Recipe: Stuffed Pattypan

It's a shame that ingredients like pattypan squash aren't utilized more often in mainstream cuisine.  Squash dishes are increasingly being reduced to pumpkin, zucchini, and butternut (in certain geographic areas.)  Many people don't realize that squash offer huge gastronomic potential.  The savory, yet a sweet, taste and wonderful texture really brightens up the fall.  The flesh of the squash is tender while the skin adds a little bit of crispness.
I just cooked up this recipe today (my own invention) and it is wonderful.  I hope you all enjoy.

Ingredients

3 pattypan squash

3 slices of bread (I used two large loaf heels)

2 medium onions, chopped

1 sausage link (I used smoked kielbasa.  Bacon is also a good substitute.)

1/2 cup of bread crumbs

1/4 cup of cheese (I used a mild feta)

1 egg

1 stick of butter

Oil

Preheat the oven to 400º F.  Cut top third of the squashes off and scoop out seeds inside to create a small bowl.  Steam the squashes until tender (about eight-ten minutes.  You can steam them by placing them in a baking dish with a half-inch of water at the bottom.  Cover the dish and place in a hot oven.)  In a saucepan, caramelize the onions in oil.  Put the onions in a medium-bowl.  Bisect the sausage along its length, then cut into pieces.  Fry up the sausage in the leftover oil from the onions over high heat.  Add the sausage, cheese, 1/2 stick of the butter, egg, to the bowl with the onion.  Rip and shred the bread and add as well.  Mix the stuffing all together, making sure the cheese and butter melt slightly and are evenly distributed.  Stuff the stuffing into the squashes.  Put the squashes and caps into a baking dish.  Use the rest of the butter and top the squashes and their caps with pats of butter (the butter will melt in the oven and soak into the flesh of the squash.)  Bake the squashes in the oven until the top of the stuffing starts to uniformly turn brown, about 15 minutes.  Serve.

This dish will immediately get you laid if you make it for a girl.

Recipe: French Onion Soup

French onion soup is a personal favorite of mine, owing to its simplicity and hearty taste.  I'm a big fan of onions and try to buy them as cheaply and as much as I can.  This soup is perfect for almost any season and can be mastered with extreme ease.  This is the recipe I use (I tinkered with it a little to bring out a richer and more full flavor.)

You will need:

8-9 medium onions (green, white, or yellow), chopped

10 cups of beef broth or stock (bouillon works well)

Sliced bread

Brandy (two shots' worth)

2 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

Cheese (traditionally Gruyere)

Pepper to taste

Oil to sauté

Add the broth to a big pot.  Peel and chop the onions.  In a saucepan, over medium-high heat, caramelize the onions in oil (about eight minutes), stirring constantly.  When the onions are turning brown, add the honey and the balsamic vinegar.  When the onions are caramelized, add everything in the saucepan to the broth and bring to a simmer.  Add in the brandy and grate in some pepper to taste.  Simmer for ten minutes or so.  Ladle the soup into bowls; top each bowl with a slice of bread and a thick layer of grated cheese.  The hot soup should melt the cheese over the bread and the top of the soup.  Serve.

Makes: about six servings.

If you let the soup sit for a day, the flavors will blend and meld better, making for a better soup.  But you can serve immediately as well.

I add the honey and balsamic to the onions, as I find it makes for a richer soup.  The vinegar and the honey cook a bit into the onion, allowing for a sweeter, yet more savory, soup.

Also, try serving in bread bowls for the ultimate experience.