Roast butternut with Serrano ham and a Manchego crumble

Tags

baked dishes, baked vegetables, butternut, crumble, manchego, Parma ham, serrano ham, spanish, stuffed vegetables

I realise that this is my second butternut post in a few weeks but I do love this very versatile and delicious vegetable.  Also in times of lockdown and trying to go out to the shops as seldom as possible, it is the best thing to have around as it lasts for weeks or even months if kept in a cool and dry environment, not the refrigerator though, that is too cold.  Simply buy a few and place in a cool area and you will have it ready to go whenever you need some.  When you buy your butternut be sure to choose a nice firm one with smooth skin and no blemishes.  Did you know that its name comes from its melting texture that leaves a little taste of butter on your palate?  Or that it is very low in calories as it is high in water content (95%); so no need to feel guilty after eating it.  It has a delicious subtle taste, almost a cross between sweet potato and a chestnut, thereby allowing to be used perfectly in both sweet and savoury dishes.  One usually peels a butternut but in certain recipes, the skin may even be left on as it is in fact perfectly edible.  Versatile as well, can be eaten in soups, purees, roasted, sauteed, hot or cold. The perfect vegetable in fact.

This recipe works very well as a lunch dish or light dinner. Very quick to prepare too.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 butternut squash
6 to 8 slices of Serrano ham or Parma ham
120g / 4oz button mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
for the crumble:
50g / ¼ cup manchego cheese (can use Parmesan)
3 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into little cubes
50g / 2oz flour

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180C/360F
Cut the butternut into 2 lengthwise, remove the seeds and drizzle with olive oil
Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes
In the meantime, cut the mushrooms into slices
In a sauté pan, melt the butter and cook the mushrooms until golden, add salt & pepper
For the crumble: grate the cheese, add it to the butter and flour
With your fingers rub the mixture together until it forms little pea sized bits of dough
Spread the crumble mixture onto a small baking sheet and place in the oven with the butternut for the last 12 to 15 minutes
Remove the butternut once cooked, add the mushrooms evenly divided between the four halves
Place 1 to 2 slices of Serrano ham and sprinkle on the crumble
Serve hot with a small side salad
Bon Appetit!

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Baked pasta with sausage, sage and butternut

Tags

bechamel sauce, butternut, Cheese, comfort food, gratin, Pasta, sausages, toulouse sausages

This dish is pure comfort food at its very best. It combines all of my favorite comfort foods, pasta, bechamel sauce, sausages and cheese and is cooked like a gratin thereby giving a delicious crusty, cheesy topping. What more could you want? It is inspired from a northern Italian recipe. In the original version, large pasta shells or conchiglioni are used and the sausage stuffing in placed in the shells but if you cannot get hold of them, feel free to use any large pasta such as penne, cavatappi, fusilli, rigatoni or even rotini.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds discarded, chopped into small cubes
2 teaspoons olive oil
10 sage leaves, chopped
6 pork sausages (I used Toulouse sausages)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
350g / 12oz pasta
50g / 2oz butter
50g / 2oz plain flour
850ml / 1 ½ pints milk
50g / 2oz parmesan, grated
100g / 4oz grated cheese (emmental, mozzarella mix)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F
Place the butternut in a saucepan with a little water and cook for about 10 minutes until soft
Heat the oil in a frying pan
Add the sage leaves and sizzle for about 1 minute
Remove the sausages from their skins and divide into small balls about the size of a marble or hazelnut
Add the sausage balls to the pan and fry until golden brown
Add half the butternut to the sausage mixture and set aside
Mash the remaining butternut with the nutmeg and any liquid in the pan
Cook the pasta according to package instructions
Melt the butter in a saucepan
Add the flour and stir, cook for 1 to 2 minutes
Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium low heat until you have a smooth, thick sauce
Add the mashed butternut, parmesan and seasoning
Spread the sauce and butternut mixture on the bottom of a large, shallow baking dish
Drain the pasta
Place the pasta on top of the sauce
Pour the sausage and sage mixture over the pasta
Scatter the grated cheeses over all
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown
Enjoy!

Roast vegetables

Tags

butternut, carrots, easy side, onions, parsnips, potatoes, side dish, vegetables

Nadia is recovering from her second carpal tunnel surgery, this time on her right and dominant hand, so I am in charge of making meals for a few weeks. To be entirely honest, she did make and freeze enough meals to last at last 10 days so I do not have too many meals to take care of – luckily.

One of my favourite sides is also one of the easiest to make but, boy, is it tasty. I love my meat and protein but could almost eat just a big portion of these for dinner – I did say “almost”.

Ingredients:

1 small butternut, peeled and seeds removed
2 potatoes, peeled
2 onions, peeled
3 parsnips, peeled
4 carrots, peeled
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F
Cut the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions and butternut squash into cubes
(All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don’t cut them too small)
Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on a large baking sheet
Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, pepper and the herbs
Toss well to coat all
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula about half way through cooking
Season to taste, and serve hot
Enjoy!