8 minute read
Freezer-friendly for future festivities
Five fun recipes to make ahead
By Crystal MurrayRecipes and styling by Erin PettipasPhotography by Steve Smith, VisionFire Studios
The ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is calling. It wants to remind you that it’s far more fun to prepare now and save time when the holiday season is in full swing, so we have five fantastic freezer-friendly recipes from catering chef Erin Pettipas to have you ready for planned gatherings or a surprise holiday guest. At Christmastime, you never know who might stop by!
Lasagna
Serves 9-12
Roasted garlic cream sauce (makes enough for lasagna and pinwheel recipe)
2 heads roasted garlic
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
2 tbsp (30 mL) flour
½ cup (125 mL) white wine
3 cups (750 mL) heavy whipping cream
½ cup (125 mL) cream cheese
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
For the lasagna
2 lb (1 kg) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-cm cubes
1 leek, washed and chopped
2 cups (500 mL) ricotta
2 cups (500 mL) parmesan, grated
1 package lasagna noodles
1 head of kale, de-stemmed, roughly chopped and washed
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
1½ tbsp + ½ tablespoons olive oil
To make the roasted garlic cream sauce, slice off the top of the head of garlic to expose the tip of each clove, wrap in foil with 2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 400F/204C for 1 hour or until fragrant and softened. Roast alongside the butternut squash, cubed and drizzled in the remaining olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Bake for around 45 minutes or until you can easily prick with fork.
Meanwhile in a pan on medium heat, sauté the chopped leeks with butter until they soften and start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add kale and sauté until wilted and bright green. Mix in the roasted butternut squash and set aside until ready to assemble.
Combine ricotta with 1 cup parmesan cheese.
In a pot, add the roasted garlic (squeeze from the skin and mashed), combine with butter and cook on medium heat until the butter has melted and starts to bubble. Add flour and whisk continuously for about two minutes. Add white wine, cook for another couple of minutes, whisking and scraping any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add cream cheese and whisk until melted then slowly add heavy whipping cream while whisking. Once sauce is smooth and hot remove from heat. Don't let the mixture boil.
This recipe makes enough for the lasagna recipe and mushroom pinwheel recipe. If making both dishes, set aside 1/4 of sauce for pinwheels.
Cook noodles to package directions in salted water and drain.
To assemble, in a large casserole dish begin layering the components, roasted garlic cream sauce, pasta, butternut squash mixture, pasta, ricotta-parmesan mixture, roasted garlic cream sauce and repeat 3 times. Pour the remaining roasted garlic cream sauce over the top layer of pasta and top with the remaining cup of parmesan and freshly-cracked black pepper. At this point, if freezing you may cover tightly and place in freezer. To cook from frozen, bake at 375F/190C covered in foil for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes until the cheese has browned.
If cooking fresh, bake uncovered at 425F/218C for 30 minutes. Let rest 10-15 minutes before digging in.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Makes 5 litres
Roast chicken. If pressed for time, skip this step and use a rotisserie chicken and make broth from it or use rotisserie chicken and store-bought broth.
Chicken and broth
1 chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 apple, cut in half, then quarters
3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh mixed herbs, chopped (thyme, rosemary, sage)
3 tbsp (45 mL) butter
2 tsp (10 mL) salt
2 tsp (10 mL) pepper
Soup
1 whole chicken (meat removed from bones and pulled into bite size pieces)
8 cups (2 l) broth
1 cup (250 mL) wild rice
2 cups (500 mL) carrots, peeled and diced
1 leek, washed and chopped
3 cups (750 mL) kale, de-stemmed, washed and chopped
1 cup (250 mL) heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
Preheat oven to 450F/230C. In a casserole dish scatter chopped up veggies (no need to peel anything). Melt butter with chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Place chicken on top of veggies and cover with the butter and herb mixture, including under the skin of the breasts. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until the skin has browned then lower the heat to 350F/177C and cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until chicken registers at least 165F/75C all over and the juices are running clear. Allow to cool before removing meat from bones and separating the meat into a container and refrigerate. Place bones along with any juices, veggies from the casserole dish
in a 6.7L pot. Cover and fill with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and allow to simmer for 1-2 hours. Strain into another bowl to separate broth from bones and set aside.
In the empty pot, on medium-high heat, add butter, carrots and leeks, and sauté for 10 minutes until they start to brown and leeks soften. Add in rice and toast for 2 minutes, then add the broth, bring to a boil on high, then lower to medium heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the carrots are soft to bite and the rice is cooked through. Add the chicken.
If cooking to freeze, pack into airtight containers and place in freezer. To reheat, thaw in refrigerator overnight, return to a pot and reheat, stirring in the cream and kale.
To serve fresh, stir in the cream and kale until the kale is wilted and bright green.
Bacon, Gruyere, and Date Dip
Makes 4 cups
1 lb (454 g) bacon
4-5 shallots, about one cup (250 mL) thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 block (250 g) cream cheese
4 ounces (113 g) goat cheese
½ cup (125 mL) sour cream
½ cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
2 cups (500 mL) shredded gruyere, divided
½ cup (125 mL) dates, pitted and roughly chopped
Dice bacon into 2-cm pieces and add to a sauté pan with sliced shallots. Cook on medium high heat for 20-30 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the shallots are browned and starting to caramelize. Drain excess oil, then add garlic and sauté 2 minutes until fragrant. Add to a mixing bowl with the remixing ingredients, reserving one cup of shredded gruyere. Combine, then spread into a baking dish, top with reserved gruyere and bake at 400F/204C for 20 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbling. Serve with sliced baguette or crostini.
Italian Meatballs with Tomato Sauce
Makes 16-24 meatballs
1 lb (450 g) ground beef
3/4 lb (375 g) mild Italian sausage meat (or remove from cases)
½ cup (125 mL) panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs
3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh oregano, chopped
3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh basil, chopped
3 cups (750 mL) tomato passata or tomato purée
1 ball fresh mozzarella, grated or torn into shreds
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425F/208C.
In a sauce pot, add 3 tbsp olive oil with 1 clove garlic, 1 tbsp oregano and 3 tbsp basil. Sauté until fragrant then add tomato passata. Season with 1 tsp salt and stir. Cover and simmer while you make and bake the meatballs, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté onion with 2 tbsp olive oil on medium high for 5-10 minutes until softened and browned. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add to mixing bowl with beef, sausage, 2 tbsp oregano, 2 eggs, panko, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper. Combine and form into 1.5-inch balls (you should get between 16-24.) Bake for 15 minutes or until internal temp reaches 160F/70C.
Add meatballs to a casserole dish and cover in tomato sauce and torn or grated mozzarella. Broil in oven for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned (watch closely). Top with more fresh basil and enjoy as an appetizer or with spaghetti.
Mushroom Pinwheels
Makes 7-8 pinwheels
1 package premade puff pastry (454g/2 sheets pastry) or homemade
1 cup (250 mL) roasted garlic cream sauce (1/4 of recipe from lasagna, above)
1 package (250 g) cremini mushrooms
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 oz (113 g) goat cheese
3.5 oz (100 g) prosciutto
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
Balsamic drizzle
Slice onions and place into a small sauce pot with 1.5 tbsp olive oil. Turn heat to high until the onions start to sizzle and brown, then reduce to low, cover and allow to caramelize. This will take about 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Once caramelized, add sliced mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and sauté on medium high until no moisture remains and the mushrooms are cooked down. Set aside.
To assemble, lay out the sheets of puff pastry. Spread roasted garlic cream sauce on each, then layer on prosciutto to cover. Top with caramelized onions, mushrooms and crumble goat cheese over top. Roll into pinwheels, then using a sharp serrated knife in a back-andforth motion, gently slice into 7-8 pieces. Place upright in a casserole dish. You may freeze at this point, and when ready to use, allow to defrost overnight in fridge and bake. Bake defrosted or fresh pinwheels at 425F/218C for 40-45 minutes. Top with balsamic drizzle and serve.
