butternut squash latkes

Oh December!
I like this month. I'm an omniholidayvore, so I've got a few packed in, plus my birthday AND my wedding anniversary. And also, cookies. And eggnog. And latkes.

Let's go back to October for a minute- back in the hilly wonders of California at Naya and Oliver's wedding. I was sitting at a picnic table, spacing out on the early sun and gnarled trees, waiting for coffee to clear the Champagne fog. There were lovely Californians all around me, bundled in their sweatshirts and anticipating coffee, and in the midst of the conversation, one woman (who kept wearing the most perfect shade of yellow through the weekend) said to another, "Oh yeah, I saw that at Bi-Rite."

"Bi-Rite?" I cut in. "Does that place really exist?"

They laughed and assured me that it did.

You see, a week or two earlier, I'd gotten this beautiful cookbook in the mail. (I know! It happens every so often, and it feels like my birthday, but I promise you I only tell you about the books that I love). It was nothing short of enchanting, and I turned the pages and wanted to inhabit every one. I made two recipes from the book that first week, and both were perfect. But the store that it came from? It seemed like something out of California legend.


A few days after the wedding, I was walking the streets of San Francisco with my friend and nearly-brother Andrew. It had been a while since we'd seen each other, and we walked and ate and walked and ate. Burritos in the mission. An eclair at Tartine. Noodles in spicy broth. And when we came to the right block, he pulled me into the Bi-Rite Market.

It was tiny. And (as a friend had so perfectly put it the weekend before) it was exquisitely curated. It was a living museum of artisan food, each cheese and fruit and meat local and gorgeous. Most liquids were in vessels that you would want to repurpose as vases, tiny ceramic crocks for yogurt and sensually curved bottles for oil. We stood in front of the jam and preserves shelf. Each bay area chef had their own preserves, and there was quince and marionberry and herbs and all of those different and elevated fruits. Andrew and I spent the next 45 minutes in there, as if it really were a museum, discussing the food like art on the wall.

There are a lot of reasons why you might want to pick up a copy of Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food. It is, in a way, a manual for conscious food shopping (as Marisa so eloquently described in her review). But the recipes! They are my favorite part of this book. That, and the fact that is stays so fabulously open on the counter. This is a book that inspires. It is sturdy, and beautiful, and (as we move into that season) exceptionally giftworthy.

Oh, the season. Because although Hanukkah is a few weeks away yet, I say- December is latke month. My grandfather used to be the latke maker in our family, and he and my grandmother would throw a party and make latkes all day long. Friends would stack those greasy pancakes on little paper plates with blue menorahs printed on them, chunky applesauce and sour cream along side. The day would begin with desire for latkes, and the day would end with the hope that we would never see latkes again. It would take three washes to get the greasy smell out of our clothes.

These are better, if that's possible. The butternut squash is sweet, the texture is perfect, and the flavor is... well, entirely worth of expletives. This recipe uses a method where the latkes are started on the stove and transferred to the oven and so the grease factor is nearly gone. This is my latke recipe now- I'm never going back to just plain old potatoes.

Oh, before we get to that- one more thing! Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow morning, my new site will be up! We're just working out a few last coding issues, but I can't wait to show you. So don't be scared- it's still me! And I've got a fairly rockin' giveaway to celebrate the site's first day, if I do say so myself. I'll see you there. Yeah!

And now, the latkes.

Butternut Squash Latkes
from Eat Good Food, by Sam Mogannam and Dabney Gough
Makes 18 (they say! but I got 24- lucky me!)

1 1/2 cups grapeseed or other neutral oil, more as needed
1 large yellow onion, halved, peeled, and thinly sliced lengthwise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 2 large)
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash (about 1/2 medium)
4 large eggs
1 cup matzo meal
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram

Position racks the the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat to 350 degrees.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden all over and very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Peel and grate the potatoes and butternut squash (I did this in the cuisinart using the grating disk, but a box grater will work too). Put in a large bowl, along with the onions, eggs, matzo meal, parsley, sage, marjoram, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss gently to combine thoroughly.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, use a 1/3-cup dry measure to scoop a mound of the mixture into the pan. With a fork, spread and flatten the mixture to a 4-inch disk. Repeat 3 more times. When the first side is golden brown (about 2 minutes), carefully flip the latkes over and brown the other sides, about 2 minutes more. Transfer the latkes to a rimmed baking sheet and continue to scoop and brown the remaining latke mixture in batches, adding another few tablespoons of oil before each new batch. Arrange the latjes in a single layer on the baking sheet; you'll probably need at least 2 sheets to accomplish this.

When all the latkes have been shaped and browned, transfer the baking sheets to the oven and bake until the latkes are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

(With thanks to Ten Speed Press! Reprinted with permission from Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food by Sam Mogannam & Dabney Gough, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.)

butternut lentil dal

You didn't think I was going to make it through last night, did you?

But I did.

And I made it to work party this morning, leaving Joey sick again in bed, dragging the girls behind me. They cheered up with a little Roald Dahl in the car.

Today, we moved our friends from one house to another.

They just sold their house, a house that they built with their own hands. I was thinking today about all of the work parties that we've had over the years at that house. We've plastered walls and moved wood and planted lots of things in the ground. The kids have crawled and run and ridden their bikes in the driveway. And now the house has moved on, and so have they. The new owners even took over the chickens.

I've never been very settled. Growing up, I lived in more houses than I could count. But I was thinking today about the special kind of settled that has allowed me to be around for all this movement. It feels like such a gift to be let in on my friends' transitions, even to help out with them. If feels like something that I can't put my finger on is rooted, even if everything moves so fast around it. Does that make any sense? It's hard to find the words. I guess it's something like community.


And the soup, despite the hour at which it was made, was a hit. Sweet and warm, like the sunny fall day that required it.


Butternut Lentil Dal

This soup was born out of a day when I had a few friends over for lunch. I had made roasted butternut squash soup and red lentil soup, and everyone decided to combine them. So I played with the combination and here's the result. Let me know what you think.

2 medium Butternut Squash (about 3 lbs)
1/2 stick butter
2 large onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 cups red lentils, rinsed
6 cups water
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
3 carrots (about 1/2 lb) peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the squash, whole, on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for about an hour, or until they are slightly blackened and the skin is loose. Allow to cool.

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the onion and sautee over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it starts to caramelize, 15-20 minutes. Add the garlic, grated ginger, cumin, turmeric, salt, cardamom, curry powder, and cinnamon. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lentils and the water. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Add the potatoes and carrots. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

Meanwhile, when the squash is cool enough to touch, peel off the skin. It should come off easily. Separate the seeds from the flesh. Combine the squash flesh with the can of coconut milk in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Add to the soup pot and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed. Add additional water if soup is thicker than you would like. Serve with rice and roasted cauliflower.

Stuffed Winter Squash with Warm Beet Salad

I've written about this one before, but sometimes a dinner bears repeating. Especially because I'm starting to get squash calls again. These calls are part of the fall over here, like apple cider, and pink eye epidemics. They start off just coming here and there, maybe one a day. But as we start to move into October, the pace quickens, and the calls become more panicked and desperate.

“Help. Need squash recipes.”

I’m sure you understand. Who can resist those winter squash? Walking through the market, the varieties are as plentiful as the stone fruits were a few weeks ago, and it’s hard to remember that you might actually have to figure out how to eat them when you bring them home. There are, of course, the sensual butternut and the dainty acorn, but that is just the beginning. Check out the striped and exotic squashes with edible skins, most notably the carnivale, delicata, and sweet dumpling. With names like these, who can leave them behind? Autumn cup, Amber cup; each squash has its own shape and character. And in they go, into your basket, and before you know it you are making a squash call.

And I’m ready for the calls, because the truth is that there are that many wonderful ways to make squash, enough for every single squash out there. You could whip up some roasted butternut squash soup or some fall minestrone, to name a few. But this one might just be the best. In fact, this might be the best thing that you can have for dinner these days. Not only will you use your winter squash that is taunting you from the counter, you will also use anything else that you overbought at the market last week and haven’t yet made use of. The recipe below is a guideline, but most combinations with work beautifully in your winter squash, so you can be creative if the inspiration strikes you. For a splash of fall color on the side of your plate, add this beet salad inspired by Mollie Katzen of the Moosewood Cookbook. This is a dish that is easy enough for a quick weeknight dinner, yet will impress your neighbors when they drop by unexpectedly. Really, they'll pop in and end up at the table before you can invite them, drawn in by the smell this stuff puts out. And you can go ahead and invite them to stay, because you have that much squash.

Stuffed Winter Squash with Warm Beet Salad

Serves 4

For the Squash:

• 2 medium sized winter squash such as acorn or carnivale
  
• 3 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1 pound ground pork sausage or chorizo
• 2 leeks, all of the white and most of the green, sliced in half lengthwise, then into ½ inch strips
• 1 apple, cored and cut into roughly 1 inch pieces
• 4 ounces roughly chopped greens, such as spinach, tat soi, or kale
• 4 ounces grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional: 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• optional: 1 cup crumbled leftover cornbread or leftover rice

For the Warm Beet Salad:

• 2 beets, peeled and trimmed of their ends, grated
• 3 medium carrots, grated
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• ½ cup apple cider
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half, cutting through the stem. Remove the seeds, and discard or save to roast later. Place the squash halves face down on an oiled baking sheet with sides. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft to the touch.

While the squash is baking, prepare the stuffing. In a large skillet or sautee pan on a medium setting, heat the butter or oil. Add the chopped leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks are soft and shiny. If you are using the cornbread or rice, add that now. Add the sausage or chorizo and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about five minutes. Add the apple, the greens, and the herbs. Turn down the heat and cover. Let sit for about two minutes, stirring once or twice during that time. When the greens have wilted, taste and adjust for seasonings.

When the squash is soft, remove from the oven. Carefully turn over each individual half, taking care not to get in the way of the steam that will escape. Fill each squash bowl with stuffing. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Return the squash to the oven for an additional 20 minutes.

While the squash bakes, prepare the beet salad. Melt the butter in a large sautee pan on low heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is soft, but not yet brown. Add the beets, carrots and cider and cook for about five more minutes, stirring occasionally. Finish with salt and plenty of fresh ground pepper and the lemon juice. Serve alongside the stuffed squash.

Soup of the Week: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This is one of those nice recipes that just takes a few really great flavors, puts them together, and lets them do their stuff. I especially like to make this soup when I have a lot of butternut squash, and then I can freeze a bunch of the puree. This is what you need:






Butternut squash, as many as you've got
Peeled whole garlic cloves, about 4 per half of butternut squash
Sage leaves, about 2 per half of squash
salt and pepper
Milk or cream for finishing off.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut each squash in half , lay the halves out next to each other, and admire them, like this:

Scoop out the seeds and set aside. Put the garlic cloves and sage leaves in the hollows of the squash, and magically turn them over onto a baking sheet or pyrex dish while keeping the garlic in place. (Okay, actually realize that you have to make little sage garlic mountains on the baking dish while you place the squash on top)
The point is, the squash is face down and the garlic is inside- do what you have to do. Bake until the squash is brown and soft, about an hour or so. Take it out and let it cool.
Meanwhile, clean the seeds, coat with a bit of olive oil and salt, and roast on a baking sheet until they start to pop, 10 or fifteen minutes. Set aside.
When the squash has cooled a bit, peel it. This should be pretty easy if it is cooked enough. Get yourself a nice heavy pot. Put all of the squash, garlic and sage into it. Add a bit of water. Put your hand blender into the pot, and have a good time. If you don't have a hand blender, buy one. I swear it will bring you much joy. Keep adding more water, slowly, to bring it up to a nice mushy puree. Then add the milk or cream at the end, and season with salt and pepper.
If you make lots of puree and would like to freeze, take a moment to fill some glass containers before you add the milk. This stuff freezes great.
Top with roasted seeds and there you go- you have made your soup of the week.