Roasted Butternut Squash

Well, a few weeks ago I was at the Abbeville Farmer's Market and overheard a recipe for butternut squash. After revisiting the market last weekend and seeing fresh, local squash just waiting to be purchased, I couldn't resist trying the recipe. It was wonderful! Here's what I did...

1 - purchase butternut squash
2 - clean squash
3 - cut in half lengthwise and clean out seeds/stringy contents
4 - place squash in pan cut side up
5 - using the amounts of your choosing, put butter, salt, pepper, and a bit of brown sugar on the cut side
6 - roast at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes
7 - enjoy!

Those are some pictures I took when my roommate Lauren and I made this dish to go with our tilapia. ~Angela

Homemade Pierogies

We served authentic Pittsburgh pierogies at our super bowl party. They were tasty but pretty labor intensive. David rolled the dough and I assembled using a technique for stuffing I learned from the old ladies at our church in Pittsburgh. Based on the amount of work this recipe required we may opt for Mrs. T's next time!

We doubled the recipe.Ssource: about.com

You will need:

2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi

1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces

butter and onions for sauteing

ingredients for filling of your choice (potato & cheese filling recipe below)

Prep:

Mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size.

Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick. Cut circles of dough 3" diameter with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place a small ball of filling on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork. The trick I use is to add water the edge of the dough to help seal it closed.

Boil the perogies 8 at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.

Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy. Serve with a side of sour cream.

Filling:

Peel and boil 5 large red potatoes until soft. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop 1 large onion and saute in butter until soft and translucent. Mash the potatoes with the sauted onions and 6 oz of grated cheddar cheese adding salt and pepper to taste.

Hash Brown Casserole

Gorney family tradition. Another recipe that freezes really well. I know most of the Gorney family has this recipe but I've had a few people ask me for it. I also like to post recipes so I don't have to search for them every time I make it.

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen hash browns (30-32 oz.), shredded or cubed (defrosted)

1 can cream of chicken

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 stick of margarine (melted)

1/2 cup chopped onions (optional)

Topping:

2 tablespoons butter

corn flakes (crushed)

Mix all the ingredients together and spread into a 9 x 13" pan. Combine the butter and corn flakes and spread that over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes until hot in the middle.

twice baked potatoes!

I made these for DLG's birthday tonight -- they were yummy, albeit quite rich.  I basically elaborated on the way I've watched my mom make them for years.

You will need:

russet potatoes
salt and pepper
butter
sour cream
butter
scallions
cheddar

prep:
bake potatoes about 1 hour - 1 hour 15 min at 400 F.  Remove and cut a little window in the top of the potato.  Scoop out the inside into a mixing bowl until the skin is hollow.  Place the hollow skin on a cookie sheet and salt and pepper.  In the mixing bowl mix cheddar, sour cream, scallions, butter, and salt and pepper.  I just made the amounts up - maybe like 1 tbsp butter, 1/3 cup sour cream, and I used about 8 scallions, and a lot of cheddar probably a cup shredded.  They were very rich so you could scale back ... mix in electric mixer until whipped and then stuff back into empty skins.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes and serve immediately.

polenta

After several attempts at polenta which produced unsatisfying results, David tried a new oven-cooked approach which is delicious.

Prepared by:
David
Serves: 4-6
Source: directions on polenta package adapted by Paula Wolfert.

Prep:

- 2 cups of medium coarse cornmeal
- 6-12 cups of water
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2tbsp salt

whisk together in a dutch oven. bake uncovered for 80 minutes at 350. Then stir and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Add grated reggiano (or your choice of cheese and more butter if you like) to taste.

Tomato, Roasted Corn, and avocado salad

Part of our 4th of July celebration dinner. Arugula is, by far, my favorite leafy green and it is delicious on its own with a bit of olive oil and vinegar. I found it's flavor was a bit overwhelmed by all the other ingredients in this dish. I am, however, a salad minimalist and far from a tomato aficionado and the salad received rave reviews from our guests so I believe that it's blog-worthy and that other Gorney's may enjoy a new summer salad dinner recipe!

If you can't find queso fresco in your grocery store I am sure it would be delicious with feta or fresh mozzarella.

Prepared by: David
Serves: 10
Source: The 150 Best American Recipes

You will need:

3 ears corn, shucked
1 tbsp + 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt + freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 small bunches arugula (about 1 lb/450 g), large stems discarded, leaves torn in bite-sized pieces
3 ripe tomatoes, cut in 1/2-inch dice
2 ripe avocados, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut in 1/4-inch dice
2 tbsp lime juice
1-1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/4 lb (120 g) queso fresco, crumbled (about 1 cup)

Prep:

Preheat oven to 500F. Place corn on jelly roll pan. Brush with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes, or until browned. Let sit until cool. (David did this the night before, let cool, cut the kernels from the cobs and refrigerated overnight).

Spread pumpkin seeds on small baking sheet. Roast in preheated 400F oven, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to plate.

Add arugula, tomatoes, avocados and cucumber to bowl with roasted corn kernels.

In medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, hot sauce, sugar and cumin. Whisk in remaining 1/3 cup oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add to vegetables. Toss gently.

Place on serving platter. Scatter queso fresco over top. Scatter pumpkin seeds over top.

Tex Mex Macaroni and Cheese

We celebrated the 4th of July Texas style this year with a menu of southwestern flavored dishes. This is a delicious twist on traditional mac and cheese that showcases the flavor of roasted poblanos.

Prepared by: David
Serves: 6-8
Source: Robert Del Grande

You will need:

Softened unsalted butter for the baking dish
1 lb. poblano chiles (4 to 6 chiles)
Olive oil for the chiles
6 white corn tortillas (5-1/2 inches in diameter)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 cups half-and-half
3 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. dried elbow macaroni
8 oz. Monterey Jack, grated
8 oz. sharp Cheddar, grated

Prep:

Make the pasta: Boil water, salt it well and cook the macaroni until al dente, Drain well.

Roasting the peppers: Heat the broiler on high. Rub the poblanos lightly with olive oil and broil them as close to the element as possible on a baking sheet lined with foil, turning as needed, until the skins are blackened all over. Transfer to a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic, and let cool to room temperature. (David did this the night before and refrigerated them overnight.)

Make the chilie mixture: Heat the oven to 350°F. Remove and discard the charred poblano skins, the stems, and the seeds. Chop the chiles roughly and put them in a food processor. In a hot dry skillet over medium-high heat, lightly toast the tortillas until they’re just softened and give off a toasted corn aroma, 30 to 60 seconds per side (don’t let them become crisp). Roughly chop the tortillas and add them to the chiles in the food processor, along with the cilantro leaves. Pulse until finely chopped but not puréed.

Make the egg mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, salt, and pepper until well combined. Stir in the chopped chile mixture.

Add the pasta to the egg mixture, along with two-thirds of the grated cheeses; stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a buttered baking dish about standard pyrex dish size (4qts) (The key is for the dish to be shallow so that there is more surface area). Scatter the remaining grated cheeses evenly over the macaroni. Bake until browned and bubbling, about 40 minutes.

Let rest ten minutes before serving

Mustard Vinegarette Dressing

Martin and I were in Orangeburg a few weeks ago, and Martin's parents cooked us a delicious dinner. The dinner included salad with a homeade dressing that came from Martin's Aunt Emily. The recipe is easy, quick, and very tasty!

Ingredients:
1 TB of spicy mustard
3 TB of olive oil
4 TB balsamic vinegar

Mix the following ingredients and you have your salad dressing! You can toss the salad in the dressing or leave it on the side.

Thank you Emily!

Roasted Asparagus

So it took me about 23 years before I actually started eating vegetables, let alone like them. These little green sticks of deliciousness are one of my new favorites.

Ingredients:

asparagus

salt (preferably Kosher)

pepper

olive oil

1. Trim the tough, woody ends of the asparagus by twisting a bundle of them. Wherever they break is sufficient- should be about where the green color starts to fade.

2. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and roll the asparagus around in it to coat completely.

3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to flavor.

4. Cook at 400-450 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or broil them for a few minutes. Occasionally shake the pan or roll the stalks for even cooking.

We also love to put these on the grill- either straight on the grill if it's not too hot and you have the skills to keep them from falling through, or wrap them in foil before putting them on.

The longer they cook, the softer they are, but too long on the grill and they actually turn into sticks of charcoal. They should be lightly tender when done.

I also wondered how to pick the best asparagus at the store...

"Select asparagus with stalks that are firm, crisp, and have heads that are full, tightly closed, and not discolored. Check the aroma from the bunched asparagus as it should not give off an objectionable odor. The ends of the asparagus that have been cut should be moist and fresh in appearance, not dried or cracking."

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--817/all-about-asparagus.asp

Roasted Carrots

A common occurrence in our household, and apparently in Katie and Martin's, roasted carrots are an easy and delectable way to obtain your vegetable servings for the day.

Ingredients:

whole carrots

olive oil

salt

pepper

rosemary (optional)

1- Start with whole carrots- peel and chunk them (about 2 inch pieces). Put them on a baking sheet and make sure not to overcrowd the pan.

2- Add about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix the carrots so they are coated in it. Do not use too much oil because then it gets really greasy.

3- Salt and pepper to taste. Add rosemary if wanted.

4- Bake at 375-400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

As noted by Katie in Charleston, these actually taste more like sweet potatoes than carrots when done. Brian, maybe this should be a new favorite yours to help your eyes. That's my motivation, anyways.