spicy south african stuffed squash

yesterday was a much needed day of rest, yet incredibly productive for both d and i.

my mother rolled into town on saturday after dropping off her car at a dealership to get work done on it, and proceeded to eat our way through gainesville until she left yesterday morning.

once mom departed, we headed out to the kanapaha botanical gardens spring plant festival. we went to the fall festival the year before last, but that never could have prepared us for the sheer magnitude and vivacity of the spring version. hundreds of vendors of plants, pavers, solar panels, butterfly paraphernalia, homemade soaps and oils, soy candles, fried twinkies, conservation organizations, and lawn sculptures.

once the $7 entrance fee was paid, the rest of the money we brought went quickly. d and i picked up 3 silver queen corn plants, a red grape tomato starter, almond and citrus soap, a root beer float, a frozen banana, a mullet (they just threw a live fish, fins and all, in the fryer. i swear!) sandwich, and a blackberry bush.

we also got a really interesting look at the way the garden composts most of the trash from the festival each year. they throw away only 10 bags of unrecyclable, uncompostable trash every year for over 10,000 visitors over a two day span!

after we left the festival, we headed to ward's (a whole foods market) to pick up some groceries, as well as some more herbs and veggies for planting. d's trying out goliath and sugar snap peas to trellis along the railing on the porch. with them, we planted okra as well. chenopodium, cilantro, and some cucumbers (i'm attempting to grow them from seed, so we'll see how that goes) round out the list.

we potted the plants and still had a good amount of daylight left, so we decided to grill out. after cracking open some of the raspberry belgian wheat ale we got for a steal ($4 6 pack!), d fired up the grill and i started prepping my main event, spicy south african stuffed squash.


now, the authenticity of the south african-ness of this recipe is debatable, so take it with a grain of salt. it was the second summer i spent in africa for a paleoanthropology dig that, tired and hungry, these were served to us at a braai (afrikaans for barbeque). the meat-heads dined on boerewors and the veg-heads had soya chicken schnitzel and pap. a little less than half of the crew were vegetarians, so a decent amount of our diet in the field revolved around these little balls of fire.

spicy south african stuffed squash

you'll need:

• n number of small squash* (1 per person)
• minced garlic
• grated cheese, i used 2% sharp cheddar
• butter (or margarine, or smart balance, whatever.)
• paprika
• garlic powder
• onion flakes
• crushed red pepper

*an interesting fact about squash: for some reason, most belong to the species Cucurbita pepo. This includes traditional pumpkin, zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, and gem squash. the original squash we had in south africa were gem squash, which are rounder than the acorn squash that i used.

1. if you haven't already, start up the coals.
   
2. halve squash and scoop out seeds and matrix with spoon, leaving little cups within each half to hold all of the yummy toppings.
   
3. for each squash, pull out a square of tinfoil and place the two halves on top.
   
4. fill the little cups with aforementioned yummy toppings. in each half spoon in a decent sized pat of butter (you'll thank me later) and a good half tablespoon of minced garlic. cover up the rest of the hole with the grated cheese. bravely sprinkle on as much paprika and crushed red pepper as you can stand (see photo above for my dosage), and top with a little garlic powder for some extra kick. try other fillings as your imagination can provide you. d thinks that datil pepper sauce would be good.
   
5. here's the fun part! with great skill and dexterity, reunite the two halves. take care not to let the filling fall out. speed is a necessity in this case. helpful hint: if using acorn squash, use some of the visual markings and coloration to held you line up the halves before attempting to smoosh them together.
   
6. roll up the reunited squash in the tinfoil.
7. place on coals.
8. wait 15 minutes or so, turning halfway through. the time will depend on the intensity of the heat given off by the coals. when the tinfoil is charred on both sides, and the squash squishes a little when squeezed by tongs, it's a fairly good indicator that they're about done. move to a large plate.
9. carefully remove the tinfoil using tongs and another utensil to stabilize it. let cool for a few minutes and dig in!
   

<3k

curry centroamericano

i spent the past week (spring break) in panama, working on a paleontological dig for my class on "cenozoic vertebrates of the neotropics" (see pictures here and here), during which myself and a fellow vegetarian had a difficult time finding suitable things to eat. it wasn't necessarily an issue of panama lacking vegetarian food, our group just never happened to frequent these establishments. i spent the week eating toast for breakfast, cheese doodles (or rather, their panamanian equivalent) and pineapple nectar for lunch, and pasta or some combination of fried starches for dinner, usually in the form of yucca or platanos (fried plantains). while this was a fairly cheap way to live, it was by no means healthy or satisfying.

i honestly began to feel like i was getting scurvy.

one night we broke away from the group to check out a few of the vegetarian restaurants along the street by our hotel. we ended up eating at 2 of the 4 that i saw, and both were excellent. the first one, greenhouse, had amazing design and placed an emphasis on recycling and sustainability (basically unheard of in panama). their salads weren't anything to write home about, but they had a wonderful falafel wrap/broccoli soup combo and a refreshing guanabana shake (pronounced waNAHbanah).

the second one, la novena, was closed the first time we walked by, but i'm extremely glad we got to try it. it's completely vegetarian, no meat at all. the entire week all i craved was vegetables, and that's exactly what they served. i ordered the zucchini curry and it was everything i hoped it would be and more. zucchini, potatoes, onions, and corn sauteed in a yellow indian curry sauce.

it was so good, that i replicated the recipe tonight!

zucchini curry a la novena

the original curry wasn't served with rice, but i figured it would be a nice touch. i made my coconut cilantro rice, minus the coconut (so not to overpower the curry). to do this, i substituted more vegetable broth for the coconut milk. as usual, i start the rice before sauteeing and spend most of that time chopping vegetables for the main course.

• one decent sized zucchini, cubed
  
• one medium onion (divided between the rice and the curry), chopped
  
• one can of corn*
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• one medium potato, peeled and cubed
• a teaspoon of minced garlic
• a dash of olive oil
• curry powder, celery salt, crushed pepper, and fresh cilantro leaves, to taste
  

start off with the onion, oil, and garlic over medium heat. boil the cubed potatoes with a little salt to soften them up while everything is heating up. drain the potatoes and add them to the onion mixture, along with the scallions and zucchini. sautee until the zucchini is soft, but solid. then add the corn.

*tonight i used a can of creamed corn because that was all i had, and it worked out fine. the original version used plain old drained yellow corn. play around with both and see what you prefer!

season with the curry powder and other spices and stir. we like our curry make-you-cry hot, so i don't want to misguide you by giving the exact amount i used (plus i don't really follow recipes that way anyway). let warm for a few minutes to develop the flavor of the sauce. serve over rice with fresh cilantro garnish.

ta-da!

<3
k

curry up!

the night before last, i made an old standby that both d and i hold near and dear to our hearts,

curry.
penang curry, at that.

i'm not sure why i hadn't made it in such a long time. maybe because we live off of a steady diet of krishna lunch during the week, or if it's slightly labor intensive (i end up using different pots to speed up cooking time), but either way it had been way too long.

this is a very versatile recipe. a wide variety of veggies and proteins can be used and every different combination always adds a little different flavor to the sauce. d's even modified it slightly so that he can make it when he takes groups camping.

this time, i used yellow squash, onion, and broccolli leftover from our trip to the farmer's market last week.

penang curry is a malaysian (not thai) dish that consists of red curry, coconut milk, and ground peanuts.

on to the recipe...

penang curry with coconut cilantro rice

start the rice first since it takes longer to cook. you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons oil (we use olive for almost everything, but vegetable or canola will do)
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 1 1/4 cups rice (try jasmine or batsmati)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
  
• 1 can of coconut milk (you won't need it all, use the rest for the curry sauce)
  
• fresh cilantro (it really does make it that much better)
  

for the curry:

• protein of your choice (tempeh and tofu do a great job of soaking up the curry flavor)
• veggies of your choice*
  
• a few leaves of basil (thai basil does especially well in this dish)
• the rest of the coconut milk
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
  
• a couple tablespoons of peanut butter, to taste (or bottled peanut sauce)
• red curry, to taste (we use pre-bought paste from the store and use it gratuitously, we both like it hot. about to make you cry hot.)
• a little dribble of oil

*you can use just about any veggie. i don't like peppers, but they're a standard in most versions of penang i've seen. other good candidates include: zucchini, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corn, snow peas, etc.

remember: if you're planning on using a really thick or starchy vegetable (i.e. potatoes, carrots) you might want to steam them before you add them to the sauce. in this version, i sauteed the onions and squash, and lightly steamed the broccoli beforehand. nothing can ruin a good curry like a undercooked potato or a soggy piece of broccoli.

1. in a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat with the onions and garlic. once the onions are a little soft (not mushy). add the rice, mix to coat with oil, and let it cook for a couple minutes. add the stock and half the can of coconut milk and stir it up. bring to a boil for a couple minutes before reducing the heat to a simmer. let sit covered for 25-30 minutes, peeking in and stirring every so often.
2. while that's simmering, do any veggie/protein sauteeing or steaming necessary. get out a decent sized frying pan (or wok if you own one) and combine the curry paste, peanut butter, the vegetable stock, and whatever's leftover from the coconut milk used in the rice over medium heat. use a spatula to press the curry paste and peanut butter into the pan to break it up, and then stir it into the rest of the mixture. add veggies and protein and let it warm while the rice is still cooking.

at this point, my stove top looks like this (the kettle just lives there):

3. when the rice is done, stir in a handful of cilantro leaves.
4. to plate, put a couple scoops of rice in a bowl (we got these nifty ones from goodwill) and cover with curry sauce and goodies. garnish with cilantro, serve with chopsticks.

ta da!

<3
k