4th gr.

They renewed my book but it's still missing.

Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound) , peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 cup homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock, skimmed of fat
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 ounce)
2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
Olive-oil cooking spray
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine squash, stock, and milk in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mash contents of saucepan; stir in nutmeg, cayenne, and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles; cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl; stir in squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish (4 inches deep) with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture.
Cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top, 30 to 40 minutes more. Serve immediately.

My Notes:
Arugulove suggested this recipe on her comment on my last macaroni and cheese attempt. I had almost all the ingredients... a pound of pasta (although not all the same shape), an acorn squash from the farmers' market (close enough to butternut?), panko (better than breadcrumbs?), and cottage cheese to sub for ricotta. This recipe was a great way to use up some odds and ends, and it was tasty, too!


Spicy Broccoli Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 baking potatoes
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (I used a heaping 1/4 teaspoon and still didn't find it spicy at all)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 bunch broccoli or broccoli rabe, minced (about 4 cups)
1 cup water
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
8 pitted black olives, sliced (optional)


Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and bake, cut side down, on a baking sheet for about 45 minutes, until soft. Remove from the oven.
Sauté the garlic and pepper flakes in the oil for 1 minute. Add the broccoli and water, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
When the potato halves are cool, scoop out the centers, leaving 1/4 inch of pulp on the skin. Mash the scooped-out potato pulp and stir it into the stuffing. Add salt and pepper.
Refill the potato skins and bake for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with sliced olives and serve.

Negimaki (Japanese Beef and Scallion Rolls)


Ingredients:

12 small scallions, trimmed to 6-inch lengths
1 (1-lb) piece flank steak (roughly 6 to 7 inches square)
1/4 cup sake (Japanese rice wine)
1/4 cup mirin* (Japanese sweet rice wine)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions:



Prepare scallions:
Blanch scallions in a pot ofboiling salted water 45 seconds, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Transfer scallions to paper towels to drain and pat dry.


Prepare beef:
Cut flank steak with the grain holding a large knife at a 30-degree angle to cutting board into 12 (1/8-inch-thick) slices (1 1/2 to 2 inches wide). Arrange slices 1 inch apart on a very lightly oiled sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap, then cover with another very lightly oiled sheet of parchment or plastic wrap (oiled side down) and pound slices with flat side of meat pounder until about 1/16 inch thick.


Assemble rolls:
Arrange 3 beef slices side by side on a fresh sheet of plastic wrap, overlapping slices slightly to form a 6-inch square with short ends of slices nearest you. Sprinkle square lightly with a pinch of salt, then lay 3 scallions (with some white parts at both ends) across slices at end closest to you and tightly roll up meat around scallions to form a log, using plastic wrap as an aid. Tie log with kitchen string at ends and where meat slices overlap. Make 3 more negimaki rolls in same manner.


Marinate rolls:
Stir together sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.
Put rolls in a small baking dish and pour marinade over them, turning to coat. Marinate, loosely covered with plastic wrap, turning occasionally, 15 minutes.


Cook rolls:
Heat a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. While skillet is heating, lift rolls out of marinade, letting excess drip off, and pat dry. (Save marinade.) Add oil to skillet, swirling to coat bottom, then cook rolls, turning with tongs, until well browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer rolls to cutting board. Add marinade to skillet and boil until slightly syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
Cut off and discard strings, then cut each roll crosswise into 6 slices. Pour sauce into a shallow serving dish and arrange negimaki in sauce.






Chicken Pomodoro
Ingredients:

4 chicken cutlets

2 T. vegetable oil

¼ cup vodka

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 T. fresh lemon juice

½ cup tomatoes, chopped

2 T. heavy cream

⅓ cup scallions, minced

Instructions:

Season cutlets with salt and pepper then dust with flour.
Saute cutlets in oil. Transfer to a platter; pour off fat from pan

Deglaze pan with vodka (away from heat) and cook until vodka is nearly gone. Add broth and lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook each side 1 minute. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate.

Finish the sauce with tomatoes and cream. Heat through, then pour over cutlets. Garnish with scallions.

Notes: This was fairly easy and a great way to use up some tomatoes from the garden. I doubled the vodka, broth, lemon, and cream and quadrupled the tomatoes; the sauce was delicious!! Don't skip the scallions as they add some good texture and flavor contrast.