Wynnie Stein, co author of Moosewood Restaurant Favorites, joined Tonia this week and shared a few of the delicious favorite Fall recipes from the legendary Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY. Here are the recipes we talked about.
AUTUMN SALAD PLATE
When we make roasted
squash for a composed salad at Moosewood, we make extra because customers ask
for it as a side dish and the staff likes to gobble up the leftovers. The
sugars in squash caramelize when roasted, yielding a crisp surface and a
creamy, super- sweet under- layer. There are many good varieties of squash to
choose from for roasting. Some of our favorites include acorn, delicata, kuri,
butternut, buttercup, and sweet dumpling.
This autumn salad plate is
balanced, unified, and accented by a delicious pear- and- thyme dressing. Red- skinned Bartlett pears are very pretty
on this plate, and sweet and juicy, but use the best pears you have available.
Serves 4 as a main dish: 8 as a side dish
Time: 45 minutes
TOPPINGS
about 2 pounds winter squash (see headnote)
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
1⁄4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
4 ounces sharp cheddar
2 ripe pears
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1⁄4 cup dried cranberries
Pear- Thyme Dressing (page 305) about 8 cups
salad greens (arugula, spinach, lettuce, and/or baby greens)
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet.
Scrub the winter squash,
and peel it, or don’t. Halve it through the stem end and scoop out the seeds.
Cut the halves horizontally into 1⁄2- inch slices. Small squash give you nice
crescents, but if the squash is large, cut the slices into halves or thirds. In
a large bowl, toss the squash pieces with the oil. Lay the squash out on the
prepared baking sheet about 1⁄2 inch apart, and sprinkle with salt. Bake until easily
pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to
cool.
While the squash bakes,
spread the pepitas out on a small baking tray and, if they are not already
salted, sprinkle with salt. Toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until
somewhat puffed and crunchy. Set aside to cool. Slice or cube the cheese.
Quarter the pears lengthwise, remove the core, and slice thinly. To keep the
cut surfaces of the pears from turning brown, sprinkle them with lemon juice.
Make the dressing.
On a large platter or
individual plates, make a bed of the greens. Arrange the roasted squash, pear
slices, and cheddar on top. Drizzle on the dressing or pass it at the table and
sprinkle with the pepitas and cranberries.
VARIATION
• Gorgonzola, blue cheese,
and chèvre also are delicious on this salad plate.
SERVING AND MENU IDEAS
This salad can be served
as a main dish or as part of a hearty harvest meal.
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Pear- Thyme Dressing
Once upon a time, one of
our most innovative cooks, Jenny Wang, decided to experiment with using a pear that
was a little too ripe to serve sliced onto a lunchtime salad du jour to make a
dressing. We loved the results, both the flavor and the fact that the pear adds
creaminess without extra fat.
The taste and color of the
dressing varies depending on the flavor and color of the pear you use.
A red- skinned pear will
make a dressing with flecks of red. A green pear, especially if you use the
lime juice variation, will give a lovely green hue. And don’t think you have to
wait for a pear to get overripe before you make this dressing, a perfectly ripe
pear, or even a slightly under ripe pear will do, too.
Yields 1 generous cup
Time: 10 minutes
1 pear
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1⁄3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
1 to 3 teaspoons honey or maple syrup (optional)
Core the pear and cut it
into chunks, no need to peel it. Put the pear, thyme, water, vinegar, salt, and
black pepper into a blender and purée. With the blender running, slowly pour in
the oil. Taste, and add mustard and honey or maple syrup, if you like.
VARIATIONS
• Use fresh lime juice
instead of apple cider vinegar.
• Substitute an equal
amount of tarragon for the thyme.
SERVING AND MENU
IDEAS
A great dressing for
sharper tasting greens like arugula. Use this dressing for Autumn Salad Plate (page
109).
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Thai Butternut Squash Soup
This is a velvety smooth
soup, vibrant orange and flecked with bright green. The flavor is vibrant as well—
spicy, sweet, and tangy all at the same time.
Yields 9 cups
Time: 55 minutes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Thai curry paste, or more later to taste
1 butternut squash (about 21⁄2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and
chopped (6 cups)
3 cups water
1 lime
one 14- ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups baby spinach, cut into chiffonade (see page 374)
sugar as needed
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
(optional)
Warm the oil in a covered soup pot on medium- low heat. Add the
onions, garlic, and salt and cook until the onions have softened, about 10
minutes. Stir in the ginger and curry paste and cook for a minute or two more.
Add the squash and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until
the squash is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the squash is cooking, zest and juice the lime. Add about a
teaspoon of zest and 1 tablespoon of the juice to the pot. When the squash is
tender, stir in half of the coconut milk. In a blender or food processor, purée
the soup. Be careful, hot soup can erupt!
Return the puréed soup to the pot and reheat.
Taste for sweetness, spice, salt, and tang. Depending on the
sweetness of your squash, a spoonful of sugar may bring the soup to life. Add
more lime juice and/or curry paste to taste. Stir in the chiffonade of spinach
and the cilantro, if using, and cook just until the spinach has wilted.
• Add 1 or 2 keiffir lime leaves to the pot while the squash is
simmering. Remove and discard before puréeing.
• Substitute lemon zest and juice for the lime.
• Although butternut is the easiest winter squash to peel, other
winter squashes can be used. Or, to save time, substitute three 12- ounce
packages of frozen winter squash for the fresh, or use the precut fresh squash
cubes that many supermarkets offer.
• Replace the squash with sweet potatoes.
SERVING AND MENU IDEAS
Serve the soup topped with chopped scallions and pan- fried tofu
cubes (page 202), or cubed Thai Baked Tofu (page 205). Some fi nely chopped
Thai basil would be lovely and tasty. Of course Thai Noodle Salad (page 100)
would be good with this soup.
