[Brunch Menu] [Recipe] "It's So Basically Fall" Butternut Squash Hash and Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Brunch, perhaps even boozy or bubbly brunch, is a New York tradition-- one that makes sense.  It's always later than I would prefer, but there are eggs and bacon and pancakes and waffles and all of their exotic mutations.  Getting a large brunch table together, though-- that's a different story.

Which led me to throw my first ever brunch party-- also an excuse to showcase some of my favorite autumn flavors (so much pumpkin!) and crack open a few bottles of champagne (topped with peach nectar for some tasty bellinis).  It didn't hurt that the football games were on the TV (my way of convincing the guys to come over), either.  More than a few "we're so basic" groans and/or jokes were tossed around.

There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood—
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.
― Bliss Carman

"Wake Me Up Before You GoGo" Breakfast Potatoes
A recipe by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman)

Breakfast potatoes with a kick, the perfect way to wake up.

Ingredients
5 pounds red potatoes, roughly chopped/diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  In a large Dutch oven (yes, there are that many potatoes involved), toss together the potatoes, garlic, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, olive oil, butter, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, and some kosher salt and pepper.

3.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, flipping the potatoes two or three times.
4.  Raise the heat to 500 degrees and bake until crisp and brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
5.  Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper, as necessary, before serving.

"It's So Basically Fall" Butternut Squash Hash
A recipe inspired by Darby's Cafe and featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives

I am obsessed with butternut squash-- plus, I knew it would be fairly easy to find a recipe that I could prepare at least half-vegetarian (for my vegetarian guests) starring this fall staple.  This recipe was perfect (and I made it even more "basically fall" by adding caramelized Brussels sprouts, which I can never get enough of), and the homemade sage sausage is worth the extra effort (though certainly you can buy some ready-made sage sausage at your local farmers' market to save yourself some time).

Butternut Squash Hash - Ingredients 
1 butternut squash (or substitute any winter squash, like acorn, enough to equal about 3 cups)
1 pound Brussels sprouts
Olive oil, for drizzling
8 ounces rosemary sausage (recipe below)
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
Eggs, cooked to order, for serving      
Cranberry-ginger chutney, to garnish (recipe below)

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.  Blanch them in a salted pot of boiling water for 3-5 minutes, until bright green, then remove from the water.  Mix the blanched Brussels sprouts in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.  Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.  Sprinkle with more kosher salt.
3.  While the Brussels sprouts are roasting, peel, seed, and chop the butternut squash.  Distribute evenly in a new baking pan and drizzle lightly with oil.  Bake in an oven heated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit until soft to the touch, about 20-25 minutes.  Remove and cool.

While the vegetables are aroastin' (and if you're not planning on keeping the hash vegetarian), we make rosemary sausage from scratch:

Rosemary Sausage - Ingredients

1 pound ground pork
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Rosemary Sausage - Directions

Mix the pork with the fennel, garlic, sage, salt, pepper, and rosemary well by hand.
* Note: You can definitely make these the night before and keep overnight in Tupperware.

4.  Cook the rosemary sausage in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat, stirring often, until browned.

5.  Add the apples, onion, and peppers.  Cook, stirring regularly, for 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the squash.  Saute until the squash is lightly browned, 1 to 2 more minutes.

If chutney is your thing, follow these instructions:

Cranberry-Ginger Chutney (Optional) - Ingredients

1 cup fresh cranberries (can also be substituted with blueberries)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cranberry-Ginger Chutney (Optional) - Directions

In a medium pot, boil the cranberries and 1 cup water until the berries start to pop, about 5 minutes.  Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.  Add the sugar, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, and salt, and simmer for another 20 minutes.

6.  Cook eggs separately as desired.
7.  Plate the squash hash, drizzle with cranberry-ginger chutney, and top with the eggs.

"It's So Basically Fall" Pumpkin Pancakes
A recipe by Ruth of Allrecipes.com

Presented with only one comment: #SoBasic

Just kidding-- two comments: #SoFluffy

My friend Pizza actually whipped these up and flipped them.  If I'm being honest (and as much as it pains me to admit this), they and the champagne were the real stars of the morning.
 
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients
1.  In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vinegar.  Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a separate bowl.  Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2.  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.  Brown on both sides and serve hot.

[Recipe] "You Spin Me Right Round, Baby" Butternut Squash and Sweet Sausage Lasagna

KiKi and I like a lot of the same things, though we look nothing alike.  She is tall and blonde, while I am stereotypically Asian-- short, with dark hair and dark eyes.  But we both love to cook (obviously), play with puppies, do DIY crafts, drink wine, watch documentaries (seriously), dance to 80's music and, most recently-- we're both in love with aerial ribbon dancing, though neither of us is particularly good at it.

Aerial ribbon dancing is exactly as it sounds-- there are silks ribbons/streamers hanging from the ceiling, and we dangle and spin in them.  The hope, at the end of our series of classes, is to be able to do something similar to this:

So graceful.  Aerial ribbon dancing, of course, can be much more taxing and fast-paced than this-- think Cirque du Soleil-- but we're not delusional.

We're inevitably famished after aerial ribbon dancing class, so it should come as no surprise that we've rekindled our culinary romance.

"You Spin Me Right Round, Baby" Butternut Squash and Sweet Sausage Lasagnaa recipe by The Kitchn

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash (about 2-1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (or loose sweet Italian sausage)
1 pound fresh spinach
1 pound dry lasagna noodles
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Butter, to grease the dish

Directions
1.  Cook the butternut squash.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Peel the squash and cut the neck into round slices, 1/4-inch thick.  When you get to the bottom of the squash, slice it in half, remove the seeds and pulp, and slice each half into 1/4-inch thick half-moons.  Place the slices on a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to evenly coat.  Spread the squash in an even layer and roast until tender, about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

2.  Cook the sausage.  Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and, once hot, add the sausage to the pan.  Once it begins to brown, use a wooden spoon to break the sausage into small pieces.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until uniformly browned and cooked through.

3.  Cook the noodles.  While cooking the sausage, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Stir in the noodles and cook until al dente.  Remove using tongs and place in a single layer on clean kitchen towels or, in multiple layers over drizzled EVOO. (The EVOO needs to be between each layer to prevent sticking.) 

4.  Blanch the spinach.  Fill a bowl with ice and cold water, and place it near the stove.  Bring the pasta water back to a boil and add the spinach.  Cook until wilted and bright green.  Scoop the spinach from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water bath.  Once cool, drain the spinach, squeeze it of excess water, and then chop finely.

5.  Make the bechamel.  In a deep saucepan or medium pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.  Slowly pour in the milk, whisking to combine smoothly.  Add the nutmeg and salt and continue cooking, stirring often, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

6.  Assemble and cook the lasagna.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish.  Add a single layer of noodles, and spread about a fourth of the bechamel over top.  Top with half the spinach and a third of the mozzarella.  Add another layer of noodles, a fourth of the bechamel, half the sausage, half the squash, and another third of the mozzarella.  Add a third layer of noodles, a fourth of the bechamel, the second half of the spinach, the second half of the sausage, the second half of the squash, and the final third of the mozzarella.  Add one more layer of noodles and the final fourth of the bechamel.  Finally, sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano over the top of the lasagna.

Bake the lasagna until hot and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes.  If you'd like, finish for a few minutes under the broiler until the top develops golden brown spots.  Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

[Recipe] "Pick of the Harvest" Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Salad

Growing up in (kind of, not really) rural Pennsylvania, it seems like every year we would take field and day trips to nearby farms and orchards in the fall and pick apples, harvest pumpkins, and take hayrides.  I went to a private school, so it was also an excuse for us to wear jeans and adorable flannel shirts—because there's nothing worse than scratchy hay on bare legs in pleated plaid skirts.  And we would munch on apples, sip on apple cider, and bring home a small basket full of apples for our mothers.  My mother, being Taiwanese, didn't make apple pie (though she does love it) or pumpkin anything, so she was always a bit perplexed when I came home with anything other than a jug of apple cider.  We would have apples in our lunchboxes for weeks afterwards to compensate.  Not that I'm complaining—I love apples.

It's been years since I've been apple picking, but I've been feeling pretty nostalgic lately.  I've toyed with the idea of organizing a trip up with co-workers, but until I work out those logistics, I satisfy myself with recipes that remind and taste like fall.  At my local farmers' market this Saturday, I spotted fresh whole butternut squash (one of my favorites—it's slightly sweet and nutty and so hearty, a perfect, perfect autumn comfort food) and resolved to use it in my cooking for the weekend.

First up: something both light and filling for my workweek lunchbox: butternut squash salad.  I modified this recipe by Ina Garten, better known as the Barefoot Contessa, to include a few more autumn flavors and a bit more protein.

"Pick of the Harvest" Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Salad

a recipe inspired by Ina Garten

The star of this dish is definitely the butternut squash—just like I wanted.  I could eat a big bowl of it (shh... I may already have): the maple syrup glaze brings out all of its best flavors.  The slight tartness of the dried cranberries and the apple cider vinaigrette are the perfect complement to the sweetness of the butternut squash and the slight pepper taste of the arugula.  The avocado adds creaminess, and the nuts add crunch and highlight the slight nuttiness of the butternut squash.  I suggest adding Rotisserie chicken below but didn't actually use any in my version—I think it could be great, though (mm... salt), and would make the salad even more substantial.

Ingredients

1 (1-1/2 pound) butternut squash, peeled and diced

olive oil

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice

1 minced shallot (should be approximately 2 tablespoons)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry

2 ounces mixed salad greens, washed and spun dry

1 avocado, diced (optional)

1 Fuji apple, diced

3 tablespoons dried cranberries

1/2 cups walnut halves, toasted

Rotisserie chicken, shredded (optional)

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.  Place the diced butternut squash on a sheet pan.  Add 4 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, at least 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and toss.  Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender.  Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

3.  While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup.  Remove from heat and whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

4.  Place the arugula and mixed greens in a large salad bowl and add the roasted butternut squash, cranberries, walnuts, avocado, apple, chicken, and grated Parmesan.  Spoon just enough apple cider vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well.  Sprinkle with sale and pepper.