9 minute read
CUISINE
’TIS THE SEASON OF THE GREAT PUMPKIN
BY GRANVILLE WOOD
Now that the trick-or-treat, Jack-o’-lanterns, pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin pie season is upon us, it is time for winter squashes and that great orange field pumpkin to take center stage at farmer markets.
Most think of the great pumpkin as having the starring role. But it is also time for the other delicious squashes (yes, pumpkins are squash) to replace those thin-skinned zucchinis and yellow crooknecks with meaty, sweet butternut, nutty acorn and kabocha winter squashes.
Bright and bold pumpkins come with romance and mystery. A carriage for the beautiful Princess Cinderella and the head of the rider in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. They entertain us at giant pumpkin festivals with some weighing in at a thousand pounds and others at “Chunking” competitions where pumpkins are shot through the air from makeshift catapults with distance being the goal.
Cucurbita is the genus of all squash covering five common species: Maxima, Hubbard, Lakota, buttercup and winter, wherein lay the 45 distinct types of winter squash. The summer squashes yield tremendous crops in a brief period of time, as anyone who has grown zucchini will tell you. Winter squash and pumpkins are different and they take longer to produce finished fruit. Squashes like tomatoes are not technically a vegetable but a fruit. It takes up to 100 days for the thick, heavy rind to form, protecting the flavorful meaty pulp inside. Even with a heavy rind, a good majority of winter squash rinds can be eaten as well as its prolific number of seeds.
A hearty fall meal, Mexican pork stew with butternut squash.
KABOCHA SQUASH
ACORN SQUASH
MARINA DI CHIOGGIA PUMPKIN
HUBBARD SQUASH
FAIRYTALE PUMPKIN
BUTTERCUP SQUASH
JARRAHDALE PUMPKIN
LONG ISLAND CHEESE PUMPKIN
BUTTERNUT SQUASH
QUEENSLAND BLUE PUMPKIN
There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people — religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin.”
— LINUS
It would seem pumpkins should be our national treasure and ours alone, with Hallows Eve and the all-American pumpkin pie. We share this ancient earliest domesticated crop with countries far and away. Australia, France, Hungary, Mexico and Japan all cultivate their regional favorites. Australia has the Jarrahdale, along with the Queensland Blue, a flavorful heirloom boasting a blue outer shell with a creamy pale-yellow inner pulp. The French have Marina di Chioggia and the Japanese have the cross-pollinated kabocha, one of my favorites, along with Mexico’s calabaza. Here it is easy to find popular varieties such as butternut, acorn, delicata, Long Island cheese and another chef favorite, fairytales. All squashes share a few common characteristics. They are chock full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. They are a superfood and can be cooked in a variety of ways. Roasted, baked, pureed, boiled and added to soups and stews. Their seeds make a great antioxidantfilled snack or give additional texture in salads and soups. I like to use butternut squash for soup, ravioli and hummus. Kabocha and calabaza are excellent in stews or braises and, of course, fairytales for pies and cakes. Of my three favorites, I find butternut the most versatile, readily available and easiest to use. Butternut, with its long “neck,” yields a bounty of firm, nutty meat that when roasted becomes sweeter with a luxurious silky texture. This soft pulp is perfect for blending along with a few other ingredients to make a beautiful warming soup for cool autumn days. Mashed and seasoned, it makes for wonderful ravioli, or have it boiled and finished with butter and sage leaves. My chef friend Enrico Ravelli from Locarno, Switzerland, turned me on to that simple ravioli years ago and it has become a family favorite
Double Trouble Gallery
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Double Trouble Gallery offers original watercolors, acrylics, and mixed media collages by professional artist and educator Barbara Benda and twin sister Beverly Benda. This unique home-based gallery features affordable and uplifting art for your home or business. To make an appointment
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Fall Event and Classes Calendar
October 1-2, 12-6 pm
Studio Crawl, Mourning Dove Studio, 809 20th Street North, Moorhead, MN/ Hourly demonstrations
November 2 and 16th
“Seeing Things Differently” Sketching I and II Classes through Moorhead Community Education
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Double Trouble
Open by appointment Monday -Saturday GALLERY
MEXICAN PORK STEW WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH
INGREDIENTS:
2½ lbs. boneless pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes 3 poblano peppers, charred and peeled* 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped 1 large yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 red peppers, seeded and cut into large dice 6 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled and coarsely chopped ½ lb. fresh tomatillos, husk removed and cut into quarters 1 lb. butternut squash, skin removed and cut into 1-inch dice 1 28 oz. can plum tomatoes, diced 1 cup fresh orange juice 1 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped METHOD:
Braise in oven or slow cooker. Char poblano peppers over an open flame or under a broiler on high. Char all over. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel until cool to handle. Rub off skin and remove seeds. Rinse under cold water, if necessary, to eliminate seeds. Cut into medium-sized pieces. Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil on high in a heavy pot with lid and brown pork on all sides. Add onion, red peppers, garlic and jalapenos. Lower heat to medium and soften.
Stir in poblanos and chipotle chilies. Add tomatoes, orange juice and stir well. Add tomatillos and butternut squash. Add enough water to just cover. Bring to a simmer. Cover with the lid and place in 350-degree oven and braise for 2 hours. Remove. Add salt to taste and stir in cilantro. Serve with warm flour tortillas.
CALABAZZA SQUASH DELICATA SQUASH
ever since. Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best.
When its outer rind is peeled and cut into large chunks, it works well in long-braised dishes like my Mexican Pork Stew. I use the term large chunks — unlike its counterpart, calabaza, which tends to break down during slow cooking, adding a whole new dimension to the dish. That silky sweetness plays a good counterpart to the chilies and mild heat of the stew. Served with warm flour tortillas on the side, you will be hard pressed to find a more satisfying hearty dish.
As we gather for the fall harvest, it is time to cook and relax. Be bold and make a large pot of my braised pork stew. It takes time but what else are you going to do on a blustery autumn day, rake leaves?
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