Kabocha Squash, Sausage, & Cornbread Gratin

I am in love with kabocha squash- it is just so creamy and sweet. This dish may be the ultimate autumn casserole. It was a little bit involved to prepare but the results were worth every minute.

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit, contributed by Claire Saffitz. I slightly modified the proportions and method. Fabulous!

4 to 6 servings

• 1 small to medium kabocha squash
• 7 large garlic cloves
• 3 6-inch-long rosemary sprigs
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale (I used a 10 oz bag), ribs removed and torn into 1-2″ pieces (about 8 cups)
• 2 medium shallots
• 1 pound fresh pork sausage, such as sweet Italian (about 4 links)
• 2 cups crumbled cornbread, from a 6×4 inch piece
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1 T olive oil

1. Bake cornbread. (I used Trader Joe’s Cornbread Mix.) Set aside to cool.
2. Position a rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°, preferably on convection.
3. Cut off stem end of kabocha squash and rest on cut side. Cut squash in half. Scoop out seeds and stringy innards with a spoon; discard. Cut squash into 1″-thick slices. Using your knife, slice off the tough peel and layer of light green flesh beneath.
4. Smash the garlic cloves with the side of the knife and remove peel.
5. Combine squash, garlic, rosemary sprigs, heavy cream, and ¼ cup water in a medium saucepan. Season generously with salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cover pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer until squash is tender and easily mashes when pressed with the back of a spoon, 20-25 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, grasp stem end of each kale leaf. Starting at stem, slide your other hand along length of leaf to strip leaves. Repeat with entire bunch; discard stems. Tear leaves into 1″–2″ pieces (you should have about 8 cups).
7. Peel 2 shallots and thinly slice crosswise.
8. Use the tip of your knife to prick the sausages all over in several places.
9. Crumble cornbread into coarse crumbs (you should have about 2 cups).
10. When squash is tender, remove saucepan from heat. Uncover and pluck out rosemary sprigs, leaving leaves inside pot. Transfer entire mixture to a medium bowl (reserve saucepan) and mash with the back of a spoon or a potato masher until no distinct pieces of squash remain. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Wipe out pot with paper towels and heat over medium. Add butter and heat until melted. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes.
12. Add kale to the pot, a couple of handfuls at a time, stirring to wilt between each batch, and cook until leaves are dark green and wilted, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
13. Transfer to kale to the bowl with squash, then fold to incorporate.
14. Heat the olive oil in the same saucepan over medium and add sausage. Cook, turning once, until browned on both sides (they won’t be cooked through), about 6 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let cool for a few minutes (reserve saucepan again and do not pour out fat from sausages–you’re going to use it one more time).
15. Meanwhile, using a rubber spatula, scrape squash and kale mixture into a shallow 2-qt. baking dish and smooth top. (I coated the baking dish with cooking oil spray.)
16. Cut sausages crosswise into 2″ pieces and nestle into top of squash mixture, spacing evenly.
17. Heat the drippings remaining in the saucepan over medium and add cornbread crumbs. Cook, stirring, just until crumbs are evenly coated in fat. Scatter cornbread crumbs over squash mixture; season with more salt and pepper.
18. Bake gratin until crumbs are toasty and brown and sausages are cooked through (you can insert an instant-read thermometer into center of sausage to check if registers 140°, or just cut into one with a knife), about 15 minutes.
19. Let cool 5–10 minutes before serving.

Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken with Za’atar, Potatoes, & Greens

This sheet pan meal was a healthy and delicious weeknight dish. I especially loved that the kale was even wilted under a broiler on a sheet pan. The entire dish is made in one oven on two sheet pans- great.

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart Living. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of bone-in and adapted the cooking method.

Yield: Serves 6

• 4 teaspoons za’atar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 10 boneless, skinless (about 2.5 to 3 pounds) chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 1 pound fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 medium red onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 1 bunch (8 to 10 ounces) laminate or Tuscan kale (cut into 2-inch pieces), or baby kale, spinach, or arugula (about 4 packed cups)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, preferably on convection roast.
2. In a small bowl, mix za’atar with 2 tablespoons oil and 2 teaspoons salt.
3. Rub za’atar mixture all over chicken. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Add lemon halves
4. Toss onion wedges with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper; add to baking sheet along with chicken pieces and lemon halves.
5. Roast in the center of the oven until a thermometer inserted into thickest parts of chicken registers about 150 degrees, about 20 minutes, flipping half way through the cooking process.
6. On a second parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper.
7. Roast simultaneously in the lower third of oven, stirring once, until starting to brown, about 20 minutes.
8. Remove potatoes from the oven.
9. Switch oven to broiler setting. (I put my oven on Convection-Broil-Max at 450 degrees.)
10. Move baking sheet to upper third of oven; broil until chicken is browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
11. Drizzle kale lightly with oil or pan drippings; season with salt and pepper. Scatter kale over chicken and broil until just wilted and thermometer inserted into thickest parts of chicken registers 165 degrees, 1 to 2 minutes more.
12. Let cool slightly, then squeeze lemon halves over chicken.
13. Remove kale to a platter, place chicken on top; toss remaining vegetables together and serve alongside.

One Year Ago:

• Chipotle Chicken & Greens

Two Years Ago:

• Za’atar Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
• Green Goddess Roasted Chicken

Three Years Ago:

• Pork Tenderloin with Greens & Polenta

Four Years Ago:

• Chicken with Leeks & Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce
• Poisson Meunière or Fish with Lemon & Browned Butter Sauce

Pressure Cooker Pork Ragu with Pappardelle

I made this dish to celebrate Valentine’s Day with my meat-loving husband. ❤ One of his absolute favorite dishes is a pork ragu served over pappardelle; this dish is a wonderful weeknight version.

This recipe was adapted from the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen. We ate it with roasted asparagus and cauliflower with a custardy French Apple Cake for dessert. My Valentine was pleased! 🙂

Yield: 8 servings

• 3 links (about 8 ounces) sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 lb. boneless pork shoulder, trimmed (I used country rib meat)
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish, if desired
• 1 lb. pappardelle pasta
• freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

1. In pressure-cooker pot on medium-high, cook sausage in oil 5 minutes or until fat has rendered, breaking up meat as it cooks.
2. With slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl.
3. Season pork all over with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
4. In batches, add pork to pot; cook 4 minutes or until browned on two sides, turning once halfway through. Transfer pork to bowl with sausage.
5. To pot, add carrots, onion and garlic; cook 8 minutes, stirring often.
6. Add wine; cook 3 minutes.
7. Return meat to pot and add tomatoes, milk, bay leaves and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
8. Cover and bring up to pressure on high. Reduce heat to medium-low, maintaining pressure. Cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat; let pressure release naturally.
9. Meanwhile, cook the pappardelle according to the package directions.
10. Uncover cooker and discard bay leaves. Fork shred the pork. Stir in basil.
11. Serve tossed with pasta, garnished with Parmesan.

One Year Ago:

• Easy Enchilada Pie

Three Years Ago:

• Steakhouse Creamed Spinach versus “Lighter” Creamed Kale
• Rutabaga Oven Fries

Four Years Ago:

• Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Pork
• Swiss Chard Stuffed Shells
• Vodka Sauce

Spicy & Garlicky Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pappardelle

Do you ever feel like you are fighting nature at every turn? Weeds? Insects? Pollen? Leaves? In our yard we have to add Canadian geese to that list. We can barely scare them away at this point! The families hanging out in our yard are absolutely adorable… we just wish that they didn’t leave anything behind….

I have been so busy fighting nature recently that it’s kept me out of the kitchen. 🙂 This was a delicious and quick cooking meal with wonderful fresh flavors. It’s traditional Italian name is Tagliatelle All’Aglione- in Tuscany- named for the generous amount of garlic (aglio in Italian) in the sauce. This recipe, a staff-favorite, was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Paolo Coluccio. We ate it with green salad and Whole Wheat Spicy Herb and Garlic Bread. Lots of garlic and lots of spice- Great!

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 1/2 cup (8 T) extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds fresh plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• coarse salt, to taste
• 1 pound dried tagliatelle (I substituted pappardelle)

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and form a sauce, 10-20 minutes. Season the sauce with salt to taste; keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain well.
4. Add the pasta and half of the cooking water to the sauce and toss over moderately low heat until coated, 2 minutes; add more of the cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Transfer the pasta to shallow bowls and serve.

Note: The sauce can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat before tossing with the pasta.

One Year Ago:

• Spicy Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli Rabe