The November 2012 issue of Cooking Light was all about the best recipes of the past 25 years. So when I saw this Butternut Squash and Mushroom Tart, I knew it was worth a try. I ended up making a lot of changes to the recipe (see notes below), either because I was being cheap or I thought I had ingredients I didn’t or I just plain didn’t read the directions closely enough. On that note, I highly recommend reading through ALL of the directions before you get started. My attempt played out like a comedy of errors, but the end result was still amazing!

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Tart with Gruyère
Cooking Light, November 2012

Ingredients

Crust:
5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons ice water
Cooking spray

Filling:
3 cups precubed peeled butternut squash
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¾ cup prechopped onion
2.5 ounces aged Gruyère cheese, shredded and divided (about 2/3 cup)
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 ½ ounces prechopped pancetta
5 ounces presliced shiitake mushroom caps
¼ cup dry white wine

**My changes: I used gouda instead of gruyère cheese because it’s easier to find and cheaper. I also used a blend of shiitake and portabella mushrooms (about 3 oz shiitake and 2 oz portabella). Instead of pancetta, which I couldn’t find at our grocery store, I used bacon. I didn’t have an onion, but I did (randomly) have a shallot, so I used that instead. My grocery store also didn’t have prepeeled and chopped squash, so I just bought a whole, medium-sized one.

I also clearly did not read the directions first, because I roasted my squash for 45 minutes in the oven and then scooped out the flesh and ran it through the food processor until it was smooth. So when I got to step three below, I basically just put the squash in the pan long enough to mix it with the shallot since it was already cooked. While it wasn’t according to the recipe, the filling did have a velvety smooth texture that I am not sure would have been achieved by following the directions.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and spoons; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through baking powder) in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Combine ¼ cup oil and 3 tablespoons ice water in a small bowl. With processor on, slowly add oil mixture through food chute, and process until dough is crumbly. Sprinkle dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Quickly press dough into an even layer in bottom and up sides of pie plate. Place crust into preheating oven, and bake for 10 minutes.
3. To prepare filling, place squash in food processor (do not clean from dough), and process for 1 minute or until squash is finely chopped. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add squash and onion to pan; sauté for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. While squash cooks, combine half of cheese (about ⅓ cup), eggs, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl; stir in squash mixture. Remove crust from oven; spoon squash mixture over crust, and spread evenly. Return tart to 425° oven; bake 9 minutes.
5. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pancetta; cook 1 minute or until beginning to brown. Add mushrooms; cook for 7 minutes or until browned. Stir in remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove tart from oven. Arrange the mushroom mixture evenly over top of tart; sprinkle with the remaining ⅓ cup cheese. Return tart to 425° oven. Bake 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Risotto is one of those dishes that you think is really difficult to make until you actually do. Sure, it can be time consuming, and you do have to stir it constantly, but I definitely wouldn’t call it difficult. Once I got the hang of making risotto, I started making every variation you can imagine with whatever I had on hand. The other day, I happened to have squash, chicken and asparagus on hand, so voilà!

I had roasted a chicken and the squash the day before, so they were both ready and waiting for me when I got home from work, which was a big time saver. You could also use the rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or just quickly sauté a couple of chicken breasts before preparing the rest of the dish. I prefer roasting the squash in the oven because it allows it to caramelize, but I’ve also microwaved it in a pinch (about 8 minutes or so for a full squash).

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Butternut Squash, Chicken, and Asparagus Risotto

1.5 cups uncooked arborio rice

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

4.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth

10-12 stalks of asparagus, trimmed

Half of a medium butternut squash

2 cups of shredded, cooked chicken

2 tsp thyme

2 tsp rosemary

1 tsp sage

salt and pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°. Place squash on a cookie sheet and roast for 40 minutes or until it is fork-tender. Allow the squash to cool and then remove the skin, cut the squash into cubes, and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the asparagus and toss until cooked through. Remove the asparagus, allow to cool slightly, and then cut into 1-inch pieces.

In a medium saucepan, heat the broth over low heat. Put the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil into the sauté pan you used for the asparagus over medium heat and add the garlic. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes. Ladle in 1 cup of the broth and stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Continue to add the rest of the broth 1/2 cup at a time, waiting until the liquid in the pan has been absorbed before adding more. Be sure to stir constantly while the rice is cooking. When you are almost out of broth, add the thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper and continue cooking until you have added all of the broth. Add the squash, asparagus and chicken and stir to fully incorporate.

This is a great one-dish meal, and it makes enough for 2 adults and a toddler with leftovers for lunch the next day!