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October 2013

One of the redeeming qualities of fall is the return to cozy kitchen cooking. In the summer, I ask Andy to do most of our dinners on the grill (and with our impending kitchen renovation I’m hoping the grill will take us into the winter…) but now that the weather is turning, I welcome the heat of the oven as the darkness comes down earlier. This is also the season of the harvest, of the squash and root vegetables, and their earthy, nutty goodness. One of my favorites is butternut squash, and one of the more delectable pairings is that with sage – which has been a mainstay in the herb garden, but goes relatively under-utilized until the fall.

Aside from the grill, it’s the fresh herbs from the garden that I will miss most once the crippling frosts begin to hit. Parsley (flat and curly), tarragon, chives, sage, dill, and basil – it’s been a banner year for the herb garden, and they made such a difference that I’m dreading the long season without them.

Prior to this recipe, I’ve only roasted butternut squash, or cooked it down to oblivion in the service of a pureed soup. Here, it remains largely intact, yet cooked through, in a vegetable or chicken stock, flavored with an onion and some nutmeg, and a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper.

The recommended pasta was a tagliatelle, but a fettuccine made an adequate substitute – the key to the whole endeavor was the fresh sage. A little bit, chopped up as seen here, goes a long way, so use sparingly. You can also, as recommended in the original recipe, fry up a few whole sage leaves in some olive oil. They go quickly, so watch closely because it only takes a few seconds once the oil gets hot. Dry them on a paper towel then use them to garnish the top of the pasta, along with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

It’s a perfect meal for the fall, using the best of the season – butternut squash and sage – and blending them in a straightforward but rich classic combination.

The best way to prepare fresh vegetables in season is to keep things simple, letting their original flavor and texture take pride and prominence, as in this side dish of zucchini. The preparation was easy and quick: sauté a small, sliced yellow onion in some good olive oil until soft, then add sliced zucchini until it reaches the level of doneness you like. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, then top with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. (Or leave out if you’re lactose intolerant.)

In an effort to eat slightly healthier, I’ve been trying to incorporate at least one green item – usually salad or side dish – into dinner meals. It makes it easier to forego a second helping of pasta or rice.

The term “foodporn” is tossed around far too often, hashtagged to death (yes, I’m guilty) and more ubiquitous than the cock shots on my Twitter feed. (Go easy on the Retweeting, peeps.) But in certain circumstances, and for certain meals, the whole foodgasm/foodporn moniker works. Case in point was this sinfully-good sea bass wrapped in prosciutto. I tend to avoid baking fish in any way, because it too easily dries out, but when wrapped in something like prosciutto, you’re safe to bake away. In this recipe from Ina Garten, the sea bass is brushed with olive oil, salt, and pepper (you can go easy on the salt though, given the encasement) then wrapped in ribbons of prosciutto. Baked at 400 degrees for about ten to fifteen minutes, the prosciutto is nicely firm, while the fish remains moist and perfectly done.

The real kicker though, is what goes on top. Boil a stick of butter on medium heat with six sprigs of fresh rosemary for about ten minutes (perfect timing for the baking). Remove the rosemary sprigs, turn off the heat, then add about 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and stir well. Spoon this over the fish and prosciutto just before serving, then top with a sprig of rosemary for garnish. It sounds like a step that can be omitted, but you’d be missing out on the best part of the whole affair. That’s what turns it from simple culinary procreation into a gastro-orgasmic delight.

The Contessa serves this with a collection of roasted autumn vegetables, but since it hasn’t been that cold of late I made a simple batch of spaghetti squash with garlic, salt, and pepper.

The Barefoot Contessa turned me onto this snack, which she claims is big as an after-school treat in France. I’m less a fan of the radishes, and use them more as a salty accent to the baguette and butter, which to me is the whole point of this exercise. I tried the no-carb thing for a while and it’s just not for me – low-carb perhaps, but any time something is so stringent as to eradicate bread and pasta, well, it’s not going to stick.