MITCH IN THE KITCHEN

chicken and pumpkin baked pasta

What do people do with leftover pumpkin from Thanksgiving (yeah ok I’m lagging on some of my leftover ingredients)? I toyed with the ideas of pumpkin biscuits, pumpkin pajeon, and pumpkin dumplings of sorts, but settled on gooey baked penne pasta.

5-6 ounces whole wheat penne
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
salt and black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
a few sprigs of fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried thyme)
a few sprigs of fresh oregano (or a pinch of the dried stuff)
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (or turkey, if that’s still an issue)
3-4 ounces fontina cheese (or more if you really wanna go nuts), sliced or shredded
toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped scallions, chopped parsley, and grated Parmesan cheese to garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water for 2/3 of the cooking time listed on the package.

While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 7 or 8 minutes. Add pumpkin, paprika, and herbs. Heat through for a few minutes, then add broth and milk, stirring to mix evenly.

Mix pumpkin sauce with drained pasta and shredded chicken. Pour in a baking dish and top with fontina cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned. Garnish with all the other stuff.

butternut squash and apple soup with fried sage leaves

More soup for me! And you, if you’re up for it. This is a smooth and soothing soup I made with butternut squash and apples, two things I’ll be lugging home from the farmers’ market every week. It’s a little sweet and a little tart (depending on how sour you like your apples), and the sage leaves add that woodsy “ahhh… fall” finish.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small leek (white and light green parts) chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
about 3 cups of cubed butternut squash
2 medium apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
about 2 cups vegetable broth
milk, cream, or creme fraiche if you wanna get fancy
salt and pepper
fried sage leaves

Add butter and oil to a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, leek, celery, and garlic. Sprinkle on some salt. Cook until onions are translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. Add butternut squash and apples, and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Add just enough broth to cover the vegetables, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. The squash and apples should get really soft. Let it cool for a little bit, then puree with a blender (carefully! it’s hot!). Pour it all back in the pot and add more broth if you want a thinner soup. Season with salt and pepper (white pepper if you don’t feel like seeing little black flecks) to taste. Heat everything back up, then stir in as little or as much of your dairy product of choice.

Serve topped with fried sage leaves. To make them: heat a thin layer of oil in a small pan over medium heat, then fry fresh sage leaves until they turn dark green and get nice and crispy. Drain on a paper towel and season with a little salt. Use the leftover sage oil for dressing or bread-dipping or something.

winter squash, carrot, and chickpea stew with quinoa

Sometimes I walk into my kitchen and wonder, what the heck am I going to do with all these squash? And carrots? And this cabinet full of precariously stacked spice jars that tumble out sometimes? Then a recipe like this comes along and answers all three of these questions. We followed it, more or less, and added chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans or “hehehe butt beans!” according to me and my cousin Brenda 20 years ago) because I think a little protein is in order, unless you want to be hungry again in like an hour. If you scroll through the hundreds of reader reviews and comments on the Bon Appetit/Epicurious recipe you’ll find other good ideas, like doubling the amount of spices in the stew (necessary), adding currants or raisins to the quinoa, and using broth instead of water.

lentils and butternut squash with chevre

I am having not one, not two, but three meals in honor of Thanksgiving this year. None of which will be on the official day itself. In fact, the first in this series of pants-splitting meals already happened at Pavla and Diana’s apartment. There was roast chicken, a pair of Tofurkey breasts, and tasty homemade side dishes. Every potluck I go to keeps getting better and better. And it wouldn’t be a proper party without a buffet of wine, beer, Christine’s apple-infused vodka, and alcoholic hot cider. Because the holiday season doesn’t start until everyone’s drunk and there’s an impromptu Pavement singalong.

I pitched in with a cake (whose post will come later) and a bowl of lentils with roasted squash I’d been meaning to make since seeing this and this. I used butternut squash and French green lentils, but you could easily swap them for sugar pumpkins or delicata squash (or sweet potatoes, as someone suggested) and black lentils. Happy Early Thanksgiving!

Very rough recipe:

about 1 cup dried French green lentils
2 small butternut squash (mine were about 7 inches long), peeled and cubed
olive oil
about 1 teaspoon ground cumin
about 1 teaspoon paprika (I used sweet paprika, but I wish I had mixed in some hot paprika)
salt and black pepper

for dressing:
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
salt and black pepper
a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and sherry vinegar
a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

handful of chopped mint
handful of chopped parsley
crumbly goat cheese

Bring lentils to a boil in a pot of water. Lower heat and cook until they are done (the only way to know is to eat a few). It should take about 30-40 minutes. Add salt toward the last half of cooking time. Drain and rinse with cold water.

While lentils are cooking, toss squash with a bit of olive oil, spices, salt, and pepper. Spread out on a large baking sheet and roast in a 425-degree oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are golden and soft.

Combine dressing ingredients. Toss with lentils, squash, and herbs. Taste and adjust seasonings. Top with goat cheese.

winter squash and sage pasta sauce

Fall! Time to check out the leaves, bust out the gourds, and roast a shitload of winter squash. Not surprisingly, I am most committed to the squash part of these autumn rituals. When I have enough acorn, buttercup, carnival, etc. squash (and pumpkins) I simply cut them in half, fill up a baking sheet, roast them, then scoop out all the sweet orange flesh. Mashed squash then finds its way into soups, stews, breads, pancakes, pizzas, and pastas.

My first thought when I looked at this finished dish: baby food. And the first thing I noticed as I ate it was a marginally unappealing mushing sound (you know, wet-food-noise). Regardless, it’s a nice pasta for cold weather. A tip for meat-eaters: crumbled pancetta or bacon on top.

(serves 2-ish)

about 1 tablespoon olive oil and/or butter
1 large garlic clove, minced
4-5 sage leaves
about 1 cup winter squash puree
about 1 1/2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
salt and pepper
nutmeg (I have whole nutmeg that I grate fresh, and I’m never going back)
2 tablespoons heavy cream (or creme fraiche or half and half)
grated Parmesan cheese

about 6 oz dry pasta, cooked

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add butter and let it melt. Add garlic and sage, stirring to keep garlic from burning. After a minute or so, add squash and heat through. Stir in broth 1/2 cup at a time. Thin it out to whatever consistency you like; you may need more or less than 1 1/2 cups. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Lower heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in cream. Add pasta to sauce and toss to coat. Add cheese.

roasted squash with chard and hazelnuts

This happens every fall: we start a collection of winter squash of all colors, shapes, and sizes. I try not to discriminate, but I am particularly fond of delicata squash because they’re easy to work with. They have a thin and edible skin, so peeling isn’t necessary. Just cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs (I had sage, thyme, and savory), and roast in a 425-degree oven for 20 minutes or so. While that was happening, I sauteed some chard with garlic. In went the roasted squash with some hazelnuts and a tiny drizzle of apple cider vinegar. Tasty and really good for you.

winter squash pizza with caramelized onion, fennel, apple

This pizza is a collage of fall flavors from the farmers’ market. I was feeling ambitious today, so I ended up spending way more time than usual on dinner for just myself. Anytime I’m hungry (or just getting off the subway), it’s always tempting to saunter into Little Luzzo’s and grab a decently delicious slice. Tonight I decided to knead and puree my way to homemade pizza that was eaten at 10pm. Was it worth it? Always. And I have leftovers too.

I made my pizza crust with a blend of whole wheat and regular flour, and pureed carnival squash (similar to acorn squash) stood in for the usual tomato sauce. I also used small squares of sliced cheese instead of piles of shredded cheese. As much as I love cheese (and I do love cheese), I can’t go around creating fatty calorie-bomb pizzas for a regular night’s dinner if I’m going to study and work in nutrition. Right?

1 small yellow onion
1 small fennel bulb
1/2 medium apple
4 small sage leaves, chopped
leaves from a few sprigs of thyme
olive oil
5 to 7 oz mozzarella or fontina cheese, sliced

1 1/2 cups of winter squash puree with roasted garlic (details below)
pizza dough (details below squash puree details)

fried sage leaves for garnish
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Heat a large pan over medium-low heat with a bit of olive oil. Cut onion and fennel in half lengthwise, then very thinly crosswise. Peel apple and cut into thin matchsticks. Add onion, fennel, and apple to the pan, along with chopped sage, thyme, some salt, and pepper. Let mixture cook until soft and lightly browned, tossing frequently. It should take 20 to 25 minutes or so. If stuff starts sticking to the pan, add a tiny splash of water.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan (about 18 by 13 inches) with parchment paper. Or you could use a pizza stone.

Sprinkle some corn meal on the baking sheet. Place the dough on the baking sheet and drizzle a little olive oil on top. Shape dough to fit pan. If it won’t stretch, let it rest a bit before handling it.

Spread squash puree over dough. Spread onion fennel apple mixture over squash. Top with cheese slices. Bake in oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is slightly bubbly and crust is slightly golden. Top with fried sage leaves (directions: just throw some sage leaves into hot oil and fry until they become translucent, then sprinkle a little salt on them) and grated cheese.

Winter Squash Puree
(adapted from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Cooking)

Cut the squash(es) in half (whether this is lengthwise or crosswise doesn’t matter) and scoop out the seeds. Place the halves on a parchment-lined or lightly oiled baking sheet or baking pan. Throw in a few unpeeled garlic cloves (optional). Bake in a 350-degree oven until the flesh of the squash is soft. The only way to know is to keep checking, since the time will vary depending on what type of squash you have and what size it is. Let it cool, then scoop the flesh out. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the papery stuff. Mash squash and garlic with a fork, potato masher, or food mill. Add a small spoonful of cream to smooth things out. Season with salt and pepper. I added some fresh thyme as well.

This stuff is also great in soup (add to broth with herbs and a little more cream or milk), as a sauce for pasta (add some herbs and cream or milk), or as baby food (because I’m pretty sure infants love roasted garlic).

Basic Pizza Dough
(adapted from The Cheese Board Collective Works)
makes two 12-inch, thin pizzas, or a large rectangular 18 by 13-inch pizza

1 packet (2 1/4 tsp or 1/4 oz) yeast
1 1/8 cup warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/8 tsp salt
2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups flour (I use 3/4 cups whole wheat flour and regular unbleached flour for the rest)

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Whisk with a fork, let stand 5 minutes.

Add oil, salt, and 2 1/2 cups of flour. Mix with a wooden spoon for at least 5 minutes. The dough should be a little sticky, but not so much that you can’t pick it up with your hands. It should form a ball.

Add 1/4 cup of flour to a large cutting board (or any clean, flat surface such as a large baking sheet). Dust your hands with some flour. Knead dough for at least 8 minutes, incorporating flour. If the dough is still way too sticky, add flour 1/4 cup at a time. The end result should be a smooth ball of dough that isn’t too dry. For those of you who don’t know how to knead, all you do is fold the dough towards you, then push forward with the heel of your hand, then rotate a quarter turn and repeat. It can be therapeutic, like those stress-relief balls that you squeeze. Tip: to prevent your kneading surface from slipping, place a damp towel under it.

Place dough in a well-oiled, large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (such as your kitchen stove) for 1 hour (or whatever the yeast packet instructions say).

After the dough has doubled in size, divide it into two portions (if making two pizzas) and use one per pizza.