Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

We had some homemade gnocchi in the freezer, and I found this recipe for gnocchi with zucchini, yellow summer squash, and tomatoes in one of my old Everyday Food magazines.  It looked just right for this week.

I had read somewhere that you could freeze uncooked gnocchi.  At first I thought it wasn't turning out well, some of them seemed to be falling apart.  But in the end I think they turned out well and it is worth making a large batch of gnocchi to freeze half for another time. 

Gnocchi can be found frozen and sometimes even dried I think, but these vegetables would be good just tossed with some pasta as well. 

Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables Recipe

adapted from Martha Stewart

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 summer squash, quartered and sliced (or 2 of either squash)
1 garlic clove, minced

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
gnocchi (I had about 3 cups frozen)
fresh basil, chopped chiffonade
grated Pecorino Romano, or parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper 

 In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add squash and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

 Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet. Toss gnocchi with vegetables.  Remove from heat and stir in basil, butter, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper if needed (my gnocchi was salty enough from the boiling water).  If you want it to be more saucy add some of the reserved cooking liquid. Grate some fresh cheese on top. Serve

Apple Cobbler

Nothing says "All-American" like a nice dutch oven apple cobbler on the Fourth of July--right? 

That's what I told myself at least.  I slightly modified the cobbler topping of Baked Bree, and used delicious apples from our recent field trip to Grandma Hoerners

Apple Cobbler Topping Recipe

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1/4 cup cold water

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugars, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or a fork. Pour in 1/4 cup cold water. Mix until combined.

Put apples in a dutch oven  (Mine was pre-made, but I would use 4-6 cups of apples, 1-2 T lemon juice, 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 T starch.) Spread the apples in a dutch oven
Drop cobbler batter on top of apples by the spoonful to resemble cobbles.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the apples are bubbly. Or put lid on dutch oven and bake outside with hot coals until golden brown and bubbly. 

Whole Wheat Honey Applesauce Muffins

We needed a snack for a group in a hurry today, these were quick and easy to put together, and delicious.

Whole Wheat Applesauce Spice Muffins
Yields: 12 Muffins 24 mini-muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup unsweetened applesauce


Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease muffin pan or place muffin liners. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large bowl, set aside. Melt honey in a med bowl.  Whisk in eggs, honey, and applesauce until combined well.  Then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden brown, about 18-20 minutes (13 for minis).  Adapted from this recipe.

Orange Spiced Syrup

We came across this recipe from Martha Stewart for Orange Spiced Syrup. It's perfect for winter pancakes.  We had some with pumpkin pancakes the other day--it was even better!

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch of ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 In a small saucepan, mix brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in corn syrup and orange juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally; cool until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool; stir in vanilla.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Pancakes

We've tried a lot of different pancake recipes, but finally found one we really like.  It's a recipe for "Good Old Fashioned Pancakes," which sounds just about right.

Old Fashioned Pancake Recipe
 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix together just until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Flip when bubbles begin to pop around the edges and start to look dry. Cook until browned on second side. Serve hot.

Makes 12 pancakes.  

* * * This picture shows Jeremy's version with wheat flour--substituting whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of the flour, and substituting brown sugar for white. 

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chilli

I bought ingredients for our much-loved sweet potato and black bean enchiladas, but I just wasn't feeling it.  So I searched the internet a bit and came across this recipe for Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili.  That sounded much more like it, though I did make some changes to the recipe.  Perfect for a cold November evening. The smoky flavor from the chipotle in adobo ads just the right amount of flavor and heat, and a dollop of sour cream cools the palate enough for my kids to be happy eating it.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

1 onion
1/2 sweet pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth

1/2 of one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 lb dry beans prepared/cooked (about three cups or 2 cans)
1 lb sweet potato
1 tsp salt

In a soup pot heat 2 tablespoons fat or oil.  Add onion and sweet pepper, saute until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and cumin, cook and stir until fragrant.  Add remaining ingredients, simmer until potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese. 

Sweet Potato Stuffed Shells

I saw a recipe for butternut squash stuffed pasts shells.  I had sweet potatoes in the house and since the recipe referenced an original version with sweet potato instead, that's what I made.  But I'm sure I'll make it again with butternut squash, because it was very good. I also swapped out the frozen spinach for fresh chard from my garden. 


Sweet Potato Stuffed Shells
1 large sweet potato, (about 2 cups cubed)
6 oz (18-20) jumbo pasta shells
15 oz of ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
5 large leaves of Swiss chard, about 3-4 cups chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
5-10 sage leaves
olive oil

Peel sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.  Toss in olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Roast in 425F oven for 15-20 minutes--until easily pierced with a fork. 

Cook jumbo pasta shells according to directions.

Chop Swiss chard into 1/2 inch pieces. Saute in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, until wilted.

In a bowl add ricotta and egg, stir together until smooth.  Add grated cheeses, chard and roasted squash, stir to combine.

Stuff the shells with the mixture and place in a 9x13 baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper.

In a saucepan heat 1/2 cup butter.  Add sage leaves until crisp.  remove leaves and crumble over shells.  Stir butter gently until it begins to brown.  Remove from heat, pour over shells in baking dish.   

Place dish in a 400F oven around 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.