Four Nights A Week

Adventures in Eating

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Amy’s Writing, Photography and Art can be found at amybisson.com

  • 21 Nov 2022: Chili- & Cinnamon-Roasted Butternut Squash

    For me, Fall days means squash is frequently on the menu. Acorn, delicata… they are all delicious and warming. One of my favorite family childhood dinners was butternut squash served alongside sausage patties. The smell of pork sausage frying and the sweet smell of squash roasting are transporting even after many many years.

    These days, however, meat, and especially pork, is a rarity, but I still love roasted squash. More often in my cooking these days, squash dishes are found in soups and alongside lentils or beans.

    This recipe from the New York Times’ and Great American Baking champ Valery Lomas comes together quite quickly and, with the enhancement of cinnamon and chili powder (and cayenne!), it was a delicious side for some simply baked cod.

    Chili- and Cinnamon-Roasted Butternut Squash

    • 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
    • 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1½ tsp salt-free chili powder
    • Kosher salt
    • ½ tsp ground cinnamon (I used Vietnamese Cinnamon)
    • ¼ tsp ground cayenne (optional) (IMHO – be bold!)
    1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
    2. In the baking pan, toss the cubed butternut squash with the olive oil, chili powder, ½ teaspoon salt, cinnamon and cayenne.
    3. Arrange the butternut squash in a single layer and transfer to the hot oven. (In other words, make sure that the squash is not on top of each other)
    4. Roast, stirring halfway through, until the butternut squash is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork, and the cubes are browning on the edges and starting to caramelize, 30 to 35 minutes.
    5. Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving.

  • 16 Nov 2022: Olive Oil Crackers with Parmigiano-Reggiano

    One positive outcome of our COVID precautions is that throughout 2022, we’ve been participating in online cooking classes. Not only do we get to learn some chef tricks and tips, we finish off with a delicious meal.

    Mainly we’ve cooked from Sur La Table’s virtual offerings (link here). Resident Chef Vanessa Craycraft makes things fun not only for experienced home cooks, but novices as well. And she’s pretty darn amazing at pivoting for folks who can’t locate a particular ingredient or have dietary issues requiring recipe modifications.

    I’ve always wondered about, but never actually attempted making my own crackers, but after this cooking class, I’ve put this recipe on repeat. There are endless possibilities – swapping herbs, adding seeds, adding some cayenne for a little heat.

    I’ve taken to double baking the crackers to get the crispness I like. It is a challenge to get that dough to be no more than 1/8 inch thick using rolling pins, so while I am currently adapting the baking times, I think the suggestion of a pasta roller will make a huge difference.

    If reading this in real time, the class – Autumn Entertaining – repeats on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022 at 7 pm EST ($29/device). Recipes for Spiced Mixed Nuts, a Mulled Mule Mocktail, and a sangria-like Scarlet Sipper are also part of the class.

  • 05 Nov 2022: Prue Leith’s Maple & Pecan Madeleines

    Each year I look forward to watching the Great British Bake-off and although some of those theme weeks are a bit wonky, it’s interesting to observe skilled bakers ply their art.

    This madeleine recipe was part of the Celebrity Bake-Off Challenge for SU2C (Stand Up to Cancer) in 2022. They were easy to bake, and even though my chocolate decorating skills are a bit underwhelming, they were quite tasty.

    I’m pretty certain that Prue and Paul would tell me these madeleines were quite the mess and send me packing. You can find the recipe for Prue Leith’s Maple & Pecan Madeleines here. The only substitution I made was to use actual maple syrup in place of the maple flavoring.

  • 11 October 2022: Moosewood’s Mexican Pepper Casserole

    Sometimes the Fall rollercoaster gets the best of me, but last night I hopped off and opened up my trusty and well-loved 1977 edition of the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen for a little cuisine inspiration. As usual, it was right there for the taking.

    The spicy mixture of sauteed sweet peppers, onions and garlic – the holy trinity of flavors if you ask me – layered with cheese and topped with an egg-based custard was delicious, of course, and made a nice lunch leftover. There were a couple of little modification I made: first, throwing a bit (maybe 1/2 a cup) of leftover red wine into the sauteed peppers and letting the liquid cook off added a layer of flavor AND used up some red wine. Secondly, I used all Greek-style yogurt and no sour cream.

    Mexican Pepper Casserole

    Ingredients

    • 6 medium bell peppers (use a mix of red and green)
    • 1-1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
    • 2 TBS butter
    • 2 TBSP olive oil
    • 3 medium cloves garlic, crushed
    • 1 tsp each of salt, cumin, and coriander
    • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
    • 1/4 tsp each of black and red pepper
    • 2 TBSP flour

    For the egg custard-beat together

    • 4 large eggs
    • 1-1/2 cups sour cream (here’s where I used the beautifully thick Greek Yogurt I can get locally)

    To Assemble

    • 1/2 lb medium sharp cheddar, sliced thin (I used up a mix of hard but meltable cheeses just because)
    • Paprika

    Method

    1. Slice the peppers in thin strips.
    2. Heat butter and olive oil in skillet. Sauté onions and garlic with salt and spiced until the onions are translucent.
    3. Add peppers. Sauté over low heat for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour. Mix well and sauté until there is no extra liquid (here is where I threw in the bit of leftover wine – still kept on heat until there was no more liquid in the skillet).
    4. Butter a deep casserole. Spread in half of the sauté, top with half the sliced cheese. Repeat the layers.
    5. Pour egg-custard over the top and sprinkle with paprika.
    6. Bake (covered) at 375 F for 40-45 minutes, uncover for the last 15 minutes.

  • 09 September 2022: Dorie Greenspan’s Chocolate Oatmeal Drops

    When I have an opened bag of chocolate “laying around”, I need to look for ways to use it, especially when the chocolate is the “good stuff” (in this instance, Guittard).

    While it has been way too hot for baking, the temperatures have moderated a bit, so this morning, I opened up my copy of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours, and discovered a perfect solution to my dilemma. If you don’t have this wonderful baking guide (I love the “Playing Around” ideas), the link will bring you to some purchasing options – mine would definitely tend toward supporting Independent Bookstores.

    The addition of cinnamon to the batter makes for some pretty pleasant aromas while these cookies bake up. Fortunately, you won’t have too long a wait – 12 minutes tops.

    The cookies can be found on page 75 and include the following ingredients:

    • Flour, baking soda, salt
    • Cocoa
    • Ground cinnamon
    • butter
    • Light brown sugar
    • Bittersweet chocolate
    • Eggs and
    • Old fashioned oats.

  • 21 August 2022: Vermicelli Noodles with Turmeric and Tofu

    This recipe, was published in the Washington Post’s Eating Voraciously Weeknight Vegetarian column on August 13, 2022.

    If you are a subscriber to the Washington Post, you can access the recipe and scale it up or down.

    Adapted by the Washington Post from “Vegetarian Viet Nam” by Cameron Stauch, this is a tasty AND colorful dish. Heed the warning that turmeric will become a laundry nightmare, so wearing an apron is essential.

    This is an easy recipe to pull together on a busy weeknight and the author even suggests a substitute for Chinese chives for those of us who do not have easy access it.

  • 18 August 2022: Spinach Casserole with Thyme

    From the time we were first married, Adrien and I had a Boston Globe newspaper (print edition) delivered to our home. While we no longer subscribe to the Globe for a variety of reasons, when we did, I used to look forward to each Wednesday because of the Food focus.

    Unfortunately I cannot give credit other than to cite the Boston Globe sometime between 1977 and 1990, but this recipe was one I came across while weeding my recipe collection which was preserved in a recipe box. One of us took the time to cut out the recipe so that it fit neatly on a 3 x 5 inch index card. The card is both aged, yellowed and stained, a testament to how frequently we cooked from it. Also, Adrien’s handwritten asterisk in the top right corner was our shorthand for something we enjoyed cooking, and undoubtedly cooked again and again.

    After digging this card out of the recipe box, I of course had to try it once again. Not only was this a quick and inexpensive recipe to pull together, it is vegetarian – all of which explains why we must have made it frequently.

    So, here goes -if anyone does have the original sourcing, I’d love to give them credit!

    Spinach Casserole with Thyme

    Boston Globe

    Ingredients

    • Butter to grease casserole
    • 2 TBSP butter (I used coconut oil)
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
    • 1 cup small curd creamed cottage cheese
    • 2/3 cup (about 2 oz) coarsely grated Cheddar cheese
    • 3 TBSP flour
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp thyme

    Method

    1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and 1-1/2 quart casserole and set aside.
    2. Melt the 2 TBSP butter in a small saucepan and set aside to cool slightly (or use coconut oil as I did).
    3. Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl.
    4. Add spinach, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, flour, salt, thyme and melted butter. Stir until ingredients are well combined. Pour mixture into casserole.
    5. Place casserole in oven and bake until mixture is set and slightly puffy, about 1 hour. Serve immediately.

  • 06 Aug 2022: Summer Corn and Barley Salad

    Mollie Katzen’s recipes are always a hit in our house and this one, from 2013’s The Heart of the Plate, was no exception. It is the perfect summer salad as fresh cukes and tomatoes are in abundance, and it is easily adaptable – as I quickly discovered when I neglected to buy fresh corn at the farmstand this week.

    The recipe calls for pearl barley, red onion, scallions, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, a sweet red (or orange pepper) and corn. My substitution for the corn? A half-and-half mix of thawed frozen peas and thawed riced cauliflower (a leftover ingredient from another recipe).

    Mollie Katzen’s Summer Corn and Barley Salad recipe, found on page 120, suggests more enhancements: edamame, cilantro, parsley, avocado – and more. You get the picture. And we can personally vouch for the deliciousness of this salad on the day after.

    We’ll definitely be breaking this one out again before corn season is over.

    The serving dish is a piece from Edgecomb Potters in Edgecomb, Maine, a must-stop whenever we are traveling in the Mid-Coast of Maine.

  • 03 August 2022: Jacques Pépin’s Tomato Potage with Basil

    This delicious soup – served hot or cold – comes from Jacques Pépin’s Simple and Healthy Cooking, written in 1994. One of the best things about this cookbook, besides the usual amazing dishes Chef Pépin shares, is that the nutrition information has already been calculated. That makes it easy for folks who need to monitor particular kinds of foods.

    While I’ve had this book for quite a while and have made several recipes from it, this was the first time I can recall making this delicious Tomato Potage. On a hot summer night with ripe tomatoes and basil in plentiful supply, it was a perfect centerpiece for a light supper.

    Only one of the 3 lbs. of fresh tomatoes needs to be peeled, making this truly an easy recipe as well as a tasty one. The recipe can be found on page 53 of Simple and Healthy Cooking.

  • 26 Jul 2022: A Low(er) Calorie Muffin

    I usually stay away from breakfast pastries, but every once in a while, I need to fulfill a craving. This week, I wanted to make a muffin – one that I could bake and that would allow me to account for what I ate.

    Sally’s Baking Addiction was the jumping off point for this muffin which uses nonfat Greek yogurt (yay!) and chocolate chips. Sally’s muffin recipe (linked here) yields 36 mini muffins. I however, had a larger muffin tin with just 6 muffin cups. While Sally’s muffins clock in at 45 calories per muffin, the larger ones I was able to bake would be 45 x 6 or 270 calories. A treat, for sure, but one I could account for.

    I also skipped the chocolate chips. I know that’s sacrilegious, and a little crazy for this chocoholic, but, I had a small portion of King Arthur Baking’s cinnamon bits to use up.

    If you are thinking of making these muffins for yourself, here is the link to Sally’s Baking Addiction. Be sure to read through the notes as they are a terrific resource for adapting this to your own taste.

    Ingredient List (my substitutions are in italics)

    • All purpose flour
    • Baking soda
    • Ground cinnamon
    • Maple Syrup
    • Light Brown Sugar
    • Nonfat Greek Yogurt
    • Melted butter or coconut oil (I used the coconut oil)
    • Egg white
    • Vanilla extract
    • Mini Chocolate Chips (I used cinnamon bits, not cinnamon chips)