December 2009 | Lisa's Kitchen | Vegetarian Recipes | Cooking Hints

Caribbean-Style Black Bean & Delicata Squash

As the fresh sweet tastes of summer produce recede each year, I rediscover the delights of winter squashes. Long-lasting and loaded with a big helping of vitamins and minerals, winter squashes are an extraordinarily versatile and flavourful staple in the cold-weather kitchen.

Although each variety has its own appeal, the long and slender pale yellow gourd known as the sweet potato or delicata squash tops my list for its ease of use and tender sweet flavour. Easy to peel and seed, and with very little loose or stringy flesh to scoop out, the scooped-out halves also make an attractive and perfect-sized serving dish — as with this Caribbean-style bean and squash recipe dressed up with peanut butter, banana and spices.

Caribbean-Style Black Bean & Delicata Squash

1 cup dried black beans
2 delicata squashes, halved and seeded
olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 banana
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
juice of 1 lime
handful fresh parsley or coriander, chopped

Rinse the dried beans under running water and soak overnight covered in several inches of water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. After soaking, drain the beans and add to a medium saucepan. Cover with several inches of fresh water and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender. Drain and mash lightly with a potato masher. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°. Place the squash halves cut side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle the squash with olive oil, and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Bake in the oven until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife or fork, about 1 hour. Remove the squash halves from the oven and gently scoop out the flesh without breaking the skins of the squashes. Wipe the sides of the squash halves and set aside.

Place the squash in a bowl with the banana and mash with a potato masher. Stir in the peanut butter, jalapeño, chili flakes, salt, cayenne, nutmeg, cloves and lime juice.

Now stir in the beans and scoop the mixture evenly between the squash halves. Garnish with parsley or coriander, and serve warm. Serves 4.

Other winter squash recipes you may enjoy:
Red Bean and Squash Soup
Sweet Potato Squash Soup with Pinto Beans and Chard
Butternut Squash Sambar

On the top of the reading stack:
The Appointment: A Novel by Herta Muller

Audio Accompaniment:
Hail to the Thief (2CD/DVD Special Edition) by Radiohead

Buttered Mushroom Rice

Rice, mushrooms and butter … three simple and noble foods that combine to make an extraordinarily easy and elegant side for almost any kind of meal. Remove the stems from the dried mushrooms and chop if necessary.

Buttered mushroom rice

1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1/2 ounce dried mushrooms
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
handful of fresh parsley, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper

Rinse the rice thoroughly under cold running water and let sit for an hour or more to air dry in a fine-meshed strainer, tossing now and then to bring the moist grains to the surface.

Add the rice, mushrooms and garlic to 2 1/2 cups of water or vegetable stock in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes without disturbing.

Remove from heat and discard the garlic. Stir in the butter, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 to 6.

Other rice dishes you might enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen:
Indian Lemon Yellow Rice
Coconut Rice
Rice Pongal

On the top of the reading stack:
Vegetarian Cookbook: For Cheese Lovers by Tonya Buell

Audio Accompaniment:
Kosmischer Pitch by Jan Jelinek

Ginger Molasses Pancakes with Mixed Dried Fruit

I've never been fond of those dry, sticky Christmas Cakes found in grocery stores this time of year, but these simple pancakes have the same festive flair with a much lighter, fluffier and fresher texture. These are perfect for serving up on a cold December morning without having to wait around for the store-bought treats to be set out, and are much tastier and more satisfying besides.

Use any dried fruit on hand or that strikes your fancy, and cut larger pieces like apricots or apples into raisin-size dice.

Ginger Molasses Pancakes with Mixed Dried Fruit

3/4 cup rolled or steel-cut oats
3/4 cup plain whole fat yogurt
3/4 cup mixed dried fruit (e.g., raisins, currants, cranberries, apples, cherries, apricots)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of sea salt
2 large eggs

Stir the oats into the yogurt in a large mixing bowl and leave to soak overnight at room temperature.

Cover the dried fruit with warm water and soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and add to the oats and yogurt. Stir in the flour, water, molasses, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt and eggs. Let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

Lightly butter a large cast-iron skillet or frying pan and warm up on just less than medium heat. At the same time, preheat an oven to 175°.

Drop in a quarter-cup of the batter for each pancake and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until the edges are cooked and bubbles are well formed on the surface. Turn over and fry on the other side until the pancakes are golden brown on both sides, about one minute longer. Remove from the pan and place on a plate in the oven to keep warm until all the batter's been used up for pancakes.

Serve the pancakes warm with pure maple syrup.

Makes about 12 four-inch pancakes.

More pancake and waffle recipes you may enjoy:
Vanilla Oat Pancakes
Blueberry and Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

Roasted Beet Soup with Roasted Parsnip and Carrot Purées

As much for its beautiful purple-red hue and distinctive sweet flavour as its nutritional benefits, the beetroot is my favourite of all winter vegetables, if not of all vegetables altogether. Beet soups are always an attractive addition to any fall or winter meal, as with beet and tomato and orange and beet soups.

I'm not nearly as fond of parsnips ordinarily, but their flavour makes an earthy and almost bitter contrast with beets that makes their pairing a pleasant surprise. In this simple and wholesome soup, both parsnips and carrots are puréed and added to beets separately to create multiple layers of flavour and colour that will warm and please the eyes and palates of your guests.

Roasted Beet Soup with Roasted Parsnip and Carrot Purées

1 cup dried white kidney (cannellini) beans
4 medium beets
3 medium parsnips
3 medium carrots
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper

Rinse the beans under cold running water and soak overnight in a bowl covered in several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added.

Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas and add to a medium saucepan. Cover with 4 cups of vegetable stock and 1 cup of fresh cold water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°. Trim the vegetables, and wrap the beets, parsnips and carrots separately in foil. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast for 40 to 60 minutes or until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven, let cool, and peel the skin off the beets. Cut the beets into coarse pieces and set aside.

Prepare the purées by placing the roasted parsnips and carrots in separate mixing bowls. Mash the vegetables with a potato masher. Add 1 1/2 cup of beans and cooking liquid to each bowl, and purée until smooth with a fork or using a hand blender. Add a little liquid to thin if necessary. Stir in a 1/4 teaspoon of salt in each purée and season with fresh ground black pepper. Set aside.

To make the soup, heat a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened. Toss in the thyme, stir once, then add the beets and pour in the remaining beans and cooking liquid from the beans. Raise the heat, bring to a slow boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, and purée the soup until smooth with a hand blender or in a countertop blender. Season with fresh ground black pepper and the remaining salt.

Ladle the soup into bowls and add a large spoonful each of the parsnip and carrot purées to each serving. Serve hot or warm. Serves 4 to 6.