Spiced
Squash and Hazelnut Squares
Recipe by Gigi Thibodeau
Ingredients:
- 1/2 box thawed phyllo dough, cut widthwise (keep it wrapped and in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the squares)
- 3 large butternut or acorn squash (or a combination of both)
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 1/2-2/3 cup olive oil or melted butter (or a combination of both)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder (alternatives: a small amount of grated fresh ginger or a bit of chopped candied ginger--my favorite!)
- cayenne to taste
Preheat the oven to 375. Cut each squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Brush the cut sides with a bit of the olive oil and lay them, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Bake them until very tender--about 40 minutes or so--then remove from the oven and allow to cool. Preparing them this way gives a nice carmelized flavor and color to the squash.
While the squash is baking you can prepare the hazelnuts. Pour them into a single layer on a baking sheet and pop them into the oven for about 10 minutes,or until their skins blister and crack. They should smell very nutty and almost unbearably delicious when you take them out of the oven. Let them cool. Eat a couple, because you know at this point you won't be able to help yourself. Then rub the rest between your palms to remove the skins. Discard the skins and give the nuts a rough chop. Don't worry if some of the skins won't come off; that will add a bit of color and flavor to the dish.
As soon as the squash has cooled, scoop the insides out with a spoon.
Discard the skins. Now comes the fun. The squash needs to be drained of
nearly all its liquid before the squares can be assembled. This is a low-tech
and very effective way to do it: Take a very clean dish towel or a few
layers of cheesecloth and scoop a bunch of the squash into the middle
of it. Pick up the ends of the towel and twist them so that you've got
a bundle of squash. Now, hold the bundle
over a sink and twist away. You will be amazed by how much water comes
out. Make sure you wring out the bundle very well. You want to achieve
a very dry consistency. Continue the process until all of the squash is
well drained.
In a large bowl mix the squash with all of the spices, adjusting the amounts to taste.
On a baking sheet begin layering the dish. Lay a sheet of phyllo, brush it with oil or butter, then lay another sheet of phyllo. Give yourself about three or four layers as a base. Then use a spoon to begin scooping and spreading a 1/2" layer of squash onto the phyllo. Sprinkle a bit of the chopped hazelnuts over the squash. Add a couple more layers of phyllo, brushing with oil between each one, and then another of squash. Continue untill you've used all of the squash. Top with two layers of phyllo, a final coating of oil, and then sprinkle the last couple of tablespoons of nuts over the whole thing.
Pop into the 375 oven and bake 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy. The drier your squash filling, the crispier the phyllo will be. Cut into 10 or 12 squares and serve hot out of the oven as a side dish.
Vegetarian Stuffing
Recipe by Kiersten Marek
- 1 large white onion
- 1/3 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 14 ounce package of Vegetarian Sausage (GimmeLean brand is good.)
- 2 packages chicken bouillion or 1 package dry spring onion dip mix.
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon sage
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme, finely ground
- 8 to 10 pieces toasted bread (I use potato bread, but you can substitute french or italian bread) cut into 1/2 inch squares
Brown the vegetarian sausage meat in olive oil for about 15 minutes in a calphalon or non-stick skillet. While browning the sausage, you can toast and cut up the bread. Add onion and celery to the sausage, and brown another 3-5 minutes. In separate 2-cup measuring cup, melt butter in microwave. Then add warm water and chicken bouillion or dry spring onion dip mix, spices, and half of the parsley.
Toss together toasted bread pieces, sausage, onion, and celery in a large bowl. Add melted butter and water, careful not to add too much liquid, just enough to moisten the bread and help the stuffing to hold together a bit. Sprinkle remainder of fresh parsley over stuffing before serving.
Aunt Dottie-Jo's Eternal Holiday Fruitcake
Recipe by Dorothy (Krcmarik) Warnick
Editor's note: I will put up a picture once I make one this year in November or December. For a variation, I tried using dried pineapple instead of candied pineapple, and it worked quite well. Remember: this takes 3 hours to bake, so it's kind of an all-day event. But the eternal servings of delicious fruitcake will make up for your labor and devotion. --KLM
Fruit and nut ingredients:
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 3/4 cup finely cut dates
- 1 1/2 cups candied mixed fruit
- 1 heaping cup candied cherries, cut up
- 1 heaping cup candied pineapple, cut up
- 1/2 cup walnuts, cut fine
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup margarine or butter
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white Karo syrup
- 1/2 cup dark Karo syrup
- 4 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup orange juice
Prepare fruit. Mix and stir dry ingredients together. Put 1/2 cup of dry ingredients on fruit and mix. Set aside.
Mix margarine or butter and sugar, beating well. Add syrups and mix again. Add 1 cup of dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add eggs, beat again, and then add orange juice, mixing again. Add fruit, then fold in remaining dry ingredients.
Pour into angel food pan which is well greased and lined with wax paper. Bake at 250 for three hours. Place shallow pan of water on bottom of rack of oven during baking. Remove the pan of water for the last hour of baking. Cool cake and remove it from the pan. Let set out for about 24 hours. Rub a bit of white wine on cake three or four times. All the cake to dry between applications. When dry, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a covered tin. I find it best to keep this in the refrigerator. The cake will last indefinitely.
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