Squash Pasta with Ricotta - Testing

https://www.nospoonnecessary.com/butternut-squash-pasta-with-ricotta-sage-brown-butter/

1 - This turned out really nicely, but cold. I also substituted the walnuts for pine nuts and I didn't have sage, fresh or dried, so there was none in there. Oh, and I left the caramelized garlic in. I'm that coarse.

12 oz pasta
½ cup butter, DIVIDED
2lbs butternut squash peeled, 1’’cubes
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cumin
Pinch cayenne
2 cloves garlic, minced
8-12 large sage leaves (optional)
1 cup Ricotta (optional: whip ricotta in a food processor until smooth) (try with Yogurt Cheese
½ cup toasted pine nuts OR coarsely chopped walnuts
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated, plus more for garnish

1. There are three parts to preparing this dish. Try to have them all cook at the same time - if one part is made too soon, it means the dish will likely have cooled too much by the time it's served.
2. A. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Let pasta cool for 3 mins.
3. B. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook the squash in 2 Tbsps of the butter over medium-high heat. Add ginger, nutmeg, cumin, cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally at first and then more often as the squash browns, until the squash is browned and tender, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer the squash to a clean plate and set aside.
4. C. Make the brown butter sauce in the same skillet, add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter. Add the smashed garlic and melt the butter, swirling pan until butter turns light brown, about 2 minutes. Add sage leaves and fry until crispy, about 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the sage leaves to paper towels to drain. Discard the garlic.
5. Finishing the dish: Reduce heat to medium-low. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to the browned butter until combined. Remove the pan from heat and add the pasta. Season generously with salt and pepper. Toss until the pasta is well coated. Add the parmesan cheese and toss well to combine. Add the butternut squash and very gently toss to combine. Add more cooking liquid to create a light, silky sauce if pasta looks dry. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
6. Serve warm: Divide the pasta between serving plates. Top with a dollop of ricotta, walnuts, crispy sage leaves and more parmesan. Enjoy!

Roast Cumin-scented Cabbage - Testing

I - I used a small cabbage and it charred on both sides. Ben liked it, I thought it was too much. Same for the spicing - too much for the quantity of cabbage I had. I need to quantify how much cabbage so there's a ratio. 

2 Tbsps vegetable oil
1 head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges (how many oz?)
1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 lemon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Brush both sides of the wedges with the oil.
3. Mix together the pepper flakes, cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the wedges, both sides.
4. Cover wedges with foil and roast 45 minutes; remove foil and roast an additional 10 minutes or until golden and fork tender. 
5. Squeeze lemon juice over all and serve.

Skillet Cheese Biscuits - PUBLISHED

3 - This is an offshoot of the Skillet Scones, but savory. I haven't recorded the amount of cheese I use, so I've put in an approximation. I have made this variation many times and they always work. The challenge seems to be getting the timing right to avoid burning the bottom! I've reduced the time from 7 minutes to 5, although it's likely that because the timing is so short that it depends on the individual stove being used.

1 2/3 cup flour
2 Tbsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold butter cut into cubes
1 egg
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk or yogurt
1 cup grated Parmesan

1. Mix together dry ingredients
2. Add the butter pieces and pinch with your fingers to create a crumb texture. The secret is to have small globules of butter throughout the dough; really cold (but not frozen) butter helps with this.
3. Make a well in the middle and crack in the egg - lightly whisk the egg in the well, add the milk and finally mix everything with a wooden spoon just until combined.
4. Liberally butter an 8-10" cast-iron pan. Spread the dough over the bottom. Make cuts in the raw dough to form 8 wedges (tricky 'cause the dough is sticky). Turn on the heat to medium and cover. After 5 minutes check to see if the dough is cooked enough to move in the pan. If it does, gently lift to see if it has browned enough underneath and if not, leave until it turns nicely golden. Flip and cook another 5 minutes.
5. Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool, at least long enough to handle, then break apart along the cut lines.

Beef and Cabbage Stew - Testing

https://www.amodernhomestead.com/irish-roast-and-cabbage-stew-crockpot-recipe/
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/red-wine-beef-stew-364571

3 slices bacon, cut into lardons
1 1/2  lbs chuck beef, 1" cubes
1/2 large onion, diced
1/2 head Cabbage (shredded)
2 potatoes, quartered
3 cups broth
1/2 cup Dry Red Wine
5.5 oz tomato paste or 1 can
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
Ground pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs fresh thyme

1. Render the lardons in a heavy cast-iron pot (per preference).
2. When golden, add about 1/3 of the beef cubes and cook until browned. Remove everything from the hot fat, and in succession, add the next two batches of beef to brown. This'll take from 20 minutes to a half hour.
3. In the remaining hot fat, add the onion and cook for a few minutes before adding the cabbage. Saute until the cabbage starts to wilt.
4. Add the browned beef and the red wine. Mix well and cook for a bit before adding the rest of the ingredients.
5. Cover and cook over slow heat for 2 hours or until the meat is perfectly tender and falls apart.

Shakshuka with kabocha squash - Test 1

https://ahouseinthehills.com/2016/02/18/kabocha_squash_shakshuka/

1 - Maybe the squash cubed smaller so I changed it from 1" to 1/2".

1 Tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1 pinch salt
1/2 green bell pepper, diced fine
1 lrg jalapeno, seeded and minced 1 pinch red pepper flakes
2 cups of kabocha squash, peel on, chopped into 1/2" pieces
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
pinch saffron (about 20 threads)
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
7 6 eggs
rough chopped parsley to garnish
pepper, to taste

1. Add oil to a heavy bottomed pan with the onion and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add green pepper and jalapeno  pepper flakes and cook for a couple minutes, until fragrant. Add kabocha squash, garlic, paprika, cumin and saffron. Mix well and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
3. Add tomatoes and mix well. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, or until kabocha squash is softened but still holding their shape.
4. One by one, crack the eggs into a bowl and gently place on top of the simmering tomatoes, without touching, until all the eggs are in.
5. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the egg whites have set and the yolks are still soft.
6. Garnish with parsley and pepper when serving.

Leftover Roast Vegetables Soup - Testing

NOTE: recipe is per cup of leftover veg and is designed to be easily multiplied.

1 (2020-03-28) - This may be a challenging recipe to write out. I made it again, and it was very good, but had to make all sorts of changes. There wasn't enough veg, and there didn't seem to be enough liquid, so I added another 1/2 cup. And I had leftover cooked barley, and I added some nettle tops. So, the QUESTION is; are the ratios below wrong, or was it because I didn't have the quantities I needed. AND is there a way of writing this that would give instructions easy to follow while being flexible enough to work with the materials at hand to make the soup?

1 cup leftover veg, drained

2/3 cup liquid (add water to whatever roasting liquid you were able to save to get this amount)

Salt, to taste

1/2 cup bread (stale, cubed)

1 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup grated Gruyère cheese

1. Dump the veg in a soup pot and mash thoroughly (blending it will change the consistency)
2. Add the liquid and stir to combine.
3. Heat and adjust the seasoning.
4. To make croutons, over medium heat melt the butter in a small pan and allow it to heat up completely so that when a cubes of bread are put in, it will quietly sizzle.
5. Add the bread cubes and fry, stirring constantly so they brown evenly, about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. 
6. Beware, they burn easily!
7. Sprinkle croutons on top, then sprinkle cheese on top of croutons; broil until melted and golden-brown, about 3 minutes.

Kabocha Salad - Untested

https://www.justonecookbook.com/kabocha-salad/

1 lb kabocha (squash/pumpkin) (454 g)
1 Persian/Japanese cucumbers (or 1/2 of an English cucumber)
¼ tsp salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)
2 slices bacon
3 Tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Scoop the kabocha seeds with a spoon and discard them and cut into 1-inch slices.
2. Remove the kabocha skin and cut into 1-inch cubes.
3. Put the kabocha in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil the kabocha until soft.
4. Drain water and mash half of the kabocha. It’s better to leave some big chunks unmashed for texture.
5. In a frying pan, cook bacon slices over medium-high heat until crispy. Drain excess oil on the paper towel and then cut into small pieces.
6. Partially peel the cucumber lengthwise so that it will look like a stripe pattern and then thinly slice it.
7. Put the cucumber slices in a bowl and sprinkle salt. Massage and cucumber and let it stand for 5 minutes. Then squeeze water out.
8. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl. Add mayonnaise and freshly ground black pepper. Mix all together. Serve it cool or at room temperature.
9. Enjoy it on the same day, or store in the refrigerator and eat within 24 hours.

Kabocha au gratin - Untested

https://www.justonecookbook.com/kabocha-gratin/

1 Tbsp unsalted butter (to grease the baking dishes)
½ kabocha (squash/pumpkin) (medium)
1 clove garlic
½ onion
1 package king oyster mushrooms (eringi) (9.5 oz or 270 g)
1 package shimeji mushrooms (3.5 oz or 100 g)
1 ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ Tbsp miso
1 cup water
salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Gruyere cheese (roughly 1.5 to 2 oz) (freshly grated, imported)
¼ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) (4 Tbsp)
For Macaroni (if you add)
1 ½ cups uncooked elbow macaroni (6 oz or 180 g = 3 cups cooked macaroni)
2 Tbsp salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)
For White Sauce
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 ⅓ cup whole milk (800 ml; warm)
salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)
⅛ tsp white pepper powder (to taste, black pepper is okay)
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (to taste, optional)
For garnish
chives or parsley (or parsley) (minced)
Microwave the kabocha for 2 minutes and remove seeds and pith from the kabocha.  To learn more about how to cut kaboha squash, click here.

1. Cut into wedges and remove the skin.
2. Cut into small chunks, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes.
3. Thinly slice the onion and garlic.
4. Discard the bottom of the shimeji mushrooms. Separate shimeji mushrooms into small pieces with hands.
5. Cut the oyster mushrooms into 2-inch pieces and slice thinly.
6. In a large saucepan, melt 4 Tbsp butter over low heat. Once the butter is completely melted, add the flour and mix well until blended. Cook the flour, stirring constantly, without browning, for 1-2 minutes.
7. Gradually add in the warm milk (1/2 cup at a time), stirring constantly, until the sauce is completely smooth without any lumps.
8. Season with a pinch of kosher salt, white pepper (or freshly ground black pepper), and nutmeg.
9. Cook the white sauce, stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened, about 10-15 minutes. It should be thick creamy sauce. Taste the sauce one more time and adjust the seasonings to make sure it’s not bland. Set aside.
10. In a large frying pan, heat 1 ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until the onion is coated with oil.
11. Add the oyster and shimeji mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes.
12. Once the mushrooms are tender, add the miso and mix well together.
13. Add the kabocha and 1 cup water for steaming. Close the lid and cook kabocha on medium-low heat until it’s tender, about 10 minutes.
14. To Cook Pasta (if you add macaroni)
15. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, add 2 Tbsp kosher salt and cook macaroni according to the package instruction, but cook 1 min less than the instruction as it’ll cook further in the frying pan. Drain well and set aside.
16. If you’re using a broiler, preheat broiler for 5 minutes. If you don’t have a broil setting in your oven, preheat the oven to 500 ºF (260 ºC). Adjust the rack so the food is about 4-6 inches from the heat source.
17. Insert the wooden skewer to see if it goes through kabocha. If it does, add the white sauce and mix all together.
18. Taste the sauce and season with salt and black pepper if necessary.
19. Add the cooked macaroni and mix well.
20. Grease the inside of your two 8” x 8” baking dishes rubbing with a stick of butter (I use one of 8” x 8” baking dish and 4 individual gratin dishes). You can also melt the butter and use a brush to grease the dishes.  Transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish(es).
21. Grate the Gruyere cheese on top and sprinkle some panko.
22. Place the baking dishes in the oven (broiler or 500 ºF/250 ºC) for 3 to 4 minutes until the top is nicely golden brown and bubbling around the edges. If the dishes are not browning evenly, rotate them around. Remove from the oven and let the gratin stand for 5 minutes, then garnish with chives and serve.

Cream of Kabocha - Test 1

1 - This was very nice. The texture of the Kabocha squash is a bit odd, like small granules, but the flavor is lovely and the colour is amazing. The flavor of onion is surprisingly strong in this one.

https://www.justonecookbook.com/kabocha-squash-soup/

½ onion, chopped fine
1 Tbsp butter
1.4 lb kabocha squash, seeded, skinned and chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Sauté onion in butter until soft and browned.
2. Add the squash and sauté just enough to coat with the hot butter.
3. Add the broth and simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. Once the Kabocha is perfectly cooked, purée with an immersion blender.
5. Over slow heat, add the dairy, season and re-heat.

Testing - Kabocha Squash Congee

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/kabocha-squash-congee

1 - We liked it. Simple, comforting, with a nice, smooth texture. I would like to review other congee recipes to see if there is a flavour missing.

1 cup raw long-grain white rice, rinsed
7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, plus more for seasoning
One-inch knob of ginger, peeled and sliced thin
1 small kabocha squash (about 2 1/2 pounds)
Sliced green onion, for garnish
Sesame seed oil or soy sauce, to taste (optional)

1. In large pot add stock, rice, salt and ginger. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Stir occasionally so that the rice doesn't clump or stick at the bottom.
2. While the congee is simmering prep the kabocha squash: peel, seed and cut the kabocha squash into bite sized pieces, about 1/2-inch cubes.
3. Simmer the congee for about 30 minutes then add the kabocha squash. Add additional water if necessary if the kabocha is not cooked fully.
4. Continue to simmer until the congee is thickened and creamy and the kabocha squash is tender and soft. Add salt to taste. Top with sliced green onions and sesame oil or soy sauce, if desired. Serve the congee hot.

Untested - Curried Kabocha Squash Soup

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/curried-kabocha-squash-soup
3 Tbsps olive oil
2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt
One 4-pound kabocha squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 Tbsp hot curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 quart chicken stock
3 Tbsps lemon juice
2 Tbsps apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp Asian fish sauce
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped shallots, sliced garlic and a generous pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the shallots are just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the squash cubes, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and 3 cups of water and bring the soup to a boil; reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.   
2. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan. Add the heavy cream and Asian fish sauce and stir over moderately low heat until it is hot, about 5 minutes. Season the soup with salt. Ladle the squash soup into bowls, garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve.

Testing - Winter Squash Gnocchi

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/gluten-free-winter-squash-gnocchi

1 - To be fair, I didn't use the strong-flavored kabocha squash, but the milder turban squash. Otherwise, the same problem I've had in the past with gnocchi came back. Instead of potato, I used squash, but the same doughy, flavorless squidgy nubs were the result. Am I missing something, or do I simply dislike gnocchi? Now, since having tested this, I shared my impressions with a fellow food quester, who asked if I fried my gnocchi. Fried? FRIED? Huh! I never even considered it. Well, then. I seems like the testing has only just begun.

1/2 Kuri or kabocha squash, seeded
1 Tbsp clarified butter or vegetable oil, plus 2 tablespoons for coating
1 Tbsp fresh sage leaves, minced, plus more for infusing ghee/oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Dash of cayenne pepper
3/4 to 1 cup buckwheat flour, preferably ground from untoasted buckwheat groats
Brown rice flour for rolling and dusting

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Oil the cut side of the squash with ghee or coconut/olive oil and bake cut side down for 20 to 30 minutes or until soft throughout. 
2. Let cool and scoop out the flesh. Mash flesh into a puree. Measure out 1 cup of it and put into a large mixing bowl. Reserve the rest for future use; the puree can be frozen for up to 1 month.
3. Add minced sage, spices and 1 tablespoon ghee/oil. Mix to combine. Add 3/4 cup of flour and mix to incorporate. The dough should still be too sticky to knead but not too wet. If it seems very wet, add another 1/4 cup of flour. Avoid adding more, so your gnocchi stay light and soft.
4. Generously dust your working surface with brown rice flour and scoop the dough onto the surface using a spoon. Dust the top of the dough with more brown rice flour to lightly cover its entire surface. Flour your hands and gently roll the dough in the flour, shaping it into a thick log. The dough will be very soft, but it should no longer be sticky.
5. Flouring the blade of a knife in between each cut, slice the log into 4 equal parts. Gently roll each part into a 1/2-inch-thick rope. Slice into 1-inch-long pieces. Turn the pieces on the cutting surface to cover the freshly cut sides with flour. Gently press down on each piece with a floured fork to create the traditional grooved impression. Transfer the finished gnocchi onto a floured plate or baking sheet.
6. Bring water to boil in a pot with a steamer basket on top. Make sure that the water doesn’t touch the basket. Place gnocchi into the basket in batches. Lower heat to simmer, cover and steam each batch for 7 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium-low heat, gently warm 2 tablespoons ghee/oil with a few fresh sage leaves.
8. Remove gnocchi from the basket and add them to the pan with the sage-infused ghee/oil. Toss the gnocchi to coat, letting them absorb the sage flavor for a couple minutes. Serve as they are or with your favorite pesto or chimichurri. OR FRY THE GNOCCHI!