In the market today, Annalena picked up heirloom tomatoes, raspberries , fresh ginger (always a sign that the summer is ending), and marveled, as she always does this time of year, at the extent and variety of winter squashes. They are so much fun and while their flavors are somewhat similar, they are not identical, and it is sometimes fun (especially if you are a food nerd), to "compare and contrast," which is what we are going to do today as we learn to make something a bit off the beaten track: squash pancakes .
You have seen Hubbard squashes before. These are the monsters of the squash world, and perhaps the oddest one of all is the "blue hubbard." It is, indeed, a blue squash:
Looks a bit like a group of sea lions basking, doesn't it? Annalena had avoided them, because they are so massive, and because they look as if they are extremely difficult to work with.
As Julia Child once said "a good cook learns something new every day." Annalena learned, she was wrong on these assumptions. The skins of those squash, for example, look much more fearsome than they are (sort of like... fill in the blank). This is a good thing, because cooking a whole Hubbard squash, without cutting it open, is asking for trouble. So, get yourself a good carving knife. Perhaps you will want to cut off the blossom end (the one that looks like a Sea Lion nose), to stand things easily, and then cut the beast into smaller pieces. Try to get them the same size, but scientific precision is not necessary. Put them, cut side UP (or, skin side down), on a baking sheet, and cover it with tin foil. Put the baking sheet in a preheated 400 degree oven, and check , after 30 minutes, by inserting a knife into the squash. If it is tender, you are done. If it is not, come back in fifteen minutes. By an hour, they will be ready.
Please let these cool down. Hot squash is nasty. What you will find with the hubbard squash is that the flesh is very firm, almost like a butternut squash, and not at all like pumpkin (Indeed, the Guyman remarked on how similar they looked to canned pumpkin, and how we had learned that you CAN call a blue hubbard squash a pumkin, under FDA rules. Hmmmm).
When the squash is cool, scrape away the flesh from the skin, which will now be remarkably soft. It will be a bit grainy, and if you so desire, puree it in a food processor. It is not necessary for the recipe which follows. You will need one cup of the squash puree. Put the rest away. Freeze it if you like. We will be doing many other things with this as the fall and winter go by.
Spaghetti squashes, are much smaller:
Annalena likes this picture because it shows you how the meat comes out of the monster. A BIG spaghetti squash is perhaps 2.5 pounds. These do NOT keep well - the skin is very sensitive - so use them now. You prepare them exactly the same way that you prepare the Hubbard squash, but you will need less cooking time.
In each case, ragazzi, toss the junk with the seeds in it. Yes, we can recover them, but none of us have the time.
So, let's make our fritters. Or pancakes. You have tremendous variation here, as Annalena learned. You will need eggs. For a cup of squash, plan on two large eggs. And salt to taste. Mix these together, and now, add your "binder," and here's where we have fun.
For her spaghetti squash pancakes, Annalena was planning on plain old flour, to make sure that delicate flavor of the squash came through. And indeed it did. As she was having her hair cut by the fantabulous Ray, the conversation turned to food, and she learned that Ray's better half uses crushed corn flakes when she makes vegetable fritters.
Hmmmm. Now, Annalena will get into trouble here, but here we go. Ray and his wife are of the Orthodox Jewish faith. Think latkes. Think good cooking with fried things. "You learn something new every day." So, since she still had cornflakes left over from her adventure in oven fried tomatoes (which she will make again), why not? She whizzed these in a food processor to crumble them to a powder, and then, mixed them in with the hubbard squash, egg, and salt mixture.
Now, these are VERY basic batters. You can add diced onion, other vegetables, seasonings (Ray and his wife love curry), but perhaps you should try them the first time just as they are.
Get a big pan filled with about a quarter inch of vegetable oil, and get it hot. You can tell if it's hot enough, by dropping half a teaspoon of your batter into the oil. If it sizzles, and sets, you're ready.
Drop in SCANT quarter cup measures of the stuff. The batter will spread, and anything bigger will take too long to cook, resulting in burnt exteriors, and uncooked centers. Keep the heat at a medium flame, and LISTEN to the sizzle. The pan will tell you when things are done: the sizzle will become a crackle. Then, flip them. And listen again. Have paper towels ready to drain them, and more oil, "just in case." (You probably will need to add oil, at least once).
These are almost too good to share. Annalena had to restrain herself from eating all of them.
They seem to cry out for sour cream, or apple sauce, or even a spicy salsa. Try them plain, the first time. And remember, you have plenty of puree left, and you will be able to make them again. With other squashes too. Like pumpkin. Or butternut. Or even delicata, in which case, you don't even have to worry about getting rid of the skin. Or acorn. My my my, if you are even more of a food geek than Annalena, you can see the enormous possibilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment