Penne Pasta with Butternut Squash
Ingredients
12 oz. multigrain penne paste
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 bag dried mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 Tbs fresh oregano
Directions
Add pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook as the label directs (reserve 1 cup of cooking water when draining the pasta)
In the meantime, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add squash, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir occasionally, until golden and tender, about 5 - 8 minutes.
Transfer to plate and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil into the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 min.
Add the garlic, onion and red pepper flakes to the mushrooms. Cook until onions are soft, about 2 min.
Combine all ingredients by adding the pasta, squash and 1/2 cup of the reserve water into the skillet. Cook for 2 min. then stir in 1/2 cup parmesan and the remaining cooking water.
Lastly, stir in the oregano and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan and serve hot.
Picture and recipe adapted from: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/penne-with-butternut-squash-3362500
Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
4 large potatoes
1 medium onion, peeled
1 egg
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
butter and vegetable oil, for frying
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Apple sauce, maple syrup or sour cream for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 200 F and place 2 nonstick baking sheet in oven.
Grate onion with food processor or hand grater. Set aside in a colander in the sink to drain.
Grate potatoes with food processor or hand grater. Add potatoes to the colander with onion and leave in sink for 5 min to drain.
Whisk egg, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
Using a towel, squeeze excess liquid from potatoes and onions. Add potatoes and onions to the mixing bowl.
Using your hands, gently combine all ingredients.
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat.
Scoop 1/4 cup of potato mixture at a time and place on skillet.
Using your spatula flatten the potato mixture into a pancake. Repeat with remaining potato mixture.
Fry potato pancakes until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Then flip and fry for another 3 min.
Remove pancakes from skillet and transfer to a paper towel to allow drainage. Once pancake is drained, place the pancake on the warm baking sheets in the oven and keep warm while you finish frying the remaining batches.
Between batches, add additional oil and butter before continuing with the next batch.
Serve pancakes warm with your desired topping.
Picture and recipe adapted from: https://www.theseasonedmom.com/potato-pancakes/
Butternut Squash and Beet Risotto
1 butternut squash
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili pepper flakes
1 cup Arborio rice
8 sprigs fresh thyme
3/4 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 orange
2 Tbsp honey
2 beets, peeled and chopped
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped
2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Directions
To make the squash, preheat the oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut in half and deseed squash. Place the squash halves onto the sheet and roast, cut side down, for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Once cooled, scoop the cooked squash from the roasted halves and place into a blender along with a 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth. Blend until completely smooth.
To make risotto, heat 1/3 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onions and 1 tsp chili flakes, and cook for about 8 minutes.
Then add the uncooked rice and thyme sprigs and stir until evenly coated, about 3-4 min.
Add wine and let simmer for about 2 minutes.
Add enough vegetable broth to to slightly cover the rice. Cook and stir consistently, until the broth is almost absorbed. Repeat, adding just enough broth to cover the rice each time, until the rice is bound in a creamy consistency, about 20 minutes.
Add in the cooked butternut squash puree to the rice and let simmer until you get a creamy and thick consistency. If it is too thick, add more broth.
To make the beets, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil, orange juice, honey and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add beets to the saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally until beets are glazed, about 8 min.
Remove thyme spri