In the Kitchen

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND APPLE CAKE WITH GINGER STRUESEL

This is a teacake with candied ginger and a pine nut
streusel. The cake is made with no butter and little sugar.
FOR THE STREUSEL:
2 ounces crystallized ginger cubes (about 1/3 cup)
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar or regular sugar
1/2 cup pine nuts or pecans or almonds
CAKE:
13/4 cups unbleached white flour
2/3 cup turbinado sugar, could also substitute regular
21/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup sunflower oil, can also use canola or corn oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (use microplane
grater)
1 cup butternut squash purée (see below)
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and cut in 1/4” pieces
1 cup golden raisins
1 non-stick round cake pan (9”), buttered
Preheat oven to 350°

In the bowl of a food processor, place the ginger, sugar and pine nuts. Pulse several times until all ingredients are finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir well and set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk the oil, eggs, vanilla extract, orange zest and butternut-squash purée until well blended.
Stir the apple pieces and raisins into the flour mixture until well blended. Add the squash mixture to the dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, mix until just moistened. Spoon batter into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding. Serve at room temperature.
* NOTE: To make fresh butternut-squash purée, cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place cut side down in a large baking dish with spring water (1/4” up the sides of the squash). Bake at 400º for 45 to 60 minutes until very tender. Let cool, scoop out the flesh and purée in a food processor. The purée can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to one month.

ORZO AND SUMMER SQUASH SALAD

11/3 cups (8 ounces) uncooked orzo pasta
3 cups diced zucchini and/or yellow summer
squash (1/2-inch pieces)
1 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup prepared or your favorite homemade
Caesar salad dressing (or any creamy type)
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1/4 cup julienned
fresh basil leaves
Fresh spinach leaves
Salt and black pepper

Cook orzo according to package, add squash for last two minutes of cooking. Drain well; rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Place mixture in large bowl; stir in tomato. Pour dressing over salad;  sprinkle with basil. Toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate until cool. Serve salad over spinach leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MUFFINS

(12 servings)
2 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
1 cup grated butternut squash
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1/4 cup canola oil or other oil you like
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
You can also add 1/2 cup of any nut of your choice (walnut, pecan, almond, macadamia)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 12 muffin cups with paper baking cups or non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together the grated squash, brown sugar and maple syrup. Let sit for 10 minutes. In a larger bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
Add squash mixture to flour mixture. Add remaining ingredients (milk, egg and canola oil). Stir until flour mixture is fully moistened. Do not over mix. Dollop batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling
each cup to about the 2/3 point.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Test with a toothpick to assure muffins are done. A toothpick inserted in the center of the largest muffin should come out clean. If batter sticks to the toothpick, give it a few more minutes.
Serve warm with maple butter. To make the maple butter all you need to do is mix about 1 tablespoon with a stick of butter until all incorporated.

Squash Soup with Herb Butter

This is my revised version from the basic recipe from Fine
Cooking.
For the herb butter:
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine (can be sweet or dry)
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (or 2 tablespoons
freeze dried)
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper (more can be added to taste)
For the soup:
4 cups chopped, well-washed leeks, white part only (about
3 large)
8 cups peeled, seeded, and diced (1-inch cubes) delicata or
butternut or acorn squash
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth
21/2 tablespoons celtic salt (also can use kosher)
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon white pepper (start with the
lesser amount as peppers vary in intensity)

For garnish:
Creme fraiche, chopped fresh chives

Make the herb butter — Heat a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add the shallots and heat just enough to lightly toast them, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and add the wine. Set the pan back on the heat and reduce the liquid to 2 tablespoons, about 8 minutes. Let cool. In a small mixing bowl, blend the butter, chives, sage wine-shallot mixture, salt, and pepper. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper and spread the butter 1/4 inch thick to cover about 8-by-6 inches. Cover and chill. Use a cookie cutter to cut shape or simply cut into squares.
Make the soup — Put the leeks in a heavy-based nonaluminum, 8-quart stockpot. Put the squash over the leeks; add the wine and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook until the squash is fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Add the salt and pepper; purée in a blender (or food processor). Cover and freeze (or refrigerate up to 3 days).
On the day of serving:
Defrost the butter shapes. Reheat the soup over low to medium heat, stirring frequently. To serve, ladle the hot soup into shallow bowls and garnish with herb butter and a large tablespoon of creme fraiche.

Red Pepper Triangles with Italian Relish Serves 8 (24 pieces)

5 red bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 ounces thinly slice prosciutto cut into thin strips (optional) (tuna would be a good alternative)
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped, pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut tops and bottoms from peppers then in half lengthwise. Use a chef s knife to remove ribs and seeds. Cut the peppers into rectangular pieces, each about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide, and then cut diagonally into 24 triangles.

On prepared sheet, toss bell pepper with 1 tablespoon oil, season with salt and pepper. Arrange skin-side down in a single layer and bake until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes, set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine prosciutto (or tuna), parsley, olives and remaining oil, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes. Top each triangle with relish.

Cheesy Zucchini Bites

Makes about 35 appetizers

5 medium zucchini (about 6 inches long) try to use organic if possible
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced

Using a melon-baler or small spoon, scoop out the insides and discard, leaving the bottom intact. Cut zucchini into 3/4-inch slices. Place zucchini on an ungreased baking sheet; spoon   teaspoon crumbled blue cheese into each.

Combine the Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper; sprinkle half over blue cheese. Top each with a tomato slice; sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan mixture. Bake at 400 F until cheese is melted, 5-7 minutes. 
Serve warm.

Cherry Tomatoes filled with Creamy Pesto Cheese

You can make the creamy pesto filling ahead of time (keep it, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days), but wait until shortly before serving to stuff the tomatoes.

3 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (see tip below)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), cut into chunks
2 pints (4 cups) cherry tomatoes, washed and dried

Combine the basil, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. 
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts and add the rest to the basil. 
Process until the pine nuts are ground. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Add the soft cheese and pulse until smooth and creamy.

Shortly before serving, make an X on the bottom side (opposite the
stalk) of each cherry tomato with a serrated or sharp paring knife. 
Scoop out the seeds with a grapefruit spoon or your fingertips, taking care to keep the tomatoes intact.

Scrape the pesto cheese filling into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, or small plastic food bag with a 1cm hole snipped in one corner. Pipe a rosette of filling into each cherry tomato cavity. 

Red and Green Bite Size Quiche

Quiche is delicious and easy to make. Studded with red and green peppers and flavored with Parmesan cheese, they are the perfect little bite for your next party. To increase the quantity double or triple the recipe. Makes 12 mini-quiches

1 single pie crust -a store-bought shell works fine, or you can use your own recipe or for a nice flaky crust try puff pastry (in the freezer section)
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon sour cream
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, use the freshest you can find, NOT the green container
2 Tablespoons each red and green pepper - chopped fine
1 Tablespoon green onion - green tops only Pinch celtic or kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a mini muffin tin with 12 cups.

Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness and cut into an 8 x 6-inch rectangle. Cut into twelve 2-inch squares. (You can do this with a store-bought shell, but let thaw first if frozen.)

Fit squares of dough into muffin tins. Set aside.

Combine egg, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, peppers, onion and salt.  Blend well.

Spoon a teaspoon of mixture into each dough-lined muffin cup. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until egg puffs and dough is lightly browned at the edges. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from tins and serving

A whole lot of “wine-ing” going on!

Diane Line, Kristie Ludovissie-Haubrich and Stacy VanBatavia transform from everyday people to vintners, just as the fruits and other products they use become beverages.

Raspberry Wine

(3 gallons)
10 pounds raspberries, cleaned
3 gallons of water
6 pounds sugar
1½ teaspoons acid blend
1½ teaspoons pectic enzyme
3 teaspoons yeast nutrient
3 campden tablets, crushed
1 package pasteurized red yeast

Pour water in pail. Put fruit in mesh bag. Add all ingredients except yeast. Mash berries, stir and cover in ferment pail. Add yeast after 24 hours. Stir and squeeze bag daily. Remove pulp on 5th day. Siphon wine to glass jug (carboy) and attach airlock. Siphon off sediment in 1 month leaving sediment behind. Siphon again in 2 months and again before bottling if necessary.

Dandelion Wine

(3 gallons)
24 cups dandelion petals lightly packed
5 pounds chopped raisins
5 pounds sugar
2 chopped mango
2 frozen Old Orchard Orange Juice
3 campden tablets, crushed
1½ teaspoons yeast energizer
1 package yeast Lalvin 71B-1122
9 teaspoons acid blend
¾ teaspoon tannin

Add 3 gallons warm water to pail. Put petals, raisins and mango in mesh bag. Add all to ferment pail except yeast after 24 hours. On fifth day drain juice from pulp and discard. Siphon wine into glass jug (carboy), attach airlock, and siphon off sediment in 1 month and again in 2 months and again before bottling if necessary.

Farmer Line’s Famous Whiskey Wine

(3 gallons)
7 pounds sweet corn kernels
1 frozen Old Orchard Orange Juice
1 frozen Old Orchard White
Grape Juice
¼ cup French oak chips
1 package sherry wine yeast
3 campden tablets, crushed
3 teaspoons yeast energizer
9 teaspoons acid blend
4 pounds honey
10 pounds sugar
12 peppercorns
3 gallons water

Put corn, pepper and chips in mesh bag. Add all ingredients except yeast. Stir and cover, add yeast after 24 hours. Stir and squeeze bag daily. Remove bag after 5 days. Siphon wine into carboy. Attach airlock. Siphon off sediment in 1 month and again when necessary. I transfer wine
back to a pail in January and set outside to freeze. Then scoop off all ice. Return to carboy siphon again in 2 months and again if necessary before bottling.