Grits With Mushrooms And Acorn Squash Recipes

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH MUSHROOMS, PEPPERS AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• For the acorn squash: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Trim the tops and bottoms off the squash. Cut in half horizontally so the cut-ends will keep the pieces flat. Clean the inside of the squash. Separate the seeds from the membranes and rinse well. Dry the seeds with a paper towel and set aside.
• Place the squash cut-side up on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Place the seeds on a separate baking sheet or foil. Roast the squash 30 minutes. Roast the seeds at the same time, checking and moving them around after 10 minutes and again after 20 minutes. Depending on the size of the seeds, they may be done after 20 minutes, or up to 30 minutes. Sprinkle the seeds with the remaining salt, and set aside with the squash.
• For the filling: Set a large saute pan over high heat and add the butter. When melted, add the cabbage, onions, peppers, sprinkle with salt and pepper and gently toss to combine. Allow the cabbage to wilt down, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and toss to combine. Saute 2 to 4 minutes longer, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
• For assembling: Preheat the broiler to low. Fill the roasted acorn squash halves with the filling. Sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese over the top, then top with the roasted squash seeds. Broil just until the cheese is warm. Garnish with a small amount of Italian parsley, if using, and serve.

ACORN SQUASH STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS AND RICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, season cut sides of squash with salt and pepper, drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and turn cut sides down. Cover sheet tightly with foil and roast until tender, about 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium straight-sided skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms, onion, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are golden, 8 minutes. Add rice and broth and bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 20 minutes.
• Remove squash from oven and heat broiler. Carefully scoop out 2 to 3 tablespoons flesh from each squash half and stir into rice; season with salt and pepper. Divide rice mixture among squash halves, sprinkle with Parmesan, and broil until melted, 2 minutes.

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium pan over medium heat, melt the butter and then sauté the celery, onion and bouillon cube until lightly browned. Deglaze the pan with the wine, and reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Add the chanterelles and apricots to the pan and warm through. Add salt and pepper. Chill the mushroom mixture thoroughly. In a large bowl, mix the bread, eggs and the cooled vegetable mixture.
• Using a sharp kitchen knife (and plenty of caution), trim the stem end off of the squash and cut the squash into 3/4 inch rings. You should be able to get 4 rings out of a large acorn squash. Discard the stem end and bottom piece. Using a spoon, scrape the seeds and membrane out of the squash and discard. Lay the squash rings out on a large parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle slices of squash with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove squash from the oven and press the mushroom and apricot stuffing into the center of each squash ring. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the stuffing has set and started to brown. Garnish with mushroom gravy.

ACORN SQUASH STUFFED WITH CHEESY MUSHROOM RICE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Brush cut sides of squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place, skin-side up, on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender and lightly browned, about 40 minutes.
• While squash bakes, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; stir in mushrooms, onion, garlic, and thyme. Cook and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add rice; cook and stir until rice is coated, about 1 minute. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in Cheddar cheese.
• Remove squash from the oven, flip over, and season with salt and pepper. Fill squash with rice mixture, sprinkle with panko, and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
• Return to the oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until panko is brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes.

GINGERED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Arrange squash halves cut side up in a shallow baking dish. Place one tablespoon of orange juice into each cavity. Sprinkle each one with ginger and nutmeg. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 60 to 90 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the squash is tender. Baking time will depend on the size of the squash. Remove from the oven, discard aluminum foil, and let the squash rest for 5 minutes before serving to let the juices settle.

BAKED GRITS WITH PARMESAN SAUCE, MUSHROOMS AND HAM

Steps:

• For the grits:.
• In a large heavy saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil. Stirring with a wooden spoon, slowly add the grits in a slow, steady stream. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and Parmigiano. Stir in white pepper to taste. Stir in the egg.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter eight to ten 4- to 6-ounce ramekins.
• Divide the grits among the buttered ramekins and place the ramekins in a large baking pan. Add enough hot water to the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the tops are crusty and begin to brown, about 20 minutes longer.
• For the Parmesan sauce:.
• In a medium sauté pan, combine the wine, vinegar, shallots, bay leaf, chile pepper and diced ham and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat and simmer until only 1 tablespoon of liquid remains. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream. Whisk in the butter bit by bit, adding a new piece as the previous one is incorporated. Strain the sauce into a saucepan. Add the Parmigiano. Season the sauce with lemon juice, hot pepper sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
• For the mushrooms and ham:.
• Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the julienned ham, mushrooms and shallot and cook until the mushrooms are barely tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
• To serve, unmold the grits onto plates and turn browned side up. Ladle a little Parmesan sauce around the grits and top with the ham and mushrooms. Garnish with thyme leaves.

BAKED GRITS WITH HAM, WILD MUSHROOMS AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish.
• Bring 4 3/4 cups water and salt to boil in heavy medium pot.
• Add corn grits to boiling water in thin steady stream, stirring constantly.
• Reduce temperature and simmer grits until thick, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.
• Pour cooked grits into large mixing bowl.
• Whisk in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, grated cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons butter.
• Season grits to taste with pepper.
• Whisk in egg.
• Transfer to prepared baking dish.
• Place dish in large roasting pan.
• Fill roasting pan with enough hot water to come halfway up sides of baking dish.
• Bake until grits are firm to touch, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add assorted mushrooms, ham and minced shallot and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes.
• Add white wine and cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.
• Add whipping cream and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in fresh thyme.
• Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spoon baked corn grits onto plates.
• Top with mushroom and ham mixture.
• Sprinkle with remaining 1/2cup grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
• *Corngrits, also known as polenta, are available at Italian markets, natural foods stores and some supermarkets.
• If unavailable, substitute 1 cup regular yellow cornmeal, and simmer about 10 minutes.

CREAMY GRITS WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHARD

Steps:

• Make the grits: Cook the grits with water according to the package instructions in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed to ensure no grits stick to the pot. The cook time can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age and quality of the grits. When the grits are tender, remove from the hot burner and pour in the oat cream, oil and salt, stir well, and cover. (If you cooked the grits with salt, then start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste.) Set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium. Once heated, add the onion quarter, jalapeño and garlic cloves. Char and slightly cook the vegetables, turning occasionally. The garlic will likely be done first, after 4 or 6 minutes. Place each item in a bowl when charred and cover with a lid.
• When the charred vegetables are cool to the touch, remove the outer skin of the onion, the jalapeño stem and the garlic peels. If you are very sensitive to spice, slice the jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove one half's seeds and white veins to make it much milder.
• In a blender or mini food processor, blend the onion, jalapeño and garlic with the lemon juice, olive oil and cilantro until smooth. Add more olive oil if needed to blend, 1 tablespoon at a time. Clean the mushrooms with a damp towel and break apart or cut at the stem into 2-inch pieces. Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour the jalapeño sauce on top; let sit for at least 15 minutes.
• Make the chard: Place the chard shiny side down on a cutting board and slice the stems and ribs away from the green leaves. Stack the leaves in a pile and cut crosswise into thin strips. Transfer to a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the chard stems into 2-inch-long matchsticks. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water with the jalapeño, vinegar, garlic, onion and sugar, and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chard stems and let sit, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes.
• Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium, add the chard leaves and cook, using tongs to move them around quickly in order to keep their bright green color, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Set over medium-high heat. Shake excess sauce off the mushrooms back into the bowl; too much sauce will cause them to steam instead of sear. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil, and cook until tender and caramelized, 2 to 5 minutes per side.
• To serve, spoon the grits onto a large platter and top with the chard, mushrooms and pickled stems.

CREAMY STONE-GROUND GRITS WITH MUSHROOMS AND COUNTRY HAM

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the water and milk to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Slowly add the grits, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Decrease the heat to low, and simmer, stirring often, until the grits are creamy and thick, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Line a plate with paper towels. While the grits are cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ham and cook until lightly browned and some of the fat has rendered, about 3 minutes. Remove the ham from the skillet to the prepared plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• In the same skillet, using the oil left in the pan, add the mushrooms, season with freshly ground pepper, and saute, stirring, until barely tender, about 2 minutes. (No salt is needed, as the salt from the ham has flavored the cooking oil.) Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, about 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Remove the grits from the heat; whisk in the cheese, parsley, and butter. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. To serve, place a dollop of grits on individual serving plates. Spoon over the sauteed mushrooms and top with the country ham. Serve immediately.

ACORN SQUASH WITH WILD MUSHROOM CRANBERRY STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Place squash cut side down in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high 10 minutes. Pierce plastic to let steam escape. Uncover and turn squash halves cut side up. Season cavities with salt and pepper.
• Combine dried cranberries and hot water in small bowl. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and sage and sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add breadcrumbs and stir until crumbs brown lightly, about 3 minutes. Mix in cranberries with soaking liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Mound stuffing into squash halves. Dot with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Bake until heated through and crisp on top, about 10 minutes.