Squash Marinara, Breakfast Pudding (yep!), Plowman's Supper, Food Porn and more!

Winter Squash Marinara
I know, I know, it's August.  But since we can buy winter squash any time of year, we can cook it any time of year.  I got this really long-necked Butternut squash this week and wanted to do something with steaks of that seedless neck.  This recipe will work with any winter squash, of course.  Regardless of type, thin slices broil/grill faster.

We don't often think of squash like this as savory, but the pairing of the somewhat sweet grilled slices of squash with the somewhat tart and tangy marinara is really superior.  I just used a jar of mushroom marinara sauce doctored with chopped mushrooms, onion, bell pepper... the usual suspects.  Try it; you'll like it!

Breakfast Bread Pudding
I described this dish in detail back in my February 18, 2018 post.  Sally needed a Breakfast Potluck dish, and I had both blueberries and the tag end of a loaf of challah bread on hand,  so this recipe came to mind.  Looks fabulous, tastes even better.

Simple "Plowman's Style" Supper
We had a big lunch the other day, so decided to have a lighter supper.  Sally had raved about this Norwegian Brown Cheese called Gjetost which they'd tried last month during their coastal cruise.  I ordered a 4 oz brick -- stuff is NOT cheap, but we'll make it last a long time.  Gjetost is a soft, somewhat caramel-flavored goat cheese made by boiling together whey, and cream or milk.  Perfect as part of a dessert course, especially with a somewhat tart fruit like apples or citrus.
Anyway, I made a Plowman's Supper for the two of us  -- a cheese plate, a fruit plate and bread plate that we could nibble on. 

The cheese plate had the Gjetost, some nice sharp white cheddar, and a sundried tomato-basil flavored cheese that I get from Aldi.  What goes with cheese?  Apples. 

So the fruit plate had slices of Fuji (top) and Crips Pink Lady (bottom).  

The real crunch came from the  fresh batch of Knekkebrød (crispbread) like the ones I made in my July 23rd post, served hot from the oven.  

For dessert we had mango turtles from our Co-Op box.

Eggplant Zucchini Casserole
This is a Blue Zones recipe that I had to tweak.  The result isn't really like Eggplant Parmesan, but has some of the features of that strata.

1-1/2 lb Eggplant, sliced 1/4" thin
2-3 medium Zucchini, sliced 1/4"thin
Salt to taste
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh Basil, julienned
1+ Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Lay the sliced eggplant and zucchini on paper towels to drain.  Sprinkle with salt as desired.

Saute the onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic and make a sauce by adding a cup or so of water.

In a 9x9 baking dish lay down a bit of sauce, and then begin layering eggplant, sauce, Parmesan and zucchini.  End with sauce and then a dusting of Parmesan on top.  Bake in a pre-heated 400F oven for 45 minutes until everything is bubbly and lightly browned.  

The zucchini and eggplant surprisingly retain a decent amount of 'tooth'.   

Excellent as a main dish, served with crusty bread and/or a simple salad.


Ahumado Pollo Verde
That's Spanish for Smoked Chicken in Green Sauce.  Sally and some girlfriends went out for a "girl's dinner", and left me to my own devices.  I stopped at my local megamart, and in the Deli hot section I found a smoked half chicken for a good price.  A couple aisles over I picked up a can of diced green chilies and a can of salsa verde (red tomatillo-based salsa, not red tomato-based.  The aisle beyond that had a bag of salt-free tortilla chips.  

Shred out the chicken.  Lay down a bed of heated tortilla chips.  Pile on the chicken.  Spread the green chilies all around and top with the salsa verde.  Heat everything together in the microwave, and dive in!  Almost, but not quite nachos...

Magnifico!!


Food Porn
I'll never be as good a food photographer as my old Italian friend Luciano Furia, but I just had to share this photo of a bowl of sliced papaya...