Recipes From the Root Cellar_ 270 Fresh Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables - Andrea Chesman [24]
Pumpkin. Pie pumpkins, also known as sweet pumpkins or cheese pumpkins, are smaller than those cultivated for jack-o’-lanterns.
Red Kuri. The skin is a brilliant orange and the bland flesh is a brilliant deep orange flesh, making this squash something of a beauty queen.
Spaghetti. Yellow and football-shaped, spaghetti squash has turned the distressing tendency of winter squash to be stringy into a virtue. When cooked, the flesh of this squash turns into long spaghetti-like strands. Although many suggest serving spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute, it is probably better to acknowledge its sweet flavor and work with it as a winter squash.
Sweet Dumpling. Small and pumpkin-shaped, sweet dumplings are cream-colored with dark green stripes. Like delicata squash, the skin of the sweet dumpling squash is edible. The flesh is smooth, sweet, and moist.
Turban. As much prized for its decorative appearance as its flavor, the turban is indeed shaped like a turban. It can be used like any other winter squash. The skin is tough and difficult to cut into.
Dried Beans
A WELL-STOCKED WINTER KITCHEN contains plenty of dried beans, lentils, and split peas. These legumes add variety to the diet and are an extremely economical and healthful alternative to meat. Beans keep indefinitely, though age will toughen the skins and increase the cooking time.
Beans may have been the inspiration for the development of the art of cooking, since all beans, peas, and lentils, whether fresh or dried, will cause digestive distress if eaten raw. Boiling for 2 to 3 minutes destroys the toxic lectins that cause all the problems.
Beans should be salted after cooking. The reason is not, as it’s often said, that salt in the cooking liquid toughens the skins, but that you are reducing the liquid so much that the beans may end up too salty—especially if you are cooking them with a ham bone or a piece of salt pork or bacon. Acids do toughen the skins, so never add acidic ingredients, including tomatoes, until the beans are fully cooked.
Choosing and Using Dried Beans
Beans grow in an incredibly wide range of climates, from the cold mountain plateaus of Peru (where lima beans originated) to the hot, humid tropics (where pigeon peas were first cultivated). More than 70 varieties of beans are currently enjoyed worldwide.
Availability
Dried beans, lentils, and split peas are available year-round.
Storage
They require no special storage conditions, just an airtight container at room temperature.
How to Buy
Never buy more than the amount of beans you will consume in a couple of months. Beans aren’t really old until they have sat around for a year, but you don’t know how old the beans are when you purchase them. It is a good idea to buy beans at a natural-foods store where stock turns over regularly.
Preparation
First, pick over and rinse the beans, discarding any foreign debris and shriveled beans. Then put the beans in a bowl, cover with water so there is at least 3 inches of water above the level of the beans, and leave to soak for 8 hours or overnight. You can skip this step, but your cooking time will lengthen by at least an hour, and you will have to just about double the amount of cooking liquid required in the recipes. If you forgot to soak overnight, you can use the “quick-soak method.” Put the rinsed and sorted beans in a pot and cover them with cold tap water by at least 3 inches. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, and let stand, covered, for 1 to 2 hours. Lentils and split peas do not require presoaking.
Cooking Ideas
Canned beans are very, very convenient, but beans that you cook yourself have more flavor. Combine 2 cups soaked beans with 8 cups water, a chopped onion, and bay leaves, and cook until tender. Then use the beans as a basis for any bean dish that calls for