Welcome Back to the Autumnal Gourds

Tom DiGangi, Jr.

One great thing about living in a part of the world that experiences seasons is that there is always something different to eat. Each fall, we enjoy the transition from the fresh fruits and crisp salads of summer to the more mellow flavors and softer textures of slow-cooked hearty vegetables that fit with the cooler weather. The earthy sweetness of onions, leeks, chards and especially the wide range of gourds, from acorn squash to pumpkins, are perfectly appropriate for cooking in this autumnal style. Butternut squash is a favorite as it is easy to find at markets - if you aren’t growing your own - and it tastes great.

Risotto with Butternut Squash and Smoked Mozzarella Cheese

On a trip to Italy a few years back, Laura and I discovered that Italians don’t make a big deal about varieties of squash. For the most part, it is all just “Zucca.” We learned this from a gregarious and rotund chef at a small osteria in Campania. Due to the wine involved in the dinner, I remember very little about the place. In fact, I only remember the chef was gregarious and rotund because of a photo – embarrassingly enough – of Laura and me seated on his lap (rotund), while he sang songs (gregarious). In addition to being our chef and host, he was essentially our gondola and gondolier, all in one enormous package. It’s weird, I know, but true.

The other thing I remember was the “Risotto di Zucca con Scamorza” or “Pumpkin Rice with Smoked Mozzarella Cheese.” It was November, and the season for zucca was in swing, so we had to try it. It was fabulously creamy and a lit bit smoky. Scamorza is a lightly smoked cheese, traditionally made by hanging balls of mozzarella over a hearth for a short time. I have had versions of this cheese in the States, and they are usually too smoky for my taste. So, for this recipe I combine smoked and fresh mozzarella to keep the flavor subtle. Butternut squash plays the role of zucca.

Ingredients

1 ½ Cups Arborio Rice

1 Small Butternut Squash (seeds removed, shredded on the large side of a box grater)

1 Medium White Onion (finely diced)

6 Leaves Fresh Sage

¼ t. Freshly Grated Nutmeg

3T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6T. Butter

1 Cup White Wine (not cooking wine)

6 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock (hot)

4oz. Fresh Mozzarella Cheese (shredded on the large side of a box grater)

4oz. Smoked Mozzarella Cheese (skin removed, shredded on the large side of a box grater)

¼ Cup Grated Parmigano Reggiano Cheese

¼ Cup Finely Diced Flat Leaf Parsley

Black Pepper (freshly cracked)

Salt to taste (sea, grey or kosher)

Procedure

In a large slope-sided pot, melt only 2 T. of the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, squash, sage, nutmeg, and two heavy pinches of salt, and cook slowly for a few minutes until the onion and squash soften a bit and the onion begins to turn translucent. Add the rice, and cook for a few minutes until the rice changes color a bit. Add the wine and turn up the heat to medium high. Cook the mixture while stirring, until the wine evaporates. Add a ladle-full of stock and cook while stirring, until the stock is absorbed. Repeat adding stock, a ladle-full at a time, until the rice reaches the desired consistency. I like risotto prepared “al dente” or “to the tooth.” The rice should be creamy, not soupy, and each grain should have a bit of resistance when bitten.

Remove from the heat, add the three cheeses, parsley and remaining 4 T. of butter. Adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper. Stir to incorporate.

Serve immediately, with a subtle white wine. Old world white wines such as Chablis, Soave or Frascati are ideal. New world versions of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are often too heavy and too grassy, respectively.

An Afternoon Snack - Scented Geranium Cake

Tom DiGangi, Jr.


An afternoon snack - Geranium Cake

Who needs afternoon tea and biscuits when you can have espresso and geranium cake? I sure don’t. And, it is all because of Laura’s over-exuberance for herb planting. Let me explain. No, let me sum-up, for all you “Princess Bride” fans.

To my surprise, some varieties of geranium are actually edible. And, this year, Laura produced more edible geranium than anyone could possibly use. To make the excess even more excessive, the plants just won’t die. It is mid-October and Laura’s “Old Fashioned Rose Scented Geranium” is going strong. She has already put its intense combination of rose and citrus fragrances to use as potpourri, to make teas, and even to spice-up a mixed drink. Just ask her about a recent concoction of vodka, lemon, lemoncello, simple syrup and seltzer, finished with geranium. But, I digress.

In a sheer act of desperation to reduce the mountain of geranium accumulating on our counter top, I experimented. What follows is a twist on the barely sweet cakes that often represent the Italian equivalent to the baked goods served with English afternoon tea. It is roughly based on a recipe from Mario Batali for rosemary cake, which is excellent and can be found in “The Babbo Cookbook.”


Geranium, Lemon and Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients

4 Eggs
1/2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Light Brown Sugar
2/3 C. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 T. finely chopped fresh geranium leaves
1 Lemon (zest and juice)
1 1/2 C. All Purpose Flour
1 T. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Kosher Salt

Procedure

Preheat oven to 340 F.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set-aside.

Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and both sugars until the mixture thickens, and turns foamy and pale. With the mixer running, gradually drizzle in the olive oil, and then add the geranium, lemon juice and lemon zest. Finally, add the flour, baking powder, and salt mixture, with the mixer on low speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl and finish combining.

Pour the now combined contents of the mixing bowl into an oiled 10-inch loaf pan, and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool for a few minutes, then remove from the pan to finish cooling on a rack.

Serve a slice as an afternoon snack, ideally with a topping of fresh whipped cream, sorbet or a fruit jam. Espresso, “corrected” with a bit of Sambuca, would be a fine accompaniment. If coffee isn’t your thing, consider vermouth, port or vin santo as excellent alternative beverage choices.

Cooking With Corn

It’s September and our garden is finished producing corn, or “maize” if you want to get all technical about it. The problem is I am not finished consuming corn. I love the stuff - on the cob, in a soup, as a muffin; you name it and corn works with it. Frankly, our garden just can’t keep up with our demand.

Thankfully, living in semi-rural northwestern New Jersey, there is no shortage of part-time farmers growing the miraculous maize plant. So, the other day I stopped by “Crazy Cooter’s” to pick-up a few ears of the good stuff. Crazy Cooter’s is the unofficial name of the junkyard / auto repair shop / farmer’s market just down the road from our home. Only in this barely-tolerant-of–the-law corner of the state would a business trifecta like Crazy Cooter’s be permitted to exist, let alone flourish. Yet, we are unaffected by the sight of oil stains and the sound of air compressors in such close proximity to our fresh produce. Where the unexposed suburbanite might frown on this establishment, those of us who have become accustomed to it say, “Bring on the corn, Cooter.”

Here are two ways to feed four people with – dare I say – only three ears of fresh corn, and some other garden goodness.

Pan-Roasted Corn, Cucumber, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

This Italy-inspired salad is only as good as the ingredients and demands the freshest produce. It is critical to cook the corn as soon as possible. Don’t take it home and store it in the fridge for a day or two. If you are not going to eat the salad the day you pick or buy the corn, then cook the corn immediately and store the cooked corn in the fridge until you are ready to make the salad.

The recipe calls for “Corno di Toro” peppers. And, yes, I am aware that the pepper in question for the corn salad is called “Corno.” Regardless, the Corno di Toro is a long, Italian heirloom pepper that is both sweet and just a little bit spicy. If you are not growing these, you should be. The plants are easy to cultivate and yield much fruit, which we use in just about everything from omelets to salsa. If you are looking for these peppers in the market, you may need to substitute with any mildly spicy variety, such as anaheim or jalapeno.

Ingredients

3 Ears of Sweet Corn

4 Tomatoes (preferably heirloom, such as Brandywine)

2 Cucumbers

2 Corno di Toro Peppers (seeds removed, thinly sliced)

1 Shallot (thinly sliced)

8oz. Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

5-8 Leaves Fresh Basil (thinly sliced)

4T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1T. Balsamic Vinegar

Black Pepper (freshly cracked)

Salt to taste (sea, grey or kosher)

Procedure

Peel away the cornhusks, which can be discarded or saved to make tamales. One at a time, stand each ear of corn on a cutting board that is covered by a clean dish towel and run your knife along the cob, scraping off the kernels. Rotate the cob, and repeat until all the kernels are removed. Do the same for each ear of corn. Reserve the cobs for another use, like making stock. Gather-up the corn kernels in the towel for easy transport and set-aside.

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 T. of the oil, the thinly sliced shallot and peppers, and all of the corn kernels to the pan. Cook the corn, shallot and pepper for about 5 minutes, stirring often. The corn contains a lot of sugar, and stirring will prevent the sugars from burning. Remove the corn, shallot and peppers from the skillet and spread it out on a sheet pan to cool.

Cut the cucumbers in half, length-wise. This will expose the seeds. Using a teaspoon, scrap the seeds from the cucumbers and discard the seeds. Then, cut the cucumbers into ¼ inch thick half-moons. Slice the mozzarella cheese into similar sized half-moon shapes, as well. Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Slice the basil.

Add the cucumbers, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and the cooled corn, shallot and pepper mixture to a large serving bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Dress with remaining 3 T. of oil and balsamic vinegar.

Serve immediately with fresh crusty bread and a crisp white wine, such as Verdicchio, or a light-bodied red, such as Barbera.

Corn, Potato and Broccoli Soup

This soup is the ultimate “waste not, want not” solution for leftover corncobs and broccoli stems. It relies on the starch in the corncobs and potato for its base and body. The uncooked spinach gives the final product a vibrant green color, and the cilantro and lime emphasize the south-of-the-border roots of both corn and potato.

Ingredients

3 Quarts Spring Water

3 Corn Cobs

1 Russet Potato (peeled and roughly chopped)

3 Broccoli stems (peeled and roughly chopped) or 1 Broccoli crown (roughly chopped)

1 Clove Garlic (minced)

1 Cup Fresh Spinach (chopped)

2 T. Cilantro (chopped)

1 Lime (juice)

White Pepper (freshly cracked)

Salt to taste (sea, grey or kosher)

Procedure

In a stockpot, combine the water, corncobs, potato, broccoli and garlic. Add 4 heavy pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let cook for about 30 minutes, or until the potato and broccoli are soft. Remove from the heat and let cool.

When the soup has cooled, remove the corncobs and discard. Add the spinach, cilantro and limejuice. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Pass the soup through a sieve for a more refined texture, if desired.

This soup can be served cold in a glass with a twist of lime as a hot-weather faux-aperitif. But, we prefer it served warm in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream, alongside cornbread and a lager-style beer.

Play Farmville and Harvest Real Crops! Seriously!

This looks like more of a mess than a garden, right? I agree. But this weedy bed is going to keep me chock full of tea and spice all winter long, and with very little effort on my part.

What we have here is the result of some mismanaged German chamomile and cilantro. When properly grown and harvested, a chamomile plant will produce white flowers with golden centers that make a lovely relaxing tea either from the dry or fresh flower heads and leaves. I put the leaves of cilantro, one of the earliest spring herbs, in every Mexican dish I make. Both plants are annuals and will not be back next year, unless you play Farmville on Facebook.

It's so simple. All you have to do is diligently plant your chamomile and cilantro plants in spring with the best of intentions. Then, go play Farmville, and get carried away planting imaginary crops and accumulating imaginary livestock. Find others like you, and gift each other limited edition collectibles. Spend all your time begging for parts to build various and sundry outbuildings, while expanding your farm and working yourself up into an absolute frenzy. "Hurry, before time runs out! I only need 3 nails and a wooden board to finish my stable, and if you don't send me more gold pieces I won't be able to trade them for that shamrock castle. Oh God, and then there's the spring eggs! I NEED MORE EGGS!!!!!!!!!!"

Whew! That was intense. You decide to take a breather and step outside only to find that it's three months later, an entire season has passed, and your spouse has taped divorce papers to the seat of your pants hoping that once you pulled your head out of there, that you might notice them. Whatever. Hater. And what about the chamomile and cilantro? The chamomile plant shot up two feet and collapsed onto its side under it's own weight, scattering dried flower heads everywhere. Same goes for the cilantro, except it's topped with clusters of round seeds. (And the seeds of cilantro, by the way, are the spice called "coriander", but you don't know that because there are no options to grow herbs on Farmville, so you buy them from the grocery store for $5 a bottle. That is, of course, when you remember to eat.) Disgusted, you leave them there and return to the house. All that time and work, wasted! Real plants suck. Besides, you need to expand your chicken coop anyway.

In the meantime, Mother Nature and Father Time are texting each other, and making fun of you.

ME: "OMG, I am totally going to screw with Angela! LOL."
FT: "LMAO! I'll help you. Get Brian too."

Sure enough, you pass by your herb patch in October after a day in traffic court - "But I HAD to speed officer! My cranberries were about to wither and I don't have enough Farmville cash to buy the unwither spray!" - and what do you see? Your fallen seeds have formed a fresh crop of baby cilantro and chamomile! Maybe you will have that homemade tea and salsa after all! You go on Facebook (only for a minute!) to update your status about what a great gardener you are, and find out that you are already LAST in your list of friends for collecting limited edition tree ornaments, and Maribeth even has a snowy ground cover already. Oh, no no no. It is ON.

It's a beautiful April morning when you emerge from rehab with only a promise to your sponsor, and a random twitching in your clicker finger that the doctors can't seem to do anything about. Since you're not allowed on Facebook, you'd like to take up real gardening again, but you remember the highs and lows of last year and are hesitant. Remember that time you dug a hole, and put a plant in it, and packed the dirt in around it? The toil and the struggle of it, all in vain? With reluctance, you look at your little herb patch, sure you will see only the animated cartoon version of unplowed land. But instead, you see a scattering of little bits of green. Some are weeds, but some are actual real-life chamomile and cilantro plants! The seeds from last year's mature plants fell to the ground, settled comfortably for the winter, and germinated when conditions were just right. They didn't need you for any part of the process. The symbolism of new beginnings is not lost on you, and you feel invigorated. This time it will be different! All wrongs will be made right! This would make a GREAT blog entry. You run for your camera .....

"LOL, dumbass!" chortles Mother Nature.

Happy gardening to you all, virtual or otherwise!

Laura

[Disclaimer: In the middle of writing this entry, I had to go harvest my grapes before they withered because I'm helping on the "Very Berry Field Trip" co-op job AND I've been saving for the border collie for weeks now! But in my defense, my real life grapes and raspberries also got watered today and my hands currently smell like freshly harvested chamomile flowers. It's the best a gal can do. See you next time!]