FALL COOKING AND CRAVINGS
Savory pumpkin and squash recipes for
Call it a seasonal collision, but fall’s splendidly bumpy, striped and oblong gourds are spilling onto tables at farmers markets.
Temperatures have taken a dip, and soon the days will stretch to the point that you’ll crave cozy sweaters and a warm bowl of winter squash soup.
You’ll find that soup and so many other delightful squash dishes on the menus of restaurants.
Need inspiration for cooking at home?
A timely new title, “The Complete Autumn and Winter Cookbook: 550+ Recipes for Warming Dinners, Holiday Roasts, Seasonal Desserts, Breads, Food Gifts, and More” (America’s Test Kitchen, $35), offers deliciously eclectic recipes — hello, creamy pumpkin-chai soup — and time-saving tips for every type of squash dish, from snacks and salads to entrees.
Start simple. Even canned. Pureed pumpkin has endless savory possibilities.
It can be whipped into a comforting soup, swirled into pasta sauces and even stirred with thyme into arborio rice for a creamy pumpkin risotto.
Peeled and cubed, butternut squash roasts beautifully and adds color and depth to grain bowls or as a side dish, topped with herb-flecked garlicky yogurt, as in the Afghan borani kadoo.
Don’t have the muscle to manhandle a large, toughskinned gourd? Julia Collin Davison, executive editorial director of America’s Test Kitchen, has the solution: a cleaver and rubber mallet.
“Place the cleaver where you want it and just tap with the mallet,” she said. “No shame in your game if you want to buy halved or quartered squash, too.”
Just don’t buy the dried-out, already cubed stuff. It lacks flavor and performed poorly in the test kitchen, Davison said.
Using your microwave, crock pot or pressure cooker can speed up weeknight squash dishes. When making stuffed acorn squash, for example, Davison zaps squash halves in the microwave until tender then scoops out some of the sweet flesh, which she mixes with quickly hydrated bulgur, toasted pine nuts and ras el hanout, the North African spice blend.
The mixture is mounded back into the squash, browned under the broiler and finished with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
“It’s a great jumping-off point to so many other recipes,” she said. “You want to add sausage? Change up the spices? Go ahead.”
Because of its versatility, butternut squash is one of Davison’s favorites to cube and roast.
She uses leftover roasted butternut squash as the base for breakfast hash and hearty entree salads, like the Cook’s Country roasted butternut squash salad with creamy tahini dressing.
The recipe is inspired by a Yotam Ottolenghi side dish with red onions and tahinilemon dressing. Davison and the Cook’s Country crew made it their own by tossing the roasted butternut squash and cumin-seasoned onions with crisp arugula, which makes a peppery contrast to the sweet roasted veggies.
Add in toasted pecans, fresh mint and a creamy dressing, and the salad becomes a bright, satisfying vegetarian dinner or a great inspiration for your holiday meal planning.