Squash for Fall

I think Fall is my favorite season. One of the main reasons for this is Squash. There are so many varieties and ways of cooking it and it is so tasty that I can't help experimenting. Its also nice to get away from salads and mediteranean food which I tend to make a lot of during the summer.

Growing up in the UK, pumpkin was something we would carve once a year (maybe) but we wouldn't really dream of eating it. I don't think I'd even tasted a butternut squash until a couple of years ago.

This week I have had some wonderful squash dishes mostly thanks to the Moosewood recipes. I tried my first acorn squash the other day - yummy and then ordered a DELICATA squash from the organic farm which was also nice. I even - shock horror - made a dish up myself and didn't use a recipe. It was using sweet potatoes and beets.

So here are a couple of Fantastic Fall recipes.

Chilean Squash
Serves 4-5
This one actually adds cheese and then bakes in the oven. However I left out the cheese and didn't bake it. I will write it up this way.

4 cups cooked squash or pumpkin, mashed or pureed
1 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tsp salt
2 small bell peppers (one red and one green, if possible)
4 or 5 medium cloves garlic
black pepper and cayenne to taste
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander (optional)
1 tsp chilli powder
2 cups corn (frozen/defrosted OK)

1) Place the mashed or pureed squash in a large bowl
2) Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet. Add onion, and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add salt, bell peppers, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, corn. Saute about 5 more minutes, or until the peppers begin to get soft.
3) Add garlic, black pepper, and cayenne, and sautee a few more minutes
4) Add the saute to the squash and mix well.

I served with brown rice.

Adapted from : Moosewood Cookbook

Squash and Kale risotto
Serves 4

4 1/2-5 cups vegetable stock
1 cup minced onions
2-3 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (May use white grape juice) (optional)
2 cups peeled and cubed winter squash (3/4 to 1 inch cubes)
3 cups stemmed and chopped kale, packed (about 1/2 pound before stemming, May use other greens)
1/8-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemons, rind of
salt & fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese or parmesan cheese

1) Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer.
2) Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, preferably nonstick, saute the onions in 2 teaspoons of the oil for about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add more oil, if necessary, to prevent sticking.
3) Using a wooden spoon to avoid breaking the grains, add the rice and stir until it is well coated with oil.
4) Add the wine, if using.
5) When it is absorbed (it won't take long), ladle in 2 1/2 cups of the simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently for 2 to 3 minutes between each addition, until the rice has absorbed the liquid.
6) Add the squash and the kale and stir.
7) Continue adding 1/2 cup of broth every few minutes for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until all of the stock has been added and the rice is tender but firm.
8) Add the nutmeg, lemon peel, and salt and pepper to taste.
9) Remove the risotto from the heat, stir in the cheese, and serve immediately.

Variations:.
In addition to or in place of kale, add any of the following:.
chopped Swiss chard, cabbage, radicchio, or fresh fennel, chopped celery, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, green peas, green beans, or even seedless black grapes.

NB: I did find however that the Squash took a long time to cook in the risotto. I used the Delicata squash so it could have been that but I would suggest dicing it really small or steaming it until it is almost tender first and then adding it.

Source: Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites

And finally my own creation:

Roasted Beet and Sweet Potato Salad
Serves 1

2 small beets
1 medium sweet potato
Tofutti Sour Cream
1 Tbs chopped parsley
1 Tsp Red Wine vinegar

1) Preheat oven to 400 F
2) Wash the beets and sweet potato and cover with foil.
3) Place on baking sheet and roast for about an hour. The potato may not take this long so put it in later than the beets
4) When they are cooked - (you will be able to pierce with a knife) remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly
5) Remove the foil and peel the beets and sweet potato and slice to about 1/4 inch pieces
6) Arrange vegetable slices on a plate, beets underneath and sweet potato on top.
7) Drizzle with red wine vinegar and sprinkle chopped parsley.
8) Place a dollop of sour cream in the middle.

This is a pretty tasty simple supper or could be a used as a side dish

Japan

Well we've arrived back from Japan. Got back on friday and its taken until now to feel vaguely human again. Jet lag was severe - its a 13 hour time difference.
We had a fantastic time. If my PC wasn't broken I could post some photographs but alas, the only 2 year old computer needs a new motherboard. This sounds incredibly technical and expensive to me, but luckily we are still in Warranty.

The Japanese wedding was amazing and an experience I will never forget, especially when the whole wedding party ended up in our own private Karaoke room! It was great to forget about everything and really let my hair down, not literally as the Japanese hairstylist did a lovely job of putting it up.

The food on the whole was fine.....for me. The less said about Davids vegetarian experience, the better. Needless to say, he's actually been a vegetarian for about a week, not 14 years as first thought. I existed on rice and fish - oh and some chicken elbows one night but they weren't the best! Probably did wonders for my Omega levels but I was paranoid about fiber as there's only so much white rice you can eat. So I've been stuffing myself with the stuff since being back: beans, fruit and veg and loads of brown rice.

I must just mention a couple of vegetarian 'moments':

- 'tofu and cheese' - came with a sausage underneath
- 'vegetable lasagna' - (in a british pub no less), had beef.
- he was halfway through a salad once when he was brought a substitute salad "without fish"!

A couple of fantastic food moments though:
A restaurant serving nothing but tofu done many different ways, although the highlight of the plate was a big bowl of.....tofu!
Just tofu, in all its white slimy glory. Oh and actual soy milk - without the sweeteners we get here. Couldn't quite stomach that.

Also, the vegetarian wedding breakfast was a feast like I've never seen. Food just kept coming and coming.
David was in his element. I hadn't ordered one, but I was happy with my whole dried fish and octopus!

It was just very hard work being a tourist there and not speaking the language as you have to just point to a picture and eat what you're given. The rice for breakfast thing in the hotels was a bit hard to swallow, too. Along with miso soup, some kind of meat and fish casserole and tofu at 8am was not exactly tempting.

So, its back to Oatmeal and flax seeds in the morning. I even found some high fiber gluten free/wheat free/dairy free bread in whole foods the other day AND its actually do-able. I have previously had a couple of failed experiments into making my own wheat free bread so gave that up very quickly, and have bought a couple of loaves before (aka bricks) but this is by far the best one I have tried. I have only had it as toast and as an open sandwhich with both mashed banana and a pre-made tofu salad (not at the same time). Its called ENERG High fiber loaf.