When I was 16, I read an article by Michael Pollan in the New York Times magazine about the mistreatment of steers on American farms, and just like that, I became a vegetarian. It stuck for a year: the only time I ate meat was when I ordered French onion soup once, about 7 months in, and felt so sick that I looked online and found that it was made with beef broth. I didn’t know that. I wasn’t into cooking yet.
I started eating meat again when I was 17. It was a Fuddrucker’s burger. I’ve never looked back.
But somehow, I’ve become a sort of de facto vegetarian. Granted, when I eat out, it’s almost always meat: I do live in France after all, but I don’t buy meat at all: not even cold cuts. I guess it stems from the fact that when I first started cooking, in Toronto, I would buy meat for my meals (when I was growing up, no meal was complete without meat), but then my plans would change, I would go out to eat, and it would take so long for me to get around to actually cooking that chicken that I would have to throw it out. Vegetables are a lot more forgiving. Plus, the leftovers keep a lot better, and I can make huge amounts of soup, chili, curry, etc. and keep it to eat for lunch during the week.
This is how I manage to eat a lot of side dishes as actual meals, which brings me to today’s post: this squash purée I found over at one of my favorite blogs, the Wednesday Chef. Luisa served this purée with pork chops, and after trying the recipe last night, I realized that she was right to serve it with a protein. Some side dishes do well on their own, and others do not. This one was quite yummy, but it just wasn’t enough to be called a meal. I can see how it would be really great with some salty pork chops on top, though, and the next time I make this, it will be as an accompaniment to meat. We’ll see if that ever happens in my kitchen, but I could see it making an appearance on my mother’s table at Christmas: it may be the one dish I contribute this year (aside from my ever-present gratin (aka cheese with some potatoes thrown in).
I was planning on making the dish the way it was written, with ginger, but I remembered at the last minute that I only like ginger when it’s pickled with sushi, and the way the dish looked, all whipped and lovely, I would hate to experiment with a spice that I almost always regret. Instead, I added a pinch of salt, some fresh-ground black pepper, and some nutmeg. The changes were most definitely welcome.
Squash and Apple Purée (adapted from The Wednesday Chef’s adaption of Russ Parson)
1/2 potimarron, seeded
1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled and roughly chopped
10-15 g. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Prepare the squash and place it, face down, on a jelly roll pan. Fill the pan with about 1/4 inch water and roast for 20 minutes, until soft. Turn over and roast until slightly golden, about another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you prepare the apple.
Using a spoon, remove the flesh from the skin of the squash and place it in a dish along with the apple. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add the butter and blend until the butter is no longer visible. Add the spices on top, and serve. Preferably with some cut of meat. Yum.
