From the Vault: A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash
For me, autumn is the nicest time in the city. Our pulses quicken as we snuggle into sweaters and jackets against the promise of frost in the air. A walk through the park reveals the warm side of Mother Nature's spectrum: not just the ochre, antique gold and burgundy of turning leaves, but the greenish-brown of oak and elm bark and the silvery-white skeletons of birch. Not to be outdone, evergreens assert their lush color and fragrance as if they know that their season is on the ascendant.
The blooming smells of crisp apples and sexy cinnamon reach us from cauldrons of cider at the farmer's market, where pyramids of apples (what's your favorite variety?) tumble alongside heaps of winter squash. How many varieties in this cornucopia can you name, and how many of those do you cook with? The sensuous taste and texture of pumpkin dominate: sugared and spiced in the classic autumn pie, rolled into cookie dough, baked into quick bread, even filling ravioli (serve it with brown butter and sage) and spiking lattes. But how about butternut, to anchor a batch of roasted autumn vegetables or lend its silken presence to a bowl of golden soup? Or kabocha, holding its own against the assertive flavors of a lamb tagine?
Here's a review I wrote last year for Slashfood of A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash, a slim, well-written and useful volume of recipes for winter squash. Like the best seasonal collections, this book uses the kitchen to celebrate the season -- truly my favorite aesthetic. In our house, one cold, clear Saturday morning, we will have a breakfast of pumpkin-orange waffles with hazelnut syrup (page 25). This will gird us for that day's autumn activities, but hearth always beckons us home. A bowl of lamb, chard and kabocha stew (page 39) warms us as the sun sets and chill turns into cold. For in marking the moments of autumn's passage, we are acknowledging winter's approach.
Note: we're having computer problems at home so I haven't been able to polish lengthier posts I have in the queue. Hopefully soon, those will start to appear regularly again. Thanks to those who asked!
The blooming smells of crisp apples and sexy cinnamon reach us from cauldrons of cider at the farmer's market, where pyramids of apples (what's your favorite variety?) tumble alongside heaps of winter squash. How many varieties in this cornucopia can you name, and how many of those do you cook with? The sensuous taste and texture of pumpkin dominate: sugared and spiced in the classic autumn pie, rolled into cookie dough, baked into quick bread, even filling ravioli (serve it with brown butter and sage) and spiking lattes. But how about butternut, to anchor a batch of roasted autumn vegetables or lend its silken presence to a bowl of golden soup? Or kabocha, holding its own against the assertive flavors of a lamb tagine?
Here's a review I wrote last year for Slashfood of A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash, a slim, well-written and useful volume of recipes for winter squash. Like the best seasonal collections, this book uses the kitchen to celebrate the season -- truly my favorite aesthetic. In our house, one cold, clear Saturday morning, we will have a breakfast of pumpkin-orange waffles with hazelnut syrup (page 25). This will gird us for that day's autumn activities, but hearth always beckons us home. A bowl of lamb, chard and kabocha stew (page 39) warms us as the sun sets and chill turns into cold. For in marking the moments of autumn's passage, we are acknowledging winter's approach.
Note: we're having computer problems at home so I haven't been able to polish lengthier posts I have in the queue. Hopefully soon, those will start to appear regularly again. Thanks to those who asked!
Comments
Post a Comment