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Monday, January 7, 2013

Recipe Review from 12/31/12

Happy New Year!

A new project to begin the new year:  The Man Barn!

For my Warm Weather Readers: it's about 15*F (-9.5*C) at time of photo

This post also starts the new recipe count for 2013!  2012 heralded 100 new recipes.  I don't have a goal, per se, just a desire to see how many new recipes I can comfortably make in a year.  Why?  I think it's because I like the variety, it keeps meals interesting, helps with meal planning from week to week which in turn keeps the grocery bill down, and it's improved my overall cooking skills.

So, to start 2013, I give you:

Sausage and Rice Stuffed Squash     (Ckng Lght Dec 2012)   GF/Vegetarian with substitute
Only one alteration to this recipe - I used the bottom half or so of a large butternut squash because that's what I had in my fridge.  You can also omit the sausage in this or substitute tempeh or seitan crumbles to make it vegetarian.  GF if you watch the sausage ingredients.  This turned out really good!  I loved the sweetness of butternut squash with the tang of the (hot) Italian sausage.  The brown rice added a nutty backdrop to all the flavors. This made three dinners for us. 

An aside - I used my favorite Cooks Illustrated Fool Proof Baked Rice recipe, starting the rice well before putting the squash into the oven.  To save time, make the rice the day before if you can.
Photo from CookingLight.com
  • 4 small acorn or sweet dumpling squashes (about 10 ounces each)  (I used the bottom 1/2 of a large butternut squash)
  • 2 (4-ounce) links sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/3 cup chopped celery
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 ounce Swiss cheese, shredded (about 1/4 cup)  (I grated up some leftover cheese I had in the fridge)
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 425°.
  2. Place whole [halved and seeded ] squash in a roasting pan. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until just tender. Let stand for 15 minutes. Halve squashes. Scoop out seeds; discard.
  3. Preheat broiler to high.
  4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add Italian sausage to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove sausage from pan; drain on paper towels. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel.
  5. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add celery; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in sausage, rice, and next 5 ingredients (through Parmesan). Divide rice mixture evenly among squash halves. Sprinkle evenly with Swiss cheese. Arrange squash halves on a baking sheet; broil 4 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted.

2 comments:

Karl A. said...

It's nice to see the man barn taking shape, hopefully the new she-kitchen follows soon after!

Anonymous said...

Looks JUST like a barn should. Love it.

100 recipes! WOW! I think I'll see how many I do this year. Think I'll get to 5? LOL

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