)
6-10 mushrooms (chopped)

·         approx. 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (depending on preference)

·         2-3 green onions (chopped)

 

Directions:

1.    Chop all the kernels off a cob of fresh sweet corn, set the kernels aside and chop the cob into 3 pieces.

2.    Place the cob pieces as well as the whole can of corn (water and all) into a sauce pan.  Add 2 cans of chicken broth to the sauce pan over the corn and cob pieces.  Place the sauce pan on the stove on low heat.  Have this pan ready for adding to the risotto dish as you are cooking.

3.    Coat a large sauté pan generously with olive oil and add the garlic cloves (after mincing) and onions (after finely chopping).  Bring to a medium-high heat.  

4.    When the garlic and onions have begun to brown add the Arborio rice.  Stir the rice so that it is coated in the “garlic/onion oil.” 

5.    Once some of the rice kernels have begun to toast (brown), add enough dry white wine to cover the rice kernels.  Let the wine cook down while stirring the rice mixture.

6.    Once the rice mixture has no standing liquid (i.e. the rice has soaked up most of the wine, but it is still moist), start adding the chicken broth/corn mixture. 

7.    Add the chicken broth mixture 1/4 to 2/3 cups at a time (as needed)….(it is “needed” when the rice has soaked up most of the chicken broth mixture and there isn’t much standing liquid).

8.    After approximately 40% of the chicken broth mixture has been absorbed by the rice, place the chicken broth mixture in a blender and blend the broth and corn into a single liquid.

9.    Return the chicken broth/corn mixture to the burner on low and continue adding this liquid to the rice in small batches.

10. At this same time, add the celery to the rice mixture

11. When approximately 60% of the chicken broth mixture is added, add the mushrooms to the rice mixture

12. When approximately 90% of the chicken broth mixture is added, add the fresh corn kernels to the rice mixture.

13. After the final chicken broth mixture is absorbed by the rice and the mixture has no standing liquid, add the parmesan cheese.  Stir until the cheese is completely melted and remove from the heat.

14. Let stand for 2-3 minutes.  Serve and garnish with chopped green onions and additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

 

Corn-adew Salad w/Peppadew Corn Dressing

One of our new favorite items from the olive bar at HyVee—peppadews!—play a leading role in this interestingly sweet, yet vinegar-forward dressing.  You can also find them in jars near the roasted red peppers and other marinated veggies.  For this dish, we accented the flavors of the dressing by incorporating its components in their original form in the salad itself.  This was an excellent pairing with the risotto. 

 

Ingredients:

·         ½ cup cooked corn for dressing

·         1 Tablespoon brine from jar of peppadews

·         1.5 teaspoons sherry vinegar (or you can use a combo of sherry cooking wine and regular vinegar)

·         Dash of cayenne pepper

·         Freshly ground black pepper

·         Peppadews

·         Mozzarella pearls

·         Additional cooked corn for salad (frozen or shucked from the husk)

·         Cherry tomatoes, halved

·         Arugula

·         Spinach or other mild mixed greens

 

Directions:

1.    Prepare dressing. Puree ½ cup corn, peppadew brine, sherry vinegar, cayenne, and black pepper in a blender w/a few tablespoons of water.  Process until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.  Whisk in additional olive oil to smooth texture, if desired. Marinate in fridge for at least ½ hour (preferably longer) before serving.  This will intensify the peppadew flavor and allow seasonings to meld together.

2.    Prepare salad.  Toss arugula and greens together. Stuff mozzarella pearls into peppadews and place on top of greens. If you are left w/additional pearls, simply throw on top of salad.  Alternatively, if you have too many peppadews, slice remaining peppadews into strips and add to salad.  Add tomatoes and corn to your salad and garnish w/freshly ground black pepper.  Serve with dressing.

 

Corn & Green Onion Turkey Burgers

w/Chilled Corn Salad

 

Corn & Green Onion Turkey Burgers

Thought we’d do a spin-off on our favorite turkey burger recipe that has colored bell peppers and Vidalia onion chunks in it. Ours turned out a little on the dry side, so be careful to not over-cook them when grilling. In the end, this mistake was a nice way to highlight the barbeque sauce and corn-relish salad, since they added the moisture missing from the burgers themselves.

 

Ingredients:

·         Corn (frozen or shucked off the husk)

·         Lean ground turkey

·         Green onion, chopped

·         Eggs or egg substitute

·         Corn meal

·         Cornflakes, crushed

·         Worcestershire sauce

·         Smoked paprika

·         Freshly ground black pepper

·         Kosher salt

·         Barbeque sauce (preferably spicy to accent the flavors of the sweet corn. We doctored ours up with mix-ins, ratios to follow):

o   BBQ sauce X4

o   Katsup X3

o   Frank’s hot sauce X1

o   Louisiana tobacco hot sauce X1

o   Spicy/sweet mustard X1

 

Directions:

1.    Lightly cook corn in the microwave with water. Drain water and place corn in a medium sized bowl.

2.    To the same bowl, add turkey, green onion, egg, cornmeal, crushed cornflakes, Worcestershire, paprika, pepper, and salt.

3.    Combine with your hands.  Consistency should be moist and sticky, so that mixture holds together.  If too wet, add additional cornmeal or cereal.  If too dry, add egg as a binding agent.

4.    Press mixture into patties and grill.

5.    Serve with barbeque sauce for dipping or atop a toasted bun, if you prefer sandwich style.

 

Chilled Corn Salad

Here’s a quick and easy side that is tangy and refreshing for the hot summer months.  Turns out similar to relish or pickled veggies, which adds a nice cool element to BBQ meats. Perfect for picnic-ing or as a potluck side, since you don’t have to worry about keeping it warm and can do all the prep work in advance.

 

Ingredients:

·         2 cups cooked corn (frozen or shucked off the husk)

·         1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

·         1 medium-sized cucumber, diced

·         1/2 medium-sized red onion, diced

·         juice of 2 limes + zest of 1 lime

·         1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

·         1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and finely minced

·         salt and pepper, to taste

 

Directions:

1.    Toss all ingredients together.  Marinate in fridge for at least 20 minutes before serving.

 

 

(mini!) Corn Dogs

 

 

Thanks to Alton Brown for the recipe and techniques!  We hardly changed anything from his original and agreed that these truly were the best corn dogs we’ve ever eaten.  In particular, we liked how thin and crispy the layer of batter was.  Not super-doughy like many corndogs end up being.  What a fun late night snack or game day munchies. They’re especially addicting in miniature form because you always feel like there’s room for one more in your tummy.  We’ll for sure be making this recipe again soon.

 

Ingredients:

·         1 gallon peanut oil for frying

·         1 cup yellow cornmeal

·         3/4 cup all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon kosher salt

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         1/4 teaspoon baking soda

·         1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·         2 tablespoons (approximately 1 large) jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

·         1 (8.5-ounce) can cream-style corn

·         1/3 cup finely grated onion

·         1 1/2 cups buttermilk

·         4 tablespoons cornstarch, for dredging

·         8 beef hot dogs or a package of mini cocktail wieners

 

Directions:

1.    Pour oil into a deep fryer or large heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees F.

2.    In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cayenne pepper.

3.    In a separate bowl, combine the jalapeno, corn, onion, and buttermilk.

4.    Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once, and stir only enough times to bring the batter together; there should be lumps. Set batter aside and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

5.    Scatter the cornstarch into a dry pie pan. Roll each hot dog in the cornstarch and tap well to remove any excess.

6.    Transfer enough batter to almost fill a large drinking glass. Refill the glass as needed. Place each hot dog on chopsticks, and quickly dip in and out of the batter.

7.    Immediately and carefully place each hot dog into the oil, and cook until coating is golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes (or less, if making minis). With tongs, remove to cooling rack, and allow to drain for 3 to 5 minutes.

8.    Serve with ketchup, mustard, and cold beer!

 

Corn Bread Pudding w/Sweet Corn Ice Cream

 

 

We’ve ventured to make cornbread bread pudding in the past, but this time decided to infuse the corn flavors into the soaking mixture instead.  Both ways yielded positive results.  We topped today’s version off with some home-made sweet corn ice cream and a few CORNflakes cereal for additional crunch. 

 

Ingredients:

·         Challah bread (really any kind you have on hand will do, but this kind paired very well with the corn)

·         1/4 cup creamed corn

·         1/2 cup buttermilk

·         1/2 cup milk

·         1 egg

·         1 tsp. ground cinnamon

·         1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

 

Directions:

1.    Slice bread into approx. 1-inch cubes and place in a greased baking dish (or ramekins, for individual serving portions).

2.    In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together creamed corn, buttermilk, milk, egg, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3.    Pour liquid over sliced bread and stir to coat.  Be sure bread is entirely (or at least mostly) submersed in the liquid. Cover and store in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, preferably longer to allow bread to soak up liquid and flavors.

4.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread pudding uncovered until top begins to brown and liquid is largely absorbed/evaporated.  Cooking time is dependent on the size of you baking pan and amount of pudding you’ve made.  Allow mixture to coagulate and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

5.    Top with ice cream &/or Cornflakes just before serving.