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NEW IDEAS FOR USING SQUASH By Sheilah Kaufman It’s pumpkin time around the Washington beltway, with pumpkin stands, pumpkin patches, and pumpkin displays in the markets. But besides carving them, what else can you do with them? According to Aliza Green in her book Produce (Quirk, 2004) Pumpkin is a term applied to nearly all hard-skinned squash and what is considered “pumpkin” changes from country to country and region to region. In the U.S. the term generally means a large rounded orange s quash of the type used for jack-o-lanterns. Miniature pumpkins are cream or orange in color with sweet, firm, flavorful flesh, an inedible peel, and seeds that can be roasted or eaten raw. When using pumpkin, wash it, and any winter squash in cold water. If the squash has a thick skin, it is generally cut in half and baked with the skin on. After cutting in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, place cut side down on a baking sheet, and bake until soft and tender. Do not purchase squash with soft spots or bruises, and keep them in a cool, dry place with good air circulation. Thick-skinned varieties can last for months.Zucchini are summer squash with tender skin and flesh, small edible seeds, and high moister content. Italian immigrants introduced zucchini to he US. Zucchini is the Italian and American name for what the French and British call courgette, and it is the most common summer squash, existing in many forms and colors. Grilled Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Zucchini and Goat Cheese Here a creamy, moist zucchini spread lies beneath
the skin of golden brown barbecued chicken breasts. These are easy to
assemble in advance, refrigerate, and grill just before dinner.
Accompany with grilled corn on the cob and heirloom tomato and
mozzarella salad, and finish off with Honey-Rum Pumpkin Ice Cream.
Don’t put your grill away at the end of summer; the smoky flavor of
grilled foods is perfect for chilly days as well.
Shred the zucchini, sprinkle with salt, wrap in paper towels, and let stand for 15 minutes. Squeeze the zucchini dry. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini and sauté until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes; remove from the skillet and let cool. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, add the onion, and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes; remove from the heat and let cool. In a small bowl, beat together the goat cheese and butter until blended. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Mix in the zucchini, onion, parsley, and cheese. Using your fingers, loosen the skin from the chicken breasts, leaving one side attached, and force the zucchini stuffing underneath the skin of each breast. Brush each stuffed breast with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with the herbes de Provence. Grill the chicken breasts directly over the heat, turning once, until opaque throughout and the juices no longer run pink, 15 to 20 minutes. If using the oven, place the chicken on a roasting pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve at once. Serves 4 ZUCCHINI PANCAKES WITH PISTOU SAUCE Multitudes of delicious zucchini based recipes are the byproducts of abundant Provencal harvests. Here the grated zucchini is added to beignet batter, fried, and doled out with traditional pesto sauce, known as pistou in Provence. The pistou can be made days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that the zucchini needs to drain for 1 hour, and the batter needs to rest 30 minutes before making the pancakes. You can make them a day in advance, store them in the refrigerator, and reheat them at 350F for 10 minutes before serving. From: Amy Riolo Author, Food Historian, Food Writer, Lecturer, Restaurant and Culinary Consultant, Instructor www.amyriolo.com For the Fritters:
Serves 6 Pumpkin-Orange Waffles with Hazelnut–Maple Syrup Butter Toasted hazelnuts in whipped butter lend a decadent crunch to these golden waffles for a real treat for brunch. The waffles freeze very well, ready to reheat in a toaster or regular oven at 300°F until hot throughout. It is smart to toast and skin a quantity of hazelnuts in advance so they are ready to pop into the sweet butter. A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash Season Recipes by Lou Seibert Pappas (Chronicle Books) Hazelnut–Maple Syrup Butter
In a small bowl, combine the butter and syrup and beat with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in the nuts. Scrape into a small serving bowl. (Or, heat the butter, syrup, and nuts, stir, and pour into a pitcher.) Preheat a waffle iron. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. In a medium bowl, beat or whisk together the egg yolks, pumpkin, milk, orange juice, and melted butter. In another medium bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium high speed, beat the egg whites until soft, glossy peaks form. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in the egg whites. Spoon or pour about 3/4 cup batter onto the hot iron. Close the lid. Cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the waffle is golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a fork to a warmed plate. Serve at once or keep warm on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. Pass the Hazelnut–Maple Syrup Butter with the warm waffles. Makes about eight 7-inch round [AR1] waffles; serves 8 Roasted Autumn Root Vegetables Most vegetables develop a tantalizing caramelized sweetness when oven-roasted, and root vegetables are exceptional candidates for this easy preparation. They are delicious hot from the oven; they also reheat well if you wish to do a large batch at once. A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash by Lou Seibert Pappas (Chronicle Books)
Bake for 15 minutes. Stir and turn the vegetables, and continue baking until tender when pierced with a knife, 30 to 35 minutes longer, stirring once or twice. Sprinkle with the herbs and serve. Makes 8 to 10 servings |
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