Sunday 1 February 2009

Today i made autumn veg with goats cheese & pumpkin-seed oil

Ingredients:1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil1/4 cup Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/8-inch disks (optional)2 parsnips, scrubbed and sliced into 1/4-inch disks1 teaspoon ground cumin1 leek, white part only, cut into 3-inch julienne pieces1/2 celery root, peeled and cut into julienne pieces1/4 pound mizuna, watercress, or frisee2 tablespoons sherry vinegarKosher salt, to tasteFreshly ground black pepper, to taste4 1-inch baguette slices, toasted for 2 minutes in 400°F oven1/4 pound fresh goat cheese2 tablespoons pumpkin-seed oil (available at specialty stores)

Instructions:


1. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
2. Place the butternut cubes and chopped sage on a cookie sheet; drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and roast until light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Set aside in a large salad bowl to cool.
4. Place the Jerusalem artichokes on the same cookie sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
5. Roast in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes.
6. Remove and set aside with the squash.
7. Place the parsnips on the cookie sheet and toss with the cumin and 1 more tablespoon of olive oil.
8. Roast for 6 to 7 minutes, and then set aside with the other vegetables.
9. Bring 6 cups of water to boil and set up an ice bath near the stove.
10. Plunge the leeks into the boiling water and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
11. Remove the leeks from the boiling water and submerge them in the ice bath until cool. Remove the leeks from the ice bath, pat dry with paper towels, and set aside.
12. Add the leeks, celery root and mizuna to the salad bowl with the roasted vegetables.
13. Add the remaining olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper and toss gently to coat well.
14. Divide the mixture evenly among four chilled dinner plates, mounding it like a haystack.
15. Generously spread fresh goat cheese on each baguette slice and place on top of each “haystack.”
16. Drizzle the pumpkinseed oil around each mound and serve immediately.
yum!