All good things come in threes - at least!
Multiplicity is Tasty
I have been making carrot puree this season out of three different carrots. I actually try to get more than three different varieties from the farmer’s market such as white, yellow, purple, red or different shapes such as smaller bunched or the small round ones called golden nuggets. These little nuggets are truly carroty in flavor.
(lamb roll-up with millet cake with carrot puree with concord grape)
Here is my recipe for “rainbow” carrot puree. The result is orange to the eye but offers a colorful palate of tastes.
“Rainbow” Carrot Puree
-Rinse varieties of carrots (as many as you want to use) with water (no need to peel) & cut in 1/8-inch thick slices, then cook on low heat covered with a little vegetable oil such as canola oil.
-Spice carrots with sea salt, cayenne and a touch of turmeric (available as a yellow powdered, spice – it is from the ginger family).
-Once carrots are cooked soft add a touch of vinegar such as rice vinegar (this will balance the natural sweetnes of carrots).
-Transfer carrots into a kitchen blender then process (if you prefer a smooth carrot puree add a bit of water).
Using different colors of carrots makes a well balanced, tasty carrot puree and a deeper orange color.
Squished Squash
Fall season brings us beautiful looking and tasty squash and it really does signal fall in that nostalgic way. Towered up at the farmer’s market you can find Butternut, Acorn, Delicata, Spaghetti, Kabocha, Sugar Pumpkins to name a few. Who can choose with that variety? I can’t … so I don’t.
Here’s my recipe for three + squished squash (with Spanish cheese).
-With a good chef’s knife cut different kinds of squash in half and put them cut-side-up on an ovenproof pan.
-Sprinkle squash with salt, pepper, and apple cider spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
-Slice two gloves of garlic in four pieces and stick into seeds of squash halves for a garlicky taste note.
-Roast seasoned squash in oven at 320 degrees Fahrenheit for 1-1/2 hours or until soft when pierced with a knife.
-Scoop seeds out of roasted squash with a soup spoon then discard & scrape out fleshy part of squash. Discard squash shell.
-Transfer squash to a pot then squish with a large spoon to a chunky textured puree.
If you like sprinkle shaved cheese such as Idiazabal or Manchego over squash, place squash in a baking dish, then bake for a few minutes.
(Roasted butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash)
"Head to Tail" Greens
A growing popular notion for cooking the animal kingdom these days but also a worthwhile concept for cooking your greens!
So where do you even start when it comes to fall greens? Collard greens, black Tuscan kale, broccoli, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts mustard greens, and don't forget the sleepers like turnip tops, beet tops, Swiss chard stems, and so on.
Most of the broccoli rabe or mustard greens I have ordered lately in restaurants is at best average. And what a shame when these vegetables are beautiful now. Either grilled or sauteed the leafy green head-part is most often overcooked unlike the stem-part which is generally undercooked. I wanted to make a leafy fall green dish which is delicious in texture and taste, HEAD to STEM because all these greens and all their parts certainly have complex bitter tastes and great nutritional value.
Recipe for Head to Stem SUPER greens of your choice
-Rinse greens with water.
-Separate stems from leaf part.
-Cook leaf-part (45 seconds) in salted, boiling water then stem-part for two minutes then shock both in an ice water bath (in this way their saturated green color and nutritious content is preserved).
-Cut stem-parts small then transfer to a kitchen blender. Process chopped stems until pureed (add a little water) then season with salt and fresh pepper.
-Cut garlic glove in half then cook in skillet on low heat in vegetable oil such as canola.
-Combine cooked leaf-part with garlic in skillet. Cook for two minutes then add pureed stems.
-Tranfer heated leaf/stem mixture into an oven proof dish then sprinkle with aged Alpine cheese such as Gruyere.
-Place leaf/stem green mixture into a baking dish with sprinkled cheese and bake 5-8 minutes in pre-heated oven.
Chef’s note: I like using mustard greens and broccoli rabe especially, and sometimes combine the two.
