oh autumn, how do i eat thee?

October 1, 2008 6:08 PM

I'm seeing some neat Fall vegetables at farmer's market: rutabaga, squashes of all type, huge Japanese daikon radishes, parsnips, sweet potatoes, lima beans. Let's hear your great (vegetarian) recipes for these weirdo vegetables.
posted by Jason and Laszlo to food & drink (14 comments total)

Roasted root veggies:

Cut turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, carrots, and potatoes into chunks. (Cut the rutabagas smaller than everything else; they take longer to cook.) Throw in some garlic cloves and chopped onion or leeks. Toss in olive oil, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 until tender.
posted by mudpuppie at 6:20 PM on October 1, 2008

Daikon - shred and mix with shredded napa cabbage. Add sesame oil and hot pepper (sauce or veggie) to taste. Chill and eat.

Acorn squash - cut in half, rub with olive oil, cinnamon, little bit of cumin and some brown sugar. Bake for (I have no idea how long..I keep checking til it's done, but never record how long it took).
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 6:25 PM on October 1, 2008

Mashed root vegetables 4 to 1 to 1 to 1 to 1 potatoes, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, celery root, add roasted garlic cloves to taste. Mash and thin with butter and milk, or with vegetable broth, or with cream depending on your dietary preferences.

Curried squash soup. Bake any smooth squash (i.e. you can't use spaghetti squash) until you can easily spoon it out of the skin; use any creamed veg soup recipe you like (the net is full of them), but flavor with indian spices, esp curry + coriander.
posted by nax at 6:50 PM on October 1, 2008

cube a butternut squash; toss it in olive oil with a couple cloves of minced garlic and some allspice. Roast at 425 until soft (20-30 minutes). While it cools, dice a red onion, mix it, a can of chick peas (drained) and some cilantro with the squash. Dress it with a mixture of 3 tbs tahini; 1 tbs peanut butter; 2 tbs olive oil; 3-4 tbs lemon juice and more finely minced garlic.

Roast a delicata squash at 425 until soft (I usually cut it in half first). Scoop out the flesh & while it's still warm, mix it with pepper and as much shredded gryuere cheese as you like. Serve with flat breads.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:47 PM on October 1, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Sweet potatoes are great roasted. Pierce with a knife a couple times, stick them in an oven at 425 for an hour. Serve with butter and brown sugar.
posted by rq at 7:50 PM on October 1, 2008

Put on a pot of wild rice to cook. Saute chopped onions and some garlic in a pan, then add diced butternut squash. Cook until the squash is browning a bit around the edges, and soft all the way through (try a bite). Stir in chopped fresh rosemary, a bunch of craisins (dried cranberries), and some chopped toasted pecans. Keep it on the heat just long enough to warm these things up. Stir all the sauteed stuff into the cooked wild rice, and add salt to taste. As always, a pat of butter makes a tasty addition. Sometimes I add grilled chicken, but you definitely don't need to. You can also do this whole thing without the diced squash, and then use it to stuff some roasted acorn squash halves for a prettier presentation.
posted by vytae at 8:21 PM on October 1, 2008

I got some good suggestions in this turnip thread last January.
posted by mediareport at 8:23 PM on October 1, 2008

Roasted Squash Ravioli with Sage and Hazelnut Brown Butter

Many groceries sell sheets of frozen or fresh pasta dough, or you can also make ravioli using Chinese wanton wrappers.

For the ravioli:

1 butternut squash, halved and seeded, but not peeled
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
2 teaspoons chipotle puree (canned chipotle adobo pureed in blender)
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 sheets pasta dough
2 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
chopped chives for garnish

For the sauce:

2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup coarsely ground hazelnuts
8 sage leaves cut into shreds
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Place the squash on a baking sheet and roast until soft. Scoop out the flesh and run it through a food mill, or puree it in a processor. Place the puree in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until almost dry. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, chipotle puree, parsley, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

2. Lay a sheet of pasta dough on a lightly floured work surface and arrange heaping teaspoons of the filling in rows at least 2 inches apart in each direction. Use your fingertip or a brush to moisten the edges of the pasta with the egg wash. Carefully place a second sheet of pasta on top of the first and press down with your fingertips to separate the rows of filling. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Using a ravioli cutter or pastry wheel, cut a grid to make ravioli squares. Press the edges closed with your fingers to seal well.

3. When ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

4. Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Let foam up and cook, swirling occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from heat and add the hazelnuts and sage. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Meanwhile, cook the ravioli: Carefully drop the ravioli into the boiling water and boil gently for about 5 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon and divide into serving bowls. Spoon the butter sauce over and garnish with chives.

6. Enjoy, then pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
posted by netbros at 8:44 PM on October 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Peel and cut into two-inch chunks some sweet potatoes, beets, turnips, fennel, and some unpeeled new potatoes. Toss in olive or other oil with some rosemary. Roast at 375 for about an hour, splash with balsamic vinegar. Good with roast lamb. Thanks for reminding me to do this soon.
posted by longsleeves at 9:07 PM on October 1, 2008

Spicy Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritos. I use fat-free refried beans instead of black beans, and omit the parmesan. Filling, cheap and so good.
posted by lemonwheel at 9:28 PM on October 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

mmm sweet potatoes! We bake them and top with soy ground beef (boca or morningstar), cheese, chopped green onions, and sour cream. Very delicious sweet/savory combo.

I also just tore a caramelized sweet potato pizza recipe out of an old Martha Stewart Living. In a nutshell, it included store-bought pizza dough, shredded gouda, rosemary, toasted walnuts, and sweet potatoes (caramelized in a pan, like you would onions). I am dying to make this.
posted by changeling at 10:18 PM on October 1, 2008

Sweet potato chili. Fantastic.
posted by Iridic at 11:16 PM on October 1, 2008

Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Ginger Bisque is amazing! So amazing that when I served it to my parents, they gobbled it up and took the rest home. Instead of water, I substituted chicken stock with a bit of milk. I also threw in some left over cooked carrots and turnip. Delicious.

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos are good too. We just had them for dinner two nights ago and it was really tasty.
posted by KathyK at 5:58 AM on October 2, 2008

Okay, I talked to my mom to get her parsnip recipes:

In addition to roasting them, much in the manner mudpuppie describes, she also sautes them on the stove top with carrots, coarse salt and pepper about 12 minutes until browned at the edges. Then she adds 1/4 to 1/2 stick of butter, chopped rosemary and just under two tablespoons of honey. Stirs it until the glaze is set and serves. You must serve glazed veggies immediately, because the glaze separates upon reheating or if you try to keep it warm.

She also makes a parsnip soup, that is served topped with carmelized apples. You chop up and carmelize (in butter) 3-4 apples in a soup pot. Take out most of the apples and set aside. Add more butter to the pot and saute a couple cups of chopped onions and a couple carrots. Add a couple pounds of chopped peeled parsnips and 8ish cups of broth / water / wine. Simmer until softened. Blend with a stick blender. Add 1/2 cup half & half or cream or whole milk. Salt & pepper to taste. Finish with a couple healthy squeezes of a lemon. Serve topped with the carmelized apples and crusty bread (I like my crusty bread toasted, with butter and some yummy hard cheese grated over it).
posted by crush-onastick at 6:45 AM on October 2, 2008