Recipe (Re)creation: Butternut Squash, Kale + Manchego Pizza

You can think of this one as the ultimate harvest pizza.  As fall is upon us and the leaves are starting to change, I begin to crave all my favorite fall and winter veggies. Roasting vegetables and throwing them in pastas, salads, and soups is always a delicious option, so why not throw them on pizza? I found this delectable recipe here and made a few changes to suit my tastes.  I love manchego cheese, so I used that instead of fontina, and omitted the salsa.  I also cheated and used store bought pizza dough from Whole Foods.  While I do love the idea of making the dough from scratch, it just isn't realistic for me on a weeknight.  Otherwise, I stuck to the original recipe and just love how this pizza turned out.  Happy eating!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 7 oz. pizza dough
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 1/2 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 6 sage leaves
• 1 tbsp. pine nuts
• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 8 oz. shredded manchego cheese
• 1 small bunch of kale, torn

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and remove pizza dough from fridge.

-Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic and place in tin foil.

-Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes.  

-Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium skillet and add the butternut squash.

-Sprinkle with brown sugar and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes. 

-Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

-Once the garlic is tender, remove from the oven and let cool.

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees F for the pizza. 

-Place the sage, pine nuts, 4 cloves of garlic, 3 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. parmesan cheese in a food processor and blend until a thick pesto is formed. 

-Knead the dough and form it into a flat disk about 12 inches wide.  

-Place on a greased baking sheet lined with tin foil.

-Brush the dough with olive oil and spread evenly with pesto.

-Top with shredded manchego, then add the butternut squash, and top with more manchego.

-Place pizza in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.

-Meanwhile, place kale in a bowl and toss with 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. parmesan.

-Remove pizza from oven, top with kale, and bake for another 5-6 minutes.

-Once the pizza is done and the kale is crispy, remove from oven.

-Allow to cool, cut into slices and serve immediately. 

Recipe (Re)creation: Mushroom Ragout with Poached Egg

~ From Top: Sautéed Mushrooms,
My Mushroom Ragout (Re)creation, Close-up ~

This recipe was not inspired by a restaurant, but rather by a wonderful cookbook that a dear friend recommended.  The cookbook is called Plenty and is written by London Chef Yotam Ottolenghi.  The cookbook is vegetarian (and I am not), but the dishes are savory enough that you don't even miss the meat.  I altered Ottolenghi's recipe by using chicken eggs rather than duck eggs, sage instead of parsley, vegetable stock (rather than the homemade version) and topped the dish with shredded parmesan.  Its the perfect cold-weather comfort food.  Enjoy!

Serving size: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 lb mixed mushrooms (oyster, cremini, shitake, etc)
• 1/2 lb sourdough bread, crusts removed
• 4 1/2 tbsps olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 2-4 eggs, depending on appetite ; )
• Vinegar, for poaching
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsps chopped tarragon
• 2 tbsps chopped sage
• Salt & pepper 

Directions:

-Soak dried porcini in 1 cup water and set aside for 30 minutes.

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and toss with 2 tbsps olive oil, crushed garlic and salt.

-Place bread on a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes, or until they start to brown.

-Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and heat on medium-high heat.

-Add mushrooms in batches, cooking for 2 minutes on each side, then remove and set aside when the mushrooms start to brown (add more olive oil as necessary).

-Pour white wine & vegetable broth into the same skillet.  

-Next, lift the porcini out of its soaking water (squeezing to remove excess water) and set aside with the other mushrooms.

-Pour the porcini water into the skillet with the broth & wine and add thyme and salt.

-Simmer the broth until it has reduced to about 1 cup (20 minutes) and remove from heat and set aside.

-To poach the eggs, fill a small saucepan with just enough water to cover an egg, add a splash of vinegar and bring to a boil.

-Crack an egg into a small cup and carefully pour into the boiling water.

-Immediately remove the pan from heat and let the egg "poach" for 5 minutes.

-Lift the egg out of the pan and place in a bowl of warm water.

-Repeat this process for each egg and once all the eggs are poached, dry them on a paper towel.

-Reheat the broth and add the mushrooms, sour cream, most of the chopped herbs and salt and pepper.

-Once the mushroom mixture is hot, divide the bread croutons on two plates and spoon the mushrooms ragout over the croutons evenly. 

-Top with 1-2 poaches eggs, the remaining herbs, and some freshly shaved parmesan to top it all off.

~Simply divine~