Saving the World one Spaghetti Squash at a Time

More and more articles are hitting the web-waves these days about the problem of food waste.  It's more than just throwing away good food when there are "starving people in China", to quote all moms of all times.  Wasted food means wasted resources like land, water, and energy. To understand the enormity of the problem, take a look at this extensive National Geographic article on one man's crusade to curb excessive waste: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/03/global-food-waste-statistics/

Inspired by this post, I decided to go through my refrigerator and find some vegetables in need of attention. The result of my quest was a half of a spaghetti squash (already roasted), a bunch of broccolini that was on the verge of turning yellow, and a bunch of very wilted kale.  A couple of weeks ago I'd received an ENORMOUS spaghetti squash in my farm box - about the size of two average cantaloupes set side by side - and earlier this week Bob had cut it in half and roasted it for an hour in the oven until it had gorgeous, sweet, caramelized bits along the edges. We ate half that night and now was a good time to use up the rest of it.  I'd found a recipe in the NYT Food blog for a squash gratin that looked incredible, sort of like scalloped potatoes with a crusty cheesy top.  I had intended to supplement the recipe with the waning kale and brocollini but after reading the reviews, one common complaint was that the dish had a tendency to become watery on the bottom.  Since I was making this before work, I didn't have enough time to properly blanch and dry out the broccolini, so I omitted it and went with just the kale instead.  (Don't worry Broccolini - your day will come).

To combat the potential for excess liquid, I lightly salted the squash to draw out some of the moisture, and then sauteed it along with some garlic and onions on high heat while the oven was preheating.  This worked really well, with the finished dish having the consistency of stiff roasted potatoes.  Another change I made to the NYT recipe was to substitute an extra sharp high quality cheddar in place of gruyere, because I wanted more color.  Any strong, full flavored cheese would work well, however.  I also used more cheese than called for, and less milk and eggs to avoid a quiche-like consistency that some reviewers mentioned. My final change was to add a half-teaspoon of hot Hungarian paprika which oomphed up the flavor profile just a bit without adding too much heat.

The final product was amazingly delicious - the whole house smelled like roasting cheese, and the dish was creamy and reminiscent of scalloped potatoes.  It was hard not to eat it right as it came out of the oven.  Instead, I forced myself to wait until lunch time, and then had another bowl of it with dinner. It makes a scrumptious vegetarian main course (especially when topped with some toasted slivered almonds and served with a small salad), or a perfect side dish to accompany just about any type of meat or fish (shortibs anyone??).  Use it like you would scalloped potatoes -- all the comfort without the high carb content. This gratin will definitely be on my lunch and dinner rotation going forward.    

Spaghetti Squash and Kale Gratin
makes 4 servings
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees

1 spaghetti squash
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, cut into fine dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, tough stems removed, cut into thin shreds
1/4 cup low fat milk or unflavored soy or almond milk
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp hot Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
8 oz by weight high quality sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
butter, margarine, or cooking spray for greasing ramekins or a small casserole dish

Cut the squash in half and place on a parchment lined baking tray in the pre-heated oven (400 degrees).  Roast uncovered for about an hour, until the edges become carmelized and the squash shreds easily when a fork is dragged across it.  Remove from oven and cool.  Can be frozen for up to a month or refrigerated for 3-4 days if you don't want to use it immediately.  (A side note: an uncooked, uncut spaghetti squash will last a couple of months when stored in a cool, dry place).

If using frozen squash, thaw completely.  Shred the squash and discard the peel.  You should have about 4 cups of stringy pulp.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease 4 large ramekins (each capable of holding a cup and a half), or a small 8x8 casserole dish with butter, margarine, or cooking spray.

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet on high, then add the olive oil.  When oil is shimmering, reduce heat, add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the squash.  Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of salt and stir well to combine. Fold in the kale.  Raise the heat to high and cook so that as much excess moisture as possible is evaporated and the squash begins to stick to the pan, about 4-5 minutes.  

While the squash is cooking, whisk together the milk, eggs and spices.  Add in the squash mixture and stir to coat well.  Mix in the cheese then transfer the mixture to the ramekins or casserole dish. (If necessary, you can refrigerate these at this point and finish cooking up to a day later).  If using ramekins, place on a baking tray in case they leak while cooking.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Put the ramekins or casserole dish in the center of the oven and bake for 40 minutes, at which time a browned, bubbly crust will have formed.  Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.  Can be chilled and reheated later.

Carrots for Breakfast and the Other 40%

                    

I was listening to a the Kitchen Chat podcast on the way home from work the other day that discussed food waste in America. Guest Dana Gunders, a staff scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, quoted a statistic that 40% of all food in America goes to waste, and that landfills are mainly filled with tossed food.  I am not sure I agree with that last statement, having spent a lot of time at the dump getting rid of yard waste from my always-overgrown backyard, but nonetheless, I do agree that there is a lot of food waste.  When you think how much water, energy, and other resources are dedicated to producing food, it's not hard to see how our green footprint could be improved by wasting less food.  (link to Kitchen Chat podcasts here)

My ingredients:  Brussels sprouts, horseradish,
parsnips, tumeric root, carrots, and 1/2 a shallot

Gunders recommends keeping a bin or place in your fridge with nearly expired foodstuffs as a reminder to eat those things first.  I don't have a bin, but I do actively attempt to use up expiring food first and to make the best use out of all parts of the groceries I buy.  In fact, for me I think it almost becomes like a game - what can I make with this odd assortment of items today?  One of my favorite ways to relax is to make an inventory of what's in my veggie bin or my chest freezer, and then spend an hour soaking in a bubble bath while reading cookbooks or surfing the web looking for just the right recipe to use it all up.

I am also a bit of a hoarder when it comes to using all parts of the food I buy.  One of my favorite take-aways from legendary chef Jacques Pepin is his advice to save all vegetable trimmings in the freezer so they will always be available to make fresh stock.  He keeps a bin in his freezer just for this purpose.  Clean carrot and potato peels, onion skins, mushroom stems, leek tops, parsley stems, celery trimmings and lots of other aromatics make their way into a ziplock bag that resides in my freezer. Whenever I have some chicken, beef, or lamb bones,  I add them to a kettle of water with the frozen scraps. On weeknights, I'll let the mixture simmer slowly all night long, and in the morning, I drain the solids and chill down the broth in an ice bath before placing it in the fridge to cool while I'm at work.  Upon returning home in the evening, I will again simmer the strained broth over a low heat all night long to reduce it further.  By the morning it's ready to chill, vacuum seal, and freeze for future use if I don't have an immediate need for it that day.  I have lots of other weird food-saving habits too, like always zesting lemons, limes, or oranges before juicing them. The zest stores really well in a baggie in the freezer, ready when needed. I save, seal, label, and freeze everything that might have some future use. If it's still hiding out after a few months, I will reluctantly toss it out, but only after making one last attempt to find a suitable recipe for its use.

The finished relish - it only gets better with age

The bottom line of all this rambling is that the podcast and Gunders' comments inspired me to inventory my veggie bin again. I found a recipe in Saveur magazine that called for two key ingredients I happened to have on hand - carrots and fresh horseradish root. After taking stock of the other items in my produce drawer, I realized I could modify the recipe slightly to use up some excess brussels sprouts,  parsnips, a piece of tumeric root, and a half of a shallot in place of some of the carrots.   The article touts this as a relish to accompany gefilte fish on Passover but I used it as a spread on toasted baguette slices and ate it for breakfast with a poached egg instead.  It was quick and easy to make, even on a workday. morning.  The flavors were bright and fresh, and a great way to start of the day.

Here is the link for the recipe:  Saveur recipe for Carrot and Horseradish Pickle Relish.

Carrots, horseradish, and lemon zest ready to pulse

The modifications I made were:  Used only two carrots, added 3 peeled parsnips, 5 brussels sprouts thinly sliced, a one inch piece of peeled diced turmeric root, and 1/2 of a large shallot, sliced thinly then minced.  The recipe instructs you to blanch the carrots.  I blanched the parsnips first, then pulsed them in the food processor, then set them aside.  Next I blanched the carrots and tumeric root together and processed the carrots/turmeric as directed in the recipe.  When making the pickling solution, I omitted the 1/4 cup sugar recommended in the recipe, and substituted two heaping teaspoons of Splenda (need to manage my blood sugar or else I would have used the regular sugar).  I added the pickling solution to carrot and horseradish mixture in a food processor and pulsed it until slightly chunky. At this point, I stirred in the shallots and Brussels sprouts, then let the whole mixture marinate for a few minutes while I poached an egg in the blanching water.

Also, while I was waiting for the water to heat for the initial blanching, I decided to make some parmesan cheese crisps to go along with the toasts. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees (miracle - my oven is still working... hope my luck holds out), and placed four little mounds, 1 tablespoon each, of grated parmesan cheese on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. I sprinkled each with some smoked paprika and a dash of cayenne then let them melt and crisp in the oven for about 3 minutes.  The combination of the salty cheese, the tangy relish, and the creamy egg yolk made a perfect light meal.

The end result:  this healthy and delicious breakfast!