Anna Sultana’s Zucchini Dip, The Geminid Meteor Showers and December’s Full Cold Moon

We live in an amazing world!

Thanks to the internet I’ve been able to meet folks from around the world, including fellow food bloggers.

A blogger from New Zealand, Carole, recently posted about getting ready for Christmas.

She mentioned that it’s almost summer there.

We’re currently having a blizzard, which isn’t unusual for Winnipeg in December.

But Carole’s post reminded me that sometimes my posts aren’t very helpful to some of my readers.

Sorry about that.

I hope this recipe for a Maltese dip is handy for the fine folks south of the equator.

Hope you enjoy it during the holidays!

This recipe dates from the time the Knights were in charge in Malta. 

Most really traditional Maltese recipes are vegetarian, not because we were ahead of our time, or trying to be politically correct.

We just had more vegetables that meat to eat.

And we sure have a lot of courgette, also known as zucchini!

In the United States, Australia and Germany, the plant is called a zucchini, while in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and South Africa, France and Belgium it is called a courgette. 

In the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand, a fully-grown, matured courgette is referred to as a marrow.

Trivia…

Mature zucchini can be as large as a baseball bat. The longest zucchini was 8 feet 3 inches long and was grown by Giovanni Batista Scozzafava in Niagara Falls, Ontario and measured on August 28, 2014.

The female flower is a golden blossom on the end of each emergent zucchini.

The male flower is borne on the end of a stalk and is longer-lived.

Hints:

If the water evaporates away while cooking, add a little more. 

Don’t overdo the water. You don’t want it to be soupy.

On the other hand, if it looks like there’s too much water, scoop out some.

Set the hot water aside just in case you need it to thin the dip.

You can also serve this as a side dish with steak, chicken or fish.

You can also add raw scrambled eggs to the zucchini mixture before you remove it from the heat. Then you can serve it as a brunch or a light lunch.

                        Zucchini Dip

Chop

1 fully mature zucchini, about 2 pounds

Place in a saucepan

the chopped zucchini 

1 Cup fresh flat parsley, chopped

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

Add 

1 Cup water

On medium heat bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until the squash is tender.

Remove from heat.

Drizzle over the zucchini

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

Mash the zucchini and seasonings together.

Season with

salt and pepper to taste

Serve with bread. Ma’s Hobz is best! 

A drizzle of oil is a nice touch. 

About the sky this week, thanks to the folks at The Farmers' Almanac…

December 8 – Earliest sunset of 2017 at 4º0 N. latitude. This comes two weeks before the winter solstice.

December 10 – Look to the east in the evening to spot the nearly-full Moon and Aldebaran, the reddish “eye of the Bull” (in Taurus) pair up in the sky.

December 11 – 13 – Bundle up for the annual Geminid Meteor Showers! These showers will peak on December 13, but that’s also the date of the full Moon so visibility may be hindered. They’re considered the best meteor showers of the year. The radiant — that spot in the sky where the meteors will appear to emanate — lies just below and to the right of the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini (hence the name, “Geminids”).  Best viewing after midnight when the radiant point is high in the sky, until dawn, no matter where you are. You might even see an earthgrazer (meteors that last several seconds and often begin at the horizon). 

December 12 – The nearly-full waxing gibbous Moon is at perigee, its closest point to Earth in its orbit.

December 13 – December’s Full Cold Moon will be astronomically full at 7:06 p.m. It appears full for three days. Learn more how this month’s full Moon got its name in this short Farmers’ Almanac video.  

Anna Sultana's Butternut Squash Casserole, Maltese Style

Oh, my… less than a month until it’s Christmas!

With all the work and decorating to be done and all the gifts to be bought, it’s time to make some simple, economical meals.

Butternut squash has a smooth beige skin with slightly bulbous base.
They usually weigh between two and three pounds. It has an orange-yellow flesh with a sweet, slightly nutty flavour. 

They are also in season and therefor, cheaper.

I’ve posted these squash recipes:

Ma’s Pumpkin Soup

Butternut Squash Soup, and Roasted Squash

Heart Healthy Mushroom Squash Soup

if you’d like something to add some heft to a dinner why not make a squash casserole?

This is Ma's recipe for a casserole that is similar to scalloped potatoes, but, as with many of Ma's recipes, it is much more nutritious.

Hints:

To prepare a butternut squash cut off both ends of the squash and peel before cutting it lengthwise in half. 

Scoop out and discard the seeds, then cut the squash into cubes or slices. 

Then again, nobody loves peeling squash. 

An easier way is to cut the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place both halves in a pan and bake for 45 minutes at 350º F. 

Remove from the oven, cool for a few minutes, peel and cut into slices. 

Squash can be cut up in advance. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator up to 24 hours before using.

                        Butternut Squash Casserole

Serves 8 as a side dish

Thinly slice

1 small onion

Cook

5 slices bacon (or more)

Cool, crumble and set aside. 

Peel and cut lengthwise in half

1 medium butternut squash

Remove the seeds. 

Cut each half into thin slices.

Layer the slices in a dutch oven.

Add enough water to cover the squash. 

On high heat bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until the squash is tender.

While the squash is cooking, melt in a skillet over medium heat
1 Tablespoon butter 

Add the sliced onion and lower the heat.

Cook and stir 5 minutes.

Stir in
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper 

Cook and stir 1 minute.

Gradually stir in
1 Cup chicken broth 

Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce is thickened. 

Remove from heat and stir in 

1 Cup old cheddar cheese, shredded

Drain squash and arrange half of the slices in a greased 8-inch square baking dish.

Cover with half of the sauce.

Arrange the remaining half of the squash slices on top of the sauce.

Cover with the remaining half of the sauce.

Top with
1/2 Cup old cheddar cheese, shredded 

the crumbled bacon

Heat oven to 350º F 

Bake 35 minutes or until the mixture is heated through. 

About the sky this week, thanks to the folks at The Farmers' Almanac…

November 24 — Hope you topped off your Thanksgiving Dinner by going outside to see The Summer Triangle. It’s high in the western evening sky and still there. Also around this time, in the predawn hours you can look to the southeast sky to see the crescent Moon with Jupiter shining to its upper right and the bluish star Spica well below the Moon and a bit to its right. 

November 27 — The waning gibbous Moon is at apogee, it's farthest from Earth.

November 28 —Barely visible on very dark, clear nights, the planet Uranus is now visible through much of the night among the dim stars of Pisces, the Fishes which this week can be found due south at around 8 p.m. Telescopes show Uranus only as a pale green disk with some fuzzy markings.

November 29— New Moon at 8:27 a.m. Forget it. Just keep looking at Uranus.

Butternut Squash Soup, and Roasted Squash, and the Full Beaver Moon / Supermoon, by Margaret Ullrich

Finally, the election in the United States is over!

It was very stressful for many.

I’m hoping that all the stuff was just Donald Trump telling the voters what he knew they wanted to hear so that he would be elected, but that he will end up being a good president.

A couple of weeks ago I posted the recipe for Ma’s Pumpkin Soup.

Now that Halloween is over, the stores are giving more space to other winter squashes.

A friend asked if the other squashes can be used in a soup, too.

Yes, they can!

Butternut squash is also known as butterscotch squash, butternut pumpkin and gramma. It tastes like pumpkin, so you could also use it in some of your favourite pumpkin recipes. It is a good source of vitamins A, C and E, as well as fiber, manganese, magnesium, and potassium.

Roasting is a popular way to prepare a squash.

The easiest way is to wipe the skin and place it in a pan or on a baking sheet.

Bake it at 400º F for about an hour (times vary a bit because the size varies).

The squash will become soft. 

Just slice, remove the seeds (they’re in the bottom ball part) and serve.

You could also cut the squash in half lengthwise, place the two sections in a pan and lightly brush the cut surfaces with cooking or olive oil.

Or you could put the pieces in a pan, cut side down, and add some water. 

Bake for about 45 minutes or until soft. 

Leftovers can be be mashed and used in casseroles, breads, and muffins.

These recipes would also work with other winter squashes, such as acorn squash.

My favourite is the butternut because it has a nice sweet taste.

Acorn squash could do with a bit of sweetening. 

Maple syrup is nice, as is brown sugar.

Butternut squash can also be grilled.

Place a large sheet of aluminum foil in a pan.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, and place a section, cut side up, on the foil.

Spread a layer of spinach and crumbled feta cheese over the cut surface.

Place the other piece cut side down on the filling.

Tightly wrap the squash and cook on the grill (or you could bake it in the oven).

If you have the time, a butternut can be peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Then place the cubes in a roasting pan that has been lined with foil.

Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and toss the cubes.

Sprinkle over them 2 cloves garlic, minced, and salt and pepper.

Roast in a 400º F oven 25 - 30 minutes, until squash is tender and lightly browned.

Trivia… 

Squash is technically a fruit, because it has seeds, but it is used as a vegetable.

Hints:

Sage and thyme, or nutmeg and cinnamon, also go well with squash.

The seeds are edible, and can be either eaten raw or roasted.

The skin can also be eaten, but toss the knobby cap bit at the end.

Peeling a butternut is a hassle. Here’s a method:

Lay the squash on its side and cut the ball at the bottom off. 

Cut the top from the longer part so you have two cut flat surfaces. 

Stand the tube on one flat end. 

Cut slices of skin from top to bottom. 

Cut the bottom from the large ball. 

Stand the ball on one flat surface. 

Following the contour, cut slices of skin off, from top to bottom. 

Cut in half (top to bottom) to expose the seeds.

Scrape the seeds out and discard or set them aside to be roasted.

  

Leftover cooked squash can also be frozen.

About this soup recipe…

Leftover cooked squash can be used.

If it was roasted it would also have a stronger squash flavour.

You can also adjust the amount of garlic, more or less, and add a pinch of curry powder.

Or, if you’d like it to be a bit hotter, add cayenne powder and a little nutmeg.

The soup can be served hot or cold.

                        Squash Soup

Peel, seed, and cube

1 medium butternut squash

Chop 

1 small onion
1 stalk celery (optional)
1 medium carrot (optional)

2 medium potatoes or sweet potatoes

Melt in a large pot

2 Tablespoons butter

Add the chopped vegetables and the cubed squash.

Cook 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Add

2-3 Cups chicken or vegetable stock (enough to cover the vegetables)

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in

2 Cups chicken or vegetable stock 

Scoop some of the soup into a blender and puree to make it smooth.

If you want the whole soup smooth, repeat until the soup is the way you want it.

If it’s too thick, you can add more stock.

Season with

salt and pepper

Reheat soup, if necessary.

Served with a big dollop of sour cream and crusty bread, such as Ma’s Hobz.

About the sky this week, thanks to the folks at The Farmers' Almanac…

November 12-14 — North Taurids Meteor Shower are expected to peak at this time, with the best viewing direction south 12 – 2 a.m.; however, the light of the waxing gibbous Moon will interfere with visibility. The Taurids are actually two annual meteor showers created by the comet Encke. They are named for constellation Taurus, where they are seen to come from in the sky.

November 14 – At 6 a.m. EST, the Moon will arrive at its closest point to the Earth (known as perigee) in 2016.  Two hours later, at 8:52 a.m. EST, the Moon will officially turn full. This is a true “supermoon” and is the closest full Moon since January 26, 1948! November’s Moon is traditionally named the Full Beaver Moon. 

Watch this short video to see how it got this name.

November 15 – Look to the east in the evening hours to spot the star Aldebaran and the Pleiades Star Cluster above the full Moon. Viewing might be a little difficult because the nearly-full Moon will be bright. Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus, The Bull.

November 17-18 — The Leonids Meteor Showers peak. Best viewing time is between midnight and 5:30 a.m. local time. This meteor shower, named for the constellation Leo, is typically one of the more exciting showers of the year, producing an average of 20-30 meteors per hour. But the light of the waning gibbous Moon may squelch visibility.

Anna Sultana’s Spaghetti Squash, Middle Eastern Style

Last week the Middle Eastern Style recipe for Chicken with Cardamom was popular.

I had posted the link for it on the blog Carole’s Chatter.

It’s written by Carole, a lovely woman of a certain age who lives in New Zealand, an island country southeast of Australia.

Thanks to that, I got a very nice message from Lydia, who lives in Maryland, a state in the southeastern part of the United States.

Such is the shrinking, sharing world of blogging.

Interested in other Middle Eastern Style chicken recipes?

Try

Baked Chicken with Basil and/or Baked Chicken with Curried Fruit

I also got some e mails asking if there was a Middle Eastern Style recipe that could be enjoyed by vegetarians. 

Thank you for asking.  Of course there is.

Spaghetti squash is also called vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, vegetable marrow, spaghetti marrow, and squaghetti.

It has flesh that is similar to other raw squash.

It can be baked, boiled, steamed or microwaved.

Then the flesh can be scraped out with a fork.
You'll get strands like spaghetti.

Served with or without a sauce, it’s a great substitute for pasta.

That's right - this recipe is also gluten-free!!

A two-fer, if you have guests who are so inclined.

Oh, be sure to save the seeds.

They can be roasted, just like pumpkin seeds.

                        Spaghetti Squash (Middle Eastern Style)

Toast

1/2 Cup slivered almonds

Peel the zest from

1 orange

Quarter or slice the orange to use as a garnish.

Cook

1 medium spaghetti squash

Scrape the inside of the squash and set aside.

Discard the rind.

In a dutch oven heat

2 Tablespoons butter 

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Add, stirring

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

3/4 teaspoon coriander

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon allspice

Cook one minute.

Add the squash and stir well to coat the strands with the seasoning.

Place the squash in a large heated serving platter.

Season with 

salt and pepper

Garnish with the orange pieces.

Top with the toasted slivered almonds and the orange zest.

Serve with a mixed green salad.

And do make the cardamom sugar and spice blend!

Anna Sultana's Lampuki and Qara' baghli biz-zalza pikkanti - Fish and Marrows with Piquant Sauce, Maltese Style

One of the things Paul and I have done during summers is fishing.

Our first catfish was a real adventure, both to catch and to eat.

We're not artsy when it comes to fish.

We don't mount them as souvenirs.

We eat them.

When people move to another country they often have to face a change in diet.

Sometimes it's obvious - spaghetti in Italy, tacos in Mexico.

A more subtle problem is the change in what is available in the market.

Learning to cook the local varieties of fish can be a real adventure.

Lampuki, a popular fish in Malta, are in season from August to December.

They migrate in the Mediterranean Sea.

Lampuki won't even go near Sicily, so guess what my chances are of finding them in a store in the north end of Winnipeg, on the Canadian prairies.

Ma faced the same problem when she went to the store in College Point.

She often cooked bluefish, which was easily available.

Especially during the summer, when we went on Sunday drives to Sheepshead Bay.

Pop used to buy bluefish fresh from the fellows who liked to go fishing, but who didn't like to eat that stuff.  

This was in the 1960s, when real American men ate red meat.

Yeah, and dropped like flies from high cholesterol.

I mentioned Ma's recipe Lampuki biz-zalza pikkanti back in 2010.

But I didn't give exact measurements.  

Sorry about that.

The main trick to substituting for a Maltese fish recipe is to get a fish with a bit of density to it.  

Sole will just melt to mush in most Maltese recipe.

Bluefish worked well in Ma's recipes. 

                        Lampuki biz-zalza pikkanti

Zalza pikkanti

Place in a large skillet and heat

2 tablespoons olive oil

Add

2 onions, sliced

Fry until golden.

Add

1 clove garlic, minced 

3 Tablespoons tomato paste

Cook for about 3 minutes.

Add

1 Tablespoon sugar

6 olives, chopped

1 Tablespoon capers, chopped

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Cup meat stock 

Simmer for at least an hour.

While the sauce is simmering, prepare the fish:

Combine on a plate

1/2 Cup flour

salt and pepper

Cut into slices across the bone

1 medium sized lampuka, cleaned

Dip the slices into the seasoned flour.

Fry the slices in hot oil until golden brown.

When slightly cooled remove the bones and skin.

Place the fish in a warm platter.

Pour the sauce over the fish.

Lampuki biz-zalza pikkanti can be served hot or cold.

Some people wonder what vegetable would go well with a sauced fish.

With the Lampuki you could serve Qara' bagħli.

Qara' bagħli biz-zalza pikkanti are Marrows with Piquant Sauce.

Yes, the same Piquant Sauce. 

Marrow is just another name for squash.

Ma said sweet potato squash was popular in Malta. 

It's similar to zucchini.

But the sauce would go well with any squash you have.

While the sauce is simmering, prepare the marrow:

Wash and slice

marrows, about 2 pounds

Fry them until both sides are golden.

Place them in a warm platter.

Qara' bagħli biz-zalza pikkanti can be served hot or cold.

You could make a quick dinner by placing the fried marrows in a casserole, 

then topping them with the fish and sauce.

Tuck the casserole in the refrigerator and you're set for a cold dinner.

Some crusty bread would be nice for dipping into the sauce.

Heart Healthy Mushroom Squash Soup

You may have noticed the Red Dress Campaign last month.

If you didn't have time to check it out, no problem.

You can visit The Heart Truth website now.

You can even email them a question through the site.

It does have a few sponsors.

Like The Heart and Stroke Foundation.

And it does have recipes.

A nice soup would be perfect right about now.

                        Mushroom and Roasted Squash Soup

Makes 5 servings. 

Cook time: 45 minutes  

Ingredients: 

1 small butternut squash, about 1 kg/2 lbs 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

25 mL (2 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley 

5 mL (1 tsp) curry powder (optional) 

1 mL (1/4 tsp) freshly ground pepper 

1 L (4 cups) no salt added chicken broth 

10 mL (2 tsp) canola oil 

1 pkg (227 g/8 oz) mushrooms, thinly sliced 

5 mL (1 tsp) chopped fresh rosemary or 1 mL/1/4 tsp dried 

5 mL (1 tsp) chopped fresh thyme or 2 mL/1/2 tsp dried 

25 mL (2 tbsp) goat cheese (optional)   

Peel and remove seeds from squash.  

Chop squash into 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces and place in large bowl.  

Add 3 of the garlic cloves, parsley, curry powder, if using, pepper  

and 75 mL (1/3 cup) of the chicken broth and stir to coat.  

Spread onto parchment paper lined baking sheet and  

roast in 220 C (425 F) oven for about 40 minutes or until tender and golden.  

Meanwhile, in large non-stick skillet heat oil over medium high heat and 

cook mushrooms, remaining garlic, rosemary and thyme for about 8 minutes  

or until golden brown and liquid has evaporated; set aside.  

Scrape butternut squash into blender and puree  

with 500 mL (2 cups) of the broth until smooth.  

Pour into saucepan and add remaining broth.  

Bring to a simmer.  

Ladle into soup bowls and top with mushrooms  

and crumble goat cheese on top to serve.  

Tip: For added texture and flavour, you can stir in mushrooms when simmering instead of sprinkling them on top.  

Recipe developed by Emily Richards, PH Ec. © Heart and Stroke Foundation, 2012.