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Lots of apples, cider, butternut and delicata squash, celeriac, and more apples. I can't get enough.

Oh, and mallomars. That's considered a fall food, right? ;)

Butternut squash, apples, pomegranate, pears, cider. Need to pick up some Octoberfest beer.

Carrots, turnips, Lacinata kale, red beets, orange beets, yellow beets, mustard greens, garlic, shallots, still-green tomatoes (thanks, climate change), parsnips, Bright Lights chard, Delicata squash, two types of bread, three types of aged goat cheese. A jar of Gefilte Fish. And figs. And Mallomars.

I have a hubbard squash, which I bought on impulse. Anny suggestions on what to do with it :)

Apples! Oh and a really good, rich special Octoberfest beer from Otter Creek.

I bought my first pomegranate of the season. I was dissapointed when I cracked it open that the seed kernels were white and not deep red. It was also sweet and I didn't like that either. Hope that's not an indication of what the season will be.

Can anyone share or suggest a resource for preparing fall squashes? I picked some buttercup squash up at the farmer's market today and must admit that as much as I love it, have never made it myself. Most recently I had it at a restaurant and it was mashed like potatoes, delicious! I also have had it roasted before, any tips?


Thanks in advance.

Butternut squash soup is my favorite way to use butternut squash. Most preparations are fairly simply; the hardest part is peeling the squash.

universal mod,

You could prepare the squash at home just like you had it at the restaurant quite simply.


Cut the squash in half and scoop out out the seeds. Put in a microwave safe dish with a couple tablespoons of butter, salt, pepper and a little brown sugar in the cavities of the squash. Pour some water into the dish so it comes up about a quarter of the way of the squash. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and nuke it. How long it will take depends on the squash. Just keep an eye on it after about 10 minutes. The flesh will get really soft and creamy when it is ready.

Be careful because the steam built up on the inside will be intense. Let the steam escape through a corner of the plastic so you don't get burned.

When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh with a spoon being careful not to get pieces of the skin mixed in.

At this point you mash up your squash however you'd like. You can add more butter and seasonings. You could give it a Moroccan flavor by adding toasted and ground cumin seed, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon or you could keep it simple with a squeeze of fresh lemon and some butter that has been browned in a skillet. You could make it decadent by folding in some mascarpone cheese or creme fraiche.

I mention the microwave because it is fast and easy way get the squash to the cooked stage and most people have micros. Otherwise, follow the same procedure and instead of using plastic wrap, seal tightly with foil and roast in the oven. Check after about 45 min to an hour.

Farmer's market take yesterday:

1) Big, knobby, dirty, lovely carrots pulled right out of the ground that morning. Cooked 'em last night, first sliced and lightly boiled in chicken stock, then sauteed with yellow onion, fresh chopped parsley, lots of butter, a sprinkling of flour, brown sugar, salt and pepper. AMAZING. The smell of those carrots when I first cut into them was mind blowing.

2) Fresh chives, which I intend on folding into slow-cooked scrambled eggs with creme fraiche tomorrow morning.

3) Huge sheaf of stiff, shiny, fresh green chard, which will be sauteed in a very hot wok with lots of fresh chopped garlic, olive oil, a splash of tamari and a dollop of chili paste and served alongside some grilled ribeyes.

Ah yes, the Bx house is eating well this weekend.

Here is my favorite butternut squash soup. Its unbelievably good. I make it every two weeks in Fall/winter.
Sean


Curried Butternut Squash Soup

SUMANTH DAS
Monsoon, Chicago

The first step in making this Indian-spiced butternut squash soup is to make
your own curry blend, as any good Indian cook will tell you is essential.
Despite the long list of spices, the soup is quite mild. Monsoon chef
Sumanth Das served it at the Beard House.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons coriander
1 ½ teaspoons cumin seed
1 teaspoon fenugreek seed
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 ½ teaspoons whole black peppercorn
½ teaspoon ground clove
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 butternut squash (3-pound)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups vegetable stock or water
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter
Salt, to taste
Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grind all the spices together; you can do
this in an electric coffee mill or by hand in a mortar and pestle. Cut the
butternut squash in half lengthwise, discard the seeds, and peel the squash.
Cut the flesh into relatively even chunks of about 1- to 2-inches square.
Toss the squash pieces with the vegetable oil and with 4 tablespoons of the
curry mix. Set aside the extra curry for another use.

Roast the squash on a jelly-roll pan in the oven until tender and golden
brown, stirring the mixture once or twice. It should take about 40 minutes.

Purée the squash in a food processor with 1.5 cups of the water or stock.
Pour the purée into a stockpot. Add the remaining water or stock, the cream,
honey, and butter. Warm the soup, but don't let it boil. Add salt to taste.
For an especially creamy version, strain the soup through a fine-mesh
strainer before serving it.

Yield: 8 servings

thank you! i think i will try the roasted/mashed squash method this evening and pair it with the brussell sprouts i also picked up yesterday.

for any flatbread pizza makers out there...i also wanted to post about an amazing pizza i recently had while up in VT. i took a photo of the menu (it was that good) and this was what was on the pizza: butternut squash with roasted garlic and sage, braising greens, geneva apples and VT chevre. amazing!

Bx, i also have a similar knotty bunch of carrots sitting here and am inspired by the description of your cooking method. think i will add those to dinner on monday night!

thanks to all for your guidance and suggestions. when i grew up , squash was prepared from frozen cubes in a bag. there is something wonderful about lugging the squash home and having it sitting here on my counter this morning. : )

Hmm... I'm not sure if this is the appropriate forum, but I'll give it a shot! I'm decorating my apartment, and looking for a blackboard to hang in the kitchen (to keep track of groceries, leave messages for my roommate, etc.). I have no particular aesthetic in mind... although this struck my eye: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dairy-Fresh-Milk-Antique-Blackboard/dp/B000QPCCYG

Any thoughts on where I can find something like that on this side of the pond? :)

Oh god...hmm...

Apples, Pumpkin, Red Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Apples, Asian Pears, Bartlett Pears, Kale, Apples, Carrots, oh did I say Apples?

Yesterday was a big Farmer's Market trip for me : )

Apples, acorn Squash, tomatoes (so ready to be used), pears, carrots, red peppers, leeks...hold on let me check my fridge! I don't remember everything...

i just made my first pot of chili for the season! we've had an absurdly warm autumn, and it's just now cooling off enough to make stew palatable.

my chili is pretty basic: ground turkey, pinto beans, onion, garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, chicken stock, cayenne, cumin, and ancho chile powder. two things that make it more awesome: a dash of allspice and one finely minced slab of bacon (turkey this time, too). mmmm. it's good with beer in there, too.

Pork chops with a sauce of apples, onions, celery, and garlic; green beans; and home-made pear sorbet with blueberry sauce.

No fall food here yet.. :( Itching to get some acorn squash and make some pumpkin soup.

My wife wants me out of the kitchen for a while though- she got me a Shun Elite Ken Onion for my birthday (woohoo!). Unfortunately I found out just how sharp they are with my left index finger.. and she said she wants me to actually keep all my fingers.. doh! And I thought my Henckels were sharp! ;)

Honey Crisp apples, squash, and sweet potato.

Univeral Mod, I had a pasta at a restaurant in Boulder, Co. that consisted of fettucini, cubes of butternut squash, roasted walnuts and fresh basil in a ricotta sauce. I suspect that the squash was peeled, cubed, and then boiled to precook it before it was added to the pasta. I'm not sure how the restaurant made the sauce but I have made something similar at home by combining ricotta, parmesan cheese, a dash of nutmeg, and salt and white pepper to taste, then adding enough milk to get the sauce to the desired consistency. Heat it up and, voila, a subtle but pleasant pasta sauce.

J, that sounds amazing and inspiring. Thanks for the tip. : )