Party Squash

Ialways make way too many side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner and I usually have an abundance of squash at this time of year. Sadly, squash never seems to get the recognition it deserves. Not like stuffing or mashed potatoes that surely get gobbled up come turkey time. Let’s make squash fun! It is possible, I know you might think I am crazy. Who would want to make squash fun?

I have always thought of squash as like an old reliable uncle that has no sense of humour. He is consistently there at Thanksgiving, jokeless and unseasoned, stoic and reserved unlike baked yams with marshmallows, the drunk aunt of Thanksgiving dishes. I am here to tell you that uncle squash can be a bohemian, he can be interesting and wild. Oh yes squash can be fun.

Don’t be afraid of the long list of ingredients. This comes together quite easily, and if you don’t have sumac, don’t sweat it but you should go buy some because it is delicious!

Submited by Sarah Barnes

Roasted Squash with Tahini and Chermoula Recipe Courtesy Barnes & Maracle

A boisterous side dish for 10ish people at your Thanksgiving dinner and can be easily adjusted for our vegan friends.

Ingredients

3 Acorn Squash or any squash that you grew too much of cut into 1/8th or nice chunky pieces 4-5 Shallots quartered Lots of garlic…probably a whole bulb minced Olive oil ¼ cup Tahini 1 tbsp light soy 1 thumb sized piece of Ginger 1 Jalapeno minced At least 4 lemons ¼ cup Greek yogurt ½ small package of goat cheese Fresh herbs! You will need a large handful of cilantro, mint and parsley Spices! You will need cumin, coriander, paprika, sumac and chili flakes Salt Optional but highly recommended - pomegranate seeds and toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Pre heat oven to 375

This recipe has 3 stages marinate the squash for roasting, make the chermoula and make the tahini sauce. Sauces can be made ahead of time. In a small bowl combine 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp sumac, ½ tbsp chili flakes and ½ tbsp coriander, 8 lg garlic cloves minced, ½ cup olive oil, the juice from 1 lemon. Spread chunks of squash and shallots on a baking sheet pour spice and olive oil mixture and cover vegetables thoroughly. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes.

To make Chermoula

In a food processor blitz 1 large handful of cilantro, mint and parsley, jalapeno, 3 clove garlic and a lady’s thumb size of ginger, ¼ cup olive oil and the juice of 1 lemon, 1 tsp cumin and coriander. Sauce should be smooth not chunky add more olive oil if needed. Salt to taste.

To make Tahini Sauce

In a small bowl add ¼ cup tahini, 1 tbsp light soy, 1 clove minced garlic and the juice of 1 lemon and mix thoroughly. Add 1 tbsp Greek yogurt (optional) and slowly mix 2 tbsp olive oil until sauce is smooth. Sauce should last one week in fridge longer if you omit the yogurt. By now the most exciting squash you have ever made will be ready to pull out of the oven. Find the most colourful and ornate platter you own and pile the squash and shallots on top, Jackson Pollock the chermoula and tahini as wildly as possible, confetti with pomegranate, goat cheese, pumpkin seeds and any leftover herbs. Zest lemon on everything! Now pour yourself a glass of pink wine and serve to your guests. Don’t put it by the turkey or it will be jealous.

Harvest Time

Saying harvest is an important time of the vineyard and winery is an understatement. Farmers toil endlessly to arrive at picking with tasty grapes in good health and with sugar and acids in correct proportions that are acceptable for premium winemaking. Winemakers clean their facilities top to bottom to insure a hygienic home for fruit once it arrives on the crush pad. Once fruit arrives ready for processing the winery the clock starts ticking. The decisions made at the onset of crush are pivotal in the direction the subsequent wines are stewarded in the winery before eventual bottling and sale. As I write this some Cowichan wineries have already begun to harvest the early ripening varieties and thus I raise a glass to the 2020 harvest.

A second understatement would be to say that 2020 has been a challenge for the entire planet. Weather-wise, it has been a fairly classic growing season on the Island. We had a warm and dry early Spring, followed by a fairly wet June and early July resulting in inconsistent flowering, lower fruit set thus a smaller yield. August warmed and September is at least as hot as we have ever experienced. At the beginning of September, we were hovering slightly below 2017 in accumulated heat units, and if I were a betting man, I would bank on this swing of brilliant weather resulting in a fabulous accumulation of sugars and balancing of acids throughout the Valley. Setting us back somewhat is the 10 day and counting smoke coverage from the fires in Washington and Oregon. Whilst the smoke isn’t a concern for imparting smoke taint to the fruit itself, it is hindering some late season sunshine which farmers always appreciate.

The fruit arrives on the crush pad in 1000 lb bins, here at Unsworth, sorting of fruit is the first task at hand. Bins are rotated by forklift and