You’ve heard about it before; you’ve tried it at restaurants. Ravioli with butternut squash and brown butter sauce. Butternut squash soup.  Goat cheese and butternut squash quesadilla. But have you ever prepared it at home? Are you familiar with the euphoria that is roasted butternut squash? Everything, from the deep orange color, to the way it pitter-patters against your roasting pan, is intoxicating. Here is a delicious recipe for butternut squash that is a perfect side-dish to any protein.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (medium sized) (peeled and cubed)

1/2 medium-sized red onion (cubed)

1 sprig rosemary (chopped)

3 sprigs thyme (stripped and chopped)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

Method

First, pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Then pair down the butternut squash, cutting off the top end as well as part of the bulbous bottom with seeds. Take the remaining body of squash and peel with a vegetable peeler or large knife. Then, chop into one inch cubes. Chop half a red onion into equal size cubes. Mince 1 sprig of rosemary needles. Then strip three sprigs of thyme lives and chop. Combine everything on a roasting pan with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well. Roast in oven at 425 degrees for about 35-40 minutes.

Crostini is a popular appetizer with a somewhat pretentious name. Quite simply, it’s toasted bread with some type of savory topping. Tomatoes, tapenade, even cured meats are a delicious accompaniment to a toasted french baguette. Here is a simple yet savory pairing of flavors. Garlic is slathered in olive oil and then roasted until caramelized and sweet, then pureed with white beans, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Ingredients

1 15 oz can white beans (rinsed and drained)

1 head of garlic (roasted)

1/2 cup olive oil

handful parsley

squeeze of lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 french baguette, or other loaf of bread (sliced)

Method

To roast garlic: preheat oven to 400 degrees. With sharp knife, cut off top portion of one head of garlic, so that the cloves are exposed. Drizzle with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper, cover with foil, and roast at 400 degrees for about thirty minutes or until the garlic is browned. Set aside and let cool.

Next, slice bread into 1/2-1 inch thick pieces, drizzle with olive oil, and toast in oven at 375 degrees until lightly browned.

Once garlic is cooled, remove cloves from peel by squeezing the ends. Cloves should release easily. Place in a blender with white beans, olive oil, salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon juice, and parsley, and puree until smooth consistency is achieved. Spread mixture evenly over bread and serve with garnish of fresh parsley. Enjoy!

Indian Chicken Cutlets are a play on Eastern kebabs and Italian-American meatballs. They’re spicy, savory, and addictive. Ground chicken is flavored with ginger, chilies and toasted spices and then pan fried until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Served with a yogurt-based cilantro dipping sauce, this dish is perfect as an appetizer.

Ingredients

1 16 oz package ground chicken

3 clove garlic (minced)

1 inch ginger (grated)

1-2 jalapeno peppers (minced)

handful cilantro (chopped)

2 teaspoons cumin powder

2 teaspoons tandoori masala

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

To make breadcrumbs, simply buzz two slices of plain white sandwich bread in food processor. Set aside. Prepare the meat by combining ground chicken with ginger, garlic, spices, and cilantro. Season with salt, add breadcrumbs and oil, and then mix. Refrigerate for at least one hour to let marinate.

Once chicken has marinated, remove from fridge and let stand twenty minutes or so to help bring back to room temperature. Roll meat into small-medium sized balls and then flatten to form a patties. Heat skillet with 1/2 inch vegetable oil to medium-high. Then fry patties, making sure not to crowd the skillet, until nicely browned on both sides. Patties should bet tender on inside with golden crust on outside. Serve with yogurt dipping sauce (see below)

Dipping Sauce

2/3 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt