Sausage, Turkey, & Butternut Squash Pizza

You may (or may not) remember an entry I composed back in July for Pimento Cheese & Sausage Pizza. Well, I certainly could not let autumn draw to a close without posting my favorite pizza recipe, using one of my favorite autumnal ingredients, butternut squash -- Have I mentioned that I love butternut squash before? Maybe eight or ten times? Just checking.

I have made my Sausage & Butternut Squash Pizza every fall for the past few years, and it still remains my top pick out of all the pizzas I make. Come to think of it, since I did the Pimento Cheese one for summer, and now this one for fall, should I create a pizza for every month...? I will contemplate it. Anyway, I digress. I think the reason I love this dish so much is because it's very rich, hearty, and rustic, which makes it perfect for an autumn evening... or a winter evening... or a spring evening... (You see where this is going.) The flavors of the savory sausage and cheese complemented by the sweetness of the squash with just a slight essence of garlic all merge together for a unique and dazzling flavor profile that I find myself craving many times throughout the year. 

This year, however, I gave it a bit of a twist. When I left home after Thanksgiving, my mom sent the leftover turkey with me. We were lucky to have the most incredible smoked turkey breast this year, and I did a good bit of damage to it before the holiday had concluded. Regardless, nearly half of the turkey remained, and I've been wracking my brain for the past few days to try to determine the best method of consuming the leftovers. I had been in the mood for this pizza, and so I figured that surely the turkey wouldn't harm the flavor profile TOO terribly. In actuality, the pulled smoked turkey was a delicious compliment to the dish! So if you're ever stuck with leftover turkey and cannot pass another turkey sandwich without gagging, try a pizza -- seriously, it's good. 


Sausage & Butternut Squash Pizza (with Smoked Turkey, this time...) 

First, you'll need to begin with roasting the butternut squash, as this step is the most time-consuming. 

Roasted Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. curry powder*

*I love the flavor of curry paired with butternut squash, but if you're not an enthusiast, just leave it out. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash into 1" cubes. In a bowl or on a baking sheet, coat the squash with the olive oil and seasonings, and stir together until all of the squash is evenly coated. Spread the squash cubes out in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the squash has become fork-tender. Remove from the oven and reserve.
 

For the crust, you are free to implement the store-bought variety, but if you'd rather impress your buddies or feel like summoning your inner Martha Stewart, here is the pizza crust recipe I provided in my last pizza post:

Quick & Easy Pizza Crust 

1 .25 oz. packet of active dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups bread flour*

2 tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. salt 

*Sorry guys, but you really have to use bread flour (not all-purpose) for this recipe.

Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a bowl, and stir until the dry ingredients have dissolved. Let stand for 10 minutes. 

Combine the flour, salt, and oil in a separate bowl, and then add the liquid mixture, and blend together until a smooth dough forms. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. After it has rested, spread the dough out on a greased baking sheet. 

 

 

The next step is making the garlic oil. If you'd rather buy garlic oil from the grocery store, it will work perfectly, but I find that it's much more economical to make my own. 

 

Garlic Oil

 

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil 

 

Peel the garlic cloves and smash them with the side of a knife. Add olive oil to a small pan and bring to medium heat. Add the garlic cloves, and allow them to simmer in the oil for a few minutes until they begin to slightly brown. Remove the pan from the heat and discard the garlic. Allow the oil to cool and reserve.

 

(WARNING: Brilliant me once tried to be clever and make my own garlic oil by smashing a couple of cloves of garlic, placing them in a jar of oil, and leaving it to sit for a few days -- until I was informed that I was concocting a lovely batch of botulism. Do not make the same mistake I made!)

Now we can begin to assemble the pizza! 

1 lb. ground sausage, cooked* 

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese*

Reserved butternut squash

Reserved garlic oil

Pizza crust

(Any additional toppings you would like) 

 

*I didn't include a "Let's cook the sausage!" step because, well, you just take sausage and you cook it. I do however, insist you must cook the sausage before adding it to the pizza, as the baking time is not sufficient enough to thoroughly cook it. 

 

*I prefer mozzarella for this recipe, but you can use whatever cheese you like. Swiss or Gruyere would be delicious! 

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour 2-3 tbs. of the garlic oil on top of the crust and brush it over the entirety of the crust's surface until it is thoroughly coated. Reserve the remaining oil for later use.  

Spread the cooked sausage in an even layer over the crust, then spread the cheese in an even layer over the sausage. Add the butternut squash (and/or additional toppings) as desired, and reserve the remaining squash for later use.

 

Bake the pizza for around 10-15 minutes or until the edge of the crust has browned and the cheese has melted. Allow the pizza to cool for at least 5 minutes, cut, and serve. 

(I'm also particularly fond of this pizza because it matches my plates!)

Enjoy!

 

 

Old-Fashioned Lemon Squares

For some odd reason, one night earlier this week, as I was lying in bed, I suddenly found myself with an insatiable craving for lemon squares. I say "odd" because I normally don't make these delicate treats very often, and because I usually prefer lemon meringue pie. While it was far too late to embark on a culinary adventure that evening (considering I had to be at work the next day), I vowed that once I was able to secure a bit of free time, I would make a batch of lemon squares at some point during the week -- which happened to be last night. 

I realize that this will be my third blog entry where I reference The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl and Griffith Day, and I want to assure you, I am in no way receiving any sort of monetary compensation for this... unfortunately... However, after perusing a few cookbooks, I found their recipe for "Sunny Lemon Bars" to be most suitable to my taste at that particular moment. 

I had to alter the recipe a bit to accommodate what ingredients were in my possession, but the end result is nothing short of magnificent: a delicious filling that is neither too sweet or too tart with a hearty shortbread crust. 

While sharing a recipe for lemon squares in mid-November might be considered odd, as this treat is usually reserved for the spring and summer months, I'm a staunch advocate of preparing whatever you want whenever you want -- and to hell with anyone who says differently. Also, I attached the handle "Old-Fashioned" to the title of the recipe because 1) I believe that food ultimately tastes better when infused with a bit of nostalgia, and 2) if I had to imagine a true representation of the lemon squares of yore, I believe this recipe produces an ideal facsimile. 

Finally, I must insist (as I've done before) that it is imperative to use fresh lemons. Fresh lemon juice is far less acidic than the concentrated juice, creating an overall more pleasant flavor. Also, for any recipe that incorporates lemon juice, adding a bit of fresh lemon zest will aid in enhancing the flavor (and besides, if you already have the lemons, you may as well zest 'em). 


Old-Fashioned Lemon Squares 

Crust: 

2 sticks of butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl, and stir until they are blended and form a thick dough. Press the dough evenly into a greased large, rectangular baking dish. Bake for around 15-20 minutes, or until the crust becomes a golden brown color. Remove from the oven and reserve. Reduce heat to 300 degrees.

 Filling:
The juice and zest of 3 large lemons (around 3/4 cup juice and 3 tsp. zest)
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
6 tbs. all-purpose flour 

In a mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients together until they are thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture over the crust and bake for around 25 minutes or until the filling has set firmly. Remove from the oven and cool. 

Once cooled, dust the top with confectioner's sugar if desired. Then cut and serve the squares as you wish. 

(I honestly cannot believe how gorgeous these squares turned out to be! Unfortunately for the squares, though, they are not too pretty to eat...)

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Sweet Potato & Guinness Shepherd's Pie

After attending the Sweet Potato Festival in Vardaman, MS last weekend, my mom brought home a 40 lb. box of sweet potatoes -- and if you aren't aware, that's a lot of damn sweet potatoes. Needless to say, I was able to procure a few of them for myself. I'd been debating how I wanted to prepare them, and for once, I was purely stumped. However, when I woke up this morning, the proverbial light blub illuminated.

When I was in Orlando last month, my friend Steven and I ate at a fantastic Irish pub-style restaurant in Downtown Disney called Raglan Road. (As a side note, the adjacent bar, Cooke's of Dublin, is also quite excellent, especially if Rob, a very charming Scotsman, is your bartender.) At the restaurant, I opted for the Fish & Chips (which were excellent), and Steven opted for the Shepherd's Pie. We tried a bit of each other's entrees, and I was utterly blown away by the Shepherd's Pie. One of the star ingredients of the dish was a house-made Guinness glaze (which they also serve with bread and olive oil as an appetizer). I vowed then and there to learn how to replicate these delicious wonders once I returned home. But until now, I'd become sidetracked in my quest.

I've seen Shepherd's Pies prepared with sweet potato topping, diverting from the original recipe, and I imagined that the flavor would pair beautifully with the rich sweetness of the Guinness glaze. I am proud to say that I was correct in my assumption. This is a perfect dish for a chilly autumn evening -- or any time, really. It's freakin' good.


Sweet Potato & Guinness Shepherd's Pie

Part I: Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Peel 4 medium sweet potatoes, and chop them into 1" cubes. Then, boil the potatoes on medium-high heat until they are fork-tender (about 10-15 minutes). Drain the water from the boiler, and add 1/2 stick of butter to the potatoes. Beat or whip the potatoes until they are smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Reserve.

Part II: Guinness Glaze

In a boiler, bring a 12 oz. can or bottle of Guinness and 1/2 cup of brown sugar to a simmer (at about low-medium or medium heat). Allow the glaze mixture to simmer for around 30 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by half. Reserve.

Part III: Meat & Veggies

2 lbs. ground chuck
1 lb. ground sausage with sage
2 tbs. olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. rosemary (dried)
1 tsp. thyme (dried)
1 tsp. parsley (dried)
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Reserved Guinness glaze

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, bring the olive oil to medium-high heat, and add the carrots, onion, garlic, and herbs. Sautee the mixture for 10 minutes or until the vegetables start to become tender. Add the ground meat, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook the mixture for about 10-15 more minutes or until the meat is completely and evenly browned. Make sure to continually stir the mixture vigorously to ensure that all the meat browns and that none of it burns.

Once the meat is browned, drain the excess fat from the mixture, and return the meat and vegetables to the pot. Add about 3/4 cup of the Guinness glaze to the mixture (or more, if you would prefer a sweeter dish). Mix thoroughly. 

Part IV: Assembling the "Pie"

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the meat and vegetable mixture into a large casserole dish. Then, top the mixture with the reserved mashed sweet potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are spread evenly on top of the mixture.

Bake the "pie" for about 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potato topping has darkened a bit. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and serve.

(The glorious fusion of Irish and Southern cookery!)

(An individual serving -- It might not look too pretty, but man oh man, this is some seriously good eats.)

Enjoy!