Philly Food & Wine

Good times at the Philly Food & Wine Festival this weekend. I'll post pics once I get them all, but wanted to deliver on my promise of posting the recipe I demo'ed ASAP. Thanks to all the wonderful peeps in the crowd for turning out, and staying put. Following Aaron McCargo, Michael Voltaggio, and Fabio Viviani ain't exactly an enviable position for a rank amateur like myself, and the crowd that was there made life a whole lot easier and more enjoyable...

This recipe resonates with me for a couple of reasons: it's easy, tasty, and healthy. And it was the perfect thing to demonstrate on Halloween Eve, because of the "trick" of the squash posing as spaghetti!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

• Slice one large spaghetti squash lengthwise. Place cut sides down on a greased baking sheet and roast for approx. 45:00 in a 400 degree oven. Cool completely when done.
• Meanwhile, cook 4 slices of bacon in a pan. Remove and drain to cool.
• Dice an onion and add to same pan with bacon grease. Saute until soft. Set aside.
• Grate 4 oz. Havarti cheese, 4 oz. Swiss cheese, and 2 oz. Romano cheese in a large bowl.
• Chop the bacon and combine with 2c bread crumbs (I prefer Panko) and 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Set a side (this is your topping).
• In another bowl, combine 1/4c stone ground mustard, 1/4c sour cream, 1/4c chopped parsley.
• Scoop out the squash seeds from the cooled squash. Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash halves, forming long strands, and add to the wet mixture. Mix completely. Season with salt & pepper.
• Mix in the remaining 2/3 of the cheese mixture to the squash mixture. Spread in a 9x13 greased casserole dish.
• Top with the bread crumb/bacon/cheese mixture.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for approx. 25:00 until golden brown, then broil and additional 2-3 minutes until the cheeses bubbles and the top is crispy.

My demo went pretty well (there were no leftovers!)... and I hope this dish serves you and yours well in your home...

Squash This!

It's that time of year for recipes. The time of year where the glorious Gourd takes center stage, in its manifold forms: pumpkin, acorn, and, my personal fave, spaghetti. In fact, I will be posting my Spaghetti Squash Casserole recipe I will be demo'ing @ the Philadelphia Food & Wine Festival shortly. But this post is dedicated to the colorful, popular, if not sometimes vexing butternut variety. A name that congers cozy, comfort food... but can be a real witch to deal with, if ya know what I mean.

I found this recipe from CHOW to be pretty simple to prepare. I enjoy a chunky texture to my pastas, and this one certainly had that, but I would recommend taking your with the squash in the saute pan to make sure they're nice and tender. And I chose egg noodles, because the creamy sauce clings to them nicely...

Egg Noodles with Butternut Squash & Thyme Cream Sauce

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into medium dice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the egg noodles until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
  
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, and salt and sauté until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
  
• Add the squash, thyme, and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the squash is starting to brown and just gives way when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.
  
• Pour in the cream, stir to coat the vegetables, and bring to a boil. Stir in the cheese and simmer for 2 minutes.
  
• Transfer the pasta directly into the sauce. Remove the pasta and sauce from heat and toss with tongs to coat the pasta.
• Add the reserved pasta water by the tablespoon to reach the desired sauce consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The Cool Kids Call it CoMo

Spent most of the last week in Columbia, Missouri -- or CoMo, as it's known to the locals. I was there shooting a pilot for a top-rated cable network, but the rest of the details are to remain under wraps for the time being. Rest assured I will be shouting it from the rooftops once I get clearance, Clarence... but I digress...

Two eating experiences I can share with you, amidst 5 days of basically eating to survive, not indulge. Our 12-14 hour days permitted only 1 memorable restaurant endeavor, and we were fortunate to have enough time to sit down for a proper lunch one day, as well...

The Wine Cellar Bistro of Columbia, Missouri, boasts over 1000 bottles in their collection, and the interior promotes exactly that. Wine bottles, crate tops, racks, pictures and more are displayed seemingly everywhere. I enjoyed a glass of Layer Cake Shiraz before my meal. Very enjoyable Australian wine, with dark berries and, aptly, a hint of chocolate on the back end as well. My salad was impressive in portion size and ingredients. Nice chunks of mozzarella, hearty tomatoes, and oranges, which was a first for me with this type of salad. For my main course, I couldn't resist the Chicken and Pancetta Ravioli, which came with a rich and creamy sauce dotted with pine nuts. Nice layers of flavor and certainly tasted freshly made. It was a quality meal to start our production schedule...

The other shout out goes to what is seemingly the unanimous pick for Best Pizza in CoMo: Shakespeare's. This, straight from the web site: "We make fresh dough, on site, several times a day. We start with Stanislaus pizza sauce - it's made from tomatoes, not concentrate - and add some of our own spices. We use high grade provolone that's aged just right, and shredded, not diced... because it makes a difference."
And while I will respectfully resist any over-the-top raves, I will say the whole wheat crust was a nice consistency, and the toppings were plentiful. The best I've eaten? Not close. But I can see why the denizens of Columbia would be proud. This is a distinctly local joint, which is proud to stay just that. A big fish in a small pond, you may say (I just did!). Every college town has one; this is simply where you get your pizza if you are a student at University of Missouri...

So, there ya have it. Two places to hit up if you ever find yourself smack dab in between St. Louis and Kansas City.