Sensational Squash

Butternut, acorn, spaghetti, pumpkin--squash is the vegetable of the season. Our produce carts in the food pantry have been laden with all sorts of winter squash, which is good news for the frugally minded. Winter squash, properly cured, will keep through the winter if stored in a cool, dry spot, and the culinary possibilities are endless! Whether you go cinnamon sweet or sage savory, these autumnal gems offer something for everyone.


Those thick skins and hard bodies can seem intimidating until you realize that you can simply stab them in a few places (to vent steam) and stick them in the oven whole, bake until they are fork tender, then cut them in half and scoop out the soft flesh. From there you can make pumpkin pie (butternut can be used instead of pumpkin in any recipe) seasoned spaghetti squash, creamy butternut soup, and many other incredible creations (check out this vegetarian lasagne with butternut béchamel).

This season I have been especially taken with the simplicity and ease of transforming an adorable acorn squash into a comforting side dish, or a festive holiday entré.

We demonstrated and sampled roasted acorn squash in the pantry a few times, and plenty of folks seemed familiar with the basic butter and brown sugar method. At our Healthy Happy Holidays cooking workshop we assembled acorn squash stuffed with a tasty rice pilaf (perfect for the vegetarians at your holiday table). Find the recipe here, and be sure to enjoy these versatile, nutrient-rich beauties, while they are in season.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! and the Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

You’ve eaten pumpkin in pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, and maybe in pumpkin cookies and those pumpkin latte things from places like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, but did you know it’s also great in savory, non-sweet dishes? I didn’t either, until a few years ago, when I happened to run across a recipe that sounded good. I’ve been cooking with pumpkin ever since.

There are two types of pumpkins – pie pumpkins and field or carving or Halloween pumpkins. (There are also white pumpkins, but that’s another story altogether.) There’s not a lot of difference between pie and field pumpkins. Pie pumpkins tend to be a bit sweeter, and they’re not as big as a lot of field pumpkins, and some people say that they are less stringy, but you can cook with field pumpkins and you can carve pie pumpkins.

Let’s assume for now that you got a big field pumpkin to carve into a Jack-o-Lantern. You get to use it three times. First, you save and roast the seeds. Then you carve it and put it out for Halloween. Then, if it’s only been a day or two since you carved it, you cut it up and either add it raw to soups and casseroles and so forth, or you cook it and mash it and use it like you would canned pumpkin. Or you can freeze it, if there’s more than you can use at one time.

Aldi has pumpkins for $1.99 each this week. The ad doesn’t say it’s a pie pumpkin, so assume it’s a field or carving pumpkin. Last weekend at the Farmers Market they ranged from $1 for little pie pumpkins to about $6 for great big field pumpkins.

First, some PUMPKIN BASICS, like how to store pumpkins whole, how to freeze the flesh (either as chunks of raw pumpkin or as cooked puree), and how to make pumpkin puree in case that's the way you want to go. 

Next, how to roast PUMPKIN SEEDS, or the seeds from any kind of winter squash. Or even watermelon and other melons. You might was well go ahead and eat the seeds, too, you know. You paid for them. Though I always figure they're free, since I'd be tossing them out otherwise.

And now a couple of recipes. The first savory pumpkin recipe I tried was from Jeff Smith (aka the Frugal Gourmet)’s cookbook, The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American. I played around with it and combined it with other recipes and came up with my own PUMPKIN, CABBAGE AND CHICKEN SOUP. (I agree – it sounds very strange, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!) I call it a soup, and it does need to be eaten out of a bowl, but it’s really thick. This recipe uses raw pumpkin.

Walmart usually has chicken leg quarters (drumstick and thigh with a piece of the back) in 10-pound bags for $5.90 a bag, or 59 cents a pound. The leg quarters average about a pound each. If you cut them up yourself into the drum, the thigh and the back, you get a great price for all of it. Use the thighs for this soup, bake the drumsticks to eat like fried chicken, and use the backs to make chicken stock. Using three pounds of thighs from a 10-bag from Walmart, and half a pumpkin, this whole batch costs about $5.00 for four servings, or about $1.25 per serving. I’ve made it with a can of pumpkin, too, when I didn’t have any fresh, and it worked. It’s better with fresh pumpkin, though.

Another good pumpkin recipe is PUMPKIN WITH PORK, also from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American, by Jeff Smith. It’s kind of like a stir-fry, except the pumpkin is tender instead of crispy-tender and it doesn’t have any soy sauce or other Oriental flavors. So ok, maybe it isn’t much like a stir-fry after all! But I always think of it that way.

If you make this with pork loin (which is on sale this week at Kroger for $1.87 a pound), this should cost about $3.12 for the whole batch, and it makes about 3 servings. Four, if you serve something with it. Something green would be good – maybe some broccoli or kale. Walmart has one pound bags of frozen broccoli cuts for 99 cents. A batch of Pumpkin with Pork and a bag of frozen broccoli would come to a total of $4.11, and would serve three generously for about $1.40 per serving.

New World Pumpkin and Chorizo Soup

(based on a recipe at lowcarbdiets.about.com)

2 c pumpkin puree, or one 15 oz can of pumpkin

10 oz fresh (Mexican) chorizo, or substitute other spicy sausage

1/3 c minced onion

3 cloves garlic, put through a press or minced fine

1/2 t pepper

1 t mild ground chilies, such as ancho, or a small amount of a hotter chili

1 t dried oregano

1 T olive oil

1/3 c dry white wine (optional)

1 c half and half

2 c chicken broth or equivalent chicken flavoring such as a base

1/2 c minced cilantro, and extra leaves for garnish

Put onion in saucepan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and break it up. Cook until the sausage is browning. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add pepper. Add wine or some of the broth and stir to loosen everything up. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cilantro, ending with the chicken broth. Add as much broth as you need to make it the thickness you want. Salt to taste. Just before serving, stir in the minced cilantro, and put a few leaves on each bowl of soup for garnish.

Pork and Vegetables

Most vegetables go well with pork. Ones that are traditionally associated with pork include:

Cabbage
Sauerkraut
Mushrooms
Acorn and other winter squash
Green beans
Peas
Broccoli
Corn
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Greens
Sweet potatoes

Dried beans and other legumes go well with pork, too, specially split peas and white beans.

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is one of the healthier desserts, since it consists of mostly squash (you can substitute butternut squash, by the way, in almost every recipe calling for pumpkin puree).

Bake the pumpkin ahead of time. Simply cut a small pumpkin in half, place it face down on a cookie sheet, and bake it at 350F, for an hour and 15 minutes, to an hour and a half. Once it has cooled a bit, the peel comes off easily (just scoop it out). Then puree it in the food processor or food mill (you could also use a potato masher or a fork).

I sometimes make the crust the night before, stick it in the fridge, and make the pie in the morning, but either way, you will want to chill the dough for 30 minutes before.
Use the Flaky Pie Crust recipe for the pumpkin pie crust. For this recipe, and other moist, custard-type pies, you can pre-bake the crust to keep it from getting soggy but it is not necessary for this particular filling.

CLASSIC PUMPKIN PIE FILLING  Adapted from Once Upon a Tart by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau

2 large eggs

1 ¾ cup fresh pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon molasses

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cloves (optional)

1 12-ounce can (1 ½ cup) evaporated milk

1 par-baked flaky piecrust

Position your oven racks so that one is in the center, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the eggs in a big bowl to break up the yolks. Whisk in the pumpkin, molasses and fresh ginger.  In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk the sugars and spices together. Add this to the pumpkin mixture, and whisk some more.  Gradually add the evaporated milk, stirring until the filling is smooth and the milk is fully incorporated into the pumpkin. Pour the pumpkin filling into the par-baked pie shell and bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is firm to the touch and doesn’t jiggle when you shake the pan. Don’t worry if the top cracks slightly, that happens.  Cool on a wire rack before cutting into it.

Pastry Cookies on Top

If you like, you can make some decorations with pie dough scraps, bake them, and arrange them on top.  Here’s how: Roll out some dough scraps. Use a leaf-shaped cookie cutter (or whatever shape you like) to cut out some shapes. Brush the pastry with some cream, or milk. Sprinkle with sugar, place them on a baking sheet and bake until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Just before serving the pie, arrange these “cookies” on top. 

Pumpkin with Pork

(Frugal Gourmet Cooks American, by Jeff Smith)

1 slice thick bacon, diced (or a tablespoon of butter, oil or drippings)

6 c fresh, peeled and sliced (1/4" pieces) pumpkin (about half a smallish pumpkin)

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced

1/2 c chicken broth

1 pound pork butt or shoulder, cut into 1/8" strips

1/2 t ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

In a big frying pan or wok or Dutch oven, saute the bacon until it is transparent.  Add the pumpkin and onion.  Stir around in the rendered bacon fat.  Add the broth.  Cover and cook over medium heat until the pumpkin is tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove the vegetables from the pan.

Reheat the pan and saute the pork until done, about 5 minutes.  Add the vegetables to the pan and toss with the cumin, salt and pepper.  Cover for just a minute so that the flavors develop.

Pumpkin, Cabbage and Chicken Soup

(Adapted from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American and other recipes)

6 c peeled, seeded, and sliced pumpkin (about half of a smallish pumpkin)

3/4 c onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic

2 T vegetable oil

4 c chicken stock or broth

1 small green hot pepper (optional) (or red pepper flakes)

1 smoked ham hock (don’t leave this out - it really adds to the soup!)

3 pounds chicken thighs (2 pounds if you’re using boneless skinless thighs)

Salt and pepper to taste (needs a fair bit of both)

4 – 6 c shredded cabbage

In a large pot, brown the onion and garlic in the oil.  Add everything but the cabbage.  Cover and cook about 2 hours.  Add cabbage about 15 minutes before serving. Or cook it 6 – 8 hours on low in the crockpot, adding the cabbage for the last hour.

Pumpkin Basics

Storing pumpkins. (from Carb Wars, by Judy Barnes Baker) Wash them well with a solution of 2 tablespoons of chlorine bleach to a quart of water.  Rinse well, dry thoroughly, and wrap them individually in newspaper.  Keep them for a week or so in a warm room to harden the skins, then move them to an unheated garage, basement, or other cool place, but don’t let them freeze.  They will keep for several months.  They can also be packed in sand or sawdust to extend the storage time.  Don’t set them directly on a concrete floor unless you put a wooden or cardboard base under them.  Any hard squash can be stored this way, including spaghetti squash.

Freezing pumpkin. There are two ways to do this. You can either freeze chunks of raw pumpkin or you can cook the pumpkin and puree it and then freeze the puree. The puree can be used like canned pumpkin. The frozen chunks can be used in recipes that call for raw pumpkin. I’ve done it both ways, and I think that freezing the puree is a lot easier. Freezing it in chunks means peeling it and cutting it into small pieces while it’s raw, and that’s a lot of hard work. If you freeze the puree, you cook it before you take it out of the shell, so you don’t have to cut it into little pieces and also means you can just scoop out the flesh rather than having to peel it. (If you do end up peeling the pumpkin, I’m told that one of those Y shaped peelers works a lot better the old fashioned straight kind.)

A.    To freeze raw pumpkin chunks, peel the pumpkin, thoroughly scoop out the seeds, and cut the flesh into 2 to 3cm (about 1 inch) chunks. Loosely fill it in freezer bags. Do not pack it too tightly, or the frozen chunks will stick together and make it difficult to remove only a portion. (from http://allrecipes.co.uk/how-to/193/how-to-freeze-pumpkin.aspx)

B.     To freeze pumpkin puree, start by cooking and pureeing the pumpkin. (see below) Measure out either one or two cup portions, then put them in freezer bags. A small can of pumpkin is about 2 cups; a big can is about 4 cups. Measuring it before you freeze it means that you can pull out and thaw only as much as you need.

Making pumpkin puree. Cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom, and pull out all the seeds and stringy slimy gunk inside. (Don’t forget to save the seeds to roast!) Depending on the size of the pumpkin, you can either put the halves cut side down in a baking dish with about 1 inch of water, or you can cover the cut side with foil and put them foil side up on a cookie sheet. If you have a monster pumpkin, you can cut it into smaller pieces and cover the cut sides with foil, then bake it foil side up. Bake at 350 for anywhere from about an hour for a small pumpkin to two hours for a big one. It’s done when you can stick a knife into it easily. Let it cool, then scoop out the flesh and puree it in a food processor, a food mill or a colander. Now it’s ready to use immediately as you would canned pumpkin, or frozen. (see above) I haven’t tried it, but I’m told you can cook a small pumpkin in a slow cooker, too. Poke a few holes in it to let out the steam, then cook it on low for 6 – 8 hours, then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds, then remove the flesh from the skin, and puree it as usual. (http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/11/easy-peasy-slow-cooker-pumpkin-puree.html) Or, if your pumpkin is too big, try cutting it up and removing the seeds before cooking it in the slow cooker. (http://thehappyhousewife.com/cooking/how-to-cook-a-pumpkin/) However you do it, save the seeds for roasting.

Pumpkin Seeds

Or any kind of winter squash seeds, actually. I've used pumpkin, spaghetti squash, and delicata squash, and have read that other kinds (acorn, butternut, buttercup, hubbard, etc.) work, too. 

Put the seeds in a bowl of warm water and rub them thoroughly to get rid of the slimy stuff. Most of the seeds should be pretty clean anyway, but some will be stuck in the strings. If you squeeze the end that’s stuck in the strings the seeds should squirt right out. (It’s kind of fun, actually!) When the seeds are clean (don’t forget to save the water and the slime and strings for the compost pile), put them in some salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer them for 10 minutes. Drain, and spread them out in a baking sheet that you greased with a tablespoon or so of oil or drippings. Bake on the top shelf of the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until they start to brown. Smaller seeds, like from delicata squash, may be done in as little as 5 minutes, so check them frequently. 

What I like about this way of fixing the seeds is that you eat the whole thing, shell and all. No fussing around trying to shell them, though of course you can if you want to. I was very doubtful about that when I read it and expected to shell the seeds whatever the recipe said, but it turned out that they were right and I was wrong.

They're free, except for the salt and the oil, since you got the pumpkin for Halloween or the squash for the squash-ness of it.

Variations:

1.      Sprinkle a bit of any of the following over the roasted pumpkin seeds (http://www.chow.com/galleries/38/10-ways-to-spice-up-pumpkin-seeds#!562/old-bay-pumpkin-seeds ): cinnamon and sugar, seasoned salt, jerk seasoning (add before roasting the seeds), Old Bay Seasoning, Creole seasoning, wasabi powder and ground coriander, barbeque seasoning (add to seeds before roasting), or jalapeno powder.

2.      Or try these (http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/10/roasted-pumpkin-seeds-spicy-sweet-salty-recipes.html ): Ginger-Orange Zest Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Cheesy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, or Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

3.      Or try your favorite spice blend, either sweet or spicy. I wonder how they’d be with a bit of pumpkin pie spice and sweetener?