Stuffed Pattypan Squash

September 29th, 2011
by: Sue

Today, I had some beautiful pattypan squash which I’ve never cooked with before, and after surfing the web a bit, I created my own recipe:

4-6 large pattypan squash
1 pound hamburger
one onion, diced
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder (optional)
1/2 cup green chili, fall roast
2 slices parmesan pepper bread, diced small
3 slices bacon, cut into lardons and slowly cooked in skillet over low heat
1/3 cup shredded parmesan
Slowly brown hamburger until done, salt and pepper the onion and add to the skillet. Cook until onion is throughly cooked, and turn off heat. Add bread cubes, green chile, and season to taste. Set aside and cook squash.
Wash squash, and place in a large cooking pot, add three inches of water, cover, and cook on medium heat until squash are fork tender. (10-15 minutes) Remove from water, and place in a baking dish. With a paring knife, cut out inside the “crown” of the top of the squash, remove the top and scoop out the seeds. Fill squash with stuffing, top with parmesan cheese and bacon. Bake at 350 until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Lovely!

Buttermilk cheddar biscuits

September 27th, 2011
by: Sue

I found this Ina Garten recipe on Food Network, and after reading a lot of reviews, modified it slightly, adding soda where Ina did not call for soda and decreasing the salt because the cheddar has a lot of sodium in it already. These are the best cheddar biscuits I’ve ever eaten!! It makes eight huge biscuits, but you can cut them smaller if you like. The square corners are nice and crunchy. You can eat these cold the next day they’re so good.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk, shaken (more if needed)
1 cold extra-large egg
1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk
Maldon sea salt, optional
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas.

Combine the buttermilk and egg in a small measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. With the mixer still on low, quickly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix only until moistened. In a small bowl, mix the Cheddar with small handful of flour and, with the mixer still on low, add the cheese to the dough. Mix only until roughly combined.

Dump out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly about 6 times. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 10 by 5 inches. With a sharp, floured knife, cut the dough lengthwise in half and then across in quarters, making 8 rough rectangles. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with the egg wash, sprinkle with salt, if using, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve hot or warm.