Squash and Sage Pasta

This recipe was passed along by a good friend of mine, someone who knows so much more about food than me! Mercy knows a ton about food and also believes in cooking using only fresh, organic ingredients, especially when she's cooking for her two young children. So when she passed this recipe to me and said she cooked it for her kids, I knew I had to try it!

Right off the bat, I had to make a few alterations to it, simply because we didn't have the main ingredient - frozen pumpkin- in the house! First, I'll present the recipe as Mercy gave it to me. Then I'll post the recipe with my own alterations.

Ingredients:

Frozen squash (one 10oz bag for every 2 people).

Fresh or dried sage (at least 2 tbsp)

4 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp butter

Cooked pasta (bowties or penne)

Directions:

 

1. Cook the squash in a pan with  2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter.
   
2. Set aside in a dish.
   
3. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter in a pan.
4. Add in the sage and cook until the aromas are released.
5. Add in the squash mixture to sage. Stir to combine.
6. Toss the cooked pasta into the sauce mixture.
7. Salt and pepper to taste.

Now, as I mentioned, we didn't have frozen squash, so we had to change it up a little bit. Here's my interpretation of the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 fresh squash 

Fresh sage (at least 2 tbsp)

4 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp butter

1 cup half and half cream

Cooked pasta - I used fresh ravioli stuffed with basil and romano cheese.

Directions:

1.  Cube the squash.
   
2. Set inside a microwavable bowl, half full with water.
3. Microwave on high for about 10 minutes, or until squash is soft enough to pierce with a fork.
4. Put the squash in a deep pan or wok with  2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter. 
   
5. Stir on medium heat while lightly mashing the squash.
6. Puree squash in a food processor. 
7. Set aside in a dish.
   
8. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter in a pan.
9. Add in the sage and cook until the aromas are released.
10. Add in the squash mixture to sage. Stir to combine.
11. Fold in the cream and stir to combine.
12. Salt and pepper to taste.
13. Toss the cooked pasta into the sauce mixture.

So essentially, the recipes are the same, with just a few alterations. 

Another change I would make next time is to use only 1/2 cup of cream, and use 1/2 to 3/4 cup of vegetable broth to thin the sauce a bit. The sauce came out really thick!

However, I would definitely NOT change the combination of the sage, butter, and squash... It was so sweet and so flavourful! This is definitely going to become a staple recipe. 

What do you really know about food?

To my delight, the latest edition of Carleton's Alumni magazine came to me in the mail, and it was all about FOOD! The lead headline on the front cover read, "What's for dinner... is it safe?". The magazine touched on a number of issues, from the global food crisis, to fast food, to how children's food is marketed. All around, it was a great read, cover to cover. 

There was one quote in particular that really struck me. From the headlining article "What's for dinner... is it safe?", Professor Louise Heslop of the Sprott School of Business said, "We stopped cooking and now we know nothing about food preparation. We don't understand food anymore because life changed." Heslop goes on to discuss the reasons why we've lost touch with our food - households with multiple careers, and mainly the fact that our lifestyle is one that demands convenience. Furthermore, Professor Heslop reiterates that we often have no clue where our food comes from or what processes it went through to get to our dinner tables. Think about it - how many preservatives do you think is in that microwavable meatloaf that you see advertised on TV? Where did the meat come from? What sort of processes has it gone through to ensure that it stays preserved? In the past, we used to grow our own food in the garden, so we were well-aware of where the food came from. Can you tell me where the apple you ate at lunch was grown? What about the hamburger you ordered from that restaurant on the weekend? 

My goal with this blog is to help educate myself about food and its preparation. It is so important to be aware of what you eat and how it's prepared. That's not to say that I don't indulge in some KD every now and then (talk about processed food!), but my goal isn't to cut that stuff out immediately. My goal is to take a ride on the learning curve, and slowly ease myself into understanding food and appreciating it for its natural, unprocessed goodness. 

So next time you're thinking about dinner, think about making something yourself using local, organic produce, and minimizing the amount of pre-made ingredients. Whether it's a psychological phenomenon or what, food that you've made yourself tastes so much better. Give it a try and let me know how it works out!

Easy Antojitos!

The other weekend (forgive me for the late post!) Rob and I tested out a recipe for antojitos, which I got from foodtv.ca. It's a recipe by Christine Cushing, from an episode entitled "Student Food". Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cloves of garlic, minced

8 flour tortillas

1 avocado, sliced

3 roasted red peppers, sliced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

juice of 1 lime

1 cup of grated cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mash beans with a fork or potato masher. 

2. Add garlic, lime juice, and spices.

3. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Spread black bean mix evenly onto the tortillas.

5. Sprinkle with avocado, roasted red pepper, and cheese.

6. Roll and slice into 1 inch pieces.

Rob and I thought these would be better baked for a little while. I also found that maybe there was too much cheese. (I know, can there ever really be too much cheese!?).

The lime juice added a nice kick to the black bean mix. Maybe some diced jalapenos woud be good too?

This was an easy recipe, and is pretty healthy (much healthier if you leave out the cheese... but really, who does that? hahaha)

Enjoy!