It was a glorious day in Edgartown yesterday – the bluest of blue skies – and a lovely day for a gathering of enthusiastic cooks at The Carnegie Heritage Center. I was really happy to see so many Cook the Vineyard readers! Thanks to Sissy Biggers and all the folks at Vineyard Preservation Trust for having me for “coffee and conversation.” Ostensibly I was there to talk about the art of writing a good recipe, but we – all of us there, with great prompts from Sissy – had a lively chat about everything from convection and induction cooking to the best way to cook green beans (controversial!) and how to slice a Brussels sprout (tricky!).
I told everyone there was a great article online about convection cooking that yours truly wrote eons ago, and that The Washington Post linked to it last year. Alas, when the last nail in Fine Cooking magazine’s coffin was hammered in last year, the website was shut down and that convection cooking article has gone into the ether. But read the piece in the Post for convection tips, and I promise to work on posting some information about convection and induction cooking on the Cook the Vineyard website.
In the meantime, you are stuck with me and my fall squash obsession. I’m trying to ease us into the squash season since a long winter of orange vegetables lies ahead, so this week I’m all about slicing squash into rings and wedges for quick-roasting. You know how much I love my Maple, Vanilla, and Cardamom Glazed Squash Rings. This recipe works well with both acorn and delicata squash.
And you probably remember that this Roasted Squash and Farro Salad with Fall Greens, Cranberries, and Nuts and Double Lemon Tahini Dressing is one of my fall favorites. That’s also great with either acorn or delicata rings. Or even Sweet Dumpling.
You can use roasted rings or roasted dice (butternut is best for dice) in the rather hearty dish that I created a few years ago as a vegetarian Thanksgiving main: Roasted Squash on Cornmeal Pancakes with Cranberry-Maple Butter. (Pictured both ways in photos at top of newsletter.) You can also make the squash and the cranberry butter without the pancakes for a nice side dish.
For squash that are a little bigger and a little rounder, I’m going with wedges these days. Last fall I suggested Roasted Red Kuri Squash with Sautéed Corn and Arugula. This week I cut Sunshine Kabocha into wedges, roasted it, and served it topped with crispy shallots, crispy kale, and Parmigiano.
If you can’t get enough crispy or enough Parmigiano, you could serve Crispy Parmigiano Chicken with any of these roasted squash dishes.
A quick flashback: This time last year we were making Abby Dodge’s fabulous No-Knead Focaccia. Remember that? So good. Time to get that going again.
And if you missed last week’s newsletter, be sure to catch up by taking a look at Abby's Cinnamon Apple Skillet Cake recipe. Folks have been making it and really loving it.
Happy fall cooking and baking! See you on Instagram @cookthevineyard.
What's Open, What's Happening
If you're looking to make a dinner reservation or wondering which farm stands and markets are open, visit What's Open on Martha's Vineyard for regularly updated listings.
HARVEST FESTIVALS
Fall on The Farm Festival, The Farm Institute - Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 a.m.
Vineyard Gardens Harvest Festival - Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
First Annual Harvest Happenings in Aquinnah - Sunday, Oct. 8, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
