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Three Sisters Fall Harvest
Edible Chesapeake Autumn 2005
by John Shields
For most folks around the Chesapeake Bay region fall means harvest time
- which translates into a bounty of food. Local farmers market stands are over flowing with end-of-season tomatoes, (lots of green ones as well - good for frying or turning into mincemeat or chutney), cabbage, succulent greens, countless types of; potatoes, sweet potatoes, and varietals lettucesáthe list goes on and on.
Fall is also the season to celebrate the delicious growing tradition of the Three Sisters - a Native American method of planting and growing corn, beans, and squash together. Native legend has it that the three sisters - corn, beans and squash - are inseparable and can only grow together. If you look at the science behind this theory they are quite right. Corn takes a lot of nitrogen from the soil, but the beans put it right back in, while planting the squash (both hard and soft varieties) in between the mounds of the first two sisters, helps seal in moisture and keep out weeds.
I first leaned about the Three Sisters technique from Baltimore-based permaculturist, Bonnie North, who is also the publisher of Baltimore Eats Magazine. Bonnie wanted to try and see how much, and how many, vegetables she could grow on a small (less than 50-square feet) Baltimore row house side yard. She planted about 12 stalks of corn in separate, built-up mounds of soil, surrounded by several varieties of beans, with pumpkin - which is a prolific squash - nestled between the corn mounds.
On a recent visit to the vegetable plot I found a veritable urban Garden of Eden. Healthy rows of corn, with countless vines of beans running up the stalks, and pumpkins that obviously enjoy west Baltimore soil, as they took over the garden with vines tumbling down the front hill of the house and ending up in a bus stop. This type of compact growing, gilding - if you will - is good for the soil - nutritionally beneficial, and oh so tasty. And judging from Bonnie's experiment - it works.
I love all three of these locally grown vegetables either on their own - or paired with one another - to create soups, stews, or a regional favorite - succotash. Using some of the Chesapeake's late summer/early fall ingredients I've come up with a couple of recipes that for me highlight the best of fall. A Rockfish, Crab and Succotash Chowder teams a few of our region's culinary stars. Contrary to popular belief, crab is in abundant supply during late September, October, and often into the beginning of November. Labor Day is not the end of crab season! Another plus - the crabs are of exceptional quality and a great bargain. Rockfish season is well under way in the fall and the last of summer corn and fresh beans are still available at local farmers markets.
Hard squash (as opposed to the zucchini varieties) are plentiful as the air begins to chill in October. Many people I speak with are hard pressed for ideas of what to do with these delicious squash. Local cooks are well versed with pumpkin pies and butternut squash soup - but where to go from there? One of my favorites is a French-style roasted pumpkin gallette - which is like a rustic little tart. The roasted squash as a filling is perfect.
Joan Norman, farmer and co-owner of One Straw Farm in White Hall, Maryland, said that beyond roasted pumpkin Red Curry squash and Buttercup squash are good choices as, "they have a bolder, more full-flavored taste than butternut and pumpkin." She adds, "another great choice is a Kabocha - you know those big green ones, with the orange insides." Whatever squash you choose to make these gallettes, roasting is a good way to go to bring out the best flavor. To accentuate the squash I like to add some caramelized onions, a little fresh thyme or sage, with a sprinkle of a sharp grated cheese - a cave-aged local cheddar is a good choice. So get out to your fall garden, or your local farmers market and gather the ingredients to create a few new culinary memories for family and friends.
Rockfish, Crab and Succotash Chowder
Serves 8 to 10
Stock
One 4 to 6 pound rockfish, cleaned and filleted, bones and head reserved
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, sliced
ü bunch washed parsley with stems
2 teaspoons dried whole thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
Chowder
6 ears sweet corn
4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 medium potatoes, cut into a Õ-inch dice
Õ cup flour
2 cups heavy cream or half and half
1 pound backfin crabmeat (fresh or pasteurized), picked over for shells
1 cup lima beans - fresh or frozen
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced chives or parsley
To make the stock, place the fish heads and bones in an 8-quart stockpot and add water to cover. Reserve the fish fillets for later use.
Add the carrots, onion, parsley stems, and thyme. Bring just to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, uncovered. Skim the foam from the top occasionally. Strain the stock through a fine strainer.
Husk the corn and cut the kernels off the ears with a sharp knife, collecting the kernels and any "corn milk" in a bowl. Put the kernels and corn milk aside. Add the corncobs to the simmering stock.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the butter or olive oil. Add the onion and sautÚ until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and continue sautÚing for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the strained stock (hopefully you've removed the corn cobs) and bring almost to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow cook for about 1 hour. Add the cream or half-and-half and bring almost to a boil. Reduce to medium heat.
Cut the rockfish fillets into Ó-inch cubes. Add the rockfish cubes along with the crabmeat, lima beans, and reserved corn kernels and corn milk. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in soup or chowder bowls and garnish with the minced chives or parsley.
Roasted Pumpkin Gallettes with Cave Aged Cheddar
Gallette Dough (recipe follows)
1 - 3 to 3 ü pound pumpkin or other hard squash
1 small head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or thyme leaves
2/3 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar or imported Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
Prepare the dough. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the pumpkin or squash in half and remove the seeds. (Joan Norman from One Straw Farms suggests taking the stopper out of a kitchen drain and sitting the pumpkin or squash in the drain area to keep it from rolling around while you work on it.) Brush the flesh side with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Stuff the garlic cloves into the cavities and place cut side down on a sheet pan. Bake until tender 35 to 40 minutes. Scoop out the flesh and squeeze the garlic out of their skins. Mash the squash and garlic together well. Do not puree.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until the onion is soft and begins to color. Add the sage or thyme and sautÚ for several minutes longer. Add the onions to the pumpkin/squash mixture. Add the grated cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Roll out the dough into a 14-inch circle (or into six smaller circles for individual servings) and spread the filling over it leaving a 2-inch border along the edges. Pull the edges of the dough up to the edge of the filling and crimp the edge. Brush the edges with a little of the beaten egg. Place in oven. Reduce heat to 375-degrees F. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned.
Gallette Dough
Makes 1 large gallette or 6 individual portions
2 cups all- purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small bits
1/3 to ü cup ice water
Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add the butter and mix it into the flour with your fingertips until the flour has the consistency of a course meal. Add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing with your hand, until the dough forms a ball. Do not add too much water. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
- Adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone,
Broadway Books 1997
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