Sprinkles required

You know who I feel really sad for at Thanksgiving? Dogs. Not only are there all sorts of smells to be constantly aware of, ("Ooh, that smells good, I should go stand near it. And look sad.") but there are loads of people around who possibly don't know that the dog is not allowed to eat 1 lb. blocks of imported aged provolone. ("Perhaps if I sit here and paw at this leg, this stranger may give me all the food on that plate. Don't forget the sad eyes.") Multiple times during Thanksgiving Day at my parent's house someone would ask, "Where's Gus?" and my dad would respond, "Oh, he's in the kitchen, praying to the turkey." ("Oh please turkey, use those crisp yet juicy wings to fly off the counter and into my food dish!") So you can imagine the stress of the holiday on my parents' dog. And, the heartless creatures that we are, my husband and I had the gall to whip up something else that smelled delicious just three days later. I bring you:

Pumpkin Donuts! (Yes, this is spelled with an exclamation point.) from Bon Appetit
Makes 12-13 donuts and 12-13 donut holes, which was plenty for 6 people
Note: You have to start this 3 hours in advance, so I made up the dough the night before.

Donuts
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch cloves
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 egg (I used - 1/2 egg and 1 egg yolk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Canola oil (for deep-frying)

Spiced sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
(I had lots of this leftover, so you could probably cut it back some if you wanted to.)

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
whipping cream
sprinkles

Whisk together the flour and spices (through cloves.) Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter in large bowl until blended. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Slowly beat in the buttermilk. Beat in the pumpkin in four additions. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture in four additions. Cover with plastic; chill 3 hours.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the spiced sugar.

In another small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons whipping cream. The glaze should be thick, but not too thick, so whisk in a few dribbles of whipping cream if you need to thin it out a little.

After their chilling time, roll out the donut dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2 inch wide round cookie or biscuit cutter (if you don't have one, use a glass), cut out the donut rounds. Using a 1 inch round cookie cutter, cut out the donut holes. Repeat with remaining dough. (You can re-roll the scraps.)

Heat oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches in a large, sturdy dutch oven or Fry-O-Later to 365-370 degrees. (You'll need a deep-frying thermometer if you're using a dutch oven.) When the oil reaches temperature, fry a few donut holes at a time. They'll take about 2 minutes, and you should turn them occasionally. Drain them on a rack over paper towels, but when they are still warm, toss them in the spiced sugar. (This is a great two-person job.) The donut rounds will take about 1 minute per side, so flip them halfway through. When they come out, drain on a rack, and then spoon some glaze over top. While the glaze is still warm, liberally apply sprinkles.

The recipe says to let the glaze set for 30 minutes before eating, but if you have that kind of willpower, I'm not sure we would get along that well. Happy Donutting!

And then they did the Monster Mash

Eating isn't just about the food. My husband and I both grew up in families where it was important to sit down and have dinner together. You know, talk about your day. Discuss what furry kittens you destroyed because someone voted Republican. Determine who the cuddliest member of your species is. Et cetera. It's not just about what you eat, but who you share it with!

This particular night we had a fall feast of acorn squash stuffed with cheesy orzo, sauteed chard, and crusty bread. It was almost as warm and cozy as we are.

Acorn squash with orzo and Gruyere, adapted from Bon Appetit
Serves 2

(In case you can't tell, I am a huge fan of food stuffed inside of other food.)

1 acorn squash
1/2 cup orzo
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons shredded Gruyere cheese
a couple of grates of fresh nutmeg, or a pinch of powdered nutmeg
salt and pepper

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place face down in a dish or pan, and pour some water around the squash to a depth of about half an inch. Cover with foil, and bake in a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook orzo in boiling water about five minutes. (You don't want to fully cook it.) Drain, then put back in the same pan with the milk and vegetable broth. Bring to a bubble, and stir for three minutes. Stir in the chopped green onions and stir for another minute. Grate in the nutmeg, and add 1/2 cup of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until combined.

Take the squash out of the oven, pour off the water, and turn the squash halves cut-side up. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon in the cheesy orzo. Top each squash half with 1 tablespoon of grated cheese. Bake uncovered until the top is brown and crusty, about 20 minutes.

We love acorn squash!

Final first round bracket

And introducing the final two competitors in the House of Mango Hands pumpkin beer tasting of 2009!

Ichabod, by New Holland Brewing Company
First of all, this beer has a headless person on their label. Good thing this was a blind tasting or I may have been swayed. (I'm such a sucker for good packaging.) This beer had a mild nose, and was darker than all the other competitors. It was yeasty and tasted like a brown ale with a minor pumpkin flavor, subtle spice, and mild hoppiness.



Will Stevens' Pumpkin Ale, by Wolaver's Brewing Company
The beer had a good nose of spice and was a beautiful caramel color. It had a pleasant taste of pumpkin pie, yet was also reminiscent of a wheat beer. A very nice incorporation of pumpkin without being overwhelming.


Winner: Will Stevens'

A most delicious memorial

Like many people who love food, its politics and its stories, I was heartbroken to hear about the cancellation of Gourmet magazine. Even though its readership has more or less been steady despite the economic downturn, advertisers have cut way back. From what I've read, the ad revenues for Rachel Ray and Paula Deen's magazines have been just fine. Sigh. Look, I love a good 30-minute meal, and I find it hilarious what Paula will put mayonnaise in, but do they really need entire magazines? Apparently that's what sells. Or more specifically, that is what advertisers want to be available on the shelves. Maybe because the cooks who buy those magazines will use more pre-packaged ingredients? Which are conveniently advertised inside the pages of those magazines? Whereas Gourmet questioned industry practices (read this shocking article about tomatoes in Florida) and promotes going to the farmer's market to use seasonally available fresh produce. Which reminds me of a great quote I read this weekend, "Eat foods in inverse proportion to how much its lobby spends to push it." (Kirk Westphal)

Or perhaps I'm just sad that something I really enjoyed every month is gone and I needed a good whine.

So, in honor of Gourmet magazine, I thought I would finish off Squash Week with a delicious dessert I found amongst its pages. Read more about Gourmet memorials.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
8 slices (could serve 8 once, or 1 person 8 times)

Crust:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 6 ounces of cookies, crushed in the food processor)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Press evenly into a pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Let it cool at least an hour, or preferable longer, before continuing with the rest of the pie. (I did mine the day before.)

Pie:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
8 ounces cream cheese (let soften to room temperature)
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated, if you can)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (please note this is not an entire can)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put sugar and ginger in the food processor and pulse until the ginger is really small. Add the cream cheese, and process until smooth. Add rest of ingredients except pumpkin, and process until combined. Take out 2/3 cup of the cream cheese mixture. (It is easiest to pour it into a glass measuring cup.) Now add the pumpkin to the cream cheese in the food processor, and pulse to combine. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust and spread evenly. Pour the reserved cream cheese mixture on top, and swirl decoratively with a knife.

Bake on a baking sheet until the center is set, 35-45 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature on a rack (about 2 hours). Then chill in the fridge at least 4 hours before serving. I garnished mine with a few pieces of chopped crystallized ginger.

In which I attempt to bake something

If you've never thumbed through a Donna Hay cookbook, get thee to a bookstore posthaste! I have a couple of her books (thanks Barbara!) and really love them. Her recipes are delightfully simple, but she puts ingredients together in such an interesting way. Maybe it's because she's Australian. (I wonder if she knows Crocodile Dundee?) Sometimes you might look at one of her recipes and think, "Hmm, that sounds insane." But most of the time it works! My lovely mother-in-law got me a subscription to her magazine one year. I loved it, but their seasons are opposite of ours. Here I am, freezing in February, and Donna Hay is tempting me with barbequed chicken and watermelon from halfway around the world. Crazy Australia and their backways flushing toilets.

Anyway, so this recipe was featured in Donna Hay Magazine Issue 32, and as I have a general fear of baking bread, I followed the recipe exactly. It came out great, and would make a fun bread to have alongside a big salad for dinner, or to pass at the table for Thanksgiving.

Butternut Feta Bread
Makes 1 loaf

1 small butternut squash
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil (divided)
2 tablespoons yeast (2 packages)
1/2 cup warm water
1 onion
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups flour
7 oz. feta cheese, cubed or crumbled

Peel and seed the squash. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes, toss with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, and roast in a 350 degree oven until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Combine the yeast and water in a bowl, and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes. If the yeast doesn't foam, it is probably dead and you need to start over with new yeast.

Put the onion, remaining 1/2 cup olive oil, milk, eggs, rosemary, salt and sugar in a food processor, and run until smooth.

Combine the yeast mixture, onion mixture, and flour in a large bowl and stir well. Cover the bowl and allow it to rest in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Grease a loaf pan.

Stir the feta and squash into the dough. (Yes, this is somewhat weird, as the dough is all sticky.) Put the dough into the loaf pan. Bake for an hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. (My bread took an extra ten minutes.)

Battle of the brews, bracket two

Pumpkin beer tasting continues here at the House of Mango Hands.

The second bracket contenders are:

Punkin Ale, by Dogfish Head Brewing Company
This beer has a lovely rich amber color, with a pleasant nose of vanilla, but had no head when poured. It had a slightly hoppy flavor, with subtle pumpkin notes. Tastes mostly of beer with just the right hint of pumpkin and spice. Overall, a nicely balanced fall beer.




Pumpkin Ale, Smuttynose Brewing Company
An unfiltered beer, the Smutty had an intriguing citrus nose with a lovely thick head. It was high on the hoppiness scale, and while it had a slight spice note, tasters had a hard time detecting any pumpkin flavor. Overall it's a good beer, but it could not hold its own in a pumpkin contest.

Winner: Punkin

Playing to its strength

Teacher, in a concerned voice: I'd like to talk about your son, Spaghetti Squash. He's, well, different from all the other squashes.

Mom Squash: Yes, he's so yellow!

Teacher: No, no. It's not that. He's strandy! Like a noodle! I think he needs vegetable reassignment therapy.

Mom Squash: Yes, his father and I know about his noodly orientation. But we believe that is the way he was made. If he wants to be served with sausage and red sauce, he's not hurting anyone. No squash should be changed into something he is not.

Yes, spaghetti squash is probably the spaghetti-est vegetable there is. I know it looks orange in the photo, but because the squash is yellow, and the sauce is red, well, you remember the color wheel.

Spaghetti (squash) and sausage
Serves 2-4 (depending on size of squash)

1 spaghetti squash
2-3 hot italian sausage links
12 oz. (half jar) of purchased pasta sauce
1 cup chopped parsley
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. (God, how many times have I written that sentence this week?) Cover each half with plastic wrap, put on a plate, and microwave for 10 minutes or until tender. If you have a really small squash, you might want to go a minute or two shy of that.

Meanwhile, squeeze the sausage out of its casing, and brown it, crumbling it with a wooden spoon as you go. Add the sauce and parsley, and warm through.

Carefully take the plastic wrap off the steamed squash halves. Take a fork, and starting at the stem end, run the fork lengthwise down the squash, creating strands. Dump the strands in with the sausage and sauce. Keep the squash halves!

Divide the squash/sausage mixture amongst the empty squash halves and top with the Parmesan cheese. Put the halves in a baking dish, and bake for 20 minutes, and then broil for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is browned.

If your halves are huge, cut them in half, and serve one quarter squash per person. If your squash is smaller, serve half a squash per person.

Candy, candy canes, candy corns, and SYRUP

My husband is from Vermont. That means that in addition to a freakish tolerance for cold, he must maintain a certain BML (blood maple level) in order to survive. This is one of the squash recipes he brought to our relationship, a favorite from when he was a kid.

Here are a few random facts about syrup that I've learned from our years together:

• Syrup never goes bad. If it gets mold on it, just skim it off and reboil the rest of the syrup.
• It should be stored in the fridge.
• Syrup, like wine, has terroir.
• It comes in different grades: Fancy A, A, and B. We always buy grade B; it's darker and has a richer flavor.
  
• That Aunt Jemima stuff is not maple syrup. The House of Mango Hands will point a finger of shame at you if you use colored corn syrup in this recipe.

Acorn squash with maple butter
Serves 2

1 small acorn squash
3 tablespoons melted butter, divided
2 tablespoons maple syrup
pinch each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Season the squash with salt and pepper. Brush the inside of the squash halves with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Place the squash cut-side down on a small baking sheet with sides. Pour about 1 cup of water onto the baking sheet, which will keep the squash moist as it bakes. Cook for about 15 minutes.

Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, syrup and spices in a small saucepan and whisk over very low heat until combined. Take the squash halves out of the oven, and carefully turn them cut-side up. Brush about half of the maple mixture onto the squash. Cook for another 10 minutes. Brush with remaining syrup, and cook for 5-10 more minutes. The squash should be nice and caramelized, with a delightful puddle of maple butter in the middle.

It is pictured above with maple mustard pork tenderloin and garlic spinach.

Perfect for fending off vampires from Hot Topic

Sigh.

So, today is National Pierogie Day. And it is the middle of shark week. I mean, squash week. I could kick myself for the poor planning. So even though I could write tomes on the loveliness of pierogies in honor of their special day, I am going to stick with squash. (But stay tuned for an ode to the delicious pierogie.)

Back to the regularly scheduled squash program! The bit of yum pictured here is one of my favorites. It's a big pile of pasta with garlic, squash, and sage. And to totally gild the lily, goat cheese! Kind of hard not to love. If you're not sure if someone will like squash, give them a little spoonful of this.

Squash pasta with roasted garlic and sage
Serves 4

2 small squash, or 1 big squash (I used a small blue Hubbard and a buttercup)
olive oil
15 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 bound of short pasta (just not something long and strand-like, such as spaghetti)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
4 ounces goat cheese

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place face down on a cookie sheet in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until tender. (How long your squash takes will depend on your oven, the type of squash, whether you got enough hugs as a child, and a bunch of other factors. Just keep an eye on it.)

Put the peeled garlic cloves in a little ramekin or small oven-proof bowl. Cover with olive oil, which should be a couple of tablespoons. After the squash has been cooking for about 20 minutes, put the ramekin in the oven as well. Take the garlic out when the squash is done. Please be careful taking the ramekin out, the oil will still be boiling. Scoop out the squash flesh.

Cook the pasta in salted water. Once you dump the pasta in the water, begin assembling the sauce. Pour the garlic cloves and garlic oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the wine and sage and cook for a minute or two, smooshing the garlic cloves with a rubber spoon. Add the squash, salt and pepper. Smoosh the squash with the spoon as well. Add a ladle-full of pasta cooking water if it seems to be getting a little dry.

When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving a cup of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the squash sauce, adding cooking water to smooth it out a bit if necessary. This should be a fairly thick sauce, though, so don't go crazy with the water.

Crumble the goat cheese onto individual portions.

Yum - happy fall!

Round One - Fight!

We here at the House of Mango Hands are doing a pumpkin beer tasting. I bought six different brands of pumpkin beer that will be blind taste-tested to determine the king (or queen) of squash beers. Beers will be paired up for an initial head-to-head competition. The winner of each match will move on to compete in an Ultimate Cagefighting Championship. And by that I mean a final tasting to determine the winner.

Each beer is covered with a paper bag, and poured into a pint glass to observe color, head, and smell before tasting.

I present to you the first two contestants:

Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale, brewed by Michelob Brewing Company.
It had a lovely deep color, but mysteriously did not have much of a smell. The head was a bit thin. It was watery, and tasted mostly of cinnamon and cloves, with little to no pumpkin flavor. The House of Mango Hands would not recommend purchasing this beer. Although we do have 5 left, so if you come to visit we'll probably make you drink one.


Post Road Pumpkin Ale, brewed by Brooklyn Brewing Company. It was nearly identical in color to Jack's, but had a nice thick head and a pleasant odor of spice. The beer was full bodied and had a nice balance of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla spice flavors. A hint of pumpkin flavor came through, without being overpowering.

Winner: Post Road.

No chewing required

Oddly, several people I know rather well have been put on non-chewing or liquid diets (myself included) for long periods of time. One of these people was my mom, who got run over by our dog. It totally wasn't funny at the time, but in retrospect, come on. I mean, she got RUNOVER by a DOG. (Hi Mom! I love you!) She absorbed most of the impact right in the kisser, so she made the dog make her soup for weeks until she was better.

So, if anyone you love gets runover by a dog, or a reindeer, you now have a great recipe to make for them. If you're serving it to people who can chew, it is also really good with sharp cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches.

I adapted this recipe from a Bon Appetit recipe for Southwestern Pumpkin Soup.

Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 4

1 butternut squash

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup milk (whatever fat level you have)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder*

a couple of grates (about 1/8 teaspoon) fresh nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

fresh black pepper

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Pierce the squash all over with a knife. Put in a microwave save dish, and cook for 5 minutes. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the halves face-down, and microwave for 5-8 more minutes, or until tender. Once it is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh.

Heat the stock and milk in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the squash, sugar, cumin, chili powder, and nutmeg. Let it come to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Once the soup is heated through, turn off the heat and puree with an immersion blender. If you don't have an immersion blender (they are awesome, consider getting one) carefully pour the soup into a blender, in batches if necessary, to puree. Season with salt and pepper. Top individual portions with cilantro and cheese. (If you're making grilled cheese alongside, skip the cheese on the soup.)

*I used Chili 3000 from Penzey's Spices. It is supposed to be the chili powder of now. (Chili 9000 is the chili powder of the future.)

May have been touched by Michelle Obama

I love hot peppers.

Poblano peppers are probably my favorite pepper, because they have this kind of smoky rolling heat to them, but still mild enough to eat without making your head explode. I got some at the farmer's market as soon as they made an appearance mid-summer, but they were really tiny. As it became closer to fall, the poblanos got bigger (perfect for stuffing) just as winter squash came into season. Actually, I bought most of the ingredients for this dish the day Michelle Obama stopped by to open up DC's newest farmer's market! "Oh, hey Michelle. Yeah, I'm making squash for Squash Week. You? Oh, kale! Yummy! Ok then, carry on! Your arms look great!"

I experimented with two types of squash for this dish, a "cream of the crop" (like a white acorn squash) and an ambercup. The ambercup - the orange colored filling - had a richer, thicker squash flavor and was the unanimous winner of my informal taste test. But use any squash you like.

Squash-stuffed roasted poblanos
Serves 2 (as an entree) or 4 as a side dish
loosely adapted from my dog-eared copy of The Essential Eating Well Cookbook

4 poblano peppers
2 small-ish winter squash (or a large butternut squash)
4 oz. crumbled queso blanco or sharp feta (I used a local goat feta, and it was goooooood)
1 tablespoon pineapple juice (you can sub orange juice)
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sour cream, for serving

First, roast squash. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and roast face down on a cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven for 40-60 minutes, until tender. Take them out of the oven and let them cool face-up.

Meanwhile, roast peppers under a broiler until skin blackens on all sides. Depending on your broiler, this could take anywhere from 5-15 minutes. (You could also blacken them on the grill.) Put them in a closed paper bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap for about 15 minutes, so they can cool and steam.

Peel the peppers. If a couple of bits of skin are being stubborn, don't worry about it. Using a paring knife, cut the stem and seeds out of the squash, trying to keep the pepper intact (kind of like a tube). Rinse the peppers to get the rest of the seeds out and set aside.

Scoop the squash flesh out into a food processor. (If you are using two different types of squash, you can either combine them or process them separately.) Puree until smooth and put in a medium bowl. Stir in the cheese, juice, cumin, cilantro and salt. Try not to eat all of the filling before stuffing the peppers.

Spoon the squash filling into the peppers, smooshing it down into the pepper so you can pack it full of filling. If you have leftover filling, it would be really good in a quesadilla.

Place the stuffed peppers in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Welcome to...

Every year, the Discovery Channel hosts a week of all shark programming. Really - every single show is about sharks. It is amazing. Well, if you like nature shows where animals eat other animals, that is. So, in the tradition of Shark Week, I bring you Squash Week. It is 98% less deadly than Shark Week. All posts for the next week will be about sharks! I mean, squash.