Roast Delicata with Brie and Pecans

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Quarter two delicata squash (slicing the long way).
Rub squash with salt and oil (preferably grapeseed) until well coated.
Place on baking sheet an bake for 20 minutes.
Flip squash pieces and bake for another 20 minutes, until soft and browning on all sides.
Turn squash so that soft interior is facing up.
Place strips of brie (or other soft cheese) in the hollow.
Sprinkle finely chopped pecans over brie.
Return to oven until brie melts and begins to bubble.
Remove from oven, and let cool briefly.
Drizzle with warm honey or grade A maple syrup. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Spread

Pumpkin butter (recipe below)
Cream cheese
Gingersnap cookies, rice Cakes, unflavored crackers, or toast

Combine equal parts pumpkin butter and cream cheese. Spread on cookies for an easy dessert, or on crackers, rice cakes, or toast for a snack or appetizer.

Pumpkin Butter

Combine in saucepan: pumpkin puree from 1 small pumpkin (about 4 cups), 1-2 cups brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup orange juice (optional). Heat until hot, and simmer until thick, if necessary. (Some pumpkins will be juicier, and require some cooking before they get thick enough to spread. Others wont require any cooking at all.)

If desired, pour hot pumpkin butter into sterile jars, wipe down rims, and top with new lids. If canned, pumpkin butter can last up to a year. 

Browned Butternut Bread

1/2 cup browned butter (Cook butter over low heat until it foams and begins to turn a deep caramel color. Cool before use.)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups butternut squash puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Elderberry jelly, optional

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour a bread pan.
Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs, butternut puree, and vanilla extract. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (from flour to allspice). Slowly beat dry ingredients into the wet. Stir in walnuts. Pour into pan.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until center is firm, and top is beginning to brown.
Serve warm or at room temperature with elderberry jelly.

Vegetable "Spaghetti"

1 Spaghetti Squash, halved
1 tbsp olive oil
3 large cloves garlic
1/2 lb. white mushrooms, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1-2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup grated asiago or romano cheese

Place half of the squash cut-side down in microwaveable bowl. Add about 1/4 cup water. Microwave on high for 10 minutes, or until squash is soft and tender. Scoop out squash into a colander to drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Saute peppers and mushrooms until slightly soft. Add garlic, and cook for two minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper, and simmer over low heat until most of the juice from the tomatoes and mushrooms has evaporated. Add basil, and cook for a minute or two longer.
Preheat oven to 350˚. Spread half of the spaghetti squash in a medium sized casserole dish. Add a layer of half the tomato sauce evenly over the squash. Repeat. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling. Serve hot.

Delicata Leek Soup with Fennel

3 medium sized potatoes, (peeling optional)
1 Delicata squash
water for boiling
1/4 cup butter
3 leeks, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp chopped fresh fennel leaves, plus more for garnish

Chop potatoes and squash into fourths. Bring water to boil, add potatoes and squash, and reduce to a simmer. Melt butter in skillet. Add leeks and fennel bulb and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. When potatoes and squash are soft (about 15-20 minutes), reserve 2 cups of the water used for boiling and drain the rest. Remove the squash pieces from the pot, wait until they are cool enough to handle, and peel the skins off (they should come off very easily, if not, boil them longer). Place the leek mixture and squash and potatoes plus reserved water in blender (may have to do this in two or more batches). Puree until smooth. Add salt, buttermilk, and fennel leaves, and blend for a minute longer. Pour back into pan and reheat, if necessary. Otherwise, serve hot, topping with more fennel leaves.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup cooked pure pumpkin or winter squash (butternut, acorn, delicata, etc...)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup peach, pumpkin, strawberry, vanilla, or raspberry yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Butter 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan. Sift first 7 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light. Gradually beat in 3/4 cup sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in pumpkin, lemon peel and vanilla. Whisk yogurt and buttermilk in small bowl. Beat flour and yogurt mixtures alternately into batter in 2 additions each. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Transfer batter to pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack; cool. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil; store at room temperature.)

Acorn Squash Pudding

2 acorn squashes
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 cups 2% or whole milk (nonfat, or substitutes can also be used in exchange for richness)
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped with 1 tbsp confectioners sugar

Halve the squashes and place them on a baking sheet. Cover the pan with about a 1/2 inch of water. Bake in a 350˚ oven for 50 minutes or until squash is very soft. Scoop squash into large sauce pan. Whisk in sugar and milk. Place mixture in blender (splitting into two batches if necessary). Blend on high until mixture is very smooth. Pour back into saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. While still being careful not to scald or burn the mixture on the stove, thoroughly combine cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Spoon about a 1/4 cup of the squash mixture into the bowl and whisk it into the cornstarch until smooth. Whisk this mixture into the rest of the simmering squash mixture, and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens significantly. It should have almost reached pudding consistency; quite a bit should stick to a spoon dipped into the pan. Place in separate bowls, or one big container, place saran wrap on the top (so that it is touching the pudding), and refrigerate for at least an hour, or until chilled and thick. Top with whipped cream.

Sweet Summer Squash Saute

Summer squash are basically any soft seedy squashes, including yellow crookneck, pattypan, zucchini, and others.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large summer squash, coarsely diced (about 2-3 cups)
several sprigs of fresh rosemary (about 1 tbsp chopped)
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 apple, chopped


Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add squash and saute for about ten minutes, or until it starts to soften. Toss in the rosemary and brown sugar, and cook for another 5 minutes. Last, add the apple, and cook until soft (squash and apple should be similar consistancies). Serve with browned sausage patties on the side.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut squash is another hearty winter food. Sage is one of the best herbs to pair with squashes and sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, its prime season is summer and early fall, while squash is great in winter. So, ideally, this butternut risotto with sage would be seasonal in fall, but fresh sage can be found in most grocery stores any time of the year.

Butternut Squash Risotto:
6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 butternut squash, halved (about 1 lb.)
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup arborio rice
4 cups vegetable broth, heated to near boil in microwave
1 cup white wine
1 tbsp fresh sage
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drizzle oil over rimmed cookie sheet, and place squash on sheet. Pour water into pan until it covers the bottom, about 1/4 inch high. Roast for 15 minutes, or until squash is tender, but not soft. Remove the squash from the pan and let cool before cutting it into cubes, about 1 sq. inch.

Melt butter over medium high heat in large saucepan. Add onion and saute until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and nutmeg. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in arborio rice.

Add squash cubes to the pot. Pour 1 cup of broth over rice, and stir until broth is mostly absorbed by rice. Add another cup of broth, and cook until absorbed. Continue with remaining broth. Add wine and cook until all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender and creamy.

Stir in the fresh sage, whipping cream, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.