Beets with Dill and Sea Salt

10-12 small (golf ball size) or 2-4 large beets (baseball size)

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs fresh or 1 Tbs dried dill

1 tsp sea salt (this is a nice time to break out any special culinary salts you might be harboring)

Rinse off any dirt from your beets, then cut the tops and tails off. If you are using small beets, you may leave them whole. If you are using large beets, cut them into quarters. Put them in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool. Dump them in a colander and rub off their skins under warm water. Place the beets in a bowl, toss with olive oil and stir in dill and salt. Serve cold or at room temperature; alone or on a bed of greens.

Cider Braised Sausages with Apples and Collards
inspired by America’s Test Kitchen and Epicurious

1-2 T bacon grease, lard, ghee, coconut oil, as you wish
4 medium or spicy sausages, as you wish
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 firm baking apple such as granny smith, cored and chopped
1 cup apple cider*
1 bunch collards, washed
1/4 cup apple or pear butter
3T  apple cider vinegar
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper

Remove the large ribs from the collards by holding them by the stem and stripping them up the stem, much as you would a stalk of rosemary. Gather the leaves together and chop roughly. Set aside. Bring a large skillet over medium high heat and melt1 T of the fat. When it sputters, add the sausages, leaving space in between each one so that they don’t steam. Let them sizzle without moving until a good crust is formed, about 1 minute. Then use tongs to flip them and brown another minute. Remove to a plate. Add the onions and garlic, if necessary add the rest of the fat. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and let them saute for about a minute, until the onions are slightly translucent and the garlic begins to color. Pour in the cider and scrape the bottom to remove the flavorful fond. Stir in the vinegar and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Add the apples and another pinch of salt. Replace the sausages and add the collards and stir until they cook down a bit. Put a lid on the skillet and reduce heat to low. Braise for about 10 minutes. Remove sausages again (sorry…)  and keep warm. Add cream and apple butter. Stir until it thickens into a lovely silky sauce. Replace the sausages and rewarm if necessary. Serve with cornbread to mop up the sauce.

* I used leftover spiced cider I made for a party. However, you could use a favorite hard cider or even apple juice. Though if you do use juice, make sure to get a good quality one, preferably unfiltered, for the most apple-y taste.

Spicy Butternut Squash with Parmesan
~inspired by this recipe from Gourmet Magazine, as seen on Epicurious

2 1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the squash cubes in a small baking dish or skillet. In a glass measuring cup, measure out the cream then stir in the cayenne, salt, and pepper. Pour the cream mixture over the squash. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the squash is tender. Stir in half the cheese, and sprinkle the rest on top of the squash. Bake (uncovered) for another  7-10 minutes. Then turn the broiler on until the cheese is bubbly, brown, and beautiful. Remove the the oven and let stand for at least 5 minutes to thicken.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup with Cardamom and Lemongrass

1 large or 2 smallish butternut squashes
2 Tbs coconut oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp cardamom seeds
1 granny smith apple, cored and chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 stalk of lemongrass*
1 1/2- 2 quarts chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 cup heavy cream
Greek yogurt (opt)
Dried apples (opt)

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Lay the halves cut side up on a baking dish. Rub with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about an hour, or until fork tender. Let cool while completing next steps. (This step can also be done up to a few days ahead of time. Just wrap the cooled squash and put it in the fridge until ready to continue.)

Melt coconut oil in a large heavy pot. Add onions and cook on medium low heat until they are translucent. Add the garlic and cardamom seeds, stirring until fragrant- about 45 seconds. Increase the heat to medium high and add the apple and carrot.  Saute until they are softened and there is a nice crust on the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the pan by adding the vinegar and scraping up all the brown bits. Add 1 quart of the stock , the cinnamon,  the lemongrass, and the bay leaves. While waiting for that to boil, scoop the cooled squash flesh out of the shell and add to the pot. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and vegetables to completely soften.

Remove from heat and use a stick blender to puree the soup. Take your time with this step. There’s few things as culinarily undesirable as finding chunks in your soup that look as if they’ve already been half chewed. (If you don’t have a stick blender, carefully pour the soup into a bar blender and puree in batches. Then return to the pot.) The soup will likely be very thick, about the consistency of mashed potatoes. Use the reserved stock to thin it to your desired consistency. Return the pot to the stove and reheat if necessary. Just before serving, stir in the heavy cream. Garnish with Greek yogurt and chopped dried apples.

*Look for it at Asian grocery stores. Or, if you live in Columbia, pick some up at City Roots.

Bok Choi with Ginger and Lemon

1 bag bok choi (about 1/3 lb.)
1 TBS butter
1 in piece of ginger, peeled
zest from one lemon
salt

Using a fine grater, grate the ginger and lemon zest; set aside. Cut the ends off the bok choi, wash in cold water, and dry well. In a medium sized pan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. When it just barely sizzzles, add the ginger. After a few seconds (when the gingery aroma reaches your nose), add the bok choi and lemon zest. Stir with tongs until its evenly coated in butter, ginger, and zest. Cook until mostly wilted (about a minute). Turn off the heat  when most of the leaves are wilted. Continue stirring as the residual heat cooks the rest of the leaves.

Double Decker Sweet Potato and Sausage Quesadillas

6 flour tortillas
1/2 lb of sausage
2 small or 1 large sweet potato
1 lb of shredded Monterrey jack or mozzarella cheese
1 bunch fresh cilantro
olive oil
sour cream

Heat oven to 300°. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork and place on oven rack. Bake until a fork easily pierces them, about an hour. Remove and let cool. In a small pan, cook the sausage till done. Turn off the heat and set aside. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the peel. It should slip right off. Chop the potatoes into even piece, as you would an onion. On a large plate, place the first tortilla. Evenly spread about half the sweet potato pieces. Top with 1/4 of the cheese. Place the next tortilla on top. Evenly spread out half the sausage and snip some cilantro over it. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese. Top with the third quesadilla. Repeat with the other half of ingredients. Heat about a tablespoon (or two drizzles around the pan, if you measure like me) of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, carefully slide the quesadilla off the plate and into the pan by gently pulling the bottom tortilla while sliding the plate out. Don’t try to flip it, or you’ll end up with filling everywhere. Adjust heat to allow cheese to melt before tortilla burns. When the tortilla is golden brown and the bottom layer of cheese is melted, carefully flip over and allow other side to brown and melt. When crisp and oozy, remove to a plate and let cool for 2 minutes. Then cut into four wedges (eight altogether) and serve with sour cream.

Butternut Squash Curry

1 medium to large butternut squash
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lard (or olive oil if you must)
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
1 onion, cut into thick chunks
1  thumb of ginger, peeled and  grated
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup of water, milk, or whey
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 325°. Using a strong sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and pulp. (Rinse the seeds and roast them like pumpkin seeds for a yummy snack!) Lay the squash skin side down on a baking sheet. Rub with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in the oven until it’s soft enough to pierce with a fork, about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the squash. While the squash cools enough to touch, heat the lard over medium heat and add the spices. Stir together until the kitchen smells like a spice market. Add the onion and ginger. Let the onion cook while you cut up the cooled squash into bite sized pieces. Stir in the chopped butternut, garlic and water/milk/whey (I used whey). bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Cook until the squash is done to your liking. Mine took about another 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice or your favorite cooked grain.