Red and orange food
This week on Table Talk: Red and Orange. Food that is.
On Thursday, October 15, at 10 a.m. PT, 1 p.m. ET, Kim O’Donnel had a live chat about gorgeously hued food.
Kim, a trained chef and longtime food journalist, offers suggestions, links, recipes, and commentary in her weekly chats. It’s an hour of good-food camaraderie and helpful information.
If couldn’t make it on Thursday, you’re welcome to email Kim a question or comment at tabletalk [at] culinate [dot] com, or place a comment below.
| Table Talk with Kim O'Donnel - Oct. 15, 2009 | (10/15/2009) |
| 9:46 | Kim ODonnel: Carrots, persimmons and pumpkins, oh my! Cranberries, pomegranates and end-of-season red bell peppers, too! Due to popular demand, today's chat is all about red & orange food, from apples to quinces, apricots to tomaters. Join the celebration at the top of the hour. |
| 10:02 | Kim ODonnel: Hello and welcome to our red & orange party! It's an hour-celebration of anything you love to eat/drink in these glorious hues. Talk to me, share the pigmented love. |
| 10:05 | Kim ODonnel: it's amazing just how much we eat is in the orange and red family (and I'm not including Cheetos): Cherries, strawberries and razzies, tomatoes, chiles, sweet peppers, peaches, apricots, cranberries, red beans, red quinoa, winter squash, sweet potatoes, ruby grapefruit, blood orange, beets, carrots...what else? |
| 10:16 | Kim C.: Sorry for the technical difficulties, folks. |
| 10:17 | Kim C.: Kim, I just bought the first pomegranate of the season. I'll probably just cut into it and throw the seeds on our salads. Any other ideas, though? |
| 10:17 | Kim ODonnel: I like to use pom seeds as garnish -- often in rice (looks like jewels on snow) & other grains, as well as part of a onion tart... |
| 10:18 | [Comment From Carrie Oliver ]
Yay, you're here now. Pomegranate seeds are great on cereal esp. grapenuts (fav. as kid). |
| 10:18 | Kim ODonnel: Hey Carrie, sorry for the technical gaffe -- thanks for joining! do you use fresh or dried seeds? |
| 10:19 | [Comment From Guest ]
yay! hi! i just saw a red and orange recipe in WaPo yesterday that sounds amazing.... Italian Vegetable Stew |
| 10:19 | Kim C.: I've never had dried pom seeds! Where do you get them. |
| 10:19 | Kim ODonnel: Hey Guest, tell us what's in that stew? |
| 10:20 | Kim ODonnel: Apparently dried seeds are available in jars in specialty stores. Not cheap, but apparently go a long way. A friend was just lauding their intense flavor yesterday. |
| 10:20 | [Comment From redweather ]
red peppers, carrots (YUM!) tomatos, and lots more veg..... |
| 10:20 | Kim ODonnel: Red weather, Sounds like something along the lines of a ratatouille, no? |
| 10:23 | Kim ODonnel: Tamarillos. I think the last time I had them was in Barbados. Was just looking at Elizabeth Schneiders book and she says you gotta cook them for best results b/c peel is tough/acrid. Any one w/ thoughts on tamarillo? |
| 10:23 | [Comment From redweather ]
hmmmm - i hadn't thought about it that way, but oui oui! |
| 10:23 | [Comment From chiquita ]
how do you open a pomegranate? |
| 10:24 | Kim ODonnel: Chiquita, slice in half. Fill a bowl with water. Break pom into bowl. Allow to sit in water for a few. Helps to ease removal of membrane from seeds. |
| 10:26 | Kim ODonnel: Thanks for link! Poms are a little bit of work, but lots of fun & the seeds do keep in an airtight container in fridge for a bit. |
| 10:27 | Kim ODonnel: Not quite orange, but I have a spaghetti squash in my midst, and a friend was telling me that if I stick the whole thing in the oven (no slicing whatsoever), it cooks more quickly, as there's an internal steam action going on...Anyone w/ other winter squash tricks? |
| 10:30 | Kim ODonnel: One thing I miss about being on the east coast is locally grown sweet potatoes, as in Virginia. Something about the climate in Washington state that doesn't make this a reality. Sweets are one of my fave fall eats & I'm only seeing them from California at the supermarket, not at the farm market. |
| 10:30 | Kim ODonnel: That said, the squash variety in this part of the country is outstanding. And I can get local cranberries! |
| 10:30 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
When it comes to winter squash, roasting is always my biggest friend. I like puree winter squashes too and mix it in different things. |
| 10:31 | Kim ODonnel: Heather, I agree. Squash is great fun to puree, mixing it w/ apple and/or pear, fennel, ginger, herbs... |
| 10:31 | [Comment From Carrie Oliver ]
Only trick I know for winter squash is to eat 'em. For sweet potatoes, how do you like to prepare them? |
| 10:32 | Kim ODonnel: Carrie, I'm from the savory school of swet potatoes. No thanks to the maple syrup and brown sugar. Me, I want garlic, chiles, walnuts or pecans, a little sesame oil... |
| 10:33 | Kim ODonnel: And that means roasted....I also have been dicing and adding to lentils...and I'm working on a recipe for the new cookbook, which I can't divulge at the moment! |
| 10:33 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
A girl after my own heart, oh how I love the Sweet Potato. |
| 10:33 | [Comment From chiquita ]
I roasted a hubbard squash last weekend. it seems creamier than other squash. Any idea why? |
| 10:34 | Kim ODonnel: Chiquita, different varieties have diff. characteristics. Some, like Hubbard, are creamy; others are 'dry" and sweet. Delicata, tastes like a cross between corn and sweet potato, for example... |
| 10:34 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
Carrie - Mark Bittman recently did a wonderful sweet potato salad with black beans, cilantro, and a lime viniagrette. |
| 10:34 | Kim ODonnel: Sweet potatoes and black beans are a GREAT combo. |
| 10:35 | [Comment From Dawn ]
Hi everyone! My most favorite orange food has to be butternut squash! Next comes sweet potatoes. Yum. I really like my squash mashed with chipotle en adobo. |
| 10:35 | Kim ODonnel: Dawn, you're preaching to the choir. Chipotle en adobo lend a terrific flavor to both winter squash and sweet potatoes. Nice call. |
| 10:35 | [Comment From Carrie Oliver ]
Butternut squash makes an excellent filling for ravioli - I use two won-tons rather than traditional flour pasta. Great with browned butter & sage sauce. |
| 10:36 | Kim ODonnel: Nice, Carrie. Great idea for folks who want to dive into ravioli making but are not quite ready to make their own pasta. |
| 10:36 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
Winter Squash are great in a curries too. |
| 10:37 | Kim ODonnel: Yes, indeed. I am working on such a curry for the book! |
| 10:37 | [Comment From Erin ]
Spaghetti squash - I roast it in halves, then string it into a bowl with a little chili flake, crushed garlic, olive oil, S&P. It's like an entire meal for me. |
| 10:38 | Kim ODonnel: Erin, question: Do you find that it takes a long time when you cut in half then roast? Wanna try an experiment w/ me & roast it whole? |
| 10:38 | [Comment From Carrie Oliver ]
Heather/Kim these savory recipes for sweet potatoes sound delicious. I think it's what's for dinner! |
| 10:40 | Kim ODonnel: Sweet potatoes are highly underrated. So good for you it's crazy. Betacarotene (and therefore Vitamin A) through the roof, fiber, Vitamin C, iron, potassium, B6!! |
| 10:40 | [Comment From Erin ]
Sure! Will do - we have plenty of spaghetti squash around here to try it with. When halved, I find that it takes about 45 minutes, cut side down in a pan with a little water. |
| 10:41 | Kim ODonnel: I'd love to hear what you think after roasting it whole, if it results in different texture, if it changes the cooking time, etc. I'm going to try it too. Did you really get snow in your hood, by the way? |
| 10:41 | [Comment From alisoncsmith ]
kim, turns out the weather this year was terrible for pumpkins/squash in va. went picking this weekend, and they'd had to bring in from wva. but i was still tempted by an "ancient" variety - "necked" green and white squash (thinner neck than most butternuts)...supposedly a native american variety...anyone have any ideas? |
| 10:42 | Kim ODonnel: Really. Wow. Neck squash I might roast as well. Haven't come across a white squash. Can't wait to hear what you think of it. |
| 10:42 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
My aunt made a butternut squash & Pear soup last week, awesome! |
| 10:43 | Kim ODonnel: I still can't get pasta right, so if you can do it, you're tops in my book. ONe thing that i do want to go back to is gnocchi. I think there's still hope for me. |
| 10:43 | [Comment From alisoncsmith ]
i'll see if i can find a pic online and share |
| 10:44 | [Comment From Carrie Oliver ]
Are there different varieties of sweet potatoes I should look for? What's the difference (if any) between a sweet potato & yam? |
| 10:48 | Kim ODonnel: I know there are folks who think they're interchangeable, but they're not and in fact, the yam is hardly sweet at all. White interior which is confusing b/c there are also white fleshed sweet potatoes. My preference is the orange flesh -- jewels or garnets, beauregards...and then there are Asian sweet potatoes which are not white but not orange, either... |
| 10:48 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
Kim you have to try the sweet potato gnocchi recipe in October's Gourmet...it was divine. |
| 10:48 | Kim ODonnel: Oh, that's good to know, Heather. Been wondering. Served w/ sage, I presume? |
| 10:48 | [Comment From Erin ]
Kim, indeed it is snowing as I type (FB - I posted a picture or two). Roasting squash sounds like a good dinner to me, but (in terms of the red/orange theme) it's going to be a hearty beef (local)-tomato-red bean chili tonight! |
| 10:49 | Kim ODonnel: I'm sorry to hear that fall has been cancelled already! Man, that stinks. I can't believe how many pre-Halloween snow falls there have been around the country. Red bean-beef chili sounds great, keep us posted. |
| 10:49 | [Comment From alisoncsmith ]
having trouble finding pics, but this site (http://www.evergreen.ca/en/lg/h-corn.html) for seeds has some descriptions that might be it - maybe the mandan (but the one i have might be too big) or the striped crookneck (though mine's not pear-shaped |
| 10:50 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
Yes, sage is the ticket ,very common flavor combination but still great. |
| 10:52 | Kim ODonnel: By the way, wanted to give you heads up about next week's chat: I am waiting on 100 percent confirmation, but it looks like we've got Eugenia Bone back as as special guest to take your fall canning/preserving questions! If for some reason that falls through, the chat, regardless of topic, will be next WED OCT 21 at 1ET, instead of the usual Thursday slot. I am going to be in transit next Thursday -- headed to Eureka Springs, Ark. for 2 weeks at a writer's retreat . The 10/29 chat, by the way, will be Halloween-themed and I'll host it from Arkansas. |
| 10:54 | Kim ODonnel: Speaking of red tones, ,has anyone done anything fun with apples lately? I stuck a few slices into a grilled cheese this week... |
| 10:54 | [Comment From redweather ]
simple but the best kind of fun - apples with caramel.... |
| 10:55 | Kim ODonnel: Redweather, do you put them on sticks & everything? |
| 10:55 | [Comment From redweather ]
slices dipped into a melted caramel with sour cream |
| 10:55 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
I did a caramelized apple and onion chutney and of course put up a little apple butter. |
| 10:56 | Kim ODonnel: Heather, tell us more about the apple butter... |
| 10:56 | [Comment From redweather ]
although i went to an orchard when i was in RI last weekend and had a very classic caramel apple on a stick - marvelous |
| 10:56 | Kim ODonnel: I've never really warmed up to apple buttter, but maybe that's because I've never made it myself. Convince me to change my tune! |
| 10:56 | Kim C.: redweather, i've never had caramel with sour cream. sounds nice — a little more tart than with regular cream? |
| 10:57 | [Comment From redweather ]
i also made a pie from a Bittman recipe, but have decided to stick with my mom's/grandma's recipe from now on. |
| 10:57 | Kim ODonnel: Do tell, redweather... |
| 10:58 | Kim ODonnel: I am hankering to my apple pie w/ rosemary & pinenuts. It's a killer combo. Been thinking it'd make a great crostata as well. |
| 10:58 | [Comment From redweather ]
Bittman's crust was just not brown enough, or sweet/salty enough - too bland. and the apples were too juicy but that may have been the fact that i was using galas - not really pie apples.... |
| 10:58 | Kim ODonnel: Did you dust apples w/ flour? |
| 10:59 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
I use winesap apples, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, sugar. Cook it down for hours (6-8), puree it with my immersion blender. I use it on toast, I put it in any savory dish that needs a little sweet. I even do an apple butter beurre blanc. |
| 10:59 | Kim ODonnel: Now THAT sounds good. But 6-8 hours, huh? I had no idea. |
| 10:59 | [Comment From Erin ]
I'm baking an apple crisp, right now! (kindof goes with the snow, today) I put up six pints of applesauce last weekend, and would love to hear takes on apple butter... I have about 2 doz. apples ready to use up. Then... canning pears. |
| 10:59 | [Comment From redweather ]
Kim C - i like the taste of the caramel/sour cream dip, but for me, the sour cream is more of a consistency support than a taste issue. |
| 11:00 | Kim ODonnel: Heather, I think we should talk -- and get you to contribute a guest post to Canning Across America! Email me at tabletalkAT culinate.com |
| 11:00 | [Comment From Erin ]
Sorry... six QUARTS. I thought that I was peeling apples, forever. |
| 11:01 | Kim ODonnel: Holy smokes, Erin. That's a whole lotta apples. Have you ever cooked with skin on, then pass through food mill to remove peel? |
| 11:01 | Kim ODonnel: Chickpeas and apples. Interesting. |
| 11:01 | [Comment From redweather ]
the recipe called for adding cornstarch to the apples, but no extra flour, as i recall..... i'm sure it could be tweaked, but why tweak Bittman when i have a lovely recipe in my personal files already! :) |
| 11:02 | Kim ODonnel: right. use what works, redweather. As for juiciness, very well could have been apples... |
| 11:02 | [Comment From Dawn ]
I just wanted to say that I made an apple crisp this morning--recipe from Cooking Light from a few years ago. It called for leaving the skin on. I discovered that people either love it or hate it! it certainly made the prep easier. |
| 11:03 | Kim ODonnel: Thanks for the insight, Dawn. How do you find the results yourself? |
| 11:03 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
Yeah, I usually do it in the crockpot, which gives me time to work on other things and I don't have to watch it. But over the stove it takes just as long maybe an hour less. |
| 11:03 | [Comment From Erin ]
I have a less expensive food mill, and it's more of a PITA when applesauce is concerned. I just peeled, cored, and threw apples into a pot with a smidge of water. Mashed it together with a potato masher, and viola! |
| 11:03 | [Comment From redweather ]
all this talk of apple crisp is making me hungry for dessert! |
| 11:04 | Kim ODonnel: Seriously. Apple dessert. Oh, but then there's pears -- even if they're not orange or red... |
| 11:04 | [Comment From Dawn ]
I loved the crisp and I'll make it again. It's so much higher in fiber and flavor with the skin on. |
| 11:05 | Kim ODonnel: Apples truly are one of Mother Nature's powerfoods. I always feel better after eating one. |
| 11:05 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
My husband loves Bosc pears but he eats them so fast I hardly get to cook with them. |
| 11:05 | [Comment From redweather ]
right on, Dawn! i love apples (and potatoes) with the skin on! |
| 11:05 | [Comment From Erin ]
The whole wheat apple muffins on this website look great. And pears... I have a mess of them from a friend's tree. Will be processing them in light syrup and putting them up next weekend. The kids can't wait. Have you poached halfs in red wine, and put them over an ice cream (or other soft, sweetened cheese)? |
| 11:06 | Kim ODonnel: Erin, I haven't put up pears myself. But we'll get a chance to ask Eugenia (fingers crossed) next week... |
| 11:06 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
Goat Cheese and Pear Tart is a good one too. |
| 11:07 | [Comment From Erin ]
And apples: Anyone read Pollan's "Botany of Desire?" The first part is all about apples. PBS will be featuring the film-version in about two weeks. Check your local listings! |
| 11:07 | Kim ODonnel: Yes, the TV version of "Botany" airs Oct. 28, I believe. |
| 11:08 | [Comment From Heather from New Jersey ]
Erin - Can't wait to see that (Botany of Desire) |
| 11:09 | Kim ODonnel: Shucks, thanks Kim! Pretty exciting to mentioned, yes indeed. |
| 11:09 | Kim ODonnel: Okay, we're about to wrap things up. Any last-minute orange & red thoughts before we part ways? |
| 11:10 | [Comment From Erin ]
red - CRANBERRIES! Tell us about your cranberrilicious adventure, Kim? |
| 11:12 | Kim ODonnel: feel very lucky to have access to WA state cranberries which are grown on the coast (Kim C. living in Oregon may know what I'm referring to as well) -- one farmer comes to market for just 3 or 4 weeks with both red and white crans. I bought just 1 quart of berries (cost: $4) and put up 4 half-pints of sauce, flavored with lotsa orange. Next time, I think I'd like to add some ginger and reduce amount of sugar. Nonetheless, it was very easy and efficient. |
| 11:12 | Kim ODonnel: Kinda hoping to make it over to the coast to a u-pick cran farm but don't know if it's already too late. Will keep you all posted. |
| 11:13 | [Comment From Erin ]
Sounds divine... ciao, Kim! |
| 11:14 | [Comment From redweather ]
cranberries..... i like to call them "bogfruit" :) |
| 11:14 | Kim ODonnel: And that's it for today. Apologies again for the tech glitch/delay & thanks for stopping by our orange & red par-tay. Don't forget -- next weeks' chat is Wednesday Oct 21. Until then... |
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There are 4 comments on this item
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1. by catsluvr on Oct 15, 2009 at 10:10 AM PDT
Is there a problem because I can’t access your site
2. by redweather on Oct 15, 2009 at 10:12 AM PDT
wah! where’s the chat? :(
3. by Heather on Oct 15, 2009 at 10:13 AM PDT
Help! What’s going on?
4. by Kim on Oct 15, 2009 at 10:18 AM PDT
Fixed! Refresh your page.
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