Puréed Roasted Squash And Yams With Citrus Recipes

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert or a mesh colander in a large pot and add enough water to reach the bottom of the steamer. Place the sweet potatoes in the steamer and bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat, and cook over simmering water for about 25 minutes, until very tender. Check occasionally to be sure the water doesn't boil away.
• Transfer the sweet potatoes to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, slowly add the half-and-half, orange zest, orange juice, cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. With the mixer still on low, add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Taste for seasonings and mix until smooth. Serve hot.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with foil and brush the foil with olive oil. Cut the squash in half lengthwise (see below) and scoop out the seeds and fibers. Lay on the baking sheet, cut side down. Pierce the sweet potatoes in several places with the tip of a paring knife and place them on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake 1 hour, or until the potatoes and squash are thoroughly tender when pierced with a knife. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
• Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a saucepan and add the zests. Boil for 3 minutes and drain.
• When the squash and sweet potatoes are tender, remove the skins and mash the rest with a fork, potato masher or standing mixer fitted with the paddle, or put it through a food mill. (A food processor makes the mixture too watery, Ms. Kasper says.) Stir in the citrus zest, the cinnamon, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Scrape the mixture into a heavy skillet or saucepan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is thick and steamy. Serve hot.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place squash on a baking sheet, flesh-side up.
• Roast in the preheated oven until tender and slightly brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool until easily handled.
• Scoop flesh into a food processor; pulse until smooth. Add chicken stock, 1/4 cup at a time, while continuing to pulse, until smooth. Season puree with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash halves, skin side up, on an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fork-tender, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven. Turn over; let stand until cool enough to handle.
• Scoop the flesh into a food processor, and discard skin. Puree until smooth. Refrigerate squash puree in an airtight container up to 4 days or store in the freezer up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Working with one brussels sprout at a time, peel off each individual leaf, starting from the outside and working toward the middle. Continue to peel until you get to the tough core where it is just too tight to pull any more leaves. Discard the core and put the leaves in a big bowl. Repeat with the remaining brussels sprouts.
• Over medium heat, warm the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add all of the brussels sprout leaves and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and maple syrup and toss to coat. Add the spinach to the pan and toss until it is just barely wilted. It is better just slightly underdone in this case, as it will continue to cook in its own heat.
• Sprinkle with the salt and Marcona almonds and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Stir coriander seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until darkened in color and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Cool seeds; grind in spice mill or enclose in plastic bag and crush finely with mallet. Place seeds in small bowl. Mix in butter, sugar, orange peel, and lemon peel. Season butter with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Spray heavy large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss yams and olive oil in large bowl to coat. Spread yams in single layer on prepared sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate on sheet.)
• Drop butter onto yams in small dollops. Roast until heated through, glazed, and browned, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes (or 25 minutes if refrigerated). Season with salt and pepper. Mound in bowl; sprinkle with parsley.

Steps:

• To make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, juice and honey. Season with salt.
• In a small sauté pan, toast the pecans over medium heat. Allow to cool.
• Mix together the endive, arugula, apple and cherries (or cranberries) in a medium-size bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Top with the pecans and goat cheese (optional).

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray large baking sheet with cooking spray. Place squash and yams on prepared baking sheet, cut side down. Roast until very tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Scoop out flesh and transfer to large saucepan. Mash with potato masher until smooth. Stir in broth and ras el hanout. Season puree to taste with salt and pepper. (Puree can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, and sugar. Sauté until onions are golden brown and tender, about 15 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm before continuing.)
• Bring puree to simmer, adding more broth to thin if necessary. Stir in 3/4 of onion-bell pepper mixture. Transfer to serving bowl. Top with remaining onion-bell pepper mixture and serve.

Steps:

• Place the cashew pieces in a bowl and cover with cool water. Cover and place in the fridge to soak for four hours.
• Thoroughly drain the soaked cashews and combine with the chopped mint, lemon juice, water and salt in a blender. Purée, pausing to scrape down the sides of the canister with a spatula as needed, until completely silky-smooth. This process may take longer if you use a lower-powered blender, but stick with it; that creamy texture is important. Stir in the cucumber pieces by hand. Store in an air-tight container and keep refrigerated prior to serving.
• For the filling, heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat before adding the shallots and jalapeno. Cook until translucent, then add the cumin and mustard seeds. Cook until the entire mixture is highly aromatic, about a minute. Add the lentils and broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the liquid has absorbed and lentils are tender. Add the coconut milk and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Keep the pot partially covered and simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Cover and keep warm.
• As the lentils cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut both squash in half lengthwise and scoop out (but reserve) seeds. Place each half with the cut sides down on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces the flesh. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before handling.
• Reduce oven to 250 degrees and toss the reserved seeds with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and roast for 10 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent them from burning. Once golden and crisp, remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Flip the roasted delicata squashes up to turn them into boats and spoon the warm lentils inside. Serve the cashew raita alongside for guests to top their squashes as desired and finish with a sprinkle of roasted seeds.