Winter Squash, Kale, & Sausage w/ Gorgonzola Sauce

Winter Squash, Kale, & Sausage w/ Gorgonzola Sauce



1 small delicata squash
1 sweet sumpling squash (feel free to use other types of winter squash or 1 large squash)
1 bunch baby kale (or mature)
1 lb. of sweet italian sausage links
Sage
Rosemary
1 tblsp+ Olive oil
2 tblsp of apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup of chicken broth
1 tblsp butter
1/4 onion, diced
2 tblsp of flour
3/4 cup milk
5 oz of Gorgonzola cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and chop the squash. (If using a larger squash, you can boil it until the skin softens before peeling and cutting). Place the squash on a greased pan, season with sage and rosemary, and put in the oven. Bake until soft and the edges are crisp.

While the squash is baking, heat 1 tblsp of oil, 1 cup of chicken broth, and 2 tblsp of apple cider vinegar in a large pan. Add the sausage and cook on medium-high until the liquid has evaporated and the casing is crisp. Slice the sausage and add the squash and kale to the pan.

While the sausage, squash, and kale are cooking, heat a drizzle of oil and 1 tblsp of butter to a sauce pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Add the milk and broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the cheese and simmer until the cheese in melted.

Once the sausage is cooked through, pour the sauce over the sausage, squash, and kale mixture.

The Way to Eat Beets: Grated!

It's official. The way to make beets awesome and/or not gross, depending on your perspective, is to grate them. A food processor, especially one with a grating attachment, makes this super easy but you can also use a cheese grater.

Here are two recipes: A simple one (Pulled Pork w/ Chard, Beet, & Carrot Saute) and a more intensive one (Spicy Sausage Beet-Balls & Mustard-Dill-Beet Mashed Potatoes).

Pulled Pork w/ Chard, Beet, & Carrot Saute


Chard, Beet, & Carrot Saute
1 Beet
1 Carrot
1 bunch of Swiss Chard
1 bulb of garlic
Olive Oil

Grate the beet and carrot either with a food processor or grater. Heat oil in a skillet with the garlic. Add the beets and carrot. Saute for a minute or two and then add the chard. Saute until the chard has wilted. Bam. Done

Pulled Pork
This is kind of a bonus recipe. We often get ~1 lb. pork steaks from our meat CSA. The best and easiest way I've found to make them is in a crock pot. Put the pork steak into the pot and cover with water. You can use bbq sauce or other sauce but top off with water to cover all of the steak. Heat it on Low for 8-10 hours. It's done when the pork easily shreds with a knife. Scoop out the pork with a slotted spoon and put in a colinder on top of plate. This allows the fat to drip off the pork. That's it. Yay!


Spicy Sausage Beet-Balls & Mustard-Dill-Beet Mashed Potatoes



This was awesome if I do say so myself! The measurements are approximate - sorry to all you anal ones out there.

Spicy Sausage Beet-Balls
1 Beet
1 Carrot
1 lb. Spicy Italian Sausage
1 Egg
1/4 cup Milk
1 1/2 handfuls of bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 small handful of TJ's Provolone, Parmesan-Reggiano & Asiago Shredded Cheese Mix (or any shredded cheese)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Grate the beet and the carrot in the food processor. Reserve half for the mashed potatoes. In a bowl combine the sausage, half the beet-carrot mixture, egg, milk, bread crumbs, and cheese. Form the mixture into balls and place on a pan. Bake for ~ 30 min. (I didn't really pay attention - I took the balls out of the oven when everything else was done.)

Mustard-Dill-Beet-Potatoes

1/2 of the grated beet-carrot mixture from above
2 med & 2 small potatoes
1 tblsp of dijon mustard
Dill Weed
4 large spoonfuls of sour cream
1 tblsp butter

Boil the potatoes. When the potatoes are pierced easily with a fork, drain them and return to the pot. Add the butter and smash. Mix in the beet-carrot mixture and then the mustard, dill, and sour cream.

Cheese Sauce (for meatballs)

Olive Oil
1 tblsp butter
1/4 onion, diced
1 tblsp flour
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of chicken broth
5 oz of TJ's Provolone, Parmesan-Reggiano & Asiago Shredded Cheese Mix (or shredded provolone cheese)
Nutmeg

In a sauce pan, add a drizzle of oil and the butter. When the butter has melted, add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and chicken broth and bring to a boil. One boiling, stir in the cheese and let simmer until the cheese melts. Sprinkle with nutmeg to taste.

~~~

Seriously, even if you think you hate beets, at least try this last recipe. Adam said he couldn't even taste the beets in the meatballs.

Balsamic Eggplant "Pizza" with Ham and Ricotta

I adapted this from my new favorite cookbook, Rachel Ray's Just In Time. (I know, I know! Rachel Ray? I've never seen her show but I love her cookbooks!) I've made the recipe quicker than her 60 minute recipe which I, frankly, have to take some pride in.

I actually ended up with 7 little pizzas ... but as I was moving them to the plate, I dropped the tray on the ground. Whoops! Maverick, my pug, seemed to enjoy them too! :)

Balsamic Eggplant "Pizza" with Ham and Ricotta

1 small Eggplant
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 tbsp Parsley Flakes
Prosciutto Slices - 1 for each slice of eggplant, ~ 6-8
Tomato Sauce
Log of Mozzarella Cheese - enough for 1 slice for each eggplant

Serves 2

Preheat the oven to 375.

Oil a large skillet and put over high heat. Take a small, lengthwise slice on the eggplant so that it sits nicely on your cutting board. Then cut the eggplant into 1/2 in slices (I got 7 out of mine - 2 of which were very small). Put the eggplant in the skillet. Once the first side has finished cooking (use your spatula to check if it's soft), flip the eggplant slices and then splash each one with Balsamic Vinegar.

While the eggplant is cooking, combine the Ricotta, Parmesan, and Parsley flakes in bowl. Slice the Mozzarella - 1 slice per eggplant.

When the eggplant has finished cooking, place each slice onto a baking sheet. Top each slice with a heaping spoon full (or two depending on the size of the slice) of the Ricotta mixture then with a slice of prosciutto. Add a spoonful or so of Tomato Sauce to each slice and top with a slice of Mozzarella.

Place the baking sheet in the oven until the Mozzarella begins to melt.

What I Ate - Summer '08

Who doesn't love a rhyme?

I know I've been remiss dear readers of my cooking blog (Are there any anymore? Were there ever?)

So here's a little slide show of some of the things I've made this summer: