Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Grilled Pears with Yogurt Sauce


1 pear, sliced in half, core removed
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds, roasted

Mix yogurt, vanilla, honey and maple syrup and set aside.
Heat grill to high. Spread butter over each pear half and grill cut side down for 2 minutes, turn 90 degrees and grill another 2 minutes. Top with yogurt sauce, sliced almonds and sprinkle with dried cranberries, if desired.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup


Butternut Squash & Fresh Picked Apples= Fall
2-3 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 leeks, sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoon curry
3 honey crisp apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups apple juice or apple cider
Garnish: toasted pepitas, creme fraiche, chopped Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 400F.
Line a pan with foil, sprinkle with olive oil and toss with butternut squash. Roast until tender (about 20 minutes).
In a large sauce pan, melt butter and saute leeks, carrot, celery and curry until leeks are soft. Add apples, broth and apple juice and cook until apples are tender and heated throughout. Season with salt and pepper.
Puree in blender and serve. This also keeps well overnight or can be frozen.
Top with garnish if desired.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Roasted Butternut Squash on Pasta


This is not really a recipe but more of a thought. Having been out of the house for the last 12 hours, arriving home hungry and looking for a quick dinner, perusing cupboards and fridge, this is the result.
Preheat oven 425F.
Cut up butternut squash, toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, put on foil lined pan. Roast about 25 minutes until soft.
Boil salted water and add pasta (I used brown rice pasta), when cooked, drain and put in a bowl and drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss. Add fresh spinach, roasted squash, and sliced prosciutto or ham (or both) top with lots of freshly grated Parmesan.
Serve immediately.