Recipes

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2 medium acorn squash
4 tablespoons canola oil (more for frying)
3 tablespoons diced white onion
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño
1 clove garlic, minced
2 peppers, roasted, peeled and cut into strips
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
10-inch flour totillas
1 cup shredded Montery Jack cheese
Tomatillo salsa, recipe follows

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly oil a baking sheet. Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds and cut each half into half-inch slices. Lay them on the baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes or until soft.
When cool enough to work with use a paring knife or your hands to peel the skin off each slice and chop the squash and put it in a bowl.
In a medium sauté pan, cook the onions, garlic and jalapeño in the oil until tanslucent. Add the pepper strips and cook for a couple minutes more. Add the squash and cook for another 5 or 10 minutes, until the squash is tender and the flavors have melded. Season with salt and pepper, add cilantro and take off heat.
Spread a few tablespoons of the cooked squash mixture onto one 10-inch flour tortilla. Sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of the cheese. Place another tortilla on top and sprinkle with more cheese and place in a hot pan with oil, and fry until crispy. Cut the finished quesadilla into 6 triangles. East while warm.

Tortilla Salsa

INGREDIENTS

10 tomatillos, husked and well washed, quartered
½ bunch of scallions, roots and green ends trimmed, cut into big segments
5 garlic cloves
2 jalapeños, roughly chopped
Pinch of cumin
¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Salt

PREPARATION

Puree all ingredients together until very smooth in a blender. Season with salt.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped fine
½ cup hazelnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups butternut squash, prebaked to soften
½ cup parmesan cheese (more for topping)
12 premade pasta sheets

INGREDIENTS FOR SAGE BROWN BUTTER SAUCE WITH CHOPPED HAZELNUTS

½ cup butter
¼ cup sage leaves, chopped
¼ cup toasted hazelnuts

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Use 1 tablespoon of butter to grease the casserole dish and set aside. In a medium size sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil and cook onion until tanslucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
In a medium-size bowl, add onions and garlic and rest of ingredients up until pasta sheets. On a cutting board, place a pasta sheet and spoon a line of filling down the middle, roll and place seam side down in casserole. Continue until finished with all sheets.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter and cook until brown and butter solids have sank to the bottom. Add sage leaves and hazelnuts and remove from heat. Pour sauce over cannelloni and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until warm. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as side dish and 2 as main course

INGREDIENTS

2 Delicata squash, cut in half, seeds removed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
¼ cup fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Place squash in a casserole dish and drizzle with olive oil and coat cut-side of squash with garlic, herbs and season with salt and pepper, cover with aluminum foil. Roast in oven until cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Susan G. Purdy

Makes 1 Bundt Cake

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3¹⁄₃ cups flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1½ cups sugar
1¼ cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup canola oil
5 large eggs, beaten
2 cups baked Sugar Pie pumpkin or Kabocha squash
²⁄₃ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
Orange Ginger Glaze, recipe follows
Chopped walnuts, optional

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a Bundt pan with softened butter. Sift all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, add sugars, canola oil and eggs, mix well. Add to dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Next, add pumpkin, buttermilk and ginger and combine. Pour all ingredients in the prepared Bundt pan and cook for 40 to 45 minutes (test with tooth pick, until it comes out clean). Cool and poke holes on top of cake for Orange Ginger Glaze. Drizzle glaze over top and add chopped walnuts. Serve once cooled.

Orange Ginger Glaze

INGREDIENTS

1½ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped superfine
1 pinch salt
¼ tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy cream
zest of one orange
1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice

PREPARATION

In a medium-size bowl, add all ingredients and combine until pourable consistency.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

1 medium spaghetti squash
½ cup walnuts or peacans, toasted
2 garlic cloves
2 cups fresh parsley leaves
¼ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice and zest of one lemon
½ cups Asiago cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 375°F.
With a knife, slice three to four little slits into each squash so it won’t explode while cooking. Place the squash in a roasting pan and bake in the oven for about an hour. Once the squash has cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.
In a blender, place nuts, garlic, parsley, lemon zest and juice, Asiago cheese, extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper and blend until incorporated. Set aside.
Then, run the tines of a fork through the melt of the squash from top to bottom, creating ribbons much like spaghetti. Put the “noodles” into your serving dish and continue with the remaining squash and season with salt and pepper. Discard the outside “shell”. Top noodles with pesto and serve.