Butternut Squash, Ricotta, and Sage Crostini
This appetizer is sure to keep your guests happy before the main event!
1 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2" cubes (about 4 cups)
3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
1 1/2 teaspoons (packed) light brown sugar
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
24 fresh sage leaves
3/4 cup fresh ricotta
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
12 3/8"-thick baguette slices, toasted
Fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss squash, 2 tablespoons oil, and sugar in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until squash is golden and tender, 25-30 minutes. Let cool on sheet.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add sage; cook until edges begin to curl and turn dark green, 1-2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer to paper towels to drain. Mix ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Note: Butternut squash, sage leaves, and ricotta can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill squash. Store sage airtight at room temperature. Cover and chill ricotta mixture. Bring squash to room temperature before serving.
Spread 1 tablespoon of ricotta mixture on each baguette slice. Top each with a few squash cubes. Drizzle crostini with lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top crostini with 2 fried sage leaves each.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Prosciutto Bites
Another great way to show off your organic veggies before dinner, or at brunch the day after.
1 pound small Brussels sprouts, rinsed of any dirt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Slice the Brussels sprouts in half, lengthwise. Don't trim the ends, as they'll hold together better with them.
Toss the sprouts on a rimmed baking baking sheet with the oil and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Bake for 40 minutes total, but start checking around the 25-minute mark. Toss them around too.
In the meantime, chop up the prosciutto into small chunks. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high. Add the prosciutto and saute for about 5 minutes, until nice and crispy. Set aside.
Remove the sprouts from the oven and let them cool about 5 minutes, or until you can handle them.
Using toothpicks, slide on a sprout half, followed by a slice or 3 of the ham, then bookend it with another sprout half.
Continue until you have about 32 mini skewers.
Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.
Root Vegetable Gratin
You can use any of your favorite thinly sliced root vegetables in this recipe. You can include your gilfeather turnips, carrots, beets, parsnips, potatoes… whatever your heart desires!
1 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups heavy cream (1/2 milk 1/2 cream, optional)
Salt & pepepr to taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 lb parsnips
1 lb sweet potatoes
1 lb celeriac (celery root)
8 oz gruyere or other strong, sharp cheese, grated
1 tbsp fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dry
3 tbsp minced fresh parsley, or 1 tbsp dry
Preheat oven to 400 and butter a 3 quart baking dish. Make cream sauce:
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and saute the garlic for a minute. Add cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Heat just until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the herbs and let stand 10 minutes
Prepare vegetables:
Peel and thinly slice the vegetables.
Assemble gratin:
Arrange a layer of half of the vegetables: parsnips, then sweet potatoes, then celeriac. Sprinkle with half the cheese and pour over half of the cream sauce. Repeat layers with the remaining ingredients, ending with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil; lightly press gratin down with a spatula. Return to oven for another 15-30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and top is golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Baked Root Vegetable Chips with Buttermilk-Parsley Dipping Sauce
For the Buttermilk-Parsley Dipping Sauce:
1 (7-ounce) cup 2% Greek yogurt
6 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon honey
Salt to taste
For the Root Vegetable Chips
1 medium turnip
1 large parsnip
1 medium golden beet
1 medium red beet
2 tablespoons olive oil or grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
instructions
To Prepare the Buttermilk-Parsley Dipping Sauce:
In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients for the dipping sauce together until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To Prepare the Root Chips:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Whisk together the oil, dried thyme, garlic powder, ground cumin and salt in a small bowl.
Peel all of the root vegetables and use a mandoline slicer to slice them 1/8-inch thick. (You can also slice them thinly using a sharp knife, but be very careful, as roots tend to be difficult to cut.)
Use a brush to lightly coat both sides of each chip with oil, then place the slices on an oven-safe wire rack, making sure the slices do not overlap. Place the wire racks on 2 baking sheets. (If you don't have enough wire racks or baking sheets, you can make the chips in 2 batches.)
Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake the roots until golden-brown and crispy. Check on the roots every few minutes once they have been baking for 20 minutes; remove any chips that are brown and crisp and return the rest to the oven until they're all done baking.
Serve fresh out of the oven with buttermilk-parsley dipping sauce.
Classic Apple Pie
This simple pie recipe is a classic from Fanny Farmer. Everyone has their own secret ingredients and techniques for their own apple pie, but this is a great starting point. You can use the pie crust recipe from last week’s newsletter.
Basic dough for 9" 2 crust pie
3/4 - 1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tbls flour
6-8 large, firm, tart apples (about 10 cups)
2 tbls butter
Preheat oven to 425. Line a pie plate with half the pastry dough. Mix the sugar, salt cinnamon, nutmeg and flour in a large bowl. Peel, core and slice apples and toss them in the sugar mixture, coating them well. Pile them into the lined pan and dot with butter. Roll out the top crust and drape it over the pie. Crimp the edges and cut several vents in the top. Bake 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and bake 30-40 minutes more or until the apples are tender when pierced with a skewer and the crust is browned.
Cheesy Mashed Potato Puffs
A great way to use up leftover potatoes in a delectible brunch dish.
Mashed Potato Puffs
12 to 24 puffs, depending the size of the pan used
2 cups mashed potatoes
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup grated cheese such as Parmesan or Gruyere, divided
1/4 cup minced chives
1/4 cup diced cooked bacon or ham, optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Sour cream, to serve
Heat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease the cups of a mini-muffin tin.
Whisk together the mashed potatoes, the eggs, 3/4 cup of cheese, the chives, and ham. Season, if necessary, with salt and pepper. The seasoning will depend on how seasoned your mashed potatoes were to begin with.
Mound a spoonful of the mixture in each muffin cup. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the potato cups are set, browned on top, and hot through. Let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then use a spoon or knife to gently release them from the pan. Serve immediately with dollops of sour cream, if desired.
Gilfeather Turnips - The gilfeather turnip was bred here in Vermont by John Gilfeather of Wardsboro. Here is an excerpt from the Slow Food site about Gilfeathers: The Gilfeather is an egg-shaped, rough-skinned root, but unlike its cousins, it has a mild taste that becomes sweet and a creamy white color after the first frost. While the hardy Gilfeather turnip does well in nearly any climate, this touch of frost contributes to its unusual taste and texture. This turnip is one of the state's unique contributions to cold weather agriculture. They will store well in the fridge, or try them out at your dinner table mashed or roasted.
Lastly, a real Thanksgiving treat: Local Cranberries from the Vermont Cranberry Company. Bob Lesnikowski, the owner of VT Cranberry Co., runs Vermont's only commercial cranberry business! They grow cranberries in Fletcher, VT, and make cranberry products such as vinegars and spreads. These cranberries are perfect for cranberry sauce (there's a great, easy recipe on the box!).
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