What kind of tacos are right for the season? Pumpkin tacos! Or at least, butternut squash tacos.
 
 
PUMPKIN: AN ALL-AMERICAN

Pumpkins and all other squash species originated in Central America more than 7,500 years ago. The oldest domesticated pumpkin seeds found to date are from the Oaxaca Highlands in southwest Mexico.

The original pumpkins bore little resemblance to today’s large, bright orange, sweet variety. They were small and bitter.

Domestication and breeding produced the pumpkins we know today. Brought to North America, pumpkins were a welcome food for the winter. Their thick skin and solid flesh were ideal for storing and consumption during months of scarcity.

The Pilgrims (1620) and other Europeans immigrating to America were introduced to pumpkin by Native Americans. The first known pumpkin recipe they made was found in a book from the early 1670s: a side dish made from diced pumpkin, cooked down and blended with butter and spices (as acorn squash, butternut squash and sweet potatoes are prepared today).

During the 17th century, housewives developed an inventory of pumpkin recipes, the most popular of which remains [drum roll…] pumpkin pie.

In the 1800s it became stylish to serve sweetened pumpkin dishes during holiday dinners. The first proclamation for “national days of prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving” led to an observance on November 28, 1782. Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been an official annual holiday, by proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln.

Back to the tacos…
 
 
RECIPE #1: CHICKEN-PUMPKIN TACOS

This recipe was sent to us from Gilt City, which teamed up with Santa Monica-based Taco Teca to create something new for National Taco Day (October 4th). We’ve slightly adapted the recipe.
 
Ingredients Per Taco

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the grill to medium/high heat for 10 minutes prior to grilling. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

[2] A sugar pumpkin and a jack-o-lantern (photo © Baking Bites).

[3] Arbol chiles (photo © Rancho Gordo).

3. CHOP the butternut squash into cubes and place them on a roasting tray. Place in the oven and roast until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

4. CHOP the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces and place them in a saute pan with the salsa. Simmer for 10 minutes.

5. REMOVE the chicken from the saute pan directly onto the center of the tortilla. Top with the butternut squash and queso fresco and garnish with cilantro. Serve with a side of cranberry sauce and a pumpkin ale.
 
 
RECIPE #2: SALSA MULATTO

This recipe is from Mexican-Authentic-Recipes.com.

Mulatto salsa takes just 5 minutes to make. It is quite hot because it is prepared with arbol chiles. If you’d like less heat, use an equivalent weight of aji amarillo or serrano chiles. Check out the heat levels of different chiles on the Scoville Scale.

The texture of the mulatto salsa is soft and oily, unlike the condiment salsas most Americans know.

Ingredients For 1 Cup

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the chiles on a griddle over medium heat and roast for about 40 seconds, turning regularly, until all sides are lightly roasted. Transfer to a blender.

2. ADD the garlic, oil and salt. Blend well.
  

[1] and [2] Buy lots—you’ll love Noosa Mexican Chocolate Yoghurt (photo courtesy Noosa). [3] Actual Mexican chocolate is melted into hot chocolate (photo courtesy Taza Chocolate). In the rear: the roasted cacao beans from which chocolate is made.

Just when you think there’s nothing more to discover in yogurt, you get a surprise:

Noosa Mexican Chocolate Yoghurt (that’s how yogurt is spelled in Australia).

We’ve tried other brands’ attempts at chocolate yogurt, but they had only a hand-shaking acquaintance with chocolatey indulgence. Noosa gets it right.

One of our favorite brands and a Top Pick Of The Week, Noosa is a whole-milk yogurt, which gives it the richness and creaminess of a good dessert.

The new Mexican Chocolate flavor is ¡delicioso! It’s made with Fair Trade cocoa powder, a splash of cinnamon and a dash of cayenne.

It leaves you saying “Mas! Mas! Mas!” and recommending it to every yogurt-eater you know. We promise!

Here’s a store locator.
 
WHY IS IT “MEXICAN” CHOCOLATE?

Cacao was first cultivated in Mesoamerica by the Olmecs, around 1200 B.C.E.; who taught it to the Mayas, who taught it to the conquering Aztecs.

In the New World it was a beverage for the wealthy and elite, an unsweetened beverage, flavored with cinnamon, chiles, cornmeal, musk, peppercorns and vanilla.

The Spanish conquistadors, who arrived in 1527, didn’t like the drink at all. But they brought the beans back to Spain, where chefs “Europeanized” it with milk and sugar, keeping the cinnamon but leaving out the chiles, cornmeal, musk and peppercorns.

In the 19th century, a method for making hard chocolate bars was invented in England. The technique traveled back to the land of origin, where Mexicans flavored their hard chocolate with cinnamon, sugar and almonds.

But, true to tradition, they turned those hard disks back into a beverage: hot chocolate!

Here’s a history of chocolate timeline.

And for true foodies, here’s the full history.
 
ARE YOU A CHOCOLATE LOVER?

Test your knowledge of chocolate in THE NIBBLE’s Chocolate Section.

You might want to start out with our Chocolate Glossary: all the terms you need to know to become a chocolate expert.

Are you thrilled with your current food storage containers?

Is there some improvement that you’d like?

Take a look at the new Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage System: It has it all.
 
WHAT YOU GET

This new line of storage containers sets a standard in fabrication and utility. We’re so excited about the Brilliance line. Nothing has been left out!

 
FIVE SIZES

There’s everything from mini, to to store cut garlic and onions, to large, which holds the contents of an entire pot of stew.

 
WHERE TO FIND BRILLIANCE

The containers available at major retailers nationwide, including:

[1] Store anything, beautifully. [2] The 100% leak-proof design lets you transport soups, dressed salads, anything. [3] An airtight solution for marinating. [4] The containers are a permanent gift, after the cookies are gone (all photos courtesy Rubbermaid).

 
If your goal is to better organize in the new year, treat yourself. The result: Brilliance!

Discover more at Rubbermaid.com.
 
________________
*Confusion alert: Manufacturers and retailers often call what consumers would think of as an 11-unit set as as 22 pieces, counting the bases and lids separately.

Bacon, bacon, everywhere: That’s what you’ll have with a container of bacon sea salt. Crumbled bacon is blended with crunchy sea salt and a hint of spices.

There are countless ways to use it. For starters:

 
A four-ounce container is $9.73. Larger sizes are available.

Get yours at FoodShedExchange.com.

Express your inner artist by turning miniature pumpkins into bowls for pumpkin soup.

The next fun part is garnishing them with whatever appeals to you. Some of our favorites:

 
Below:

> Pumpkin soup recipes.

>The different types of soup: bisque, broth, chowder, consommé, chowder, etc.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The different types of soup: a photo glossary.

> The history of soup.

> The history of pumpkins.

> The year’s 8 pumpkin holidays.

> The year’s 18+ soup and stew holidays.
 
 
PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPES

 
 
THE DIFFERENCES: BROTH, CHOWDER, SOUP & MORE

[1] Get a mini pumpkin for each serving (photo © Tablespoon).

[2] This recipe has a garnish of mint pesto (photo Annabelle Breakey | Sunset Magazine).

[3] This recipe has a garnish of sage pesto and fried pumpkin seeds. Here’s the recipe (photo courtesy Half Baked Harvest).

[4] This recipe has a simple garnish of creme fraiche* and pimenton*. Here’s the recipe (photo © Noob Cook).

 

[5] If you’re in the chips, garnish your pumpkin soup with black or white truffles and enjoy it with a glass of Champagne (photo © Taittinger Champagne).
 
 

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