Receta Barley and Butternut Squash Gratin, the wood arrived
I’m sure all the American cooks are spending this last day before the big Turkey Bash searching for new recipes.
Okay, maybe not…..
But if you just need one more, here it is.
It can all be done ahead and baked / reheated at the last minute.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you on that side of the pond!
Barley and Butternut Squash Gratin
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (2.8oz, 80gr) quick-cooking barley
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken stock
- 8oz (240gr) butternut squash, cut into cubes
- 1 cup (8oz, 240gr) chopped tomatoes
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2oz (60gr) feta, crumbled
- 1/3 cup (1oz, 60gr) grated Parmesan
- 10 Greek olives, chopped
- 10 walnuts, chopped
- 2 tbs fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tbs olive oil
Instructions:
Cook barley in chicken stock until done, usually about 15 minutes for quick-cooking barley.
Heat oil in a large skillet.
Add onion, butternut squash and and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
To finish:
Combine all ingredients and spoon into a baking dish just large enough to hold everything.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, 400F (200C), until nicely browned.
Remove and serve.
I think we’re ready for winter.
I have the calendars from both La Poste (postal service) and the pompiers (fire department) and they have my donation to their holiday fund.
The garden equipment has been winterized and tucked into the cellar below the barn.
The wood for this winter is cut and tucked into the barn.
The wood for next winter has, finally, been delivered.
The last guy we bought wood from brought it on a big trailer, got it somewhat close to where we wanted it and dumped it. We paid him and he left.
We said bonjour, au revoir, and that was it.
The new guy handles things a bit differently. He talked to me on the phone for 10 minutes then came to the house the next morning to discuss things to make certain we understood each other.
That was last week. Last night he came to the house again to tell us he would deliver the wood today.
He brought it this morning, all neatly loaded onto a trailer. He maneuvered the trailer right next to the platform where we stack it.
Then he started unloading it – by hand and started stacking it.
We immediately started unloading and stacking, too.
On the positive side we hadn’t expected anyone to help us stack the wood, and it is easier to take it from a neat pile and put it into a neat pile.
On the negative side the trailer was really high and lifting meter long logs over my head is not the easiest thing for me to do. Once we got the first few rows off it wasn’t too bad.
And there was no break time. Usually when we stack 10 meters of wood we do it in 2 or 3 work sessions. Obviously he wanted his trailer….
Still, with the 3 of us working, we had it all unloaded and stacked in just under an hour.
He was about 3 inches shorter than me, didn’t weigh more than a mosquito, was at least 20 years older and was lifting 2 logs at a time off the top and flopping them on the top of the new wood pile.
Certainly put me in my place!
Last update on November 26, 2014