Feast from Fall

I have tons of delicious Fall veggies sitting around in my from my CSA share that needed to be used, so I dreamed up this dinner menu. My mother-in-law, her sister, and two friends from Norway joined us. They had never had roasted squash in lieu of potatoes before!

Menu serves 6-8

APPLE CIDER MARTINIS
(this made 6 cocktails)

6 shots vodka
juice from 1/2 orange
juice from 1 1/2 lemons
9 shots apple cider
1 shot maple syrup
garnish with orange peel and thinly sliced apples

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into martini glasses.


FALL SLAW

1 small head red cabbage, thinly shredded
2-3 green onions, sliced
1 large crisp fall apple, in matchsticks
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
juice from 1/2 orange
handful of fennel leaves, chopped coarsely
a few tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

ROASTED WINTER SQUASH

1 medium sized kobocha squash
1 butternut squash
handful fresh thyme
handful fresh parsley
hefty drizzle olive oil
salt to taste

Peel, seed, and cube squash into 1/2 inch dice. Toss with olive oil, herbs,and salt. Spread into a thin layer on 2 baking sheets. Roast at 500 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until browned.

PANCETTA, MUSHROOM, AND LEEK STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST WITH WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE

5 large chicken breasts (about 4.5 pounds)
1/4 pound pancetta or good quality bacon
1/2 pound brown mushrooms
2 leeks
2 cloves garlic
1.5 cups light cream
1 cup white wine

Finely dice pancetta and mushrooms. Thinly slice leeks. Saute mushrooms for a few minutes to release juices and concentrate flavor. Remove from pan. Saute pancetta, then add 1/2 of the leeks. Once leeks have gone translucent, stir in the mushrooms. You don't need much if any salt since the pancetta is pretty salty. Cut pockets into the chicken breasts. It might be easier to just cut a breast in half and then cut pockets into each half. Stuff with the pancetta mixture. Brown each side of the chicken in a hot pan and then set into a large roasting pan. Saute the remaining leeks until translucent, then add garlic and whatever you have left of the stuffing mixture. Add wine and let this cook for a few minutes. Then turn down heat and add the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over the chicken. Bake about 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree F oven until the chicken is cooked through.

Tex-Mex Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients for stuffed acorn squash

Southwestern stuffed acorn squash with baby beets done two ways

I bet this would be -even- more delicious stuffed into a roasted portobello mushroom cap. I had 2 lonely acorn squash sitting on my counter for the last 3 weeks. After my acorn-butternut-kabocha squash overload last year, I have almost shuttered at eating another squash. However, I wanted to give a quinoa stuffed squash recipe a try.

The quinoa and squash can be prepared ahead of time. They can be assembled about 30 minutes before you want to eat them.

Serves 4

2 acorn squash
4 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cup quinoa (I used red, but the regular variety works)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small vidalia onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small bunch green onions, sliced thinly
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen or canned
1/2 cup canned black beans
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon spicy salsa
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces of queso fresco, mild fresh white cheese

Bake acorn squash on a baking sheet in a 350 F oven for 1 hour. Cool, then cut in half to make 4 bowls. Place back on sheet, cut side up. Dot with butter, sprinkle on cumin seeds and salt to taste, and return to oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes until squash is nice and soft.

While squash is baking, prepare quinoa. Rinse quinoa to remove any traces of bitter saponins that coat the kernels. Set aside to drain. In a medium sized saucepan, heat oil on medium heat and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and green onions (saving a small handful for decoration) and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 min. Add quinoa and stir well. Then add corn, black beans, tomatoes, salsa and salt to taste. Pour water over the top, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

Arrange roasted squash bowls in a heatproof pan (I used a glass 8x8 inch pan). Pile in the quinoa mixture, though you will almost certainly have nearly half leftover. Sprinkle on the fresh cheese and green onions. Bake at 400 F for 20-30 minutes until heated through and the cheese is beginning to melt.

Glorious baby beets

BABY BEETS DONE TWO WAYS

The baby beets themselves are roasted whole and then peeled and sliced. The delicate greens are sauteed with a little olive oil and garlic. Everything is tossed together with a generous squeeze of lemon.

1 large bunch of baby beets (or any old beets, cooking times will just be longer)
a tablespoon or two of olive oil
1 sprig of rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Wrap the baby beetroots in some aluminum foil along with a sprig of rosemary and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake at 450 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes until the beets are softened. Larger beets will take more time. Cool, then slip off peels and either serve whole or slice into halves or quarters.

Wash and roughly chop the tender beet greens. Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and beet greens and sautee until just softened, about 2-3 minutes. Toss into a bowl with the roasted beetroots and squeeze lemon over the top. Season to taste with salt and pepper.