Dishes drenched in remembrance

Written for the Los Altos Town Crier

October is a month of memory-infused cooking for me. It is harvest season in the fields and in my heart as I bring loved ones and past times to life through food. A recipe’s capacity to hold events and lives is a primary reason I so love cooking. There are times when I feel myself moving my hands just as my mom would have when making one of her recipes. These moments fill me with deep connection and comfort. 

My nostalgic mood aligns with the current temperament of the natural world, where the toil of months of growth gives way to release and rest. Strolls in my neighborhood offer the setting to languish in the letting go of autumn and plan dishes that bring loved ones to my mind and to my table. 

Celebrating the flavors of the autumn    

In my 20s, I had a talented and hilarious friend named John. He was real and righteous; he was also battling a recurrence of colon cancer. With his diagnosis uncommon for a man in his early 30s, John and his wife decided to leave the Bay Area to be nearer to family. We hosted a going away dinner that was equal parts indulgent and cancer-fighting. 

I created this butternut squash soup recipe for that evening. I’ve been making it ever since and happily conjuring up memories of John and his wife when I do. When I made it for a recent ladies’ poker party, it received rave reviews. John would have approved of the warming bowls of soup and my latest foyer into light gambling.

In more recent years, I’ve learned of the benefits of adding a strip of kombu – a dark-brown seaweed – from cancer cooking phenom Rebecca Katz. 

John’s butternut squash soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 6-inch strip of kombu

Heat a large Dutch oven or other soup pot over medium on stove. Add olive oil. When it begins to shimmer, add diced onions. Season with salt and cook until translucent, 6-8 minutes. Add chopped apple and butternut squash. Stir well so that all ingredients are mixed. Sauté for 3 minutes and then add garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute, then add curry powder, garam masala, paprika, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Add vegetable broth and maple syrup and stir. Finally, add kombu. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for 20-30 minutes. Remove and discard the kombu. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth (or working in batches, blend in standing blender). 

Serve with crème fraiche and toasted pepita seeds. 

Cozy, comforting dinner for two

My second favorite sentimental meal is chicken roasted atop stale bread and served over a salad. Believe me, croutons made this way are some of the best you’ll ever have. 

The inspiration came from years gone by when Sunday dinner meant the entire family and various gathered guests – usually some teenage friends of my kids – gathered around our dining table. 

I would make something different each week, but a standout was always the Sundays when I served a mini-Thanksgiving dinner. Roasted chicken rather than turkey, but always stuffing on the side. 

With fewer diners around my table these days, this version, made with chicken breasts as opposed to a whole bird, gives me all the flavors and all of the memories wrapped up in a more dinner-for-two appropriate size.

The idea of roasting the chicken atop stale bread is inspired by the roasted iconic chicken served at Zuni Café in San Francisco, which is served beside an incredible bread salad. 

Harvest roast chicken salad

• 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• Handful of fresh thyme springs
• Three garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil or butter
• 3-4 slices stale bread
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon crème fraiche

Preheat oven to 425 F. Season chicken well with salt and pepper. Place garlic under the skin of chicken. Lightly oil the bread slices and then place in shallow roasting pan. Lay thyme sprigs atop of bread. Then lay chicken breast over. Drizzle the crème fraiche over the chicken and spread out to fully cover both pieces. 

Roast for 35-40 minutes or until skin is golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove chicken from roasting pan and set aside to rest. Remove toasted bread and cut into large croutons. 

When chicken has rested – 10 minutes or so, remove skin and chop into pieces. Assemble salad and top with chicken, dressing and croutons.

Salad

• 2 cups of arugula 
• 3 cups salad greens of choice (I like butter lettuce for this)
• 1 large, ripe nectarine (or use pear or apple as the seasons change)
• 1 cup garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta

Shallot vinaigrette 

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1-2 tablespoons of water

Place vinegar and diced shallots in a bowl. Allow to sit for a few minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well, until fully incorporated. Dress salad just before serving.