Gnocchi with Blue Cheese and Pear Sauce

Gnocchi! I am sure you have seen this one before on my blog, but I repeat only to remind you what a wonderful, entirely local dish this is! When we bought Snowy Mountain Creamery's Delano Peak cheese the idea of a cheese sauce popped into our heads. What better way to use this cheese then to make a delicious pasta dish. The entire idea came when we were participating in the Eat Local Challenge. We were tasked with making a entirely local dish and this was  created. Everything in this recipe can be bought or made locally. All you have to do is sit down and make it. I know I loved this recipe and the pears we got in our CSA, that we added in at a whim, made it even more delicious. I could eat these every week and never get tired of them, so of course I think you should try them.  Enjoy what is left of this season and don't forget to start preparing for the winter!

Ingredients:

Homemade gnocchi (see previous post)
2 tbls. butter (Winder Farms)
2 tbls. flour (we use freshly ground wheat)
1 cup 2% milk ( Winder Farms)
1/2 cup homemade vegetable broth
1/3 pound Delano Peak cheese (Snowy Mountain Creamery)
1 pear, diced
grated parmesan cheese

1) See previous post on the making of homemade gnocchi. Remember to use fresh russet potatoes since these work the best for gnocchi. Don't work the dough too much or the gnocchi will be heavy instead of light and fluffy.  Cook as directed in previous post.
2) Melt butter in the saucepan and then add flour to create a roux, about 3-4 minutes, . Stir continuously so as not to burn the flour. Meanwhile, heat the milk and broth to warm in the microwave.
3) Slowly add the liquid to the roux while continually stirring with a whisk. Continue to cook over low heat until the sauce thickens. Add the Delano Peak cheese and continue to cook until most of the cheese has melted. Add the diced pears.
4)  Toss gnocchi with the sauce and sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese. Serve warm

Pappardelle with Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbl. honey
1 & 1/2 tbl. olive oil
1 tsp. Redmond Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 shallots, peeled and halved
1 tbl. chopped fresh sage
4 ounces uncooked pappardelle pasta (Nu-Nooz)
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese (Gold Creek Farms)

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
2. Combine squash, honey 2 & teaspoons oil, salt, pepper and shallots in a shallow pan. Toss well. Bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender. Stir occasionally during roasting. Add sage and toss well.
3. Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and place pasta in a bowl. Add 2 teaspoonfuls oil, roasted squash and shallots and cheese; toss well.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Spaghetti Squash with Feta, Zucchini, Tomato, Garlic and Basil

We are members of the Bell Organic CSA as we have stated before. This week, we got spaghetti squash, tomatoes, and some sweet red peppers. They gave us a recipe for this dish but, of course, we adjusted it a bit for what we had on hand and what we thought we would like. At the Downtown Farmers Market last week, we bought the Feta Cheese from Gold Creek Farms so we already had this on hand along with some their great parmesan cheese. There are so many local cheese purveyors that I will update my blog to include as many as I can this week. I thought this was an incredibly delicious recipe and it had multiple different flavors that complimented each other. Not only did it taste delicious, it looked delicious. And every ingredient was local except for the olive oil! How is that for being LocaliciousUtah!

Ingredients:

1 medium sized spaghetti squash
2 tbl. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 gloves garlic, mashed and minced
1 cup sliced zucchini
1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped
2 cups chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
shredded parmesan cheese
Torn basil leaves to taste, or about 2 tbls. of chopped basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds (my Mom uses an ice cream scoop to remove the seeds). Place squash cut sides down on a baking dish or baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until soft. Saute onion and garlic until tender, add zucchini and red pepper and sauté until tender. Add tomato and cook for additional 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, use the tines of a fork to gently pull strands of squash away from the peel. Add the strands of squash to the sautéed vegetables and heat. Add the cheeses and serve.