Cavatelli with Brussel Sprouts and Bacon

Cavatelli with Brussel Sprouts and Bacon
Recipe inspired by a dish at Girabaldi's SF

There is rarely a meal I don't love in San Francisco, a testament to the fine quality of restaurants this city has to offer (or more likely my appetite).  As a "chef" myself, it's hard not to walk away from some meals thinking "I could make that... and for much cheaper!"  While this is sometimes the case, I may be giving myself too much credit.  If anything, I should take these meals as a lesson in unexplored flavors and textures to take back to my home kitchen and add to my growing recipe collection.

One of the more memorable dishes I have had in the last few months was a starter from Girabaldi's SF in Pacific Heights.  While all of the food we had was wonderful, this pasta dish piqued my taste buds and left a lasting impression, which is why I immediately re-created at home (after diligent note taking on my phone during dinner).  The resulting recipe has quickly become a favorite - what's not to love about pasta, brussel sprouts, bacon and cheese!?  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cavatelli pasta
• 13 brussel sprouts, think sliced (ends up being about 2 1/2 cups sliced)
• 8 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 green apple, peeled and diced
• 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth (plus 1/2 cup extra)
• 2 tbs heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

Cook the cavatelli pasta al dente ("to the tooth" / slightly undercooked) and set aside.  I usually test a piece every few minutes until it is has the perfect bite, no real science here.  You will finish cooking the pasta in the chicken broth when combined with the remaining ingredients.

In a large sauté pan, cook the diced bacon pieces on medium high heat until browned and crispy.  Note:  The larger the pan, the better.  This will make keeping your stove clean easier when all of the ingredients are combined at the end.  Place cooked bacon on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb some of the grease.  Keep about 1 tbs of bacon grease in the pan and add 1 tbs of olive oil.

While the bacon is cooking, thinly slice brussel sprouts, mince shallot, dice apple and grate cheese.  I like to get all the chopping / slicing / grating done up front so that the final steps are a breeze.  Having a large cutting board makes this easy to keep tidy piles of each ingredient all in one place.

Sauté the shallot on medium heat until softened, about 2 minutes.  Turn the heat up to medium high and add the brussel sprouts, sauté for 5 minutes or until softened.  Add cavatelli, bacon, pecorino cheese, butter, heavy cream, nutmeg, pepper, and chicken broth.  Note: No need to add more salt with the bacon, cheese and chicken broth.  There is already plenty of salt in here!

Continue to cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is cooked through, about 5-8 minutes.  Add additional chicken broth of the mixture dries up (it should take on a creamy consistency).  Add the apples and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes.  

 

Butternut Squash Soup

Soups during the winter are a go-to meal for me, especially on busy nights or when I don't want to go to the store.  Throw lone pieces of veggies (that will likely go to waste in your fridge) in a large pot, saute, add beans and chicken broth, then simmer until everything is cooked through.  That's all it takes.  My tip is to keep the ingredients cut up small so that they cook faster, and be CREATIVE.  It is very very hard to mess up a soup.  Another trick is to keep chili seasoning on hand and throw that in to any soup for a Mexican flare.  Add hot sauce for a little kick.  Now for the main event....

Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe from Martha Stewart

 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter (I think you can leave this out and use cooking spray if you want to keep it super healthy)

1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 3/4 pounds small butternut squash, prepared and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

4 cups chicken broth

2 tsp. ground nutmeg 
Chives

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 cups croutons (directions below)

Preparation

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, carrots, and garlic until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add squash; cook, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in 4 cups chicken broth (enough to just cover the veggies). Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until squash is tender, 20-30 minutes. 

Puree soup in two batches (a blender or food processor works for this step - an immersion blender is even better since there will be less to clean up). When blending hot foods, allow the heat to escape to prevent splattering. Remove the cap from the hole of the blender's lid, and cover with a dish towel (or paper towels). Serve hot, with pepper, croutons and fresh chives.

Homemade Croutons  

Whenever I have a loaf of bread that is about to go bad, I dice up, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs to make amazing croutons that can be stored in a zip lock.  Use on salads, soups or for snacking.  Be creative with the herbs and spices you use - the recipe below is one of my fav's.

Ingredients

Bread of your choice, chopped into small cubes

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic or onion powder

3-5 tbs of olive oil, enough to drizzle lightly over all of the cubes

Preparation

Preheat over to 400 degrees.   Cut the bread into small cubes and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the salt, pepper, garlic/onion powder on the bread. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Keep a close eye on the croutons as they burn very quickly.

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Gnocchi has to be one of my favorite things to make from scratch.  Although it is a time commitment (as are many wonderful homemade treats), these versatile dumplings don't compare to the store bought option.  I have made butternut squash gnocchi quite a few times now, and they always turn our great.  Pan seared in a little butter with sage, and topped with Parmesan is all it takes to finish this amazing dish!

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Recipe from Lidia Bastianich

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1 1-pound butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation 
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash lengthwise in half (or in quarters if you want to speed this part along); discard seeds. Place squash halves, cut side up, on baking sheet and brush with oil. 

Roast until squash is very tender when pierced with skewer and browned in spots, about 1 1/2 hours (check periodically). Cool slightly. Scoop flesh from squash into processor; puree until smooth.  You can also just mash well with a fork if you do not want more dishes to clean - this is how I have always done this step and it works fine.  This should end up being about 3 cups of squash.

Meanwhile, cook potato in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. While potato is warm, press through potato ricer into medium bowl; cool completely. If you don't have a potato ricer, use a fork and scrape down the side of the potato until flaky and free of clumps.  Measure 1 cup (loosely packed) riced potato.

Mix squash, potato, egg, nutmeg, and salt in large bowl. Gradually add 2 cups flour, kneading gently into mixture in bowl until dough holds together and is almost smooth. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls. It is okay for it to be sticky, try to use as little flour as possible.  Turn dough out onto floured surface; knead gently but briefly just until smooth. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.

Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Sprinkle parchment lightly with flour. If you don't have parchment paper, just use a little extra flour.  Working with 1 dough piece at a time, roll dough out on floured surface to about 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut rope crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll gnocchi along back of fork tines dipped in flour, making ridges on 1 side. This step sounds a lot easier than it really is - I found that it is just as effective to hold the piece in your palm and press/roll a well floured fork over it (see pictures below).  Transfer gnocchi to baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.  I have have always cooked immediately and it still turns out great.  These can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
  

Working in 2 batches, cook gnocchi in large pot of boiling salted water until  tender, approximately 2-3 minutes. (gnocchi will float to surface but may come to surface before being fully cooked). Using slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to same parchment-lined baking sheets or a clean plate. Cool. Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover loosely and chill. 

Melt butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat and add sage, stirring often, 1 to 2 minutes.  Do this step in two batches if your do not have a large enough saute pan, you want the gnocchi to be able to sit in one layer in the pan.  Add gnocchi; Turn heat up to medium high and cook until heated through and slightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Serve with additional Parmesan.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut squash can be intimidating if you don't know what to do with it.  The unassuming exterior does not do the amazing flavor and texture on the inside of this lovely squash justice. My goal over the next 3 posts is to guide you through a few easy and delicious recipes using this wonderful ingredient so that your fall and winter can be filled with some tasty (and impressive) new meals.

Fact:  The butternut squash is a type of winter squash, and is a good source of fibre, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium and potassium.  It is also an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin E.    Very healthy, even better! 

Everyone loves risotto, which I why I chose Butternut Squash Risotto for my very first recipe.  It's easy to make, and always tastes great (i.e. hard to mess up).  This dish can be used as a main course, or as a side dish to a herb roasted chicken or apricot glazed pork tenderloin.  

Butternut Squash Risotto 
Recipe from Barefoot Contessa  

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (2 pounds or 4-6 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces pancetta (I used about 2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup), diced - You could substitute bacon if pancetta is not available at your market
1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. You can make the cubes smaller if you like.  You should have about 6 cups (less is okay, I used about 4 cups and it was plenty).  

Tip:  To peel the squash you can (1) use a vegetable peeler then dice, or (2) cut the squash in half (where it becomes narrow and rest on the flat end.  With a sharp knife cut away the thick skin vertically.  There is a small amount of seeds on the inside that will need to be scrapped out with a spoon.

Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

*I crisped about 1/4 cup of additional pancetta in a saute pan to use as a garnish.  To do this, saute diced pancetta over medium high heat until gold brown and crispy.  This is optional, but added a nice texture to the risotto at the end. Do this at the beginning if you would like and allow to drain on paper towel.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned.

Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. 

Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. 

Mix well and serve.  Garnish with Parmesan cheese and reserved crispy pancetta.  ENJOY!!

Without Pancetta

With Pancetta

My Kitchen

It may not be my dream kitchen, but it works... most of the time.  The San Francisco apartment I live in was built in the early 1900's and it's possible the kitchen has not been remodeled since (I may be exaggerating a little).  BUT it has just enough space to seat 13 people for a Greek Easter feast and plenty of room for my spices, food processor, immersion blender, cutting board(s) and everything else I need to create my (mostly) fantastic meals.

Many a morning/evening is spent in this kitchen with my 7" santoku and saute pan...cooking for friends, chatting with my roommates, or simply cooking by/for myself.  There is a nice view out to the "backyard" and the lighting is great.  No matter what my kitchen may lack in modern appliances or style, I still feel happy after a long day of work and an hour long commute to walk into that kitchen and get cooking.

My goal with this blog is to keep track of my hits (and misses) in the kitchen, and share with anyone who might be interested the fun recipes I try at home.   Not sure the exact direction I will go with my posts...but for my first "series"  I am going to share 3 recipes using the same fabulous fall/winter treat, the butternut squash.  First recipe:  Butternut squash risotto with saffron and crispy pancetta. Stay tuned for my next post with this yummy dish :)