Three weeks into this blog, and we’ve already fallen down on the job. Well, partly. Audrey and I did manage to meet our Pantry Challenge goal to a certain extent: we cooked from our pantry and from the Bountiful Basket produce without buying anything more than a can of pumpkin and a bag of chocolate chips, both of which went into the pumpkin chocolate scones I made for the Law School Singles Pumpkin Palooza Bake-off. On the other hand, we didn’t eat at home nearly as much as I’d expected. On Sunday I had dinner with my sisters; Tuesday night I had dinner at a legal society function; on Wednesday and Thursday I had lunch catered by various law school functions; on Thursday I had dinner at the Pumpkin Palooza. All other meals were home-cooked but upon consulting with Audrey, I’m not sure we ever actually ate a meal together (so long as you don’t count Friday night, when we made sweet potato and parsnip fries--very tasty, but not exactly a meal). Obviously the next time we do a challenge like this, we need to do a better job of it!
To make up for last week’s failure, I have two recipes today: Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque with Carmelized Onions, and Old English Oatmeal Bread. The bread recipe is one I’ve been baking with great success for a couple of years; the soup I made up today. Both are absolutely fantastic and make a wonderful, healthy light dinner packed with fall flavor.
Roasted Butternut Squash BisqueIngredients2 medium butternut squash
1 Yukon gold potato, diced
1 quart (32 oz) good chicken or vegetable broth
Olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 shake red pepper
2 tsp dried chives, plus more to garnish
Whipping cream and caramelized onions, to garnish
InstructionsHeat oven to 400°F. Lop off top and bottom of butternut squash; slice in half and scoop out seeds and stringy innards. Rub the cut surfaces with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Roast for 40 minutes or so, until squash is soft and pierced easily by a fork. Remove from oven and let cool until easy to handle. Scoop flesh out with a spoon and discard skins.
Meanwhile, boil potato in a little water until soft and easily pierced by a fork; drain. Combine squash, potato, and chicken (or vegetable) broth in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour soup into a pot and add salt, black pepper, red pepper, and chives. Heat gently over medium to medium-low heat.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with whipping cream, extra chives, and caramelized onions.
(The onions may sink, as mine did in this picture. Don't despair! They'll taste even better
in the soup than on top.)
Caramelized Onions1 medium onion
1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp raw sugar
Salt
Slice onion thinly. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat; add onions. Saute onions for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle sugar and a little salt over onions when they start to brown and continue cooking over medium-low to low heat until onions are well-caramelized, with deep color and sweet flavor.
Old English Oatmeal Bread (adapted from the Williams-Sonoma
Baking cookbook)
Ingredients1 cup old fashioned rolled oats, plus extra for sprinkling
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 Tbsp dark molasses
2 - 2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yeast
1 egg yolk, beaten mixed with 1 tsp water
InstructionsPlace the oats in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the milk and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Pour over the oats and let stand until lukewarm, about 30 minutes; stir often to hasten cooling. Stir in the molasses, 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the salt, and the yeast. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that holds its shape.
Knead by hand or with a dough hook, adding flour as needed. Kneed by hand until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes; knead by hook until the dough is not sticking and pulls cleanly from the bowl sides, 6-7 minutes. (If I have the time, I always knead by hand; it develops the gluten better, gives a more pleasing texture, and allows me to judge the condition of the dough much more easily.)
Form the dough into a ball and place in a clean, greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 45-60 minutes.
Dust a baking sheet with flour. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and press flat. Cut in half, knead briefly, and form each half into a ball, stretching the sides down and under. Place well apart on the prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Uncover the loaves, brush with the egg-yolk mixture and sprinkle with oats, if desired. Using a sharp knife, make two 1/4" deep slashes on the tops of the loaves. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes; the loaves should sound hollow when tapped on the bottoms. Unmold the loaves and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes two 13-oz loaves. Total preparation time: about 3 hours.
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