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11/19/2021

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​In our CSA box of week 25 I had yet another new variety of squash, kabocha. Kabocha is also known as Japanese pumpkin and is very versatile as it can be stuffed, pureed or cooked on a stove top. Kabocha taste is a cross between pumpkin and sweet potato.
 
I found a recipe at NYT Cooking/The New York Times, Simmered Kabocha Squash with Scallions. The recipe is originally from Cynthia Chen McTernan, whose blog is “Two Red Bowls.” Julia Moskin of the Times, adapted the recipe below. The appealing part is it contains just five ingredients, not including kosher salt and pepper. Also, the Cook’s comments were very positive.
 
For the recipe you’ll need vegetable oil, the kabocha squash, scallions, chicken or vegetable broth, salt, pepper and either Sriracha, soy sauce or both. It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish to prepare this dish.
I heeded the suggestion of one cook and microwaved the squash for a minute to make cutting easier. The squash is cubed and is cooked on the stove top in a large skillet. After cooking for five minutes, scallions and broth are added. The mixture simmers until the squash is tender. I found the kabochas need some extra vegetable stock as it got a bit dry during cooking.
 
To serve, it’s topped with scallions and either Sriracha or soy sauce. My husband and I drizzled some soy sauce on top…yum! Also, the stock created a nice sauce for the kabocha. If you’re looking for a stove top side for Thanksgiving, this may be your answer. A little Sriracha would be for a nice spicy alternative.
 
Boneless chicken breasts were on the menu last week. Always on the hunt for a new recipe, The New York Times “Here to Help” certainly lived up to its name. Alie Slagle posted a recipe for Pan-Seared Ranch Chicken. This quick and easy recipe needs Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, fresh chives, fresh dill (or parsley), garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, and extra-virgin olive oil.
 
For this recipe I used fresh parsley and chives from my cold frame. The homemade ranch dressing is made using the yogurt, mayo, chives, dill or parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Half the dressing will be used during serving and the rest as a marinade.
 
The meat is patted dry and pounded to an even thickness of approximately ½” thick. Next, season with salt and pepper. The chicken is placed in a bowl and one of the reserved portions of dressing is tossed with the chicken. The chicken is cooked in a non-stick skillet for approximately 4-6 minutes per size or until it’s a rich golden color. When the juices run clear, the meat is done.
 
To serve, additional ranch dressing is placed on the table and the chicken was garnished with additional chives. What a delicious meal! The chicken was moist and juicy. The blend of herbs and seasoning made for a tasty homemade ranch dressing. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this meal.
 
In my Instagram feed recently Undici Restaurant in Rumson, NJ posted a dish of house made ravioli made filled with roasted pumpkin, mascarpone, nutmeg served in a parmigiana crema with lemon zest and fried sage. While I would drive in there in a heartbeat, my darling husband has his preferred 10-mile radius of driving distance from our home to restaurants.
 
Fortunately, Pastosa Ravioli in Manasquan has a wide variety of ravioli fillings in their stores, pumpkin is one of them. With a box in hand, it was time to locate a recipe for the parmigiana cream. I found a luscious recipe on the website La Cucina Italiana for Parmigiano Reggiano Cream. What I like about this recipe is that it contains just three basic ingredients (excluding nutmeg and salt which your pantry should have), milk, Parmigiano Reggiano, and fresh cream.
 
The sauce is made by heating the cream and milk together and gradually adding the cheese a tablespoon at a time until it’s the consistency of custard. To complete, a pinch of salt and a few scrapings of nutmeg. I prefer grinding fresh nutmeg using a stainless steel fine nutmeg grater that I’ve had for over 35 years.
 
My herbs have been moved to the cold frame for the winter and I was able to get some sage clippings off my plant. I fried the leaves in butter and olive oil (butter for flavor and the oil to cook at a higher heat).  I zested a lemon and set that I aside until I was ready to serve.
 
To serve, I put some sauce in the bottom of a pasta dish, ravioli on top, more sauce, a few fried sage leaves and a dusting of lemon zest. Oh, my goodness, it was out of this world. The balance of flavors was subtle on the palate. The combination of ingredients was heaven! Though it sounds like a complicate meal, it was put together in about 30 minutes. It would make for a great pasta course for your Thanksgiving dinner!
 
Last weekend we were invited to turkey fry. This wonderful event involves the host deep frying approximately 2-3 whole turkeys for the event. Family and friends are invited and guests contribute something for the meal. After postponing last year’s turkey fry due to the pandemic, this year it made a comeback, but outdoors. With that in mind, I wanted to find a side dish that could be prepared ahead and would not require a chafing pan to keep warm.
 
I found on my NYT Cooking app a recipe for Sweet-and-Sour-Cauliflower with Golden Raisins. For this 30-minute recipe you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, an onion, saffron or turmeric (I used turmeric), 1-1/2 pounds of cauliflower, salt, pepper, light brown sugar, currants, golden raisins, freshly grated lemon zest, fresh squeezed lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, fresh chives and pine nuts (I opted not to add).
 
This side dish is prepared stove top, a bonus for those looking to free up oven space for Thanksgiving. Also, it can be served either hot or at room temperature. Double bonus! After preparing the cauliflower my husband and I did a taste test…delicious! The balance of sweet against the tangy flowers was wonderful. This recipe is a keeper!


Simmered Kabocha Squash with Scallions
Recipe from Cynthia Chen McTernan
Adapted by Julia Moskin
Featured in “The Thanksgiving Leftovers Everyone Forgets
The New York Times, November 16, 2018
By Julia Moskin
 
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Time: 20 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS
 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola or peanut
8 to 10 cups cubed kabocha squash, skin off or on (from 1 squash, 2 to 3 pounds); see note
½ cup thinly sliced or chopped scallions (6 to 8 scallions), more for serving
 About 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
 Salt and ground black pepper
 Sriracha, soy sauce or both, for serving (optional)
 
PREPARATION
  1. In a wide skillet or wok, heat the oil over high heat until shimmering. Add the squash and toss with a spatula until evenly coated with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, 5 minutes.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the scallions. Stir, then add 1/2 cup of broth and stir again. Adjust the heat to a simmer. If using skin-on squash, turn the pieces so that the skin is submerged; this allows them to cook evenly.
  3. Cover and simmer until squash is tender and skin (if using) is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure the pot isn’t cooking dry; add broth as needed to keep the mixture simmering. The broth will reduce and thicken into a light sauce.
  4. When cooked through, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, stir and taste the squash and the broth. Add salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, sprinkled with extra scallions. Ladle a little extra hot broth over each serving. 
 
Tip
The rind of kabocha squash usually becomes soft enough to eat, but you may also remove it beforehand. When choosing, note that the smoothest squash (with fewer nubs and bumps) will be the most tender.

simmered_kabocha_squash_with_scallions.docx.pdf
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Pan Seared Ranch Chicken
The New York Times/Here to Help column
September 9, 2021
Recipe by Ali Slagle
 
Yield: 4 Servings
Time: about 35 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS
 
¾ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, or 1/2 teaspoon dried, plus more for serving
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill or parsley (or 1/2 teaspoon dried), plus more for serving
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
 Kosher salt and black pepper
1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
 
PREPARATION
 
  1. In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, chives, dill and garlic powder; season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Transfer half the ranch to a medium bowl.
  2. Pat the chicken dry. If thickness varies greatly, pound to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then transfer the chicken to the medium bowl with the ranch and toss to coat. Let sit at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate overnight. (Let it come to room temperature before cooking.)
  3. Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high. Working in batches if necessary, cook the chicken (with the marinade still on it) until deeply caramelized on the outside, chicken releases from the pan, and its juices run clear, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Turn down the heat if the chicken is browning too quickly.
  4. If the ranch in the measuring cup is too thick, add a little bit of water to loosen it. (You should be able to drizzle it easily.) Serve chicken with the ranch passed at the table, and more herbs as desired.
pan_seared_ranch_chicken.pdf
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Pumpkin Ravioli with Parmigiana Cream Sauce,
Lemon Zest and Fried Sage Leaves
Inspired by Undici Restaurant, Rumson, NJ
Adapted by Donna Walsifer
 
Servings: 2
Time: 30 minutes
 
One box 12 count pumpkin Ravioli from Pastosa Ravioli
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
1 bunch fresh sage leaves
  
Parmigiano Reggiano Cream
From the www.lacucina.com
By Editorial Staff, December 2, 2020
Time: 15 minutes
Level: Easy
 
LIST OF INGREDIENTS
5 OZ. of milk
5 OZ. of fresh cream
5 OZ. of Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, aged 30 months*
Salt
Nutmeg
 
METHOD
  1. To make Parmigiano Reggiano cream, first heat the milk and cream in a saucepan. Add the grated parmigiana 1 tablespoon at a time, continuing to stir with a whisk.   Continue stirring over a low flame until all the cheese is used.
  2. In the end, the consistency should be similar to a custard. Complete with a pinch of salt and nutmeg.
  3. An alternative: If you want to use the cream to season tortellini, which are cooked in broth, just replace the milk with the same amount of broth. It should be enough for 4-6 people.
​*I did not use Parmigiano Reggiano aged for 30 months. 
 
 
Fried Sage Leaves
 
1 bunch of fresh sage
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
 
Pinch leaves off of branches. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add pat of butter.
 
Fry sages leaves 2-3 seconds until crisp. Carefully pick up with fork or tongs and transfer to paper towel.
 
Prepare Parmigiana Reggiano Cream sauce first, keep warm. Fry sage leaves; set aside. Zest lemon and set aside in small dish.
 
Cook ravioli per box instructions. Add some parmigiano cream sauce to pasta bowl. Place four ravioli in bowl and pour additional sauce on top. Sprinkle lemon zest on top along and scatter a few fried sage leaves. Sit down and ooh and ahh over this fabulous pasta
dish!
pumpkin_ravioli_in_parmiagiano_cream_sauce_with_lemon_zest_and_fried_sage_leaves.pdf
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Sweet-and-Sour Cauliflower with Golden Raisins
The New York Times/City Kitchen column
“Same Vegetables, New Flavors,” November 3, 2017
By David Tanis
 
Yield: 6 Servings
Time: 30 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
 Pinch of saffron or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 large or 2 small cauliflowers, trimmed, cut into large florets, florets sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)
 Salt and pepper
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup currants
½ cup golden raisins
½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, to taste
1 tablespoon snipped chives
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
 
PREPARATION
  1. In a large, heavy pot, warm olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened and just turning golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Adjust the heat to prevent browning. Add saffron and stir to coat.
  2. Add cauliflower, season generously with salt and pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, uncovered, stirring frequently.
  3. Add brown sugar, currants, raisins, lemon zest and juice, cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar. Turn up heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is just tender, about 5 to 8 minutes more.
  4. Remove pot from heat, taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and sherry vinegar. Set aside for at least 10 minutes (or up to 2 days, refrigerated) before serving.
  5. When ready to serve, transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with chives and pine nuts. Serve hot or at room temperature.
sweet-and-sour_cauliflower_with_golden_raisins.pdf
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File Type: pdf
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    A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners. 

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