Reframing Dinner

I have to tell you, I was not, not, not looking forward to another dinner of plain old pork chops this week. Between the world events and the weather, I'm feeling pissy and those pork chops, although nicely thick with gratifyingly robust tenderloins, just didn't do it for me. I've had enough pork-and-fruit this winter to last me a while.

I needed Cher to come and yell, "Snap out of it!"

I reframed.

I imagined them on a platter instead of a plate. I have no idea why that made things better, but it did. Maybe it was the sharing aspect, or just the slightly more formal-than-normal way of serving? Perhaps it was the play of colors with the platter that made it seem new. Whatever - it was better. It just was.

So, I got to work slicing a smallish kabocha squash in half and setting it, seeds and all, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Into the oven at 350 for half an hour.

(Worked on the diabolical jigsaw puzzle that my friend Wenirs sent me for my birthday while that got going.)

After the squash was tender when pierced with a sharp knife, I set it aside to cool a bit and sliced a great big onion thinly, sautéing it in a wide pan. Pushed the onion aside when it was clear and laid the chops into the oniony pan to brown.

While the browning was going on (and, incidentally, the onions got brown, too, but slowly, at the edges of the pan), I coaxed the seeds and strings out of the squash with a wooden spoon and scooped out the rest into a small pot with a knob of butter, the zest and juice of a small tangerine and a small thumb of microplaned fresh ginger. While that gently heated and mingled on the back burner, I prepped the broccoli and quickly steamed it.

The standout was the roasted-and-doctored kabocha squash - ginger and tangerine did wonders for it, and a little butter never hurts. The chops were good, too, richly brown on the outside, lightly pink and juicy on the inside, and deeply satisfying on their slippery bed of caramelized onions.

When I brought the platter to the table, My Beloved said, "Ladies first," as he was trained to do as a young man; I selected my portion from the platter and passed him the serving utensils, handles first. Those little acts of politeness reframed the whole meal and reminded us that we are genteel people, the kind of people who remember to say please and thank you. The kind of people who realize how incredibly lucky we are to have this beautiful dinner, this dry and warm house and each other.

Attitude is everything.

Embracing Winter

When we first returned from vacation in a wonderfully warm place, I resisted the return to winter. Because I had become acclimated to Hawaii's balmy climate, I had trouble getting warm and even adding layers, jacking up the thermostat or getting under the covers to read didn't seem to help as the cold seeped into my bones. The constant rain was a downer, too.

But, at heart, I'm a lover, not a fighter. What's the point of resisting the weather, for heaven's sake? It just wears you out and it doesn't change the weather one iota. So, I decided on the one sunny day since we returned, to embrace the winter and the possibilities for heavy sweaters, wooly socks and hearty dinners that it affords.

Swiss chard steamed in garlic butter, so deep a green that it reminded me of the mountains in Hawaii. A nice, thick lamb chop as a reminder that spring is just around the corner. Kabocha squash (the other half of the soup and curry one), whipped with a generous thumb of butter, as warming on the plate as a summer sun.

After this dinner, my toes were finally warm and my outlook was finally bright. Let's hear it for winter!

Sun Soup

Because the sun had not once made an appearance in the five days since we returned from Hawaii - ahem! - I decided to make soup. There is no better cure for a gray day than a bowl of hot soup. When I investigated the fridge and found that our house sitter didn't use the kabocha squash I left for her, I did a little happy dance for easy, beautiful soup.

Whacked said squash in half with my largest knife and didn't even scrape out the seeds and strings, just laid it cut sides down on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and slid it into a 350 degree oven for the time it took to walk the dog in the rain, about 40-50 minutes.

Dried off the dog and myself, then pulled out the now-soft squash and set it aside to cool.

While it was cooling, I chopped an onion and four shallots, softening them in a driz of EVOO until the house smelled heavenly. Added two big pinches of Herbes de Provence and let that cook until fragrant, then added 3 peeled and cored Pink Lady apples, half of the squash flesh (the strings and seeds can be easily nudged out with a wooden spoon and discarded once the squash is roasted) and a pint (2 cups) of chicken stock. Simmer, simmer, simmer, then let it cool and purée in a blender. Return it to the pot and warm it. If the soup is too thick for your taste, you can thin with a little water or chicken stock, but I like thick, hearty soups.

Easier than pie by quite a long shot, it brought that sunny yellow and a serious carotene lift to our benighted souls. Sipping soup and staring out at the raindrops coursing down the windows, I felt lucky to be indoors and well fed with Sun Soup.

Caring For The Caregivers

While My Beloved's first wife is in hospital, she is being offered in her weakened state perhaps the worst food the Bay area has to offer - hospital food. Second only to airplane food, it's terrible. Why would anyone who is ill be offered highly salted or sugared food out of cans? It makes no sense. So, her sister, her daughters, her niece, her neighbors, her friends and I are working to keep her supplied with real food, food that will actually enhance the healing process until she's sprung from that place.

To wit, roasted kabocha squash and d'Anjou pear soup that I made to deliver over to the caregivers. They are spending all day, every day at the hospital so they are exposed to crappy food, too. I had a couple of the cutest little organic kabocha squashes you've ever seen rolling around on my counter, so I put them to good use. In fact, all the ingredients I used were organic - doesn't that make sense for helping someone to heal?

Not all the soup I made fit into the container I was using so I poured the extra into a bowl and tasted it myself. Mellow as sunshine with a little herbal twist and a hint of sweetness from the onion and pears, the soup had texture thanks to the slight graininess of the pears. No wonder soup is the traditional food for invalids - it goes down easily, it's packed with vitamins and it is so pretty to even a jaded eye. Lovely. Life-giving. Delicious. To your health!

Caregivers Kabocha Soup

1 Tablespoon butter or olive oil

2 small or 1 medium kabocha squash, seeded, halved and roasted cut side down at 350 degrees on an oiled pan until easily pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes.

1 large onion, chopped

Fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the woody stems

2 d'Anjou pears, peeled and cored

16 ounces chicken stock

Roast squash in a 350 degree oven for about half an hour, until a sharp knife inserts easily into the squash. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in a large pot, melt the butter and soften the onions with the thyme leaves. When the squash has cooled enough to handle, scoop out the squash flesh with a spoon and add it to the pot with the pears and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30-45 minutes.

Let cool, then purée in a blender. When reheating, do so slowly in a heavy bottomed pan, or in the microwave. Top with crême fraiche or chopped chives. You might want to add salt and pepper, too, as I used none.

Currying Favor

I owe this curry to Peter Barrett, who gave me the idea to use my leftover kabocha squash soup as a base for curry. I would never have thought of that but it makes so much sense!

When I pulled my pot of soup out of the fridge and My Beloved raised the lid, the expression on his face told me he was not, and I do mean, not looking forward to another go-around with that soup. While he is normally fine with leftovers and he did enjoy the first serving of the soup, he's also a variety guy and loves a mix of tastes and flavors.

Providence smiled upon me when that same day I read that Peter had concocted curry from soup himself. Being the cheerful plagiarist that I am, I immediately stole his idea.

I sautéed a chopped onion in butter, then added some chunked carrot and fingerling potatoes for a Thai-style curry with vegetables. I even dumped in the very last serving of those colorful roasted veggies I made for Thanksgiving. I whisked curry powder into the soup, then poured both into the pot with the veggies, stirred and simmered for about 15 minutes. While the curry was cooking, I crisped a few rashers of bacon to crumble and set out (Peter's) little dishes of peanuts, green onion, raisins, chutney and minced white onion. I think of the toppings as more typical of Indian curry but we love the crunch and mix of flavors so I added them to the Thai-style as well. For the last few minutes, I stirred in about a cup of chicken picked from the roast one I made that week, just to heat it through before serving over jasmine rice.

The result was simply lovely, hearty and yet not heavy, savory and a little spicy without being nuclear, with lots of texture and sweet-salt toppings. I hope my variety guy won't mind - there's enough left over for dinner again tonight.

Lookee What I Got!

Lookee what I got!

After what seemed an excruciatingly long wait, my box of beautiful ceramics arrived from somewhere near Poughkeepsie in New York State.

Peter Barrett, that food blogger and food writer whose erudition and creativity leaves the rest of us slack-jawed in his dust, is also an artist, a painter and consummate potter. Oh, Peter, is there anything you can't do? And do surpassingly well?

Not only did he design and handmake these little bowls, which made my kabocha squash soup look incredible, he also sells them.

I bought four, ostensibly for Christmas gifts, but I'm finding I want to keep them for myself. If you'd like some for yourself, or for gifts for the fortunate ones on your Christmas list, click over to his blog and contact the boy.

If I wasn't too old for squealing, I'd be squealing with delight and clapping my hands - oh, lookee what I got!

Kabocha-Apple Soup

1 medium kabocha squash, cut in slices

3-4 apples, peeled and cored (I used Macintosh, my favorites)

1 onion, chopped

1 quart chicken broth

1-2 teaspoons thyme

1 Tablespoons butter

Roast the squash slices in a 350 degree oven in a single layer until they are browned on one side and very soft. This can be done a day or two ahead. Remove and set aside to cool. When cool, cut off the peel and discard.

In a large pot, sauté the onion in the butter until softened, then add thyme and cook until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Let the soup cool before blending in a blender. Reheat over a low flame and serve piping hot. Ladle into bowls - preferably handmade bowls by Peter Barrett. You can sprinkle it with croutons, ham minced fine, browned sausage bits - whatever - but it's fine all by itself.

Serious Squash

Here's the kabocha squash soup I made from the rest of the squash crescents I roasted along with dinner a couple of nights ago.

To enhance flavors, I softened a chopped onion in a little butter before adding the peeled, cubed, roasted squash and chicken broth to cover. After simmering for about 30 minutes, I let the soup cool overnight and blended it smooth the next morning.

All it needed was a little salt and pepper and a gentle heating to make a lovely, dark orange soup to accompany the pumpkin pecan muffins at brunch. I can't say I could taste the sausage but the soup was splendid nonetheless. A serious squash meal.

We busted out the antigue china for this event - how often do you get to consult with your daughter over her choice of wedding dress? We call that an occasion!

I Did It Again

I was so turned on by the kabocha squash roasted with mild Italian sausage that I made a few days ago that I decided to do it again, this time with all the rest of the fairly large kabocha and chicken apple sausages. There was method to my madness - I wanted to cook enough squash in the sausage drippings to make dinner plus a pot of roasted squash soup.

I can definitely recommend this with the chicken apple sausage - just as good as the Italian - but the links were much smaller so I browned then removed them, added the squash to the browning pan, roasted the squash in a 350 degree oven until nearly done, then added the links back in for a few minutes so they'd cook through but not become dry.

That combo of squash and sausage - oh, yes.

Nailing two meals with one roasting, also a big yes.

Falling For Kabocha

Where did I read about this idea - to brown sausages (I used mild Italian sausage this time) in an ovenproof pan, then add squash slices to the same pan and slide it into the oven until the squash is tender? I'm having a senior moment. If you are out there, please weigh in and take credit, for this was not only easy it was heavenly.

The sausage renders some fat to coat the bottom of the pan - not too much! - and cooking the squash in that elixir of sausage lends it all kinds of flavor. I did sprinkle on some of my favorite Herbs de Provence for added zest, but it would have been lovely just plain, too. I didn't even peel the squash - once it's tender, it's easy to remove the rind.

I used the lone kabocha squash left in my little market because they had no butternuts, and it was a revelation. I have tried kabocha squash before but this application is perfect for it. I wish I had roasted the whole squash this way, as the leftovers would have made for a wonderful roasty soup - I may actually have to serve this again this week just so I can do that.

For an easy and tasty fall dinner, try this sausage-and-squash combo; I think you'll fall for it, too.

Stuff and Nonsense

We roast a chicken once a week, more or less. We love roast chicken. The thin, crispy skin, the juicy meat, the veggies we roast alongside, the fact that we can roast once and eat thrice (and four times, if I make soup from the bones) - what's not to like?

Is this where I admit that it's possible to get a little tired of roast chicken with lemon juice and herbes de Provence? Our usual favorite just didn't have the same appeal.

I thought about taking a chicken break but we do love chicken and I was also tired of all the red meats we enjoyed during the holidays. Nonsense, I thought, I'll just change it up a bit, stuffing my bird for a little variety and I'll see if that wakes up the old appetite. Turns out I made such a dreamy winter stuffing that I thought I'd share it with you.

First, I sautéed about three tablespoons of diced pancetta in a wide frying pan. Once the fat was rendered a bit, I added a coarse dice of kabocha squash and let that cook a bit while I minced a big clove of garlic and chopped a quarter of a large onion. Into the pan they went with about 3/4 of a peeled Golden Delicious apple, also chopped coarsely. When the onion was translucent, it all got packed into the body of a pretty large chicken and popped into a 350 degree oven for an hour. Served alongside the chicken and some bright green broccoli, it was a simple but heavenly winter dinner, warm with color and flavor and a nice twist to an old favorite.

Newly Minted Tradition

Sometimes, I feel a little silly saying I "invented" a new dish - I think they've all been tried before. However, when I stumble upon flavors that I, myself, have never tried or read about before, it feels like true innovation to me.

This dish was like that. I had just about a quarter of a small kabocha squash left from a previous meal and wanted to roast it tossed simply in olive oil, salt and pepper to accompany our Thanksgiving dinner. I made a fairly fine dice out of it, thinking it would cook quickly, and slid it after tossing into a 350 degree oven. I nearly burned it - you can see that a few of the smaller pieces did approach ignition - and when I tasted it, it was good in that hearty, sweetish, comforting way that kabocha squash always is but, admittedly, a little on the ho-hum side.

I had picked up at the supermarket the previous day a small package of glazed pecans - nothing but the nuts very lightly coated with canola oil and sugar and, I suspect, roasted briefly - and I had the idea of adding them to the squash dish while it was still hot. It was so good that it will be an honored guest at all subsequent Thanksgiving dinners at our house. Next time, I will make slightly larger cubes of squash but I'll be even more liberal with the toasty nuts. While it wasn't as sweet as pumpkin pie or that squash dish with melted marshmallows on top, it was a really nice accompaniment to our dinner and I'm already dreaming of serving it alongside a roasted pork chop. I got a little frisson of pleasure, too, at thinking I had invented a whole new dish.

Orange Vitamins

I already told you about the caprese salad (except to remark that it's still good the next day) and, although the pork tenderloin rubbed with Chinese five spice was perfectly roasted and utterly delicious, it's really all about the kabocha squash puréed with orange juice.

I roasted the squash with the idea of making soup but the weather was suddenly summer so I just peeled the squash and shoved it in the fridge, thinking we'd be back to spring in a few days.

Those days flew by and, apparently, summery weather is here to stay. So, I put it into the blender with a splash of OJ and whirled it smooth and silky. Gently reheated and served alongside the tenderloin, it gave us a healthy dose of orange vitamins, a taste treat and a perfect pairing for the pork.

Pretty Sweet Little Stew

You may recall that we had a little lamb left from the shanks that simmered all day in our crock pot - I was planning to make curry with it so I saved the meat and the rich brown goozly broth from the bottom of the pot.

I wanted to make something similar to a Thai curry, thick with chunks of potatoes and carrots like they served at the Thai restaurant near my workplace; now that I'm retired, what I miss most aside from my students and coworkers is the variety of restaurants nearby. I had a couple of fresh carrots, half an onion and two big red potatoes but, when I opened the vegetable drawer, I noticed that I had half of a small kabocha squash as well, and to my combination of parsimony and taste memory that sounded pretty good.

I peeled and chunked the veggies and coarsely chopped the lamb and plopped them all back into the goozle, warming the meat and simmering the veggies. When I lifted the lid to add the curry part I was struck by the beauty of the stew with its fall colors, and the scent that wafted up was pure winter heaven. It smelled richly of lamb and sweetly of onion and squash. I decided not to mess with perfection.

I just scooped it all into bowls, added a few slices of sour baguette, and called it dinner. My Beloved and I had one of those moments where we taste, meet each other's eyes and grin. Pretty sweet little stew, indeed!

Roasty Toasty

You may have heard that here in northern California we are short on water. There have been dire warnings of water rationing each evening on the news and we fear the fires that come in the summer after too-dry years. We watch anxiously the measuring of the Sierra snowpack and wonder if we'll be collecting shower water again for our gardens this summer. Conversations with neighbors tend to drift to the amount of water each flush or car wash uses and how to reduce it.

Well, you could have fooled me!

After weeks of unrelenting heavy rain when nary a shadow could be seen on the ground through the heavy cloud cover, and the dog and I both have muddy paws when we come in, it would seem that our water situation must have at least been slightly improved. The Powers That Be have not relented in their harangue about water levels, however, so I decided it was time to declare officially in my kitchen that water rationing is in effect.

This batch of roasted vegetables is my first offering to the rain gods. It's all warming and tasty and toasty, good for what ails you, especially on a rainy day. All you do is cut up winter-type veggies in roughly same-size pieces, toss them in some good olive oil, drizzle them to taste with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle them with Garam masala before roasting them in a 350-400 degree oven until they are tender, roughly 40 minutes. I used unpeeled kabocha squash, red yam and russet potato, all cut in slivers. To those, I added a white onion, sliced lengthwise through the root end to keep the spears together and a full head of garlic, sliced across the top to expose the cloves. The roasting softens the skins to delicious edibility and the flavors mingle nicely in the oven.

Best of all, it uses not a drop of precious water to deliver its roasty toasty flavors.

Autumn in a Cup

Even though the weather here still says summer, I've been hankering after fall foods like squash so when I saw a handy, cantaloupe-sized kabocha squash at the market last week, it all but leaped into my cart.

This morning seemed like a good day to make soup, while it was still cool, and it made the perfect lunch, sweet and savory and salty all at once, thanks to the onions, garlic, thyme, apples and pancetta I added to the roasted squash. It couldn't have been easier to make and it went down very easily, too.

This is a low-stress soup - I roasted my squash one day and, when fun intervened, wrapped the two halves in plastic and refrigerated them until I got the urge to make soup again. No need to do it all at once, if you don't want to. Also, the amounts are very approximate - don't worry if you don't have exactly the right amount of this or that.

I didn't follow any particular recipe, just did what seemed natural and it turned out great. So, if you are wishing for fall, or just fall foods, give this one a try.

Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup with Pancetta and Thyme

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 healthy sprigs of fresh thyme
3 oz. pancetta, thinly sliced (mine was wafer-thin!)
2 tsp. olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
1 small kabocha squash
4 apples, peeled, cored and cut in rough chunks (I used 3 gala and 1 unknown variety from my neighbor)

Cut the kabocha in half with a large knife and roast it, cut side down, in a 350 degree oven until it pierces easily with a knife, about 40-50 minutes. When it is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh.

While the squash is roasting, coarsely chop the thin pancetta and fry it on medium heat in the bottom of a large kettle until it is pale golden - mine was so thin, it started to smoke before it got as golden as bacon does, so watch it carefully. Remove the now-crispy pancetta with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and add the olive oil to the pan (if you think you have enough pancetta drippings, you can omit the oil).

Still over medium heat, add the onion, garlic and thyme, stirring until you smell the thyme over the other two, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, the squash flesh and the apples and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the apples squash easily with the back of a spoon. Don't add salt - the pancetta is very salty and will season the soup all you need.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender. I learned the hard way not to fill the blender more than halfway and to have the lid on securely before blending - otherwise, you get hot soup sprayed all over your kitchen. I'm still finding bits here and there. *Sigh*

Pour into bowls, garnish with crispy pancetta bits and a tiny sprig of thyme.