Another week gone, another Dark Days Challenge report. I had a hard time coming up with something “Spotlight-worthy” this week since, although I have been eating fully locally, it does get to be monotony around this time of year. I finally settled on butternut squash polenta. I used cornmeal from Gray’s Grist Mill (which I am happy to have available in my zone!). The butternut squash and onion are from my winter stores, coming from George Hall Farm. Milk from Smyth’s Trinity Dairy, maple syrup from Blue Heron Farm.
The recipe:
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups pureed butternut squash (I leave the skin on)
3 cups water
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup cornmeal
maple syrup for drizzling (optional)
Sautee onion until golden and soft (I don’t even need oil, the onion gives off enough liquid). Add in pureed squash, cook about 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the water, milk, salt, and pepper to a boil in a heavy pot, then add the cornmeal in a thin stream, stirring to prevent sticking. Then turn down to a low simmer, cooking about 10 minutes and stir frequently. Add in the squash mixture, and cook/stir about 30 minutes, adding liquid as needed to prevent sticking/clumping. Remove from heat when it reaches desired thickness, and eat immediately! I drizzled the maple syrup over part of the polenta. It would be too sweet to eat the whole dish that way, but for a bit, it was good.
Take a look at the process:
Oh, and a new discovery: Vermont websites seem to have a lot of local recipes/resources. Even though they are out of my zone, the winter food is similar, so it can be useful. I found these two last week: (1) The Mad River Valley localvore project in Vermont provides resources and recipes to get through a winter eating locally. The recipe page is divided into meals, so it is easy to navigate. Lots of vegetarian options, which I was glad to see. Once the ideas are there, a reader can adapt and spin off new dishes. (2) Pete’s Greens, a CSA that includes vegetable recipes using winter crops/stores. Pete’s is organized by vegetable, so it helps when the reader is blessed with a glut of, say, turnips or potatoes. This might be a way to break out of the winter sameness…
