Winter Squash And Sage Blini Recipes

WINTER SQUASH AND SAGE BLINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil the foil. Lay the squash on the foil, skin side up, and roast until it is thoroughly tender when pierced with a knife or skewer, 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from the heat, allow to cool until you can handle it, then remove the skin and purée in a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. You should have about 3/4 cup of purée.
• Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and whisk in the buttermilk and the puréed squash. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and whisk together.
• Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat in a small skillet and add the slivered sage. Fry the leaves for about 10 seconds, until they are beginning to crisp, and remove from the heat. Allow the oil to cool, then add to the liquids in the bowl. Quickly whisk in the flour mixture.
• Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and ladle 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake. They should be about 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Cook until bubbles break through; flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side. Remove from the heat.

BUCKWHEAT BLINI

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water in a large bowl. Stir in the lukewarm milk, and let stand for five minutes until creamy.
• Sift together the flours and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk into the yeast mixture. Whisk in the buttermilk or yogurt, the oil or melted butter, and the egg yolks. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise in a warm spot for one hour or longer until bubbly.
• Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold them into the batter. Cover again, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes until bubbly.
• Lightly grease a heavy nonstick or cast iron griddle, and heat over medium heat until hot. For bite-size blini that you can pass as hors d'oeuvres, ladle on 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter for each silver-dollar-size blini. For larger, pancake-sized blini, ladle on about 1/4 scant cup per blini. Cook until holes break through the upper side, about a minute. Turn and brown on the other side for about 30 seconds. Remove to a rack or a plate. If serving right away, wrap them in a towel or place them in a low oven to keep warm. If not serving right away, wrap them in foil and reheat them for about 20 minutes in a 325-degree oven. To freeze, stack them between pieces of parchment or wax paper, and wrap them airtight in plastic, then foil. To thaw, remove them from the plastic, rewrap them in foil, and place them in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Alternately, remove the foil and thaw them in a microwave oven.

WINTER SQUASH WITH ANCHOVIES, CAPERS, OLIVES AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, lidded skillet and add the onion, garlic clove, anchovy fillets and capers. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the garlic clove and discard.
• Add the squash, stir together, add about 1/4 cup of water if the pan is dry, and cover the pan. Cook, stirring often, for about 30 minutes, until the squash is tender. Add the olives and continue to cook, stirring, for another 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (you probably won't need much salt).
• Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle on the ricotta salata and serve.

SLOW-COOKED WINTER SQUASH WITH SAGE AND THYME

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Toss squash, garlic, sage, thyme, oil, and salt in a shallow 2-qt. baking dish to combine.
• Turn garlic cut side down, then roast vegetables, tossing 2 or 3 times, until golden brown, very tender, and edges and cut sides are crisp, 60-70 minutes. Let cool slightly, then add vinegar and toss to coat.

MAPLE-ROASTED SQUASH WITH SAGE AND LIME FOR TWO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. If you like, line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper or foil. (It's not necessary but will prove helpful when cleaning up.)
• In a small pot over medium-high heat, combine maple syrup and cayenne in a small pot. Bring to a simmer and let cook until it reduces by a third, 1 to 3 minutes. Add butter and let it melt. Turn off heat and mix in salt, pepper and coriander.
• Spread the squash out on the pan and spoon maple mixture over the pieces, turning them to coat. Roast until the pieces begin to soften, 15 minutes. Turn the squash pieces over and roast until glazed and tender, 10 to 20 minutes more. Drizzle lime juice and scatter sage leaves over the top for serving.