Red Goose GardensAcorn Squash Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce
By Carolyn Cope on SeriousEats.com
1 medium acorn squash
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
4 Tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced small
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 eggs
15 lasagna noodles
1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Halve the squash lengthwise, discard the seeds, and roast until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool slightly, then scoop out flesh into a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in the ricotta cheese. Reduce the oven temperature to 375° F.
2. While the squash is roasting, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium pot. Add the onion, garlic, and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent burning, for one minute. Add the milk along with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Then reduce the heat to maintain a brisk simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in one cup of the Parmigiano cheese.
3. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Very slowly pour in about one cup of the sauce while whisking the eggs with a fork. (This tempers the eggs so they don't scramble during the next step.) Then pour the tempered egg mixture into the pot with the sauce and stir to combine thoroughly.
4. In a 9x13x2-inch pan, assemble the lasagna. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay five lasagna noodles on top, slightly overlapping them and breaking up the fifth noodle as necessary to cover the whole bottom. Top with half the squash mixture and then about 1 1/4 cups sauce. Repeat with a second layer of noodles, squash mixture and sauce. Add a third layer of noodles and top with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano cheese on top. Bake on the center rack until bubbly and slightly browned on top, about 35-40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Starbuck's Pumpkin Scones
From Recipegirl.com
Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup canned pure (unsweetened) pumpkin
3 tablespoons half and half cream
1 large egg
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
Spiced Icing:
3/4 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
1 to 2 tablespoons milk (any kind)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Give it a light dusting of flour on top of that.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (through ginger).
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half and egg.
4. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut butter into the dry ingredients. Continue cutting until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (You may also use a food processor for this step. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs).
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then form the dough into a ball. The dough will be wet, but if it seems super sticky... just go ahead and sprinkle a little more flour into the dough until it's easier to handle. Remember, you want it to be somewhat sticky, and that's okay- but you also don't want it to stick to the baking sheet. Pat out dough onto the lightly floured baking sheet and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle that is about 9-inches long and 3-inches wide. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal squares. Cut through the three squares diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Gently pull the triangles apart, leaving about 1/2-inch space between each one.
6. Bake 14 to 16 minutes on prepared baking sheet. Scones should begin to turn light brown.
7. While scones are cooling, prepare plain glaze by whisking ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth.
8. When scones are cool, use a knife to cut them apart and then pull them apart so that they are ready for glazing. Use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over the top of each scone.
9. As the white glaze firms up, prepare spiced icing by whisking the ingredients in another medium bowl until smooth. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone (or brush it on) and allow the icing to dry before serving.
Easy Pumpkin Ravioli
From CountryLiving.com
2 cups chopped peeled pumpkin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1 clove(s) garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons mascarpone or cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, combined with above cheese
40 (3 1/2-inch-square) wonton skins
1 large egg white
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with 1 inch boiling water. Place steaming basket or metal colander in center of pan. Evenly place pumpkin chunks in colander. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Remove pumpkin from oven and let cool 5 minutes.
2. In small skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 4 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and the sage.
3. In large bowl, with potato masher, mash pumpkin to a pulp. Add shallot mixture, mascarpone, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; with spoon, mix until well combined.
4. For each ravioli, place one heaping tablespoonful of pumpkin filling in center of wonton skin. Brush edges of wonton skin with egg white around filling; cover with another wonton skin. With fork, gently press around the filling to expel any air pockets and to seal the ravioli. If a scalloped edge is desired, with fluted pastry wheel, trim wonton skins around the edges. Place ravioli on tray or baking sheet. Repeat to make more ravioli with remaining wonton skins and filling.
5. To cook ravioli, in 6-quart saucepot, heat 4 inches water to boiling over high heat. Carefully add ravioli and cook 5 to 7 minutes or just until they appear translucent. With slotted spoon, remove ravioli, and place on tray. (The ravioli are fragile; do not drain directly into a colander.) To serve, divide ravioli among 4 plates. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon parsley on top.
Butternut Squash Soup
Recipe adapted from The Best Soups & Stews by America’s Test Kitchen
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, chopped fine
1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), cut in half lengthwise, and each half cut in half widthwise; seeds and strings scraped out and reserved (about ¼ cup)
6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven (or heavy pot) over medium-low heat until foaming. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the squash scrapings and seeds, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter turns saffron color, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the water and 1 teaspoon salt to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, place the squash cut-side down in a steamer basket, and lower the basket into the pot. Cover and steam until the squash is completely tender, about 30 minutes. take the pot off the heat, and use tongs to transfer the squash to a rimmed baking sheet. When cool enough to handle, use a large spoon to scrape the flesh from the skin. Reserve the squash flesh in a bowl and discard the skins.
3. Strain the steaming liquid through a mesh strainer into a second bowl; discard the solids in the strainer. (You should have 2½ to 3 cups of liquid.) Rise and dry the pot.
4. Puree the squash in batches in a blender or food processor, pulsing and adding enough reserved steaming liquid to obtain a smooth consistency. Transfer the puree to the pot and stir in the remaining steaming liquid, cream, and brown sugar. Warm the soup over medium-low heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg and adjust the seasonings, adding salt to taste. Serve immediately. Soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for several days. Warm over low heat until hot; do not boil.
