Monthly Archives: September 2015

Roasted Corn & Poblano Chowder

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There’s been so much sweet corn at the farmers markets the past few weeks, and it’s been making me want corn chowder. So I finally made some! I didn’t want it to be super creamy and heavy, so I only used a bit of cream and kept it thinner. Overall it was a chowder success!

Ingredients: (serves 3-4)
3 ears of corn, cut off the cob, reserve cobs
1 poblano pepper, chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 leek, chopped
4 red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups reserved corn water (see in recipe)
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
3/4 cup half & half (or cream)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the corn and poblano peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, or until the corn is slightly browned. In the meantime, get a pot of water boiling and add the potatoes and reserved cobs. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender, but careful not to overcook or they won’t hold up later when added to the soup in the end. Strain the potatoes and toss the cobs. Set the water aside for later use. Next, saute the garlic and onion and some olive oil for about 2-3 minutes, then add the leeks and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Lastly, toss in the roasted corn and peppers, followed by the thyme, chicken broth, 2 cups of the reserved water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat down low add the cream, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes more then serve!

Sausage & Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash

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There is a restaurant in NYC (Zero Otto Nove) who have this amazing appetizer that I could eat mounds of. It’s very simple – butternut squash, sweet sausage, and Gorgonzola cheese. When I got a big acorn squash in my CSA bag this week, I though I would try to recreate something similar. I roasted the squash and mixed half of it into the sausage mixture, then stuffed put it back into the squash shell and roasted it for a bit. It was delicious and totally reminiscent of my favorite little dish!

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 small acorn squash, cut in half & seeds removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cups kale, chopped
2 sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle the acorn halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place face down on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until fork tender. Set aside to cool slightly. Next, in a large pan saute the garlic and onion in some olive oil until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Crumble in the sausage and cook until browned. Lastly, toss in the kale and cook until wilted. Remove half of the squash filling and add it into the sausage mixture. Combine well, then add the butter and Gorgonzola cheese. Fill both squash halves with the mixture and place back in the oven for about 10 minutes. You can also broil for a few minutes to crisp the top a little. Serve with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Okra & Tomato Pizza + Beet Sausage & Onion Pizza

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Last night I gathered all my items from this weeks CSA bag and headed to my friends house. We decided to make a few pizzas to have with our bottle bottles of wine. The first pizza had more of a southern style, with okra, shallots, and fresh heirloom tomatoes. The other pizza was made with these AMAZING beet and pork sausages that Meghan got from The Meat Hook. The sausage was so good we decided to just add some onions and cheese and let it shine on its own. Both came out amazing! To save us time, I bought the dough from a local pizza shop in the neighborhood for a few bucks. Thanks Meghan and Daniel for having me over for the 700th time this year!

Ingredients:

Okra Pizza:
1 small pizza dough
Tomato sauce
6 large okra, chopped 1/4 inch thick
2-3 small heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot
1 large garlic clove, chopped
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh Parmesan cheese, for serving

Sausage Pizza:
1 large beet sausage (available here)
8 oz fresh ricotta
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
4-5 small fingerling potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preheat the over to 425 degrees.

Start by rolling out the dough on a floured surface. I used one large ball of dough and split it in half, as I like my crust on the thinner side. Place on two lightly floured baking sheets and set aside.

To make the okra pizza, simply cover the bottom with about 1/4 cup tomato sauce, then layer with sliced mozzarella, fresh tomato, okra, garlic and shallots.

For the sausage pizza, start by cooking the onion and garlic together in a large pan until the onion is a bit translucent, then crumble in the sausage and cook thoroughly. Set mixture aside and cook the potatoes in the same pan until slightly golden on each side. Spread a good amount of ricotta cheese on the dough, followed by some fresh mozzarella. Top with the sausage mixture and sliced potatoes.

Cook both pizzas for about 15-20 minutes or until the dough begins to crisp and the top is bubbling (and your mouth is watering.) If you used a larger ball of dough for each, you may need to cook a few minutes longer. Sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper, then slice and serve with some grated Parmesan cheese on the side. Bon appétit!

Zucchini “Pasta” With Garlic & Tomatoes

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I finally bought a spiralizer and have been making “pasta” out of any vegetable that enters my home. Well those that can be spiralized anyway. My favorite is the zucchini “zoodle” though. It’s amazing how it totally satisfies your pasta craving without eating the real thing. I also like how the vegetables soak up a lot of the sauce, making them very flavorful. If you don’t have a spiralizer yet, I would definitely recommend getting one!

Ingredients: (serves 1)
1 large zucchini, spiraled (with spiralizer, or julianned by hand)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped leeks
1/4 white onion, finely chopped
Olive oil
10 cherry tomatoes
good pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a good amount of olive oil in a large pan and add the garlic, onion, and leeks. Cook for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the tomatoes begin to burst, about 5 minutes. Toss in the zucchini and mix well. Continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Serve in a large bowl with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.