Guest guest Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Posh squash - how to make the most out of the winter's harbingers Janet Fletcher, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, November 12, 2008 Nature seems to have had some of her giddiest moments in the pumpkin patch, judging by the winter squash and gourds for sale at Bay Area markets these days. They have warts and bumps, ridges and furrows, stripes and speckles, and come-hither curves. Few denizens of the produce world are more alluring - or more confusing. Seasonal Cook Posh squash - how to make the most out of the winter's harbingers 11.12.08 Afghan dish brings pumpkin out of its shell 11.05.08 Pears partner with sweet, savory dishes 10.29.08 Terroir lessons in a nutshell 10.15.08 More Seasonal Cook » -- Which ones do you put on a mantel, and which do you make into a pie? Which are light-textured and nutty, which ones dense-fleshed and sweet? " There are many more varieties now than we've seen before, " agrees Bill Fujimoto, proprietor of Berkeley's Monterey Market. " Unfortunately, there are so many varieties it's hard to tell which ones taste good. " Experts like Fujimoto and Amy Goldman, author of " The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squashes and Gourds " (Artisan Books, 2004), say that while some varieties are certainly tastier than others, where and how the squash is grown may be even more important. " To some extent, squash flavor varies more from farm to farm than variety to variety, " says Fujimoto. That may explain why some people rave about the taste of Rouge Vif d'Etampes, a squat reddish-orange French pumpkin that looks like the one Cinderella rode to the ball, while others dismiss it as insipid and watery. " Enchanting, but I wouldn't cook with it, " writes Goldman. Winter squashes picked too early won't have the sugar content or flavor depth of those allowed to mature fully on the vine. Many growers rush their harvest to market to take advantage of pre-Halloween sales, but in the Bay Area's climate, these early arrivals can disappoint. Purchased from different markets, two sugar pie pumpkins, reputed to be one of the finest for pies, tasted bland and stringy when sampled before Halloween. Fujimoto tells growers that he won't even look at their sugar pies until after the October holiday to discourage them from premature harvesting. Location makes a difference, too, just as with wine grapes or tomatoes. Fujimoto raves about the French pumpkins and winter squashes from Hunter Orchards in Siskiyou County, near the Oregon border. " They have seriously good squashes up there, " he says. " They'll be sticky on the outside, oozing juice from different spots. " Kirsten Olson, who owns the orchard with her husband, John Tannaci, attributes the extra sweetness to her property's 3,000-foot elevation. Cool nights, even in summer, help bring up the sugars in mountain-grown fruit, says Olson. " You can see little crystals sometimes if the skin is nicked. " But please, don't nick them. Rely on the reputation of your produce merchant and the few clues that an uncut winter squash has to offer. The rind should be largely unblemished, with no soft spots. Most important, the squash should feel heavy for its size. " If you have two of one size and one feels heavier, it's the sugars that are making it that way, " says Olson. Curing helps Most of these hard-shelled winter squashes benefit from a few weeks of post-harvest curing, during which they dry out a bit and some starch converts to sugar. If stored in a cool, dry place, like a basement, they will keep for months. In the old days, a stash of winter squash in the barn or root cellar saw many farm families through the winter. Supermarkets often cut up the bigger squashes to make manageable portions for consumers, but Olson thinks these pre-cut chunks lose vitality. Don't be afraid to buy a big squash, she urges, even for a small household. Hack off a piece as you need it, keeping the rest cool (or refrigerated, if preferred). Then hack off more when you get hungry again. " That's the way the old-timers used to do it, " says Olson. " They had a hubbard squash in the cellar and an ax. " Some elderly customers have told her that they used to keep the winter squash under the bed. " If you think about the old times, that would be a great place, " says Olson. " It would be dry and not too cold or too hot. " The green hubbard didn't arrive in the United States until the mid-19th century, according to Goldman. It was the nation's first Cucurbita maxima, an immigrant from South America with better flavor than the Cucurbita pepo and Cucurbita moschata species that North Americans knew. " The maxima squashes are the very best, " said Goldman when reached on the phone. They have high sugar content, deep orange flesh and few fibers. In addition to hubbard, the species includes banana, buttercup (a widespread favorite), kabocha and turban types, along with the Atlantic Giant that obsessed gardeners enter in weight competitions. This latter behemoth can top 1,000 pounds and is decidedly not worth eating. Squash lexicon The Cucurbita pepo species includes all the common summer squash, like zucchini, as well as the familiar acorn (also called Danish) squashes, the elongated and striped delicata, the small, squat Sweet Dumpling and the round, orange-rinded types grown for jack-o'-lanterns. Moschata types include butternut; the broad, flat Cheese Pumpkins (said to resemble a wheel of cheese); and the deeply furrowed Musquée de Provence, a Goldman favorite. Pumpkin, a word that Americans tend to use generically to refer to any hard-shelled squash, has a more precise meaning to squash enthusiasts like Goldman. In their lexicon, a pumpkin is a Cucurbita pepo distinguished by its round shape. Judith Redmond, a partner in Full Belly Farm in Guinda (Yolo County), categorizes her farm's dozen winter squash varieties without resorting to Latin. " Some of them are great for soup, others great for pie, and some are just fabulous to eat straight out of the skin, " says the grower. For the latter purpose, she likes delicata and Sweet Dumpling, which have a relatively light, open texture. For soups, she favors kabocha and buttercup, dense-fleshed, meaty squashes with a deep, earthy taste. For pie, it's sugar pie, Triple Treat, butternut, buttercup or kabocha, all super-sweet squashes with silky, non-stringy flesh. Redmond says she and the staff at Full Belly often sit down to a lunch of mixed winter squashes, simply halved or cut in chunks and roasted. Brown baggers can cut up a big one on a Sunday, roast the chunks, and take them to work for lunch all week, suggests Redmond. " You don't even to have to cut them open, " says the grower, who sometimes roasts the squash whole. They take longer to cook when whole, of course, but then they are easier to cut. Bay Area chefs will be showcasing winter squash during the next few weeks. At Rivoli in Berkeley, chef Wendy Brucker makes a butternut squash torta, sandwiching roasted slices of squash around a stuffing of breadcrumbs, pecans and chestnuts. At Oliveto in Oakland, chef Paul Canales makes gnocchi with winter squash, a traditional preparation that registers as comfort food for Northern Italians. When Marcella Hazan, the eminent cookbook author, came to dinner last month, both she and her husband, Victor, ordered it. But the best thing about winter squash is how little effort it requires for a big return. Cut in half, roast cut side down, then fill the cavity with a lump of butter. " It's good, old-fashioned, soul-satisfying food, " says Goldman. In trying times, that's food you can love. Gate extra: For a recipe for Autumn Squash & Parsnip Puree, see sfgate.com/food. -- Inside : Recipes, resources & squash tips See Page F4 Next week: Special Thanksgiving issue: Four-star chef cook-off and more A dinner of squash If you shudder at the thought of sawing through a dense winter squash, you might want to leave it to the pros. On Nov. 19, Chronicle Rising Star chef Richard Corbo of Ducca will prepare an all-squash dinner to kick off a season-long menu featuring the various gourds. Hard-shell tactics The most challenging part of cooking winter squashes is cutting into them, especially the big ones. Before you buy a large, hard-shelled squash, be sure you have the means to penetrate it. A Chinese cleaver, sometimes with a mallet assist, will open most hard squashes. Be extremely cautious. If necessary, cut a thin slice off a rounded squash so it will not wobble as you make the first cut. Goldman uses a two-handled knife, sometimes known as a cheese knife, to slice hard squashes. Delicata, butternut and Table Queen (a.k.a. acorn) are among the thinner-skinned winter squashes that can be cut with a chef's knife. Roasting is the ideal cooking method for most winter squash. The dry heat evaporates moisture, concentrates flavor and caramelizes the sugars. Where the squash shape allows, cut it in half, remove seeds and strings, and roast cut side down in an oiled baking dish or on an oiled baking sheet in a 375° oven until tender when pierced with a knife. Roasting cut side down keeps the flesh from drying out. If you are working with wedges that have more than one cut face, cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil to prevent drying. After roasting, season with salt and pepper and dot with butter. A scraping of nutmeg is nice. You can roast squash whole, but first pierce in several places to allow steam to escape. Where to find specialty squash Look for winter squash at the following stores and farmers' markets. Berkeley Bowl. 2020 Oregon St. (at Shattuck), Berkeley; (510) 843-6929. Monterey Market. 1550 Hopkins St. (near California), Berkeley; (510) 526-6042. Rainbow Grocery. 1745 Folsom St. (at 13th Street), San Francisco; (415) 863-0621. Sells Hunter Orchards and occasionally Full Belly Farm squash. Whole Foods Markets. Multiple Bay Area locations; sells Hunter Orchards squash. Full Belly Farm. Full Belly sells winter squash at the Berkeley farmers' market (Tuesday); San Rafael Civic Center farmers' market (Thursday); Palo Alto farmers' market (Saturday). - J.F. Glossary of winter squash Acorn (Danish). Most are deeply furrowed, relatively small; Cucurbita pepo species; Table Queen (see below) is the best known. Banana. Maxima type with several named varieties, but all are elongated; typically about 5 pounds; Goldman recommends the blue-skinned over the pink-skinned types; roast and eat from the skin. Buttercup. Maxima type widely praised for flavor; small (about 1 1/2 pounds) with dark green rind and dense orange flesh; all uses. Butternut. Long neck with a bulbous base; easy to slice and peel; high yield of dense, sweet, pale orange flesh; excellent all-purpose variety. Delicata. Elongated squash with green and gold striations on a cream background; 1 1/2 to 3 pounds; relatively thin skinned; light-textured golden flesh; superb eating out of the skin. Hubbard. A large category with several named varieties; typically bulbous in the middle and tapered on the ends; medium to large; maxima species; superb eating. Jack Be Little. Mini pumpkin (about 1/2 pound) with orange rind and flesh; tasty single-serving format. Kabocha. Rounded Japanese squash weighing 2 to 3 pounds on average with a dark green rind and deep orange flesh; meat is dense, sweet, dry, sweet potato like; good for pie and soup. Marina di Chioggia. Conversation piece; large (about 10 pound) squash with a warty blue-green rind and golden flesh; widely praised for its fine flavor. Munchkin. Small and round with a reddish-orange rind and yam-colored flesh; dense, nutty, sweet. Musquée de Provence. Large (about 13 pounds) deeply lobed, flattened squash with a green and gold rind; orange flesh; a Goldman favorite. Red Kuri. Medium size (about 3 pounds) with a reddish-orange exterior and deep orange flesh; maxima species; good for roasting. Sugar Pie. Medium-size pumpkin (about 2 1/2 pounds). Super-sweet flesh is excellent in pies. Sweet Dumpling. Small (about 1 pound), squat, ridged squash with green and gold striations on a cream background; flesh is golden, light textured; good for eating out of the skin. Table Queen. A named variety of acorn squash, the 1-pound Table Queen is dark green, deeply furrowed and acorn-shaped. The flesh is golden, dense and sweet but sometimes a little fibrous. Triple Treat. A 6- to 8-pound pumpkin. So named because it good for eating out of the skin and for pies and because its hull-free seeds can be roasted. - Janet Fletcher Autumn Squash & Parsnip Puree (Online-only recipe) Serves 6 A delicious puree to serve with roast chicken, pork, duck or the Thanksgiving turkey. The parsnips add a nutty, earthy flavor to balance the sweetness of the squash. The ratio of the two vegetables isn't critical. For a sweeter puree, use more squash; for a nuttier result, use more parsnips. Although three tablespoons butter is better, two will do. Adapted from " More Vegetables, Please " by Janet Fletcher (Harlow & Ratner, 1992). 1 pound sweet hard-skinned squash, such as Butternut or Kabocha -- About 1 1/4 pounds parsnips, to yield 3/4 pound after trimming 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable magarine -- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper -- Freshly grated nutmeg Instructions: Preheat the oven to 375°. If the squash is whole, cut it open and remove seeds and strings. Cut into two or three chunks, place cut side down in a lightly oiled baking dish and cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake until the squash is tender when pierced, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. Peel the parsnips and trim the thick end. The skinny tips tend to be fibrous, so remove and discard. Cut the parsnips into roughly 3-inch chunks, then quarter each chunk lengthwise. Inspect the core. If it seems tough and fibrous, cut it away. Cut the trimmed chunks into 1/2-inch-wide pieces. Put the parsnips in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water and a pinch of salt. Bring water to a simmer over high heat, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to moderately low and cook until the parsnips are tender and the water has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Check occasionally and add a little more water if necessary to keep it from evaporating before the parsnips are done. Transfer the parsnips to a food processor. Scrape the cooked squash from the skin and add to the processor. Puree until smooth. Transfer the puree to a saucepan and add the magarine in small pieces. Reheat over low heat, stirring. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Golden Split Pea Soup with Butternut Squash Serves 6-8 Serve with a green salad for an easy weeknight dinner. If you want to make the soup ahead and reheat it, undercook the squash slightly so it won't be overcooked when the soup is reheated. 1/4 cup olive oil 1 large yellow onion, minced 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeno chile, halved lengthwise, optional 2 teaspoons garam masala (Indian spice blend) 1 1/2 cups yellow split peas 6 cups vegetable stock or vegan chicken broth 2 cups peeled orange-fleshed winter squash, such as butternut or kabocha, in 1/2-inch dice 3/4 cup canned peeled tomatoes, drained of juice and finely chopped 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro -- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste Instructions: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over moderate heat. Add the onion, garlic and chile (if using) and saute until the onion is soft and beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Add the garam masala and cook, stirring, for a minute or two to toast it, then add the split peas and the stock. Bring to a simmer, cover partially and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the split peas are just tender, about 45 minutes. Add the squash and the tomatoes. Simmer gently, partly covered, until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately. Risotto with Celery & Butternut Squash Serves 4-6 For a richer taste, replace the some or all of the olive oil with butter. 4 1/2 cups vegetable stock 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 small onion, minced 2 medium celery ribs, in neat small dice (or thinly sliced) 2 cups peeled and diced butternut, buttercup or kabocha squash (1/3-inch dice) 1 1/2 cups short-grain Italian rice, such as Carnaroli or Arborio 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup coarsely chopped celery leaves 2 tablespoons minced parsley -- Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Instructions: Bring the stock or broth-water mixture to a simmer in small saucepan and adjust the heat to keep just below a boil. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over moderate heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until soft, 10-12 minutes. Add the squash and stir to coat with the oil. Add 1/2 cup hot broth, cover and simmer until the squash is almost tender, 5-8 minutes. Add the rice and stir well. When it has absorbed all the liquid and is hot to the touch, add the wine. Let simmer, stirring, until the wine is absorbed. Begin adding the hot broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring often and adding more broth only when the previous addition has been absorbed. It should take about 18 minutes for the rice to become al dente. You may not need all the broth; if you need more, use boiling water. The risotto should be creamy, but neither soupy nor stiff. Stir in the celery leaves and parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot and set aside to rest for about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil . Immediately divide among warm bowls. Roast Acorn Squash with Thyme & Garlic Serves 4 This method of roasting squash halves cut side down with garlic and thyme tucked underneath comes from " Chez Panisse Vegetables " by Alice Waters (William Morrow, 1996). You can use the method with any winter squash. However, if you are working with wedges or chunks rather than halves, you may need to cover the dish to prevent any exposed flesh from drying out. -- Olive oil 2 acorn squash, halved, seeds and strings removed 2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved -- Several sprigs of fresh thyme -- Kosher salt -- Magarine Ingredients: Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly oil a baking dish. Put the squash halves in the dish, cut side down, tucking some garlic and thyme sprigs under them. Roast until they are tender when pierced, about 45 minutes depending on size and thickness. Turn the squash flesh side up, season with salt and dot with margarine. Serve immediately. E-mail Janet Fletcher at jfletcher. This article appeared on page F - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle For in a Republic, who is “the country� Is it the Government which is for the moment in the saddle? Why, the Government is merely a servant—merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn’t. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them. Mark Twain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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