The Question of Leftovers

I love leftovers. Especially the ones that can be easily adapted to completely different meals. Case in point: the leftover roasted chicken and sauteed broccoli rape from Sunday was tossed into our pasta last night, along with a couple of tablespoons of pecorino romano cheese. Dinner in 10 minutes!

But sometimes, leftovers leave me a little stumped. Second case in point: the butternut squash risotto I made last week. Risotto's wonderful stuff (and this was a particularly delicious recipe, you should check it out), but it's hard to know what to do with it if you don't have a microwave. Most of the time, I mix leftover risotto with an egg and form it into little pancakes that I then fry off. They make a delicious side dish. But this time, I thought I'd try something different. I think it was the Joy of Cooking that gave me the idea by providing a recipe for quinoa served in an acorn squash. If you can do it with quinoa, why not risotto that's already cooked? And it just so happened I  had an acorn squash from the farm. So, I tossed a little olive oil and seasoning on it, threw it in a 375 oven for a while, scooped the risotto on top, and warmed it through. The result was delicious--the risotto stayed creamy, and the flavors in it played nicely with the squash. The acorn squash not only made for a pretty presentation, it provided a little more food for both of us,  which we needed, just post-workout. So, here it is:

Squash Stuffed with Risotto
Serves 2

1 acorn squash (or other small, similar squash that can be hollowed out), split lengthwise, seeds removed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1-1 1/2 cups cooked risotto

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil over the cut squash, and season with salt and pepper. Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until a fork easily pierces the flesh.

Scoop risotto into the squash, return squash to oven and roast another 10 minutes, until risotto is warmed through.

Remove from the oven and serve--a nice salad or some green beans goes really well with this.

Dinner in the Field

Fall is almost here--It's almost palpable. Corny as it sounds, I could feel it in the air when I stepped outside yesterday afternoon. Although it was 80+ degrees, there was the tiniest edge to the air; a slight tang. It'll be here soon enough, and boy, does that make me happy. I love fall. Especially fall in my little corner of the world. Walkable historic towns with Victorian architecture lend themselves beautifully to fall foliage, as do the views of the Delaware River from the New Hope-Lambertville bridge.

On Sunday, A. and I had a pretty unique opportunity to celebrate the coming of the new season: a harvest dinner in the fields at Dreyer Farms in Cranford (another picturesque little town). The dinner was catered by the chef of Boulevard Five72, using produce from the farm. This one dinner was the best possible commercial for both the farm and the restaurant. It's too bad both are more than an hour from where I live, or I'd be there all the time. Then again, for the sake of my bank account, maybe that's a good thing.

First off, the weather actually cooperated, after several days of rain, cold, and gloomy skies. The sun came out, and the temperature went up to the 80's, which meant the sangria served during the cocktail hour were doubly refreshing. Ditto the champagne, which I really can't resist. Passed hors d'oeuvres included smoked salmon tartlets, wonderful polenta cakes with ratatouille (the polenta was perfect--crispy outside, and moist within. My hat is off to them), and sublime tempura-battered green beans. I really, really want to track down a recipe for those and make them for A's birthday party this week.

As the sun set and the mosquitos mercifully stayed away, we moved to the long table that had been set up between rows of basil and salad greens. By chance, I found myself sitting in the midst of the Dreyer family, who have farmed this same plot of land since 1904. Paterfamilias Henry Dreyer, who sat across from me, was a great dinner companion, and we chattered away through all four courses, covering everything from tomato blight to what to do on a visit to Quebec City.

Like the hors d'oeuvres, the main meal didn't disappoint. We moved from a lovely light salad to a prawn served on heirloom tomatoes and watermelon, followed by veal with sweet potato puree and an almond tart with Jersey peaches for dessert. Not a single thing disappointed, and the flavors were lovely. And so were the wines served with each course. Maybe the wines were too good--I did wake up with the slightest headache on Monday morning. Still, definitely worth it. Now, I'm off to try and find that green bean recipe. Wish me luck!