For the past three years at Christmas time, my huz and I visit Manhattan. It’s my FAVOURITE place to visit. There’s so much to see and do and NYC during the Christmas season is the best. *Cue Elf music* This past December was no exception. We flew into LaGuardia in early December, stayed for a week in lower Manhattan and two weeks after that, we got married! What a month it was! On the top of our list of things to do was to check out some popular restaurants. One particular Sunday, we visited Epistrophy. Quaint and cozy, this little italian restaurant serves organic, locally sourced foods in the heart of Nolita. I ordered a butternut squash toast. I’m not 100% sure but I think i died, came back to life, and died again. I’m not sure exactly what was in it, but it was insane. I thought I’d try and recreate the magic and maybe bring a little of the Big Apple to our house for brunch yesterday.
I started with a good quality sourdough bread. Georgestown bakery, a local french-style bakery here in St. John’s, does not disappoint. Sourdough is one of those buzz words that we’ve all been hearing lately. So why are folks gravitating towards sourdough? Sourdough is a fermented food like sauerkraut, kefir, pickles and kombucha. Fermented foods use lactobacillus cultures which gives the bread its tangy taste and probiotic punch. Although the cultures don’t survive the baking process, during fermentation lactic acid is produced which helps decrease levels of phytic acid, which interferes with absorption of certain nutrients. This in turn, helps other nutrients become more readily available, digestible and absorbable. YAY!
Ok, but not all of us are able to eat bread. Some are sensitive to gluten (myself included) or celiac and can’t eat it at all. No bread? No problem! A paleo grainless loaf or some gluten free bread (you can still get GF sourdough at most gluten free bakeries) works with this toast just fine. Now that I think about it, I bet this would taste unreal on top of some roasted russet potato wedges. YES. YES. YES. Future Les is a happy girl.
Here’s the recipe for my fancy toast. I hope you try it. Let me know if you do! And if you don’t have me on the ‘gram, give ya girl an add… http://www.instagram.com/sincerely_les
Sincerely,
Les xo
Ingredients:
- one small butternut squash ( about 2.5 cups chopped into small cubes)
- 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
- 1 small onion (finely diced) approx 1/2 cup
- 1/4 cup honey + more for drizzle
- 1/4cup olive oil
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- crushed chilli flakes (to taste)
- Sour dough bread cut into slices
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- a few dashes of onion powder
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 cup water
- mint and scallions (for garnish)
Method:
Soak cashews for 4-5 hours or for a quick method, boil some water and soak cashews for 5 minutes. Preheat over to 425. Toss butternut squash in some EVOO and salt and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast squash in the oven until tender (approx 20 mins flipping them halfway through). Prep your cashew ricotta. Place soaked cashews, garlic, onion powder and nutritional yeast and a little water with salt and pepper (to taste) in a food processor. Process until smooth adding water to get desired ricotta consistency (I used most of the 1/2 cup water). Set aside.
In a frying pan, add some EVOO and fry onion until translucent, add chopped shiitake mushroom and season with crushed chili flakes, salt and pepper (to taste) and add honey. Fry until onions and mushrooms have caramelized. Add butternut squash to pan and mix until well incorporated. On a second frying pan, heat some EVOO and lay slices of bread face down and brownand crispy on both sides. Once the toast is ready, smear with cashew ricotta and top with the squash mixture. Sprinkle with additional chili flakes, scallions, drizzle with honey and top with fresh mint. ENTER ETERNAL BLISS.
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