Friday Recipes

It's finally Friday. (Yay!) Here are six recipes to help you through the weekend, including Hearty Veggie Chili and Easy-to-Tackle Jambalaya. Enjoy!

WINTER SQUASH SOUP

This comes from Ina Garten from the Food Network show Barefoot Contessa.

Level: Easy; Total Time: 50 minutes; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Yield: 4 servings.

To view this recipe online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/winter-squash-soup-recipe-1925833.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon good olive oil

2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)

1 (15 - ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut in chunks

3 cups homemade chicken stock or canned broth

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup half - and - half

Creme fraiche, grated Gruyere, or croutons (see Note), for serving (optional)

Directions

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy - bottomed stockpot, add the onions, and cook over medium - low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the pumpkin puree, butternut squash, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium - low heat for about 20 minutes, until the butternut squash is very tender. Process the mixture through the medium blade of a food mill. Return to the pot, add the half - and - half, and heat slowly. If the soup needs more flavor, add another teaspoon of salt. Serve hot with garnishes, if desired.

Cook's Note: To serve with croutons, remove the crusts from 2 slices of white bread, cut them in 1/2-inch cubes, and saute them in 1 tablespoon of butter until browned. Season with salt and pepper.

GJELINA’S ROASTED YAMS

This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “These roasted yams are adapted from a recipe that Travis Lett, the chef and an owner of Gjelina in Venice, Calif., published in a 2015 cookbook devoted to the restaurant’s food. They are a marvelous accompaniment to a roast chicken, but they are maybe even better as a platter to accompany a salad of hearty greens, cheese and nuts. What makes them memorable is a technique Lett calls for during the cooking: tossing the tubers in honey before roasting them, which intensifies their caramelizing. The crisp, near-burned sweetness works beautifully against the heat of the pepper and the acidic creaminess of the yogurt you dab onto the dish at the end. It is a simple dish, but it results in fantastic eating.”

Yield: Serves 3 - 6; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “A New California Cuisine”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

3 large yams

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Espelette pepper, or crushed red-pepper flakes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt

4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, approximately 2 limes

2 scallions, both green and white parts, trimmed and thinly sliced, for garnish

Preparation

Heat oven to 425. Cut the yams lengthwise into 4 wedges per yam. Put them in a large bowl, and toss them with the honey, 1/2 tablespoon of the Espelette pepper or crushed red-pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so, tossing once or twice to coat, as the oven heats.

Transfer the yams to a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and then bake until they are deeply caramelized around the edges and soft when pierced with a fork at their thickest part, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.

As the yams roast, combine the yogurt, lime juice and remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl, and whisk to combine, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

When the yams are done, transfer them to a serving platter, drizzle the yogurt over them and garnish with the remaining Espelette pepper or red-pepper flakes, the scallions and some flaky sea salt if you have any.

APPLE BREAKFAST BARS

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup dates, chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup orange juice

1 1/2 cups raw apples, shredded

Directions

Combine all ingredients. Let stand 10 minutes. Press mixture into 8" x 8" baking dish. Bake at 375° until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Loosen with spatula, and cut into bars while warm. Serve hot for breakfast.

HEARTY VEGGIE CHILI

This is from MorningStar Farms, and begins, “During the week, convenience is key. Here’s a way to turn Meal Starters Grillers® Recipe Crumbles® into a zesty chili. Just the right combination of red onion, tomatoes, kidney beans and zucchini complement the frozen crumbles for a family-pleasing chili.”

Prep Time: 35 minutes; Total Time: 35 minutes; Servings: 6

To view this online click here.

Ingredients

1 cup coarsely chopped red onions, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 package (12 oz.) Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters Grillers® Recipe Crumbles®

2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Parsley sprigs (optional)

Directions

In nonstick Dutch oven cook 3/4 cup of the onion and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

Stir in crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, undrained diced tomatoes, water, sugar and basil. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in MORNINGSTAR FARMS MEAL STARTERS GRILLERS RECIPE CRUMBLES and zucchini. Return to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes more. Ladle into serving bowls. Serve topped with the remaining 1/4 cup onion, cheddar cheese and parsley (if desired).

EASY-TO-TACKLE JAMBALAYA

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list, and begins, “Make this tasty rice dish anytime you gather a crowd. For zing, use spicy sausage and a little more cayenne pepper. This is a great dish for Super Bowl.”

Recipe Cookbook America's Favorite Food Associations; Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cooking Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds smoked pork sausage, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1 1/2 pounds Boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 medium onions, chopped

2 cups chopped celery

2 medium green bell peppers, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 cups chicken broth

4 cups long grain white rice

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 8-quart oven-safe Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat until hot. Add sausage; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan; set aside.

Add chicken, salt and pepper; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is browned. Remove from pan. Drain fat leaving 1 tablespoon.

Add onions, celery, green peppers, garlic and red pepper; cook, stirring 7 to 10 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown. Stir in chicken broth, reserved sausage and chicken, rice and paprika. Bring to a boil.

Place covered pot in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, stirring once or twice during cooking.

THREE-CUP CHICKEN

This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Ask 30 people how to make this simple Taiwanese recipe, and you’ll receive 30 different responses. Some fry the chicken before braising it, use more oil, less wine, different blends of soy sauce. Debates rage over how thick the sauce should be, over which parts of the chicken to use. (Few follow the folk recipe that calls for making the sauce with a cup each of sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine. ‘If you actually cook it that way,’ says Eddie Huang, the Taiwanese-American chef who inspired the television program ‘Fresh Off the Boat,’ ‘you’ll be in trouble.’) Our reporting and testing led us to the recipe below. Use it as a starting point, and then make it your own.”

Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes

This was featured in “A Taste of Taiwan,” and can be viewed online here.

Note: If, like me, you don't keep alcohol around the house, don't panic. I've been known to add water (or a suitable broth) in place of wine in recipes.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1 2-to-3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into coins, approximately 12

12 cloves of garlic, peeled

4 whole scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 dried red peppers or 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

2 pounds chicken thighs, boneless or bone-in, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon unrefined or light brown sugar

1/2 cup rice wine

1/4 cup light soy sauce

2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves or regular basil leaves

Preparation

Heat a wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons sesame oil. When the oil shimmers, add the ginger, garlic, scallions and peppers, and cook until fragrant, approximately 2 minutes.

Scrape the aromatics to the sides of the wok, add remaining oil and allow to heat through. Add the chicken, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and crisping at the edges, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.

Add sugar and stir to combine, then add the rice wine and soy sauce, and bring just to a boil. Lower the heat, then simmer until the sauce has reduced and started to thicken, approximately 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add the basil and stir to combine. Serve with white rice.