Paul Robins sparked the skillet with Chef Erika Avery from Cafe Bernardo to learn how to make Vegetarian Dishes for New Year’s Eve.
Here are the recipes from Monday’s show:
Creamy Polenta with butter braised leeks, butternut squash, fontina cheese, and portobella mushroom
Polenta
8 cups water
2 cups polenta
2 tbsp butter
salt to taste
Bring water to boil, add polenta in a steady stream whisking continuously. When it begins to thicken, turn down the heat, stir often. When it pulls away from the sides add butter and taste for salt. Serve hot.
Butter Braised Leeks
6 cups leeks, cleaned, quartered lengthwise, and cut into ¼’ slices
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp chopped thyme
½ cup water
½ tsp salt
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until leeks are soft and almost all the liquid is gone, about 10-12 minutes. If water evaporates before leeks are tender, add more water.
Roasted butternut squash
Peel butternut squash. Cut in half and remove seeds from the center. Dice squash into 1/2″ cubes. Place in large bowl and lightly toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and place in a 350* oven for 40 minutes. The edges of the squash will start to turn brown, this is ok. When the squash is done it should be tender when pierced with a fork.
