Fall Farmer's Market

The farmer’s market season ends today in my city. Most of the small ones have already ended.  The biggest one, the one I have gone to since I was a child, remained open until today.  But this does not mean that there is a lack of fresh vegetables and other goods. The vegetables are just different. Gone are the fresh corn and beans.  They are now being replaced by the squash and cabbage families.

Now on to what many call the fall vegetables. First there is the lovely head of creamy white cauliflower.  Also you can find dark green cabbages.  Then there are the piles of exotic looking squash, a still life all on their own.  It’s the squash that I want to talk about today.

I am not a squash lover. It’s not that I have not been exposed to different kinds of squash and that is the cause for my distaste.  What it comes down to is texture.  For me it is too mushy and watery.  Now some would say it just wasn’t fresh enough, but that isn’t the case either. My Dad used to grow Summer, Zucchini and Acorn squash in his garden. It was a garden to cooking pot experience with no middle man. It wasn’t until I discovered Butternut squash that I truly enjoyed squash. Maybe it was its similarity to sweet potatoes, which I love, that sold me on it. I can’t remember how I started to eat this squash but every year I can’t wait for it to show up at the market.

I have had it as filling for ravioli, just roasted with olive oil, and my favorite as Butternut Squash Soup. Here is my newest version of the soup. Use your judgment as to the proportions for each of the ingredients.

·         Butternut Squash - Peel, seed and cut up in about 1” cubes

·         Large onion - Peeled and cut into the same size as the squash

·         Apples – Peeled, cored and cut into cubes

Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl and lightly coat with canola oil. Spread coated ingredients on a low sided baking sheet and put it in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes. Check to see if the vegetables and apples have caramelized to your liking. If you want more caramelization keep roasting.  Check in 15 minute intervals until it is the color you prefer. I personally like them on the dark side. Let everything cool. Then put small batches in a blender to puree, slowly adding water or chicken stock to create the consistency you want. Reheat to serve.

Some garnishes for the soup could be:

·         A drizzle of flavored olive oil

·         Sour Crème or Plain Yogurt

·         Croutons

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s good on a cold night, maybe pair with a nice pressed sandwich.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is on Thursday and I want to get ahead of everyone to plead a case for the much-maligned brussels sprout. This vegetable and the lima bean are the two I feel to be the most hated vegetables in America. But, back to what my family called little cabbages: the brussels sprout.

As I was growing up brussels sprouts were a yearly adventure. How could this green vegetable be an adventure?  Well I will tell you. My Dad would always grow brussels sprouts but he would not harvest them until the first frost. He said they needed that frost to make them sweet. Even if there was a frost earlier in November we left them in the garden waiting for the Thanksgiving harvest. The long leaves protected the sprouts and if it snowed they looked like frosted Christmas trees. The tree theme went further because we had to chop them down to harvest. My Dad would take his hatchet and cut close to the ground. Then we would take the leaves off and of course put them in the compost pile. After we got them in the house the fun would really start. You could cut the sprouts off the stalk, but it was much more fun to pop them off. They make this snapping sound very much like popping large bubble wrap. This sometimes met with sprouts flying around the kitchen. After that was getting them ready to steam. Peel the rough leaves off and into the steaming basket to cook. This is where I think brussels sprouts got their bad rap. They seem to have universally been cooked to long and become mush. If they were already bitter and then mushy I wouldn’t like them either, and I love them.

I have noticed that a lot of cooking programs for the Holiday Season are trying to enlighten the world about brussels sprouts and how good they can be. Whether you watch Ina Garten roast them (which she states is the only way she likes them) or chef Brad Farmerie on Martha Stewart this morning making them with an Asian flavor, they show brussels sprouts don’t have to be a mushy mess.

Since I no longer have access to a garden I went this last weekend to the farmer’s market. It’s almost done for the year. I found these small stalks of sprouts which pleased me since those have the tinier and what I feel are the best tasting sprouts. This year I am going to try something I have thought up.

Note: The proportions for the Pancetta/Bacon and Vinegars are to taste.

1. Cut Pancetta or Bacon into crosswise strips.
2. Sauté until brown but not crisp. 
3. Now for the Brussels Sprouts.  If the sprouts are really small, just halve them.  But if they are large, blanch and shock them in an ice bath before cutting in half.
4. Toss the cut sprouts in with the Pancetta/Bacon.  Sauté until the sprouts are heated through.
5. Deglaze the pan with Balsamic Vinegar. Here you can be very creative using flavors such as Pomegranate or Fig.  If you do not want the dish to have a brown coloring, use a White Balsamic.
6. Serve.

Now for a movie to watch on Thanksgiving Day: What’s Cooking? – It is a cross-cultural look at how four families celebrate Thanksgiving. I watch it every year.

Happy Thanksgiving