Black Bean Chili in Squash Bowls

Here is a fun serving idea that is perfect for the fall season! If you like chili and squash, this is delicious recipe. I was especially happy with the flavor of the black beans and the savory seasonings. It was delicious and the bowl is edible!

I was able to find Sweet Dumpling squash at my local grocer and you could likely find them at your farmers' market as well. Otherwise, I'm sure any small squash would work.

I had never made Sweet Dumpling squash before and the taste and texture reminded me very much of Acorn squash. Scooping out bits of squash made the chili even tastier!

We did have a light frost this past week and most of the tender annuals are gone but I still have a few blooms hanging on. I'm sharing this mosaic and recipe at Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper and Mosaic Monday at Little Red House.

Black Bean Chili in Squash Bowls
Recipe adapted from The Philadelphia Inquirer
Printable Recipe

Makes 4 servings

4 small sweet dumpling or other small winter squash
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon dried coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1-1/2 cups cooked black beans (I used one can, rinsed well)
1 teaspoon Chipotle chili in Adobo, canned or dried
1/2 stalk celery, minced
1/2 roasted red pepper, skinned, seeded, and minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
3 plum tomatoes, chopped coarsely
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
3 leaves fresh basil, minced

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Pierce each squash with a knife and place on an oiled baking sheet. Cook for about 20 minutes or until just a bit softened. Remove from oven and let cool until not too hot to handle. Cut off the top (stem end) of each squash and reserve. Scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh very carefully - taking extra care not to cut into the bottom of the squash. You can save seeds for roasting, if desired. Season the flesh of each squash with a bit of salt and pepper. Return the squash, cut side down, to baking sheet and continue to cook until it softens and the edges are browned. They must be cooked through, but should still retain their shape and structure.

2. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in the bottom of a large sauté pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the onion is softened and browning. Add the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds and cook a few minutes more to toast the spices slightly. Add the beans, chipotle, celery, thyme, and tomatoes and simmer for ½ hour to 45 minutes, adding as much water or stock as needed to keep from sticking. Stir often. Beans can be more or less soupy, as desired. Season well with salt and fresh pepper. Stir in basil before serving.

3. To serve, cut just a thin slice off the bottom of each squash to allow it to sit on the plate securely. Place squash on platter or individual plates. Fill with warm beans. Set the lid askew or alongside as garnish if desired. Top with chopped avocado.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Sage Ravioli with Hazelnut Butter

With cool, rainy and windy weather bombarding us right now, it felt like a good day to make some homemade pasta! I had been waiting for an 'indoor' day to make this recipe since I first saw it here.

I love the pasta roller set that I got for my birthday earlier this year. It fits my stand mixer so there's no need to crank, which makes pasta-making so easy. There is a great video showing how easy making pasta sheets with the roller attachment here.

This was my first attempt at making ravioli! On each flat sheet of pasta that I made, I placed some butternut squash filling at 1-inch intervals along one side, the margins were moistened with water and then folded the plain side of dough over the filing. The air is pressed out the edges were pressed to seal the filing. I then used a pastry cutter to cut along the sealed edges. Click here to see a short video of how this chef seals ravioli.

A little toasted hazelnut browned butter and some freshly grated parmegianno-reggiano on top...molto buono! This was such an excellent recipe!

I was lucky enough to find hazelnuts without skins at my local grocery store but you could also substitute toasted walnuts. If you don't have a pasta roller, you could substitute won ton wrappers.

Fresh Pasta

Adapted from Williams Sonoma

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Flour for dusting
Pasta Machine or Pasta Making Attachment
Baking Sheets

Place flour in a mound on a hard, non-porous work surface. Make a well in the center large enough to hold the beaten eggs then pour them eggs into the well. Gradually incorporating some of the flour from the sides, using a fork, being careful to not to break the flour wall. When the eggs are no longer runny, you don’t have to worry about the wall. Continue to work in more flour until the dough is no longer wet.

Knead the dough by hand, adding as much additional all-purpose flour as needed until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky, for 3 to 5 minutes.

Have your pasta machine ready next to the work surface. Dust baking sheets with flour. Divide the dough in half and keep one half on the work surface, covered with a kitchen towel to keep it from drying out. Lightly flour the work surface with some of the reserved sieved flour. Using a rolling pin, flatten the other dough half into a rectangle thin enough to go through the rollers at the widest setting. Pass the dough through the rollers once, then lay the resulting ribbon down on the work surface and flour it lightly. Fold into thirds lengthwise to make a rectangle and flour both sides lightly. Flatten the dough with the rolling pin until it is thin enough to go through the rollers again. With one of the two open edges going first, pass the dough through the rollers nine more times at the widest setting; after each time, flour, fold and flatten the dough as described. After 10 trips through the wide rollers, the dough should be completely smooth and supple.

Now you are ready to thin the dough. Starting at the second-to-widest setting, pass the dough through the rollers repeatedly, setting the rollers one notch narrower each time. When the pasta ribbon gets unwieldy, cut it in half and continue rolling one part at a time until the dough reaches the desired thinness.

Arrange the finished pasta sheets on the prepared baking sheets and cover with kitchen towels to prevent drying. Repeat the entire process with the second half of dough.

Butternut Squash with Hazelnut Butter
Adapted from Foodess

2 pounds of fresh butternut squash
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
1-1/2 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, minced
4 ounces mascarpone
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
Parmigiano-Reggiano for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half, remove seeds, and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Place flesh side down on baking sheet, and bake until very soft, about 40 minutes.

In a dry pan over medium heat, lightly toast chopped hazelnuts. Set aside. In the same pan, add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and cook onion with sage until soft and golden. Scoop flesh from cooked squash, and add to onion mixture and mash together. Allow to cool slightly, then add mascarpone and combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drop teaspoonfuls of squash mixture about an inch apart the length of a sheet of pasta. Fold pasta over filling, and use dampened fingers to seal the entire length. Press pasta down around all sides of filling to seal. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the pasta into squares of equal size, each with a dollop of filling in the center. Fold the cut edges under, around all four sides of ravioli. Use a fork to crimp and seal. Repeat with remaining pasta sheet. Drop ravioli into a pot of gently boiling water and cook until they are tender, and rise to the surface (about 7 minutes).

Heat butter and hazelnuts in a pan over medium heat until butter browns. Add broth, and remove from heat. Drizzle brown butter sauce over ravioli on plate, and top with shaved or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

You can find more at here. Thank you, Foodess!

Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Sage

I've always loved the rich and savory combination of pasta, squash and sage. A new, favorite restaurant features a special dish on their fall and winter menu that uses potato gnocchi rather than plain pasta with squash and sage. When I found this Cooks Illustrated recipe for the main ingredients, I decided to try it using some store-bought gnocchi.

It was fantastic!

The method of first sautéing the bacon with the sage and then using the bacon drippings to carmelize the squash was a wonderful idea.

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from a recipe published January 1, 2009 from Cook's Illustrated.

Ingredients

4 slices bacon , halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
8 large fresh sage leaves , plus 1 tablespoon minced (I used frozen leaves from my garden)
1 medium medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 scallions , sliced thin (about 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon sugar
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound prepared potato gnocchi
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add whole sage leaves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl, reserving bacon fat and bacon-sage mixture separately.

2. Return skillet to high heat, add 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat (adding olive oil if necessary) and heat until shimmering. Add squash in even layer and cook, without stirring, until beginning to caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Add butter and allow to melt, about 30 seconds. Add scallions, nutmeg, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and minced sage; cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to simmer; continue to cook until squash is tender, 1 to 3 minutes longer.

3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large stock pot over high heat. Add store-bought potato gnocchi (I used Alessi brande). Cook for 3-4 minutes, until gnocchi rises to the surface. Drain in a colander.

4. Add squash mixture to pasta; stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese,and reserved bacon-sage mixture, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta liquid. Serve, passing almonds and Parmesan separately.