Butternut Dumplings

Ahh, good times when Mom was visiting!   Her and the kiddies enjoyed a fondue party!  Coming soon I plan on sharing the best and very healthy caramel apples.  Mom and the kids enjoyed a slightly less healthy version with doughnuts, pretzels and cut up fruit.

  

 

It was literally yesterday, when my little guy ran around shirtless in 78 degree weather. Now today, the high was a wet 51 degrees. That's Indiana for ya!

 

 

The Indian Summer of Fall was awesome while it lasted!  Yesterday, I did a nice long run through the woods at Fall's park. 

 

The leaves covering the yard means Fall is in full force and it's got me in a seasonal type of mood.  So the other day, I roasted up some yummy butternut squash-- at least I thought it was kinda good.  The rest of my household members-- not so much.  Anyways, I was left with basically an entire roasted butternut squash, minus 1 serving. 

 

 

 

And since today was a cold and rainy type of day I decided to play around in the kitchen.  I got out the blender and tossed it all in there.  Ohh, let me back up the train here for a sec-- when I roasted the squash, I cut it in chunks because I like how the edges get all firm and toasty.  Also, I seasoned it with a mix of salt, pepper and garlic powder.

 

Okay, this train may now continue to move on.  :) 

 

After thoroughly blending it up into a baby food like consistency, I put it on the stove top to dry it out a bit more.

 

 

After allowing it to COOL (very important btw) I mixed in an egg and flour.  Mixing an egg in this while still hot would not be pretty.  I kept mixing flour in until it made the right kind of dough.  Think homemade noodles, or if your new to cooking, it's when the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

 

The dough may be somewhat sticky but keeping a coating of flour on your hands will help.  I turned half of it out at a time on my floured counter top.  A person with really big hands could easily work with it all at once.  I find my little hands work best with half at a time.

 

Next, I formed the dough into several long "snakes" as the kids like to call em, from their Playdough days.  Notice the decline from very well coated with flour to not so well-- this is okay.  

 

The main thing is to get them into bite sized, flour covered dumplings.   

 

At this point, you could place them into a freezer bag to save for a later date if you like.  That's what I did with the first half of mine. 

 

To cook the dumplings, either straight from the freezer or fresh, place them in a pot of gently boiling water.  There is no need to cover them.  After a couple of minutes the dumplings will float to the top and they are done. 

 

To take your dumplings from good to great place them directly into a hot frying pan with a tablespoon of bacon fat and a bit of minced garlic.  Now I realize frying anything in bacon fat is not the best for someone trying to slim down so be sure to keep moderation in mind.  I'm doing calorie cycling and today is a higher day-- but more on that in a later post.

 

Turn them once they have slightly browned.

 

Watch in amazement as your family gobbles up the same squash that they would not touch the day before.  :)

 

 

I served them tonight with a bean and kale soup and corn/sausage muffins prepared earlier in the day.  However, the dumplings are really yummy as a dish all by themselves.

Butternut Dumplings

Serves 8

Ingredients:
3lb butternut squash
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, whisked
2-1/4 cups flour, plus more for rolling

Tablespoon of bacon fat
1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce bulb end of butternut squash with a sharp knife several times then microwave for 3 minutes, flipping halfway through. Slice top and bottom off squash, then cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds with a spoon. Place squash halves cut side up on a foil-lined baking sheet then brush with extra virgin olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the thickest part of the squash meets no resistance.  (I skipped the microwave part, but it does make it easier to slice.)
2. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop from peel and place in a food processor. Process until very smooth (or mash by hand) then place puree in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook until it is no longer extremely moist, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow squash to cool.
3. Stir in whisked egg. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, and stir until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Turn out onto a heavily floured surface and knead until dough comes together. (Dough might be sticky, just keep flouring hands lightly.)
4. Roll dough into a rope and cut into 1″ sections. Transfer to a freezer bag, or cook immediately.
5. To cook:  Add approx. 1 cup at a time to gently boiling water, then cook until dumplings float to the top, about 2 minutes.  Melt bacon fat in a large skillet over medium heat, then add garlic. Cook until garlic is just starting to turn golden brown. Transfer dumplings using a slotted spoon to the skillet. Fry until lightly browned.