Day: November 21, 2024

Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Chard Pasta

This colorful pasta dish is pretty healthy and very tasty. Not too tricky either. I have enjoyed it many times in the years. It makes 4 satisfying servings.

It showcases roasted cubes of butternut squash and tender melt-in-your-mouth Swiss chard. My amounts are somewhat approximate.  I used gf fettuccine noodles. Don’t overcook them! You could buy pre-peeled and cubed squash to save time. I used some I grew this fall and honestly it didn’t take long to peel and cube it. I suggest you roast the cubes from a whole squash and use as much as you think works for you. Valley Farms has great fresh Swiss chard; that’s where I get mine if I don’t grow it myself.  I have made this recipe with thick cut bacon, if that is what you have; go for it.  I got a package of chopped pancetta at Giant for a decent price. It will keep a few days in the fridge.

Butternut, Pancetta and Chard Pasta

Ingredients:

1 bunch Swiss chard, I like the red or white stemmed variety, rinsed off

3-4 tbsp. EVOL

1 cup or so of diced red onion; one decent sized one

1 lg garlic clove minced

1 medium butternut squash; peeled, seeded and cubed; at least a pound in weight

4 oz pancetta, diced

10-12 oz dried gf fettucine noodles.

Good quality Parmesan cheese to grate on plated entree

Directions:

Roast the squash; heat the oven to 400 degrees, spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray; spread the cubed squash, drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp of EVOL and ½ tsp. kosher or sea salt, bake at 400 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes; turn cubes every 20 minutes with a metal spatula to help them cook evenly, a bit of crunch is nice! Start the rest of the recipe as they approach doneness or bake the squash a day before if that works for you. Have done it both ways. Crunchier if made right before serving

Heat a large pot of salted water for the pasta while you make the chard.  Chop it into 1 inch lengths; set the chopped leaves aside separately from the lower stem bits. Heat the EVOL in a large frying pan or smallish wok. Add the stems and cook 2-3 minutes, add garlic, stir, add the onion; cook 3-5 minutes until softening. Add rest of chard in 2-3 handfuls letting it cook down for a minute before stirring and adding the next third. Then push the veggies up the sides or to the edges and add the pancetta. Push the veggies gently back around and over the pancetta. Cook 2-3 minutes until the pancetta is hot and the chard is soft.  Meanwhile you have cooked the pasta to al dente. Add it to the pan with the chard, stir, add the roasted squash cubes. Stir. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top; none of that pre-grated crappy cheese please! Enjoy!

swiss chard pasta plated

Not sure where I found this recipe, but it is a keeper; we generally enjoy it in the fall as chard and squash are fall harvest vegetables.

Pecan Pie: Thanksgiving Classic!

Thanksgiving pie – you gotta have it. Posted my go-to pumpkin pie recipe the other day.  Here is another classic pie. This is my favorite pecan pie recipe; been making it for a long while and I have shared the recipe before but not on this blog; right out of Betty Crocker, just now with a gluten free crust.  I add an extra quarter cup pecans to make the pie a bit fatter and I always use dark Karo syrup; it is really the only one you should use if you want a great result. The next time I bake it I want to test it with coconut palm sugar instead of granulated sugar in the filling. I love the lower spot for it on the hypoglycemic index so lately I use it whenever possible.

karopecans

I often don’t need a whole pecan pie so I make a half batch of filling to fill four flat bottom tartlets filled with pecan yumminess. Just a thought if you don’t want a whole big pie.  My tartlets were baked in 30-35 minutes.  They were scrumptious.

Pecan pie is awesome on its own but is also great with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  A classic never goes out of style.  It looks just like pecan pie should; rich, dark and chock full of pecan halves. The crust is tender and flaky: it tastes exactly like the best pecan pie ever: no one will ever know it is gf!

pecan-pie

I keep forgetting to take a pic of my pie; this is from McCormick Spices but looks a lot like mine.

Angie’s GF Pecan Pie 

Crust:

1 c plus 2 tbsp brown rice flour mix aka King Arthur basic gf blend (diy recipe is at the bottom of this recipe)

2 Tbsp sweet rice flour

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

6 Tbsp. cold butter cut into 6 chunks

1 lg egg

2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice

Directions: Spray a 9-inch metal pie pan with cooking spray, dust with white rice flour.  I don’t usually bother with this but feel free to take this extra caution. A glass pie tin works too.

Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer.  Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal.  Add egg and juice.  Mix until it comes together into big chunks.  Shape into a ball with your hands. Put it on a crust sized piece of wax paper (14 x 14 inches more or less), flatten the crust ball some; put on top of it another piece of wax paper and chill it all in your fridge 15-20 minutes while you get the rest ready. I use an OXO pie bag that is great for rolling out gf crust…better than wax paper by far.

Filling:

3 large eggs

2/3 c sugar (try coconut palm sugar!)

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup very soft or melted butter

1 cup dark corn syrup

1 1/4 cups pecan halves

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions: Beat eggs, sugar, salt, butter and corn syrup until well mixed, can use a hand held mixer.  Stir in pecans and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Roll out pie crust between the two sheets of wax paper or in a pie bag; try to get the thickness even, no thick middle is allowed! Peel off one side of paper and place in pie pan, centered.  Remove other slice of wax paper.  Crimp edges all around.  Fill with pecan mix.  Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 40-50 minutes until the filling is set.  Cool at least 1 hour before serving at room temperature or slightly chilled.

 

Brown Rice Flour Mix (same as King Arthur’s gf flour blend)
2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour