Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onions over Polenta

It's been a while since I participated in the Leftover Queen's Royal Foodie Joust, but I'm back this month with an entry using each of the three chosen ingredients (orange colored squash/pumpkin; black tinted stout; sugar) and lots of Fall flair.

A heartwarming, soul-satisfying dish fit for Autumn is what I was going for here. So I took some flavorful butternut squash, soaked it in dark beer, coated it in brown sugar then browned it in some butter and roasted it with a bit of the beer til tender. Onions caramelized with the remaining beer joined the butternut squash atop a silky polenta.

Serve this as a side dish to grilled or roasted beef, veal or chicken; as a stand alone first course; or even a light main dish. I thought of adding some crispy bacon or pancetta but we'd had enough meat in our diet last week though either would add a great dimension of flavor to this dish though.

Now, if you're a food blogger and not yet a member of the Leftover Queen's Foodie Blogroll, head on over to Jenn's site and sign up now. You'll be part of a great community of bloggers, you'll enjoy some great contests and giveaways and you'll qualify to compete in the monthly Royal Foodie Joust.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onions over Polenta

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into large chunks

1/2 bottle dark beer

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons butter

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the Polenta:

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal for polenta

Dash of nutmeg

Pat of butter

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the butternut squash in a large bowl; add the beer and cayenne pepper and give it a good stir until all the pieces of squash are coated well. Let the butternut squash soak in the beer mixture for about 15 minutes.

As the polenta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet. Place the brown sugar in a bowl and once the butter is heated well, take the butternut squash cubes straight from the beer, coat each piece well with brown sugar and add to the hot skillet. Brown all the butternut squash pieces evenly on all sides then add half the beer marinade to the skillet and place it in the oven to roast the squash until tender.

Meanwhile, begin the polenta by bringing the water, stock and salt to boil in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal and cook the polenta over moderately low heat (at barely a boil), stirring quite frequently until thick and smooth, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the nutmeg, parmesan and butter. (Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Stir well before serving.)

As the polenta cooks, in a skillet or saucepan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the sliced onions and cook 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the remaining beer and continue cooking the onions until golden and caramelized.

Spoon some polenta on the plate--or in a bowl--top with some caramelized onions and place a few pieces of butternut squash on top as well. Drizzle with any sauce from the roasted squash skillet and serve immediately.

Nistisima Papoutsakia/Eggplants Stuffed with Tomato, Onion and Walnuts

The term papoutsakia is literally translated to "little shoes" and as these small eggplants stuffed with tomato, onion and walnuts truly do resemble little shoes (maybe even little ballet slippers) they are aptly named as such.

There are numerous versions of papoutsakia to be had in Greece including ones stuffed with ground meat and topped with bechamel, others stuffed with ground meat and topped simply with cheese and others still filled simply with tomatoes and onion or really any variety of sauteed vegetables.

Today, I whipped up this Lenten version of papoutsakia in which I filled these tiny, flavorful eggplant halves with plenty of onion, tomatoes and some chopped walnuts to add a little texture and crunch to an otherwise "soft" dish. A little skeptical of adding too much seasoning here, I used just a pinch of allspice and curry to liven things up a bit. In the end, I love how these papoutsakia turned out. This is a great make-ahead side dish/appetizer as the flavors develop even better after sitting for a while. Moreover, you can serve this dish warm (not hot) or at room temperature.


Papoutsakia Nistisima/Lenten Stuffed Eggplants
Makes 6 servings

12 small eggplants
1/2 cup olive oil
2 medium to large onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup water
Pinch of sugar
Small bunch parsley, chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of curry
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Clean eggplants and trim tops. Cut in half and with a spoon scoop out the flesh of each eggplant and set aside. Place the eggplant halves into a colander and season generously with sea salt. Leave the eggplants in the colander set over a large plate or in the sink while you make the filling.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Finely chop the eggplant flesh you've just scooped out. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the onion; saute until soft. Add the garlic and the chopped eggplant flesh and cook until the flesh is softened and browned. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and water and bring to boil. Add the sugar, parsley, walnuts, allspice and curry and cook for a couple minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

Rinse the eggplant halves under cold water and shake the colander well to remove most of the moisture. Oil a large baking dish and line the eggplant halves up in the dish. Fill each eggplant half with filling (a couple of tablespoons should do). Drizzle with more olive oil, add a bit of water to the baking dish and place in the oven until the eggplant halves are softened. Serve warm or at room temperature.

O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness

After reading Jenn The Leftover Queen’s post on Gina DePalma’s battle with ovarian cancer, I was inspired to participate in her joint effort with Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso to raise awareness of this disease. Their call for O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness prompted me to put together this refreshing salad featuring oranges, onions and olives. It's a simple dish and a simple post as I would rather the attention be placed on the much more complex and ever so significant subject at hand, ovarian cancer.
My heartfelt wishes go out to Gina DePalma, the inspiration for this event.

O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of Gina DePalma, author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen and Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy, Jenn of The Leftover Queen, and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are asking you to donate to the:

Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (via FirstGiving.org)

and then, out of the goodness of your hearts and to be eligible for the O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest, please do the following:

1. Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato) and include this entire text box in the post;

OR

2. If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word about the event and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

AND

3. Then send your post url [along with a photo (100 x 100) if you've made a recipe] to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on September 30, 2008.

We will post a roundup and announce prize winners on October 3.
Prizes:

• 1 Recipe Prize for best “O food” concoction: $50 gift certificate to Amazon;
• 1 Awareness Prize for only publicizing event: Copy of Dolce Italiano cookbook.

———

From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

• Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.
• The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,650 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2008 and about 15,520 women will die from the disease.
• The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.
• In spite of this patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.
• When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.
  
  Please donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
  and help spread the word!

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Orange, Olive and Onion Salad

2 medium oranges, rind and pith removed
¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
Half a small red onion, thinly sliced
Splash of cider vinegar
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped lettuce (I used Romaine)

Slice orange sections over a bowl to catch juices and stir together with olives, sliced onion, cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add lettuce and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
I paired this light and fresh salad with simply roasted chicken breasts—which I seasoned with salt, pepper and a drizzling of olive oil along with some chopped parsley gently pushed under the skin—and cooked in a 375 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes.

Beets

As a kid I remember eating beets once a year—on Palm Sunday when we would sit down to the customary Greek lunch of bakaliaro (fried salt cod), skordalia (garlic dip) and boiled beets made every year on this holiday. And I’m pretty sure I still ate beets only on Palm Sunday right up until I was married and began testing the cooking waters for myself. I now make beets at least every other week and I’ve even gotten my mom to make them occasionally (on days other than Palm Sunday).
At first I would buy some fresh beets, boil them and then serve topped with some oil and vinegar. That is until I tried out a great recipe from Gourmet that I use religiously now and which has gotten much acclaim by family and friends whenever served. The original recipe calls for using canned beets, but I love the taste of fresh beets as compared to canned. So I always make my own—oh, and I don’t just boil my beets anymore. A few years ago I realized I can bake beets wrapped in aluminum foil just as I would potatoes. The earthy flavor of the beets after cooking in the oven is unparalleled. I like to add this as a side dish to simply roasted or grilled meats like beef, lamb or pork. And be sure to stick with the cider vinegar cited in the recipe—it makes all the difference.



Beets with Caramelized Onions and Feta

(Adapted from a recipe found in Gourmet Magazine)

Serves 6

Six well sized beets, ends cut away and skins scrubbed clean

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup feta crumbled

Wrap the cleaned beets in aluminum foil and prick with a fork. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, or until a knife can easily run through them. Remove and let cool slightly. Unwrap and peel away the skin. In a small bowl combine the cider vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper and slowly whisk in the 3 tablespoons of oil. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons of oil in a skillet and cook onions combined with about ¼ teaspoon salt until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add onions to the dressing. To serve in individual plates, cut beets crosswise into thin rounds and top with some onions and crumbled feta. To serve as a salad, slice beets crosswise and then cut into half moons. Gently stir in the caramelized onions and top with crumbled feta just before serving.