Yum yum.
Real catch-up comes later. Don't ask me why, but this is what I want to post right now:
Been reading and cooking my way through 1200 pages or so of Italian (especially Roman) and Italian-American cookbooks. Eaten right now as the winter squash harvest really starts getting good, this Sicilian-influenced stuff is BRILLIANT and not even a little cloying.
Thanks to Mario Batali's Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages
Sauteéd Pumpkin with Chiles, Mint and Honey
1 Pound Sugar Pumpkin or 1 Acorn Squash
4 tbsp olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1) Peel and seed the pumpkin or squash. For acorn squash: cut off both ends, then slice in half along indents. Scrape out seeds with a spoon, then slice lengthwise along each indent to make about 12 convex pieces. Use a paring knife or sharp potato peeler to slice off the skin of each piece.
Cut into 1 inch cubes.
Slice the garlic and chop the mint.
2) Heat olive oil in a 12-14 inch sauté pan until it just begins to smoke. Toss in the pumpkin/squash and then the garlic right after. Watch for a little spattering oil. Toss/stir repeatedly for 4 to 5 minutes, until the garlic is soft and is turning a light golden brown. Make sure the pumpkin/squash has not started to collapse too much.
3) Toss in red pepper flakes, then add vinegar and honey together as quickly as possible. Stir around and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid reduces to a syrup around the pieces, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stab the least-cooked-looking cube from the mixture with a fork, blow on it, and bite into it--if cooked through, immediately remove the pan from heat. Toss in the mint and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve like a salad.
Been reading and cooking my way through 1200 pages or so of Italian (especially Roman) and Italian-American cookbooks. Eaten right now as the winter squash harvest really starts getting good, this Sicilian-influenced stuff is BRILLIANT and not even a little cloying.
Thanks to Mario Batali's Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages
Sauteéd Pumpkin with Chiles, Mint and Honey
1 Pound Sugar Pumpkin or 1 Acorn Squash
4 tbsp olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1) Peel and seed the pumpkin or squash. For acorn squash: cut off both ends, then slice in half along indents. Scrape out seeds with a spoon, then slice lengthwise along each indent to make about 12 convex pieces. Use a paring knife or sharp potato peeler to slice off the skin of each piece.
Cut into 1 inch cubes.
Slice the garlic and chop the mint.
2) Heat olive oil in a 12-14 inch sauté pan until it just begins to smoke. Toss in the pumpkin/squash and then the garlic right after. Watch for a little spattering oil. Toss/stir repeatedly for 4 to 5 minutes, until the garlic is soft and is turning a light golden brown. Make sure the pumpkin/squash has not started to collapse too much.
3) Toss in red pepper flakes, then add vinegar and honey together as quickly as possible. Stir around and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid reduces to a syrup around the pieces, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stab the least-cooked-looking cube from the mixture with a fork, blow on it, and bite into it--if cooked through, immediately remove the pan from heat. Toss in the mint and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve like a salad.