Winter Squash and Black Rice

Squash went crazy in Seattle this fall. I'm sure that's always been the case (there's not a whole lot of cold-weather produce to promote), but for some reason it really caught my attention this year: Flats full of acorns and family every time I pass the QFC to and from the bus. Butternut squash soup on every Restaurant Week menu. Squash cooking tips at the pumpkin patch.


My first seasonal attempt began with a butternut dish for my dinner-party-turned-pot-luck. I was originally going for the squash, lentil, goat cheese salad; however I couldn't find black lentils at the store and was running too late to look elsewhere. The green and brown just didn't have that festive feeling, so lentils became black rice, and the goat cheese just got forgotten completely. So...


Butternut and Black Rice Salad (adapted from Smitten Kitchen):

- 1 large butternut squash, peeled, cubed and seeded (save the seeds)
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. sweet Spanish paprika
- 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss squash cubes in a bowl with olive oil, cumin, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt.


Begin boiling water for the rice (following rice-cooking instructions on package, the whole process will probably take approx 50 minutes... do while preparing the squash).

Rinse and dry the squash seeds. Toss on a baking sheet with a little oil and coarse salt and put in oven. Pay attention to popping sounds or burning smells and check frequently, stirring occasionally. Toasting should take about 10 minutes.


When oven is fully heated, spread squash cubes in glass baking dishes or baking sheets and roast in oven for about 20 minutes. Remove, flip the cubes, and roast for another 20 minutes or until browning on top and soft inside.

Remove and combine squash, rice, and toasted seeds. Drizzle with any remaining oil cooked together with squash and sprinkle with extra coarse salt if desired. Add goat cheese if desired (remembered):

Sweet 'n Spicy Summer Saute

So you think I haven't cooked or baked anything for a month, do you?

Or you think I've been too busy enjoying lazy summer days to blog? Or perhaps you think I've been cooking and baking a moderate amount (hey, we all need to eat, right?), but that I've been too busy packing and driving and moving to Seattle to update in here. If you chose option 3, you're right! The cooking has gone on; it's just the text that is backlogged, which means that you're in for a minor slew (minor slew?) of updates about Summer produce... Just in time for Autumn.

So let's get to it.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love honey, and I've been looking for fun new ways to incorporate it into pretty much anything I eat. Hence, my honey-spiced corn succotash:


Ingredients:

- Corn (duh): About 1 ear per person, if served as a side.
- Cherry tomatoes, quartered: About 1/4 cup per person (1 cup for 4 servings).
- Onion: As much as you want
- Green beans (or wax beans) chopped.
- Butter.
- Honey.
- Cayenne Pepper.
- Salt and pepper.



Just to pretend I actually measure my ingredients out when I cook, let's say that I made 4 servings, which would be: 4 ears of corn, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, half an onion, about 20-25 wax beans (how do you measure these?), 1 tbsp. butter, 2-3 tbsp. honey, 1/2 tsp. Cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste.

As per usual, this is an easy one-pan dish; however, it takes two rounds of sauteing. The beans go first, in their own round: You can cook them with butter or a little olive oil over medium heat for about 7 or 8 minutes with a little salt and pepper, and then remove and set aside. Warning, as with bell peppers, pretty purple wax beans begin to turn green as you cook them; don't buy for their drama unless you plan to serve them raw.



The second round begins with some onions sauteed in butter over medium heat (2-5 minutes). Then add the corn and tomatoes and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.



Add the honey. Or, to be fancy, drizzle it.

Add (or sprinkle) the Cayenne.



Stir in the green/wax beans. Continue to cook over medium for another 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve it up: Sweet with a kick!