Winter squash, it's what I've been cooking.

 Just yesterday I roasted and steamed a very large winter squash we grew in the fall. It was warty and French: Galeux D' Eysines it is called. While each winter squash is slightly different in texture, flavor and character, you can use any of them in the recipes below.

There was so much lovely orange cooked squash I got inspired to make my winter squash spice soup.
I now have a half gallon for lunches, dinner and some to freeze for later.

I also decided to make these lovely winter squash biscuits, Genevieve found this recipe and I love them for a snack, with dinner or even toasted for breakfast. My squash was very moist, so when I added it to the dry ingredients, there was no way I could work it like the recipe calls for.
I made them into what my mother used to call "drop biscuits". She would make these instead of rolling the dough and cutting them out. The advantage is that you don't have to add more flour in order to work the dough, in fact you handle them less which is a plus when it comes to biscuits.

Here they are before they went into the oven. The baking time is the same but so much easier to make.

I saved some of the chunks of squash to heat up as a side dish to make a quick version of my "pumpkin" bouranee. I use the garlic cilantro butter that has now become a staple in my fridge.
I just shave off three or four slivers of the "butter", toss it on the squash before I heat it up. If you want more of the authentic flavor, you could sprinkle on some smoked paprika and a dash of coriander.

Cilantro Garlic Butter

Ingredients

1/2 cup soft butter
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

1) Start by whizzing the peeled garlic cloves in your food processor.
2) Add the fresh chopped cilantro. Whiz that a bit.
3) Add the soft butter and whiz some more until it's fairly smooth. It's doesn't have to be pureed.
4) Scrap into a small bowl and store in the fridge, try not to eat it on EVERYTHING :-)


You know I'll bet that butter would be great on the squash biscuits !! Better go try it right now ;-)

This year in review: part two.

Here comes the second part of my favorite recipes from this year.
I am trying to balance the sweet and the savory, the veggies and the meat.

1) Whole wheat bread from the bread machine: I make this bread weekly, it is by far the best all whole wheat bread recipe I have found. It makes divine toast !!

2) Quinoa Tabouli: This salad was one of those experiments that worked. Look in the fridge, see what's there, try to make it all go together ;-)

3) Slow Roasted Country Style Pork Ribs: I made this dish twice for dinner guests, always a very big hit. They cook for four hours but are simple to make and so very tender !

4) The Best Chocolate Ice Cream: No lie, truly the creamiest, richest chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten.

5) Winter Squash Biscuits: We made small versions of these and added cheddar cheese to the recipe for appetizers at a party, what a hit !! The photo doesn't do them justice.

6) Pecan Pie Bar: Whoa, these gooey sweet bars were so good, just the right balance of filling and crust. They made great gifts as well.

So there you have it, some highlights from 2012. Which were your favorites ??

I already have some great ideas to start the new year !!

Winter Squash Biscuits

It's that time of year, with Halloween over and winter squash abundant in the farmer's markets.
My daughter turned me on to this recipe a couple years ago. Any kind of winter squash will do, I used the puree from the amazing Blue Hubbard squash given to me last year. It works well to do the steaming and puree-ing ahead of time, winter squash puree freezes beautifully.

Winter Squash Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups  flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup pureed winter squash, cold
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup yogurt
2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons oregano

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. and lightly grease a large baking sheet or cover with parchment.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder,1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3) Add 1/2 cup butter and cut into flour mixture...

....until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4. In a medium-sized bowl, beat 1 cup winter squash, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 3/4 cup yogurt . 

5) Add squash mixture to the flour mixture and mix lightly to just combine.

 Do not over mix.

6)  Turn biscuit dough out onto a well floured surface, and pat out into a large circle of even thickness, about 1/2-inch thick. I used waxed paper which due to the moisture in the biscuit turned into a bit of a problem once I patted it into the circle. Next time I would use a marble slab, wooden board or some other surface with plenty of flour.

7)  The original recipe called for using a  large biscuit cutter, as you can see I tried both the pie wedge and sort of squares technique with a sharp knife. Do whatever you prefer, the wedges had Bob calling them scones ;-)

8) Place on the prepared baking sheet. I used a metal spatula to lift them off the soggy wax paper.

9) Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cooked through.

10) Serve them warm for brunch or with soup for lunch or dinner. They store well in the fridge or freezer, just heat and serve.