GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Jenny Thull, Assistant Vineyard Manager at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's Horticultural Research Center, has some tasty squash recipes for the fall weather.
Sweet Dumpling Squash Tart with Fried Sage
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed (from a 17.3-ounce package)
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
• 12 1/8"-thick rounds Sweet Dumpling Squash or Delicata Squash (preferably Honeyboat Delicata)
• kosher salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 thinly sliced Fresno, jalapeño, or red Thai chile
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan
• black pepper
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently roll out 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed (from a 17.3-ounce package) on a lightly floured surface to a 10" square (just enough to even out). Transfer to prepared sheet.
2. Brush pastry with 1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water. Arrange twelve 1/8"-thick rounds Sweet Dumpling squash over pastry, overlapping as needed and leaving a 1/2" border. Place another sheet of parchment paper over squash. Set another large rimmed baking sheet over the tart. (This will weigh down the pastry dough and steam the squash slices.)
3. Bake until bottom of pastry begins to brown and top begins to puff, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove top baking sheet and discard top sheet of parchment paper. Brush squash slices with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with kosher salt. Return tart, uncovered, to oven and bake until pastry is deep golden brown and cooked through, 25-30 minutes longer.
5. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup honey, 1 thinly sliced Fresno, jalapeño, or red Thai chile, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat (add another thinly sliced chile if more heat is desired). Boil until thickened slightly and syrupy, about 6 minutes.
6. Line a plate with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet until just beginning to smoke. Add 12 fresh sage leaves; fry until crisp, about 30 seconds. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
7. Slice tart. Arrange 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan on top; drizzle with chile-infused honey. Garnish with fried sage leaves and a few grinds of black pepper.
Jenny Thull’s Speckled Hound Pumpkin Pie
Yield: One 9-inch Pie
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 and ¼ cup Unbleached All-purpose Flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons cold vodka
2 tablespoons cold water
For the filling:
1 cup Heavy cream
1 cup Whole Milk
3 Large Eggs plus two large yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 ounces of Speckled Hound Squash puree (Or any pumpkin puree, but Speckled Hound is the best!)
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup Maple Syrup
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions:
For the crust:
Process 3/4 cup flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses
Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining).
Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses.
Empty mixture into medium bowl
Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 400°F.
Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side.
Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Using thumb and forefinger, flute edge of dough. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.
Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights. Bake on rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and rotate plate, and bake 5 to 10 additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove pie plate and baking sheet from oven.
For the filling:
While pie shell is baking, whisk cream, milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla together in medium bowl.
Combine pumpkin puree, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to sputtering simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes.
Continue to simmer pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly and mashing against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream mixture until fully incorporated. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl, using back of ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer.
Re-whisk mixture and transfer to warm prebaked pie shell.
Return pie plate with baking sheet to oven and bake pie for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 300°F and continue baking until edges of pie are set (instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175 degrees F), 20 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.
Sweet & Spicy Asian Pork-Stuffed Squash
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:
4 Shokichi Shiro or Green Squash (You can use an small squash such as acorn or spaghetti squash)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
2-3 green onions, sliced
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut each squash in half horizontally and scoop out the seeds. Lay the squash cut-side down in a roasting pan or other baking dish, and add about an inch of water. Place the pan in the preheated oven and roast for 45-60 minutes, until tender when poked with a fork.
2. While the squash is roasting, heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic, shallot, and ginger and sauté until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add pork and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula as you go, until it is browned all over. Add Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce and continue cooking until the meat is cooked through. Remove from heat.
3. To serve, place each squash on a plate, cut-side up. Drizzle each with 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil. Place 1/4 of the pork mixture inside each squash. Sprinkle cabbage and green onions over top to garnish.
Shrimp in a Pumpkin (Camarão na Moranga)
Serves: 6
Ingredients
• 1 Moranga Squash (you can use any medium sized squash)
• 1½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 large shrimp for garnish
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• Green onions fresh chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can (10.75 oz.) tomato puree
• 1can (6 oz.) tomato paste
• 1½ cups cream cheese
• 2 cans condensed milk
• 1 can of tomato purée
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Grated Parmesan cheese on top
Instructions
1. Wash and scrub the squash well.
2. Cut the top off of squash in a lid shape and remove all the seeds.
3. Mix 2 spoons of sugar in water enough to fill the pumpkins.
4. Wrap the pumpkin with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet and put it in a preheated 350 degrees
5. Cook until soft when a toothpick is inserted.
6. Set aside.
7. Prepare the filling
8. In a saucepan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and add the small shrimps, cook for 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
Set aside.
9. In another saucepan heat olive oil and sauté onions until tender and add the garlic.
10. Add tomato puree, the tomato paste, and add half cup of water and cook for 3 minutes in low temperature.
11. Add the shrimp.
12. Season with salt and pepper.
13. With a spoon spread the cream cheese in the squash/pumpkin around the bottom and sides.
14. Pour the shrimp mixture into the squash/pumpkin, filling it completely if possible.
15. Return the filled pumpkin with the parmesan cheese sprinkled on top to the hot oven (450 F) and cook for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted or golden.
16. Remove from the oven, then place the pumpkin on a large serving platter, or if it is a small pumpkin, serve on the plate.
17. Sprinkle the surface of the shrimp mixture with chopped parsley and green onions.
18. Serve along with rice.