Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with a Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce

October 27, 2009 by 90 Comments

I’m sorry, but I just can’t get enough of butternut squash this season! I know I just previously posted a lasagna using it but recently after flipping through a beautiful Donna Hay magazine I also got inspired to stuff it into pasta shells.

Donna used sweet potatoes in her recipe, which I’m sure is delicious but I knew immediately I’d be using butternut squash. I also added spinach to my stuffed shells and an egg for binding. This dish is great as a main course, or on a buffet, or even a side dish to your holiday meal.

Stuffed shells are a great addition to any dinner party, they’re individual, easy to serve, and easy to eat.

***Peel, chop and toss in olive oil your butternut squash, then into a hot oven roast the squash at 400F for 15-20 minutes, let the squash cool down and then with a fork slightly smash them leaving some chunks.

 

***Cook jumbo pasta shells according to directions but make sure they’re al’dente because they’re going to cook a little more in the oven, drain and set aside.

 

***In a bowl add 2 cups of ricotta,** 1/3 cup parmesan cheese,** 1 fresh smashed garlic clove,** 1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach ( squeezed and drained)** 1 egg, **salt, pepper,** your cooled down roasted and smashed squash, around 2 cups,** and the zest of 1 lemon.** The lemon zest was key to this dish and added a nice bright flavor.
***Stuff the shells with the mixture and place in a buttered baking dish.
Make a sage brown butter sauce by melting 1 stick of butter in saute pan until golden brown and bubbly.
Add at least 10 sage leaves until slightly crisp. Turn off heat and squeeze in fresh lemon juice of the lemon you zested.

 

Place your stuffed butternut squash shells in a 375F oven until heated through with some foil loosely on top for around 20-25 minutes. When finished spoon your warm sage sauce all over and sprinkle with grated parmesan.

Inspired by Donna Hay

Fills around a dozen shells.

 

We took a drive the other day to see all the gorgeous fall colors, before we know it all the trees will be bare and we’ll be looking at snow. That I could live with out

 

Buon Appetito!

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90 Comments Filed Under: Pasta, Vegetables Tagged: , , , ,

Apple Wrapped Ricotta Tarts

October 20, 2009 by 43 Comments

The other day while I was photo grazing over at TasteSpotting, I came across Confessions of a Tart, she had just posted apple and ricotta tartlets. What caught my eye was that instead of a pastry crust, she used sliced apples. What a great idea! A dessert I don’t have to feel guilty about eating, and besides that, it just sounded so good to me. I knew I was going to make this.

I wanted to change mine up a bit, so I decided to add some rum soaked golden raisins to the ricotta mixture, which turned out adding great flavor to the ricotta. Basically you slice apples very thin, and then you arrange them in overlapping circles inside muffin cups. Irene had a great visual on this so take a look at her photo here. This takes a little time and patience, and as you can see from my little tart above, my apple layering didn’t turn out nearly as pretty as Irene’s.

So I decided to pull out my little 8″ spring form pan, butter up the sides and bottom and then layered my apples around the bottom and along the side. As soon as I spread the ricotta mixture down it served as a wall and I added more apple slices in layers along the side. This was way easier for me to handle, and I think the result turned out nice. What do you think?

The only thing I would suggest if you use a spring form pan, is to wrap tin foil around the bottom and lower sides so that none of the juice from the apple slices will seep through and smoke up your oven.


Here’s the ingredients:
This recipe makes 8 tartlets, but you can double or triple the recipe, if you want to make more than 8, or if you want to use a spring form pan.
**Rum soaked golden raisins.
**4 firm apples, peeled, cut, cored and sliced thin for layering.
**8oz. of ricotta cheese.
**4T of sugar.
**1 egg.
Drain your raisins and sprinkle on top of your ricotta mixture.

Bake 350F for 30-35 minutes until set and puffed. If you’re making the tartlets let them cool and remove them gently with a tablespoon, I found that worked well. Taste great warm or cold!

We throughly enjoyed ever bite of this!
Buon Appetito!!
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Eggs al Forno

October 16, 2009 by 33 Comments

Al Forno means “from the oven” and that’s exactly where I like to get my breakfast from on a cold and rainy weekend morning. A thick sliced crusty baguette layered with cheese, topped with an egg, and more cheese. Crunchy, creamy and oozing with goodness!

So simple to make, here are your ingredients.

Heat oven to 500F.
Butter an individual casserole dish** Place a thick slice or two of a toasted baguette snugly in the bottom of the dish** Drizzle with olive oil** Sprinkle grated fontina cheese all over the bread along with grated Parmesan** Crack and egg or two on top of the cheese** Sprinkle with more grated Parmesan, salt and fresh ground pepper and another drizzle of olive oil** Garnish with sliced scallions** Bake until eggs are set, about 10 minutes**
Recipe adapted from La Brea Bakery


Make sure the coffee is brewed and serve this up immediately while it’s still nice and warm!
Enjoy your weekend!
Buon Appetito!
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