Butternut Squash, Leek & Apple Gratin

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium leeks, white part only, trimmed of roots and tough outer leaves, thinly sliced crosswise, well washed and dried
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage, plus leaves for garnish
1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 lb apples, such as Gala, Cortland, Baldwin, or Macoun, peeled, halved, cored, and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 10-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add leeks and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add sherry and sage and cook until liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 3 minutes; set aside.
In a 2-quart shallow baking dish, arrange squash in overlapping layers; season with salt and pepper. Spread leeks evenly over the squash.
Arrange apples in an overlapping layer over the leeks. Brush apples with remaining tablespoon oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 45 minutes.
Uncover and sprinkle cheese over the top. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is golden brown. The tip of a paring knife should easily pierce the gratin. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with sage leaves.

from Martha Stewart

Crisp-Tender Broccoli in Lemon-Soy Dressing

3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice  

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 head broccoli (about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

In small bowl, stir together soy sauce, lemon juice and sugar; set aside. Cut florets from broccoli, reserving the stalk and set aside. Trim the bottom end off stalk and peel off any tough skin. Diagonally slice stalk into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.

Bring a large saucepan of water to boil over medium-high heat. Add broccoli stems and cook 1 minute; add florets and cook until florets and stems are just tender, about 1 minute more. Drain in colander and rinse under cold water. Drain again and pat dry with paper towels.

Set a large, deep skillet or a wok over high heat. When pan is very hot, add oil; heat until near-smoking (oil will begin to ripple). Add broccoli and stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute. Add dressing and toss to coat

Butternut Squash & Blue Cheese Lasagne

1 butternut squash, , peeled, seeded cubed and roasted

1 package of no-boil lasagna noodles

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

1/2 sprig rosemary, , finely chopped

Bechamel

4 cups milk

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

5 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

In a heavy medium saucepan, bring milk and rosemary to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and strain milk to remove rosemary. Set milk aside.

Preheat your oven to 375.

In the same saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and stir until dissolved. Let simmer 2-3 minutes. Whisk in milk a little bit at a time until well-blended. Over medium heat, bring to a near-boil, whisking occasionally. It will thicken as it cooks, and is ready once it reaches a near-boil.

In an 8-inch square baking dish spread a layer of béchamel, some butternut squash, a sprinkle of blue cheese and hazelnuts. Repeat. On the top layer of lasagna, spread the béchamel to coat the pasta, then cover with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with the minced rosemary. The extra béchamel sauce is for leftovers – when reheated the lasagna can get a little dry.

Wrap the dish in aluminum foil and bake for 20minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese bubbles and turns golden.

Lamb Kofta

1 pound ground lamb


4 teaspoons Spice Mixture (recipe follows) 


1 teaspoon paprika


1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 


1 large egg


1/2 onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater (1/2 cup)


1 garlic clove, minced


1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and chopped


1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


1 teaspoon coarse salt


1 tablespoon olive oil


Yogurt Mint Sauce, for serving (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the oil and yogurt sauce. Mix thoroughly with your hands or a wooden spoon. Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls, and flatten the balls into ovals or football shapes, about 1/4 inch thick.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the lamb patties. Cook until the first side is golden brown, about 3 minutes; flip the patties, and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Wipe the skillet with a paper towel; heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil. Repeat the process with the remaining lamb patties. Serve warm or at room temperature with yogurt sauce on the side.

Spice Mixture

- makes 1/4 cup -

4 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander


4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 

1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg


1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 


1/2 teaspoon ground cloves


1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper



Mix the spices together in a small bowl or container. Store, tightly sealed, at room temperature up to 3 months.

Yogurt Mint Sauce

- makes 1 cup -

8 ounces plain whole-milk yogurt, preferably Greek-style


3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint 


1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice


1 small garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, and stir well to combine. Sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve chilled or at room temperature

Saffron Rice

1/4 tsp. saffron

3 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. onion, diced

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 c. rice

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Add saffron to broth. Cook onions in oil in sauce pan. Add rice, salt & pepper and brown. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Serves 6.

Note: Due to the high price of saffron, you may substitute Turmeric, for the yellow color.

Dhal

8 oz (225) red lentils

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp tumeric

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tbsp butter

1 lg onion, peeled and sliced

1 sm green pepper, chopped

1 tsp curry powder

1 clove garlic, crushed

4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

salt

In a saucepan containing 1½ pints (850 ml) of water add one teaspoon each of ginger, cumin, turmeric and salt, then bring it all to the boil. Stir in the lentils, let it come back to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes. After that add the diced potato and continue cooking until the lentils have turned mushy (making sure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan by giving it a stir now and again).

While that's cooking, heat up the butter in another pan and fry the onion and pepper in it (over a fairly high heat) until the onion has browned – then lower the heat and stir in the Madras curry powder (if you like your curries hotter, you can add more), the garlic, the remaining ground ginger and the chopped tomatoes. Cook for a minute before adding the lentil mixture, then taste, season with more salt and cook gently for a further 5-10 minutes (stirring from time to time). Serve this with rice and yoghurt

Raita

1 large unpeeled English hothouse cucumber, halved, seeded, coarsely grated

2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt

1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon plus pinch of cayenne pepper

Wrap grated cucumber in kitchen towel and squeeze dry. Whisk yogurt, mint, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper in medium bowl to blend. Add cucumbers and toss to coat. Season raita to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Sprinkle raita with pinch of cayenne pepper and serve.