Projo Football Food and Spirits

For some, Thanksgiving is the biggest football day of the year.

The Patriots are probably all off to exotic islands for their bye week, which gives us a chance to look ahead.

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review launched its T-day countdown yesterday (Thanksgiving countdown Part 1: Scintillating sides) with lots of basic info you may have forgotten and recipes for side dishes to get you making some decisions. Some are basic (mashed potatoes), others are less familiar:

Butternut Squash and Spinach Gratin

This dish from Gourmet magazine repays the effort with great taste. Prepping the spinach and slicing the butternut squash takes a bit of time. But you can simplify the work by buying frozen spinach. Butternut squash slices should be 1/8-inch thin. If you cut the squash into smaller segments, you can use a food processor. But it's easier if you have a hand-operated mandoline or box grater with a blade that creates wide, long, but thin slices.
3 pounds fresh spinach, stems discarded, or 3 (10-ounce) packages frozen leaf spinach, thawed

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing pan
3/4 cup finely chopped onion (1 small)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
4 pounds (2 large) butternut squash, peeled, quartered and seeded
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

If using fresh spinach, bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a 6- to 8-quart pot over high heat. Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted, for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water.

Thoroughly squeeze the cooked fresh or thawed frozen spinach in small handfuls to remove excess moisture, then coarsely chop and transfer to a bowl.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in an 8-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, then cook the onion and garlic, stirring, until softened, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onion mixture to the spinach along with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cream and stir to combine.

Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 3-quart, 13-inch-by-9-inch shallow baking dish. Do not use a glass dish.

Cut the squash to separate the bulb section from the solid neck section, then cut pieces lengthwise into 1/8-inch thick slices with a slicer.

Layer the squash and spinach mixture in a baking dish, using about one fifth of the squash and one-fourth of the spinach for each layer, beginning and ending with the squash. Sprinkle the top layer of squash evenly with cheese and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, then cover directly with a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Bake until the squash is tender and the filling is bubbling, for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the paper and bake the gratin until it is browned in spots, for 10-15 minutes, or broil 3 inches from heat, for 2-3 minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.

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