A few months ago, I found myself at a local grocery store staring at the colorful selection of winter squash.   Out of all the different types of squash, butternut squash was by far the most intimidating to me.   Up until this winter, I thought it belonged only in the hands of professional chefs, crafting their fancy raviolis and creamy bisques.

Before I knew it, I had a 4-pound squash in my shopping cart, and it was time to find out what to do with it! Knowing that I wanted to use the squash in a pasta dish, I began searching for recipes and found a lasagna dish on Epicurious.  While it was a tasty starting point, I wasn’t completely in love with it.  The use of only Parmesan cheese resulted in a lasagna that lacked a creamy texture, and the lasagna topping left the top layer dry and uncooked.

Two months and six pans of lasagna later, I created my perfect recipe. I made some tasty changes to the original recipe, such as the addition of Asiago Fresco cheese.   A cheese connoisseur at Whole Foods recommended Asiago Fresco, suggesting that it would melt better than Parmesan but would not overpower the butternut squash.    I also added mild Italian sausage to the filling, although you can skip it for a delicious vegetarian version.   Altogether, the flavors are simple yet rich: sweetness from the squash and nuttiness from the cheese are bound together by a creamy Béchamel sauce.   Also, I really liked serving the lasagna with a simple salad.   One of my new favorites is just mache/lamb’s lettuce tossed in a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and salt + pepper.

After making this recipe for my family, friends, and even FareStart volunteer buddies, I can proudly post this as my lasagna season finale.   I hope you can try it for yourself before we’re forced to say farewell to fresh butternut squash!

P.S – Here’s a helpful link on how to peel & cut butternut squash like a pro!

Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna
Makes 6-main course servings

3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced (1/2 inch cubes)
10 ounces mild italian sausage (roughly 3 large links)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cups milk
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, left whole
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 stick butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
9 sheets of dry no-boil pasta (7 x 3 1/2 inch sheets)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated Asiago Fresco cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Lightly oil two baking pans.

2. Add diced squash to a large bowl and drizzle with vegetable oil. Toss to coat squash evenly, then spread on the two pans.

3. Roast squash in oven for 10 minutes and season with salt. Gently stir the squash and roast roughly 10-15 minutes more, or until tender and golden.

4. In a lightly oiled skillet, cook the sausage until it resembles small, bite-size pieces.

5. In another saucepan, bring milk to a simmer along with the rosemary. Stir constantly to avoid the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for 10 minutes.

6. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, cook garlic in butter over medium-low heat. Stir in flour and cook roux, stirring quickly for a few minutes. Add milk and stir until sauce thickens. Gently add roasted squash and sausage. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

7. Reduce oven temperature to 375F and butter a 13×9x2 baking dish.

8. Reserve one cup of sauce, avoiding pieces of squash or sausage. Set aside. Pour another cup of sauce into the baking dish and spread evenly (will be very thin). Cover with 3 sheets of lasagna, making sure they do not touch each other. Add half of the remaining sauce over the pasta, and sprinkle with 1/3 cup Parmesan and 1/3 cup Asagio. Repeat for 1 more layer, beginning and ending with pasta. For the top layer, add the reserved cup of sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheeses.

9. Cover dish tightly with foil, slightly tenting the middle of the foil. Place dish in the middle of the oven, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and finishing baking lasagna for 10 minutes more, or until top is bubbling and golden. Serve warm and garnish with fresh rosemary.

Thanksgiving is hands-down my favorite holiday.  It’s wonderful to take a few days off from work to spend time on what matters most to me: family, friends, and food.  Each year, my Mom hosts an amazing Thanksgiving dinner with the traditional fare including (but by no means limited to) turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and…potato dinner rolls!  Just as good with leftovers as they are fresh out of the oven, potato rolls are deliciously soft and melt right in your mouth.  These rolls don’t really taste like potatoes, but the addition of mashed potatoes gives the dough a fluffy texture.

A Thanksgiving without potato rolls is truly not a real Thanksgiving for my family.  My Mom has been making potato dinner rolls for as long as I can remember, and this was the year for me to learn.  The pressure was on!  I started out a rookie, and after two batches I felt like a seasoned pro.  After the first batch, I took a few pointers and adjusted the second batch.  Here are some tips:

1.  Good yeast is key.  When adding yeast to the warm water, make sure that it fully dissolves.  This ensures that your dough will rise.  Bad yeast = bad rolls.

2.  Patience pays with potatoes.   My first batch used potatoes that were not cooked boiled through, and it made mashing a bit more difficult.  The dough was not as fluffy as my second batch, which used well-cooked potatoes.  Much better to err on the side of over-cooked potatoes.

3.  Add ingredients one at a time.  In an attempt to be efficient, I added most of the ingredients all at once, and ended up with a fairly tough dough.

The potato rolls were a big hit – both during Thanksgiving and the days following (so good with leftovers!).  With a recipe this simple and results so delicious, I’ll definitely be hitting up this recipe many times before next Thanksgiving!

Potato Dinner Rolls
Makes 24 rolls

1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 F)
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup lukewarm mashed potatoes
7 – 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Dough Preparation

1.  In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.

2.  Stir in sugar, salt, shortening, eggs, and mashed potatoes. Add 4 cups of flour and beat until smooth.

3.  Continue to add remaining flour until the dough is easy to handle. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.  (Shortcut alert – if you happen to have a KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook attachment, it’ll save a ton of time!  I used my Mom’s and now I can’t wait to get my own.)

4.  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl (vegetable oil works fine) and turn greased side up. Cover bowl tightly and let sit at room temperature until the dough rises (at least 2 hours). You can store the dough for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Baking the Rolls

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Divide down into even sections and form rolls. Each batch should yield roughly 24 rolls. Place rolls on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for approximately 30 minutes.

2.  Bake rolls for 18-20 minutes, or until golden.

The casual setting at BoConcept (actually a furniture gallery), accompanied by tasty treats and great music (DJ Tiger Beat), made for an enjoyable night.  One of my favorite samples from the night was Mike’s Hard Spiced Cider.  The cider can be served either hot or cold, and both options were equally delicious.  Since it’s just a seasonal drink, so I’ll have to stock up before the winter ends!

This was one of my first blogger events, and it was really fun to meet some of the faces behind the local blogs.  Hopefully Blog Meet Blog is the start to many more events aimed at linking the blogger community in Seattle.

Check out some photos and video of the event!

It’s good to be back in the kitchen and back to the blog, especially in time for my favorite season!

I love autumn for more reasons than just food, but that’s definitely on my list.  I’m on the prowl for recipes starring this season’s delicious vegetables: squash, pumpkin, Brussels sprouts… Yes, Brussels sprouts.  Unlike the childhood experiences of many I know, mine was without Brussels sprouts.  I discovered them for myself a few years ago and absolutely love their slightly bitter and nutty taste.  I found a recipe from Gourmet Magazine that does them just right: Seared Sea Scallops with Brussels Sprouts & Bacon.  

It’s nearly impossible to go wrong with scallops and bacon.  Seared scallops are super simple to make – one reason why I usually don’t order them at a restaurant. The key is to make sure the sea scallops are dry.  Any moisture will make it difficult to get that desirable golden sear. Also, be conscious of the amount of salt used in this dish.  The bacon will most likely be fairly salty on its own, so taste as you go to make sure the flavors are balanced.   Lastly, the recipe mentions brown bits a few times. Consider this culinary gold.  Brown bits are concentrated nuggets of flavor, so don’t forget to scrape them from the skillet to boost the flavor. My favorite touch in this dish was the addition of the lemon juice to the sauce.  This really makes the sauce!

The recipe took me about 45 minutes from start to finish, and that included prep work (washing the sprouts, cutting the bacon, etc).  Not bad at all considering the impressive results, both in appearance and taste.  I recommend serving a warm loaf of rustic broad on the side.  You’ll definitely want something to dip in the leftover sauce on your plate!

Seared Scallops with Brussels Sprouts & Bacon
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine  (October 2003)

Serves 4 people

10 ounces Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed and cut lengthwise
4-5 bacon slices, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
12 large sea scallops (roughly 1 1/4 pounds)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Once bubbling, add Brussels sprouts and blanch for 3 minutes, uncovered. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon pieces until crispy. Transfer to a small bowl using a slotted spoon, and reserve bacon fat in another bowl.

3. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup water to the skillet and simmer, scraping up any brown bits.  Add butter, salt, sugar, a pinch of black pepper, and Brussels sprouts. Simmer covered for 4 minutes. Remove lid and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally. The sprouts are done when the liquid has evaporated and they are tender and golden brown (about 6-8 minutes).

4. Dry scallops by patting them with a paper towel. The more dry, the better they will sear. Season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil plus 2 teaspoons of bacon fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. The pan should be hot enough to sear the scallop, but should not be smoking. Place the scallops in the pan and sear on one side. Turn over once and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

5. Discard any fat from the skillet used to cook the scallops. Add 3/4 cup chicken broth and simmer. Make sure to scrape any brown bits on the pan. In a small cup, stir cornstarch with 2 teaspoons water, then pour into skillet. Stir well to incorporate. Also, add any juices from the platter of scallops. Simmer and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve Brussels sprouts and scallops topped with sauce, and with a side of rustic bread.

Please forgive me (and my poor diet) for the next month.  Those who are close to me know what’s been taking up my time, and for the rest of you, I’ll just leave it a mystery (it’s really not that interesting).  In the meantime, please use your kitchens to make up for the lack of cooking in my own.