This Week’s Recipes: January 11th-14th

Preheat the oven to 450°F and brush an 8-inch cast iron skillet lightly with olive oil.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and garlic and boil until the cauliflower is fork tender, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the cauliflower and the garlic into a blender, reserving the pot of cooking water.

Set a bowl of ice water nearby. Add the spinach to the boiling water and use a slotted spoon to immediately remove it (it’ll wilt very quickly) and transfer to the ice water to cool completely. Drain and squeeze excess moisture from the spinach. Coarsely chop the spinach and add it to a large bowl with the artichokes and scallions.

Check to make sure that the cauliflower in the blender has (mostly) cooled, then add the yogurt, olive oil, mustard, and salt to the blender and blend until creamy. Add this mixture to the bowl with the spinach and artichokes and stir to combine.

Spread the spinach mixture into the skillet and top with the cheese and pinches of red pepper flakes. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cheese on top is browned and bubbling.

Garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve with baguette slices.

Recipe from Love and Lemons

For the acorn squash: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Trim the tops and bottoms off the squash. Cut in half horizontally so the cut-ends will keep the pieces flat. Clean the inside of the squash. Separate the seeds from the membranes and rinse well. Dry the seeds with a paper towel and set aside.

Place the squash cut-side up on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.

Place the seeds on a separate baking sheet or foil. Roast the squash 30 minutes. Roast the seeds at the same time, checking and moving them around after 10 minutes and again after 20 minutes. Depending on the size of the seeds, they may be done after 20 minutes, or up to 30 minutes. Sprinkle the seeds with the remaining salt, and set aside with the squash.

For the filling: Set a large saute pan over high heat and add the butter. When melted, add the cabbage, onions, peppers, sprinkle with salt and pepper and gently toss to combine. Allow the cabbage to wilt down, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and toss to combine. Saute 2 to 4 minutes longer, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

For assembling: Preheat the broiler to low. Fill the roasted acorn squash halves with the filling. Sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese over the top, then top with the roasted squash seeds. Broil just until the cheese is warm. Garnish with a small amount of Italian parsley, if using, and serve.

Recipe from Food Network

Ultimate Corn Masa Crust:
Preheat Oven to 400 F.
Mix dry ingredients to blend. Cut in butter until crumbly.
In blender or food processor pulse corn and water together for a few seconds, and stir into crumbled mixture that makes an easily pliable ball.
With extra masa (or flour) roll dough out to just under 10 inches, place in ceramic tart baking dish and press out to fill in edges keeping the dough fairly uniform in thickness.

Green Tomato Filling:
Lightly saute garlic, onions, and pepper(s) of choice in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes, remove from heat.
Mix salt, pepper, thyme and basil together for the seasoning, set aside.
On prepared crust, sprinkle on 1 cup of cheese & scatter/spread the sauteed onion mixture on top.
Sprinkle on half of seasoning mixture.
Layer on the sliced green tomatoes (it’s okay if some overlap).
Sprinkle on remaining seasoning mixture and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm alone or with marinara sauce, or honey mustard.

Recipe from Portland Pie Lady