Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara and much More!

Sweet Potato Avocado Salad with Goat Cheese and Creamy Cider Dressing 

Braised Chicken thighs with Acorn Squash and Mustard Greens 

Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon 

Fresh Fruit Cobbler

Fresh Pasta Dough

yield: 2 servings

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

  Making fresh pasta dough is fun and very easy. Traditionally, the dough is mixed directly on a board or counter but it is acceptable to begin the dough in a bowl to limit the cleanup. Laminate counter tops are fine for kneading dough but natural or engineered stone is best as it is non-porous and maintains constant temperature, especially important when working with yeast doughs.

  In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the salt and flour. Using your fingers, create a well in the center of the mound, being sure that the well’s walls are equally thick and high. In a separate container, combine eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs with a fork to incorporate oil.

  Add 1/3 of egg/oil mixture to center of well. Using a swirling motion, pull flour from inner walls of well into eggs and mix until it forms a thick paste. If working on a countertop, be careful not to break through the walls of the well as egg will run out over the work surface. When center is no longer runny, add half of remaining egg mixture and stir to paste. Add remaining liquid and repeat. Continue to mix until fork is no longer effective and then turn dough out onto work surface.

  Knead dough by flattening, folding it in half and pressing hard with the palm of your hand. Rotate 90’ and repeat over and over until dough is a consistent color (no patches of flour or egg mixture) and begins to feel springy. Pasta dough should be visibly bumpy but soft and smooth to the touch. To test, press a finger into dough. The depression made by your finger should spring back almost entirely. Flatten dough into a disk 1 ½ inches thick, wrap with saran and place in cooler to rest for 20-30 minutes or until finger divot does not bounce back. This means that the gluten that was excited in the kneading process has relaxed and the dough is ready to be rolled and cut.

 Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon

  Yield: 2

1 pasta recipe, prepped, rolled out and cooked

½ cup pasta water

½ cup butternut squash mashed

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Red pepper flakes to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 slices bacon chopped

2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons honey

2 large egg yolks

1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

2 tablespoons butter

In a pan over medium high heat add bacon and begin to cook. Cook for 3 minutes then add rosemary. Allow to cook until bacon is to desired crispiness then turn heat off and remove bacon from pan. Add thyme, garlic, and cayenne pepper to pan. Stir in butternut squash, cheese, honey and egg yolks. Slowly add pasta water while stirring. Add cooked pasta and butter to pan and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, toss in bacon and serve.

 Sweet Potato Avocado Salad with Goat Cheese and Creamy Cider Dressing

  Yield: 2

2 cups arugula

2 cups romaine

1 sweet potato, roasted and diced

1 avocado, diced

¼ red onion, minced

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup homemade croutons

¼ cup goat cheese

¼ cup cranberries

¼ cup fresh basil and mint

¼ cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes if desired

  In a bowl combine Greek yogurt, mustard, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix to combine. If you need to thin it out add more apple cider or a splash of milk. Add romaine, arugula, sweet potato, avocado, red onions, pumpkin seeds, croutons, goat cheese, cranberries, basil and mint. Toss until fully combined with dressing and serve.

 Braised Chicken thighs with Acorn Squash and Mustard Greens

  Yield: 2

2 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs patted dry

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 scallions, white and pale green parts sliced into 1-inch pieces, dark green parts thinly sliced

½ jalapeno, chopped

1, 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced

1 cup white wine

½ cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

¼ acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, sliced ½ inch thick

½ bunch mustard greens, tough stems removed, leaves torn

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Cooked white rice (for serving)

Lightly season chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken, skin side down, until skin is browned and crisp. Transfer to a plate, placing skin side up (chicken will not be cooked through at this point). Cook white and pale green parts of scallions, jalapeno, and ginger in same pot, stirring often, until scallions and ginger are golden. Add wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and broth and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add squash and arrange greens then place chicken skin side up on top. Bring to a simmer, and cook until squash is barely fork-tender and greens are wilted, 10–12 minutes. Increase heat to medium, and continue to cook until liquid is reduced by about two-thirds and has the consistency of thin gravy. Remove pot from heat remove chicken and drizzle vinegar over vegetables. Taste sauce; Add chicken back to pot, turning to coat in sauce, then scatter dark green parts of scallions and sesame seeds over top. Serve with rice.

Peach cobbler

  yield: 8

8 fresh or frozen peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced into thin wedges

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup flour

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoon butter, chilled and cut into small piece

¼ cup hot water

Preheat oven 425”F

In a large bowl combine peaches, ¼ cup sugar/brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss evenly and divide evenly among 8 ramekins that have been greased.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl combine flour, rest of both sugars, baking powder, and salt. Blend with chilled butter in your hands, or a pastry blender. Mix until mixture resembles corn meal. Slowly add in water and mix until just combined. Remove ramekins from oven, evenly divide mixture on top of each and place back into the oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Remove cool slightly, serve warm with ice cream.