Winter vegetables are the best - and when they are roasted, it really brings out their flavor. Roasted pumpkin, butternut squash, turnips, spaghetti squash, it's hard to decide where to start.
Here's a delicious recipe for roasted butternut squash with a hint of spice, balanced with leeks and goat cheese in a rich gratin. This is perfect for a main dish if you are vegetarian (with a crunchy side salad), or a clever new side dish for Sunday supper (give your green beans a break!).
Ingredients
1 butternut squash (about 3 lbs)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper
1.5 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 leeks
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of hazelnuts
6 oz of goat cheese
1 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
Preparation
1. Peel, seed and dice the butternut squash into cubes. Heat the oven to 375.
2. Put the butternut squash in a large bowl. Combine with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper and coriander. Mix until the squash is covered with the spices and oil.
3. Spread butternut squash cubes on a foil covered tray and roast in the oven for 40 - 45 minutes until fork tender.
4. While the squash is cooking, slice the leeks (white and light green parts).
5. In a sauté pan, heat butter over medium heat, add the leeks and sauté for 10 minutes.
6. Grease a baking dish with butter. Put the leeks on the bottom of the dish, and add roasted butternut squash. Slice rounds of goat cheese and scatter in the dish. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Pour the heavy cream over top. Place back in oven (still at 375).
7. Cook until bubbly and cheese is melting, for about 45 minutes. Serve immediately!
I don't know what it is, but I find the older I have gotten, the more and more I love me some veggies. I'm thinking it's because I generally don't use the kind that come in canned form anymore... but I can't be sure. Regardless, I definitely taken to using vegetables in a main dish because sometimes, they can be better than meat (gasp! did I just say that aloud!?!).
Here's a great recipe for artichoke au gratin that you can serve as a side dish with ham or fish, or serve as a main dish with some bread and a bean salad. (the recipe is based off of the cookbook Plenty)
Ingredients
3 8oz bags of frozen artichoke hearts
2 yellow onions
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tsp of dried thyme
6 tbsp. of fresh parsley
4 tbsp. of butter
1/3 cup of flour
1 cup of water
1 cup of milk
1 cup of ricotta cheese
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
Preparation
1. Thinly slice the onions with a mandolin (or very thinly with a knife). Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Boil a pot of water over high heat. Add the frozen artichokes and simmer for about three minutes. Drain artichokes.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and onions, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Sauté onions 6-8 minutes until tender. Add the thyme and parsley, cook with onions for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add the artichokes to the onion mixture and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to make a smooth paste and cook for about 2 minutes, whisking to not brown. Mix the water and milk together and slowly whisk into the flour paste 1/4 of a cup at a time. Continue to whisk on low heat for about 8-10 minutes until thick and creamy.
5. Add the sauce to the artichoke mixture. Butter a large casserole dish and add the artichoke mixture.
6. Sprinkle the dish with parmesan cheese and drop in large spoonfuls of the ricotta in the artichoke mix around the dish. Cover with foil.
7. Bake in the oven covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and cook for 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Serve immediately.
