Winter Squash Leek And Farro Gratin With Feta And Mint Recipes

WINTER SQUASH, LEEK AND FARRO GRATIN WITH FETA AND MINT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Place squash on baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss squash until evenly coated with oil. Place in oven and roast until tender and lightly colored, about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Turn heat down to 375 degrees.
• Heat another tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add leeks. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add squash and mint to pan and toss together. Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl beat eggs. Add salt to taste (remembering that feta is very salty) and feta, and beat together until feta has broken up into eggs. Stir in squash and leek mixture and farro. Scrape into oiled baking dish. Drizzle remaining oil over top.
• Bake 35 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

FARRO WITH ROASTED SQUASH, FETA AND MINT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare the squash: In a large bowl, mix together olive oil, sugar, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add squash and toss well to coat with the spiced oil. Lay the squash pieces out flat on one or two rimmed baking sheets.
• Roast squash until the bottoms are golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully turn the pieces over and continue to roast until tender, another 10 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the farro: In a medium pot, bring the apple cider, 2 cups water and the salt to a simmer. Add farro and simmer until water is absorbed and the farro is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. If the liquid evaporates before the farro is done, add a little more water. Or, if there's still liquid in the pot when the farro is done, drain it.
• In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic and pepper. Whisk in olive oil. Add farro and toss well, adding more oil or salt, or both, if needed.
• To serve, spoon the farro on a platter and top with the squash, feta, mint or arugula, or both, and a drizzle of olive oil.

ROASTED BEET AND FETA GRATIN WITH FRESH MINT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Place beets in small baking dish. Add enough water to reach depth of 1/4 inch. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until beets are tender, about 50 minutes. Uncover carefully (steam will be released) and cool. Peel beets; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Bring cream, mint sprigs, and garlic to boil in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, lightly butter 1 1/2-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish. Arrange sliced beets in even layers in dish, sprinkling each layer lightly with salt. Strain cream mixture over beets in dish. Sprinkle feta over. Bake until cream is bubbling at edges and feta is browned in spots, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle pepper and chopped mint over. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

WINTER GREENS AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a large gratin dish. Peel the squash, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the kale and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander, then squeeze out any excess water.
• Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and the well-drained greens. Cook until the greens are slightly wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, place half the sliced squash in the prepared dish and season with salt and pepper. Combine the nutmeg, allspice, and thyme in a small bowl. Spoon the kale over the squash and sprinkle with half the seasoning mixture. Top with remaining squash and sprinkle with the remaining seasoning.
• Pour the cream over the gratin and cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and press down on the squash with a spatula to compress. Cover and continue baking until the squash is soft when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs and cheese in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Decrease the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Remove the foil from the gratin dish and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the squash. Dot with the butter and continue baking, uncovered, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

WINTER SQUASH, SAUSAGE & FETA BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onions and 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink and onions are tender, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain., In a large bowl, combine oil, rosemary, salt, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and remaining pepper flakes. Add butternut and acorn squash, cheese, red peppers and sausage mixture; toss to coat., Transfer to an ungreased shallow roasting pan. Cover and bake 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until squash is tender.

GRATIN OF DELICATA SQUASH AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400. Spray 11x7-inch ceramic or glass gratin dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle bottom with 1/4 cup of the panko.
• Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-low heat until warm. Cook leeks and prosciutto 4-6 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. (Add a little water if leeks start to scorch).
• Combine rosemary, salt and pepper in small bowl. Arrange half of the squash slices in baking dish; sprinkle with half of the rosemary mixture. Spread leek mixture over squash; top with remaining squash. Gently pour broth over squash; sprinkle with remaining rosemary mixture. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 35-40 minutes or until squash is almost tender. (Gratin can be prepared to this point 1 day ahead. Cool slightly; refrigerate. Bake, covered, at 400 for 15 minutes before continuing with recipe). Sprinkle gratin with cheese. Combine remaining 1/4 cup panko and butter; sprinkle over cheese. Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until squash is tender and top is golden brown.
• Tips: Deli ham or salami can be substituted.