Butternut Squash with Orecchiette Pasta

On November 4, 2020November 4, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes2 Comments

Autumn is the perfect time of year for having meals made with different types of squash. We often make acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash at this time of year. We usually just have them as a side dish to the main meal, but we decided to make a dinner where the squash was the star of the dish. Adding green beans gave it a pop of color, but broccoli or asparagus would be a good alternative. It is a simple and easy meal idea that works for weekdays or can be made for a crowd. It is also a good dish for a pot-luck dinner as well.

Butternut Squash, Green Beans, and Pancetta

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Butternut Squash – cooked and cut into 1 inch cubes
3/4 cup Pancetta – cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups Green Beans – cut into 1 inch pieces
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
2 cups Orecchiette
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese – grated
2 to 3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Granulated Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

To cook the butternut squash, cut it in half, remove the seeds, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Then place the butternut squash on a foil lined baking sheet and place in an oven at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until fork tender. Then remove the butternut squash, let it cool, remove the skin, and cut into 1 inch cubes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil that has been seasoned with plenty of salt. Add the orecchiette and cook for about a minute or two less than the box directions in order to keep it al dente. Be sure to reserve a 3/4 cup of the cooking water from the pasta. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for about 5 minutes and then remove them and add them to cold water to stop the cooking. Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat to medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and red pepper flakes and cook until the pancetta is crispy. Add the butternut squash and the reserved pasta water and cook for about 2 minutes and the water reduces by about half. Add the orecchiette, green beans, and a 1/2 cup of water and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add to a serving bowl, toss with the grated Parmesan cheese, and serve.

A Single Serving of Butternut Squash with Orecchiette

Some of Our Favorite Shrimp Recipes

On September 30, 2020September 30, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn RecipesLeave a comment

Shrimp is one those versatile items that can be cooked in a variety of ways. It is also something that is found in cooking throughout the world, especially those places that are near the coast. We have certainly made many different shrimp recipes throughout the years, but here are just a handful of them to give an idea of how many different styles of meals work well with shrimp.

Easy and Delicious Shrimp Frittata – One of the things that you can find throughout your travels is some variety of a frittata. They are light, easy, and can be adapted for the cuisine of almost any country. We really enjoy fresh seafood when we travel, so we decided to do a shrimp frittata that was not only easy, but extremely delicious. The use of lemon and fresh parsley also helps to brighten up the dish and make it even more luscious. Frittatas, like a good quiche, can be a meal on its own, but we decided to pair it with some green beans and red peppers.

Sautéed Shrimp with a Pumpkin-Sage Butter – During the autumn season, we are always looking for creative ways to use seasonal products such as pumpkin. Mixing butter with pumpkin and sage is a savory way to give flavor to seafood, especially shrimp or scallops. We decided to sauté shrimp with the infused butter and it made for a delicious meal. Not only was it tasty, but it turned the shrimp a nice orange color was perfect for this time of year.

Shrimp and Grits with a Fried Soft Boiled Egg

Our Take on Shrimp and Grits – Creating a Hollandaise sauce with a Louisiana pepper sauce to serve with the shrimp and grits turned out nice because it gave a little bit of a lemon taste to the shrimp, but it still had some heat. We also used some Old Bay Seasoning on the shrimp, a little reminder to our east coast roots. Adding cheese to the grits also made them a little more hearty and added to the creaminess. The centerpiece was the soft-boiled egg that had been breaded and fried and added to the entire meal.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Angel Hair Pasta – Shrimp Fra Diavolo (Brother Devil) is an Italian inspired dish that is spicy and delicious. We served it over a bed of angel hair pasta, but when we had leftovers a couple of days later, we simply served it with a side of garlic toast. If you don’t want it too spicy, you can reduce the amount of red pepper flakes, but this meal is meant to pack some heat. It is one of those easy and yet elegant dinners that can be done on a weeknight or served for a weekend dinner party. It could probably be done with another type of shell fish, but shrimp really holds up well to the flavors and is easy to cook.

Croissant French Toast with Caramelized Apples

On September 23, 2020September 23, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes4 Comments

Using croissants to make French Toast is something that we would make when we wanted to have a fancier breakfast. The nooks and crannies in the inside of the croissants soaks up the custard and makes them different than using traditional bread. Also, unlike regular bread, you don’t want the croissants to be stale, but instead fresh and soft. Adding the caramelized apples makes it a perfect dish for autumn and if you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to it, it also makes a wonderful dessert. Although it feels fancy, it isn’t really difficult to make and the presentation is really nice. We actually chose to make this for dinner because we love having breakfast for dinner sometimes, especially since we don’t eat breakfast often due to our busy days.

INGREDIENTS

4 Fresh Croissants – cut in half lengthwise
6 Granny Smith Apples – peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
3 Large Eggs
1/4 cup Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Pinch Fresh Nutmeg
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
6 tbsp Unsalted Butter
Powdered Sugar for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

Put the white sugar into a large, non-stick skillet and heat over medium-low heat. As the pan gets hot, the sugar will start to melt and turn to liquid. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for another 2 to 3 minutes or until it turns a light brown. Add 3 tablespoons of butter, which will cause the caramel sauce to foam, continue to stir until it is smooth once again. Add the apples and slowly stir. The caramel will likely seize up a little until the apples come up to temperature and then it will loosen once again. Once it the caramel is loose again, add the syrup and brown sugar and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the apples are tender. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Run the nutmeg across a microplane once or twice over the bowl. Whisk everything together until the custard is smooth. Heat another skillet over medium-high heat and the other 3 tablespoons of butter. Working in batches, dredge the croissants through the custard mixture and quickly transfer to the skillet, cut-side down. After it starts to cook, gently press down on the croissant with the back of a spatula, this will ensure that the croissant cooks more evenly. After the bottom begins to brown, flip the croissants and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. To serve, place 2 of the croissant half French toast onto a plate, spoon a quarter of the caramel apple mixture over the French toast, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.