Inspired by Ingredients

David and I receive a CSA box every other week.  When it comes time to look at what is in the box and decide on any changes, it goes something like this:

Krista:  Ooh, I've never eaten celery root before.  We should totally get that.

David:  What would we do with celery root?  Let's get some more kale.

Krista:  I don't know what I'd do with the celery root, that's why we have to get it!

I win only because I'm usually the one to remember to make the changes. 

In our last box, we received something referred to as "seasonal gourds."  They sure were pretty, but I had no idea what they were.  They have the coloring of delicata squash, but are round like kabocha squash.  If you can identify them, please let me know:



The mystery gourds



Right after Halloween, I remember another food blogger hollowing out small pumpkins (I wish I could remember who it was!) and using the flesh as the basis for a soup that was then served inside the pumpkins.  It looked great, and it was a lot healthier than the bread soup bowls I was really craving.  I was serious when I said that I was going to try to eat (mostly) healthy through the holidays, and sadly that means decreasing the number of carbs that I ate from last week's high.

The problem was that once the seeds were removed, the squash didn't have very much meat to them.  I was going to have to get creative.

All right, I missed a couple of seeds. So sue me.

The problem with cooking by the seat of your pants is that you (OK, I) don't stop to write down what I'm doing.  I've attempted to recreate the soup I made with the gourds, which was deliciously creamy and satisfying while staying low in fat.  Garnish the soup with a little something succulent and salty for extra flavor.  I used crispy pancetta for David's bowl, and a smattering of blue cheese for my bowl.  You'll never miss the meat.



I say that, but of course the bowl I took a picture of was the one topped with pancetta!



Creamy Squash Soup

Inspired by flavors from A16 Food+Wine

4 small round edible gourds

4 small red potatoes

4 tbsp. olive oil

2 cups 2% milk

1/2 poblano pepper, seeded and minced

1 small shallot, minced

2 tbsp. crumbled blue cheese

Kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper

 Pan-fried sliced pancetta or blue cheese crumbles for garnish

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Slice the tops from the gourds and set aside.  Scoop the seeds from the gourds and rub all over with one and a half tablespoons of the olive oil. 

Scrub and quarter the potatoes and toss them with half a tablespoon of olive oil, some salt and pepper.

Place the gourds and their lids on a baking sheet and bake for approximately half an hour.  At the half-hour mark, the lids should be done and can be removed.

Add the potatoes to the baking sheet and bake for another twenty minutes, until the potatoes are roasted and the gourds are tender.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the gourds to cool enough to scoop the flesh out of them.

While the squash are cooling, saute the poblano pepper over medium heat in a tablespoon of the olive oil until it is lightly brown around the edges.  Add the shallots and saute until they are golden.

Scoop the flesh out of the gourds and discard any seeds.  Place the flesh in a food processor, along with the potatoes and a cup of milk.  Process for a minute or two until you have a very thick puree, then add salt and pepper to taste.  Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and process again. 

Transfer the puree to a small saucepan and add the remaining milk and the shallot/poblano mixture, stirring to combine.  Heat on low until the mixture is thoroughly warmed, then add the crumbled blue cheese.  If the mixture is still too thick, add a bit more milk. 

If desired, add more salt and pepper and serve immediately in the hollowed gourds with a side salad.  The dressing from this post went beautifully with the flavors in the soup (plus I had some left over in the refrigerator).

The soup may be garnished with either thin slices of crispy pancetta or blue cheese crumbles.

Serves four as a main course.

Squashed Doubts

It's looking more like winter here now--last night, while I was cooking dinner, snow gently drifted down while failing to amount to much of anything.  I remain excited to see the snow, even isolated flakes of it, but David is insistent that if his fall biking is over, it had better snow enough to start skiing.



The view out our dining-room window in late afternoon.

I'm in rehearsal most nights after work and both days on the weekend, so there's no chance I could ski even if I was good at skiing, which I'm not.  That's a task I add to my to-do list every winter:  get better at cross-country skiing.  And every winter, without fail, something more interesting and/or pressing comes along.

You heard it here:  this is the year.

Last night was the last Friday night I will be home before the show opens the day after Thanksgiving.  I didn't know what I was going to make when I came home, so I did one of my patented pantry raids* where I survey the refrigerator and pantry and try to come up with something fabulous.  Fortunately, it was CSA box week, so the odds were increasingly good that I would come up with something worth eating to go with the lamb chops David bought.

When we schedule what to receive in the CSA box, I always try to order things that either I'm not going to find in Alaska or that I've never cooked with before.  One of these things is Delicata squash, which I had never even tasted.  Not a clue what to do with it.



I'm so attracted to color--admit it, this is one pretty squash.

News flash:  Delicata squash, while slightly sweet, makes the perfect basis for a savory fall side dish. 

Twice-Baked Delicata Squash

Adapted from a Recipe by Ruben Gomez

2 Delicata squash, ends trimmed, halved and with seeds removed

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 leek, white and green parts only, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup pecorino romano cheese, finely grated

4 tbsp. breadcrumbs, preferably fresh

2 tbsp. reduced-fat milk

1.5 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. nutmeg (I grated my own;  nutmeg from a jar will be fine)

Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Take each half of squash and brush it with olive oil;  sprinkle with the salt, pepper and nutmeg. 

Place the squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet or other oven-safe pan.  Cook for twenty minutes, then flip the squash halves over and cook for another twenty minutes.

While the squash is cooking, make the stuffing.  Warm the remaining olive oil in a small skillet and warm it;  add the leeks and sauté until lightly golden.  Add the pine nuts and sauté until the nuts are lightly toasted.  Remove the skillet from the heat.

Combine 1/2 cup of the cheese, along with the breadcrumbs and thyme, in a medium bowl.  When the squash is done, gently scoop out the flesh, taking care not to tear the skins.  Add the scooped-out squash to the bowl with the breadcrumb mixture.  Add the milk and fold to combine well.

Fill the squash skins with the stuffing and sprinkle the remaining cheese over them.  Bake for another eight to ten minutes until the stuffing is warmed through the cheese on top melts.

Serves four;  could easily be doubled.

*Sorry, bad pun, but an accurate description.  Picture me racing back and forth between my pantry and the refrigerator trying to determine what can be combined to make a decent dish.