Long due : meeting with the winter squash

I should have told you about this for a long time. Like, for example, when I first made it, as an invitation for fall to come. It was early September, leaves were barely changing colors and lunch could still be appreciated on a terrace. This was my way to feel the seasonal change.

Or when a light breeze caused a golden fall of leaves, making me realize that autumn had arrived. I wonder if I used to be blind, or if the days were cooler and sunnier than usual, but I had never seen such vibrant red and gold in the trees. It was exactly what everyone would dream of for this season.

Or when I understood time had passed by again, and that we were now experiencing what people call “typical November weather” (I hate when they say that. It’s my month. So it shall not be criticated!). And anyway, I love that weather too. A dark grey sky, the sound of the wind blowing, heavy rain*, it makes me feel alive (ok, and also a little bit like a character of a Brontë sisters’novel).
* Well, except when I'm wearing my new shoes...

But now that a winter coat, and sometimes even mitten, are necessary to go outside and face the cold temperatures, I fell it’s high time for me tell you how I got to like winter squash. See, I was highly intrigued by them. Except for pumpkin and red kuri, we don’t cook/find a lot of winter squash in France. I tried them once in the US, but the flavors were too mild and cloying (just like pumpkin pie… I know this will sound as a sacrilege for some of you…). But then, I saw this cutie in the grocery store.

I had no idea what to do with it, but I just couldn't resist. I searched on the web to understand how I should cook it, and how the flavors would develop with other ingredients.

I took advantage of its nice shape for the presentation, and stuffed it with brown rice, celery, and some ground hazelnut, which complement ideally the nutty and sweet taste of the squash. And this is how I discovered how good it was!

Stuffed sweet dumpling squash
For 2

1 sweet dumpling squash
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 branch of celery
1 tsp salt & pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp dried parsley
¼ cup brown rice
1/3 cup hazelnuts
1/8 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut through the stem end of the squash with a sharp knife. Scoop out the seeds and place cut-side down on the baking sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 375°F.

While the squash is in the oven, cook the brown rice in the water.
Finely slice the onion and the celery. In a small sauté pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the celery and onion over medium heat until just softened. Stir in the parsley, pepper, nutmeg, and salt, and take the pan off the heat.

Use a food processor to grind the hazelnuts to powder.

When the squash is cooked, use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving a bit behind to keep the skins from tearing. Mash the flesh coarsely with the ground nuts and the sautéed mixture.
Add the brown rice and the cranberries to the squash in the bowl and mix thoroughly.

Stuff the mixture into the squash shell. Bake for 20 minutes, then close with the lid and serve.


Patidou farci au riz brun et aux noisettes
Pour 2 personnes

1 patidou
1 cuillère à soupe d’huile d’olive
1 oignon
1 branche de céleri
1 pincée de sel, de poivre et de muscade
2 cuillères de persil
½ bouillon cube
50 g de riz brun
30 g de noisettes
20g d’airelles séchées (facultatif)

Préchauffez le four à 200°.

A l’aide d’un grand couteau, découpez le dessus du patidou pour avoir un couvercle. Videz les graines qui sont à l’intérieur de la courge. Posez la à l’envers dans un plat (n’oubliez pas le couvercle) et enfournez pour 40 minutes.

Pendant ce temps, émincez l’oignon et le céleri.
Faites cuire le riz dans une casserole d’eau bouillante salée avec le bouillon cube.
Faites chauffer l’huile dans une casserole. Lorsque l’huile est chaude, faites revenir les oignons. Lorsqu’ils ont atteint une couleur translucide, ajoutez le céleri et laissez dorer. Ajoutez sel, poivre et persil, et retirez ensuite du feu.

Dans votre mixeur, broyez les noisettes.

Une fois que la courge est cuite, creusez la chair avec une cuillère (attention de ne pas casser la peau de la courge, qui est assez fine et fragile) et passez la au mixeur avec les noisettes, les oignons et le céleri. Mélangez avec le riz égoutté et les airelles pour ensuite farcir la courge.

Remettez là dans le plat, et remettez au four à 180° pour 20 minutes.
Refermez la courge avec le couvercle, et servez.

La suite, please

Zucchini and Basil Risotto

I’ve always been more a baker than a cook. Baking is about precision. When you’re cooking, you can just rely on your senses, and “feel” what and how much you want to put in your meal. It’s very dependant on your mood.

I was not able to do that. I needed to measure, to go through all steps. Impro? Not for me… I was following the recipe to the letter. And I was the kind of teenager who tells her mother off because she’s not doing exactly what’s written. My poor mum. It did not once occurred to me that she was doing her way for years and that it worked just as fine… Well, I guess you have to suffer when you have a teenage daughter!

But now I also have the opportunity to cook. By spending more time in the kitchen, I gained some confidence. And even though I’m still more baking than cooking, I do enjoy both visions. I admit that I rarely cook for myself. For me, cooking is about generosity, wanting to please the other. So if there’s nobody to share it with, I just don’t see the point. But last night, I just wanted to please me. And what I needed for that was some rice, and some zucchini. I prepared it as a risotto, and I found the result actually good. So I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

Zucchini and basil risotto
For 6 appetizers / 4 entrees1 onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 Tbsp oil
2 medium zucchini, about 1 pound
2/3 cup Arborio rice
¼ cup dry white wine
2 ½ cup chicken broth
1/8 cup chopped basil
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add rice and zucchini; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup hot broth. Simmer until broth is almost absorbed, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add more broth, 1/2 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes longer. Stir in cheese. Transfer to large bowl, sprinkle with basil, and serve.

Risotto aux courgettes et basilic
Pour 6 entrées / 4 plats principaux
1 cuillère à soupe d’huile
1 oignon émincé
2 courgettes de taille moyenne, environ 450g
100g de riz rond ou Arborio
5 cl de vin blanc sec
½ litre de bouillon de poule (2 cubes)
25g de parmesan râpé
Basilic
Chauffez l'huile dans une grande casserole à température moyenne. Ajoutez l'oignon et faites le rissoler environ 3 minutes. Ajoutez le riz et la courgette ; remuez 1 minute. Ajoutez le vin et remuez jusqu'à ce que presque tout le liquide soit absorbé, environ 1 minute. Ajoutez une louche de bouillon chaud. Faites cuire jusqu'à ce que le bouillon soit presque absorbé, en remuant souvent, environ 4 minutes. Ajoutez plus de bouillon, une louche à la fois, en permettant à chaque addition d'être absorbée avant d’en rajouter tout en remuant souvent, jusqu'à ce que le riz soit tendre et le mélange crémeux, environ 20 minutes. Ajoutez le fromage et le basilic, et servez.

La suite, please