Tag Archives: butternut squash

Grits and butternut squash

Posted on by
Reply

Grits with butternut squash

Grits and butternut squash with sausage and onions

It’s fall and butternut squash time. I saw this recipe by Melissa Clark and “vegetarianized” it. Substitute the butter and it’s vegan. Also grating butternut squash seems to be an awful lot of effort – I roasted it separately and added it to the grits.

Garlic Grits: I modified Alton Brown’s recipe. I love grits and make them often. Boil 2 cups water and 2 cups milk in a heavy pan with 1 tsp salt and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Add 1 cup stone ground grits while whisking continuously. Simmer on very low heat for 20 minutes while stirring every 4-5 minutes so the grits don’t stick to the bottom. Add 4 tbsp of butter

Butternut squash-peel, chop into 1 inch squares, toss with some oil and salt and roast (or air fry) at 450 F for 15-20 min till soft and brown

Add butternut squash to grits and mix well.

Heat 1 tsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Add 2 tbsp chopped rosemary and 1 tbsp fennel seeds. Add chopped vegan hot dogs and one red onion. Cook till caramelized

The rosemary and fennel were delicious with echoes of Italian sausage flavor. The grits and butternut squash also go beautifully together! This one is a keeper

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016103-butternut-squash-polenta-with-sausage-and-onion

Butternut squash Risotto

Posted on by
Reply

I love risotto- it appeals to the khichdi lover in me. Arborio rice is fabulous for kheer and khichdi and all kinds of soupy rice dishes. My risotto “ah ha” moment came after I read a blog post on serious eats which talked about the fact that stirring continuously and using hot broth are both unnecessary. Since then risotto and me are very simpatico. Here in this recipe I use the trinity (as it’s called in Cajun cooking) of onions, garlic and peppers in place of the traditional onion, celery, garlic

Here is my recipe for risotto with butternut squash which is the king of the pumpkin family as far as I am concerned.

1 medium butternut squash- peeled and cubed into 1 inch cubes
1 medium onion – finely chopped
half a green pepper – finely chopped
2 gloves of garlic- finely chopped
5 quarts veg stock – I used a store one which is actually as good as my homemade stock
1 cup arborio rice
one splash of wine
olive oil and butter- 2 tsp
quarter cup parmesan cheese- grated

Heat oven to 400 degrees F, toss the squash with salt, pepper and olive oil and roast till pale brown and soft (around 20-25 min)

In a skillet, add butter and some olive oil, sweat the onions, garlic and peppers for 10-15 minutes until soft and just starting to brown. Add the arborio rice and after toasting it for a few minutes, add the wine (I used vermouth- I was out of white wine). When the liquid has evaporated, add the stock all at once. Keep at a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Make sure the liquid doesn’t run out. Good risotto needs to be soupy.

At the end, add the roasted squash, top with parmesan and add a knob of butter.
Some people add a dash of cream to their dish- I do it occasionally -it does taste good.

I like this risotto with some Shiraz (but my desi taste buds like Shiraz with everything)

image

image

image