culinary flights of fancy

Home Cooking Adventures in Berkeley Heights


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Butter Bean and Roasted Butternut Squash Dip with Lemon, Garlic, and Sorghum

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This is a special post as this marks the 100th post of this website experiment that we share together!

When I started culinaryflightsoffancy and food writing in general I did so rather reluctantly.  I was unsure of so many things, worrying about whether people would read it, whether I could create recipes that were interesting but yet doable for home cooks, whether I could continue to be creative on a regular basis, whether I could be consistent enough with this project that I could sustain an audience, and whether I had or have a voice that represents something unique to add rather than just simply adding to the volumes of things available on the Internet and in cookbooks.

I think the jury still may be out with regard to some of those issues, but I really have enjoyed doing this…way more than I ever thought.  Thank you so much for reading and responding and I really hope you have enjoyed and continue to enjoy these little recipes that I work on throughout the week as inspiration strikes.  I’d like to especially thank my wife, Tara, for encouraging me to do this and being patient with me while I worked through what something like this would look like for me.  It took me quite a while to go from thinking about the look and feel of the site to actually making it a reality and she gave me the space to be able to create while still being encouraging, which is something special.

I haven’t counted, but given this post marks the 100 point, I would have to guess there are probably 80 original recipes now on this site…some more original than others.  There are also a handful or so recipes that come from other places and other people that I decided to cook and include here because I enjoyed the recipe so much that I wanted to share it and my experience with it.

Anyway, thanks again for reading and for your support in the past, now, and continuing on into the future as I likewise continue on this creative adventure in our Berkeley Heights home kitchen.  Okay, enough!  Let’s move on to the recipe at hand:

Recipe Begins here:

So, let’s keep the healthy Super Bowl dips theme going with this one.  This again, is super easy and very fast to make.  I like this dip as it really tastes great and it adds another vegetable and other healthy elements into Super Bowl festivities that otherwise may be fairly unhealthy.  It takes about 30 minutes or so to roast the butternut squash and that can be done a few days ahead of time.  Otherwise, this takes about ten minutes to pull together.  If you don’t have sorghum (or if you don’t care for it), you can use molasses (which would be what I recommend) or honey.  Also, if you don’t like or don’t have butternut squash, you can certainly use any winter squash including pumpkin and it would work great.  If you do so, you would likely need to change the roasting time and it may require more or less lemon juice and oil depending on the texture of the squash used.  Recipe, etc. follows after the jump… Continue reading


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Black Bean and Black Garlic Dip with Red Chili Flakes and Feta Cheese

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Are you ready for the Super Bowl?  Me too!  Are you going to a party or throwing one to celebrate the big game?  If you are or if you are just hanging out and watching it at home by yourself or with your family, chances are you will be looking for something good to snack on during the game.  This dip is easy, tasty, and very healthy.

Black garlic can be found at specialty and health food stores and at most Asian markets.  It can also be easily found on-line.  So, what is black garlic?  It’s pretty straight forward in that it is simply garlic that has been roasted and then fermented for a period of time (usually around a month or so).  During the fermentation process the garlic is kept at specific temperature and humidity levels and it’s through this process that the garlic literally turns black and changes in flavor from raw garlic to something that is slightly savory and slightly sweet with notes of molasses with just a hint of the original garlic flavor.  Its flavor is quite interesting and, in my opinion, quite good.  Due to the fermentation process, the garlic takes on specific health and wellness qualities beyond the normal benefits garlic provides (which are numerous).

The chili flakes add touch of heat and the feta just adds a bit of texture and color.  You can certainly use any crumbly cheese you prefer or have on hand.  Also cilantro or chives would work well instead of or in addition to the parsley.  Finally, if you have time, there’s no substitute for making beans from scratch using dried black beans.  If you go this route, it will likely take about 90 minutes or so.  Otherwise this dish takes about ten minutes to pull together.

Serve this dip with homemade pita chips, tortilla chips, bread, vegetables or whatever you’d like.  After the game, if you have leftovers, use it as a spread on a sandwich or a tortilla wrap.  Enjoy the game!  Recipe follows after the jump… Continue reading