Winter Winners
Winter squash are as diverse in their shapes and colors as in their flavors and textures, but there is one common characteristic: they are allowed to reach full maturity on the vine to develop a hard, thick shell.
Familiar types of winter squash include the deeply-ribbed green or golden acorn squash with its sweet, slight fibrous flesh. I like an assortment, so finding some dense-fleshed Kabocha (Japanese), Delicata, Turban or Sweet Dumplings is a treat.
Like many other market shoppers, I’m drawn to butternut squash when pies, cakes or soups are on the dinner menu. Shaped like a large pear with a thick neck, this squash offers a slightly nutty flavor. The smooth, relatively easy-to-remove skin ranges in color from light buff to yellow and the deep orange colored flesh is naturally creamy.
Spaghetti squash never lets me down. Once the squash is cooked, the flesh is removed using a fork, to produce long, spaghetti-like strands – perfect with a favorite sauce.
Fennel grows year-round and the cooler months produce the best Florence fennel (also called finocchio) with broad, ribbed leafstalks overlapping each other at the base to form a firm bulb. The fresh, bright green feathery leaves are likely still attached if shopping at the Orinda Farmers’ Market. They are delicious tossed into a green salad or chopped and added to pestos, salsas and vinaigrettes, or used to garnish yogurt dips, stir fries and fish dishes.
The three to four-inch fennel bulb is crisp in texture and cooking mellows some of its licorice-like flavor. Oven braised fennel is superb. Place pre-cleaned and parboiled bulb quarters in a lightly oiled baking pan. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.
To store, trim the stalks and leaves from the fennel bulb and place in separate plastic bags. Use the stalks and leaves within two days and the bulb within three to four days.
Common green fennel grows three to six-feet high with large, flat clusters of yellow flowers that produce the oval, greenish brown fennel seed. Sound familiar? You have probably come across some whole or ground fennel seeds in curries, sausage, meatballs, sauces, breads, tea and
cakes.
The Orinda Farmers’ Market is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Orinda Way in Orinda Village.
More information is available at cccfm.org, Faceboook.com/OrindaFarmersMarket and Instagram @OrindaFarmersMarket or call the market hotline at 925.322.6228.
Butternut Squash and Fennel Soup
3 pounds Butternut squash (peeled, cored and chopped into 1-inch cubes)
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 ½ cups diced fennel bulb (from 1 medium bulb)
1 cup diced onion
1 large apple, peeled and diced (optional but really good)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sage
3 cups vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Arrange squash in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes until squash is fork-tender. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add fennel and onion and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Add apple (optional) and continue cooking 2 minutes. Add squash, thyme and sage to the pot. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cool slightly and blend with a blender or immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Reheat a little if necessary and enjoy. Serves 4 to 6.
Customer Monica Burnick enjoys shopping at the Orinda Farmers’ Market, stopping at Ernesto Nuno’s booth from Nuno Family Farms.
