Squash and Sausage in Tomato Sauce

We are loving the Lidia's Celebrate Like an Italian cookbook. Tonight I made Squash and Sausage in Tomato Sauce. This was delicious. Sorry but you know my rule about recipes from new cookbooks. If you really want the recipe comment below. I might share it... The best part of this meal is I have leftover for two, well maybe just one, lunch.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin and Butternut Squash Risotto

After a day a baking we still needed something for dinner. I had a small piece of Pork Tenderloin in the freezer along with some bacon. The start of a delicious dinner. Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin was so easy to make it was scary. Sear the tenderloin. Wrap it in bacon and put it in the oven. That's all there is to it. The original recipe called for a glaze. I did not do the glaze.

Here is the recipe as it appears on RecipeTinEats

Ingredients-
8 to 10 slices of streaky bacon, long enough to wrap around the pork 1½ times.
1lb / 500g pork tenderloin, at room temperature
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)

Method-
Preheat oven to 180C/350F (fan forced/convection) / 200C/390F (normal oven).

Lay the bacon next to each other on a cutting board, slightly overlapping. The width of the bacon should be enough to wrap the length of the pork.

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Tuck the thin end under so the length of the pork is roughly the same thickness.

Heat the oil in an oven proof skillet over high heat. Sear the pork on all sides until nicely browned.

Place pork on the bacon. Use a knife to help keep the bacon together and roll the pork up, finishing with the seam side down.

Use the knife to transfer back into the skillet. Drizzle over honey and brush all over.

Roast for 25 to 30 minutes (Note 1), basting once or twice with the pan juices, mopping up plenty of the honey pooled at the base of the pork. Remove from oven and baste again. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Baste once more just before serving. To serve, cut into thick slices.

The Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto was my favorite part of dinner. The recipe is from Cookie and Kate. Another easy recipe. The risotto bakes in the oven. No standing over the stove with a glass of wine in your hand stirring, stirring and stirring. You would of course need a glass of wine in your hand, right?

The onion is sauteed. The rice is added with the broth and into the oven it goes. The squash roasts at the same time. Perfect! Oh and the fried sage leaves are brilliant! The recipe called for Brown Aborio Rice. I had the regular Aborio and it worked out fine.

Click here for the recipe!

Roasted Flank Steak with Olive-Oil Herb Or Turn to Post 9/26/15

On September 26th I made a dinner which we enjoyed. We enjoyed it so much that I repeated the whole thing tonight. Except this time I used a Flank Steak.  I even made the Potato and Autumn Vegetable Hash!

The recipe is from Cooking Light. I did omit the garlic.

Ingredients-
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 1/2-pound) flat iron steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

Method-
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
Sprinkle salt and pepper over steak. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned. Add wine and broth; cook 1 minute. Spread herb mixture over steak; place pan in oven. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with pan sauce.


I do love this side dish. It is a Bon Appetit recipe, Potato and Autumn Vegetable Hash. Sadly I used the last Butternut Squash from my sister's garden. I did start the recipe last night. Roasting the beets and prepping the greens. I used the beet greens and Swiss Chard.

My version of Potato and Autumn Vegetable Hash.

Ingredients-
Herb oil-
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Hash-
2 large golden beets
1 bunch Swiss Chard, trimmed and chopped
1 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 pound garnet yams or other yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
herb oil

Method-
Herb oil-
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and re-whisk before using.

Hash-
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring medium saucepan of salted water to boil. Add Swiss Chard and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain well. Set aside. Scrub beets; place in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour half of herb oil over beets; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap each beet in foil and roast beets until tender when pierced with small sharp knife, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let beets stand until cool enough to handle. Peel beets; cut into 1/2-inch pieces and reserve. DO AHEAD Swiss Chard and beets can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.

Combine squash, potatoes, and yams in large bowl. Add remaining herb oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread vegetable mixture evenly on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until vegetables are tender when pierced with knife and lightly browned around edges, stirring and turning vegetables occasionally, about 50 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Stir beets and beet greens into roasted vegetables; dot with butter cubes and continue to roast just until beets are heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer vegetable mixture to large bowl and serve.

Those Chicken Cutlets & Orzo with Butternut Squash and Spinach

This seems to be becoming our Sunday dinner. I love this recipe. There was some discussion because  I had posted on the our weekly menu print out that we were having Chicken Parmesan tonight. This does have Parmesan Cheese in the recipe. But I could add some sauce next time

For a side I found a recipe on Pinterest using Butternut Squash. Orzo with Butternut Squash and Spinach. I was positive I had Orzo in the pantry. Well, I was wrong. I used Tubettini and Pastine. This was really good. Any pasta would work.

And that bread I made yesterday. Roasted Apple Bread. The absolute best bread! Toasted with butter. Wow. Then for lunch I made a grilled cheese with Dijon Mustard and Cheese!!! The recipe was from the King Arthur Flour web site. The house smelled so good while it was baking.  This will be a week of excellent breakfasts!

Roasted Flat Iron Steak with Olive Oil-Herb Rub and Much More!

 

We had this last week but I had made it with a Flank Steak. It was good but the Flat Iron Steak was much better. 

The original recipe is from Cooking Light. All I did was omit the garlic, surprise,  and changed the type of steak.

Ingredients-
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 1/2-pound) flat iron steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

Method-
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
Sprinkle salt and pepper over steak. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned. Add wine and broth; cook 1 minute. Spread herb mixture over steak; place pan in oven. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with pan sauce.

The side dish was amazing! A Bon Appetit recipe, Potato and Autumn Vegetable Hash. I have a few Butternut Squash cluttering the counter from my sister's garden, so I had to find a recipe or two. This one will be my go-to side dish this fall. We both liked it and I have enough leftovers for a couple of lunches!

My version of Potato and Autumn Vegetable Hash.

Ingredients-
Herb oil-
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Hash-
2 large golden beets
1 bunch Swiss Chard, trimmed and chopped
1 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 pound garnet yams or other yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
herb oil

Method-
Herb oil-
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and re-whisk before using.

Hash-
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring medium saucepan of salted water to boil. Add Swiss Chard and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain well. Set aside. Scrub beets; place in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour half of herb oil over beets; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap each beet in foil and roast beets until tender when pierced with small sharp knife, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let beets stand until cool enough to handle. Peel beets; cut into 1/2-inch pieces and reserve. DO AHEAD Swiss Chard and beets can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.

Combine squash, potatoes, and yams in large bowl. Add remaining herb oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread vegetable mixture evenly on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until vegetables are tender when pierced with knife and lightly browned around edges, stirring and turning vegetables occasionally, about 50 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Stir beets and beet greens into roasted vegetables; dot with butter cubes and continue to roast just until beets are heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer vegetable mixture to large bowl and serve.

And wait there is more...

Roasted Apple and Pecan Bread. Tomorrow's breakfast. More about it in tomorrow's post.

One Large Butternut Squash and Some Tomatoes

It was not hot out today. It was autumn like. Wow, I got so much cooking done today. But let's just focus on dinner for right now. Meatloaf. Yes the grill is perhaps getting ready for hibernation. So the oven is back on. The Meatloaf was delicious. I sauteed chopped onions and shredded carrots. They were added to the ground beef along with some horseradish dressing, ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce. I was going to add some breadcrumbs or chopped Italian bread but did not. I brushed the top of the meatloaf with ketchup and put crushed fried onions on top. It was in the oven for over an hour, until the internal temperature was 160 degrees. Did I mention it was delicious?

 

Now about the Butternut Squash and the tomatoes. I saw my sister yesterday and she presented me with 2 Butternut Squash from their garden. Earlier in the week she sent a photo of the harvest and I said yes.

I had a couple of things planned for the squash. I was not expecting them to be quite so large. One was over 4 pounds and the other was over 5 pounds. I used the larger one today to make a large pan, 8 servings, of Butternut Squash Soup. I also made a Butternut Squash and Pasta Casserole. So we got 5 meals from one squash, and probably a couple of lunches too! And the other squash will be taken care of next weekend.

The tomatoes were perfect. I have wanted to make the Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter recipe for a while. Oh, it came out so good. The recipe said to remove the onion, but I was reading some comments and a few people kept it in and so I blended it with an immersion blender. That went into the freezer for another night. Can't wait.

Butternut Squash Ribbons & Pancetta with Spinach Tagliatelle

You have all visited the Proud Italian blog haven't you? Don't worry I will wait while you visit....

Okay it is an amazing blog. The photos are drool inducing. I wish I lived next door to the writer. But I do not so I just make her recipes. Tonight I made Butternut Squash Ribbons with Spinach Tagliatelle. But I made a couple of changes in the recipe. Chris is not a mushroom fan so I substituted zucchini. And I added pancetta. Yeah that was a nice addition. I picked up pancetta at the Meat House, more on that later in the week. I had it sliced into 1/2 inch slabs. I diced one of the slabs and fried it up. Nice and crisp! Then I cleaned the pan and sauteed the zucchini in a little olive oil, seasoning it with salt and pepper. I made the cream sauce following the recipe and added the squash and other ingredients at the end. Gosh this was so good. Not heavy at all. And did I mention how good the pancetta cubes were?

Here is my version of the recipe but if you want the original version, Click Here.

Ingredients -
12 oz. spinach tagliatelle
butternut squash ribbons created from the neck only of a butternut squash
1 cup of sauteed zucchini
1/3 cup cream or half and half
1/3 cup of stock, chicken or vegetable
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
parsley for garnish
olive oil

Method -
Cut the top off of a long neck medium sized butternut squash, peel skin off then make long ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Turn as you peel. Toss into a bowl and drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper all over then place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 375 to 400 until edges start to curl, keep watching as to not burn. Set aside.
Cook tagliatelle al dente.
In a saute pan drizzle olive oil. Pour in the cream, stock and cheese, cook until slightly thickens.
Add the zucchini and gently toss everything together and place on a platter adding more grated cheese, a nice drizzle of olive oil and fresh parsley for garnish.

While dinner was cooking we had some munchies. I picked up some bacon wrapped jalepeno poppers, what's not to like about that! And some cheese. English Cheddar Cheese with Mustard and Ale. Yum!

Hearty Minestra with Butternut Squash and Kale

Let me start by saying that this was so good we are having the leftovers tomorrow night. The recipe is from Lidia's Italy. My mom use to make Minestra when I was a kid. The difference in her recipe, which of course I do not have written down, was that I do not remember her adding tomato to the base.

Lidia's recipe is fairly easy, it just takes time. This time, I made this about a year ago, I remembered to soak the beans the night before and I had bacon to make the Pestata.

The squash was from my sister's garden. It was very large. When I tried to weigh it whole I kept getting an error message!