HOME & LIVING
B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
SQUASH
This dip’s cool
as a cucumber
Continued from Page B1
Cut the squash in half,
then scoop out the seeds
with a spoon. Set the
cut side down to cut into
wedges or smaller pieces.
Enlist help to cut up the
squash. The reward is
delicious!
After the squash is
peeled, cut or sliced, you
can keep it in the refrig-
erator for three to fi ve
days. This makes weekday
squash cooking doable for
time-pressured cooks. You
can freeze raw diced squash
on a baking sheet until
solid. Then scoop the frozen
pieces into a freezer-safe
bag and freeze for up to six
months, so you can make
fresh squash soups, stews
and braises all year long.
Cooked squash also keeps
well in the refrigerator and
can be frozen.
The seeds can be rinsed,
salted and slow-roasted in
a 200 degree Fahrenheit
oven, stirring often, for an
hour or more, until crispy.
They make a healthy snack
or a crunchy addition to
salads.
Now that you know
how to cook squash, test
your skills with these fi ve
recipes.
GRILLED
BUTTERNUT
SQUASH
ROUNDS
Butternut squash is the gift that
keeps on giving. I cut the bulbous
end into cubes for roasting,
steaming or soup. The longer neck
of the squash can be peeled and
sliced into round slabs, which are
perfect for grilling.
Serve these grilled squash rounds
on brioche rolls smeared with
mayonnaise and topped with
grilled onion and pickles for a
very satisfying meatless burger.
Or, sprinkle with herbs and a little
lime juice and serve with cooked
farro or French lentils.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes 6 slices
1 very large butternut squash,
about 3 1/2 pounds, with
a thick “neck” 3 inches
or more in diameter
Expeller pressed canola oil,
saffl ower oil or sunfl ower oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
1. Preheat a gas grill or prepare
a charcoal grill for moderately low
heat.
Cut the squash in half so you have
the bulbous end and the longer
neck. Save the bulbous end for
another use (peeled and cubed
for steaming, for example). Peel
the neck of the squash, then lay
it fl at on a cutting board and use
a large sharp knife to cut it into
3/8-inch thick rounds.
Place the rounds on a baking
sheet and brush generously with
oil. Sprinkle both sides with chili
powder and salt.
Grill covered over low heat,
turning once, until tender when
pierced with a fork, about 15
minutes. Serve warm.
ROASTED
ACORN
SQUASH, TWO
WAYS
Baking squash whole for a
short period of time will soften
it somewhat so it’s easier to cut
in half.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 1/4 hours
Makes 2 servings
For the squash:
1 large acorn squash
Expeller pressed canola oil,
saffl ower or sunfl ower oil
Coarse (kosher) salt
3 tablespoons Caper-raisin
relish (see recipe in notes)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021
By LIGAYA FIGUERAS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kristen Mendiola/The Daily Meal-TNS
Roasted Acorn Squash.
OR 2 tablespoons butter
and 1 tablespoon sriracha
Chopped fresh herbs, such as
chives, basil or cilantro
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Fahrenheit. Pierce 1 large acorn
squash in several places with the
tip of a sharp knife. Put into a bak-
ing dish. Bake until squash starts
to soften, about 20 minutes, then
remove from the oven.
Carefully cut squash in half and
scoop out seeds. Brush cut side
with oil. Sprinkle all over with salt.
Return to the baking dish cut side
up. Bake until fl esh is tender when
pierced with a fork, 40-50 minutes.
Spoon some of the Caper-raisin
relish into each squash cavity. Or,
put half of the butter and sriracha
into each cavity. Return to the
oven to heat through, about 10
minutes.
Serve hot or warm topped with
herbs.
KABOCHA
HASH WITH
MINTED
RICOTTA
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes 2 main course or 4
side-dish servings
Ingredients:
Caper raisin relish, see
recipe in notes
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon minced
fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely
ground black pepper
4 cups (16-20 ounces) cubed,
peeled kabocha squash
(about ¾-inch piece size)
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut
oil or expeller pressed
canola oil or saffl ower oil
1 medium-size red or sweet
onion, peeled, halved, cut
into 1/4-inch wedges
1 small poblano or red bell
pepper, cored, diced 1/3-inch
1 small jalapeno, halved,
seeded, fi nely chopped
Directions:
Make Caper raisin relish.
Mix 1/2 cup ricotta, 1 tablespoon
minced mint leaves, 1/2 teaspoon
salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in
a small bowl. Let stand at room
temperature for up to 30 minutes
or refrigerate covered for up to
a day.
Put 4 cups kabocha squash cubes
in a microwave-safe bowl and
add 1/3 cup water. Cover with
microwave-safe plastic wrap,
vented at one corner. Microwave
on high (100% power), stirring
once or twice, until nearly tender,
about 5 minutes. Let stand for 5
minutes. Drain.
Heat a large, well-seasoned
cast-iron or nonstick skillet over
medium heat until hot. Add 1 1/2
tablespoons oil, then 1 chopped
onion. Cook, stirring often, until
golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in
drained squash, 1 diced poblano
and 1 fi nely-chopped jalapeno.
Cook, mashing squash lightly
until things start to get crusty and
crispy, about 10 minutes.
Serve hot dolloped with minted
ricotta and some of the caper
raisin relish.
CAPER-RAISIN
RELISH
This nearly-addictive sweet and
tangy caper raisin relish comple-
ments virtually everything from
simple steamed squash to grilled
poultry. Try it over pasta tossed
with shredded Romano cheese for
a bold-fl avored dish. Omit the an-
chovies if they are not your thing,
but replace them with some dried
mushroom powder or a splash of
soy sauce for an umami punch.
1/4 cup dark raisins
2 tablespoons very hot water
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove crushed garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons fi nely minced
anchovy fi llet or 1/2 teaspoon
mushroom powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed
red pepper fl akes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
SPAGHETTI
SQUASH WITH
SPICY WALNUT
PICADA AND
PARMESAN
Spaghetti squash does best in a
steamy environment. A micro-
wave oven proves perfect. I cook
one half at a time, cut side down
in water. Then, after a cooling-off
period, I use a large fork to pull
it into long strands — hence its
name.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, about 3
pounds, halved lengthwise,
seeds removed
Water
3/4 cup walnut pieces
3 tablespoons walnut oil or
extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped
fl at leaf parsley,
3 tablespoons chopped chives
(or green onion tops)
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh
rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon crushed
red pepper fl akes
Finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Coarse (kosher salt), freshly
ground black pepper to taste
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly shredded Parmesan
or Asiago cheese
Directions:
Put one spaghetti squash half,
cut side down in a microwave-safe
casserole dish. Add 1 inch of water
to the dish. Cover with lid or mi-
crowave-safe plastic wrap vented
at one corner. Microwave on high
(100% power) until squash pierces
easily with the tip of a knife, about
10 minutes. Cool. Repeat to cook
the other squash half.
Meanwhile, for walnut picada,
toast 3/4 cup walnut pieces in
a small nonstick skillet just until
fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Do not walk
away or nuts might burn. Cool on
a cutting board, then chop fi nely.
Mix chopped walnuts, 3 table-
spoons walnut oil, 3 tablespoons
chopped parsley, 3 tablespoons
chopped chives, 1/2 teaspoon
minced rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon
pepper fl akes and lemon zest
in a small bowl. Season with 1/2
teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon
pepper.
Last summer, I had
such a windfall of home-
grown cucumbers that I
began shoving them in the
mailbox as a gift for the
letter carrier.
This year’s planting
hasn’t been nearly as pro-
lifi c, so I’ve been a bit
more mindful about how
best to prepare them.
Gazpacho, pickles and
cucumber salad are easy
and tasty, but I wanted to
do something unexpected
with this limited crop of
cukes.
Culinarian Elizabeth
Heiskell off ers a cooling
cucumber dip in her latest
cookbook, “Come On
Over! Southern Delicious
for Every Day and Every
Occasion” (Houghton Mif-
fl in Harcourt, $30). The
recipe is a simple mix of
cucumber pulp; dairy sta-
ples sour cream, Greek
yogurt and mayonnaise;
dill, garlic, salt and pepper
for seasoning; and hits of
vinegar and lemon juice
for acid. But simple can be
sublime.
“I beg you to try this
knockout,” she writes in
the headnote. Besides
serving the chilled dip
with crudités and cros-
tini (or just grab a bag
of tortilla chips as I did),
she suggests pairing it
with lamb, cold-poached
salmon, or even ham-
burgers and hot dogs.
Heiskell calls for the
cucumbers to be peeled
before processing them,
but if you’ve got unwaxed
organic cucumbers, you
don’t have to discard those
long green strips. Mads
Refslund, who co-founded
famed NOMA restaurant
in Denmark with Rene
Redzepi, proposes giving
peels a second life in his
ode to trash cooking,
“Scraps, Wilt & Weeds:
Turning Wasted Food Into
Plenty” (Grand Central
Publishing, 2017). Brine
and time (3 to 5 days) are
all it takes for cucumber
peels to become sour
enough to add to a banh
mi, burger or Reuben.
(percent of calories from fat, 61),
3 g protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 1
g fi ber, 8 g total fat (3 g saturat-
ed), 20 mg cholesterol, 108 mg
sodium.
— Excerpted from “Come On
Over! Southern Delicious for
Every Day and Every Occasion”
© 2021 by Elizabeth Heiskell.
Reproduced by permission of
Mariner Books, an imprint of
HarperCollins Publishers. All
rights reserved.
BRINED
CUCUMBER
PEEL
COLD
CUCUMBER
DIP
1 1/2 pounds cucumbers,
peeled, cut in half
lengthwise, seeds removed
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chopped dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar
Using a food processor, puree
the cucumbers. Line a colander
with a cheesecloth and set it in
the sink. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
with the cucumber puree and
transfer it to the colander. Let sit
and drain for 1 hour.
Gather the cheesecloth
together and give the cucumber
one more good squeeze to
ensure it’s as dry as possible.
Place the cucumber pulp in
a bowl and add the sour cream,
yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, lemon
juice, garlic, vinegar and 1/8
teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
Add more salt and pepper
to taste. Cover and refrigerate
until chilled thoroughly, at least
2 hours or up to 4 days, before
serving.
Serves 6.
Nutritional information
Per serving: 120 calories
Peels from 3 unwaxed
organic cucumbers
4 cups water
0.7 ounces (3 teaspoons)
kosher salt (exact proportion
is critical for brining)
Pack the cucumber peels into
a sterilized large ceramic pot or
gallon Mason jar (not metal).
Pour the water into the con-
tainer and add the salt. Put with
a lid that fi ts inside the crock (a
drop lid) on the solution and a
weight so that the peels do not
rise above the salt solution.
Leave the container covered
at room temperature for 3 to 5
days, checking it from time to
time, until it starts to bubble. If
a white bubbly foam appears,
skim it off . If a dark scum or mold
appears, this means that the
jar or some other element was
not sterile and you will need to
throw it out in the compost.
Taste for sourness and if it is
sour enough, lightly rinse the
cucumbers, transfer to a jar, and
refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Nutritional information
Per tablespoon: 3 calories
(percent of calories from fat, 12),
trace protein, trace carbohy-
drates, trace fi ber, trace total fat
(no saturated fat), no cholesterol,
240 mg sodium.
Ligaya Figueras/Atlanta Journal-Constitution-TNS
Cold Cucumber Dip from “Come On Over!” by Elizabeth Heiskell.
Now Open for Dine In
Family Friendly Location
Delivery no longer available
New Menu!
Bar Bites, Wood Stone Pizza
and More!
MON-TUES CLOSED
WED-SAT 11-9 • SUN 11-7
1106 Adams Avenue Suite 100 • 541 663-9010 • tapthatgrowlers.com
inside
every
Inside Thursday
every
hursday
Use the tines of a large fork
to pull the cooked squash
from the skin in long
shreds. Place shreds in a
serving bowl. Toss with 1
clove crushed garlic and 1
tablespoon olive oil. Season
to taste with salt and pep-
per. Serve warm sprinkled
with the walnut picada.
Are Your Feet Ready to Camp?
We specialize in quality medical and surgical care
for all types of foot and ankle problems.
m
on.co
g
e
r
O
stern
GoEa
Travis T. Hampton, D.P.M.
Foot and Ankle Surgeon
541-963-0265
888-843-9090
www.GVfoot.com
La Grande
1408 N Hall Street
Enterprise
601 Medical Parkway
Baker
3175 Pocahontas Rd.
art
arts
event
events
entertainment
entertainmen