Quick and Easy Delicata Squash

Fall is most definitely here. There was a frost advisory last night, which had us out covering up the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, and harvesting whatever was close to ready. Among the harvest: all our delicata squash, which was definitely ripe.

There are loads of ways to cook winter squash--you can roast it, steam it, saute it, or pressure cook it, among other things. But the easiest and fastest way I have found yet is to do it in the microwave. It feels a little like heresy, but the results are great and the mess is minimal. This works best with smaller squash and relatively small quantities (to do more servings, you just have to do it in batches). Delicatas are great candidates for this. Here's the method:

Cut the squash in half the long way and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash halves in a covered microwaveable container (e.g. glass casserole dish). Microwave on high for five minutes, then to check for doneness (the squash should be soft when it's ready). The amount of time needed will vary with the size of the squash and the power of your microwave. If it's not done after five minutes, add another minute or two and check again. Repeat as needed.

Serve squash halves as they are, and provide optional toppings at the table: butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar are all classics, though delicata squash is so sweet and delicious that you can eat it straight if you like. For something a little less traditional, try salt and pepper with a little sprinkle of garam masala or curry powder.

Blueberry Scones

Another excellent use for frozen blueberries. I especially like the low-bush variety because they are small. But you can use high-bush as well, or other types of small frozen fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or cherries, if you have them.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup whole milk plain yogurt
1/4 cup white sugar, plus more for the top if desired
3/4 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir in blueberries so they get coated with flour. Add cream and yogurt and stir until just combined. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet (I use a baking stone). If desired, lightly sprinkle the top of each scone with a little sugar.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown on top.

Makes about 8-10 scones.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

This is what I had for breakfast this morning--a good cool weather start to the day. I like to use steel cut oats, but this works with rolled oats as well. Just don't use the instant kind, because you need the apples to cook for a couple minutes. I like it with the apples just softened a bit, not turned to mush. If you like them softer, add them earlier in the process.

Prepare oatmeal of your choice. A few minutes before it is done, stir in about half an apple per person, diced (peel or not as desired) and a sprinkle of cinnamon. If using particularly tart apples, add a teaspoon or so of brown sugar.

I also like ripe pears on my oatmeal in the fall, but these are better raw.

Scrambled Eggs with Parsley and Cheese

Now that the basil is starting to fade (darned unseasonable cold weather), I have found myself using larger amounts of parsley. If you think of parsley as a boring and somewhat flavorless dried herb, you should definitely try it fresh. It has a lovely and pungent flavor all its own that goes especially well with Parmesan, but also goat cheese and feta.

For scrambled eggs, use 1-2 tsp chopped fresh parsley per egg. Add cheese of your choice plus salt and pepper to taste. Heat a little butter in a skillet and scramble eggs until done.

Pizza with Shiitakes, Leeks, Red Pepper, and Parsley

When in doubt, put it on pizza, that's my motto. Last night I made this with the shiitakes from New England Wild Edibles and leeks, peppers, and parsley from my garden. Yum!

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
2 cups sliced shiitakes
3-4 slender leeks or 1-2 large ones, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup tomato sauce
2-3 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the pizza crust lightly with olive oil.

Heat a little more olive oil in a large skillet, then add the shiitakes and leeks. Saute until just tender, then add the peppers and saute an addition 2-3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, salt, and pepper, and remove from heat.

Spread the tomato sauce over the crust--you just want a very light coating. Spread the veggie mixture over the sauce, then top with mozzarella.

Bake 15-18 minutes, until crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Weekends Putting Up Food

It's that time of year. Eating locally all year in New England means putting up food for the winter. And if you work all day during the week, putting up food for the winter means spending a chunk of every weekend in August and September doing so. But mostly I enjoy it, thank goodness. This weekend we froze another 20 pounds of tomatoes along with several pounds of zucchini and red peppers.

We also took our first crack at drying apples--Macs from Clarkdale--with great success. We gave them no pretreatment, so the final product was a bit brown, but that doesn't bother me. The flavor is stupendous, way better than dried apples from the store. And the texture is perfect--soft and chewy. To prepare them, we used our apple peeler/slicer/corer to make rings, then dried them in the dehydrator for about 8 hours. Fortunately, we'll be able to get apples all through the winter, so we can make additional dried ones as desired; no need to go crazy stocking up right now when everything else is begging to be dealt with. I am looking forward to trying different varieties and seeing how the dried flavor varies.

Red, Gold, and Green Cornmeal Pancakes

This weekend we found ourselves overflowing with zucchini. I shredded and froze a bunch of it, but I also made zucchini basil pancakes with several of them (though I substituted parsley for some of the basil as my basil has not fared well with this long string of nights in the 40s). Thinking of savory pancakes reminded me of this recipe, which is full of things now finally in season (like red peppers!).

This is great for brunch or dinner, but I'd think twice about serving it first crack in the morning. Despite the number of jalapeños it's not that spicy--but still.

2 cups fresh corn kernels
3-4 large green jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
4-5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced (or a red onion)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
For topping: Good salsa, sour cream

In a large bowl, mix together the corn, jalapenos, red pepper, scallions, and cilantro. Stir in the lime juice and salt.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and milk, then stir in the cornmeal and whole-wheat pastry flour.

Pour the batter mixture over the vegetables and mix well. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.

Fry pancakes in a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat, about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through the middle. Keep finished pancakes hot on a covered plate or in a warm oven.

Serve hot, topped with salsa and sour cream.

Serves 3-4.