TFF: Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini
Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini ranks as one of the best Tyler Florence recipes I’ve made so far.
Acorn squash is hollowed out, roasted in the oven and then used as a serving dish to hold cheese tortellini in a creamy, alfredo like sauce. A little garnish of parmesan and sage leaves is sprinkled on the top. The cheese tortellini ends up getting kind of crispy which makes for a great texture difference. Everything together has a smooth, creamy, and subtle richness that I absolutely loved.
I think the presentation factor makes this a perfect dish to serve at a dinner party. Plus, it’s meatless so it would be good for vegetarian guests.
My only recommendation would be to roast the squash a little bit longer than the recipe suggests. I’ve found this to be true with a few of Tyler’s roasting times. Maybe it’s just my oven or something with my own personal preferences, but just be aware.
I actually made this a few weeks ago but just hadn’t had the time to get it posted. So tonight I seriously felt bummed inside while looking at these pictures at the same time I had Sloppy Joe Hamburger Helper simmering away on the stove. It just didn’t seem right. :)
Tyler Florence’s Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini
Ingredients
2 medium acorn squash (about 1 pound each)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1 garlic clove crushed
1 sprig thyme
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 pound cheese tortellini (store bought)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated parmesan cheese for topping
Fresh sage leaves for garnish
AOL has the recipe here with directions
Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini is my eleventh post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
Barefoot Bloggers: Vegetable (and Chicken) Pot Pie
I love Pot Pie. In my family, we exclusively have the “Slippery” version – not the kind that has a crust, lots of mixed vegetables and other stuff thrown in. I can say I’ve probably had the version with a crust only a handful of times in my life (and this would include Swanson’s). So when I saw that Deb of Kahakai Kitchen had chosen Ina’s Vegetable Pot Pie recipe for the second October Barefoot Bloggers recipe, I knew this would be a good one for me to push myself in a whole new Pot Pie direction.
I tried to stay close to the recipe but this one seemed like one where it would be ok to play around. I cut the butter down from 12 tablespoons to only 4. I was willing to add more if needed, but there was no way I was starting out with 12 tablespoons. Gotta save calories and fat where you can, right? I left out the Pernod because I can’t justify a purchase like that for such a small amount of liquor. I omitted the butternut squash, asparagus tips, frozen onions and fennel (these last two things were nowhere to be found at my local store). Since I left out so much I threw in whatever I had in the freezer like frozen squash and peas, just keeping the measurements to around 1 1/2 cups. I also added some roasted chicken so it would sound a little more appetizing to the boyfriend. I made a full recipe of this, so I had to have him on board with having it for dinner or I’d be having pot pie by myself for days.
I cheated and used store bought pie crust. Now I’m all for baking from scratch, but pie crust… 
. It’s the one thing that can really make me frustrated in the kitchen. I’m sure Ina’s version is great and I know I should’ve made it, but I wanted to save myself the frustration on such a peaceful late Sunday afternoon.
I knew I was really going to like this as I was making the sauce and putting everything together. At 20 minutes left in the oven, it smelled so good and was making me so hungry that I found myself rummaging around in my cabinets looking for something to eat to hold me over. I was like “What am I doing??” and made myself stop and wait. Good thing, because this Vegetable Pot Pie was awesome and I needed all the room in my stomach I could get!
Still staying true to my original life long preferences, I could take or leave the crust. The filling is all I really cared about, but as a whole it was really good. Thank you, Deb for choosing it. Make sure you stop by Kahakai Kitchen to see what she thought of her choice. Then stop by the blogroll to see what the other 111 Barefoot Bloggers thought. 
Ina Garten’s Vegetable Pot Pie
Book: Barefoot Contessa Parties!
Show: Barefoot Contessa Episode: Pot Luck
Ingredients
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 cups sliced yellow onions (2 onions)
1 fennel bulb, top and core removed, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups good chicken stock
1 tablespoon Pernod
Pinch saffron threads
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 cups large-diced potatoes (1/2 pound)
1 1/2 cups asparagus tips
1 1/2 cups peeled, 3/4-inch-diced carrots (4 carrots)
1 1/2 cups peeled, 3/4-inch-diced butternut squash
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions (1/2 pound)
1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
For the pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper
Click here for Directions!
Barefoot Bloggers: Panzanella
And we’re back with another Barefoot Bloggers recipe. This time, Melissa of It’s Melissa’s Kitchen was up to choose and she selected Panzanella, a perfect summer recipe.
Panzanella is an Italian bread salad loaded with fresh vegetables and mixed with an olive oil based vinaigrette. You really don’t need your oven other than to toast the bread on the stovetop and cutting the vegetables is the most considerable work you’ll have to do. It’s a very simple recipe to put together and the taste is light and fresh. This recipe seems very adaptable. You could play around with the ingredients and throw in whatever you had available and I’m sure it would turn out fine. And I know that some people are funny about capers. However, I would definitely recommend adding them to this salad.
What I did/changed/thought: I made half a recipe and it still made a large amount. I forgot to get fresh basil and I didn’t have any mustard so I had to substitute dried versions for both. No worries. For the bread I used a french baguette. I really liked this salad but I probably would only make it for a party. A nice summery, outdoor party.
Head on over to It’s Melissa’s Kitchen to see how Melissa’s Panzanella turned out. Then stop by here to check in on almost 100 others.
Panzanella
From the book Barefoot Contessa Parties! by Ina Garten
Seen On the TV show: Barefoot Contessa Episode: Beach Volleyball Picnic
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained
For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Click here for directions
Next up will be Butterflied Chicken chosen by Stefany of Proceed with Caution.
