Autumn Penne

Ok, the recipe title "Autumn Penne" doesn't begin to give you an idea of how exciting this recipe really is.  That said, I thought that calling it something that would give you a better window into this dish might be a little overwhelming.  You tell me, does "Chicken and Roasted Butternut Squash Penne in a Sage Brown Butter Cream Sauce with Balsamic Reduction Drizzle" sound like a bit much?

One bite, though, and you will agree it's well worth it. 

My sister, who is in the throws of medical school midterms, gave me a hard time the other night after making one of my recipes, a Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie, because it was a bit more involved than my usual posts.  It's true, usually a deciding factor for me in whether I'll try a recipe is how many dirty dishes it will create.  So, in fair warning to my sister, Elise, and other pinched for time friends, this is not going to be the simplest meal you've ever made. 

That said, it will be worth it and in reassurance, I made it on a weeknight and if a few of your components are done ahead of time, you really could throw it together really pretty quickly.  This really is a restaurant-worthy dish and you will feel so fancy and accomplished after making something like a "sage brown butter cream sauce" (trust me, it really is easy!).  This pasta encapsulates all the warm flavors of Fall in a dish and is one I am really excited to make again.  

Autumn Penne (or Chicken and Roasted Butternut Squash Penne in a Sage Brown Butter Cream Sauce with Balsamic Reduction Drizzle)
serves approximately 6
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (this was about one breast and using a rotisserie chicken is a really nice short cut)

1/2 butternut squash (about 1 pound), diced into 1/2" cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

12 oz dried shaped pasta (I used Ronzoni brand penne)

2-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced into slivers (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
8-10 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss squash cubes with olive oil and spread in an even layer on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme.  Roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and starting to turn golden brown.  Remove from oven and set aside until ready to assemble pasta (*This is a step you could do up to a day in advance, storing the cooked squash pieces in the fridge until assembly time).

While squash is roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare pasta "al dente" (or still firm to the bite) according to package directions, drain, return to the cooking pot and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, also heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it foams.  Increase heat to medium. Add the sage and cook until the leaves turn crisp, about 1 ½ minutes.  Butter should be a nice nutty brown color and very fragrant (watch this very closely as the butter can go from browned to burnt pretty quickly).  Remove from heat and pour butter and sage leaves into a small bowl or measuring cup and set aside (I just kept the sage leaves whole in the sauce, but you can either remove them from the butter and cut into smaller pieces or remove them altogether, if you prefer).

Return pan to heat and add garlic pieces.  Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until garlic is fragrant.  Stir in cream, nutmeg, cinnamon and chicken broth.  Bring to a simmer and whisk in sage butter.  Turn heat to low and keep sauce warm, stirring occasionally.

In a small skillet over medium high heat, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil, stirring frequently.  Allow vinegar to boil until the liquid is thickened to maple syrup consistency and is reduced by about half.  Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble:  In the pasta pot, pour sage brown butter cream sauce over pasta.  Stir in chicken, roasted butternut squash and a handful of freshly shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese.  Warm gently over medium-low heat, if necessary.  Adjust seasonings by adding salt or pepper if needed.  Transfer to a large serving dish (or individual ones) and drizzle balsamic syrup over top.  Garnish with additional fresh sage leaves as desired.  Serve with additional shredded cheese for sprinkling.

p.s. I think this would be good with a sprinkle of chopped toasted walnuts for another added texture and fall flavor as well.  I'll have to try that sometime and let you know how it goes! : )

Lighter Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

For the last couple of weeks, I've had a serious desire for all things pumpkin and had been especially wanting to bake something pumpkin related.  It was driving me crazy that in all the stores I was looking at, the shelves were bare where there was supposed to be cans of the Golden Autumn Goodness.  I was starting to get desperate.  So it was with great enthusiasm that I spied a 3-pack of canned pumpkin from Costco last week.  Snatched those babies up stat. Then the only dilemma was what to make? 

After scouring recipes for pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins, I was really frustrated.  Why is it that every recipe that sounded good called for several cups of sugar and tons of oil?  I just couldn't bring myself to make something that I would feel so guilty about eating.  I set out to make something that tasted great but lighter and I am thrilled with the results. 

By combining aspects of a couple recipes, I think I captured the best of both worlds, warm and spicy and creamy and full of the Fall flavor I was after yet a fraction of the fat and calories.  Very happy indeed. 

    
Lighter Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins:
(original recipe said it would make 24 muffins, I only got 18)

Cream Cheese Filling:
1 8 ounce brick reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened to room temperature
1/2 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar

Lighter Pumpkin Muffin Batter:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract2 cups canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)


Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

To prepare filling:
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.  Spread on a piece of plastic wrap in a long log (about 1 1/2" wide and about 12" long).  Smooth the plastic wrap around the cream cheese and reinforce the roll of cream cheese with a piece of foil.  Place in the freezer and chill at least 2 hours or until firm (this is a good step to do the night before). 

To prepare muffins:
Mix together all the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour through ground cloves) in a large bowl.  You can also put all the dry ingredients into a large ziploc bag and shake to combine--also nice to do the night before! : ).

For streusel, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin cups by lining with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine sugars and eggs and stir with a whisk until smooth.  Stir in vanilla, milk and vegetable oil.  Stir in pumpkin puree and mix until smooth.  In a large bowl, gently stir wet ingredients into the dry mixture just until combined.  


To assemble:
Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling almost completely full.  Remove cream cheese log from freezer and slice into 24 equal pieces.  Place one piece of frozen cream cheese into each muffin cup, pushing it down slightly into the batter.  You can also smooth a little extra batter over top of the cream cheese if you prefer it to be a surprise.

Sprinkle a tiny amount of the streusel mixture over top of each muffin cup of batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until muffins are lightly browned and tops spring back when lightly touched.  Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. 

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats and The Best of Cooking Light

Vinegar Glossed Chicken over Polenta

I am completely in the mood for Fall.  I bought supplies to make an apple pie and I am really excited for the Pumpkin Spice Lattes to start appearing in Starbucks.  I was having a conversation with of my "foodie friends" the other day and we were commenting on how we are about tired out of Summer food.

So, today, on the unofficial Last Day of Summer, I look to usher in Fall with this completely Fall-esque menu.  Vinegar Glossed Chicken may sound like an unassuming dish, but it was so amazing that we were practically licking our plates to reach the last bits of the sweet and savory, luxurious sauce after the chicken had been picked clean.  There is a reason why the recipe's author says it's been in her family's rotation for over 20 years.

The recipe originates from Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys which is a cookbook that feels like it was written especially for me.  Not only do I have two little hungry boys and a hungry husband, we have a seminary student living with us.  I am completely surrounded by boys these days...

I followed the recipe almost to a T (except for substituting balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar called for) and it was delicious.  I think in the future I will experiment with boneless skinless chicken breasts and even pork chops.  I have a feeling, whatever meat I'll be glossing with vinegar, this technique will be with my family in the next 20 years!

First Fall Menu:
Vinegar Glossed Chicken over Soft Polenta (recipes below)

Roasted Butternut Squash (cut into 1/2" cubes, toss with a couple tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper and some dried herbs--rosemary, sage and thyme and roast at 425, stirring occasionally until golden brown and tender: 20-25 minutes). 

Green Salad lightly dressed with vinaigrette


Vinegar Glossed Chicken
1 cup red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
5 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (each part should be cut in half)
salt and black pepper
olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

Combine vinegar with minced garlic and rosemary.  Set aside.

Dry off chicken with a paper towel.  Generously season with salt and pepper.  Heat a 14-inch skillet (or two smaller ones) over high heat and swirl in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet.  Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down.  Don't crowd the pan.  Work in batches, if necessary.  You should hear an immediate sizzle when the chicken hits the pan.  Don't move them it takes a couple minutes to sear the chicken so it doesn't stick.  Brown all sides, this will take about 10 minutes per batch.  Regulate the heat so it stays high but does not burn the chicken.  Place all the browned chicken back in the skillet.

Add the chicken broth and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Lower the heat, simmer and reduce for 15-20 minutes.  Increase the heat to high and pour in the vinegar mixture.  Swirl the pan and stir around as the vinegar evaporates to form a simmering glaze, 8-10 minutes.  Serve immediately or reheat with some extra broth. 

Polenta: (a dish from boiled cornmeal that can be served similarly to mashed potatoes or fried up after it is cooled and sliced)

2 cups chicken broth or water
2 cups milk
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

In a medium sauce pan, bring chicken broth and milk to a boil over medium-high heat (watch it very carefully because as soon as it comes to a boil, it will spill over if you aren't paying attention).  As soon as liquid comes to a boil, slowly whisk in cornmeal.  Stir constantly to prevent lumps for about a minute or until mixture becomes thick and bubbly.  Stir in garlic powder and cheese until well mixed together.  Serve immediately (like mashed potatoes).  Or, you can pour into a pan, allow to chill and cut into slices and reheat by sauteing in a pan with a bit of butter or olive oil.

Recipe slightly adapted from Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys