Urban Farm Recipe Contest Winner

Posted on 10/31/2011 by The Bridge

Felice's Urban Garden
The recipe contest we ran last month was a big success! Featuring the ingredients we are growing in our two Urban Farms, the goal of this contest was to continue our healthy eating education efforts. Renowned celebrity chef Hiroko Shimbo has chosen the winner and 1 runner-up who will get their recipes published here on our blog. Chef Shimbo is an expert in Asian and many other cuisines, and has authored The Japanese Kitchen and The Sushi Experience. We are pleased to announce that Felice Milani's Butternut Squash Macaroni is the winner! She will receive a $100 gift card to The Central Park Boathouse restaurant. Felice has her own urban garden where she grows sweet peppers, bell peppers, chili peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil and scotch bonnets. She is a Queens Public Defender and hopes to expand her garden this spring to include eggplant and squash. The runner-up is Janet Simmons with her Chocolate Chip Carrot Cake. Please see the winning recipe below and the Carrot Cake recipe will follow shortly. Congratulations to our winners!



Butternut Squash Macaroni
  • 1 pound macaroni twists (the long macaroni)
  •  Boil the water until rolling, add the macaroni and cook until the macaroni sticks to the wall. cooking the noodles in either chicken broth or vegetable broth instead of water is also good.
SQUASH
  •  1 two-pound butternut squash
  • Preheat oven to 400F. Cut squash in half, lengthwise and rub cut side with olive oil.
  • Place cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast for 60 to 75 minutes or until completely cooked and soft.
  • Scoop out flesh while still warm and break apart with a spoon. Timing-wise, finish the squash roughly the same time the pasta and the sauce is cooked so that it's still warm.
  • OPTION 2 - just buy the frozen butternut squash from the supermarket (it takes about 2 containers).
SAUCE
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped small
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 16 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
In a saucepan, melt the butter on MEDIUM heat til shimmery. Stir in the onion as it's prepped, then the nutmeg and white pepper, cook til onions soften. Stir in the flour and mix well. A tablespoon at a time, add the milk .Stirring often, let the sauce come almost to the boiling
point, it will thicken slightly. Add the cheese and let melt, adjusting temperature.

COMBINE: In a large bowl, break the squash apart, mashing it really, with a wooden spoon. Stir in the hot, drained pasta and combine well, distributing the squash throughout. Stir in the sauce and combine well. Transfer to a greased baking dish. If you like, sprinkle the top with pimenton or paprika, or breadcrumbs.

BAKE: Return dish to room temperature. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes til hot and bubbly throughout. To add color to the top, place under the broiler for 2 - 3 minutes, watching carefully so not to burn. When covered with foil, holds its temperature for a good 30 minutes.

ENJOY



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