winter squash |

Pumpkin Cascabel Marmalade

22 March 2010 by local kitchen

Can you believe that I still have a pumpkin from last Fall? Well, had a pumpkin, I should say. The vernal equinox, not to mention the 70+ temps this weekend, convinced me that it was finally time to say goodbye to the Last Fall Pumpkin, which has been gracing our countertop, courtesy of Fishkill Farm, since late October. So in celebration of the first day of Spring, I took my biggest knife to this 14 lb sucker and hacked it’s […]

Categories: canning, citrus, condiments, fall, jams, preserving, winter, winter squash • Tags: canning, cooking, food, local, preserving, recipes

Sunday Spring Cleaning: Curried Pumpkin & Kale Stew

6 December 2009 by local kitchen

I’ve long been of the belief that, if you add enough curry to something, it’s bound to be good. This stew upholds the belief: nothing spectacular, just good, tasty, warm and comforting stew for a snowy New York Sunday. The bonus is that this was a freezer-clearing special: I used some cooked cranberry beans that were hanging out in the fridge, frozen pumpkin cubes leftover from this soup, frozen kale put-up this summer, plum tomatoes that I stuck in the freezer, whole, […]

Categories: beans, fall, heirloom beans, kale & leafy greens, main course, quick & easy, stew, tomatoes, vegetarian, winter, winter squash, year round • Tags: cooking, food, local, quick & easy, recipes, vegetarian

Salt & Cocoa Pumpkin Seeds

13 November 2009 by local kitchen

Ah! Sweet mystery of life at last I’ve found you! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before; I love pumpkin seeds, and make them every time I crack open a pumpkin. I love chocolate. And everyone knows that I’m a certified saltaholic. But somehow it’s never before occured to me to combine my three loves into one gorgeous, salty-sweet snack. Maybe it’s because I am making my pumpkin & kale mole for dinner with Amy tonight and I […]

Categories: chocolate, fall, non-local luxuries, quick & easy, vegetarian, winter, winter squash • Tags: cooking, food

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage

8 November 2009 by local kitchen

I keep trying new pumpkin soup recipes, and I keep coming back to this one. Rich, hearty, creamy without a drop of cream, it derives it’s depth of flavor from the roasting of the vegetables, the interest of cardamom and cinnamon spice, and the lemony flavor and textural contrast of crispy sage leaf garnish. Delicious! Adapted (barely) from Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage Garnish in Homegrown: Pure and Simple by M. Nischan ————————————————————— Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage INGREDIENTS one […]

Categories: appetizer, fall, main course, sage, soup, winter, winter squash • Tags: cooking, fall, food, local, pumpkin, recipes, soup, vegetarian

Sunday Spring Cleaning: Heirloom Squash Soup with Roasted Chestnuts

2 May 2009 by local kitchen

Whether you’re on the East Coast or the West, it seems to be grey, chilly and raining – perfect weather for this spicy, warm and satisfying soup. And with 3 lbs of pumpkin cleared out of my freezer, I’m wondering how many California almonds (and walnuts and pistachios) I can fit into my carryon bag… I thought that the Last Fresh Pumpkin of ’08 had fallen, but I did not count on my friend Nadine fobbing off giving me two […]

Categories: fall, roasting, seasons, soup, thyme, vegetarian, winter, winter squash, year round • Tags: cooking, food, local, recipes, soup, vegetarian

Yeasted Pumpkin Bread

24 April 2009 by local kitchen

Hallelujah! The oven is fixed. The ‘Oven Guy’ came yesterday, replaced the igniter, and now I should, ostensibly, have much more consistent oven temps during baking. In celebration, I made one of my favorite “one-day” breads, a yeast bread with my favorite all-purpose vegetable, pumpkin. The eggs and pumpkin puree in this bread give it a moist, cakelike texture with the delicious but subtle flavor of pumpkin and a lovely golden color. The eggs also work to give the bread additional structure, […]

Categories: 100% local, baking, breads, whole wheat flour, winter squash, year round • Tags: baking, bread, cooking, food, local, recipes, whole grain breads

Pumpkin Seed Trifecta: Salty, Spicy & Sweet

16 March 2009 by local kitchen

Well, the Last Fresh Pumpkin finally fell under my knife, and I’d say an October-harvested pumpkin lasting until mid-March (stowed away in my liquor cabinet) is pretty impressive. The flesh with still plump and orange, yet the middle had dried out enough to make harvesting the seeds a snap. I made an heirloom bean mole’, froze some pumpkin chunks for later and whipped up some pumpkin seed love. Pumpkin seeds are pretty easy; basically you just roast ’em. You can rinse them […]

Categories: 100% local, winter squash • Tags: cooking, food, local, recipes, vegetarian

Heirloom Bean Mole with Pumpkin & Kale

13 March 2009 by local kitchen

I originally published this recipe way back in the beginning of the blog, when cooking with dried beans was still a novelty (and finding fresh pod beans virtually unheard of in my neck of the woods). I’m proud to say that cooking with dried heirloom beans has become old hat, and more & more frequently I see fresh beans, in the pod, at my local farmer’s markets in season. While I’d love to try this dish with fresh borlotti beans someday, it’s […]

Categories: beans, fall, heirloom beans, hot chile peppers, kale & leafy greens, main course, stew, tomatoes, vegetarian, winter, winter squash • Tags: beans, cooking, food, local, Mexican, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

Pumpkin and Chickpea Soup

2 February 2009 by local kitchen

One of the nice things about being a locavore, or a mostly-locavore (mocavore?), like me, is that you did all sorts of prep work back at the harvest and now you get to reap the benefits. People tend to think that eating locally in the Northeast in winter is all about deprivation; this hearty pumpkin soup is anything but. I keep diced organic pumpkin, chopped local garlic and tablespoon-sized portions of tomato paste in the freezer; all I have to do is […]

Categories: 100% local, beans, chickpeas, fall, soup, vegetarian, winter, winter squash • Tags: cooking, fall, food, local, main course, quick & easy, recipes, soup, vegetarian, winter

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

29 January 2009 by local kitchen

Sweet and savory, delicious and nutritious, a vegetable and a dessert: pumpkin bread is all things to all men. And women. And dogs, if they can get their paws on some. (Although I suspect cats would just bat it around for awhile before disdainfully leaving the room to find some furniture to ruin. But I digress). Pumpkin bread, like pumpkin itself, is a lovely thing. This one is nicely spiced, not too sweet, easy to make, and stores well. And? […]

Categories: baking, breads, breakfast, chocolate, dessert, fall, nuts, Use it or Lose it!, whole wheat flour, winter, winter squash • Tags: baking, cooking, fall, food, local, pumpkin, recipes, whole grain breads