Roasted Acorn Squash with Black Lentils

Ingredients

6 (1-inch) rings of hollowed-out acorn squash

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper

 Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.

Toss the squash with the olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper and transfer to sheet pan. Roast until fork tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a medium stockpot over high heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, lentils, cumin and paprika. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 25 minutes, then stir in the remaining salt and pepper.

Zhoug (Optional Garnish)

2 jalapeños, destemmed and seeded

2 tablespoons chopped white onion

½ cup cilantro

½ cup parsley

½ teaspoon cumin

2 cloves garlic

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

In a food processor, pulse all ingredients together until smooth. Transfer to airtight container and store in fridge for up to 3 days.

Winter Rosemary Galette with Squash, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

Recipe and photos by Tyler Westerfield

Winter Rosemary Galette with Squash, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

Winter. The perfect time to enjoy the flavors of this rustic savory galette, with prosciutto that crisps under the oven’s heat, its natural salty flavor a counterpoint to the taste of fresh celery, all balancing the richness of the seasonal filling. Serve warm with a salad of lightly dressed kale and hearty lettuces. A glass of Grüner Veltliner or dry Riesling? Perfection.

Winter Rosemary Galette with Squash, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

Serves 4, or slice in smaller wedges as an appetizer.

Rosemary Pastry Crust

This recipe, adapted from Farm Journal Cookbook, makes 2 crusts, giving you 1 to freeze for later.

2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

½ cup whole milk

1 egg yolk

Sift together the flour, salt and rosemary in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the milk and the egg yolk, then slowly add to flour until a soft dough forms; the dough should hold together when a piece is squeezed in your hand. Drop dough onto a floured surface, shape into a disk, divide the disk in half and shape the 2 halves into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, then chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Galette Filling

1 small butternut squash (neck only), peeled and cut into ⅛-inch slices

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon maple syrup

4 ounces goat cheese, softened

1 egg

½ teaspoon milk

2 ounces prosciutto

Sea salt

6–8 fresh celery leaves

Preheat oven to 400°.

Make the filling while the dough chills. Combine the squash, olive oil, salt and pepper. Combine the honey and maple syrup in a separate container.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unwrap 1 pastry and roll out on a floured surface to a roughly 11-inch diameter; place pastry on the prepared baking sheet. Spread goat cheese on pastry, leaving a 1½-inch border. Drizzle half the honey/syrup over the goat cheese. Arrange the squash slices over the goat cheese in a circular pattern. Fold over the sides of the pastry, wrapping pieces of the pastry over itself to seal. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Combine the egg and milk; brush on pastry and bake 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add the prosciutto over the squash; bake for an additional 10–12 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and prosciutto is slightly crisp.

Cool the galette for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt and place celery leaves on galette. Finish by drizzling the galette with the remaining honey syrup mixture. Cut into wedges and enjoy warm.

Linguini and Clams, A Family Favorite

Recipe by Alexandra Burke, special to Edible DC

Photo by Adrien Sala, Unsplash

Ingredients:

• 4 dozen cherrystone clams
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons of minced fresh Italian parsley.
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• Linguini or Linguini Fini Pasta
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper for seasoning to taste (Note: Clam juice is typically salty, so no extra salt is usually necessary.)

Place one to two inches of water at the bottom of a large pot, and heat the water.

Wash the outside of the clams with a brush or new sponge and cold water to remove any sand or sediment on shell, discarding any clams that are cracked open. Place the clams in the large pot. The clams should not go higher than three quarters of the height of the pot otherwise the liquid will steam out of the covered pot. Bring the heated water to boiling, and cover, steaming for about 8-10 minutes, or until the clam shells begin to pop open.

Remove the pot from the heat. Take the meat of the clams out of the shells using cooking tongs and place the clam meat in a separate bowl. Toss the shells and save the clam liquid in the pot.

Take a bowl and place a paper towel in a strainer and hold it over a clean empty bowl. Pour the claim juice through the towel and the strainer to catch any sand or natural debris that has settled into the juice through the steaming process.

After all clam meat has been removed and placed in a bowl, the clams need to be cut up. I prefer to use a food scissor for this step instead of chopping the clams on a cutting board. With this method, the clam pieces remain firm and do not get mushy.  

In a small pot, add one and one half tablespoons of olive oil and heat and add the chopped garlic. Cook the garlic for a few minutes on medium heat so it begins to soften but not brown.

When the garlic is cooked add the clam juice into the pot. Keep the clam juice on medium heat until the broth begins to boil.

Add the chopped parsley and let it cook for a few minutes and then add the chopped clams and remove from the heat.

To a boiling pot of water, add one pound of linguini pasta and cook until the pasta is “al dente.”After the pasta is cooked and drained, put the pasta back in the pot and add some of the clam juice to the pasta to prevent it from sticking.

Take a serving of pasta and add it to bowl. Take a ladle filled with clam juice and clams and pour it over each serving of pasta. Grate some Parmesan cheese over the top of each bowl. All you need is a great loaf of bread, a glass of wine and enjoy!

Photo by Alexandra Burke. She adds the shells back as garnish.