BELLOWS FALLS-The last of the corn. The fanciful mounds of winter squash. Hardy greens. The remains of the summer tomatoes and peppers. Are all in abundance in the farm markets right now, and there's much to be made from these treasures.
Get the corn while it lasts, and buy a lot, blanch it, and pop it in the freezer to use all winter. You will thank yourself.
Don't forget to freeze a few of the cobs as well. When you make corn chowder in February, add them to the simmering vegetables for extra flavor, then remove them before serving.
Winter squash is everywhere, colorful and enticing. Who doesn't love a vegetable that you can store for months without a refrigerator and always have on hand?
A quick pasta dish with puréed butternut squash can be made from all pantry ingredients and is sure to please. Sautéed greens and fall root vegetables make a side dish in no time at all. And traditional succotash can have as many variations as one can dream up.
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We are supposed to eat the rainbow of vegetables every day. With Swiss chard, you are way ahead of the game. It is easy to find locally - every farm stand and farmers market will offer a supply. It's inexpensive, it's highly nutritious, and it is also extremely easy to grow.
I plant a little row of chard every year, and I start harvesting from spring through frost and often beyond. The more you pick, the more you get, and the only time I've been without chard was the year the deer broke through the fence once night and chewed the whole row down.
Even then, it grew back quickly.
If you don't have a garden, tuck some in a large pot or in a flower bed - it's not picky, and it will reward you all season. Or let your local farmer do the growing.
My mother loved every type of green, and chard was her favorite. She cooked it plain, with bacon, with salt pork, and with lots of other vegetables. She also ate it raw in salads. Sometimes she cooked it to death, but we all still loved it.
Chard is a green that will retain a lot of flavor even if you cook for a long time, and it will flavor intensely the broth of any soup or stew. However, the longer you cook it, the more it loses color and vitamins, which is why I like to cook it as quickly as possible.
Here are a few ideas for using our wonderful fall harvests.
Rainbow Chard with Goat Cheese and Carrots
There's a little sweet, some sour, and a bit of crunch; the orange and chard just taste lovely together here. If you are a beet lover, a couple of diced beets can easily replace the carrot in this dish.
I used 4 ounces of a smoked red pepper jam goat cheese from Vermont Creamery and it was just right, but use any cheese you love: herbed, plain, or even some soft feta or vegan feta.
First, prep the vegetables:
¶ 1 large bunch of chard
¶ 2 small carrots
¶ 1 small sweet red pepper
Separate the stems of the chard from the leaves; these will be cooked separately. Cut the stems into strips and set aside.
Scrub the carrots. With a vegetable peeler, create long strips or curls from one of them to use as final garnish if you like, and cut the other into pieces about the same size as the chard stems. Dice the pepper coarsely.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt:
¶1 Tbsp. butter
¶1 Tbsp. olive oil
Add the chard stems, carrots, and red pepper. Sauté for a few minutes, then reduce the heat to medium low. Add:
¶⅔ cup orange juice
¶1 Tbsp. grated orange peel
Cover and cook until the stems have softened. Give the chard leaves another quick rinse in water, shake, and add to the pan. If you like, place the carrot curls on top to soften a little. Cover, then remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes. You want the leaves to be just wilted. Remove them from the hot pan as they soften. This step doesn't take long.
Place the chard stems and carrots on one side of the plate, and add the leaves to the other. That way, people can easily choose what they like. Sprinkle with:
¶2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
¶2 Tbsp. toasted pumpkin seeds
Arrange the goat cheese however you like it –– sliced or crumbled. The cheese will softly melt a little into the warm chard.
Make sure to get all the juice and small pieces of vegetables from the pan onto the salad! It is like a little sauce. Garnish with flaked sea salt, pepper, and the reserved carrot curls.
Harvest Succotash
It's not surprising that many traditional New England dishes use corn, beans, potatoes, squash, peppers, and tomatoes. These were all New World foods that the First Americans cultivated and enjoyed for thousands of years, and so many go together nicely. A great way to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day here in Vermont.
When I was growing up, succotash consisted of canned lima beans and corn, usually cooked in a little bacon fat, and it was one of my father's favorites. Mom didn't vary the recipe, and I never really cared for it.
So I figured this was a perfect dish to remake.
The corn is always present in succotash recipes. Regional additions throughout the Northeast include tomatoes, peppers, cream, sour cream, milk, or even other vegetables.
Fresh lima beans are hard to find, but sometimes we get lucky this time of year. Frozen baby lima beans are a good choice, and you can also experiment with edamame, my preference, easily found these days fresh or frozen.
Make a big batch of succotash, eat it hot at dinner, and turn the rest into a salad the next day with the addition of a little vinaigrette. Go to the farm stand and see what's good tonight, then change things up if you like. That's what it's all about!
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine:
¶2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
¶½ small purple onion, minced
¶1 garlic clove, crushed
Sauté for a minute or two, then reduce heat. Add:
¶1 cup fresh or frozen lima beans or edamame
¶2 cups fresh corn kernels
¶1 small jalapeño or serrano pepper, finely minced
¶Salt and pepper to your liking
Continue cooking until the beans and corn are tender, then stir in:
¶1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
¶3 to 4 scallions, finely sliced
¶Small handful of arugula or flat-leafed parsley, diced
¶1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
Give it just a moment or two, taste, correct the seasoning, then plate and serve.
Crostini with Local Feta and Figs
For the briefest of times figs are to be found, and you might get lucky right now. I just harvested my own figs from a plant I bought at a farm the summer before last: 36 figs this year! I'm satisfied.
This is a really fast appetizer, but one that will be devoured eagerly by your family and friends.
To make the crostini, slice a nice sourdough baguette into little rounds, or ovals, and toast. I like to toast until the edges are a little charred.
Smear each with a bit of local feta. The one I used here was a goat's milk feta from Flower Gap Farm and Creamery in Charlotte, but you can use any you love, or you can substitute brie or another soft cheese. It is even delicious with vegan feta.
Slice your figs and arrange on the cheese, then drizzle with some delicious local honey. Sprinkle with a flaked sea salt if you like.
Dorothy Grover-Read's culinary talents can be found on her blog, "The New Vintage Kitchen" (vintagekitchen.org), billed as "[a] Vermont innkeeper's collection of classics reimagined for today's kitchen." Her column regularly appeared in The Commons' long-dormant Food & Drink section and continues on in our seasonal special sections.
This Special section column was submitted to The Commons.