Zuppa di Farro con Zucca Farro Soup with Squash

Sounds healthy, no? From ArdiBarrCrocetti.com. Serves 6.

Ingredients

1 C Rustichella d'Abruzzo whole farro
1 1/2 - 2 lbs butternut squash, cut in 1 inch chunks
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2-3 shallots, very thinly sliced (approx 3/4 C)
1 28 oz can of tomatoes, chopped or crushed
1/4 C Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1 sprig of rosemary
3-4 C unsalted chicken broth
1/2 C dried cannellini beans or 1 15 oz can, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
Peperocino flakes
Fine sea salt
Black pepper
EVOO
Rinds of Parmigiano-Reggiano
Grated parmigiano-reggiano

Directions (for canned beans):

1. Transfer farro to a medium bowl and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Soak for 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a 4 quart saucepan, adding 6 C of cold water. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Remove the lid, add 1/4 tsp of sea salt. Stir, reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until farro is barely tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, pour 3 T. of EVOO into a low, 6 quart heavy bottom Dutch oven and heat over a medium flame. Add squash, celery, carrot, shallots, and 1/2 tsp of salt, tossing to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and take on a translucent, shiny appearance about 12 min. Do not brown the shallots.

3. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the peperocino, parsley, rosemary and 3 C of chicken broth. Simmer until the vegetables are soft, another 10-15 min. Remove the rosemary sprig and use an immersion blender to puree half the mixture.

4. Add the beans, farro and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Salt/pepper to taste. If desired, add additional C of chicken broth.

5. Serve with grated parmigiano on top.

Baked Acorn Squash With Walnut Oil and Maple Syrup

I was hoping this would provide a way for me to fall in love with squash. They are so appealing, the fall and winter squashes, round and fat in their wooden bins in Wegmans. I first found this recipe last year but didn't make it, and this year I have decided to cook what would be Thanksgiving recipes all fall long if and when I have time. Unfortunately, the acorn squashes themselves that I purchased lacked flavor and so while the toasted walnuts were delicious, the squash itself remains lacking. The Robber, however, is adding melted butter and some maple syrup to his quarter squashes and in so doing is happily making his way through the lot. His stomach is amazing. Now what to do with all the leftover walnut oil?

From Recipes For Health:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/health/nutrition/13recipehealth.html

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons walnut oil

Freshly ground nutmeg

Ground walnuts (I used finely chopped)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until soft enough to easily cut in half. Cut in half, and scoop out the seeds and membranes.

2. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Stir the maple syrup and walnut oil together in a bowl, then brush over the cut surfaces of the squash. Sprinkle with a very small amount of ground nutmeg. Place in the oven and bake one hour, brushing every 10 minutes with more oil and maple syrup. When the squash is tender, brush once more, then spoon a tablespoonful of finely chopped walnuts into each cavity and return to the oven for five to 10 minutes, until the walnuts are toasty. Remove from the heat. Serve hot or warm.

Yield: Makes four large servings or eight medium servings.

Squash Fries with Chili Cumin Salt and Maple Sour Cream

Here's another recipe I made from RebEatWorld. We ate these fries with homemade pizza and the Robber just about died and went to heaven. He loved them and the sauce, which is a perfect counter-point to the salty seasoned fries. He downed a boatload of them, so the next time I am willing to wrestle with a butternut squash I think I will make these again.

Ingredients:

2 lbs butternut squash, halved, seeded, and peeled
2 T olive oil
1/2 c sour cream
2 T maple syrup
salt
cumin
chili
2 limes, wedged

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425. Cut squash to half-inch wide fries. Coat with olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until tender and crispy at the edges. I even like them quite brown at the edges, about 35 or 40 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, stir some maple syrup into sour cream to make a dipping sauce, and mix the salt with the spices. Sprinkle some of the spiced salt over the squash fries and squeeze some lime juice over them, pretty liberally.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos

First inspired by a trip to the Moosewood last fall, this was my second go around with these burritos and I am a big fan. I made 15 of them last night, we ate 10, and I'm freezing the remaining 5 for a future date. They are very hearty and filling while managing to feel exceptionally healthy when you are eating them. What an awesome find.

From Epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-and-Vegetable-Wraps-5926

Ingredients: (my modifications are in parentheses)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil --(peanut oil as needed)
2 large garlic cloves, minced --(omitted)
1 cup diced red bell pepper --(chopped up one whole pepper)
1 cup diced yellow bell pepper --(chopped up one whole pepper plus a whole orange pepper)
1 cup 1/2-inch pieces zucchini --(chopped up three zucchinis)
1 cup 1/2-inch pieces peeled butternut squash --(maybe three cups? a lot)
1 cup chopped red onion --(chopped one whole onion)
2 teaspoons ground cumin --(to flavor)
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained --(1 16 oz. can + 1 16 oz. can red kidney beans)
1 cup (packed) grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese --(grated a whole medium sized chunk)

4 9- to 10-inch-diameter flour tortillas (burrito size) --(15 tortillas)
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro --(lots)

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add bell peppers, zucchini, squash, and onion and sauté until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. (I sauteed the squash separately and then pureed it in the blender with a little left over pumpkin). Mix in cumin (plus salt, pepper, and other spices) and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Place beans in large bowl; mash coarsely with fork (I didn't mash my beans, just the squash.) Mix in vegetables and cheese.

2) Place tortillas on work surface. Spoon a generous 1/3rd cup of filling down center of each. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cilantro. Roll up tortillas, enclosing filling. Arrange wraps, seam side down, on baking sheet. (Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

3) Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover wraps with foil. Bake until filling is just heated through, about 10 minutes. Cut each wrap into 2 or 3 sections.

BBQ Chicken Vegetable Mango Kebabs

Had the most amazing kebabs.

What were in these kebabs of amazingness?

BBQ Chicken by Bob
Tomato
Yellow and green summer squash
Purple onion
Orange and green bell pepper

annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd....

MANGO.

It was bold.

It was revolutionary.

It was a kebab TRIUMPH.

I am never going back. I am a mango ke-bab-er FOR LIFE.

(Just peel a firm-ish mango and chop it up in chunks like you do the rest of le vegetables and skewer 'em with the rest. Whoo.)

Mediterranean Squash Stew

The thing that is different from medical school and high school is that in medical school you NEVER get to choose your lab partner. NEVER. EVER. But fortunately I landed some pretty hip kids for "Fun With Food" (organized by the ever-so-enthusiastic M.J.) anyway.

Too much studying this week to cook vegetables on my own, so fortunately this cooking lab came up to fill my vegetable requirement for the week. This recipe from Cooking Together Family Meals, a publication of the Finger Lakes Region and Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University.

The idea is that this can be modified to fit any dietary restrictions imaginable. Vegan. Diabetic. High Cholesterol. Maybe even phenylketonuria. Here's the basic recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups diced butternut squash
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
2 tsp fat
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
2 cups grain

Directions:

1. Wash and peel squash; cut in half, spoon out seeds, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Wash kale and remove tough stems; roll and slice into shreds or chop finely. Chop onions. Mince garlic.

2. Heat oil in frying pan on mediu. Add onion and garlic; saute 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is soft.

3. Stir in squash, tomatoes, lemon juice, brown sugar, mustard, oregano, and salt. Cover pan and cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until squash is tender. Add water, as needed.

4. Add rice/grain and kale. Cover and cook another 5 minutes.


We modified as follows:

-- Tripled the garlic
-- Used olive oil for fat (lots of mono unsaturated fats like omega threes, lowers your LDL (bad cholesterol) maybe raises your HDL (good cholesterol))
-- Doubled the mustard
-- Doubled the oregano
-- Doubled the salt
-- Added some pepper
-- Used 1 C. lentils and 1 C. couscous
-- Added finely chopped sweet potatoes
-- Stole Mrs. Dash (2 packets) and hot sauce (2 packets) from cafeteria, added cayenne pepper stolen from Mexican-patient table, and stirred. Soup so much more delicious. Yum yum. Oops, cheated on the assignment, but what good soup!

Seriously, this soup was surprisingly healthy and delicious. Our soup got all eaten up fast. If I ever had... kale? and squash? at the same time?.... I would totally make this soup again. (But with some cumin. Definite lack of cumin. And maybe minus the hot sauce.)