We had a ball in the CN Test Kitchen last month preparing for our October issue. It was a little early for me and I actually overslept, but in the end I had a great time full of good food and lots of laughs.
Chef Jewell Smith joined me and Chef Pannell again along with Gail von Huene (the owner of Steel Magnolias) who left her cozy bed to see the chefs work their magic in the kitchen. For October, I wanted to focus on foods of harvest and so Chef Pannell came up with four great recipes that used various members of the squash family. This would be the first time that I would cook with spaghetti and acorn squash and after tasting both, I am still wondering why it took me so long.
There is always some type of comedy show going on between Chef Pannell and Chef Jewell and this morning I think they both were in high gear. It was also fun to watch and hear them debate over ingredients, techiniques and textures. I don’t know if it is a chef thing or if it had to with just being a man and a woman.
We also had a chance to cook and taste sirloin steaks from Painted Hills Natural Beef. They arrived just in time for the test kitchen and were wonderful. Our recipe for Top Sirloin with Zucchini Sauce is my favorite for this month.
In the end, we created four great recipes that I will add to my fall and holiday collection:
Spaghetti Squash Soup
Top Sirloin with Zucchini Sauce
Savory Roasted Squash Salad
Carmel Acorn Cake
All are different and offer a new culinary experience that is unexpected but of course delicious.
