…Mr. Allen’s new cookbook, "The Food You Want To Eat," aims to tempt beginners or anyone stuck in a rut to prepare delicious food at home
By: Faith Bahadurian
Ted Allen knows what you want to eat. And he wants you to make it yourself.
The TV personality, best known as the culinary expert on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," a modern-day makeover show, is convinced that many of us, not just the hapless male subjects on the show, could use a culinary makeover. Sure, takeout is fine some of the time, but Mr. Allen’s new cookbook, "The Food You Want To Eat," aims to tempt beginners or anyone stuck in a rut to prepare delicious food at home.
Mr. Allen will be at Barnes & Noble on Nov. 16 to introduce you to his no-nonsense advice on ingredients and techniques that range from steak and grilling, perfect roast chicken, ethnic favorites, vegetables, pastas and risotti, and, for holidays, lots of ideas on entertaining, including cocktail essentials.
Mr. Allen has just become the "concierge" on a new Web site, Discover-Wine.com, and "The Food You Want To Eat" also offers a suggested wine pairing for each of its 100 recipes. And while I am leery of celebrity cookbooks, I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of recipes for things I really do want to eat.
The recipes may be simple to execute, but they are not simplistic, and not necessarily quick. But Mr. Allen’s enthusiasm is contagious. For example, Roast Turkey Breast with Warm Apple Chutney calls for brining the turkey, and sounds like the perfect thing for a smaller group at Thanksgiving. And with the culinary diversity we find gathered around our tables these days, his Roasted Butternut Squash Pie, below, is a delicious labor of love for vegan guests.
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIE
adapted from "The Food
You Want To Eat" 2005
Clarkson Potter/Publishers
Serves 4 to 6
Wine pairing: Ripe Gewuztraminer or rich, fruity Pinot Noir
½ package (1 pound) frozen filo dough
1 butternut squash, about 2 ½ pounds (or buy pre-peeled and cut)
2 medium red onions, sliced ½ inch thick
1 red bell pepper, halved, stemmed and seeded
2 teaspoons kosher salt
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/3 cup for brushing the filo
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger (about 1 inch, peeled)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup raisins
¼ cup walnuts
2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
1 16-ounce bag of spinach, large stems removed
1½ cups simple tomato sauce, store-bought OK
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the filo from freezer and thaw at room temperature for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, trim off ends of squash, halve crosswise. Scrape out seeds and peel off skin with vegetable peeler. Cut into 3-inch chunks.
Put squash, onion slices and red pepper halves on baking sheet in single layer. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of oil. Toss to coat. Roast 30 minutes, turning once. Remove pepper and turn everything again. Roast 10 more minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Put squash in a large bowl. Quarter onion slices and cut pepper into 1-inch cubes and add to bowl. Sprinkle the vegetables with ginger, cumin, cinnamon, cilantro, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Add raisins and toss gently.
Turn oven down to 375 degrees. Toast walnuts 5 to 7 minutes, shaking pan a couple times. Remove from oven and chop, add to bowl, and stir gently.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with garlic in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add about 1/3 of spinach and cook, turning it with tongs until wilted, about 1 minute. Add rest of spinach in 2 batches; keep turning with tongs. Sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook until all spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes, total.
To assemble, have ready a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and a pastry brush. Pour 1/3 cup olive oil into a small bowl. Open pastry sheets flat. Keep long side of dish toward you, short sides to left and right. Brush dish with oil and lay one sheet of filo across left side of dish with half of sheet hanging out the long side nearest you. (No filo will hang over the short sides.)
Brush the part that touches pan bottom with oil. Lay a second sheet of filo on the right side, again with half of sheet hanging out near you. Brush bottom of that sheet, too. Now lay two more sheets, on left and right, but with extra length hanging out the long side opposite you.
Continue the same way, brushing bottom of each sheet with oil, until you have used 14 sheets. You have more than enough sheets, so just discard any that stick together or rip.
Line bottom of dish with half of spinach, spreading it out. Spoon squash mixture on top and gently flatten with a spoon. Cover with rest of spinach. Now, gently fold the excess filo dough hanging from the long sides up over the filling. Do 2 sheets on one side, then 2 on the other, brushing each sheet with oil once in place. Cover it all with 2 more sheets of filo, brushed with oil.
Bake at 375 until pastry is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes or serve at room temperature. Cut into squares and serve each square with some warmed tomato sauce under it.
Ted Allen appears for a short talk and book signing at Barnes & Noble at MarketFair, West Windsor, on Nov. 16, 7 p.m. For more information, call (609) 716-1570.

