I love kabocha squash. So I was excited to try this savoury squash tart recipe. Sadly, I wasn't able to find any kabocha at the grocery store, so I had to settle for buttercup instead. Even with that substitution, it was very good. But I'd still love to try it with an actual kabocha sometime.

I think the only other change I'd make is to double the onion. The long-cooked caramelized onion layer on the bottom of the tart was delicious. There just wasn't enough of it! Otherwise though, I really have no complaints. This was great.

Kabocha Squash and Pecorino Tart

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 (~1kg) kabocha squash
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 recipe sourdough pastry
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. half-and-half (10% MF)
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. grated pecorino romano
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds and guts.
3. Brush squash, inside and out, with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil and place cut-side-down on a baking sheet.
4. Roast at 220°C (425°F) until very tender (~40 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, make your pastry, wrap it, and put it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
6. While the pastry is chilling and the squash is roasting, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat.
7. Add the onions and cook until softened (4-5 minutes).
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, sprinkle in thyme, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for ~30 minutes.
9. When squash is done, scoop out the flesh and discard the skins.
10. Mash the squash and blend with the eggs, half-and-half, salt, and pepper.
11. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and use it to line a 23cm (9") deep dish pie plate.
12. Crimp the edges and spoon the onion mixture into the bottom of the pie shell. Spread into an even layer.
13. Srpinkle the cheeses on top.
14. Pour the squash mixture over the cheese and smooth the top.
15. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 10 minutes.
16. Reduce heat and bake for another 20 minutes.
17. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.
18. Cut into slices and serve.

This is a very simple tomato sauce with lamb and zucchini. It incorporates no herbs or seasonings other than the rosemary and a bit of salt and pepper. (I did add a single clove of garlic as well, but that wasn't in the original recipe.) I also added a bit of tomato paste and some pasta water to give the sauce a little more body.

I think it probably could have done with a little more simmering, just to deepen the flavours a bit more, but it was still quite nice as it was. And doing it with the short simmer recommended by the recipe does, at least, make it a quick meal to prepare.

Pasta with Rosemary Lamb Sugo

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
• 450g ground lamb
• 1/2 Tbsp. salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 1 (~800mL) can diced tomatoes
• 2-3 small zucchini, diced
• 375g rotini (or other short) pasta, cooked
• 1/4 c. grated pecorino Romano

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and rosemary, and cook until softened and beginning to brown (~10 minutes).
3. Add lamb, 1 tsp. of the salt, and the pepper and cook until lamb is no longer pink (~5 minutes).
4. Add tomato paste and cook until darkened (~3 minutes).
5. Add wine and cook until almost completely evaporated (3-5 minutes).
6. Add tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10-20 minutes, stir only very occasionally.
7. Add the zucchini and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.
9. Once pasta is al dente, add ~1/4 c. of the pasta water to the sauce and stir it in vigorously.
10. Drain the pasta (discarding the rest of the pasta water) and add the pasta to the sauce, mixing well.
11. Stir in the cheese.
12. Serve topped with additional Romano or Parmesan.

I haven't been buying fish lately because it's failed to be on sale. But it's been a while since we've had any and I felt like we were overdue, so I got a bit of salmon anyway. It went nicely with the soup. And the fried chickpeas that I did as a side dish actually made nice "croutons" for it.

Zucchini Soup with Roasted Salmon

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 680g salmon fillets
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 900g zucchini, chopped
• 2 c. vegetable stock
• 30-40g pecorino romano, grated
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

Directions

1. Brush salmon with a little of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat remaining oil over medium heat.
3. Add shallots and garlic and cook until softened (4-5 minutes).
4. Add zucchini, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and cook until it begins to soften as well (~4 minutes).
5. Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly, and simmer until zucchini is tender (~15 minutes).
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and roast salmon until cooked through (10-12 minutes).
7. When zucchini is tender, use an immersion blender to puré (or process in standard blender jar in batches).
8. Add the cheese and lemon juice and stir to combine.
9. Adjust seasoning to taste.
10. Serve soup topped with salmon and sprinkled with lemon zest.

This salad has a few variants, but we made the raspberries and blue cheese version; the others are documented below. Not a favourite, but I'd eat it again.

Marinated Beet Salad

Cook's Country October/November 2016, by Katie Leaird (p.17)

Ingredients

• 1½ lb whole beets, trimmed
• ½ C water
• ¼ C sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 2 oranges
• 1L arugula, kale, or other greens
• ¼ C shaved romano cheese
• ½ C walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Wrap beets and water in tin foil. Roast at 400°F for 1 hour or until fork-tender.
2. Whisk together vinegar, oil, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Once beets are cool, rub gently to remove skins, then cut into 1cm wedges.
4. Add beets to bowl with dressing, toss to cover, and let stand for at least 30 minutes.
5. Divide oranges into individual wedges.
6. Add oranges, greens, cheese, and walnuts to bowl with beets and dressing, and toss to combine.

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Variations

Marinated Beet Salad with Pear and Feta

Ingredients

• 1½ lb whole beets, trimmed
• ½ C water
• ¼ C sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 L arugula, kale, or other greens
• ¾ C crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbsp pistachios, toasted

Marinated Beet Salad with Raspberries and Blue Cheese

Ingredients

• 1½ lb whole beets, trimmed
• ½ C water
• ¼ C sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ⅔ C raspberries
• 1 L arugula, kale, or other greens
• ¾ C crumbled blue cheese
• ½ C hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Tomato and Basil Frittata with Asiago

The chickens are still full steam ahead on eggs, so I've been continuing to try to keep ahead of them with more recipes from the egg book. I really liked this frittata. Although I'd be tempted to try to cook the tomatoes down a bit next time. The results were delicious, but a bit... juicy. I think that the tomatoes might have benefitted from being cooked with the garlic for a little while before the eggs went in the pan. Possibly something to try for next time. I was still very happy with this iteration though, so I don't want to mess with it too much.

Tomato and Basil Firttata with Asiago

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs
• 1 c. grated Asiago cheese¹, divided
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 c. diced fresh tomatoes
• 1/4 c. (or slightly more) torn fresh basil
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Beat the eggs with 1/2 c. of the cheese, 1/4 tsp. of the salt, and a bit of black pepper.
2. Toss the tomatoes with the basil, remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt, a bit of pepper, and half of the oil.
3. Heat the remaining oil over medium-low heat.
4. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle.
5. Pour in the egg mixture and stir once or twice.
6. Cook for a minute or two, then add the tomato mixture in an even layer on top.
7. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then work a spatula under egg and lift up the edge to let some of the uncooked egg mixture flow under it. Repeat several more times around the edge of the pan.
8. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. of cheese, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until set (10-15 minutes).
9. If frittata is still not quite set on top (or if you prefer the top to be browned), remove the lid and stick it under the broiler for a minute or two.
10. Cut into wedges and serve.

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¹ Simmons suggests one experiment with different cheeses in place of the Asiago. She specifically mentions Parmesan, fontina, and ricotta salata as good ones to try. In light of this (and the fact that I didn't have any Asiago on hand) I opted for a 50:50 mix of Parmesan and Romano. I used the Romano in the egg mixture and then topped the frittata with the Parmesan and I can say that I would heartily recommend this combination in the future. ^Back

This didn't come out being quite as healthy and low-points as I'd hoped. But it was still a tasty vegetable side to round out our meal.

Skillet-Roasted Cauliflower

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2018

Ingredients

• 900g cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp. grated Pecorino Romano

Directions

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Recommended method is to remove outer leaves and use kitchen shears to cut the florets from the stock. Then use a paring knife to cut the florets smaller as needed. Aim for 1-2cm florets.
2. Cut the stalk into 1cm cubes.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
4. Add cauliflower and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5.
5. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring every 1-2.
6. Push cauliflower to sides of skillet and add pepper flakes and remaining 1/2 tsp. of oil to the centre.
7. Cook for ~30 seconds, then remove from heat and mix with the cauliflower.
8. Stir in cheese and serve.

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Variations

Skillet-Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic and Thyme

Ingredients

• 900g cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• lemon wedges, to serve

Skillet-Roasted Green Beans

I've been meaning to make this bean recipe for over a week now. Originally I was just going to do it with frozen beans. Then, since I still hadn't gotten around to making it yet, I figured I might as well toss some nice fresh green beans into my produce basket for the week. Now those beans have been sitting in the fridge for almost a week and I still hadn't cooked them yet. Until today! I finally got it done!

Because I'm trying to be a bit calorie-wise, I cut back the oil and cheese a little. Honestly, I think I could've gotten away with cutting them back even more! Even with 2/3 the quantity of oil called for, I still felt it was a little too much. I think 1/3 of the oil called for would've been plenty. And, while the cheese is completely delicious and I would've loved to have had twice as much, I think that 10 or 15g would probably have been sufficient. (The recipe below reflects both of these changes.)

Skillet-Roasted Green Beans with Pecorino Romano

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2021

Ingredients

• 340g green beans, trimmed
• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 15g Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Directions

1. Add beans, oil, water, salt, and pepper to pan, cover, and cook over medium-high heat, shaking pan occasionally, for ~7 minutes.
2. Stir beans and cook, uncovered, for another 4 minutes.
3. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
6. Sprinkle with cheese shavings and serve.

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Variations

Skillet-Roasted Green Beans with Bacon, Black Bean Garlic Sauce, and Tahini

Ingredients

• 340g green beans, trimmed
• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. water, divided
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. black bean garlic sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. tahini
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 2 Tbsp. crumbled bacon

Directions

1. Add beans, oil, 2 Tbsp. of the water, and pepper to pan, cover, and cook over medium-high heat, shaking pan occasionally, for ~7 minutes.
2. Stir beans and cook, uncovered, for another 4 minutes.
3. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, black bean garlic sauce, and remaining 1 Tbsp. of water.
6. Drizzle with tahini and sprinkle with sesame seeds and crumbled bacon.