Squash, grapes, pumpkins fall into flavor
Posted on Wednesday, October 1, 2008
That chill in the air means it’s time to let onions, squash, grapes, pears and pumpkins take a seat at your dinner table.
Here are two recipes, Spice Rubbed Chicken and Curry Pumpkin Soup, from the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine to get you started.
Nestled beneath the chicken as it cooks, onions are a roasting rack and a flavorful side dish. A rustic rub of cinnamon, paprika, cumin and coriander gives the chicken bold color. Using canned pumpkin makes the soup quick to prepare. Pumpkin pie spice and a hit of curry give the dish a bright, seasonal flavor.
Roasting chickens are larger than broiler / fryer chickens and tend to be juicier. They’re ideal for whole-roasting and rotisserie cooking. Spice-Rubbed Chicken 4 cups thickly sliced or quartered red, white, and / or yellow onions, peeled 1 / 2 teaspoon salt, divided use 1 (5- to 6-pound ) whole roasting chicken 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 / 4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 / 4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 / 8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons olive oil Chard leaves, optional Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large shallow roasting pan, place half the onions in an even layer. Sprinkle with 1 / 4 teaspoon of the salt; set aside. Fold chicken neck skin onto chicken back, secure with small skewer; tie legs to tail with kitchen string. Tie wings close to body or twist wing tips up and tuck under back of chicken.
In small bowl, combine sugar, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg and remaining 1 / 4 teaspoon salt. Brush chicken all over with olive oil. Sprinkle chicken with spice mixture and rub in with fingers. Place chicken, breast side up, atop onions in pan. If desired, insert meat thermometer into center of inside thigh muscle. (Thermometer should not touch bone. ) Loosely cover with foil.
Roast 1 hour. Remove foil. Add remaining onions to pan. Roast, uncovered, 30 minutes; cut strings on legs and wings. Roast 30 to 45 minutes more or until drumsticks move easily in their sockets and chicken is no longer pink (180 degrees in thigh ). Cover with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before carving. Serve chicken with roasted onions and chard leaves.
Makes 6 to 8 servings. Curry Pumpkin Soup With Orange-Cranberry Topping Topping: 1 / 2 cup dried cranberries 1 tablespoon finely shredded orange peel 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley Soup: 2 tablespoons butter 2 medium onions, chopped (1 cup ) 1 medium carrot, chopped (1 / 2 cup ) 1 / 2 cup chopped celery 1 teaspoon curry powder 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 2 (15-ounce ) cans pumpkin 2 (14-ounce ) cans chicken broth 2 / 3 cup water 1 cup half-and-half OR light cream Salt, to taste 1 / 4 teaspoon ground black pepper In small bowl, combine dried cranberries, orange peel and flatleaf parsley. Set aside.
In 4-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrot and celery. Cook, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add curry powder and pumpkin pie spice. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add pumpkin, broth and water. Increase heat to mediumhigh; bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
In food processor or blender, add one-third of the pumpkin mixture at a time, cover, and process or blend until smooth. Return all pumpkin mixture to Dutch oven.
(The recipe can be prepared ahead to this point and refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months. To serve, thaw, reheat, and proceed with recipe. )
Stir half-and-half, salt and pepper into pumpkin mixture; heat through. Sprinkle each serving with Orange-Cranberry Topping.
Makes 8 servings.
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