Butternut Squash Home Fries

Aside from pumpkins, butternut squash is the food that I most associate with the fall season. Every autumn, without fail, I’ll pick up a butternut squash at least two or three times during the season. And every time I pick one up, I say to myself “ok, now what am I going to do different with this?” I love the traditional soups, risottos, pastas and baked butternut squash dishes, but I’m always on look-out for a new idea. Last week, after I bought my first butternut squash of the season, I did some research and put together a recipe for butternut squash home fries that has three easy steps:

1. easy to cut (this is always a challenge, since most fall squash are usually hard as a bullet);

2. easy to prepare; and

3. easy to serve.

What you’ll need for this recipe is one nice size butternut squash, a vegetable peeler, a sharp knife, some olive oil, salt and pepper, and some basic seasonings (suggestions for sweet and savory seasonings are listed below). Start by peeling the skin off of the squash. This step is actually a lot easier that I thought it would be. While the squash as a whole is very tough and often hard to slice through, the skin itself peels without much effort. Next, you are going to cut off and discard the top tip and the bulbous bottom part of the squash. The bottom part houses most of the seeds, so this steps helps you avoid messy cleanup. You can save the bulbous part for another recipe, but I found it wasn’t necessary for this dish.

The squash cut into four equal parts.

Next, you are going to cut the squash in half lengthwise, then you are going to cut both halves in half again, lengthwise. Be sure to remove and discard any remaining seeds. You now have four long, thin pieces of squash.

The next step is to slice the squash into very thin slices. The thinner the slices, the crispier the home fries will be. Depending on the amount of time you have, you can use a food processor with the slicing blade, a vegetable peeler, or VERY CAREFULLY use a sharp knife. When the squash is sliced, you’ll want to place the slices into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Next you’ll want to add your salt and pepper, and your seasonings, and then mix everything up so that the slices are lightly and evenly coated.

Spread the slices evenly onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Make sure that the slices are not overlapping to guarantee that all of the slices are baked through. Place the tray into an oven pre-heated to 375º. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the slices start to brown and curl. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes. The slices will harden and crisp up a bit as they cool. Serve it as a side dish to chicken, meat or fish.

THE SEASONINGS

The nice thing about this dish is that the seasoning could be either sweet or savory, depending on what you’re in the mood for and with what you are serving the home fries.

For sweet home fries, add 1/2 tspn (or to taste) of either cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or allspice to the butternut squash. You can also add sliced apples to make it a festive fall dish.

For savory home fries, add some chopped thyme or sage leaves and 1/2 tspn (or to taste) of onion powder. You can also add parmesan cheese for extra flavor.

The home fries, perfectly crisp.

Follow up: My friend Tom, who does a thicker french fry-cut version of this recipe, noted that not only is this a quick and easy dish, but it is also a much healthier option than traditional french fries or even sweet potato fries, because it is baked and not fried. To make the french fry-cut version, cut into slightly larger pieces and bake for 40-45 minutes, turning half way through.

Crock Pot Sausage, Peppers and Potatoes

As we get ready to nestle into the crisp fall season, I start getting geared up to do some hearty, rustic seasonal cooking. Because our weekends quickly get filled with leaf clean-up, hayrides, football games and back to school activities, it’s often hard to find the time needed to put together a big meal. This is when a crock pot, or a slow cooker, comes in handy.

Last weekend I put together a slow cooker version of an Italian-American favorite, the classic sausage and peppers. By simply adding some key ingredients to the crock pot for about 6 hours (I also added potatoes for extra heartiness), we were able to enjoy one of our favorite meals while still being able to take advantage of the day. This recipe will work well for a small party, game day grub, or a weekday meal.

Crock Pot Sausage, Peppers and Potatoes

1 lb. sausage (your choice of hot, sweet or gourmet stuffed – I used a chicken sausage stuffed with spinach and feta)
3 small-to-medium potatoes, cubed
3 bell peppers, seeded and sliced into strips (you can use green, red, yellow or orange, or any combination for mixed color)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup red wine
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional – 1 bouillon cube (chicken, beef or vegetable) for extra flavor

Cook the sausage by either frying on the stove top or baking in the oven, until browned. Slice the cooked sausage into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Place into the crock pot the diced tomatoes and their juices, the sausage, potatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, bouillon cube, water and wine. Any red wine that you have opened will work (although we were fortunate enough to have a bottle of home made red given to us by our good friend Jessica’s dad..NICE!). Stir all of the ingredients together. You can add additional water later on if needed. Place the lid on the crock pot and heat it on the slow setting for 6 to 6-1/2 hours, until the potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over, pasta, rice, shredded spaghetti squash, or serve it with crusty bread for dipping.

A Review of Harpoon Pumpkin Cider

We’ve reached that time of year again when the kids are back to school, the weather slowly starts to change, and all things are turning up pumpkin! While I look forward to and embrace the pumpkin foods, spices and scents that pop up each fall season (if you’re a regular follower of my blog, you know by now that I enjoy featuring pumpkin-related recipes come the autumn season), one thing that I am a bit overwhelmed by is the early release and wide variety of pumpkin-related beers. It seems that each year, the pumpkin spiced beers are hitting the shelves earlier and earlier. Each year also brings a wider variety of pumpkin, autumn and Octoberfest beers. Because these beers move so quickly off the shelves, I try to stay ahead of the game by stock-piling my favorites as early as possible. This year I found myself purchasing a few bottles as early as late July, storing them in my basement until the cooler weather approaches.

Although I do tend to stick to most of my fall favorites (Souther Tier Pumking, Long Trail Harvest, Hacker Pschorr Original Octoberfest, Sam Adams Octoberfest, Harvest Moon), I do like to sample some of the new seasonals that I come across. This year I found a bottle that really piqued my interest – Harpoon Pumpkin Cider. Described as a combination of their traditional cider and their spicy winter warmer, it sounded like the perfect fall offering. The label is also very clever, depicting an apple carved out like a jack-o-lantern. Being a sucker for all things pumpkin, and also being a fan of most other Harpoon brews, I couldn’t pass up on grabbing a six pack to keep on hand. Since the weather has been a bit more comfortable at nights, I decided to give this one an early seasonal tasting.

Gotta say…this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations. While there was a nice aroma of fresh pressed apples, I could hardly pick up any of the traditional pumpkin spices. What shocked me even more was the color of the cider once I poured it. I was expecting a rich, amber-like color, but instead found it to be a very pale golden yellow, almost champagne-like. The taste was also very light and crispy, again almost champagne-like. Not a bad taste, but not what I was expecting. And again, no hints whatsoever of pumpkin spices. Many of the usual pumpkin spices would work well with apple cider (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg), even if ‘pumpkin’ wasn’t part of the equation. Unfortunately, I could’t detect any of it. Instead I was left with the impression that I had a glass of a light and crisp, slightly tart champagne. Not necessarily a bad drink, just not at all what I hoped for.

Each year, I usually come across one dud out of the bunch. Last year was Blue Moon’s Caramel Apple Cider. This year, the dud apparently came right out of the gate. Hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy the remainder of my fall stash. Luckily I have a basement full of fall brews, and an entire season to enjoy them!

If you are interested in trying a Harpoon seasonal, skip this one and go for their Octoberfest or their UFO Pumpkin.

My ‘Chef for a Day’ Experience in New York City – Part 2

Last week I introduced you to Camaje Bistro and Lounge, and to chef/owner Abigail Hitchcock, as I shared with you highlights of my day in the Camaje kitchen. Today I am going to share with you the fun stuff…the menu and the tips and tricks that were passed on to me! Before we go any further, let me explain to you why you will not find step-by-step recipes in this blog post. My day in the kitchen was kind of free-form. As Chef Abby was guiding me along, we didn’t focus on specific measurements to the tee. While some ingredients needed measurements, a good portion of the seasonings were eyeballed and adjusted to taste. This was actually very comfortable for me. I’m Italian – nobody in my family follows exact recipes! Chef Abby also told me right from the get-go to absorb what I could that day, even if it wasn’t what I was used to doing. If I were to decide to try it another way on my own time, all the better. I encourage each of you to do the same, not only with recipes on my blog, but with all recipes in general. With that said, let’s head back to the Camaje kitchen!

Our meal for the day was broken up into three courses: an appetizer, a main course and a dessert, along with a fine bottle of wine to complement the meal. All courses were selected by my wife when the reservations were booked, so fresh ingredients hand picked by Chef Abby from the farmer’s market were all on hand that day. I had a hand in preparing, plating and presenting every course, and we were given plenty of time to enjoy each course before I headed back into the kitchen for the following round.

1st Course: The Appetizer

Our first course was Roasted Eggplant and Goat Cheese Napoleon. Chef Abby had me start the day’s duties by slicing up a beautiful Italian Eggplant (the short, bulbous variety that are a light purple and white tye-died color) into 6 even pieces, about 1/2″ thick.Right off the bat this was a bit different for me. We cook eggplant often, but I always prefer to remove the skin and slice the eggplants thin. Curious and excited to see where we were going with this this, I sliced away, then brushed each side with canola oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, then into the oven it went. The next step was to mix equal amounts of goat cheese and cream cheese, along with some finely chopped chives and some fresh thyme. A little heavy cream was whisked into the mixture to slightly thin it out. Once the eggplants were done roasting, and were golden brown on both sides, we assembled by alternating layers of eggplant and layers of the cheese, until each plate was three layers deep, served over a spring mix salad. My first dish out of a professional kitchen was a hit! The roasted eggplant and the creamy cheese filling melted in your mouth. Honestly, I could make an entire meal out of this dish alone. While I am still a fan of thin-sliced eggplant when preparing cutlets, the thicker and meatier slices were definitely the way to go with this dish!

2nd Course: The Entrée

Our second course was Sautéed Wild Salmon with a Lemon & Herb Beurre Blanc and Market Vegetables. Because salmon doesn’t take long to prepare, we started with the vegetables. Chef Abby picked up some nice purple potatoes, which she had me slice in half, then drizzle with some oil, salt and pepper, then place in the oven for a nice roasting. If you never had purple potatoes, they are a fun addition to your plate if you are looking for presentation. The outer skin is a very dark purple color, and when you slice them open you find a fantastic purple swirl that holds up when cooked (kids also find them fun to eat!). We then sliced some fresh leaks, fennel, smashed garlic and tomato, seasoned with some salt and pepper and sautéed it in oil until the veggies were soft and their flavors were married together.

Next up was preparing the salmon. Chef Abby gave me the choice of grilled or sautéed. Since grilling is my usual choice for salmon, I went with sautéing so that I could take advantage of learning some new tricks. The prep was very easy, simply seasoning each side of the filets with salt and pepper, then placing them skin side up into a searing hot pan with some oil. Once the flesh side was cooked (about 5 minutes), we flipped the filets and put them skin side down. You’ll notice that the skin will start to curl once heated. After a few minutes, we flipped the filets to skin side up again, then placed the pan into the oven. The fish will continue to cook in the oven, without having the oils burn off. The outside ends up well done and slightly crisp, while the inside remains moist and full of flavor.

Last was the Beurre Blanc sauce. This is a quick and delicious sauce that is made up of a finely chopped shallot, fresh lemon juice, white wine, salt and pepper, fresh herbs (we went with the classic basil and parsley combination) and chunks of cold butter. You simply sauté the shallots in the wine and lemon juice until the liquid is almost evaporated. At this point you want to lower the heat and add the butter a few cubes at a time, whisking until blended. You want the butter to soften, but not cook in the pan. Melted butter is not the objective here. Season with salt, pepper and the fresh chopped herbs, and you end up with a heavenly, creamy and delicious sauce. Because of the delicate nature of this sauce, it can’t be made ahead of time. Once the sauce was done, we plated the salmon over the vegetables and topped with the sauce.

We eat salmon at home…a lot. Its our go-to fish. And I’ve prepared it a number of ways, my most famous being stuffed with pesto. This dish that I made with Chef Abby…off the charts! There is nothing like cooking with fresh ingredients, and this dish could not have proved that point any more. Chef Abby encouraged me to taste while seasoning throughout the entire cooking process, which no doubt made for better judgement and preparation. Two courses down, two thumbs up!

3rd Course: The Dessert

I’ll admit, this part of the meal is what I was waiting for all day. The choice that Daria selected for us was Caramelized Banana and Roasted Chocolate Crepes. Everything about this dish screams ‘winner’. I’ve made caramel sauce before, and anyone could slice bananas in their sleep. But making crepes? Lemme tell you…this was the biggest challenge of the day for me. A crepe, for those that do not know, is like a very thin pancake. You make a batter out of flour, eggs, milk, and sugar (if you are making sweet crepes). For savory crepe recipes, try leaving out the sugar and allowing the savory flavors to stand out. Unlike pancakes, you need to work fast. Very fast. Using a hot pan coated with oil or butter, you ladle the batter into the pan, and then you move the pan around to make an even, thin layer. After about 15 seconds, when the top starts to dry and the bottom becomes a golden brown, you shake the pan to loosen it and with a flick of the wrist, you give it a flip. You can use a spatula if needed…but Chef Abby made sure that we didn’t need no stinkin’ spatula. Chances are the first crepe you make will be a dud…as was mine! Luckily, the batter that we made was enough for a good 4-6 crepes. By the third crepe, I pretty much had it down. We then made a basic caramel sauce (heated butter and sugar), added in our bananas, and finished it off with some melted chocolate. We then gently folded the caramelized bananas into the crepes, plated them and topped with powdered sugar. Although a few of the crepes may have broken mid-flip, with just a few creative folds nobody would know the difference. If I said this dessert was off the charts, I would be lying. It was miles beyond the charts. No, I am not kidding, and yes it was THAT GOOD. Rich, decadent, gooey….HEAVEN.

Bonus: The Tips and Tricks!

As I said in part one of my Camaje recap, not only is Chef Abby a creative and knowledgeable chef, she also takes high interest in and has a thorough, educated understanding of the science of foods. Aside from guiding me through the A-MA-ZING meal mentioned above, Chef Abby was very gracious throughout the entire experience to share a few tips and tricks, such as:

• Avoiding teary eyes when slicing onions or shallots: most people, including myself, tend to shed a few tears when slicing onions. What causes this? The liquids that are extracted from the onion when rough-chopped (quickly rocking the knife over the onion, when mincing). This method, while quicker, is actually squashing the onion and is extracting the juice from the onion, which then helps produce tears in our eyes. Instead, try to delicately slice the onion, making sure to cut straight through instead of mincing. Also, be sure to keep the root end of the onion in-tact. This helps keep the onion together a bit more, and prevents it from falling apart while slicing. The onion may start to spread a bit, but can be kept under control with your fingers.

• Getting the smell of garlic off of your hands: when Chef Abby asked how I handle this, I confidently said “you use some lemon juice”. Nope. While the lemon juice does mask the garlic aroma, it doesn’t remove the scent. Next time, try rubbing your hands on your stainless steel sink, then rinse with water. Voila! No more garlic scent on your hands!

• How to chiffonade basil: while we were preparing the herbs for our sauce, Chef Abby asked if I knew how to chiffonade basil. When I told her that I wasn’t familiar with the term, she asked what I do to slice my basil. I said “well, I grab a few leaves, roll them tight like a cigar, then make thin slices that produce ribbon-like cuts”. Turns out I knew how to chiffonade basil all along!

• Select your oils accordingly: olive oil always seems to be the go-to oil when preparing meals, especially Italian meals. While rich and flavorful, olive oil has a low heat tolerance, thus will burn and smoke up when added to a high heat pan. Canola oil has a high heat tolerance, and is the better choice to use for high heat cooking.

• Cleaning leaks: when leaks are plucked from the ground, they tend to carry lots of dirt within their folds. To help remove the unwanted dirt, simply soak the leaks in cold water for a few minutes. The dirt will fall from the leaks and will pool up in the bottom of the bowl like wet sand.

• The wonders of Fleur de Sel: translated to “flower of salt”, it is a hand-harvested sea salt that falls under the variety of finishing salts. Used as a seasoning accent when plating rather than when cooking (just a small bit is needed), it adds a candy-coated texture when added to moist foods. We added a pinch to our sliced tomatoes in our salad. BOOM! Like magic, the tomatoes had a beautiful crunchy exterior. Again, just a bit goes a long way.

So there you have it, my friends. A recap of one of the most fun and fascinating days that I am sure to never forget, thanks to my wonderful wife, Daria, and my new friend, the gifted and talented Chef Abigail Hitchcock. I am sure that I am leaving out some details here, as there was so much to info that I absorbed. Hopefully my story and pictures have helped give you an idea of the wonderful experience that I had.

And if you are wondering, yes, Chef Abby did indeed pass along the recipes that were used to influence the day’s meal. I consider them a special gift and will treat them as such, therefore I chose not to post them word-for-word. But if you ask nicely, maybe I’ll invite you over and personally make one of the dishes for you. However, I make no promises on prerfectly-shaped crepes.

Camaje Bistro & Lounge is located at:
85 MacDougal Street, New York, NY 10012
Phone: 1 (212) 673-8184
E-mail: info@camaje.com

For more information on Camaje Bistro, click here.

To read more about Chef Abby, click here.

To view a preview video of Camaje’s Dark Dining event, click here.