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Squash Casserole (for People Who Don’t Like Squash Casserole)

June 27, 2014 by arfoodie

Amazing squash casserole. It'll make you a believer.

Amazing squash casserole. It’ll make you a believer.

It’s been nearly a week since my visit to Bernice Garden Farmers’ Market. Although I seem to be growing Hardin Farms squash out of my ears, I still had quite a bit left today.

Squash uncut

Solution: Squash casserole.

Thing is, I don’t even like squash casserole that much. It’s usually really soft and squishy. And really oniony, which doesn’t always agree with my tummy. And kinda bland.

Time for a remodel.

1. First, to tackle the squishy squash problem. Most recipes require boiling the veggie. Um, how about not. Let’s try sautéing instead, over fairly high heat. This will give the squash some nice caramelization while cooking it just a bit, not to death.

2. Next, the onion. Freshness matters, so I used one from the North Little Onions for squash casseroleRock Community Farm, also at the Bernice Gardens market. Cooking it way down helps me be able to eat it, so after a small dice I added it to the same pan in which I had sautéed the squash. (The veggies had since been moved to a buttered casserole dish or individual baking dishes if you are making a lot.) I immediately added a half-cup of chicken broth and a good pinch of salt, both of which will help soften the onion and cook it to translucent without burning. When the onion was almost ready, I added one large clove of garlic, minced.

3. Lastly, I added flavor and creaminess using low-fat cream cheese. Borrowing from Crescent Dragonwagon’s renowned recipe for Featherbed Eggs, I cut half a block of cream cheese into cubes, 12 total, and pressed them down into the casserole dish of squash. Because, really, what can’t be improved by cream cheese?

The finished casserole, plated in all its delicious glory.

The finished casserole, plated in all its delicious glory.

For the entire recipe, see below. But know this…I don’t like squash casserole, and I just ate three plates of this stuff.

***********

Squash Casserole for People Who Don’t Like Squash Casserole
Serves 8 (or fewer, depending on how much you end up liking it!)

  • About 6 cups diced squash, any kind (I used zucchini, Zephyr and pattypan)
  • 1 T. butter
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, small dice
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 cup chicken broth, divided
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 4 oz. cream cheese (can use low-fat/Neufchatel), cut into cubes
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 c. dry bread crumbs (I used gluten free, from leftover bread)

Slice squash into approximate 1/2″ pieces. For larger squash, quarter them before slicing; halve smaller ones. Butter the inside of a large, oven-safe casserole dish.

Sauté the squash over medium-high heat with a half-teaspoon of olive oil in multiple batches, only using enough squash each time to cover the bottom of your pan. Cast iron works well for this. Place the squash in a single layer and let it sit for about a minute, then stir to turn and let sit another minute. Once the squash is sautéed, move each batch to the buttered dish. You may need to add a bit more oil with subsequent batches to prevent burning.

Next, place the diced onion, broth and a heavy pinch of kosher salt into the empty pan; no need to clean any residue from the squash. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add more water or broth as needed to avoid burning the onion when it dries out. Add the minced garlic when the onion is almost translucent and cook another minute. Stir the mixture into the squash in the casserole dish.

Press the cut cubes of cream cheese down into the casserole dish, nestling them slightly under the squash mixture.

In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 c. chicken broth with three eggs. Pour the mixture over the casserole.

Top with fresh thyme, cheddar cheese and bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until the egg mixture is no longer liquid.

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Side Dishes Tagged With: casserole, cheddar, cheese, cream cheese, pattypan, squash, Zephyr, zucchini

Kent Walker Artisan Cheese Settling Into New Digs

August 9, 2013 by arfoodie

Local cheesemakers (x) and Kent Walker are quite giddy over their new cheesemaking tub.

Local cheesemakers Randy Copeland and Kent Walker are quite giddy over their new cheesemaking vat.

I stumbled through the damp portico of an industrial shared-use building Thursday with a five-year-old and two pre-teens, looking for funky cheese.

At the end of the portico, we were met by one Kent Walker, known in these parts as the cheesemaker guy of Kent Walker Artisan Cheese. I had called him that following morning to get an expert opinion on which cheese making supplies at thecheesemaker.com I should buy, and also because I was in search of something blue.

I’m gearing up for next week’s Southern Summer Nights Virtual Dinner Party. My course, appearing on August 15, will be a cheese soufflé, fancified, of course. After a bit of online research, I decided some funky blue would be in order. Turns out that Kent doesn’t regularly produce a blue, but he did have something for me that he thought would work nicely.

Back in the portico, Kent and fellow cheesemaker Randy Copeland grinned widely. A new stainless steel vat big enough to bathe a hippo had just arrived. They’re just moving into these new digs in the nuts-and-bolts part of town, behind Heifer Village and surrounded by purveyors of HVAC and car parts.

Their operation had long been at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, which availed its commercial kitchen for rent to several small food-based businesses who weren’t quite big enough for their own sites. Apparently, Arkansas is local-cheese crazy enough to now put Kent Walker Artisan Cheese in the “big enough” category.

Kent, proud of his growing business and new digs, took me and the kids for a quick tour. Although much of the operation was still in boxes and piles, the two “caves” were set up and running. Soon, he will have commercial builders in to build him a state of the art commercial fridge, complete with an excellent cold storage door. Plus, he will have numerous pieces of culinary technology installed too, helping his operations run more smoothly and efficiently.

Kent shows us the

Kent shows us the “caves” of aging cheese.

Basically white tents with heavy zippered walls, these caves held wheel upon wheel of aging, moldy cheese. Each held a different level of humidity based on what the cheese types inside need. Kent let the kids feel a newer cheese wheel, still soft when pressed, and an older one, about a year old, with no give at all. He thunked the latter wheel like a drum, resonant with its own magical transformation.

Back in the not-quite-put-together office, I apologized for interrupting their move-in (which he graciously pshawed) and paid for my cheese. He had recommended the Ophelia, a funky washed-rind relative of feta, for my soufflés. I added on some habañero cheddar, since – just being honest here – I know I like that one. That Ophelia was some funky smelling stuff.

The car ride home was pretty entertaining. My daughter’s friend held the cheese, which almost immediately had the car smelling pretty ripe. “It smells like baby poooooo,” she screamed. But, knowing that the smelly cheeses are usually the best ones, she admitted that she’d try it.

Tune in on August 15 to hear how it turned out.

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Filed Under: Foodie News Tagged With: cheddar, cheese, habanero, Kent Walker, ophelia

Scary Recipe: Savory Apple Pie with Pork, Gluten-Free Cheddar Crust

October 25, 2012 by arfoodie

This goes down as one of the weirdest things I’ve ever made.

So, appropriate for Halloween? Maybe?

It started as my annual “this is what I’m gonna make for the Wildwood Park Harvest Fest culinary competition,” which also becomes the annual “I’m too exhausted to enter the event, so I’ll just make the dish I had planned at home, a week or two later.” This year’s Harvest Fest ingredient was apples, and by golly, I wasn’t going to make just any old sweet dessert-type-thing.

After a few ideas of my own followed up with a bit of research, here’s what I ended up with. The hubs and big kid dug in, but neither were enthusiastic about finishing. It was a little too weird: Not sweet enough, not savory enough… something.

But when said pie sat in the fridge overnight, something magical happened. The flavors melded. The texture improved. While I’ll still tweak a few things next time, this is now a pie worth eating. I think.

The recipe below includes a few of those added tweaks, such as a glaze and a little more seasoning.

I’m still not sure if it’s a winner, but it’s definitely worth a shot, if you’re brave. I actually like it.

Just keep it in the fridge overnight, will ya?

**************************

Savory Apple Pie with Pork and Gluten-Free Cheddar Crust
Serves 6-8

Crust:

  • 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 c. cold butter, cut into small cubes
  • 2-3 T. cold water
  • Extra GF flour for dusting your work surface

Filling:

  • 1 lb. pork loin (I used breakfast chops that were on sale), small dice
  • 1 tsp. veg. oil
  • 1/2 c. yellow onion, small dice
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 c. apple cider
  • 1 tsp. dried sage (1 1/2 tsp. if using fresh)
  • 4 whole allspice
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 T. gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • 1 c. milk
  • 3 medium Granny Smith apples
  • 3 medium Gala apples
  • 2 T. sugar (plain, but Turbinado [raw sugar] would be nice)

Glaze:

  • 1/2 c. apple cider

The crust can be made with regular, all-purpose flour if nobody in your family requires gluten-free. I tried a new GF blend, Gluten Free Pantry, with good results.

Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl, then stir in the cheese until thoroughly combined. Cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry cutter until you get a sandy-looking mixture. Sprinkle in the water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing with your hand until the dough just holds together. You may not need all the water.

Press half the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate, working up the sides. (If you absolutely must roll it out old-school, be my guest, but this recipe works fine pressed in.) On a floured surface, roll the remainder into a disc to cover the entire top, or a flat piece for cutting out shapes. (I did this on a small flexible cutting mat that could be easily moved to the fridge.) Place both the pie plate and top into the fridge for now.

Place your diced pork loin and oil into a hot pot (I used my Dutch oven, but anything largish will work) and stir a couple minutes to sear. Turn down the heat to medium and add the yellow onion and salt. Cook another couple minutes to soften the onions, stirring occasionally.

Add the cup of apple cider, sage, whole allspice and bay leaf, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and cover. Cook this over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pork is tender. Remove the allspice and the bay leaf.

In a small bowl, mix the 3 T. flour and milk until well combined. Watch for lumps! (The pie pictured used a 1/4 c. flour and less milk and was way too thick.) Stir this slurry slowly (say that five times fast) into the pork mixture and simmer, stirring, until it’s just thickened up.

Peel and slice the apples very thinly. I used a Pampered Chef apple corer/slicer/peeler (I know, chefs, don’t judge me!) with good results. If you go this route, cut your resulting spirals at least in half, maybe quarters so they’ll come apart. Sprinkle with lemon juice or Fruit Fresh if you do this a bit ahead. I did this while the pork was simmering in the cider.

Remove the pie plate with bottom crust from the fridge. Place half the pork mixture in the crust. On top of that, place all the apples, sprinkling with sugar as you go to evenly distribute it. And over the apples, place the last of the pork mixture, spreading it evenly across the top.

Place the remaining crust over the top and shape as desired, with vents or designs, or cut several shapes to place over the top.

While the pie is in the oven, reduce the 1/2 c. apple cider in a small saucepan until just thickened, and cool slightly.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes. When there are 10 minutes left, remove the pie from the oven, brush on the cider glaze using a pastry brush, and return to the oven for the final 10 minutes or until the crust is finished and browned.

Chills and reheats well.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Gluten Free, Main Course Tagged With: apple, cheddar, cheese, crust, Gluten-free, pie, pork, savory

At the Market — Daley Dairy and Honeysuckle Lane Raw Milk Cheese

September 2, 2009 by arfoodie

*Put on your Golden Girls hats and follow me, here…*

Picture it: Sicily, 1943. I was walking down the streets with your father, and we decided to stop by our favorite little café for a sandwich. Louis had been in there all morning baking the most amazing bread that had sun-dried tomatoes and basil, and…. oh, the cheese. It was the most amazing, tangy, fresh, creamy cheese you ever had. We asked if Louis would just grill the two together, and he obliged. It was heaven on a plate! Crispy, creamy, snappy…unlike any nasty, processed old grilled cheese you let my grandchildren eat today. Then Louis stepped to the side a bit, and we saw his assistant behind the counter — a cow named Bessie! She mooed loudly. Louis said she was asking how we liked the cheese, as she had tried extra hard that day…

Mom, you’re making that up!

Why, yes, I was making that up, but it was based on reality. The bread was made last week by Shane Henderson at Argenta Market (profile on them another day), and the amazing cheese was made by the Daley family of Daley Dairy, makers of Honeysuckle Lane Raw Milk Cheese in Rosebud. And yes, the sandwich was real. And it was amazing.

As I have said earlier, I’m using the Argenta Certified Arkansas Farmers’ Market to learn more about whole foods and add more of them to my diet. This past Saturday, I added white cheddar raw milk cheese to my repertoire, purchased from Daley Dairy’s tent.

Happy, grass-fed, pastured cows are the milk-makers at Daley Dairy.

Happy, grass-fed, pastured cows are the milk-makers at Daley Dairy.

When I purchased the cheese, it didn’t even dawn on me what “raw milk” meant. But after a bit of research on the dairy’s website and elsewhere, I have learned that it basically means the cheese is not pasteurized. As Ray Daley, Jr. states on the farm’s website:

We all grew up hearing that “pasturized” was a great thing. And it is. But sometimes, there are better ways.

Pasteurization kills the potentially harmful bacteria in milk, but it also kills the good bacteria, those that help with digestion and even some that kill other bad bugs. It also reduces vitamin content and other goodies such as CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which contributes to lean muscle development.

This is a huge battle between the naysayers and those who claim significant health benefits from using raw milk, one that I won’t get into right this minute. As a new user, I can’t really speak to the subject with expertise. But it is generally accepted that cheese made from raw milk is safe, under very specific conditions as outlined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Raw Milk Cheese Association defines the product simply:

Cheese produced from milk that, prior to setting the curd, has not been heated above the temperature of the milk (104°F, 40°C) at the time of milking and that the cheese produced from that milk shall be aged for 60 days or longer at a temperature of not less than 35°F (2°C) in accordance with US FDA regulations.

All that to say, Daley Dairy’s cheese is safe, for several reasons:

  1. The cows are grass-fed and pastured, meaning they are much less susceptible to disease and do not require all the antibiotics given stall-raised cows. Their diet also makes milk that is safer and more stable.
  2. The dairy only sells semi-firm cheeses (colby and cheddars), which are very stable when properly treated.

    Putting the 60-day chill on cheese at Daley Dairy.

    Putting the 60-day chill on cheese at Daley Dairy.

  3. They vacuum-pack the cheeses immediately and age them in cold storage for at least 60 days.

Want to know more? There’s a very nice article here on Serious Eats on the subject. Or you can read more on safety and “raw benefits” at the Daley’s website.

All that talk about safety has gotten me away from the subject at hand. This cheese is just darn tasty! It has a slightly different crumb, so to speak, than your average cheese; an excellent mix of firmness and creaminess. And I really enjoyed the tang brought from the cultured raw milk (good bacteria that wasn’t killed) and the vegetable rennet used to create the cheese. Hubby and I had a hankering the other day for a good ol’ grilled cheese sandwich, and we had a little of the aforementioned bread left over. Grill pan + butter + amazing, locally made bread + equally amazing, locally made cheese = WOW!

As hubby would say, dip that in your tomato soup and eat it.

Game time! How about a quiz?


Filed Under: Resources Tagged With: cheddar, cheese, Daley Dairy, Honeysuckle Lane, milk, raw milk

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