winter squash every which way
plus: a special audiobook edition of smitten kitchen keepers
Monday, October 21, 2024
Good morning!
A few interesting tableware observations [Strategist]
Is it just me? I have absolutely no recollection of eating winter squash (that wasn’t in the form of pumpkin pie) growing up. I was first introduced to butternut squash by my housemate in grad school and I’ve been hooked on almost every variety since, as this newsletter evidences. I like it roasted, steamed, blended into savory pancakes, sheet-panned with tofu, and even baked into pumpkin pie-reminiscent individual puddings we swoop into with a gingersnap. I have a particular soft spot for recipes where the natural sweetness of winter squash is harmonized with bright, spicy, and/or acidic flavors, like the roasted acorn squash with chile-lime vinaigrette below.
And that’s not all! We are but three from the release of the the special audiobook edition of Smitten Kitchen Keepers and I’m eager to tell you more about it, so read on below! Plus, there’s a new The Recipe with Kenji and Deb episode out today about my favorite snack, popcorn. You can listen online, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
Cheers!
Deb
We’ve got a whole new way to hang out in the kitchen.
I’m so excited to announce the special audiobook edition of Smitten Kitchen Keepers, Smitten Kitchen Keepers: A Kitchen Counter Conversation! Available on November 12th and read by me, I hope it feels exactly like you've pulled up a chair and I'm hanging out in the kitchen with you.
To answer some very important questions:
So you’re… reading recipes out loud? I promise, I am not reading recipes, which would be criminally boring. In this audiobook original, I take you through 44 Smitten Kitchen Keepers super-favorites and we get to dig in deeper, more backstory, more riffs, and some great sidebars that could have never made the cut in a 336-page hardcover cookbook. It feels conversational and fun.
How do I get the recipes? A downloadable PDF will provide you with all of the recipes I discuss in the audiobook.
What’s on the cover? Oh that’s the Devil’s Food Cake with Salted Milk Chocolate Frosting and it’s the easiest and most small-crowd-pleasing 3-layer birthday cake you will ever make. We’re obsessed with it, and hope you will be too.
How do I buy the audiobook? You can preorder Smitten Kitchen Keepers: A Kitchen Counter Conversation everywhere audiobooks are sold including Apple Books, Audible, Barnes & Noble, and more and it will be ready to listen to first thing on November 12th.
Bonus recipe: When you purchase the audiobook, you will receive a signed holiday card from me with a bonus recipe! To receive your card and recipe, complete the form with your purchase order number right here.
[US Residents, 18+. Ends December 13, 2024. See terms here.]
My podcast with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, launched this spring. Our newest episode, out this week, is all about Popcorn! You can listen to it anywhere you get your podcasts, such as Apple, Spotify, and more.
winter squash soup with gruyere croutons
If having a bowl of spiced vegetable soup for dinner sounds too austere, may I recommend sinking a buttery, herbed broiled gruyere mega-crouton in it? It works every time, around here at least.
butternut squash salad with farro and pepitas
This grain salad is a balancing act of cubes of roasted squash, salty crumbled cheese, crunchy pepitas and lightly pickled red onion with a sherry vinaigrette and it's my favorite because it's also flexible -- use whatever roasted vegetable, cheese, or crunch you've got around. Plus, the leftovers are fantastic.
acorn squash with chile-lime vinaigrette
Sure, this is a crazy delicious way to make squash just as written, but do you know what else you can do with it? Tacos! Add some black beans, a quick slaw, some crumbled salty cheese. Handheld warmth > fork-speared warmth on a day when I might still be shivering from my morning run hours later.
winter squash pancakes with crispy sage and brown butter
Pancakes for dinner, please! These pancakes use mashed winter squash but skip the pumpkin spice, instead enlisting salt, pepper and a finishing scatter of crispy sage leaves sizzled in brown butter and you should just go ahead and double the recipe because the leftovers are fantastic.
roasted squash and tofu with ginger
A salty-spicy-acidic-sweet tray of winter squash and crispy tofu from Diana Henry that always hits the spot.
squash and chickpea moroccan stew
Don't be intimidated by the ingredient list length -- this vegetarian, vegetable-full, complexly flavored stew comes together quickly and is fantastic over couscous, with or without a dollop of yogurt to finish it. Leftovers reheat well, so it's a meal prep dream too.
squash toasts with ricotta and cider vinegar
One of my favorite fall combinations, ever, roasted winter squash is half-mashed with a tangy mess of vinegar-maple onions then heaped on ricotta toasts and finished with fresh mint. It's great for a party appetizer, or light meal before carting little ghouls and goblins around town on a candy prowl.
winter squash and spinach pasta bake
Inspired by Ottolenghi, this pasta bake is savory fall brilliance. Everything is tossed raw into a springform for a long bake and what emerges is resplendent: layers of tender squash and spinach with noodles, soft in the center and burnished to a snatch-able crisp on top, the aroma of garlic and toasted cheese everywhere. [Video below!]
pumpkin muffins
Are those jack-o-lanterns giving you the side-eye? Show them who's boss aaaand get an amazing breakfast tomorrow out of the deal. These pumpkin muffins never fail.
baked pumpkin and sour cream puddings
What do I do when I crave pumpkin pie but not the effort involved? Make these, which are everything awesome about pumpkin pie, no pie dough to fuss with. Spoon some on a gingersnap and never look back.
I’ve written three cookbooks and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Wondering what you might cook from Smitten Kitchen Keepers now that school’s back in session and the leaves are changing colors? I thought you’d never ask! Try the peanut butter, oat, and jam bars, spiced sweet potato oven fries, tangy baked eggplant and couscous, and weeknight lemon chicken wings. To finish, I recommend the apple butterscotch crisp, the pumpkin snacking cake, and/or the apple cider old-fashioned. Were you looking for a list of all the recipes in each of my cookbooks? I’ve added these in a separate page and hope it makes it easier for you to find everything you want to cook.
winter squash and spinach pasta bake
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most — yes, including the the Smitten Kitchen x Staub Braiser, which is back in stock! For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
See you next week!
