A Change in the Seasons

Saturday, we harvested a basket of tomatoes from our yard and spent the late afternoon capturing summer's flavors, to last us into the winter, in a pot of tomato sauce.  Indian summer in California - the sun was out and it was still t-shirt weather.  Sunday morning, we woke up to a grey sky and cool winds; autumn had snuck up on us overnight. Our jackets and boots came out for the first time in months, and we headed off to West Marin to make apple cider at our  friends' Ciderfest.  Ken and Amanda hold this event every year in tthe backyard of their Olema bed and breakfast. Under two monstrous apple trees, their muscular branches heavy with fruit, folks talked and laughed as they gathered apples and tossed them into the crusher.  Bottles filled up quickly, but there seemed to be an endless supply of apples.  We had to leave early, but not without our gallon of cider.

On our way home, I knew it was time to stuff the gourd-like squash that had been sitting on my counter for a few weeks.  This year, my husband planted Zephyr squash, a highly prolific yellow and green squash with a gently-crooked neck, which is tender when picked early but turns into a gourd if left on the vine too long.  While we had thrown many of the  younger ones on the grill or roasted them in the oven, I had a basket of  ones that were approaching gourd state and were about to be relegated to autumnal decorations..  At this point, they become almost impossible to cut, so I prebaked them until tender enough to get a knife through.  I stuffed them with an almond and kale risotto, and my family all requested  a repeat of the dish for Thanksgiving (hopefully, the vines will still be producing then! My husband is fairly confident that they will.).  Naturally, you could use other squash as well, but the Zephyr squash with the hard-baked skin made for fun eating, and the empty shell looked like a prehistoric spoon.  

Zephyr Squash Stuffed with Kale and Almond Risotto

8 Zephyr squash, about 6 - 8 inches long

2 Tbs. olive oil

3/4 cup arborio rice

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups vegetable or vegetarian chicken stock

1/4 cup white wine (optional)
6 cups chopped kale
1 tsp. rubbed sage
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup sliced almonds

In a 350 degree oven, prebake the zephyr squash for about 15 minutes until you can get a knife into it.  Place the squash on a cutting board, rotating to find a sided that will allow the squash to sit and not roll over.  Slice off the top of the bulbous part of the squash at a diagonal and scoop out the seeds.  It will look like a large spoon (even more so after you have eaten them).

While the squash are baking, you can prepare the risotto.  In a heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the oil and add the diced onions and minced garlic.  Over medium-low heat, saute the onions and garlic until tender, adding a little salt to flavor.  Add the dry arborio rice, and continue to saute for about 3 or 4 minutes.  Add a half-cup of the stock and stir until mostly absorbed.  Keep adding a half-cup of stock at a time, stirring almost constantly; this will prevent the rice from sticking and yield risotto suspended in a creamy sauce.  After you have added about 2 cups of stock, add the wine, sage and kale.  Continue by adding the final cup of stock in two increments, until the rice is somewhat tender but still has a hard core. Add the almond meal, stir well, and remove from heat. 

Spoon this mixture into the the hollowed-out squash.  Sprinkle almond slices over the risotto and return to the oven to bake for about a half-hour.