kosher kitchen

Preparing harvest vegetables for sukkah feast

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This is the season of harvest for fruits and vegetables. It is a beautiful time of year. The days are still warm — well, warmer than they will be in a few months — and the nights are cool and crisp. Soon a hard frost will kill off all those nasty mosquitoes that have caused so much trouble this summer.

The autumn trees are my favorites. They turn so many beautiful shades of gold, orange and red. But it’s a tease. The color of hot flames fill the landscape just before they all die and leave us with a gray and barren world. I guess it is meant to hold us over until the greens of spring show up again.

This is the time of vegetables and grains, so make some delicious dishes for the sukkah, celebrate with family and friends, and hope that the weather stays warm enough to eat comfortably under the stars.

Chag Sameach!

Baked Butternut Squash (Pareve or Dairy, Can be GF)

3 (20 ounces each) packages cut up Butternut squash

1 stick butter or pareve, trans-fat-free margarine, melted 

1 cup sugar, less, if squash is very sweet

1/3 cup pure maple syrup, Grade A dark amber

3 large or extra-large eggs

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1-1/4 cup flour or 1 to 1 GF flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1-1/4 cups whole milk or unsweetened almond milk 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 3 quart Pyrex or ceramic casserole and grease with butter or margarine. Place the squash in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the squash is very soft. Pour into a colander and let drain and cool for 10 minutes.

Place half the squash in the bowl of a food processor and add the butter or margarine. Process until smooth. Scrape into a large bowl and process the rest of the squash. Scrape that into the bowl and mix well. Add the sugar and maple syrup and mix to thoroughly blend. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until completely incorporated.

Sprinkle the flour, baking soda and cinnamon over the squash and whisk in to blend completely and smoothly. Add the milk and slowly whisk to blend. The mixture will be liquid, but thick.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool. Spoon into a bowl for serving.

Sweet and Sour Lentils (Pareve, GF)

1/4 cup tamari sauce

2 bay leaves

1 small onion grated

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1/2 cup Canola oil

1/2 (scant) cup red wine or garlic red wine vinegar

3/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp. powdered ginger

1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp. allspice

4 cups water

3 cups green lentils, rinsed

Rinse the lentils and set aside. Place the rest of the ingredients in a 4 quart pot. Mix well. Add the lentils. Bring to a boil and then cover. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer over low heat for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Stir several times.

Turn off the heat and let stand, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir again, remove bay leaves and serve. Delicious, hot, warm or cold. Serves 8 to 10.

Pumpkin Spice Raisin and Walnut Bread (Pareve)

1 (15 oz.) can pure unseasoned pumpkin puree

4 extra-large eggs

1 cup canola oil

2/3 cup water or unsweetened almond milk

1-1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

3-1 /2 cups unbleached flour or measure for measure GF flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1-3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 to 3/4 tsp. ground ginger

2 cup raisins

1-1/2 cup walnuts

OPTIONAL: Maple Cream Drizzle: Mix 1 cup confectioners’ sugar with 2-3 tbsp. pure maple syrup, Grade A, Dark Amber. Add more sugar or syrup to make a thick glaze. Drizzle over the top of the breads.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans. Or two 10x5 pans. Set aside.

Place the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium just until well blended. Place the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger in another bowl and whisk until combined. Remove the mixer bowl from the stand and add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and blend by hand with a fork or spatula just until blended. Add the raisins and walnuts and blend.

Pour into the prepared pans. Place in the oven and bake for about 45-60 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Let cool. Drizzle maple glaze, if using. Makes 2 or 3 loaves.

Maple-Roasted Fall Harvest (Dairy, Pareve)

This is a mélange of roasted squashes, yams apples and cranberries with a nutty crunch and pure maple glaze.

3 large garnet yams

1 butternut squash, peeled and sliced or precut squash, 1-1/2 (20-ounce) pkgs.

3 to 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup water

4 Cortland or Granny Smith apples

3/4 cup pure maple syrup, grade A dark amber

3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup Pomegranate Juice or cranberry juice

3 Tbsp. butter or trans-fat-free pareve margarine

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans (any nuts you like work well) 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 3 or 4 quart Pyrex or ceramic casserole dish. Set aside.

Peel the yams and cut into 3/4-inch slices. Cut the slices in half. Peel the squash and cut the neck into 3/4-inch thick slices. Cut slices in half. Cut apples in half, core, and cut each half into thirds.

Place squash, yams, and apples in a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Place in a glass casserole dish, sprinkle with water and cover tightly with foil. Place in the preheated oven and cook for about 30 -40 minutes until just fork tender.

Meanwhile, Place the butter or margarine in a small saucepan over low heat just until melted. Add the maple syrup, lemon juice and Pomegranate or cranberry juice and mix to blend thoroughly. Add the nuts and cranberries and mix well.

Remove the casserole from the oven and carefully uncover. Reduce the oven to 325 degrees. Pour the sauce evenly over the vegetables and return the casserole to the oven, uncovered, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until just barely bubbly. Serves 6 to 8.