Welcome Lane Morgan Author of Winter Harvest Cookbook

Eugene Rominger wrote:Welcome Lane,
let me kick off the question-fest with got any suggestions hearty winter soups ?
And or stews

Jim Razore wrote:Welcome all,

Hi Jim,

"As a lover of sprouts, what do you recommend as a sweetly flavored counterpart to reduce some of my Brussels bitterness?"

Hmmm. Good fresh Brussels sprouts shouldn't be bitter, though I know it happens. I don't know where you are, but if you can grow your own you're way ahead of the game. Sprouts get bitter and "hot" tasting when they aren't fresh, and when they've have matured in warm weather. They are better after going through a freeze. I have broken through crusted snow to harvest them and they were terrific. A plant biologist friend told me that their mechanism for withstanding frost without turning to mush involves converting some of the starch to sugars.

Once you get them to the kitchen, don't overcook them. That's the other way things go badly. I like to coat them with olive oil and roast them in a hot oven--425 F--along with garlic cloves, until they start to get brown spots on the outside. Let them cool a little and splash on some balsamic vinegar or, for a sweeter taste, some of that balsamic glaze.

I am new to squash but have recently tried Acorn Squash in several dishes. What would be a nice way to serve up this vegetable ; do you remove the skin ?

Well, I don't eat the skin, but being the lazy cook that I am, I usually cook them with the skin on--especially acorns because those ridges are a pain to peel. You can microwave squash, but I don't like to. I bake them. Since acorns are smallish, a half makes a good serving. It's easy to cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, rub the cut side with a little butter or oil, place it cut side down on a baking sheet (I use a silicon mat for easy cleanup) and bake at 350 until the skin gives when you poke it. Then you can scoop out the pulp for recipes or just eat it right out of the shell. A little maple syrup with a dash of hot sauce is one popular condiment. I like soy sauce on mine, weird though that may sound--the sweet, bland squash plus salty soya works for me. We used to have brown sugar in a lake of butter when I was a kid, but that's too sweet for me.

If you are a muffin lover, it's easy to add 1/2 a cup of squash puree to muffins. They come out moist and naturally sweet and a nice cheerful color.

One thing to know about acorn squash is that it is not a particularly good keeper, especially when it comes to flavor. Like pumpkins, delicatas, and spaghetti squash, which are in the same genus, it doesn't hold its sweetness long and should be eaten soon after harvest. Other squashes including kabochas, red kuris, sweetmeats, butternuts keep their texture and flavor much longer. I just finished my last garden sweetmeat last week and it was still sweet and firm and delicious.

Here's a squash recipe from Winter Harvest that does call for peeling before cooking:

MOROCCAN SQUASH PURÉE

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
pinch of saffron (optional), crumbled in 1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin

Heat olive oil in a wide saucepan or skillet. Add squash, garlic, and water. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Combine rest of ingredients except cumin. Pour over squash and simmer, covered, another 10 minutes. Add a little water if necessary to prevent sticking. The squash will start to disintegrate.

Sprinkle with cumin and serve warm.

SERVES 4.


My salads tend to be fruity and reminiscent of summer time. In these cold winters I want to taste the season, but am coming up short on salads. What veggies can I incorporate for a cold weather Salad?

I agree. I like my winter salads to acknowledge winter. I tend to go more toward cooked or grated vegetable salads and away from lettuce, although by now the ones I planted in September in the cold frame are ready to eat and such a pleasure. (I live in Bellingham, Wash., about 15 miles south of the Canadan border.) Here, yet again from Winter Harvest, is one recipe. Escarole looks like lettuce but the leaves are tougher and the taste more assertive. It's also good passed under the broiler for a couple of minutes and then drizzled with balsamic or just a little olive oil and salt.

ESCAROLE AND CABBAGE SALAD

2 cups shredded escarole
2 cups shredded red cabbage
4 green onions or small leeks
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Combine escarole and red cabbage in a bowl. Combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper and pour over greens.

SERVES 4.
VEGAN


Wow--that was long,
Lane

cheers

1 head garlic
5 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups cauliflower, in florets
1 cup chopped leeks, white part
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
2 cups chopped celeriac
6 cups water or stock
bouquet garni
1 teaspoon hot paprika
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Lane Morgan wrote:

Here's a squash recipe from Winter Harvest that does call for peeling before cooking:

MOROCCAN SQUASH PURÉE

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
pinch of saffron (optional), crumbled in 1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin

Heat olive oil in a wide saucepan or skillet. Add squash, garlic, and water. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Combine rest of ingredients except cumin. Pour over squash and simmer, covered, another 10 minutes. Add a little water if necessary to prevent sticking. The squash will start to disintegrate.

Sprinkle with cumin and serve warm.

SERVES 4.

Mike McAdam wrote:

Lane Morgan wrote:
Something I would consider with this, if you can, is pressure cooking the squash until it caramelizes, which really brings the sweetness out.

Great idea. When I was in homestead mode and putting up lots of produce in quantity, I used the pressure cooker a lot. It's great for squash, and quicker cooking of dry beans, and lots else.