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by Karen McCarthy
As winter and the holidays approach, our attention turns away
from just-picked, perishable vegetables of summer towards the
more durable fare, especially winter squash. Like tomatoes, squash
are actually a fruit from the same family as melons. Winter squash
tend to have thick, hard, inedible skins and large seeds, both
of which can be eaten. Their flesh, which ranges in color from
deep yellow to orange, is firmer than that of the summer squash
varieties and requires much longer cooking. Some of my favorite
varieties are Acorn, Buttercup, Butternut, Carnival, Hubbard,
Spaghetti, and Turban.
Winter squash can be stored up to six months in a cool place,
but it must be cured first, especially if the fruit comes straight
from your garden. (Squash obtained from the green grocer have
already been cured.) Curing can be accomplished by holding the
fruit for 10 days at a temperature between 801?F - 851?F and
a relative humidity of 80 percent before storing.
Although there are many varieties of winter squash, almost all
of them are cooked in the same way. The exception to this rule
is the Spaghetti squash, which requires a distinct method of cooking
(see recipe below). Squash can be baked whole and peeled for puree;
or peeled, seeded, cut into small pieces and steamed. They can
also be cut in half and baked with a stuffing. Squashes also make
wonderful containers for other foods. A pumpkin can be baked and
used as a tureen to hold soup or filled with stew and topped with
puff pastry for an unusual pot pie. The smaller squash such as
Acorn or Carnival, can be steamed or baked and used as individual
soup bowls or serving bowls. An acorn squash makes a wonderful
container for cranberry sauce on the Thanksgiving table.
Squashes are very versatile and combine well with a number of
flavors. They can be used in either sweet or savory dishes. It
is believed that squash was originally cultivated in Mexico, and
it plays an important role in the cuisine of that country. Squash
combine especially well with the flavors of bacon, maple syrup,
sage, thyme, cinnamon, chiles, garlic and ginger. For a simple
side dish, fill baked Acorn squash halves with melted butter and
chile powder, or maple syrup and cinnamon. When using pumpkins
for pie (or any puree for that matter), look for the smaller types
called sugar pumpkins. They usually run between 3 and 5 pounds.
Save the large pumpkins for soup tureens and jack-o-lanterns.
SMOKED GOUDA SOUP BAKED IN A PUMPKIN
1 8- to 10- pound pumpkin
A small amount of flavorless oil for brushing pumpkin
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons flour
6 cups beef, chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1 cup heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 4001? F. Remove the top from the pumpkin
and scoop out the seeds. Brush the inside of the pumpkin with
oil, replace the top, and put it in a baking pan. Bake the pumpkin
for about 30 minutes.
While the pumpkin is baking make the soup. Melt the butter in
a stockpot, and saute the vegetables over medium heat. When the
vegetables are translucent and starting to soften add the flour
and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the broth, thyme
and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil, turn down the heat, and
simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
When the vegetables are soft, whisk in the cheese, and continue
to stir constantly until the cheese is melted. Add the cream.
Carefully pour the soup into the pumpkin, and continue baking
the pumpkin for about another 20 minutes, or until the flesh of
the pumpkin is soft. Serve the soup from the pumpkin, scraping
up a little of the flesh with every serving.
Serves 8 to 10.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
6 slices of bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1 Butternut squash, peeled and cubed
6 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
salt and pepper, to taste
sour cream, to taste
In a Dutch oven, saute bacon until crisp, remove from pan and
reserve. Saute onion in bacon fat until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add squash, chicken stock, bay leaf and sage to pan. Bring the
stock to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the squash
is very tender.
Remove pan from stove and strain the solids, reserving the stock
in a large bowl. Remove bay leaf and put the rest of the solids
into the work bowl of a food processor or blender. Add one cup
of stock and purZÉe until smooth. Return squash purZÉe
to pan and add reserved stock. Season soup to taste with salt
and pepper. Keep soup warm until serving time.
To serve, ladle soup into bowl and garnish with a dollop of sour
cream, crumbled reserved bacon and a fresh sage leaf. Serves 6.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH CREAM AND SAGE
As the name would suggest, Spaghetti squash can be used just
like pasta. Prepare the squash through the "combing"
step described below and top with any of your favorite pasta sauces.
1 Spaghetti squash
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
chopped parsley for garnish
Preheat the oven to 3501? F. Prick the squash with a long-tined
fork so the skin won't burst while cooking. Bake between 40 minutes
and 1 1/2 hours, or until the flesh is tender. Allow the squash
to cool.
When the squash is cool enough to handle, split lengthwise and
remove the seeds with a spoon. With a fork, "comb" the
squash flesh so that it pulls off in spaghetti-like strands. Set
aside.
To prepare the sauce: in a saute pan over high heat, boil the
cream with the sage until it reduces by half and thickens a little
(about 15 minutes). Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and Parmesan
cheese. Toss in the squash and heat through. Sprinkle with chopped
parsley. Makes 6 servings.
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BRULÉE
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups ground gingersnap cookies
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans
1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 15-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or bourbon
For the brulee topping:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup creme frache (for serving)
To make the crust: preheat the oven to 3501? F. Finely grind
the cookies, pecans,and sugar in a food processor. Add the melted
butter and blend until the ingredients are combined. Press the
crust mixture onto the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch
springform pan with 2 1/2-inch-high sides. Bake the crust until
lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Cool. Wrap bottom and sides
of the pan in heavy-duty tin foil.
To make the filling: using an electric mixer, beat together the
cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Add the pumpkin and
beat until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla or bourbon and
beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Pour the filling into the crust. Set the pan in a roasting pan
and pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come 1 inch
up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake the cake until the top is golden and begins to crack and
the center is set, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Remove the cake
from the roasting pan and cool. Chill the cake overnight.
For the brulee topping: Just before serving, preheat the broiler.
Sift the brown sugar through a large strainer in an even coating
over the cake. Place the cake under the broiler 2 to 3 inches
from the heat source. Broil just until the sugar melts and begins
to bubble. You can also do this with a propane torch. Remove the
sides of the pan, cut the cake into slices and serve with a dollop
of creme frache. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
ACORN SQUASH WITH A CRANBRRRY-CORNBREAD
STUFFING
This is a great side dish to go with roasted Cornish game hens.
2 small Acorn squash, cut in half
crosswise and seeds scooped out
salt and freshly ground black pepper
flavorless oil
For the stuffing:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely diced
2 cups cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 3501? F. Cut a small slice off the bottom
of each squash so that they will sit flat. Place the squash hollow
side up in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle
the oil over the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
While the squash are baking, prepare the stuffing. Melt the butter
in a medium sautZÉ pan, then add the onion and celery and
sautee until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture
to a bowl. Add the cornbread cubes, the pecans, thyme and sage.
Add enough chicken stock to moisten the mixture. Gently fold in
the cranberry sauce, being careful not to break up the cornbread
too much. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the squash from the oven. Without removing the squash from
the pan, divide the stuffing among the four halves. Return the
pan to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the
stuffing is heated through. Makes 4 servings.
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