Butternut Squash Au Gratin

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash peeled (900g - 1kg in weight)
150ml double (heavy) cream
1 clove garlic (minced)
25g grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese
15g grated mature cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg (divided into 2 portions of 1/8 tsp.)
a few knobs of butter
salt & pepper to taste
A 7"x9" or 8"x8" pyrex or ceramic baking dish

I only post my own creations on this blog as a general rule, but this one is so good I just had to post it.  I did make a small change though.  Originally the recipe called for just 25g of Parmesan & I changed that to Grana Padano & added some grated mature cheddar as well.  The original recipe was given to me by a friend who discovered it in a publication & raved about it.  I tried it & fell in love!  My 7 year old son begs me to make it all the time & as raw squash can be quite hard to peel & cut when you haven't got chef quality knives, I like to get all the prep out of the way & not have to do it too often.  I buy 2 squashes or a larger one & prepare 2 batches at once.  This allows me to freeze a cooked batch of it to thaw & reheat another time.

Method:
Peel squash, then cut longer thinner part away from bulbous part & slice longer thinner part into circles about 1/2cm thick.  Cut bulbous part in half lengthways, scoop out seeds with a spoon, then cut flesh into half-moon chunks.  Put chunks into a saucepan with 200ml, cover with water, then put rounds on top.  Cover with a lid & bring to a boil, then simmer for around 10 minutes or until all bits are easily pierced with a knife.  Drain liquid & keep several rounds to one side (enough to make a top covering layer for your dish, so you can try laying them out in the dish you're using in order to judge how many you'll need).  Next, mash the chunks & any remaining circles with 100ml of your cream, the garlic, a dash of salt, a dash of pepper, half of the Grana Padano & mature cheddar mixture & half of the nutmeg.  Taste the mashed mixture to make sure you've used enough salt.  The amount you use can vary depending on how sweet the squash is.  Some people like this dish a little sweet, but I prefer it more savoury, so I just use little dashes of salt, mix & taste until it seems right.  Bear in mind that when it's baked with all the caramelized cheese, etc, it does become a little more savoury.  Err on the side of caution as you still want it to taste like squash & not be too salty.  People can always salt their own portion if they like it saltier.  When you're happy with the consistency & flavour, spread the mash evenly over the bottom of your gratin dish, then cover with a layer of the circles of squash & press down lightly to neaten.  Dot the top with a few scattered small knobs of butter, pour over the remaining 50ml of cream & sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture & the other half of your nutmeg.  Add another little dash of salt & pepper over the top to season the circles, then bake for 45 minutes (until bubbly & golden) at 180 Celsius (350 F) or gas mark 4.  This is so so yummy & makes a great side dish with roast chicken or turkey.

before the oven...

bubbly, golden & ready to serve...

Yellow Rice

Ingredients:
225g (8 oz.) long grain rice
525ml (18oz.) chicken stock
2 Tbsp. butter (not margarine)
1.5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. Turmeric
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic or garlic salt
Large pot with a lid

I used to have my sister send me packets of Mahatma Saffron Yellow rice from the States until I figured out how easy it was to make yellow rice from scratch! I didn't follow a recipe, but just sort of worked it out and it's always worked well for me. It's Spanish in origin and often the base for Paella, but it  goes so well with so many things.  I always serve it with my Chicken Cassoulet, but I've also served it with creamed steak, beef stroganoff, chicken or turkey supreme, prawns victoria, parma-wrapped chicken breasts stuffed with basil, cream cheese and sundried tomato, etc.  The list goes on and on.  I love yellow rice - it's flavour is subtle enough that it goes with most things and yet it's unique and distinctive.

Method:
Rinse, strain and set aside your long grain rice, allowing it to dry in the strainer for at least half an hour or so before you prepare this dish.  Start the preparations by melting your butter on a medium heat in a large sauce pot.  When the butter is just melted, add the olive oil.  The olive oil has a higher burning point than the butter, so when the 2 are combined, it will keep the butter from burning and browning and will help coat the rice.  At this stage, add in the dry uncooked rice.  Toss the rice around for a few minutes in the oil and butter mixture until it becomes somewhat translucent.  Make sure to stir constantly to ensure all rice is sealed equally and does not stick to the pot.  Next, add the Turmeric and the garlic granules or garlic salt and stir until evenly coated.  Your rice should look very yellow at this point and you should get the lovely strong aroma of the Turmeric.  My measurement here is not precise - I use roughly a tablespoon, but I do it by instinct.  Depending on how much you like Turmeric, you could use a little less or a little more, but don't go too overboard!  Finally, add your chicken stock, turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer with the lid on, using the absorption method.  Do not stir the rice during this period, but do check it regularly to see when it's finished.  It should take about 20 minutes, give or take a few minutes.
It's as simple as that and so delicious and delicate!

coating with oil and butter

after the Turmeric

Stock is in.

Yellow Rice!

Best Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
600-700g (about 1 & 1/3 lbs. to 1 & 1/2 lbs.) diced beef for stewing
300ml (10 oz.)of good beef stock
1 heaped Tablespoon of flour
1/2 an onion - diced
1/2 a red bell pepper (cut into short slivers)
1 clove of garlic - minced
A 150g (5-6 oz.) container of baby button or closed cup mushrooms - sliced
2/3 of a 250g (just under 9oz.) tub of full fat Philly or other brand of cream cheese
3 heaped Tbsp. of sour cream
1 tsp. of paprika
1/2 tsp. onion salt or onion granules
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Dash cracked black pepper
Cornflour or about 2 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. flour (if needed for thickening)
A large slow cooker (crockpot)

This is my best Stroganoff recipe yet.  I've typically just thrown it together over the years without a recipe and without taking the time to make sure it was as good as it could be, but when I took the time to add a couple of extra things and balance things out better, I came up with my best version.  It was an instant hit.  I tend to do recipes like this in the slow cooker because it makes the meat so much more tender and flavoursome and you can do it in the morning and walk away from it for a few hours.  I also find that the second day leftovers taste even better than on the first day.  For a family of 3, we get a full dinner 2 nights in a row out of this amount.

Method:
First, make 300ml (10 oz.) of beef stock and set aside.  Sprinkle a heaped tablespoon of flour over the diced beef in a large non-stick pan and lightly brown, tossing around, for just a minute or two to seal in the juices.  Dump the meat into the slow cooker and use a little of your stock to deglaze the pan and pour these thick juices into the slow cooker as well, along with the rest of your stock (I use a Knorr gel concentrated Rich Beef stock pot).  Begin your veg prep.  After washing your veg, dice half an onion, slice your mushrooms and cut half a red sweet pepper into short thin slivers.  Mince a clove of garlic and put this, along with the other veg, into the slow cooker. Add a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce, a dash of ground or cracked black pepper and your onion salt and paprika to the mixture and stir.  Set the slow cooker on high at first and allow it to cook this way for about 4 hours.  Stir or check occasionally.  Two hours before dinner time, add the cream cheese and sour cream, stir again and reduce the setting to low.  Cook for a further 2 hours.  This is the way I do mine, but the beauty of using a slow cooker is that nothing burns or over-cooks, so you can play around with timings.  If you work a 9-5 job, you could throw it in before work and leave it on low the whole time.  You could also add the cream cheese and sour cream in just an hour or even a half-hour before dinner.  As long as it has time to melt and blend in, it will work. 
This can be served with rice or mash or even chunky chips, but our favourite way to have it is with medium egg noodles (which you can find in Polish shops here) or tagliatelle & some garlic bread.
 * TIP - Depending on how much liquid comes from your mushrooms and beef, the thickness of the sauce can change a little each time you make this.  If the sauce seems to thin, simply add a bit of cornflour and water mixture or make a small amount of flour and butter roux and stir that in towards the end.  It should thicken up nicely.

So gorgeous and 'more-ish!'

Homestyle Creamed Corn

Ingredients:
2&1/2 cups of fresh corn kernels (uncooked) straight from the cob (roughly 5 cobs)
The reserved 'corn milk' produced when slicing the corn from the cob
1/2 Tbsp. white sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. real butter, melted
1 cup (8 oz.) double (heavy) cream
1/2 tsp. (heaped) coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

I can't claim full ownership of this recipe, but I thought that a few people I know might like to know how to do this.  I've always loved creamed corn.  It's available in America & in some Asian countries where it is used in chicken & sweetcorn soup, etc.  Years ago I introduced my husband to it when we found it in an Asian import shop in town.  He loved it, but it was really pricey & not always available.  We haven't been able to find it for about 5 years & I was really craving it, so I looked up how to do it from scratch.  This is the recipe I found, but with just a couple of really minor changes.  I cut the amount of sugar from 1 tablespoon to half a tablespoon & I reduced the amount of pepper from half a teaspoon to a quarter of a teaspoon.  I also heaped the half a teaspoon of salt.  Some people prefer their creamed corn rather sweet, I always wanted it to be a little more buttery & savoury.  It's really a thing that should be done to each person's taste, so taste as you go & add salt, pepper & sugar accordingly.  I can't believe how easy & quick this was.  I had some pre-packed fresh corn on the cob that I had frozen, so I just thawed it & used it.  It was so easy!

Method:
Start by making sure all of your corn cobs are very well shucked.  It's easier to pick the silk hairs off the cob than to pick them out of a pile of corn or out of your final mixture.  With a sharp knife, slice all of the corn kernels from the cob until you have 2 &1/2 cups worth (just a tip - I ran a couple of ounces shy & used some loose frozen corn to make up the difference, which worked fine.  I suspect you could used either canned or frozen corn in a pinch, but taking it from the cob gets you the corn milk, which adds to the flavour).  You will notice the 'corn milk' squirting from the cob as you slice down it with the knife.  Reserve this too, as it will be used.  I sliced it all on a plate instead of a chopping board in order to preserve the milk.  Once this is done, pour the corn & corn milk into a medium bowl.  Add the flour, sugar & melted butter to the corn & stir around until well mixed & coated.  Pour this mixture into a deep non-stick skillet or wok & put on a medium heat.  Stir often for 5 minutes.  Next, add the 8 ounces of double cream & cook on a medium low heat for a further 10-15 minutes, stirring often.  Add the salt & pepper during this process.  
It's as simple as that.  The entire thing was done in 25 minutes & it made a very large amount - more than you would get out of a can.  As for taste, there's no comparison.  The canned version tastes canned & is made with evaporated milk & too sweet in my opinion.  This is the freshest nicest taste you can imagine.  It tasted so good that I didn't have the heart to put it into the corn pudding I had planned on making with it.  Instead we're going to enjoy it as a stand alone side dish.  Even if I could get the canned kind, I never would again after trying this.

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

Ingredients:
3 large or 4 medium rooster potatoes (or any similar 'floury' potato)
45g real butter
25g flour
3g salt
dash cracked black pepper
180g grated cheddar cheese
475ml whole milk
A large gratin or casserole dish

This is a favourite side dish that I make regularly - at least once a month or so.  It's so versatile & we've had it with every type of meat & poultry, as well as with fun food like sausages, fish fingers, chicken nuggets & battered fish.  It's very more-ish & not the least bit low fat, so watch out!  The key is using real butter, whole milk & full fat cheese as the sauce simply won't thicken if you use low fat substitutes.  I learned this the hard way!

Method:
As with many of my cheese or cream-based sauces, this starts with a simple roux, but first I would suggest preparing the potatoes & having all of the ingredients of your cheese sauce pre-measured & ready to add in.  This will enable you to keep stirring when you need to & prevent something burning or sticking while you turn around to weigh or measure something.  First, wash & peel the potatoes, cut into halves or quarters & slice into 1/4 inch thick half-rounds.  For the smaller ends of the potatoes or if you're using a larger amount of smaller potatoes, you can simply cut rounds.  Fill the dish with these raw thin slices of potato.  For the roux, melt the butter on a medium heat.  When the butter is fully melted, add in the flour, pepper & salt together.  Stir constantly with a whisk (I highly recommend a 'Wonder Whisk' for this - it's the best for the job) for 1 minute in order to thicken the roux & cook out the flour taste.  The roux should be bubbling a little while you stir, but if it's bubbling intensely, simply turn the heat down a little.  Once you've whisked for 1 full minute,  pour in all of the milk at once.  Stir for a few seconds with the whisk & then switch to a spoon.  Stir regularly for roughly 5 minutes until the mixture thickens considerably.  Once it has reached a thickness that you're happy with, dump in your grated cheese (a good strong or mature cheddar gives the best result).  Stir again for just a minute or so until all the cheese is melted & blended in.  Pour the cheese sauce over the sliced potatoes & ensure they are fully covered.  Cover the dish with foil & cook at 200 Celsius (390 F) for 1 & 1/2 hours.  It's as simple as that!  It's fool-proof & comes out perfectly every time.  Just be sure to leave enough time - it might be a dish best made on weekends if you don't have 90 minutes to spare on a weeknight.  I did try once or twice to pull them out early in a panic to get dinner on the table, but the potatoes were still partially raw.  It definitely needs the full 90 minutes!  
This feeds the 3 of us for 2 nights with some leftover for lunch or a snack, so it would work well for a large family. 

the butter & flour paste

the thickened mixture after the milk

after the cheese is melted in...

the potatoes before the oven

the finished dish

Cheeseburger Macaroni Bake

Ingredients:

245g (just over 8.5 oz.) Beef mince (ground beef)

¼ of a small onion (diced)

1 clove of garlic (diced)

a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

200g (7 oz.) of macaroni

3 Tbsp. of diced pimentos

150g (just over 5 oz.) of full fat cream cheese

1 Tbsp. of French’s yellow mustard

90g (just over 3 oz.) of grated cheddar + an additional handful or 2

300ml (just over 10 oz.) of milk

dash of cracked black pepper

18 Ritz crackers (blitzed or crushed)

a medium-sized casserole dish

I needed to use up some pimentos from a large jar I’d opened to make Yellow Jack Chicken & wanted to do something involving pasta & cheese.  My 7 year old son & I discussed what we’d like for dinner & came up with this recipe together.  The whole idea is that it’s like a deconstructed cheeseburger in a casserole, with the pimentos evoking both pickles & grilled peppers & the cracker crumbs representing the bun.  You’ve got the onions, the meat, the mustard – the whole works & pasta to boot!  I think it’s pretty good, so please enjoy.

Method:

In a non-stick pan, soften the onions & garlic & add the mince (ground beef).  Add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce & cook until brown.  While this is going on, you can be boiling the macaroni.  Boil until al dente, then drain & set aside.  To make the ‘instant’ cheese sauce, melt the cream cheese & milk in a small pot.  When the cream cheese is melted in & it has formed a thick liquid, add the mustard, black pepper & grated cheddar & stir until smooth & blended.  Taste a little of the sauce on your finger & see whether you think it needs a dash of salt.  I find this sauce to be more than flavourful, but my husband always feels the dish needs a little salt when I use this sauce.  Everyone’s tastebuds are different & I’m not a fan of salt, so you may feel differently.  (You may notice from my blog that this is the same cheese sauce I use when making a vegetable bake.  It’s quicker than a traditional cheese sauce with a roux base, which I also use frequently, & simply works better with certain things.  You may also notice that I tend to use yellow American hotdog mustard in my cheese or cream-based sauces.  It’s something I discovered many years ago when playing around with flavours.  A little goes a long way toward making something zippy & more flavourful & I find it preferable to using tons of salt.)  In a casserole dish, combine the cooked mince & onion mixture with the macaroni & the pimentos, then stir around until well mixed.  Pour over the cheese sauce & stir a little until well-covered.  Sprinkle a handful or 2 of grated cheddar over the top.  Next, crush the Ritz crackers with a mortar & pestle or in a food processor & sprinkle over the top.  Bake at 200 Celsius (390 F) for about 35 minutes until bubbly & golden brown.

 

before the oven

out of the oven

our 'deconstructed cheeseburger' with roasted butternut squash & sweet potato with pumpkin seeds 

Yellow Jack Chicken

Ingredients:
6 skinless/boneless chicken breast fillets
250ml (8.4 oz.) of good quality chicken stock
160ml (5.4 oz.) double (heavy) cream
a 150g ball (just over 5 oz.) of real mozzarella
100g (3.5 oz.) grated cheddar & mozzarella mix
1 small jar of pimentos (in the States) or 1 to 2 whole ones chopped (Ireland)
4 Tbsp. French's yellow mustard
5 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. dried mixed herbs
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 tsp. onion granules or onion salt 
dash of cracked black pepper
A large casserole dish

I threw this together one night about a decade ago after being inspired by someone describing a lovely dish they'd had that involved stock & cream with chicken.  I just sort of went with things I had in the press & ended up with something unique & different that I thought would taste nice.  It's never failed to impress at dinner parties & people have even been known to fight over who gets to mop up the last bit of sauce with their bread!  Even when the chicken is all gone after the leftovers, I often like to have some of the cheesy mustardy pimento-filled sauce over a piece of toast for lunch.  One thing I will say is that if you're scared of dairy or calories, look away now - this dish is not for you!  It's a little like a cooked version of pimento cheese (Americans will know what this is!) & chicken together.  Its name originated from the yellow mustard I use in it & the fact that I originally used Monterrey Jack cheese.  There was a supermarket near us that sold imported Monterrey Jack for a couple of years, but it stopped being available here years ago.  I replaced the Monterrey Jack with a combination of real milky mozzarella & grated cheddar & mozzarella mix.  It makes for lovely gooey cheesy bits in the sauce.  If you're in the States, feel free to use the original Monterrey Jack though - it's gorgeous both ways!

Method:
Place your 6 breast fillets in a large casserole dish.  Make a glaze using the yellow mustard, water, Worcestershire sauce, dried mixed herbs, paprika, pepper & granulated garlic.  I like to mix this in a glass measuring jug & then use the same jug, with the residue of the glaze still in it, to make the stock.  That way you use every bit of flavour.  When you've mixed the glaze, pour it over the chicken breasts so that they are nicely covered.  Top them with chopped up pieces of the milky mozzarella & a whole small jar of chopped pimentos (for people in the States).  For people here in Ireland, pimentos are usually called 'Papryka' in Polish shops or in the Polish aisle of your supermarket.  They're the pickled sweet red peppers that are usually sold whole or halved in a large jar .  I chop up the equivalent of 2 whole ones if they're smaller or 1 whole one if they're large.  After the pimentos go on, top with the grated cheese combo.  Then, mix up your favourite chicken stock (I use a Knorr concentrated gel stockpot - it makes 500 ml & you'll need about 250ml of it for this dish).  Pour the stock around the chicken breasts.  Next, pour the double cream into the stock - the liquid should sit pretty high up - half covering the chicken & cheese,etc.  Put uncovered into the oven at 190 Celsius (375 F) for about 45 minutes until cooked through & the cheese on top is brown & bubbly.  
This will feed 6 people or 3 people for 2 nights.  I usually serve it with steamed baby new potatoes with parsley & butter or sometimes with rice.  It's nice to serve some steamed green veg & some bread with it too (for sauce-mopping of course!).

This is a mini cutting board & I chopped up 4 halves of smaller pimento peppers.

how it should look once the glaze is poured over...

Right before the oven...

The finished dish

The sauce can look a little 'curdly.'  Don't be put off - this is just the separation of the mozzarella from the mustard, stock & cream, etc.   It tastes so yummy!