[1] Turn a delicata squash into an edible vase (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

[2] An edible delicata squash vase from Olmstead | Brooklyn.

[3] Domestic speck from La Quercia in Iowa.

[4] Domestic prosciutto from La Quercia (photos #3 and #4 courtesy Murray’s Cheese). Prosciutto and speck look almost identical in photos. The difference is in the flavor and aroma. See why below.

Olmstead, in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, New York, is one of two New York City restaurants that was named to the list of James Beard Award-winning restaurants of 2017 (the other is Le Coucou).

These delicata squash vases are one of chef Greg Baxtrom’s favorite seasonal dishes. Multiply this recipe by the number of servings you’d like.

For a vegetarian course, substitute thin curls of a hard cheese like parmesan or aged gouda for the prosciutto/speck.
 
 
RECIPE: DELICATE SQUASH VASES

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Cut the bottom off the squash so it has a level base, slice it in half and scoop out the seeds. Then slice it in half horizontally, to create two “vases” (you’ll have four pieces, and will use two pieces to make one vase). Season with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes or until tender.

2. REDUCE the heat to 325°F and bake the prosciutto/speck on a baking sheet until crispy.

3. HEAT the cooking oil to 300°F and fry the sage for 20 seconds. Remove and set on paper towels to drain.

4. SEASON the ricotta with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Clean the lettuce and mustard greens. Slice the pear thinly on a mandoline. Dress the lettuce greens and pear with salt, pepper, olive oil and sherry vinegar

5. ASSEMBLE: Stand up two halves of the squash and fill it halfway with ricotta. Build the vase, adding lettuces to make the bouquet. Decorate the lettuce bouquet with strips of crispy ham, pear slices and sage.
 
 
WHAT IS DELICATA SQUASH?

The delicata is a winter squash, a cream-colored cylindrical shape with green stripes. It is a member of the genus/species Cucurbita pepo, which also includes pattypan squash, pumpkin, yellow crookneck squash, yellow summer squash and zucchini.

Delicata refers to its delicate rind, which can be eaten. Along with its creamy texture, delicata makes a perfect edible vase. It is often stuffed with meat or vegetable mixtures.

Delicata squash is most commonly baked, but can also be microwaved, sautéed and steamed. The seeds can be toasted and eaten.

Indigenous to North and Central America, squash were introduced to early European settlers by Native Americans. References to the delicata date to 1856. While the standard delicata is grows on vines, sweeter bush varieties have been introduced and sold with proprietary names such as Honey Boat and Sugar Loaf [source].

Delicata is not as rich in beta-carotene as other winter squashes, but is a good source of dietary fiber and potassium, with smaller amounts of vitamins B and C, magnesium and manganese.

Delicata is also known as Bohemian squash, peanut squash and sweet potato squash. They are easy to grow, mature roughly 105 days after germinating. After harvested, you’ll need to cure them for approximately a week in a warm, dry place, protected from frost. A garage works.

Prosciutto and speck are very similar hams, both made from the hind leg of the pig, rubbed with salt and spices.

If you’re a sushi lover, you’ve invariably had—or at least seen—kappa maki. It’s a sushi roll (maki) filled with cucumber, and often garnished with sesame seeds.

Most of us assumed that kappa is the Japanese word for cucumber. Today we discovered differently.

The kappa is a well-known Japanese mythological creature, a water imp that inhabits rivers and ponds.

Threats of the kappa have been used to warn children of the dangers lurking in rivers and lakes. A kappa may try to lure them into water, and pull them down.

Tke kappa is a trickster. It is typically depicted as roughly humanoid with scaly reptilian skin, about the size of a child.

Cucumber is their favorite meal. Hence, kappa maki was named for them. The Japanese word for regular cucumber is kyuuri.

Here’s more about the kappa.

[2] Be sure to use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar and spices (photo courtesy Libby).

[3] Libby and other brands offer organic pumpkin purée (photo courtesy Libby).

[4] Enjoy the pretzels with a glass of stout (photo courtesy American Craft Beer).

Fall begins at 4:02 today, the autumnal equinox.

An equinox is the moment in which the plane of Earth’s equator passes through the center of the Sun’s disk. This means that the Sun is exactly overhead at a point on the equator. It occurs twice each year.

 
That’s the science lesson; now for the treat.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN & STOUT PRETZELS

This recipe, sent to us from the CraftBeer.com website of the Brewers Association, is a treat you can serve through the end of the year. Buttery, salty and sweet, the pretzels are enhanced favorite fall spices: cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.

The plain, uncoated pretzels can be frozen. Just wrap them in plastic wrap and place in a zipper-sealed plastic freezer bag. When ready to serve, thaw, brush with butter and toss them in the sugar-spice mixture.

The recipe was developed by Sandy Smith of Growlers And Lace.com. Prep time is 1.5 hours.

Serve them with a glass of stout or other favorite beer (the different types of beer).

Ingredients For 10-12 Large Pretzels

 
For The Topping

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the stout, pumpkin pureée and brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until very warm but not hot (no hotter than 110°F). Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle yeast over the pumpkin mixture. Stir and let stand 5 minutes. At the end of that time, the yeast should be “blooming.”

2. ADD the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt and spices to the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in the pumpkin-yeast mixture, add the oil and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to moisten the dry ingredients. If the dough is too dry, add another tablespoon or two of stout. Using the dough hook attachment…

3. KNEAD on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until the dough forms a smooth ball around the hook and doesn’t cling to the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add additional flour, a tablespoon at a time. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 45 minutes. The dough won’t quite double, but it should have a decent lift.

5. BRING a stockpot or other large pot of water just to a boil. Add the baking soda carefully (it will bubble aggressively for a moment). Stir to dissolve. Boil the pretzels in batches for about a minute, turning halfway through.
Remove pretzels from water bath and let drain for a minute on clean towels. While you’re boiling the pretzels…

6. PREHEAT the oven to 450°F. Place boiled pretzels on the parchment-lined and sprayed baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Transfer the pretzels to a rack to cool completely. While they’re cooling…

7. COMBINE the sugars, spices and salt in a pie plate or a similarly-rimmed dish. Brush the pretzels with a very light coat of melted butter, then toss in sugar-spice mixture until coated. Ideally, serve warm.
________

*If you buy yeast in 1 pound packages instead of individual packets, the equivalent to a single yeast packet is 2.25 teaspoons.
 
  

Before deli departments were fully incorporated into our nation’s supermarkets, many larger cities had small, independent delicatessens, typically patronized by immigrants who sought a taste of the homeland. These delis predominantly served cold cuts, typically on display in loaf or sausage form, to be sliced and served cold.

For instance, bologna, now considered quintessentially American and a kid favorite, has ties to Bologna, Italy where mortadella is a beloved sausage meat. Liverwurst? That’s an Americanized version of German leberwurst, or liver sausage, another kid favorite.

We recently discovered that one savvy food company, Freshpet, is catering to the other “kid” in the family: the beloved dog or cat.

FRESHPET = NUTRITIOUS, FRESH PET FOOD

Freshpet offers all-natural pet food made from scratch with the freshest ingredients; which is why their products, including their loaf styled Freshpet Select, are only sold in a special pet refrigerated section at supermarkets and pet stores.

Ingredients are sourced from the U.S., which delivers a much safer product for those who remember pet-threatening tainted grains from China and other dangerous vittles from countries less vigilant about food monitoring.

Since the fresh ingredients are domestic, including veggies grown at local farms, the packaging features a small American flag.

The Freshpet product line is varied to meet all picky tastes: Freshpet Select Stews, varied fresh meats in resealable bags to mix in with other food, and tasty rewards such as Dog Nation Treats, Dog Joy Treats, among other choices.

Freshpet prepares its varied and full product line in the company’s own kitchens. Their chicken and beef are gently cooked at low temperatures, which maximize nutrient retention including vital amino acids, the basic building blocks that help your pet thrive.

Equally important: there are no preservatives, almost unheard of in the billion-dollar pet food industry. Your pet enjoys the same high-quality ingredients that you use to cook a well-balanced, delicious meal.
 
A BOON FOR AILING PETS

How did we manage to become familiar with Freshpet? We worried about our ailing dachshund, Liesel. Under the weather, paralyzed from a back injury and heavily sedated, Liesel had lost her appetite.

The dog’s vet advised that home-cooked “human” meals were only a short-term solution, because only a high-quality dog food offers those crucial, canine- specific nutrients necessary for healing and eventual recovery. Human food just doesn’t have the nutrient mix for sustaining a dog’s health.

[3] Freshpet Select Roasted Meals Chicken with Carrots & Spinach.(photos courtesy Freshpet).

For more information visit Freshpet.com and sign up for Twitter.com/Freshpet.

—E. B. Wyer

[1] Biotta, king of bottled organic juices, is available in 10 flavors (photo courtesy Biotta).

[2] An egg-cellent grab-and-go snack from Pete & Gerry’s.

[3] Tasty, hydrating watermelon juice Photo courtesy Tsamma Juice | AJC.

This edition of Top Pick Of The Week contains the tastiest good-for-you products. Our Top Pick, Biotta Organic Juices, is joined by two other favorites-of-the-week.

1. BIOTTA ORGANIC JUICES

Juicing is hot, but you don’t have to go to a juice bar for a satisfying, healthful glass of vegetable or fruit juice.

Biotta Juices, imported from Switzerland, raise the juice bar about as high as it can go. An early organic producer—since 1957—they make juices that are beyond delicious. They’re exciting, vibrant and organic to boot.

How do they get those delicious flavors?

 
Each of the juices offers different health and nutrition benefits. The line includes:

 
These juices are more than just sippers. You can cook with them, make ice cream and sorbet, turn them into kickin’ cocktails, use them as gazpacho or fruit soup bases.

Beetroot Martini? You can keep it organic with the fine organic gin and vodka from the Organic Spirits Company.

Frozen yogurt pops? Yes, and you won’t believe how good beet and carrot yogurt pops are.

The line is certified USDA organic, vegan and Non-GMO Project Verified. It is available at retailers nationwide and online. See more at BiottaJuices.com.
 
 
2. PETE & GERRY’S ORGANIC HARD-BOILED EGGS

Should your eggs come from small family farms, or from faceless factory farms, asks Pete & Gerry’s.

These fourth-generation family farmers have been selling high-quality organic eggs for more than 60 years. As pioneers of humane and environmentally sustainable egg production, Pete & Gerry’s produced many of the first organic and free-range eggs available in supermarkets. They were the first Certified Humane egg farm in the country.

To make their quality eggs available more widely, Pete & Gerry’s joined with some 45 other independent, small family farms that produce eggs to their specifications. The network of farms span seven states, with more to come. The commitment is to stay small.

Products include dozens and half dozens cartons of eggs, liquid egg whites, and the latest: Hard Boiled, Peeled and Ready to Eat packs.

The latter are great grab-and-go snacks, halved or quartered into salads, sliced onto sandwiches or chopped into egg salad.

Learn more at PeteAndGerrys.com.
 
 
3. TSAMMA WATERMELON JUICE

Some 12 years ago, we were madly in love with Sundia Watermelon Juice, liquid watermelon in a bottle. When the line was discontinued, we scoured markets for a replacement.

That’s because it takes a pound of watermelon to make 12 ounces of watermelon juice. Our small kitchen has no space for a juicer.

But other brands didn’t taste pure, like Sundia. They tasted like Jolly Rancher. Some brands include the bottom white portion and rind, which are nutritious but add unwanted flavor components. Heartbroken, we couldn’t even finish the bottles.

A new entry has cheered us: Tsamma Watermelon Juice. The name pays homage to the Tsamma melon, a variety was first cultivated in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa, “the ancient ancestor of all watermelon varieties.” Tsamma juices are made of good old American watermelons, but the name stands out.

The brand offers pure watermelon juice and a watermelon-coconut water blend.

Watermelon juice is packed with nutrition:

 
As with Biotta juices, you can use Tsamma in cocktails and other recipes, and freeze it into ice pops. Discover more at TsammaJuice.com.

The line is certified kosher by Star K.