Abundant Life Organic Farms Butternut Squash Salad
with Winesap Apples and Avalanche Goat Cheese

For the vinaigrette:

1⁄2 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
1 teaspoon honey, preferably
Gates of Heaven
4 sage leaves, chopped
1 1⁄2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1⁄4 cup olive oil

In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, shallots, honey, sage and vinegar. Slowly add oil and whisk until combined.

For the salad:

12 ounces Butternut squash, preferably from Abundant Life Organic
Farms, 3⁄4-inch dice
1 tablespoon honey, preferably Gates of Heaven
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground clove
Pinch ground allspice
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 apples, Winesap or other local variety, diced
3 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, toasted
4 cups fresh spinach
Olive oil
6 ounces goat cheese, preferably
Avalanche brand, crumbled

Spice the Butternut squash with honey, cinnamon, clove, allspice, salt, pepper and butter. Roast squash in the oven at 350° until caramelized, and then set aside. Combine the apples, cranberries,
pumpkin seeds and spinach in a bowl. Heat the squash in a sauté pan with some olive oil. Add the vinaigrette and gently warm through. Pour the warm squash over the apple salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle the salad with goat cheese crumbles.

Serves 6.

Tips for the salad: This salad shines with all of the great produce the fall season has to offer. When cooking the Butternut squash you want to lightly brown the pieces on all sides to release
their natural sugar. Also, as they turn color you want to check repeatedly for being done by poking them with a fork or knife. A little resistance when inserting the fork will guaranty a good “bite” and lots of smiling faces. In place of Butternut squash you can use Delicata, Acorn or Buttercup squash.

Hazelnut Crusted Homestead Ranch Lamb Loin
with Jack Reed’s Rainbow-Colored Chard and Parsnip Gratin

For the lamb:

2 cups hazelnuts, skins removed
4 6-ounce lamb loins, trimmed of silver skin
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Chop the hazelnuts in a food processor.

Strain any fine dust (the fine dust will burn when you cook the loins). Press the chopped hazelnuts onto the lamb loins and season with salt and pepper. Cook the lamb in a sauté pan with olive oil to desired temperature. Make sure to let the meat rest before serving. Typically you want to rest the meat as long as it takes to cook it.

Tips for the lamb: When preparing meat, always remove it from the refrigerator and season it 5 minutes before cooking so the salt and spices can penetrate. In the restaurant

I like to do a time-consuming technique, finishing the meat by basting it with butter, garlic and thyme. This works great when you have a sous chef and seven other cooks to help you out. At home I try to get the same flavor by first roasting a smashed clove of garlic in my cooking oil until browned. I then discard the garlic and cook the meat in the very same pan, getting that wonderful fresh garlic aroma from the infused oil. Keep in mind that when you cook meat on both sides you push all the juices to the center. A meat cooked this way and cut immediately will lose all of its juices and taste dry. That’s why you have to let the meat rest, preferably on a resting rack so the air can circulate all around it and the juices are absorbed back into the meat again. Plan ahead and give meat the time it deserves.

For the rainbow chard:

1 bunch red chard, stems and leaves diced
1 star anise
2 shallots, finely sliced
Olive oil
1⁄2 cup ruby red port
1 bunch white chard, stems and leaves diced
1 bunch yellow chard, stems and leaves diced
3 tablespoons butter
1⁄2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Sauté the red chard stems, star anise and shallots in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the diced red chard leaves and port. Reduce for 5 minutes. Using 1 tablespoon of butter, sauté the yellow and white chard stems and leaves separately to keep their color. Before serving, add 2 tablespoons of butter and the vinegar. Adjust the red chard and port sauce by reducing the sauce to desired consistency.

For the parsnip gratin:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
1 Russet potato, peeled and finely sliced
4 parsnips, peeled and finely sliced
1 1⁄2 cups cream
1 cup grated parmesan

Sauté the onions in olive oil for 5 minutes without giving them color. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook until wine is completely evaporated. Add the potatoes, parsnips and cream. Let the mixture cook for 5 more minutes and then add almost all of the parmesan. Transfer to a 2-inch-tall baking dish. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan on top and bake at 350° for approximately 45 minutes or until a crust forms and there is just a touch of resistance when you insert a knife in to the gratin.

Alternatively, the gratin can be finished under the broiler to achieve a crust.

Comments: The sweet and strong flavor of the parsnip is toned down by adding a potato so as not to overpower the rest of the dish. The rainbow chard creates its own sauce by “bleeding” into the port wine. This makes for easy home cooking with all of the wonderful nutritious value and fall flavors. The hazelnut on the lamb rounds out the dish for a harmonizing flavor combination.

Sweet Potato and Raincrow Farm Eggplant
Lasagna with Arugula-Almond Pesto

For the pesto:

1 garlic clove
Sea salt
1 cup arugula
3 tablespoons toasted almonds
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1⁄4 cup high-quality olive oil
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
Pepper

In a mortar, mash the garlic with some sea salt. Add the arugula and pound until the juices of the arugula have been released. Add almonds and crush to desired consistency. Last, add the vinegar, oil and parmesan. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and a splash of water to lighten the pesto.
 

For the lasagna:

3 sweet potatoes, sliced thinly
2 eggplants, sliced thinly
1⁄2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
6 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
2 roasted red peppers, diced

Brush the sliced sweet potato and eggplant with olive oil and garlic. Season them with salt, pepper and the chopped rosemary. Grill the sweet potato and eggplant until caramelized but not cooked through. This is important, as you will finish cooking the “lasagna” in the oven and want to keep some bite to the finished product. In a 2-inch-tall baking dish, start layering the sweet potatoes by overlapping the slices. Sprinkle the layered potatoes with olive oil, mozzarella and peppers.

Next layer the eggplant slices on top of the potatoes, again overlapping the slices. Repeat the process two more times to form a “lasagna.” Finish with a layer of sweet potatoes.
Wrap the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350°.

Serve the lasagna with the arugula-almond pesto.

Serves 6.

Comments: The sweet potato is wonderfully offset by the lightly tart and earthy eggplant. Fresh mozzarella gives the dish richness and the fire-roasted pepper a hint of smokiness.
Arugula pesto adds a spicy peppery finish to the dish. Having tried the sweet potato lasagna with mushroom, zucchini and other vegetables, I must say that this is my favorite balanced
flavor combination. Try the “real deal” at Ute City Restaurant.