Chicken Shwarma

 Chicken Shwarma is wonderful year round, but quite delightful in Summer, when you prepare it yourself and with fresh pita, caçik (tzatziki) with fresh mint and dill, pickled sumac onions, and hot sauce  

Chicken Shwarma

(Serves 4)

8 skinned chicken thighs, bone in or boneless 

1-2 tbs Turkish Baharat or Duq’qah

1 chopped onion

1 tsp salt

3-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

Good drizzle olive oil 

2-3 tbs lemon juice 

In a small blender, mix the Duq’qah or Turkish Baharat, chopped onion, salt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil. Skin the chicken thighs and let marinate, in the fridge, for a few hours. 

Fry or grill until fully cooked. Enjoy with pita bread and tzatziki. 

Jerk Chicken, with Mango Habanero Hot Sauce

I really enjoy Jerk, as the flavour profile for chicken, fish or seafood, etc. This recipe is very versatile, and easy to prepare. Locally made 1882 Fruit-Based Hot Sauce, makes a delicious balance of flavours. 

1. Jamaican Jerk marinade

1 tbs Ground Allspice

1 tbs dried Thyme

1 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp ground Sage

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbs Garlic, minced

1 tbs white sugar

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup Soy sauce

1 -1 1/2 cups Mango Habanero Hot Sauce, by 1882 Fruit-based Hot Sauce 

3 green onions – finely chopped

*optional (may try a variety of chilies) 

Mix all ingredients together. Pour over scallops or chicken. Let marinade for at least 3 hours. Grill fish or meat.

Enjoy!

Persian mackerel. A reason for a holy declaration

 This grilled or baked fish is so easy to prepare  Enjoy!!

Per whole fish 

1 Mackerel 

In a small blender or mortar and pestle:

Good pinch saffron with ice (in the mortar)

4-5 cloves garlic (1 small head)

Grind, add add,

Salt, to taste 

1 tsp Turkish Baharat 

1/4 cup pistachio(optional)

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro, including the stems

1/4 cup Barberry (aka, zereshk. Can use currants)

Drizzle olive oil 

1 tsp lemon juice 

If the mackerel is whole, easily slice open the length of the bottom of the fish, and clean and rinse. Use scissors, if wanted, to trim the fins off. 

Place the fish on parchment paper and cut a few gashes into each side. Stuff the slits with the filling, and the cavity of the fish. Let chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Place the fish, with the parchment paper, on a 450° grill, or in a 450° oven. Grill or roast, for about 20 minutes. 

Enjoy with new potatoes, grilled asparagus. 

Kerala Naadan Mathanga Curry (coconut squash curry) and Grilled Sichuan Chicken

 I know that one is supposed to use uncooked cubed squash for this recipe, but my hands were aching and I had a lot of baked squash on hand.  Having baked squash on hand made it much faster to prepare and develop flavours.

 

Kerala Naadan Mathanga Curry

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, or other squash, peeled and cubed.  I used Blue Hubbard Squash.

3 tbs vegetable oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds

2 dried mild red chilies

10 curry leaves

2-4 shallots, or 1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 chili powder (Mirchi, cayenne, or milder, not American chili powder, that also has cumin)

1 - 2 cups water

Salt, to tastes

For the Coconut paste:

1 cup shredded UNSWEETENED coconut

2 green chilies

1 cup water

• In a blender, make a paste of the coconut, green chilies, and water.  Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the mustard seeds.  When they begin to pop everywhere, add the chilies and curry leaves.  Add the shallots or onion, and fry for 6-7 minutes, until softened.
• Add the turmeric and chili powder.  Then the squash.  Fry and coat the squash for a couple of minutes.  Add water and salt.  Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Longer if using uncooked squash.
• Add the coconut paste and continue cooking, stirring through. 
• Enjoy, over rice.

 

 

 Grilled Sichuan Chicken

6 Chicken Thighs, skinned

1 tsp Sichuan Chili paste

2 tbs Hoisin

2 tbs Char Sui BBQ paste

drizzles Chinese cooking wine, Sesame oil, soy sauce

Sichuan spice blend of:  1/2 tsp each of white pepper, ground star anise, ground cloves, ground coriander, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground Sichuan peppers

Blend marinade and combine with chicken thighs.  Let marinade for a few hours.

 Heat oven to 350ºF. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Place chicken on the baking sheet, with all of the marinade.  Sprinkle optional roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, and/or chopped green onions.  Roast for about an hour, until the chicken is fall off of the bone tender.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Ikra

Ikra is a Russian relish/condiment/side dish.  Ikra means caviar, so the vegetables, usually referring to eggplant or zucchini, are diced small, to be reminiscent of fish roe.  I grew up with it, traditionally with Russian Mennonite foods, especially Fleischpersky.

 

 Ikra

2 large red onions, finely chopped 

4-6 cups finely chopped eggplant 

2-3 cups shredded carrots 

2 cups shredded parsley roots 

2-4 cups chopped peppers (I used a mix of sweet and medium hot)

4 cups tomato purée, or 1-2 bottles passata, or 4-6 cups chopped tomatoes 

Salt and pepper, to taste(I used about 2 tbs black pepper, and just less than that of salt)

Scant cup sugar (balances the acids, for canning)

1-4 tbs olive oil (or your preferences)

In a large, heavy bottomed stock pot, start cooking all ingredients, except for the tomatoes and sugar, on medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the eggplant is soft, add the remaining ingredients and cook, slowly, until it starts to reduce. Add a little bit of water, if needed. 

Can, in sterilized jars, for 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Albondigas - Spanish Meatballs

 Albondigas are my favourite meatball with sauce.  Served as a tapas, as a main course, snacks, etc.  They are easy to prepare and delicious.

For The Meatballs

1 ½ Tbsp olive oil, divided
½ onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, crushed


1 c fresh white bread, torn into small pieces (I have used other kinds of bread)
¼ c beef stock 
1kg ground beef
1 egg
2 Tbsp grated Manchego cheese, or Pecorino
1 Tbsp parsley
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper

For The Sauce

1 tsp olive oil (if needed)
1 onion, minced
2 c crushed tomatoes
½ c red wine (pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, or merlot)
¼ c beef stock (we prefer low sodium)
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp salt

Instructions

For The Meatballs

In a small sauté pan, heat ½ Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté until softened, 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Place the torn bread in a small bowl and pour the stock over it. Let the bread soak up the stock for 2-3 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the  ground beef, egg, grated cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add the cooled onion mixture and soaked bread. Using a large fork or your hands, mix the ingredients until evenly combined.
Roll the meat mixture into 1 inch balls and add them to the baking sheet.  Bake at 350ºF for 10+ minutes.  

 

For The Sauce

Once all your meatballs have been browned, add a little oil to the sauté pan, if needed. Heat the oil over medium high heat and add the minced onion for the sauce. Sauté the onion until softened, 3-5 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, wine, paprika, and salt. Mix well and bring the sauce to a simmer. 

Add the meatballs and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer the meatballs and sauce for 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked and the sauce is thick.
Serve the meatballs with crusty bread and a glass of red wine. 

 Enjoy!

 

Beer and White Cheddar Mussels

 Mussels, from PEI, are wonderful, versatile, crazy easy to prepare, super healthy, and sustainable.  They are also regularly available at Gimli Fish.

I've prepared these mussels with beer and white cheddar.  

First, clean the mussels.  also easy.  Clean off any beards and throw away and broken mussels or ones that don't close, even when tapping them.  Place cleaned mussels in some salt water to remove any more grit.  Set aside in the fridge after draining and rinsing the mussels.

Prepare the sauce in a large enough pot with a lid.

 

Beer and White Cheddar Mussels

1 lb fresh mussels, cleaned

1 finely diced shallot

2 tbs butter

1 beer

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups shredded white cheddar

1 tbs corn starch

1 tbs Dijon mustard

white pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

salt, to taste

Options:  chopped peppers, sautéed mushrooms, microgreens, etc.

For the sauce;

Sauté the shallot in butter until translucent.  Add the minced garlic.  Toss the corn starch with the white cheddar.  The starch allows you to prepare the sauce without lumps.  Add the beer and when simmering, add the white cheddar slowly.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a good simmer and add the mussels.  Stir and cover with the lid.  Cook for 5+ minutes, or until the mussels open.  Stir and serve in a large serving bowl.

Enjoy with toasts or crisp fries.

Thai Coconut Curry Squash

This dish is so easy to prepare, once you have broken down the squash.  It is also quite versatile.  

 

 

1 tablespoons coconut oil (or any oil really) 

1 large shallots, chopped (or 2 small)

6-10 lime leaves

2-2 ½ cups diced squash. I used Boston Marrow, but you can use butternut, Hubbard, or your favourite variety 

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2-3 tablespoons yellow curry paste 

1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk or make coconut cream and milk about 2 cups

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

2 teaspoons fish sauce (try black vinegar for vegans/vegetarians)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

3-4 cups fresh baby spinach

 

Heat cooking pot to medium high heat.  Add coconut oil and chopped shallots with the lime leaves and cook until the shallots are softened.  Add the ginger and yellow curry paste and cook for a minute before adding the coconut milk, squash, broth, fish sauce, and brown sugar.  Cook until the squash is soft, simmering on medium low, stirring.  Add spinach and continue cooking.  Serve with rice.  Enjoy!

French Onion Soup - Comfort in the Cold

 In the midst of another blizzard and cold snap, French Onion Soup to the rescue!  First, the stock:

 

Beef Stock

2 (ish) kg beef bones for stock
4 carrots, peeled and large diced
3 celery, large diced
2 Spanish onions, large diced
4 tablespoons tomato paste (a Turkish or Italian variety is richest)
1 leek
1 bunch parsley
4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
8 peppercorns
1 cup red wine

Method:
1. Place beef bones in a large roasting pan and roast in a 375ºF oven for 45 minutes, or until the bones begin to become golden brown.
2. Place the onions, celery and carrots on top of bones and place back in oven and roast another 30 minutes or until the vegetables begin to brown.
3. Coat bones with tomato paste and place back in the oven again and roast until tomato paste until it starts to brown but do not let it burn, approximately 15 minutes.
4. Place bones and vegetables into a large stock pot along with remaining ingredients. Cover the bones with cold water and bring pot to a simmer.
5. While bringing the pot to simmer, place the roasting pan over a burner and add the red wine. Scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan using the wine to deglaze the pan, add wine and bits to the stock pot.
6. Once water comes to a boil, set to a low simmer, and skim the stock of scum and fat for the first two hours.
7. Leave stock pot on a low simmer for about 4 hours. Periodically skim excess fat from the top of the pot and add water if necessary.
8. Remove pot from heat and strain stock through a fine sieve. Place into individual containers and store in the refrigerator for up to a week or the freezer for up to a month. 

Next, the soup

French Onion Soup

3-8 red onions, depending on size and personal tastes, shredded 

drizzle olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

sprig of thyme

a few litres beef stock

red wine, or cognac

toasts and cheese (Emmenthal, Oka, or other sharp white cheese)

Sauté the onions in olive oil until translucent and soft.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add beef stock and simmer.  Add wine or cognac.  Simmer for about an hour.

Prepare toasts with cheese.  Ladle soup into oven-proof bowls.  Place cheese toasts on top.  Broil until browned.  Serve and enjoy!

 

 

Squash Pancakes, a Korean snack in time for Hanukkah

 Happy Hanukkah!  A miraculous time of frying in oil!  

These light, vegan and gluten-free (if desired) squash pancakes are a Korean snack that work nicely as fried Hanukkah treat.

 

Korean Squash Pancakes

 

1 small squash, peeled, seeded and grated (not spaghetti squash, but most other kinds, including pumpkin.  Small, as in Acorn Squash, or enough to make 4-6 cups grated)

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs salt

Tamarack Farms Yellow Pea flour, to create batter texture. (May use AP flour, wild rice flour, rice flour, etc.  Use what you would for gluten-free cooking, or without regular flour. ) Quantity of flour depends on the amount of liquid in the squash.

 

I tested a few methods.  One recipe suggested not to grate the squash or put it through a food processor grater, as she didn't wish to clean it up, and recommended fine match-stick cutting of the squash.  I found that I had the best results with grating it.  

Grate the squash and mix with the salt and sugar.  Let sit for 10 - 30 minutes.  You will see liquid in the bowl.  You need the liquid.  

Mix in enough yellow pea flour or desired flour to make a batter.  Let the batter rest.

Fry pancakes in oil, until crisp on each side, about 6-8 minutes.  Enjoy immediately, with some soy sauce or hot sauce, or save for later service.

Enjoy!

Chicken Souvlaki

 There are many ways to prepare this dish, and there are many similarities between Turkish and Greek dishes. I’m using my Turkish Baharat but it is also excellent with Duq’qah. It is also one of the few recipes that I use chicken breast, but thighs are excellent as well. 

Chicken Souvlaki 

(Serves 4)

4 chicken breasts, cubed

1-2 tbs Turkish Baharat or Duq’qah (or a combination of cumin, mint, pepper, cinnamon, coriander)

1 tsp salt

3-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

Good drizzle olive oil 

2-3 tbs lemon juice 

Mix all ingredients together and let marinate, in the fridge, for a few hours. 

Fry or grill until fully cooked. Enjoy with pita bread and tzatziki. 

Easy and elegant saffron tomato scallops

 Easy and elegant seared scallops with a saffron tomato sauce 

(For 2-4 people)

4-6 scallops per person, dried well and seasoned with salt and pepper 

Available at Gimli Fish 

1 onion, thinly sliced 

2-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

Butter, for sauce and searing the scallops (1 tbs for sauce, 1-2 tbs for searing)

Good pinch of saffron 

1 cup of tomato passata or crushed tomatoes 

1/4 - 1/2 cup of red wine (alternatively, orange juice, for a lighter, summery flavour)

Favourite herbs

Salt and pepper 

Dry and season the scallops and set aside until the end. 

In a small saucepan, heat saffron and butter on medium heat. Add the thinly sliced onions and cook until translucent and beginning to brown. Add remaining ingredients. 

Heat pan for the scallops to medium high heat to high heat. Add butter. Place each scallop in the pan and let sear, without turning, for one- 2 minutes, swirling the butter around.  When they have developed a nice brown crust, turn them over and repeat. 

Serve the scallops immediately over the sauce, on a plate. 

Enjoy!

Roasted or grilled Duq'qah Spatchcock Chicken or Cornish Game Hen

 Impress yourself and your guests!  This is so easy to prepare, with excellent results.  

Duq'qah Spatchcock Chicken (or Cornish Game Hens)

1-2 chickens, depending on number of guests, or, generally 1/2 Cornish Game hen per guest

Dijon mustard, to coat the hens

Duq'qah (Dukkah, Duckah, etc), to coat the hens

drizzle olive oil

Sprinkle salt, to tastes

With Kitchen shears, cut out the spines of the hens, and reserve for chicken stock (in a freezer for later use).  Flatten the hens and coat lightly with the Dijon mustard.  Coat again with the Duq'qah and pinches of salt.  Chill until ready to cook.  

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Place hens in a roaster or prepare for the grill, with a drizzle of olive oil.  Roast, flattened in the pan, for about an hour, or until the meat is loose from the bones.  If on the grill, heat low and slow and turn hens every few minutes, until cooked through.  

Let the meat rest.

Cut at the table.  Enjoy!

Live local, Love local, and how to make it

Tomorrow morning, I'll be on CBC Radio's Weekend Morning Show, with guest host, Marjorie Dowhos, to talk about our wonderful local products.

I'll be preparing a Mango Martini, with Get Cheeky Foods Mango chutney and Patent 5 Elettaria Gin, and two pizzas, with Old Church Bakery pizza dough.  The first is a Turkish pizza with blue cheese, Nature's Farm egg, and Fertile Farm microgreens.  The second pizza is with a Zinn Farm Berkshire Pork Tenderloin that I have marinated and BBQ'd, with hoisin and greens.

The farmers and producers that are vendors at St. Norberts Farmers Market come from over 30 communities across the province.  A couple of producers drive in over 3 1/2 hours for market day.  The economic and cultural reach of one market is more that just around the city of Winnipeg.

We are all lining up to go into stores.  This quick line up with vendors outside and under the canopy, is one line up for over 60 stores. 

Enjoy the recipes and thank you for supporting local.

 

Mango Martini

Juice of one orange (I used a blood orange)

1 -2 oz Patent 5 Elettaria Gin (or Patent 5 Vodka)

1/2 oz Disorrono

1-2 tsp Get Cheeky Mango Chutney

Zest of orange

Shake in martini shaker over ice, serve straight in a martini glass or with cold tonic water as a highball.

Koniya Turkish Pizza

Such a lovely and simple pizza to prepare.  It is simply blue cheese mixed with fresh herbs and an egg.  Here, I used a Nature's Farm egg, mixed with Buttermilk Blue Cheese, from DeLuca's, and herbs and microgreens from Fertile Farm.  The base is wonderful pizza dough, from Old Church Bakery.  

Berkshire Pork Tenderloin on fluffy flatbread

I used the same pizza dough, from Old Church Bakery, but I marinated Berkshire Pork Tenderloin from Zinn Farm, and grilled it with the 7-6-5 method.  I served it on the pizza, with a little hoisin sauce and greens.

 Marinade for Pork Tenderloin or Pork Belly

1 tablespoon oil
5 slices ginger
2 scallions (cut into 3-inch pieces)
3 star anise
1 cup shaoxing wine
1 cup light soy sauce
¾ cup dark soy sauce
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups water

Let the Pork Tenderloin marinate for several hours or overnight.  

On a hot BBQ, Place tenderloin and cook on medium heat for 7 minutes with the lid closed.  Turn, and cook for 6 minutes with the lid closed.  Turn the heat off and leave to rest, with the lid closed for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, let rest, and slice.  Marinating liquid can be cooked and thickened with a little corn starch and used as a sauce.

 

Enjoy!  

Fair Trade Month of Chocolate, etc. Dark Chocolate Layer Cake, or cupcakes.

 There are always reasons.  So many great reasons for choosing to make your food, using Fair Trade products, local, and ethically raised.  Imagine knowing that no child labour, or slaves were used, for you to enjoy the foods that you do.  

We are celebrating Fair Trade month in May.  I will be posting recipes and information about products throughout the month.  Here is the birthday cake to get started.  

 

 Look to MCIC for more information on Fair Trade as well as events.https://www.mcic.ca/fair-trade/what-is-fair-trade

Dark Chocolate Layer Cake

1 cup butter.  I use the wonderful, local Notre Dame butter.  I spoke with the owner and he assures me of the quality.  It is soft at room temperature.

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs.  I use Nature's Farm for a few reasons.  They are excellent, local and I need to use a commercial egg for my products.  If you have access to farm fresh eggs, use them.

1 tsp vanilla.  I make vanilla with beans that I got from Kerala, South India.  Vanilla is very expensive because it is quite labour intensive.  I visited a fair trade spice plantation and purchased the beans directly.  I soak them in bourbon for a while.

2 cups flour.  I use Prairie Mills Flour, again, for a few reasons.  It is always an excellent product, local, and a great price.  After NAFTA, we have been losing local mills to large corporations. 

1/2 cup dark cocoa powder.  I use more like a cup, for this recipe, as well as additional buttermilk.  I use a Fair Trade dark cocoa by Callebaut.  It is available at DeLuca's. 

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup buttermilk +  I made kefir with Stoney Brook Creamery.  They are located in Steinbach and produce amazing organic dairy products.  They are also available at the St. Norberts Farmers Market.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and well incorporated.  Add eggs, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

Alternate mixing into the butter mixture with thirds of dry and buttermilk. 

Spoon into 2 greased and parchment paper-lined cake pans (9 inch)  Bake at 350ºF for 30 - 35 minutes, until tester comes out cleanly.  Let cool and remove from pans after 20 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Layer or frost as you wish.  Each cake can be cut into two layers.

I'll be preparing this recipe as cupcakes.  They bake for 15 - 17 minutes.

Ganache

8 ounce dark chocolate callets, or chopped chocolate.  I used Callebaut Dark, which is Fair Trade.  It is available at DeLuca's, Sobey's Cash and Carry, and other locations.  Camino chocolate is also excellent.

1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream.

1. Heat cream on the stovetop until just simmering.  Do not boil, or it could separate.

2. Place chocolate callets (chips), or chopped chocolate into the saucepan and cover for 2 minutes. 

3. Whisk cream and chocolate until smooth and shiny.  Set aside and let cool until workable for spreading or dipping.  It can be whisked as a frosting texture as well.

Enjoy!

Rose Harissa Baked Halibut with Beurre Blanc

 I had a beautiful piece of Halibut filet, from Gimli Fish, and I wanted to prepare something French Classical, easy, fusion-potential, and, did I already mention easy?  Beurre Blanc is, indeed, a very easy to prepare, Classic French sauce.  

I put my own Rose Harissa, thinly spread, onto the filet and set that aside in the fridge.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Beurre Blanc can also be served with asparagus, and other fish, such as salmon, steelhead trout, Arctic Char, etc.  Bake the filet, with adjustment for thickness, at 350ºF for 15 minutes.

I served this with Basmati Rice Pilaf, and creamy spinach.  

Beurre Blanc

 
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled  ( I confess to using salted butter)
Options:  thyme, tarragon, or sorrel

Boil wine, vinegar, and shallot and optional herb in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until liquid is syrupy and reduced to 2 to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes.
Add cream, salt, and white pepper and boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium low and add a few tablespoons butter, whisking constantly. Add remaining butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly and adding new pieces before previous ones have completely liquefied (the sauce should maintain consistency of hollandaise), removing the saucepan from heat occasionally to cool mixture, so that it won't split.
Remove from heat, then season to taste with salt and pepper and pour sauce through a medium-mesh sieve into a saucepot pressing on and then discarding shallot and optional herbs. Serve immediately.  It can be made in advance, just gently reheat.

Butternut Squash Soufflé

Please note:   Soufflés are not as difficult or fussy as the movies depict.  In fact, you can prepare the mixture in advance for hours, prior to putting into the baking dish and baking.  It is a delicate product, but not scary.  I used amazing local products, such as, organic butternut squash, grown by Kelly Ditz, wonderful and consistent eggs, by Nature's Farm, Prairie Mills Flour, and Notre Dame butter.

 

Butternut Squash Soufflé

Preheat oven to 425º F

Part 1:
Make a Béchamel Sauce by combining the following with a small whisk over a double boiler or Bain Marie;

3 tbs. Butter
1/2 cup flour
Add a scant cup cold milk (3/4 cup)
and continue to whisk over the steam heat until thickened.
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Part 2:

Sauté 1 chopped onion,
1 half roasted butternut squash
1/4 cup toasted almonds

Blend squash mixture to a smooth paste and set aside.

Part 3:

Add squash mixture to bechamel and whisk in. Then add 4 – 5 egg yolks from large eggs.
Fold in 4-5 egg whites, whisked to stiff peaks.

Use a buttered and floured soufflé mold or 6 smaller ramekins. Pour in the mixture and bake in the oven at 400ºF for 30 minutes (less time if using ramekins) without opening the door during cooking, until well-risen and a deep golden-brown on top.

Serve immediately. Enjoy with a light salad with a vinaigrette. Try with a chocolate fondue for dessert.

Enjoy!