Pesto Mashed Potatoes

Last Autumn I made an amazing potato soup with pesto and chorizo. It was so flavorful and well, slurped down in seconds.

I don't think I made enough.

So while reminiscing about that lovely, butter-rific potato soup, I thought, how can I slightly lighten this dish up? I could eat this soup everyday, and my thighs will hang on to it for far too long. And the already brutal lunges would be even more unbearable! Anyone do those? They hurt so good.

So while brainstorming, I came up with something I've never seen, but I am sure the genius foodies who reads my blog (rolling their eyes perhaps?): Pesto Mashed Potatoes! I am a pesto fiend. I make a batch at least once a week. It's an amazing on sandwiches, burgers, salads, dressings, the uses are endless!


This dish is so quick to put together  and even quicker if you're using store-bought pesto. It's gorgeous on a plate and you can tell kids it's radioactive mashed potatoes...ok, don't. If they're anything like mine anyway!
I made this incredibly flavored mashed potatoes with cowboy steaks, and it was a perfect pairing. Try this new (to me) take on mashed potatoes! Hope you enjoy!

Pesto Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
2 to 2 1/2 lbs russet or yukon gold potatoes (or whatever potatoes you use for mashing!)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temp *
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk, warmed (add more or less depending on what consistency you prefer!)

* you can add butter to milk when you warm it in the microwave or stove-top
For Pesto
You can use store-bought pesto or homemade!
Recipe:
2 cups of fresh parsley or basil loosely packed, chopped
1/4 or 1/3 cup of Parmigiano- Reggiano or Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds (toasted optional)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to your taste

Directions
Peel potato and chop however you prefer. Place in pot and cover with salted water and bring to boil. This took me about 10 minutes, yours may vary so watch! After it's been brought to a boil, turn heat down to low and allow to simmer for  about 10 minutes or until tender!

Drain potatoes, then add back to pot. Turn your burner up to high and stir constantly for 30 seconds to minute to allow potatoes to dry!  You don't want watery mash potatoes, do you?

Now place potatoes in a bowl. Mash to the consistency you like, then add milk and butter and mix- do not add salt. At this point, you can separate un-pestoed and pesto mashed potatoes for those who do not want green potatoes on their plate.

To the potatoes you want pestoed (that's a word on this post, k?), add about 3 tablespoons of pesto. Mix, and done! To the potatoes you don't want pesto, add salt and pepper to your taste. Voila! Everyone's happy. And if you want the whole pot pesto, add 1/4 cup of pesto! I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Braised Lamb with Hokkaido Squash and Swiss Cheese Mash

The name of the recipe sounds more intimidating than it really it is. It's actually pretty simple. For Christmas, my husband bought me two cookbooks, one of the two was Gary Rhodes Cookery Year: Fall into Winter. Whenever my husband gifts me with a cookbook, it's sort of a present for himself as well, because he's the first to dive in looking for recipes he'd like for me to try. It's perfectly fine, though! I love to try new things and  the recipes he usually chooses are very different from anything I would think to try myself.


The cut of lamb that I actually braised was the shanks and arm chops. Why? Well, originally I just wanted 4 lamb shanks, but my local butcher, a halal butcher, only had two left. There were also some lamb arm chops available which I read are actually really good to braise so I bought two of those. Lamb shank is cut from the arm of shoulder, contains leg bone and part of round shoulder bone, and is covered by a thin layer of fat and fell (a thin, paperlike covering). This cut of lamb is pretty tough, so one of the best cooking method for it is braising or slow cooking to get that meat nice and fall from the bone tender! It's also a very cheap cut, so this meal looks fancy, but it's pretty cheap! Perfect for an elegant Valentine's dinner on a budget!

The flavor of the lamb was perfection, but not as strong due to long simmering, made fancy with a red wine, and aromatics. The squash with the gruyere cheese was truly a delight. I am not a fan of swiss cheese, but the delighful collaboration on the nutty, slightly sweet squash and the bold, creamy gruyere was absolutely divine. This would make an heavenly side dish with any meal. Originally this recipe called for pumpkin, but from the time I read through the recipe I knew I was going to use hokkaido squash instead! Please give this a try if you want impress your loved ones, lover(s), friends hell anyone. You're welcome ;)



Braised Lamb Shanks With Hokkaido Squash and Swiss Cheese Mash
Slight changes from Gary Rhodes: Cookery Year, pg 59
Printable Recipe
Ingredients
4 lamb shanks
Salt and Pepper
2-3 tablespoons cooking oil
Large knob of butter (heaping tablespoon)
2 onions, each cut into 6 wedges
2 carrots ut into 1/2 inch slices
3 celery sticks, cut into 1/2 inch slices
4 garlic cloves
Large sprig of thyme
2 bay leaves
Juice of 2 oranges and rind of 1
1 bottle full-bodied wine
600ml or 1 pint water
Generous pinch of turbinado sugar
Cornstarch, optional

For Squash
2 1/4lb hokkaido squash, peeled, seeded, and diced about an inch wide
Large knob of butter (heaping tablespoon)
1 heaping tablespoon shallots, chopped finely
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoon greek yogurt
2 or 3 oz Gruyere cheese, grated

Directions
Preheat oven to 325F (160 C). Season lamb with salt and pepper. Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan. roasting pan or dutch oven with cover. When at a medium heat, place the lamb in pan and slowly fry until golden brown all over. This will take up to 15-20 minutes and  a good percentage of the lamb fat will be released. Remove from pan keep warm on plate covered in aluminum foil. Discard any lamb fat and return pan.


Add knob of butter and then add cut vegetables,  garlic cloves, thyme, and bay leaves in the pot. Cook over moderated heat they begin to soften, about 10-15 minutes.


 At this point, add orange juice, orange rind, red wine, 600 ml or 1 pint water and turbinado sugar. Bring to a simmer.

Add lamb to the pot, cover, and put pot into preheated oven.


The secret to really good lamb shanks is to cook them very slowly. This will take about 2-3 hours, be sure to check every 30 minutes, turning and basting the lamb joints, and checking their tenderness. This will quite easily be identified by applying slight pressure by hand or with a spoon- the meat should give, almost wanting to fall from the bone. During the cooking time, should the simmering process be too lively, simply reduce temperature of the oven. After 2 hours have a good check. If still slight firm, leave for another 30 to 60 minutes to achieve perfect carve with spoon texture.

Once cooked, carefully lift the shanks from the pot and keep warm to one side, Strain the liquid through a sieve. If you wish, to serve th vegetables, garlic and herbs, they can be kept with the lamb. The cooking liquid can be served as thin or thick as you want. Be sure to skim impurities from top of liquid during simmering and not to reduce more than half or else wine flavor with be too intense with the lamb. If your looking for a thicker consistency, simply add a tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk briskly until combined, then thickened. Return  shanks and vegetables (if desired) to liquid and warm through for 10-15 minutes.



For Squash

The last 30 minutes the shanks are braising, prepare squash. Add large knob of butter to saucepan, and once bubbling, add shallots. Cook for a few minutes then add squash. Gently cook with out covering, then add 4 tablespoons of water, then cover with lid.

 Cook for 10-15 minutes gently stirring occasionally. Once cooked, drain, then add to serving dish and mash. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg; then add greek yogurt. Spread out nicely, then add grated gruyere cheese. By this time, shanks should be out of oven, so preheat the broiler, then broil squash until cheese turns golden and bubbly.


Serve along with lamb and veggies. Enjoy! preferably with a glass of red!

Autumn Macaroni and Cheese: Mommy's Little Secret

Red Kuri Squash. Ever heard of it? Hey you super foodie in the back, calm your nerves, we know you know! I've heard of it, but honestly never even crossed my mind to cook with it. When I see these lil pumpkin look-a-likes, I thought of them as just that- baby pumpkins. Some places even paint faces on them and I always thought of them as decoration. Red Kuri Squash or Rote Hokkaido as it's called here in Germany is a winter squash that's available year-around. The outside should be slightly rough not shiny to indicate its ripeness. 

I visited fellow expatriate in Europe, Spicie Foodie and she inspired me to find great potential for this squash. Her  addiction...erm..love for this lovely winter squash literally made my mouth water. Then the recipe she produced made me want to try this even more! Suddenly I had an awesome idea looking at how the pasta sauce cling beautifully to the spiral pasta.....MAC N CHEESE! My 4 year-old LOVES mac n cheese. He'll eat mac n cheese over a candy bar.  He'll eat mac n cheese over meeting his fave superhero Ben 10, he'll choose mac n cheese over hanging out with ME. Haha. So after reading about the delicate flavor and slight nuttiness of this squash, I thought of a mac n cheese recipe Ellie Krieger did with frozen butternut squash puree as the base. So with that in mind, I had the perfect recipe in mind.

Then Wednesday morning, my 4 year-old woke up with a very swollen face. I screamed! I was in such shock. The day before some kid at his kindergarten pushed him and his face had a rash and his mouth was cut. So I wasn't sure if this child pushed him into something that he is potentially allergic to, but I for sure freaked out! After rushing him to the doctor and the doctor performing a bunch of tests, we were told he was OK. Just to keep an eye on him and he'll call back with the lab results. He was OK and his urine samples came back negative for potential kidney issues, so to celebrate and comfort my lil man, I decided to make the mac n cheese for him that day instead during the weekend. 

While researching this squash, I did not find much about how to prep it. I read that you can just roast it for 45 minutes then remove the seeds. I, of course did it the hard way. But, I am still learning about food, and I tend to like to do things the slow way especially for others who are interested!

Autumn 3 Cheese Macaroni

Ingredients

For Squash Puree:

1 medium red Kuri squash

3 T olive oil

Coarse Salt and Pepper

1 T Heavy Cream

For Macaroni and Cheese

3/4 pound of cavatappi noodles or any noodles of you choice. In Germany they're called Cellatani

1 1/4 cups of heavy cream 

Squash Puree (recipe above) or 1 pack of frozen butternut squash (or any winter squash)

3/4 cup grated smoked Gouda cheese, packed lightly

1/2 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese, packed lightly

1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese

1 or 1 1/2 t kosher salt

Pepper

1/4 - 1/2 t hot sauce

1 t ground mustard

For topping

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1/2 cup Japanese Panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Wash the squash well, then remove stem. Cut in half carefully using a bread knife or knife with ridges. I always find those the easiest when dealing with squash. Again, you can buy any pre-cut winter squash or frozen purees!

Remove seeds with a spoon.

Cut squash into 4 pieces for easy peeling. Peel the skin using a potato peeler or paring knife for this. 

Using a all-purpose of chef's knife, chop squash into 1 inch pieces. Add to a baking sheet then add olive oil, salt and pepper. Add squash to preheated oven. 

Roast for about 40 minutes stirring halfway through.

Put roasted squash into a bowl. Refrain from munching on them. With a potato masher, smush these babies like crazy until there's no chunks left. 

Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream for a touch of creaminess. Again, refrain from munching!  Set aside. 

Increase oven temperature to 375F

Spray a 10 by 15 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large pot, bring water to boil. Add noodles and cook until just al dente, about 9 to 10 minutes. Drain, then set aside.

In another pan, add heavy cream, squash puree. Turn heat on medium. Stir together until well mixed.

Heat until the mixture is about to boil. A nice simmer is what you're looking for.

Remove pot from heat, then add cheeses, ground mustard, salt and pepper, and hot sauce, and stir well until combined.

Add noodles and toss until combined.

Add to prepared baking dish. Combine Pecorino Romano and Japanese bread crumbs in a small bowl. 

Sprinkle evenly on top of the noodles.

Put into oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Allow to rest 5 minutes after removing from oven and voila! 

My son LOVED this. My macaroni and cheese snob of a husband? LOVED this! My picky Ninja Baby? Ate all of mine! So yeah, my son couldn't tell there was anything squash in this and I am not telling him until he's 18 years old! The slightly salty crunchiness of the cheese and bread crumb topping made this shine. This is most certainly a must try. 

How I Got My Husband To Eat Spinach!

My husband isn't a big spinach fan. Well, he loves raw spinach, but not cooked spinach. I remember one of the first things I cooked for my husband was a vegetarian lasagna and the main ingredient was spinach. The lovely smell of lasagna filled the house and while my mouth was watering, my husband just gave me a nervous smile. Time to eat, he took a few bites and confessed. I wasn't offended, but I did feel bad. He DID help me and didn't say anything!! Men. ;)

So since then, I only cooked spinach for myself and whenever I prepared a spinach dish for the family, it's always raw. But last night, I HAD to try yet another recipe from my Pampered Chef Cookbook, "Cooking For Two and More." This recipe features salmon, cream cheese, and spinach wrapped in phyllo dough. How yummy is that? And guess what? The husband enthusiastically agreed! Even my spinach phobic 4 year-old gobbled this down. Pair this with easy Skillet Lemon-Rosemary Potatoes and you have an easy, yet elegant looking meal on your hands!

This is a perfect mid week meal and the variations are endless!

Salmon & Spinach in Phyllo
Adapted from Pampered Chef's "Cooking  for Two and More"


Ingredients
1 t olive oil
4 cups of spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8  (9 x 14 inches) thawed, frozen phyllo
Nonstick cooking spray
2 skinless salmon fillets (4-6 oz each), about 1 1/2 inch thick)
2 T chive and onion or any flavored cream cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 425F, Heat oil in a skillet until hot. Add spinach; season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Remoce spinach to paper towel-lined plate. Squeeze out access moisture; set aside.

Lay out phyllo on large work surface and spray with cooking spray. Place second sheet of phyllo over first, pressing sheets together to seal. Continue laying down  and spraying phyllo sheet to create a stack of four sheets of phyllo. Repeat with remaining phyllo and additional cooking spray to create another phyllo stack.

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Spread each salmon fillet with half of the cream cheese spread and top with half of the spinach. For each phyllo bundle, place salmon, spinach side down, on phyllo stack 2 inches from bottom edge of the short side. Fold long side of phyllo in toward center, Gently roll up phyllo from bottom to top. Place in a small rimmed roastin pan seam side down. Make three diagonal slits across top of each bundle. Spray each bundle with cooking spray and bake for 11-13 minutes or until center of salmon registers 130F and phyllo is golden brown. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before serving.


Lemon-Rosemary Skillet Potatoes
About 4 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T butter
2 T fresh rosemary, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 T lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
Put potatoes in a large pan and cover with cold water. Parboil for about 10-15 minutes on medium high. You want firm, not mushy potatoes! You want to do this so they cook quickly and evenly in the skillet.

Now drain the potatoes and dry the potatoes with a paper towel as much as possible. In a skillet, preferable a cast-iron, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add potatoes in one layer, turn every so often to ensure potatoes brown well; about 10 minutes.

Once potatoes are golden brown, lower heat to medium add garlic rosemary, salt and pepper turning frequently. After about 2 minutes, add lemon juice. Stir for one minute, then serve.

 Easy peasy. Crispy on the outside, nice and fluffy on the inside. This was the biggest hit with the baby! Great for folks with small ovens like me!



Sorry no progress photos, was alone with three hungry children and had to work quickly with the phyllo!! It is so simple as you will see!