Winter Squash and Tomatoes
November 16, 2007
The extent of my experience with winter squash until this day consisted only of staring at it in the grocery store and wondering why also the name "Spaghetti Squash." But on the day I visited Abbodanza Farms, I picked up the yellow gourd and put it on top of the refrigerator, out of sight for about 2 months until now. To my surprise, the Winter Squash lives up to its name - you may harvest it in the early fall, but you can wait to eat it late into the the winter if you'd like.I found directions for preparing the winter squash in the Good Housekeeping cookbook I recently was given. The directions indicated that the squash would be tough to cut, but would turn into a silky and stringy texture if left to roast in the oven in a water bath. Relying on this tip, I prepared the following meal: Winter Squash with Tomatoes.
For the squash:
- 1 winter squash, halved
- 1 cake pan or tall edged cookie sheet
- 1/2 c water
Preheat oven to 370 degrees
Bake the squash, flesh side down, in the cake pan or cookie sheet with water poured over it for approximately 30 minutes. Flip the squash over and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until the squash is soft. Remove from heat.
Taking a fork, gently pull the squash flesh from the skin. The squash will come out in threads. Place into a bowl and cover to retain heat. You may add a few plugs of olive oil at this point.
For the tomato relish:
- 2 heirloom tomatoes
- 2 springs of fresh oregano, thyme, and majoram (or use herbs de provence)
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 1 c red wine
- 1/2 c white onion finely diced
- 3 cloves of crushed and chopped garlic
Saute the garlic, onions and herbs in the olive oil over medium heat. When the onions are translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and wine. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve the squash on plates and top with tomato relish. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Labels: heirloom tomatoes, winter squash
Ode to Gleaners
November 15, 2007
I was recently inspired to hunt down a documentary by the French experimental film maker, Agnes Varda (b. 1928), entitled "Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse" (The Gleaners and I) after visiting the Fancy Tiger and inquiring after knitting and sewing classes. While discussing aspects of the arts and craft movement in urban America, the conversation turned quickly to food, my favorite topic. During the discussion of various techniques of food preservation such as canning and drying, I was confronted with a very provocative proposition - dumpster diving and putting recycled goods to use (like clothes, appliances, recycled art, etc) as a form of modern/urban gleaning.Gleaning immediately invoked in my mind the story of Naomi and Ruth of the Book of Ruth. Aside from the fact that Ruth, a widow, chose to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi and care for her rather than return to her own family, what always struck me about her story was the lengths she went in order not to let her mother-in-law go hungry. At one point in their epic journey, Ruth goes into the fields to glean for food.
Gleaning is an ancient practice of hand-collecting crops from fields after they have been harvested. In some cultures and societies, gleaning is promoted as a form of social welfare by laws (both religious and legal) requiring farmers to leave a portion of their field unharvested and leaving it for the poor to glean.
For instance, the passages of laws from the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy instruct farmers not to harvest everything, but to leave it to the poor and for strangers: "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien." Leviticus 19:9-10 (NIV version) (see also Leviticus 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19).
In modern times, societies have either promoted gleaning or crushed the practice all together. In the former Soviet Union, the "Seven Eighths" law, or Law of Spikilets was passed on 7/8/1932 and permitted authorities to arrest peasants and children caught gleaning the leftover grains ("spikilets") in the fields as a crime against state grain production. The French on the other hand, maintain an extensive system of laws that protect the practice of gleaning, as explored in Agnes Varda’s film.
Gleaning is certainly practiced in the modern era, not only by urban homeless in dumpsters, but even my family. As a child, we stalked the public lands of the southwest often for a crop of pine nuts - pulling out our blankets and combing the forest floor for the seeds. You can see these little treasures in my very first blog on Pinon.
While I cannot lay claim to a field or forest nearby for gleaning, gleaning in my town is all about making and following your very own feral fruit map. My boyfriend has this habit of riding his bike around the neighborhood in search of fruit trees such as pears, apples, and alley grape vines and bringing home a grocery bag full of his finds. While I discount this practice as a form of trespass, he always defends himself saying that the fruit just falls off and goes to waste otherwise. Confronted now with the idea of modern/urban gleaning, I have to say he is right.
So with this thought, I bring you the feral fruit harvest of my neighborhood. In one evening, I managed to find pears, apples, and concord grapes. I also decided to follow the feral fruit map method. I found this link about an artist's take on gleaning and the Fallen Fruit movement while researching gleaning and thought it was apt for this blog and a great way to bring some legitimacy to the feral fruit gatherers of your neighborhood in the hope that you join, rather than scorn them.
I also bring you a simple recipe for concord grape juice. While it is very late in the season, some grape vines are still producing the last of their fruit before a hard frost. If you are lucky, you too can enjoy some homemade juice.
You will need:
- 2 pounds of concord grapes
- 3 cups of water
- sugar to taste
Step one: Pick through the grapes and separate the vines, twigs, and leaves out. Wash the grapes thoroughly. Place them in a large stock pot and crush them with your hands. Add the water.
Step Two: Cook the grapes over medium-low heat. You do not want the grapes to boil, rather, you want them to simmer slightly. Cook the grapes for about 30 minutes once they begin to simmer. Add sugar to taste (about 1/2 cup does the trick, and use evaporated cane juice if you can find it). You can also choose to add no sugar if your grapes are overripe.
Step Three: After the mixture cools, strain it through a large sieve or Chinoise (china cap stainless steel strainer). Pour the juice into a container for storage in the refrigerator.
Note: the picture of "The Gleaners" is an oil on canvas from 1857 by Jean-François Millet.
Labels: agnes varda, feral, fruit, gleaners, grape juice, harvest, traditional
Butternut Squash Ravioli
November 02, 2007
Butternut squash feels hard as a rock when you pick it up. One can't imagine that it would even cook in an oven, much less be penetrable to a knife. But, I assure you that this squash is amenable to cooking, cutting, and even the occasional puree.If you've never had butternut squash, the taste is a cross between a sweet potato and pumpkin, but silky with an appealing bright orange color. One of its stranger features is that when you buy it, the outside skin is usually a vague color of creamy dreamsicle orange, but even two or three weeks out, it darkens slightly more orange. I bought my squash at Abodanza farms and put it on top of the refrigerator and thought about what I might do with it. It occurred to me that I should roast it, puree it, and use it as a stuffing of some kind.
I opted to make raviolis with my squash. Now don't get yourself in a tizzy wondering how difficult this was - in fact, it was easy because I used pre-made won ton wrappers from the store. The won ton wrapper is so versatile (it's not just for egg rolls), and very easy to work with that I don't think I'd even bother trying to make pasta for the raviolis from scratch. What I really loved about making this dish is that I was able to freeze a lot of left over raviolis to eat later.
Here is what you need:
- 1 butternut squash
- 1/2 c of freshly grated Parmesan
- spices: cinnamon, cloves, anise, salt, pepper (use about 1/8 tsp of cinnamon, cloves, and about 1/2 a crushed star anise - if you have none of these, just use cinnamon!)
- 1/2 c cream
- 1 package of won ton wrappers (buy big squares or small, it's up to you)
- 1 egg, beaten (place on the side)
Sauce Ingredients:
- 2 sprigs of sage
- 1/2 c cream
- 1/4 c chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Step One: Preheat the oven to 380 degrees. Cut your squash length wise in half. Remove the seeds. Rub the squash with olive oil and set down on a cookie sheet to bake for 30 minutes or until the squash is easily penetrated with a fork.
Step Two: After the squash cools, separate the flesh from the skin (I used a spoon to "scoop" the flesh out). Place the squash in a blender, food processor, or a bowl and add the spices, cream, and Parmesan cheese. I used a blender, but you can also just use a hand mixer and whip the ingredients together until very smooth.
Step Three: I bought big squares of won tons, so I cut the won ton wrappers in half. I brushed each wrapper with egg wash, placed 1 tbsp of squash filling on one end of the rectangular wrapper, folded the wrapper in half, and crimped the edges down with a fork. You can use the same procedure for round or triangle shaped wrappers. Just be sure to use the egg wash and seal the edges by crimping them with the fork - otherwise, the filling may fall out in the boiled water stage. Place finished raviolis on a cookie sheet to avoid sticking/falling apart.
Step Four: After making what seems like a thousand raviolis, you can freeze some at this point. Place the raviolis on a cookie sheet to freeze (non-stick!). Cover with a loose piece of plastic wrap. When raviolis are frozen, (about 1hour) place in zip lock bags (I put 8 in a bag).
At this point, you should start making your sauce before boiling your raviolis. The sauce cooks quickly, so go ahead and begin boiling a stock pot of water (place a lid over the pot to achieve full boil).
Step Five: Once water is at a rolling boil, toss in your ravioli. They will cook rather quickly if fresh (about 2 minutes) and if frozen they will take 3-4 minutes. Remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon and place them immediately on the plates. Don't stack them! If your sauce is done, pour it over your raviolis. I suggest 4 to a plate if eating a side dish like salad or green beans.
For the Sauce:
Step One: Place chopped sage, minced shallots, and butter in a small sauce pan (like an egg pan). Cook over medium heat until onions are translucent (yes, shallots are onions).
Step Two: Pour in cream and stock. Let simmer for 8 minutes, take off heat. Pour over your cooked ravioli already on plates.
You can also skip the cream and stock to make a traditional Italian sage and butter sauce, but I think the cream really adds a flavor dimension to the squash.
This ravioli dish gave me more ideas about how to use squash this fall. So stay tuned for more recipes.
Labels: Butternut Squash, Ravioli, sauce
