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Menu Plan for Fall II: Week 3, Sunday
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Daily Recipes:
Butternut Squash and Ham Risotto
Baked Apples
Cooking time: 35 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
The first Risotto of the season and perfect for fall. A baked apple nicely rounds out the meal.
Butternut Squash with Sage and Ham Risotto
Total time: 35 minutes
This is based on a recipe from the cook book 'Risotto'. As always, the end result should be creamy, smooth, almost soup-like, never stiff. The squash gives a bit of sweetness to the risotto and adds to the overall velvety texture... and it's a lovely color!
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup (4.2oz, 125gr) Arborio rice (or other rice specifically for risotto - Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) dry, white wine
- 2 1/4 cups (18oz, 540ml) cups chicken stock
- 1 onion
- 1 cup shredded butternut squash
- 1 tomato
- 1 tbs butter
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese - freshly grated (about 2oz, 60gr)
- Condimenti
- 8oz (240gr) baked ham or smoked turkey
- 12 - 15 fresh sage leaves, half that number if they are large - more than 2" (5cm) long substitute 1 tbs dried
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions:
- Heat chicken stock and keep hot over low heat.
- Finely chop onion and tomato.
- Peel butternut squash using potato/vegetable peeler. Cut it in half the long way (blossom to stem) and remove seeds. Using large holes on grater, shred part of the squash until you get 1 cup. Wrap the remainder in film and refrigerate.
- In medium saucepan heat butter over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and tomato, sauté 5 minutes.
- Add squash and sauté 5 minutes longer.
- Add rice and sauté stirring, for 2 - 3 minutes until rice has white center.
- Add white wine and stir.
- Start condimenti.
- When wine is almost absorbed add a 1/3 cup of stock, stir.
- When stock is almost absorbed add another 1/3 cup and continue adding 1/3 cup at a time and stirring.
- Before the last 1/3 cup taste a few kernels of rice. They should be just 'al dente' - slightly resistant to the tooth but fully cooked.
- If more stock is needed add it 2 tbs at a time and waiting until almost completely absorbed. At this point risotto will be thick but not stiff - there will still be visible liquid and it will not hold its shape on a plate.
- Add the Parmesan and the condimenti, stir well, pour into a bowl or risotto platter and serve immediately.
- It will continue to absorb liquid and the leftovers (if any) will be very stiff.
- Condimenti:
- Cut the ham into bite-size pieces.
- Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet. Add ham and sage and sauté until ham is lightly browned.
- Turn heat to very low and keep warm until needed.
Baked Apples
Total time: 30 minutes
They perfume the house while they bake, with that wonderful 'Apple Pie' smell. They're great as is or even better with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt or, heaven forbid, vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients:
- 2 apples, suitable for baking - Golden Delicious, Granny Smith
- 2 tbs butter
- 4 tbs brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
- Core apples - using an apple corer, often masquerading as a potato peeler. Stick it in the stem end and twist. It takes a bit of fussing to get all of the core out but we are not going for any beauty prizes here, so just work at it. Do not go all the way through the bottom of the apple - we don't want the butter to run out.
- When cored to your satisfaction put half of the butter, sugar and cinnamon into each apple.
- Put them into a glass baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes, until tender and juicy.
- Remove from oven and serve.
Cooking Schedule:
35 minutes |
Core apples |
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