Sage And Squash Pizza With Bacon Food

KIMCHI PIZZA WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and place a rack on the bottom shelf.
• Place 2 cups of the kimchi and the pear into the bowl of a food processor. Blend to a chunky puree.
• Drain the liquid from the remaining kimchi into the food processor, and then chop into bite-size pieces.
• Cook the bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat until crispy and most of the fat has rendered, 12 to 15 minutes.
• While the bacon is cooking, roll out the pizza dough. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the back of an inverted baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven on the bottom shelf. Lightly dust the parchment with flour. Divide the dough in half, and then stretch or roll 1 piece of dough into an 11-inch round directly on the parchment paper.
• Once the bacon is crispy, use a slotted spoon to transfer half of the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Add the kimchi puree to the remaining bacon in the pan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble 1 pizza, spread half of the kimchi sauce on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle half of both cheeses over the kimchi sauce. Spread half of the chopped kimchi over the cheese. Brush the crust with half of the remaining sesame oil and sprinkle with half of the sesame seeds.
• Carefully lift the parchment onto the heated baking sheet. Cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with half of the reserved bacon and garnish with some sliced scallions.
• Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 1 more pizza.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA WITH BACON AND CRISPY SAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Place the squash on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle liberally with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss and roast until soft and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
• Place the diced bacon in a medium nonstick skillet and place over medium heat. Cook until crispy and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place in a medium bowl lined with a paper towel.
• Add the pasta and a generous amount of salt to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water.
• Add the sage leaves to the rendered bacon fat in the skillet, return to medium heat, and fry until the leaves are crispy, about 1 minute. Transfer the leaves to a small plate lined with a paper towel. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.
• Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the reserved bacon fat and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the goat cheese and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in the cream, Parmesan, mustard, nutmeg, cayenne and black pepper to taste. Keep warm on low heat.
• Once the pasta is drained, add it to the skillet along with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water. Toss to coat, then add the squash and bacon. Crumble in half of the fried sage leaves. Toss and add more salt to taste. If the mixture looks dry, add some of the remaining cooking water. Scrape the pasta into a serving bowl and top with the remaining whole sage leaves, a sprinkle of black pepper and some Parmesan.

SQUASH AND SAGE CANNELLONI

Steps:

• (Note: The pasta dough and finished pasta can be made several days in advance. If making pasta with a stand mixer, skip to step 3. If using store-bought dried lasagna noodles, skip to step 4.) Make pasta by hand: On a clean work surface, combine both flours and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour. Carefully add egg yolks and whole egg directly into the well, while using a fork to gently stir and combine. Continue stirring in a circular motion, gradually incorporating some flour from the sides of the well, about 1 minute. (Make sure that the sides of the well are high enough so the egg doesn't spill over.) Next, slowly add the olive oil to the center of the well, stirring the whole time. When eggs and oil are fully combined, scrape mixture off the fork, add it to the dough, and use your hands to add flour and knead. Make sure to incorporate any little pieces of dough that have come off the main mass. Add water as needed. After the dough has come together in a rough mass, continue kneading to activate the gluten until the dough is shiny and uniform in texture, about 5-7 minutes. (There may be a few leftover tablespoons of flour that don't get incorporated into the dough; this is fine.) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature, up to 2 days in the refrigerator, or 1 week in the freezer. (If frozen, bring to room temperature before moving on to Step 2.)
• Turn the dial of the pasta machine to the widest setting (usually setting number 1 on the dial). Lightly flour the dough, then flatten slightly with your hand or a rolling pin. Pass the dough through the machine. Fold dough in half and pass through the machine again. Continue to pass the dough through the machine, increasing the setting until the dough is thin to medium thickness (8 on a scale of 10 for the machine setting), about 15-20 times. Add flour whenever it gets too sticky. Trim the finished sheets into rectangles (approximately 6" x 10") and dust lightly with flour, to prevent sticking. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to blanch.
• Make pasta in a stand mixer: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients, then add the whole egg and egg yolks, and slowly work the dough with the mixer. Add the olive oil and water while slowly kneading the dough with the paddle. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, continue to knead the dough with the paddle for 1 to 2 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature, up to 2 days in the refrigerator, or 1 week in the freezer. (If frozen, bring to room temperature before moving on to Step 2.) After resting the dough, roll out the pasta sheets (Step 2).
• Parcook pasta sheets: Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil, then season with a generous pinch of salt. Prepare a large bowl with ice water, to shock the pasta sheets after blanching. With a large slotted spoon or mesh strainer, gently lower the pasta sheets into the boiling water, blanching the sheets for about 45 seconds. (If using store-bought dried lasagna noodles, follow directions to cook to al dente.) Remove the pasta to the prepared bowl of ice water. Once the pasta has cooled completely, remove the sheets from the ice water, gently pat dry and spread onto wax paper or plastic wrap that has been brushed lightly with oil. Set aside.
• Filling, part 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the pumpkin or butternut squash in half lengthwise; scoop out and discard the inner stringy flesh and seeds. Peel and cut the onion into ¼-inch thick slices.Rub the butter and ½ teaspoon salt around the inner cavity. Stuff the inside of each half with a the sage leaves and onion slices. Place the halves, cut side down, into a baking dish lined with parchment paper, then pour ½ cup of water around the halves. Cover the whole dish tightly with foil. Bake until the squash is fork tender, 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool, 30 minutes.
• Filling, part 2: When the squash is cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh into a bowl; discard the skin. (You should have about 2 cups squash.) Finely chop the onion and sage and add to the squash. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, ricotta, and the Parmesan, then mix well. Finally, taste and adjust seasoning with salt as needed. (Note: Filling can be made up to 3 days in advance. Cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container.)
• Cannelloni assembly: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Trim the blanched pasta sheets to fit the baking dish. (Chef Tusk trims his sheets to 5" x 8".) In a small bowl, beat the egg to create an egg wash; alternatively, use water. Brush pasta sheets along one edge, lengthwise, with egg wash or water. Place filling into a pastry bag and pipe ¼ cup evenly down the other edge of the pasta sheet. (Alternatively, use a spoon for the filling.) Starting with the filling side, roll the cannelloni like a cigar, sealing the edge with the egg wash or water. Repeat with remaining pasta and filling.
• Pour cream into a baking dish. Place the cannelloni, seam side down, on top of the cream in an even layer. (If necessary, you can cut the cannelloni in half to fit your dish.) Sprinkle with Parmesan, then bake until light brown and bubbly along the edges, 15-20 minutes.
• Broil cannelloni until top is lightly browned and cream is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Keep an eye on the cannelloni the entire time to prevent scorching! Serve immediately with the reduced cream spooned over the pasta.