Since we're selling two of our larger hard squashes now, and this morning I happened to be frying up some leftover squash risotto, I thought I'd do a little write up on the two varieties and how I've been using them. I roasted and stuffed both an American Tondo and a Marina di Chioggia for Thanksgiving, just to see how they're both doing. These are storage varieties and they need some time to cure before they are best eaten. Our wet, cool September didn't give the best ripening conditions but I'm happy to report that the squash I've been eating is still quite good. Both have a hint of sweetness, and are very smooth and firm fleshed. These are dryer, flakier squash, not stringy like pumpkins, or acorns later in the season.
We didn't eat all of the squash at Thanksgiving so I had a couple of cups worth of the roasted Tondo leftover. Last night I sautéed some shallot and chanterelle in the bottom of a pressure cooker, tossed in the roughly chunked, roasted squash and two cups of arborio rice, stirred that around and then poured in about four cups of salted vegetable stock and locked the lid in place. If you've never used a pressure cooker to make risotto, it's super simple. Just toss all of the ingredients in, lock the lid, bring it up to pressure for five minutes, quick release the pressure and then stir over medium heat for another minute or two. I served the risotto with a chicory salad and some grated aged pecorino cheese on top.
I like leftover risotto even better. This morning I heated up a cast iron skillet on a medium burner, coated it with olive oil and then dropped lumps of the leftover risotto in, pressing down with a spoon to flatten them. I brown them on both sides which just takes five minutes or so and it makes a fantastic breakfast or lunch, with or without a bit of cheese and chicories.
Really hard squashes are pretty interchangeable in recipes, although they certainly will add their own character to whatever you make with them. The first time I had American Tondo it was hollowed out and stuffed with a mixture of bread chunks, milk, cheese and cream, as well as some savory herbs. Super rich and satisfying on a cold night. Marina di Chioggia I've usually just sliced up and then fried, but it roasts well, and could be used for soup, or pie, or whatever else it is that you do with winter squash. As with many hard squashes (another name for winter squash, and one I think is more appropriate as most winter squash is actually best in the fall) the skins are tough so I usually remove those, and that is usually easiest after cooking. The seeds are good eating as well, although the hulls are thick. My favorite way to use seeds with thick hulls like this is to toast them and then grind them into a meal. That meal is a fantastic addition to tomato sauce, or used as a base for gravy. Both of these varieties are good keepers, the Marina being especially good into the winter months, even sometimes the spring (although by that point I've usually had enough winter squash for the season).
NOTE: Josh actually wrote this post prior to departing on his trip to Cambodia in early December. Apologies for the delay in getting it up.
We didn't eat all of the squash at Thanksgiving so I had a couple of cups worth of the roasted Tondo leftover. Last night I sautéed some shallot and chanterelle in the bottom of a pressure cooker, tossed in the roughly chunked, roasted squash and two cups of arborio rice, stirred that around and then poured in about four cups of salted vegetable stock and locked the lid in place. If you've never used a pressure cooker to make risotto, it's super simple. Just toss all of the ingredients in, lock the lid, bring it up to pressure for five minutes, quick release the pressure and then stir over medium heat for another minute or two. I served the risotto with a chicory salad and some grated aged pecorino cheese on top.
I like leftover risotto even better. This morning I heated up a cast iron skillet on a medium burner, coated it with olive oil and then dropped lumps of the leftover risotto in, pressing down with a spoon to flatten them. I brown them on both sides which just takes five minutes or so and it makes a fantastic breakfast or lunch, with or without a bit of cheese and chicories.
Really hard squashes are pretty interchangeable in recipes, although they certainly will add their own character to whatever you make with them. The first time I had American Tondo it was hollowed out and stuffed with a mixture of bread chunks, milk, cheese and cream, as well as some savory herbs. Super rich and satisfying on a cold night. Marina di Chioggia I've usually just sliced up and then fried, but it roasts well, and could be used for soup, or pie, or whatever else it is that you do with winter squash. As with many hard squashes (another name for winter squash, and one I think is more appropriate as most winter squash is actually best in the fall) the skins are tough so I usually remove those, and that is usually easiest after cooking. The seeds are good eating as well, although the hulls are thick. My favorite way to use seeds with thick hulls like this is to toast them and then grind them into a meal. That meal is a fantastic addition to tomato sauce, or used as a base for gravy. Both of these varieties are good keepers, the Marina being especially good into the winter months, even sometimes the spring (although by that point I've usually had enough winter squash for the season).
NOTE: Josh actually wrote this post prior to departing on his trip to Cambodia in early December. Apologies for the delay in getting it up.
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