Menu Monday: Gina Ferwerda

It’s Menu Monday again on ‘the four’ and we are welcoming back our friend, , who is not only an amazing chef but the author of .

She brought us two recipes that will have us getting ready for fall and ready to impress those relatives at this year’s thanksgiving festivities.

Here are the recipes:

Mushroom Stuffed Roast Chicken

Garlicky Mushrooms

• 16 ounces whole button mushrooms, stemmed
• ½ cup Garlic-Herb Compound Butter

Chicken

• 1 (3 to 4 pound) roaster chicken
• 2 tbsp. garlic-herb compound butter
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tbsp. House Seasoning
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• Fresh parsley or chives
• Fresh sage and thyme
• Instructions:
• Heat oven to 400 degrees
• Prepare Mushrooms
• Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel.
• Place 1 tbps. Of garlic-herb butter into each mushroom cap.
• Set aside.

Prepare Chicken

1. Remove giblets from chicken cavity and discard
2. Dry the skin of the chicken with paper towel.
3. Rub butter all over chicken and under skin.
4. Rub oil over the buttered skin and sprinkle house seasoning.
5. Place half of the mushrooms inside the chicken cavity, then tie the legs together with twine.
6. Tuck the wings under, then place the remaining mushrooms in the center of the roasting pan, butter side up.
7. Place chicken on top of mushrooms, then add onion to roasting pan.
8. Pour chicken stock over onions.
9. Roast chicken for approximately 1 ½ hours, or until thermometer reaches 165 degrees.
10. When chicken is cooked thoroughly, remove mushrooms from cavity and place in the hot pan drippings.
11. Lightly tent chicken with foil and let sit for 20 minutes before carving.
12. Remove onions from drippings and place in a serving dish.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

• 2 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• Salt and pepper
• Pot Pie Filling
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. chopped sage
• ½ cup chopped onions
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 1 ½ cups chicken stock
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 cups blanched mixed vegetables
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed and cut into 4 pieces the same size as spaghetti squash halves
• 1 egg, beaten
• Fresh sage leaves, for garnish

Prepare Squash

1. Brush inside of squash with canola oil, then place cut-side down on a baking dish.
2. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fork-tender
3. Using a fork, lightly scrape the squash strands inside the shell.
4. Sprinkle strands with salt and pepper, then set aside until ready to assemble.
5. Making Pot Pie Filling
6. While the squash is baking, make the pot pie filling.
7. Add butter, sage, and onion to a large skillet over medium heat and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.
8. Stir in flour and food for 1 to 2 more minutes.
9. Add stock, salt, and pepper, and continue to stur for 3 to 4 minutes.
10. When mixture starts to thicken, add heavy cream.
11. Turn heat down to low, then add veggies and mushrooms.
12. Stir in parmesan and remove from heat.

Assemble

1. Add ¾ cup pot pie filling to the inside of each squash half, and top with a piece of puff pastry.
2. Brush pastry with egg and bake for 15 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown.

To learn more about her great recipes,