Roasted Whole Sweet Dumplings Squash

Sweet Dumpling - This small, mildly sweet-tasting squash resembles a miniature pumpkin with its top pushed in. Weighing only about 7 ounces, it has sweet and tender orange flesh and is a great size for stuffing and baking as individual servings. Sweet dumplings are tiny but great for roasting and presenting whole.

Recipe Ideas:

I love stuffing these little guys with:

* fresh, house-made ricotta, garlic and herbs

* white bean, olive oil, sauteed kale and garlic

* Sauteed mushrooms, Parmesan, and spinach

* Feta cheese, spinach, garlic and pine nuts

* Ratatouille

* Soft Polenta, fresh ricotta and tomatoes

*Italian sausage, marinara, mozzarella 



Roasted Whole Sweet Dumpling Squash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Sweet Dumpling Squash, washed, tops sliced off and seeds removed
olive oil (or use a nice nut oil; walnut, pumpkin, hazelnut, etc.,)
Kosher Salt
Fresh black pepper
Filling of your choice: 

(you will need approximately 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling per squash)

Once cleaned and prepped, drizzle cavity and top of each squash will olive oil. Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper and fill with your choice of filling. Place squash, with tops, in a baking pan with sides. Pour 1/4 cup of water into the bottom of the pan and cover with a lid or with foil. Bake, covered for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until the squash is tender and tops are golden brown.

This recipe is for my squash lovers, waiting to use up the produce I encouraged you to buy at summers end.  


Enjoy,

Chef Deb

Grilled Squash w/a Balsamic Glaze

Last week, Huck (of Huck's Kettle Corn) shared his recipe for using "pie pumpkins". Huck likes to slice small pumpkins and sautes them in a hot pan. He simply finishes it with a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. I always enjoy swapping ideas with people, so Thanks Huck!

You KNOW I am going to "Chef" with it..........



Squash: Ambercup, Buttercup, Delicata (on the grill), Sweet Dumpling. Pumpkins: Baby boo (white), Pie pumpkin (orange).



The squash are sliced, seeded and tossed with olive oil and sprinkled liberally with salt and fresh ground pepper. Use a gas or charcoal grill, or a heavy grill pan will also work.



Simmer balsamic vinegar until reduced by half and the syrup should coat a spoon.



I used a variety of squash and pumpkins just to see which were the most flavorful. 

I decided to leave the skins on, so I scrubbed, seeded and sliced each one. Here are my findings: 

*Baby boo (white) pumpkin: a bit hard to slice, grilled nicely, had a mild flavor, the skin was a bit chewy.

* Ambercup (orange) and Buttercup (green): easier to slice, grilled nicely, firm flesh and the skins were tender when grilled.  Both of these were my favorites.

*Delicata- I sliced these first then, scooped out the seeds in the individual circles. This squash has a mild sweet potato taste, grills nicely, firm flesh and the skin is tender. These were my daughter's favorite, she ate them like potato chips.

*Pie Pumpkin-I cut these in wedges, toasted the seeds too!  The pumpkin is a bit tricky on the fist cut, the rest are easier. This variety grills nicely, but it cooks faster (softer) then the others, the flesh is soft and mild, and the skin is very tender.

All the varieties tend to caramelize easily so be careful not to let them burn. Personally, I like dark grill marks on my veggies, but I will leave that call up to you.

                             Grilled Squash w/a Balsamic Glaze

2-3 lbs pumpkins or squash

3 or 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil

Sea or Kosher Salt

fresh ground pepper

1/2 -3/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

1-2 Tablespoons honey, agave nectar, real maple syrup

Crumbled Haystack goat cheese, or a nice sheep feta.

Heat grill to high.

Scrub, seed, and slice squash. Place squash in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Lower heat on grill to medium and place squash on grill rack. Lower the lid on the grill and wait 5 minutes. Check the veggies, some will cook faster then others, depending on how your grill works. Turn the squash when desired color is reached. The squash should still be "al dente" or slightly firm. Remove squash and toss the veggies in the olive oil still left in the big bowl, adding more oil if needed. Salt and pepper to taste.

While veggies are grilling, add balsamic vinegar to a small sauce pan, and simmer on medium heat until liquid is reduced by half. When sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and add honey to taste. reserve for plating.

To Plate: arrange grilled squash on plates or a platter, drizzle with balsamic-honey glaze, sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese, and fresh pepper.  I serve this with a nice green salad, or on a bed of sauteed greens.

Enjoy,

Chef Deb T

Munson's Farm Stand: Pumpkin Bisque

You cannot mistake the signs of Autumn and if you happen to drive by 75Th and Valmont, in Boulder, Colorado, stop in and say hi to the Munsons. Their pumpkins are gorgeous! 

Pumpkins and winter squash are beginning to show up everywhere, and I am  already receiving several requests for fall pumpkin and squash ideas. I promise to keep everyone well stocked with recipes, as long as you do your part and head to the farmer's markets  and farm stands to stock up.

 Winter squash are hearty vegetables and according to Bob Munson, at Munson Sweet Corn,  if stored properly, we can have squash all thru April or May. Properly stored means; a  cool dry place, with no extreme temperatures.  A garage is not safe unless it is heated and refrigerators are not the best place either. Basements are a good choice if you have one, and the boxes need to be on a shelf, off the ground to keep from attracting unwanted furry guests.

Well, let's think about this for a moment. Winter squash all season with no running to the grocery store until mid spring? You bet! Stocking up now supports our local farmers, lowers our carbon foot print, and it's economical too. I see this as a culinary challenge and I am up for the experiment! I plan to buy enough winter squash to last until mid-April, and I will offer one new recipe each week using various varieties of squash.  

Three good things can happen. One, we will test the shelf life of squash and become experts on "squash sustainability". Two, we will be pushed to try creative and interesting ways to use what we have.  Three,  you will spend a little less time running to the supermarket to buy ingredients because you bought and stored your vegetables already this fall! Sounds Green to me.  I see this as a win-win community project. Anyone willing to try? Appetizers to dessert. All simple ingredients with exceptional flavor.

Recipe one: a good faith recipe.

I made this Pumpkin/Squash Bisque recipe for the Longmont Farmer's Market and it was a hit. Use your favorite variety of squash.  Please note, I do not add apples, ginger, sugar, or too many savory spices to this soup. Primarily for one reason, I want you to taste the simple beauty of squash/pumpkin. Too many times, exceptional produce is lost with all the "extra" flavorings of the moment.  It is time we relearn how to taste real food.  This is the perfect beginning. As always,

I will see you at the market.

Chef Deb T.

Pumpkin Bisque
Makes a pot

4 Lbs. pumpkin/squash, cut in half and seeded (save seeds for toasting, yes winter squash seeds work too!)
1 Tbl Olive oil
2 Tbl butter
1/2 onion chopped
2 gloves garlic
1 BG (Bouquet Garni= 1 Bay leaf, 4 stems thyme, 2 Stems of Parsley w/o leaves, & 6 peppercorns) Wrapped in cheesecloth, (I use a large tea strainer that closes) or throw it all in the pot and fish is out later.
4-5 cups veggie stock or water
Heavy Cream (optional, but adds richness) 1/2 cup is a good start
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Good Fruity Olive oil, or walnut oil (optional)

Toasted or grilled croutons

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place pumpkin/squash face down on a sheet pan (you can put down parchment or foil to make cleaning easier), add a 1/2-cup of water and bake until tender. Begin checking pumpkin after 20 minutes of baking. The pumpkin is ready when you can insert the tip of a paring knife and it slides in and removes easily. Remove sheet pan from oven and cool. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and reserve for soup, this can be done several days before soup is made.

In a soup pot, add butter and sauté onions for 5 minutes, and then add garlic, BG, Stock (I use water when I want the pure taste of my squash to come through) and pumpkin. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove BG. Puree soup in batches in Blender/ Vitamix.

Return soup to pot, add more water if soup is too thick, and cream if desired, and add 2 tsp kosher salt. Taste. Adjust seasoning; most likely it will need a squeeze of lemon juice (a dash of dry sherry is nice) and more salt and pepper.
Keep warm until ready to serve.

To Serve: Ladle soup into warm bowls and garnish with a few toasted croutons or roasted pumpkins/squash seeds saved from these pumpkins! Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

**This soup freezes well without the cream, which can be added as it is being reheated.