Winter Recipes Created From Seasonal Surprises

Some of the best things about the holidays are the joyful surprises that really make me appreciate this time of the year, especially in my kitchen.

During the holidays, with a little attention and a lot of luck, I still have things growing in my garden. One year, I had Swiss chard make it all the way until January. If I am careful, and the weather cooperates, I can have greens and more hearty herbs almost by the end of the year. In my kitchen, we often embrace what we have. Sometimes, we have greens a couple of times a week in the fall and winter just because that is what is growing. This spring, my mother-in-law planted mystery cucurbit seeds in her garden. It was acorn squash. We ended up with six acorn squash plants. They grew into the deepest green I have had the pleasure to remember and are so beautiful to see in my kitchen cupboard and on my plate.

Even through all of my complaints about pulling weeds, the bugs and the water bill, I am always excited to see what we end up with that will last through the holidays, because it is always different. Sometimes, it is a gift. Last year, three boxes of apples from who-knows-where showed up on my porch in November. We are still eating the applesauce I canned, and I am so excited to flex my creative culinary muscles to continue to make things from that surprise. I hope that you can experience a surprise that makes you smile for a long time this holiday season, like I will with all of the beautiful acorn squash I will be eating.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Serves 2

  • 1 large acorn squash, halved, seeds removed, roasted

  • 1 cup brown rice (or other grain), cooked

  • 1 Tbsp butter

  • 4 oz. oyster mushrooms, finely chopped

  • 1 ½ cups raw, hearty greens (such as Swiss chard), chopped

  • ½ small onion, diced

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

  • ¾ cup ricotta (can substitute cottage cheese or soft goat cheese)

  • 1 egg

  • ½ cup chopped pecans

  • 1 sprig fresh thyme (or a pinch of ground)

  • Salt and pepper to taste

1.     Use an already roasted acorn squash with the seeds removed.

2.     Sautée onions, mushrooms, garlic, thyme and greens in butter. Remove the thyme sprig. Let cool, so that you can touch it, and it doesn’t burn.

3.     Mix sautéed medley with rice, ricotta, pecans and the egg. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stuff squash to heaping, using your hand to mold the mound of stuffing and make it stick.

4.     Bake at 330 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes (or longer if needed), until browned. 

Applesauce Tartlets with Pecan Cranberry Crumble

Pie pastry for one 9-inch pie crust (homemade or store bought)

Filling:

  • 1 ½ cups applesauce

  • ½ tsp cinnamon

  • ¼ tsp each of mace, nutmeg, allspice, cloves (optional)

  • 1 Tbsp tapioca flour or cornstarch

  • ¼ cup sugar

Crumble topping:

  • ½ cup flour

  • ¼ cup brown sugar

  • 1 Tbsp butter

  • ½ cup pecans

  • ¼ cup dried cranberries 

1.     Cut the thinly rolled pastry into 4-inch circles, and fit the circles into a greased muffin pan.

2.     Mix the filling ingredients, and fill each crust, leaving space at the top for the crumble topping.

3.     Place all of the ingredients for the topping in a food processor, and pulse into a coarse crumb. 

4.     Top tartlets with crumbs to cover the filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Originally published in the Winter 2022 -23 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Kelly McGuireEat