Eggplant and Chicken Spaghetti Squash

 

Scottie and I met with an insurance agent yesterday to discuss life insurance plans. (Great fun for a Saturday afternoon)  We came to find out that in order to qualify we would need to undergo a health exam.  We nervously joked around with the agent for a bit about the type of tests we would be faced with and our current health as we thought about all the homemade pasta and sausage that we have been indulging in every Sunday for the last month.  When the agent finally left we realized we have 3 weeks to get into top shape or pay an extra two hundred a month for life insurance.   So here we go…tonight’s modified Sunday dinner, Eggplant and Chicken Spaghetti Squash 

One medium spaghetti squash

One medium onion

One can of cherry tomatoes

3 garlic cloves

One bunch of parsley

Organic chicken breast

One eggplant

Baby kale (Whole Foods

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Dijon Mustard

One lemon

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash
Microwave spaghetti squash to soften it for four minutes.  Cut the spaghetti squash in half, remove and save the seeds and place it cut side up in baking dish.  Bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes remove from oven and pour out any liquid that has accumulated in the crevice.  Bake for another 15 minutes. Separate the seeds from the inner membrane and toast them with some salt on low heat. Using a fork, slowly break or separate the meat of the squash from the skin.  If you need a little bit of substance cook one fourth of a pound of whole wheat spaghetti which you can mix in with the squash. Make sure you undercook the pasta and save a cup of pasta cooking water.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Pulled Squash

Cherry Tomato and Eggplant Sauce

Sauté chopped onions and garlic in a large pot with olive oil.  Once the onions and garlic are caramelized, add cubed eggplant and sauté for 10 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and add one can of Cherry Tomatoes (I like San Marzano’s) Allow sauce to render down for 20 minutes.

Sauteed Onion, Garlic and Eggplant

Eggplant and Cherry Tomato Sauce

Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken Breast

In the mean time, make a quick marinate for the chicken breast.  Combine one grated garlic clove, two tablespoons of chopped parsley, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, the juice of one lemon, salt, pepper, red chili flakes  and one tablespoon of olive oil.  Add a couple of organic chicken breasts and allow them to sit in marinate for about thirty minutes.   

Grill the chicken breast for eight minutes on each side on high heat. Allow it to rest for about 10-15 minutes so that the juices don’t run. 

While the chicken is resting, toss the meat of the spaghetti squash, whole-wheat pasta with the rendered tomato sauce. Add some of the pasta water and allow the squash to absorb some of the liquid.  At the last minute, add a handful of baby kale, sliced chicken breast and a handful of chopped parsley. Finish with a little Pecorino Romano, the toasted squash seeds and a drizzle of high quality olive oil. 

 

A month of cooking school...

I have been playing the last couple weeks and working on my pasta and sausage making skills.  Here are just a few pics of my adventures.  I hope to host a pasta making class soon.  Look for details. 

Bucatini Test Kitchen

00 flour and Egg Bucatini

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organic Chicken Sausage Mix

 

Scott working the Sausage marker..It's a two man job

Spicy Pork Sausage

Chicken Fennel Sausage

Spicy Pork Sausage with fresh fennel bulb

Homemade Semolina Rigatoni tossed in Spicy Pork Sausage and Fresh Fennel Tomato Sauce

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

It’s that time again, only 180 days till bikini season.  Instead of starving myself this winter, I have decided to simply focus on eating healthy and delicious meals that are high in protein, fiber and full of veggies.  I will start with one of my favorite fall fruit, butternut squash.

Yes just like all members of the gourd family (which includes pumpkin, melon, and cucumber), butternut squash is technically a fruit because it contains seeds.  It is rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, making it an exceptionally heart-friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune systems. The folate content adds yet another boost to its heart-healthy reputation and helps guard against brain and spinal-cord-related birth defects such as spina bifida.  Just in time for baby making! HA! 

Now, I’m sure everyone you know has a recipe for butternut squash soup (BNS), mine is a bit different.  I prefer savory dishes. So unlike most BNS recipes, mine yields a spicy finish instead of the typical sweet finish.

Butternut Squash Soup

1 large or 2 medium Butternut squashes

4 carrots

2 garlic cloves

1 bay leave

1 bunch of sage

1 medium onion

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

In a large soup pot, sauté in olive oil 1 chopped medium onion, 4 chopped carrots, cubed butternut squash and 2 whole garlic cloves.  Once the veggies are caramelized, season with salt, pepper, 1 bay leave, 1-tablespoon red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoon of chopped sage.  Cover the ingredients with water and bring to a boil. Simmer at low heat for 1 hour.   

When the squash is finally soft, remove the bay leave and using a hand mixer or blender, puree the soup.   Finish the soup with the remaining chopped sage. 

I like to serve my BNS soup with a short grain rice or pasta.  Since we are all on “Carb Watch 2012”, a good alternative would be brown rice, wheat berries or farro. Garnish with some goat cheese or Pecorino Romano.  Or hell, go for both :)

 www.wholeliving.com

Split Pea Soup

 When temperatures drop into the forties in Chicago, I pull out my Le Crueset, fill it up with winter veggies, some kind of smoked meat, a legume and don’t stop till the tulips emerge in spring.  Soup weather has arrived and no one is as excited as my friends and family.  One of our favorites is Split Pea.  My recipe uses smoked turkey, which is a bit leaner than the convention ham hock and still yields a delicious smoky flavor.

Split Pea Soup

1 lb yellow or green dried split peas

1 smoked turkey drumstick or 2 smoked turkey wings

1 medium yellow onion

3 ribs of celery

4 carrots

6 garlic cloves

4 bay leaves

3 medium potatoes

2 tbsps marjoram

Start by rinsing the dried peas with cold water.  Then combine the peas in a large saucepot with 3 cups of water, 2 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves and 1 tablespoon of marjoram.  Season with salt and pepper and cook at low heat for about 1 hour or till the peas are soft.

In a large soup pot, sauté 1 chopped medium onion, 3 chopped ribs of celery, 4 chopped carrots and 2 whole garlic cloves.   

Once the veggies are caramelized, add the smoked turkey, pealed potatoes, 2 bay leaves and a tablespoon of marjoram.  

Cover the ingredients with water and bring to a boil.  Add salt and pepper, and simmer at low heat for 2 hours. 

When the peas are finally soft, remove the bay leaves and using a hand mixer or blender, puree the peas and boiling liquid. 

 Return your attention back to the broth.  When the meat starts to pull away the bone, remove the turkey leg and bay leaves.  Using a fork and a knife to remove the skin, bones and tendons from the drumstick.   This should be fairly easy if the turkey leg has been cooked long enough.  Discard the bones, skin and tendons and save the meat.

  Skim off the excess fat off the top of the soup.  Using a potato masher, smash the potatoes and veggies in the broth.  I prefer smashing potatoes in soup as opposed to cubing them because I feel the cubed potatoes get hard after cooking for too long.  Return the turkey to the broth and add the pureed peas.  Continue to cook the soup for another 45 minutes. 

Finish the soup with a bit more marjoram and salt and pepper to taste. 

Alicja’s Croutons

Oregano

Day Old Italian bread

Garlic

Red pepper flakes

Ollive oil

Growing up my mom would make homemade croutons whenever she made split pea soup. My husband Scott loves croutons in his soup so I always recreate my mom’s crouton.  I use day-old Italian bread, which I cube, and sauté in olive oil with red pepper flakes, one grated garlic clove and oregano. 

Raw Brussel Sprout Salad

After a short hiatus I’m back with a great Brussels sprout recipe.  Yesterday, I enjoyed the last day of the outdoor Green City Market; next weekend we will visit the market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Musuem.  The market was filled with Brussels sprouts yesterday; some venders were even selling the growing stalk with the Brussels still attached. 

I myself planted some Brussels sprouts on my roof top garden, although I planted them too late so I will not be able to harvest them before the first frost. 

I need to give credit to Michael Chiarello of Bottega for influencing this recipe.   I first had this salad several years ago on a trip the Napa Valley with the girls.  I have worked to recreate it for a couple of years and believe it’s pretty spot-on.  Maybe Michael could comment?

Raw Brussels Sprout Salad

1 lb of Brussels sprouts

1 tablespoon of chopped shallot

1 tablespoon of chopped roasted hazelnuts

1 large organic hard-boiled egg

1 lemon

½ cup grated Pecorino Romano

¼ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (California*)

a handful of Italian parsley leaves

To start, make sure you find some really large Brussels sprouts, we will be using a mandolin to shred them and don’t want to recreate a scene from Saw V. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.  Use a mandolin to shred the Brussels sprouts down to the core.  I have a pretty unsophisticated mandolin I picked at whole foods, if you do not have one, just carefully slice the Brussels sprouts by hand.   

In a separate bowl combine 1 tablespoon of chopped shallots, the juice of one lemon (~1/4 cup) and a ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Whisk these together and season with salt and pepper.  Ten minutes before serving combine the dressing, Brussels sprouts, Italian parsley leaves, Pecorino Romano and a chopped hard-boiled egg.   

Leave the salad to sit for 5-10minutes to allow the favors to mingle. As you bring the salad to the table sprinkle the roasted hazelnuts on top.  

*I prefer California Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it has a very woody flavor in comparison to the Greek and Italian Olive oils.   My favorite, Pasolivo is from the central coast of California, from a region of great food and wine, Paso Robles.  In Chicago it is sold at Olivia’s Market in Bucktown and FoodStuff in the burbs. 

Grilled Lima Beans

I love the idea of Edamame.  Nothing is better than the salty crunchy satisfaction of a healthy snack.  Unfortunately I have a soy sensitivity and stay away from all soy products, including Edamame.  For a while now I have been searching for an alternative and have finally found it…the elusive Lima Bean. 

I stumbled upon these mysterious beans during my last trip to the farmers market.   Hiding behind the rows of heirloom apples and squash was a case of beans that on a regular basis cause small children to cry at dinner tables across the country.  What I had planned for these little guys was not your mom’s succotash, but a delightful snack, seasoned with mint, garlic and rock salt.

Grilled Lima Beans

1 lb of podded Lima Beans

2 minced garlic cloves

2 tablespoons chopped mint

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

olive oil

Combine garlic, chopped mint, red pepper flakes with a tablespoon of olive oil.  Toss with the podded Lima Beans. 

Allow the Lima Beans to marinate for about an hour before grilling.  Spray the grill with a nonstick cooking spray.  Heat the grill to 550 or “sear” setting.  Grill the lima beans for about 15 minutes, remember to save the marinate.  

 They should have a nice charred pod and be soft on the inside.  Toss the Lima Beans back into the marinate and add a pinch of rock salt or kosher salt to season.  Serve hot as you would regular Edamame or toss them into a salad as I did. 

Fall Veggie Hash

 

Temps in the sixties, leaves glowing reds and oranges and a farmers market full of gourds, pumpkins, squash and apples.  The fall veggies are here and I am super excited to share my favorite fall veggie dishes.  Throughout the next couple of weeks I plan on indulging in these fabulous and healthy treats.

I believe my sister was the first to make a version of this brussel sprout, butternut squash salad.  It reminds me of a Thankgiving dressing sans the bread or even a hash.  I changed it a bit from Ana’s version by adding some kale to add some texture to this flavorful mix of veggies. 

Fall Veggie Hash

1 medium butternut squash

1 lb of Brussel sprouts

1 bunch of kale

1 lb of Whole Foods Italian Chicken Sausage

2 lemons

Pepper flakes

Olive Oil

Garlic

Salt and pepper

Fresh Thyme

Fennel seeds

To soften up the butternut squash for chopping, pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes.  When it cools peel and chop the squash into ¾ inch cubes.  Place these on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with some salt, pepper, chopped thyme and pepper flakes.  Drizzle the squash with some olive oil and toss with your fingers to make sure every piece of squash is covered in herbs and seasonings.  Bake at 425 for about 35-40 minutes or until the squash is caramelized on the outside and soft to a knife.  

While the squash is baking, peel and split the Brussel sprouts.  In a large sauté pan, heat up some olive oil and add the Brussel sprout the hot pan, season with salt and pepper.  Allow the sprouts to develop a bright green color.  If the Brussel sprouts are browning too fast, yet not softening, add a little bit of water to the sauté pan and turn down the heat.   When they are al dente and have developed a caramel color remove them from the heat and place in a large bowl.

On to the sausage…remove the chicken sausage from the casing and add to the sauté pan that was used for the Brussel sprouts.  Add some fennel seeds to the sausage.  The chicken sausage is pretty lean so you might have to add some olive oil if it starts to stick to the pan.  Once it’s cooked place it in the same bowl as the Brussel sprouts.

The final veggie to hit the pan is the kale.  Rinse it well and then slice it into one inch pieces. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil, one grated garlic clove and some pepper flakes to the sauté pan.  Add the kale to the pan, season with salt and pepper and slowly begin to heat it.  Like spinach, kale cooks down quite a bit and can get pretty soggy.  I like my kale to have texture so I just heat it lightly.  When all the kale is coated in olive oil and is a bright green color, add the juice of one lemon and continue to heat/turn the kale for another couple of minutes.  Add the kale to the bowl with the rest of the cooked ingredients. 

The final dressing of the salad will consist of a drizzle of olive oil the juice of one lemon.   Tear some parsley and toss everything together, add additional salt and pepper if necessary.  

This salad is great with a roasted chicken, a glass of zin on a cold night.