Stuff it!

The spectacular colors of Fall make the transition from Summer to Autumn just about worth it. The inevitable cold is coming all too soon, but who doesn't smile at a pumpkin?

It is a big decision which magnificent gourd to take home. My agonizing took longer than usual this year. Shape, size, color, and curl of the stem are all taken into serious consideration. But why get just one?

Now that the farmers markets are beginning to wind down their summer produce, I like to make the most of what is still available.  These red peppers were at the peek of ripeness, their flavor fully developed. Their aroma had the perfume and distinctive fruity sweetness that defines a bell pepper. It tastes just the way a pepper should, a full sun-shiny flavor!

Stuffing these beauties seemed like the way to go. Combining cooked grains and beans for the stuffing makes a quick and filling meal.  Saute some onions and herbs for extra flavor, mix in a little cheese and bake. The result is end of summer perfection.

---RECIPE---

Quinoa, Lentil & Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers

4 bell peppers
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrot
2 Tbs. cup chopped parsley

1 cup cooked Quinoa

1/2 cup cooked lentils

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

•Heat oven to 350 F.
•Cut off the top quarter of the pepper to act as a lid. Remove the seeds from inside the pepper cups. Rinsing them in cold water is usually the easiest way.
•Sprinkle the insides of the peppers with salt and pepper and place the peppers cut side down on a baking sheet with the tops next to them. Bake for about 20minutes so the peppers can begin to soften. Remove the softened pepper cups and lids from the oven and set them aside until cool enough to handle.
•In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. Add the celery, carrots and onions, salt and pepper to taste. Cook the vegetables until translucent and wilted, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped parsley and cook for another minute.
•Remove the sauteed vegetables to a medium sized bowl. Into the bowl mix the quinoa and the lentils together with the sauteed vegetables to make the stuffing. Add the cheese and continue mixing until well combined.
•Spoon the stuffing mixture carefully into each of the cooled pepper cups. Fill the peppers loosely and let the stuffing mound up on top for a pretty presentation. Arrange the filled peppers on a baking sheet and place the top of the pepper back on top. Return the stuffed peppers to the oven. Bake for about one hour, until the peppers are completely softened and the filling is piping hot.

long day's journey

Deborah runs her own mini marathon...

My poor little kitchen has been getting a real workout these days. Not quite the same kind of workout as the NYC Marathon runners this past Sunday, but somehow it feels like it.  I ran my own little endurance race on Sunday when I realized that the post-marathon party I was catering on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, situated right in the thick of the marathon route, could not be reached by car because of street closures. All the food, a buffet dinner for 50 people, would have to get there by city subway. This meant careful packing and serious lifting and carrying. I was not alone in this undertaking. One of the other cooks contributing to this party was coming from Brooklyn with a shopping cart brimming over with her food and she is five months pregnant.

NYC presents all kinds of logistic challenges to its denizens. We city dwellers are accustomed by necessity to carrying heavy bags of EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE. This may explain why so many NYC women have shapely arms and slim legs. There is a plus side to everything!

This Sunday's post-marathon party was a collaborative effort by several cooks from Wellness in the Schools to thank and honor the sponsors of our amazing marathon team who raised a very impressive amount of money for this worthy non-profit. Our culinary theme was seasonal, of course, and it had to be hearty to fill the bellies of those inspirational runners.

 This is the cake!!! Unbelievable! No way, I did not bake it.

 In addition to the spinach salad the buffet showcased the best of the season with a sprouted lentil salad, a sweet potato salad and tortellini in a porcini mushroom sauce.

My recipe for spinach salad with quinoa and walnuts is so easy to prepare. It is a light, but filling dish that could be served as a first course or as a light lunch.
The last spinach harvest will be in the farmers market about now. The salad is enlivened by a squeeze of lemon juice and the olive oil gives the walnuts a toasty warmth.

Spinach Salad with Walnuts and Quinoa

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup walnuts

16 oz baby spinach

1 cup cooked quinoa (prepare according to package directions)

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a small sauce pan and add the walnuts. Cook on a low heat for 5-10 minutes until the walnuts begin to turn a golden color and you can smell the nutty flavor. Arrange the spinach leaves in a serving bowl and toss with the cooked quinoa. Squeeze the lemon juice and salt and pepper over the spinach and toss to combine. Pour the warm oil and walnuts over the salad, quickly toss again and serve immediately.

recovering

Deborah

Buried under mountains of snow these last few weeks has not been easy. The simplest tasks have become very complicated as I try to navigate the deep paths in my Queens, NY neighborhood, carved out at least knee-high in most places!

The entire neighborhood has to walk single file!

 

Wonder what is buried under there? These snow piles are as high as a bus! My neighbor claims her garbage from Christmas is still deep inside. Spring will be such a lovely mess. On top of it all I have been dealing with a wicked cold that has kept me weak and shivering.

 To help manage my cold symptoms these tangerines got juiced. So yummy! Too bad all of these squeezed barely yielded a cup of liquid. geesh!

In the mood for some sustenance I decided to make a hearty soup featuring the whole grain quinoa. My idea was to feature its nutty flavor with the added help of some meaty red kidney beans.

I built the soup up starting with sweating some aromatic vegetables. The quinoa gets rinsed and then toasted with the vegetables to emphasize the flavor of the grain. Vegetable stock and crushed tomatoes are used for the liquid. I wanted the seasoning to be rich but not over-powering. I added a fair amount of paprika for depth, a bay leaf for a pine-y fragrance, a pinch of chipotle chili powder for a little smoky-ness and some thyme for a woodsy note. The soup simmers for about half an hour. At the end I added some green beans and spinach for a burst of color and freshness.

As a condiment for the soup I decided to make a red pepper and shallot puree.

Roast the vegetables till tender and puree in a food processor. So simple and so good!

The soup came out great. Just what I was looking for to bring some comfort and strength on a cold snowy winter day. The broth had a deep earthy flavor and the red pepper puree was a sweet bright addition to round this dish out.

Stay warm!

Quinoa and Red Bean Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Puree

 The aromatics:

2 Tbs. Olive oil

1 onion minced

S & P to taste

2 cloves garlic minced

1 Carrot chopped

3/4 cup quinoa rinced 

the spices:

 1 bay leaf

 2 Tbs. Paprika

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon Chipoltle Chili powder

1 small potato cubed

1 15oz can red kidney beans

the liquids:

1 quart vegetable stock

1 cup chopped canned tomatoes

the green vegetables:

1/2 cup green beans cut into bite sized pieces (substitute broccoli, zucchini)

1/2 cup cooked spinach (substitute chard, kale, any leafy green)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

In a soup pot heat the olive oil, add the onions and a little salt and pepper. Sweat the onions at a low temperature until they soften a bit. Add the garlic and the carrot and continue to sweat the vegetables for 5 or 6 minutes. Turn up the heat and add the quinoa, stirring frequently till the quinoa begins to get a little bit golden in color, about 10 minutes. Add the spices, the potato, the kidney beans and the liquids and bring to a boil. Lower the heat top a simmer and allow the soup to cook for 30 minutes.

Add the green vegetables and the lemon juice and simmer for 5 more minutes till vegetables are tender. Taste to adjust seasonings.

Serve with the red pepper puree.

Roasted Red Pepper, Shallot and Jalapeno Puree
-This very versatile puree will keep in the fridge for a week. Serve with soups, stews, roasts, or on toast!

1 red pepper

3 jalapenos 

1 shallot, peeled

1 Tbs. Olive oil

2 teaspoons water

pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the red pepper into strips and lay on a baking sheet with the jalapenos, left whole and the shallot, cut in half. Toss with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil and bake for 20 minutes till tender. Allow to cool, then transfer to a food processor and while the machine is running add 1 Tbs. olive oil and the 2 teaspoons water to create a smooth paste. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Amanda

I think if it didn't snow another day all winter, there would still be snow on my lawn till May. My lawn is small, and the snow which has amassed there from shovelling my sidewalk, walkway and driveway is about up to my shoulders now. My kids of course love it. Me, not so much. To them it is the equivalent of having Mt. Everest right outside our window. It provides endless hours of adventure for them. So, for that, I can deal with it...

 

What I love about Deb's recipes is that they inspire me to think "outside the box". I love to cook quinoa - I have used it in veggie burgers, cold summertime quinoa "salads", and warm wintertime dishes. However, I can honestly say it never occurred to me to use it in a soup. I'm not quite sure why. The soup looks scrumptious, and is so wonderfully healthy!Gotta love that!

 

I love the flavor profile Deb describes with all the smoky, earthy flavors! A rustic wine would be my choice with this soup, something from France perhaps. A wine we featured at the shop this week immediately jumps to mind. It is a Cotes du Rhone from Jean Luc Colombo - Les Abeilles 2007. A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, it combines flavors of berries, spice, licorice with a hint of leather. It's very food-friendly (and wallet friendly at $9.99).

 

A wine from Corbieres, in the Languedoc Roussillon region of France is another great match for Deb's recipe. Chateau de Vaugelas Corbieres Le Prieure is a blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah. Velvety and fleshy on the palate, the wine exhibits beautiful chocolate notes as well as licorice, dark fruit and spice. The Vaugelas is $11.99.

 

Both of these wines are great bargains from the south of France. A bowl of Deb's soup enjoyed with a glass of either wine or something similar, would certainly warm up any cold winter's night!

 

 

a locavore meal, almost

Deborah

Locavore: one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible

Spent the afternoon with a dear friend who I have not seen in a long time, sustainable food blogger and committed locavore Mary Nelen. Mary, who writes the blog Valley Locavore,  filled me in on what is going on in her community of Northern Massachusetts where a strong DIY food ethic flourishes. She boasted of canning and preserving and shaking hands with farm animal. All very cool and admirable. We decided we would make lunch together during our visit. Mary supplied the broccoli rabe from a farmers market and I rummaged through my fridge at home to pull out some tofu (locally made!) and shitake mushrooms (I have no idea where they came from, oops) and some red quinoa I thought Mary might be interested in.
I also contributed a large handful of fresh herbs that I pulled out of my garden just before leaving the house to meet her (how much fresher can you get?)

The Upper West Side where Mary was staying was in full bloom Spring mode.

Our plan was simple, we would gab away with each other a mile a minute and give barely a fleeting thought to the meal. Kind of like cooking on auto pilot. I made the quinoa while Mary prepped the broccoli rabe.

I guess we could have used a slightly larger pan for the broccoli rabe.

The kitchen we were borrowing was minimally stocked and equipped. I did a quick sautee of the mushrooms and then the tofu which we cut into cubes. We found an onion in reasonable shape, chopped it up, sauteed it with the broccoli rabe and then threw in all the chopped herbs. The tofu and mushrooms went back into the pan and we mixed it all together.

The herbs coming up in my garden now are mint, lemon balm, sorrel, chives and oregano. I roughly chop them all together and add them to almost any dish right at the end of cooking to add freshness and depth.

We cooked the shitake mushrooms and the tofu separately, just enough to get a little brown crust for flavor and texture.

The finished dish: a mound of steamed red quinoa surrounded by the sauteed vegetables and tofu.

It was a simple, tasty, easy and healthy meal, which meant we could drink wine and not feel guilty.  What can I say, talking makes you thirsty. We drank white wine which seemed a good choice. How did we do Amanda?

Amanda
A good friend, delicious, easy lunch, and a nice bottle of wine. Sounds like a pretty great afternoon! Question - you don't blanch the broccoli rabe first? Just toss it right into the pan? I'm always in a quandry about that whenever I prepare it. I never really know when to blanch and when to just sautee. Any recommendations or thoughts on this?


Yes, I am in agreement regarding your wine choice! I think any light, crisp white would really work fine here. I wouldn't give it too much thought. Albarino, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet, Pinot Grigio - all fine, simple choices. You and Mary had set out to have a fun, easy afternoon together which does not require hemming and hawing over a wine. Just go with something fun for an occasion like this. I find that Prosecco is always a great afternoon libation to enjoy with friends, especially as the warmer weather hits. Prosecco is a staple on my block for afternoon/early evening barbeques. This light, refreshing, frizzante wine from Italy is always a huge hit.

Prosecco is made from a grape by the same name, and hails from the Veneto region of Italy. Very versatile, you can really enjoy it with a wide variety of fare. It's great for brunches, showers, and large get-togethers - it is Italy's answer to Champagne, minus the hefty pricetag. For great examples of this inexpensive sparkler, look to producers Bisol, Riondo, Caposaldo and Zardetto.


Choosing a wine should never cause stress or too much thought. Wine is best when shared with friends. As long as the "indulgers" enjoy it - that is all that matters! But I do recommend keeping a few bottles on hand as Prosecco is a great bottle to open for unexpected guests!

back to beans

Deborah
The working title of this post was "Bleak House," but that just seemed well, too bleak. Late January leaves one scrounging around for ways to lift the spirits. Even my vase arrangements consist of bare twigs. If I am lucky they will slowly bud and I will get a tiny taste of things to come.

The wind and rain this week provided an abundance of broken tree branches to bring indoors for forcing.

Scrounging was the theme of the day as I looked in my fridge for something to cook. Cooking often means always having an assortment of leftover odds and ends to choose from. Today's pick was a bit of sauteed spinach, some cooked quinoa and a handful of chickpeas. Amanda had expressed interest in a bean burger post so I thought why not? These three items could make a good meal and if I added some spices it might be even delicious.

Leftover ingredients can lend themselves to beautiful new creations in the kitchen.

Spice mixtures are a great way to perk up simple ingredients. They are also a great way to add versatility without having to buy and blend all the separate spices yourself. These premixed blends are also a simple way to sample the flavor base of another cuisine. When I travel I always look for culinary items that express the region I have visited. Curry powder and Herbs de Provence are two examples of spice blends that reflect a specific culinary culture.  Don't overlook airports as a great place to pick up local food items if you haven't already grabbed some during your stay.

This Caribbean spice blend added some warmth to a cold day.

Today, for my chickpea and quinoa burgers, I pulled out some Island Creole Seasoning I found at the St. John Spice store when I was in St. John, US Virgin Islands last year. The blend consists of salt, cayenne pepper, thyme, marjoram, garlic, onions and bay leaf. What would have taken me several minutes to assemble myself was immediately at hand in this blend. The bean patties took me 15 minutes to prepare from start to finish. AND they came out sooooooooo good. I often wonder if the mere act of pan frying makes everything delicious. Well it certainly doesn't hurt!

Because all the ingredients are already cooked, the patties only need a few minutes of pan frying.

These patties had a nice texture due to the quinoa- very light and almost fluffy. The spinach added some color and a little depth, but no pronounced bitterness. You could serve this to a non-spinach eating person and they would probably not notice or mind. The chickpeas served as a hearty, nutty-flavored base for the whole thing.

Quinoa, a whole grain found in most supermarkets and health food stores cooks like rice in 20 minutes.

I would not expect most people to have this particular combination of leftovers available at any given time. The point here is to allow things to happen in the kitchen.  Beans + Veg + Starch + Spice. A simple formula that can have happy, easy and QUICK dining results!

Chickpea, Quinoa & Spinach Burgers
1 cup of cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup cooked spinach, squeezed of excess liquid and chopped
1 cup of cooked quinoa
1/4 cup grated onion
1 teaspoon of a spice blend of your choice
1 egg
3 Tbs. flour

for frying- 2 Tbs. canola oil

Roughly mash the chickpeas with a potato masher. To the chickpeas add the rest of the ingredients and blend well with a spoon. Divide into burger shapes. Heat the frying oil and when hot, pan-fry the patties for 3 minutes on each side.

serves 2

Amanda
Before getting into what I already have in mind for the wine, I want to quickly comment on the Arame dish from our last post. Deb's recipe was easy and outstanding! I am now addicted to this dish and in fact, I'm going to run to the store after work to stock up on Arame so I can make a big batch! (I wonder if it's possible to eat too much Arame?) Love it! Can honestly say Deb's dish is one of my favorite new recipes!

Now - onto the Chickpea burgers - again, seems straightforward, healthy, and has ingredients typically on hand. Love that combination! I want a wine with good fruit, but an earthy quality as well. I personally want red with these burgers. I want something simple, yet elegant, not something overly complex or intense. Just an everyday red that I can enjoy next to a casual meal. One of my favorite red wines is the Chateau Pesquie Cuvee Terrasses. The 2008 vintage just arrived and it promises to be as delicious as the past vintages. For $11.99 (and consistently highly-rated) this is the quintessential everyday wine. It is soft, with red and black fruit flavors and a hint of spice. The fruit is lush. Hailing from the Cote de Ventoux region of the Rhone Valley, the wine is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah.


If you are using Indian spices, Caribbean spices, or what have you, the wine should be a great match. I love the idea of some "stronger" spices with this wine. The thought of a combination of Indian spices, for example, enjoyed in conjuction with some kind of fruit side, like a mango chutney, causes me to salivate. So it is with this wine. The spices in the burgers combined with the beautiful fruit-forwardness of the wine should work famously together!


Also remember, you don't have to go find this exact wine! (Though it is worth seeking out!). You can go into your friendly neighborhood wine shop and ask for their recommendations on a wine from the Cote du Ventoux- or ask for a grenache/syrah blend. Wines from this region, or of this type of blend, in general will work just as well!

A bloggers life

Deborah
One of the many pleasures of writing this blog is the surprising emergence of so many new friends and the reconnecting with so many old friends. It is virtual community building and it's pretty great! Today Amanda is occupied with family matters and could not contribute a wine suggestion. I thought I would take the day off too, from recipes, and give a shout-out to some of my fellow bloggers out there, friends both old and new who are posting their hearts out and are well worth a visit.

Life without Amanda

First up is my friend Katie and her blog post today is on Stuffed Acorn Squash. She uses quinoa as the stuffing and it reminded me a bit of my recipe for Quinoa Stuffed Patty Pan Squash, but Katie's recipe is a little more Southern Italian with it's olives and artichoke hearts. Katie and I went to culinary school together and her blog A Party in my Pantry is a fun and informative passionate foodie's take on the world from her hipster pad in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Katie loves all things Michael Pollan and among her many culinary skills she is a mean raw foods chef.

When we are not foraging our way through Jackson Heights, Queens looking for unusual ingredients Katie and I try to get out of town. This was our visit to Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Bedford, NY

A new friend who is only known to me as tofugirl, emerged after reading our Roxbury Farm post and recognizing it as her own CSA. Tofugirl's blog Open Mouth Insert Cookie is witty and pretty, with lots of great food photos. She focuses on baked goods and has a lot of inspiring recipes.

As you can see I could use some help with baking. I force every family member to accept a homemade birthday cake from me every year. They are gracious.

I made Mark Bittman's Pear Upside Down cake from the recipe in the NY Times today. It came out so pretty. It is quite sweet and tastes like a coffee cake. I would add lemon zest to the pears next time for a little counterbalance to the sweet. And maybe some cardamom or nutmeg in the batter.

Another blog that I am really enjoying is Tales of Expansion. The author Sarah's blog came to my attention by a mutual friend who thought our blogs should "meet". Sarah's blog is really personal and funny, loaded with pictures depicting her quest to chronicle every bit of food that comes across her plate and allowing none of it to go to waste. It is quirky, charming and very entertaining.

The mutual friend leading me on a hike in New Paltz, NY

For a more sober and yet very inspiring take on the food world I always refer to Pam and her Hook Mountain Growers site. The photos are gorgeous and Pam, a physician and homesteader, offers a super smart and articulate analysis of the state of agriculture today. She keeps us all real.

Pam made me a delicious lunch fresh from her garden when I visited her this summer. Chard Tacos with tomatillo salsa!

Off the topic of food is my friend Pat who writes the snarky and often hilarious blog i-cant-believe-im-not-bitter. Pat's sophisticated world view collides with the inanities of life and results is her humorous take on how to make sense of it all.

Several friends have blogs in the works and I can't wait for their debuts, so stay tuned.

AND- I can't get away with out mentioning my husband's blog Left at the Gate. Alan started his blog five years ago as an outlet for his unrequited love of thoroughbred horse racing. His blog has become one of the most respected and widely read blogs in that industry. He is my pride and inspiration. I have even forgiven him for writing about me on his blog as a character known as "the head chef." He thinks he is pretty funny.

To all of our friends, new and old, to all of our readers, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your continued interest, encouragement and support. We are enjoying writing this blog so much and we appreciate that you took the time to visit us!

Thank you,

Deborah and Amanda

Come again for a new recipe on Friday

A Blooming good time

Deborah
Happiness for me can easily be defined by a trip to a wonderful farmer's market. Amanda had one in mind when we met this weekend to catch up on business. The Blooming Hill Farm is easy to miss, especially on a rainy day when you are having an argument with your husband in the car about whether the GPS is all right or all wrong. He was right, I was wrong. The GPS was right too. The farm had a small chalk board sign marking the entrance and no name, just a WE ARE OPEN. A person could miss it.
It was worth the 1.5 hour drive from Queens in torrential rain to spend a few hours enjoying this lovely setting. The sun peaked out a bit now and then and the rain settled in to an occasional mist.






The farm has it's own cafe that takes rustic charm to new heights. We ordered a few things for lunch, all prepared from scratch with the farms own ingredients. Delicious! The pizza crust was thin and crispy with a hint of smoky flavor from the wood burning grill. The spinach and ricotta panini was filling and tasty. A spinach lovers treat.


I shopped until I dropped, filling my bag with lettuces, green beans, blue potatoes, a bouquet of pink zinnias, and yes, even some heirloom tomatoes. Once home and beginning to unpack I admired the patty pan squashes I purchased. Stuffed with quinoa and fresh herbs they make a really pretty summer meal.



Quinoa Stuffed Patty Pan Squashes
-this versatile dish can be prepared with any number of different herbs and cheeses. I use what I have on hand and make it with a slightly different twist each time.


4 patty pan squashes
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup chopped herbs (such as parsley, basil, dill, mint, tarragon, sage, singlely or any combination)
1 cup cooked Quinoa
1/2 cup shredded cheese (such as cheddar, ricotta, fontina, feta)
s & p to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Trim off top third of squashes and set aside.
With a spoon, scoop out the flesh of each squash so you have created a cup. Chop up the scooped out squash flesh and set aside. Heat oil in pan and cook onions till they soften and begin to turn translucent. Add garlic and chopped squash and continue to cook for 10 more minutes until most of the moisture is evaporated and the squash begins to turn a light golden color. Add the chopped herbs and remove pan from heat. Mix in the quinoa and the cheese. S & P the mixture to taste. Fill each squash cup with the quinoa mixture, piling it up so the filling mounds up out of the top. Place filled squash and the reserved tops into a lightly oiled baking dish and cook 35 minutes till golden brown. Serve squashs with there tops arranged at a jaunty angle.
serves four.


Some classic cheese and herb combinations I like:
Feta and Dill
Cheddar and Sage
Goat and Tarragon
Ricotta and Basil
Fontina and Thyme
Have fun experimenting with different combos!

Amanda
Blooming Hill Farm is truly a special place. I used to visit it every Saturday and Sunday when I lived up in Monroe, NY. In the summer after my son was born, it was the only place I could go with him and actually relax and find peace and quiet. When he was a toddler, he along with several other toddlers donned in water shoes or rain boots, would wade through the stream finding tadpoles, turtles and bugs and tossing stones. I was indeed grateful for this wonderful spot so full of serenity. Now, I am more than happy driving an hour to enjoy the farm and the abundant organic produce they offer - not to mention their menu that is prepared to perfection. I, like Deborah, indulged in their offerings. But, the big difference between Deborah and I is that she gets inspired and lets her heart guide her, instinctively knowing the creations she will concoct. I, on the other hand, get inspired, buy a bunch of stuff, and don't know what to do with it. I have decent cooking skills, probably better than average, but I need to be given suggestions. I lack the inherent creativity of a true chef. So, after reading Deb's recipe on the quinoa stuffed patty pans, I now have a new recipe to try! It sounds delicious. My favorite thing about Deb's recipes is they combine simplicity with elegance. I would pair different wines with this dish, depending on the cheese used. One tip about pairing wine and cheese: wines from specific regions have a particular affinity for cheeses from the same regions. So, as an example: Let's say you were using goat cheese and chose Crottin de Chavignol, which is made in the Loire Valley of France. Sancerre, from the same region would be a great match. Sancerre is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, and has wonderful acidity, crispness and minerality. Lots of green apple and citrus fruit flavors as well. A Vouvray would work well to, which is made from Chenin Blanc. Substitute ricotta, and a new world of opportunities unfolds! For this, I would choose an Italian Rose, and I would even go for red. Sangiovese would be the first to come to mind, such as a Chianti. But remember, this "wine from a region paired with a cheese from that region" tip is only a guide, and need not be steadfast. Nothing ever matters as much as your personal tastes and preferences! Can't wait to make this dish! But before I do, Deb, I have a question: Can you eat the entire squash when it's done, or just the filling?
-eat it all!
Deborah