Simple Autumn Butternut Squash And Bacon Tart Food

BUTTERNUT, BACON AND APPLE HOTDISH

Steps:

• For the filling: Lay the bacon in a large oven-safe skillet (I like to use a cast-iron pan or braiser) and turn the heat to medium. Cook, flipping once, until crisp on both sides, about 7 minutes total. Remove from the heat and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool slightly.
• Drain half the bacon grease from the skillet, leaving just enough to coat the skillet. Add the onions and turn the heat to medium-high. Saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the squash, thyme, some salt, a few turns of pepper and a few pinches of crushed red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 more minutes. Add the wine and broth. Roughly chop the bacon and add it to the skillet along with the apples. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, while you make the biscuits.
• For the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and, using a food processor, pastry cutter or your hands, incorporate the butter until the mixture is the consistency of raw oatmeal. Mix in the cream until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, pat it out to 3/4-inch thick and then cut out round biscuits, re-rolling scraps as needed.
• Turn off the heat before dotting the top of the skillet with the biscuits. Brush the biscuits with the beaten egg and top with black pepper. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, cooked through and flaky, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve right from the skillet!

BUTTERNUT & BACON FUSILLI

Steps:

• Tip the pancetta into a large frying pan set over a medium heat and cook for 5-8 mins until really crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the oil to the pan, along with the squash, rosemary, chilli and garlic. Cover and cook for 25 mins, stirring now and then, until the squash is tender. Season well, and gently crush some of the butternut squash with the back of a spoon.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil 15 mins before the squash is ready, and cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain, reserving the cooking water. Add 1-2 ladles of pasta water to the squash and let it bubble for a few mins. Tip in the drained pasta and toss together. Stir through the spinach, then divide between plates. Sprinkle over the pancetta, some grated Parmesan and a good grinding of black pepper.

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.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA WITH BACON AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 degrees.
• Add the butternut squash to a large baking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the top and season with red-pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then spread the squash into an even layer and bake for 15 minutes.
• While the butternut squash bakes, in a small bowl, toss the red onion with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• After the squash has cooked for 15 minutes, give it a stir and push it to one side of the baking sheet to make room for the onion and bacon, trying to keep the squash in one layer. Add the red onion to the pan, then lay the strips of bacon in a single layer next to the onion.
• Return the baking sheet to the oven for another 30 minutes and cook, stirring the squash and onion after about 15 minute. The bacon should be crisp and the vegetables cooked through and beginning to caramelize at the edges. (They don't have to be super golden brown, but a little color is nice.)
• Just before the vegetables and bacon are done, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot to keep warm if necessary.
• When the vegetables are tender and the bacon crispy, take the baking sheet out of the oven and carefully transfer the bacon to a cutting board. Coarsely chop the bacon.
• Add the butternut squash, onions and any bacon fat to the pot with the pasta. Add about 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1/2 cup pasta water to the pot and stir everything until well combined. You want the squash to break down a bit and coat the pasta; add more pasta water as necessary to coat the pasta with the squash and cheese.
• Stir in half the chopped bacon, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the pasta among bowls or plates. Top with chives, parsley, black pepper and the remaining Parmesan and bacon. Serve immediately.

SIMPLE AUTUMN BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND BACON TART

Steps:

• Cut parchment paper to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Lightly spray paper w/ cooking spray. Place 1 pie crust in pan. Heat oven to 375.
• In medium bowl, toss squash w/ oil. Season w/ salt and pepper. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 30 mins. Let cool. Reduce heat to 350. In a skillet, over medium heat, cook bacon, until almost crisp, adding onion and garlic to the pan the last minute. Remove mixture w slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
• In lg bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolk, cream, parmesan cheese and a dash each of salt and pepper. Spoon squash into pie crust in pan, sprinkle w/ gruyere cheese. Pour egg mix over all in pie crust. Bake for 30 mins. Spoon bacon/onion mix over top. Bake another 10 mins. Let cool slightly. Sprinkle with fresh thyme. Slice and serve.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH APPLES AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place squash in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil; mix to coat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread squash into a single layer on a baking pan. Roast the squash in the preheated oven, turning once, until fork-tender and caramelized; 30 to 40 minutes.
• Place the bacon in a Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings in the pan.
• Place the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, curry powder, thyme, and salt and pepper in the Dutch oven; cook in reserved bacon drippings until the carrots and celery are soft. Mix in the apples and cooked squash and cook another 5 minutes. Stir the garlic into the mixture and cook another 1 minute. Pour the apple cider over the mixture; reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; allow to reduce to about half its original volume. Stir in the chicken stock; simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
• Puree the soup in small batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender. If using a blender, don't fill the blender more than half-way. Always remove the center lid piece of a stand blender when blending hot liquids so the steam can escape. Cover the hole with a dish towel while blending. Stir the nutmeg into the soup. Garnish each bowl with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and some of the bacon pieces to serve.