Herb-Roasted Squash and Leeks

Running low on side dishes, it's time to fire this one up so I can keep the full-plate Thanksgiving-style dinners happening. I like butternut squash and I like leeks (the leek part was a little surprising) so this roasted vegetable dish sounded like a good one.

Herb-Roasted Squash and Leeks
from Cooking Club
click to print

1/4 c olive oil
3 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp pepper
2 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed (1 1/2 inches) (6 cups)
4 large leeks, sliced

Heat oven to 400°F.

Combine oil, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large bowl.


Toss butternut squash and leeks in oil mixture.


Spread on large rimmed baking sheet.


Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and slightly browned, stirring occasionally.



Slightly browned is exactly what the vegetables looked like at the end. Very slightly browned. And I'll tell you right now that the goal for cutting butternut squash is to aim for even-sized pieces, however big or small they wind up. Then, cut the leeks accordingly. My leek pieces were more wilted than some of the butternut squash pieces were soft. Regardless, the seasonings were tip-top. Honestly though, this recipe doesn't top the squash and Brussels sprouts recipe and I am beginning to doubt any will.

Cost:

• olive oil: $0.88
• fresh rosemary leaves: $1.29
• butternut squash: $2.39
• leeks: $2.99

Total: $7.55 or about $0.94 for each of eight servings.

Roti de Porc au Lait

Wandering through my few cookbooks, I came across this recipe. Since it has been a while since I last did a pork roast, I figured I'd give it a spin even though the idea of braising a roast in milk seemed a little odd.

Roti de Porc au Lait
adapted from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook, also found here

3 lb. boneless pork loin roast
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 leek, white part only, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp flour
2 c whole milk
1 bouquet garni (1 sprig of flat parsley, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, and 1 bay leaf, tied together)

Season the pork with salt and pepper.


Heat the oil in the Dutch oven. When the oil is hot, add the butter.


Brown the roast on all sides, 6 to 7 minutes total.


Remove the roast from the pan and set aside on a large plate.


Add the onion, carrot, leek, and garlic and stir over high heat until soft and carmelized, about 10 minutes.

I let mine caramelize over 8 minutes.

Stirring constantly, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes.


Add milk and the bouquet garni.


Bring to a boil and cook over high heat for 5 minutes.


Add the pork and any juices that have collected on the plate. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour, making sure to periodically rotate the pork (the sugars in the milk can cause sticking and scorching).

After 20 minutes I turned turned the loin over and found that it was beginning to scorch. The milky mixture was also beginning to look curdled. Forty-five minutes later, the milk mixture had separated and the milky chunks were not exactly appetizing.

Remove the pork and allow to rest for 15 minutes.


Remove and discard the bouquet garni.

I couldn't see the bouquet garni in the cooking liquid. Since the next step was straining the liquid, I didn't sweat it.

Strain the cooking liquid into a blender and purée the sauce until foamy. Adjust the seasoning as needed.


Carve the pork and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over and around and serve immediately.



While the browned roast looked fabulous, milky chunks notwithstanding, it turned out a little dry. I will rule out inadequate standing time as the culprit since my pork stood 28 minutes before I made the first cut. Maybe I should've let it braise longer since my roast was 3.4 pounds instead of 3.0? I'm not sure. Anyway, having the sauce worked out ok; it was disappointing that it was a necessity.

The sauce did taste good, only slightly sweet from the lactose in the milk, and definitely savory due to the pork juices. But my aversion to sauces left me on a see-saw of like-dislike. I'm not sure if I'd ever make this one again except to find out why it did turn out drier than expected. Not incredibly expensive and fairly simple to complete, I might give it another go with a different cut of pork roast, a long skinny one instead of a squat round one.

Cost:

• boneless pork loin roast: $10.17
• olive oil: $0.48
• butter: $0.07
• onion: $0.28
• carrot: $0.25
• leek: $0.86
• garlic clove: $0.08
• whole milk: $0.70

Total: $12.89 or about $2.15 for each of 6 big servings.

Linguini with Asparagus, White Beans and Crispy Prosciutto

Hesitant about this in the first place, I went with it just because I've sort of put myself on a quest to make every recipe out of the current Cooking Club magazine. Sometimes you try a recipe you wouldn't normally try and it's a win! Sometimes you try a recipe you wouldn't normally try and you wish you'd just made a pbj.

Linguini with Asparagus, White Beans and Crispy Prosciutto
from Cooking Club
click to print

6 oz. whole-grain linguini

4 thin slices prosciutto, chopped (1 1/2 oz.)
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts, julienned (1 cup)
1 1/2 c chicken stock
1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
1 lb. asparagus, diagonally sliced (1 inch)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c grated Romano cheese

Cook linguini according to package directions; drain.


Meanwhile, cook prosciutto in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove prosciutto.


Add oil and crushed red pepper to skillet; heat over medium heat until hot.


Add leeks; cook 4 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally and reducing heat to medium-low if necessary.


Add chicken broth and beans; bring to a boil over medium heat.


With potato masher, gently crush some of the beans to slightly thicken sauce.


Stir in asparagus and garlic.


Cover; cook over medium-low heat 6 to 8 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender.


Stir in pasta. Sprinkle with crisp prosciutto and cheese, and serve.



I like beans but not in this! The beans were just too weird, which is supremely unfortunate since everything else was good. The asparagus and pasta were cooked perfectly and the prosciutto and romano giving a crispy/salty zing. The leeks could've been cut in half lengthwise. They were long. But the beans, ugh. You know, could it have been because my can of beans have been around for a long time - sort of like the crab meat situation? I'm not interested enough to figure it out.

Cost:

• whole-grain linguini: $0.75
• slices prosciutto: $2.25
• olive oil: $0.16
• leeks: $1.49
• chicken stock: $0.24
• cannellini beans: $0.50
• asparagus: $2.01
• garlic cloves: $0.16
• Romano cheese: $0.80

TOTAL: $8.36 or about $2.09 for each of four servings.