Winter Squash and Rice Casserole

I can’t remember clipping this recipe from a magazine. (Maybe because it was published in September 2002!) I can’t remember how it sifted itself to the top of my recipe to-do list. I can’t even remember how I decided that I had to make this NOW, rather than some other time this fall, except that I had a squash laying around and all the rest of the ingredients seemed to be on hand.

Remembering all that stuff might be overrated, however, as long as I remember to make this Winter Squash and Rice Casserole whenever squash is in season. Since it is made with hot broth and Arborio rice, it’s kind of like an oven risotto, but less soupy and creamy. And less demanding of your undivided attention. The squash is roasted first, some aromatics are sautéed, the rice gets a quick blast in the sauté pan, and then everything is tossed into a baking dish and the oven does the rest of the work. Oh yeah, it all gets topped with Parmesan cheese near the end. What could be bad about that?

 

I loved the flavors of the sweet squash, sage, garlic and onion in this fairly simple casserole. I used a butternut squash, since butternuts seem to be the easiest to peel and chop. If you happen to have a tougher squash to handle, you could pierce the skin several times with a knife, roast it whole at 350 F for 20-30 minutes, cool it until you can handle it easily, and then peel it and cut it into cubes. These cubes of squash might be tender enough to add right to the recipe as described, or you might need to cook them a little more. However you cook the squash, that part of the recipe could even be done a day or two ahead of time.

I also think this might work with another variety of rice. I’d like to try it with brown rice to bump up its Whole Food Quotient and add some nutty, whole grain flavor. Perhaps if that works, other grains, such as barley or quinoa, might work as well. Cooking times are likely to vary with these other grains, of course. I’m getting away from the risotto idea with these thoughts, but the casserole that comes out of the oven isn’t much like risotto in texture anyway.

 

This Winter Squash and Rice Casserole is really, really delicious, though, and quite simple to put together. I’m glad this recipe reached out and grabbed my attention from amidst the ancient recipe stacks and archives in my ridiculous collection. Even if I don’t remember how it got there.
 

Note: Sorry about the bad pics, folks. It’s that time of year when there’s no sunshine at suppertime, and food photos by a rank amateur like me suffer greatly.

 

 

Winter Squash and Rice Casserole

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine

I find butternut squash to be easiest to use here, but any good squash that you don’t mind taking the time to peel and cut into small cubes will work.

1 pound peeled winter squash cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
¾ teaspoon coarse salt, divided
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice, or other short-grain rice
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground
½ cup freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, toss the squash cubes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Place in a single layer on a lined or greased baking sheet or in a roasting pan. Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes or until the squash is tender, but still holding its shape.

2. Remove the squash from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400 F. Prepare a 13 x 9-inch baking dish by coating it with cooking spray or by greasing it with your preferred method. Set aside.

3. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the vegetable broth and sage. Bring just to a simmer. Do not boil. Keep warm.

4. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and sauté, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds more. Add the rice and cook 1 minute, stirring often.

5. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cooked squash, hot broth, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Transfer the rice mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes. Stir the mixture gently. Top with the Parmesan cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until the cheese is melted.

 

Makes about 6 1-cup servings.

 

Another recipe like this one: Winter Squash Risotto

One year ago: Cheddar Jalapeno Scones

Archive Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Alfredo

Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce is great in so many ways and for so many reasons. It’s easy. It’s delicious. It ushers in pumpkin season without much fuss. In the original post, I had served it over cheese tortellini, but I recently served it with some delicious four-cheese ravioli, and it would be great tossed with just about any noodle you like.

 

This recipe is quite rich, which, to me, means I can enjoy a small serving and stretch one pan of sauce and pasta over a few meals (although the sauce can separate a little when reheated. I don’t mind.) I’m beginning to think this could be lightened a bit by using half and half instead of heavy cream, or by adding a little or a lot more pureed pumpkin or squash. Next time I make it, I think I’ll try the latter idea, since I rarely have anything against more squash, at least for the next month or so.

You could also stir some sautéed or roasted vegetables into your pasta and Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce. Since this is so simple there’s lots of room for trying new variations. And since it’s so delicious, it would be pretty difficult to ruin it by trying some of those brilliant ideas I know you have.

 

Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

hot cooked tortellini or ravioli, from about18-20 ounces fresh or frozen
about ½ cup cooking water from the pasta

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons finely minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup pumpkin or winter squash puree (canned is fine)
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
about 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano

¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
finely chopped parsley and additional parmesan for garnish, if desired
 

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and just beginning to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more.

2. Add the pumpkin and cook about 1 minute more, stirring frequently. Add the cream and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and boil gently for about 5 minutes or until the cream begins to thicken.

4. Stir in the nutmeg, Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Stir in the cooked pasta and cook just until well coated and heated through. Add some of the reserved cooking water if the sauce seems too thick. Serve with parsley garnish and additional parmesan cheese if desired.

Makes about 4 servings.

 

You might also like: Pasta with Squash Puree and Blue Cheese Sauce

Beef Empanada Pot Pie

When posting another of my husband’s favorite recipes, I referred to my great aunt’s bridal shower advice to cook my new husband’s favorite meal every once in a while as a surprise. Well, I don’t really do surprises so well, and I’m always trying new recipes, so I was in danger of neglecting that very good advice. I recently devised a list of several favorite recipes, however, and I’m trying to make one of those recipes each week. Some are simple (thank goodness for simple tastes!), but some, like this Beef Empanada Pot Pie, require a little more forethought and preparation.

 

This is a rich and savory pot pie, originally from the pages of Cooking Light magazine. I’m afraid I may have “un-lightened” it somewhat, adding more flour to a filling that I though was too runny and adding more olives. (I wish “light” didn’t have to mean skimping on the olives.) This makes a big stew with a flavorful crust that can feed us most of the week if we let it. It’s very beefy, but there are also a lot of diced potatoes that make the filling very, well, filling.

Speaking of those potatoes, I highly recommend cutting them into very small chunks so they cook through and aren’t unpleasantly hard. I used thin-skinned potatoes this time around, and they only needed to be scrubbed, but you can peel yours if you wish. Actually I had made this potpie just a week before I made the one in these photos, which is an unprecedented level of repeat around here, but it wasn’t until I got it into the oven, crust and all, that I realized that I had left the potatoes out entirely. I hadn’t even cleaned and chopped them. Total neglect. (The pot pie was actually very good without them, really, but it didn’t stretch to as many servings without the potatoes’ extra bulk.)

 

This is a delicious meal, and, although I can’t handle quite so much beef, nor as large a serving as my husband, I like it almost as much as he does. It’s like a stewy-er version of a perky, savory, slightly spicy empanada with an empanada crust on top rather than enfolding the filling. I reserve it for meals in the colder months, since it requires some hot oven time and is so filling and hearty. Since the colder days seem to be here to stay for a while, Beef Empanada Pot Pie goes on the “Deserving Husband’s Favorites” list for a while. I can’t help it if I really enjoy this one, too.

Other recipes from the archives on the “Deserving Husband’s Favorites” list:

Peanutty Noodles

Italian Chickpeas
Soup Beans
Spaghetti Pie
Beef and Guinness Pot Pie

 

Beef Empanada Pot Pie

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine

I use the dark Mexican beer, Negra Modello, for this pot pie. I also usually use a fairly lean ground beef and do not feel I need to drain any fat after browning it. If yours is less lean, you can drain some of it off before adding the vegetables to the pot.

for the crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon fine salt
¼ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
3-5 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

for the filling:

1 pound ground beef
1 ½ pounds diced potato, peeled if desired (about 4 cups)
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped bell pepper
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small fresh chile pepper, minced
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon fine salt
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup beer (I use a dark Mexican beer)
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef consommé
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
¼ cup chopped green olives (pimiento-stuffed are fine)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1. To make the crust: combine the flour, cumin, chili powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the butter is in very small, flour-coated pieces.

2. Add the vinegar and about 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until the mixture just begins to come together in a ball, adding more water as needed.

3. Turn out the dough onto a surface lined with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Press mixture gently into a rectangle and cover with another sheet of plastic wrap. Roll the dough between the plastic wrap sheets into an oval or rectangle roughly the size of the dish you plan on using to make the potpie, about 12 inches by 8 inches. Refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the ground beef in a very large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until the meat is browned. Drain excess fat from the meat if desired and return the meat to the pan.

5. Add the onion, bell pepper and potato. Cook about 10 minutes or until the onions and peppers are tender. Add the chile and garlic and cook about 30 seconds more. Stir in the oregano, chili powder, cumin and salt. Add the flour and cook, stirring for about 1 minute.

6. Add the beer and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the beef consommé and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, for a few minutes or until the liquid has thickened. Stir in the olives and cider vinegar.

7. Pour the mixture into a deep casserole dish, approximately 11 inches by 7 inches. (I used a 3-quart oval casserole.) Remove the plastic wrap from one side of the crust. Place that side of the crust down onto the filling. Remove the remaining sheet of plastic wrap. Fit the crust to the sides of the dish, folding over as needed. With a sharp knife, make 3-4 slashes in the crust.

8. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for re-heating.

Makes 6-8 servings.

 

Other recipes like this one: Beef and Guinness Pot Pie, Beef Stew with Tomatillos and Roasted Poblano Chiles

One year ago: Black Bean Soup with Salsa

Archive Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Pie Spice

You don’t need me to tell you how to use the warm blend of sweet and sassy spices known as Pumpkin Pie Spice. You just have to stare hard at your Google machine this time of year and a million and one recipes for sweets containing pumpkin (including, of course, pumpkin pie) will come boiling to the surface. That’s why I decided to feature The Messy Apron Pumpkin Pie Spice as this week’s Archive Recipe of the Week (ARoW).

There’s definitely more than one way to combine spices into a mix and call it Pumpkin Pie Spice, and you can save yourself some time by buying a prepared Pumpkin Pie Spice from the spice rack of any supermarket. I like to make my own, however, largely because I tend to have all the ingredients that I use in The Messy Apron Pumpkin Pie Spice blend in my cupboard…in bulk. And what else am I going to do with many dozens of whole cloves and allspice berries anyway? 

 

I tend to start with whole spices when I can, at least in the case of nutmeg, cloves, and allspice (also cardamom when it comes up), because they really do keep their flavor longer than ground spices do. When it comes to nutmeg, I actually find the freshly-ground version to have such an entirely different, and much better, flavor that it would have to be a pretty extreme emergency for me to ever buy ground nutmeg. I grind a little of each spice at a time and maybe use some in this spice blend or maybe in something else (like this cake), trying to use up the little that I grind before it loses its superior flavor.

I first posted The Messy Apron Pumpkin Pie Spice along with the recipe for these frosted pumpkin cookies, but it would be useful in Grandmama’s Pumpkin Pie, and just about any of the sweets listed here. And, of course, in all those delicious pumpkin recipes everywhere else out there, too.

 

 

 

The Messy Apron Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice

1. Combine all the spices and mix well. Keep in an airtight container for a few months.

Makes a scant 3 tablespoons.