Texas Music & Food – My Addictions | 10.10.10

It occurred to me while driving to Luckenbach this Saturday for a gig that fall is definitely my favorite season.  It seems to bring out the kid in me.  I also get geared up for a revamp of my garden that I neglect in the harshest of summer months in Texas and prepare for a whole new menu using fall fruits and veggies.

We took the kids along to Luckenbach, a perfect venue for bikers, families, music lovers (or just lovers) and not to mention, a three and nine-year old.  It’s pure nostalgia there for me…and it could be a scene out of any one of my childhood memories of growing up in dancehalls.  Luckenbach is a Texas original – and could never be duplicated, no matter how many generations of rednecks open and close bars with distressed cedar facades and barn door restrooms.  Chasing the chickens and roosters, wearing my dusty old boots because they seem to fit more perfectly there, and playing sets of my songs where people really listen.

I think of Luckenbach when I was a kid….the men pissed in open-air urinals and the music performed (and recorded) there was epic.  And Hondo Crouch, forget about it…you can’t script that shit.  Keeping Luckenbach’s history and vibe intact has made it untouchable as one of country music’s and Texas’ most important and precious gems.

I followed up my perfect day at Luckenbach with the Sunday preparation of my fall garden and a day of perusing my kitchen diary for first fall dinner menu.  I had been to the Farmer’s market and purchased the in-season fruits and veggies not knowing what in THE hell I would do with them.  You know, fall gets a bad rap as far as fresh food choices…Summer has so much to choose from that even the non-foodies can whip up a great dinner by throwing a steak or ribs on the barby accompanied by some corn on the cob and home grown tomatoes.  In the fall, there are wonderful choices but you must think creatively about how to use them. But fall means soul food to me.

I purchased some butternut squash, eggplant, apples, and some late summer okra.  A lady behind me asked me “how are you going to cook that (squash)? “I dunno.” I said.

The Eggplant came in handy for an appetizer…slice and sauté in olive oil and mix in some fresh basil and feta (or mozzarella) and broil on baguette slices for a FAB crostini.

I knew I wanted to use the butternut squash for the main course – maybe stuffing it with something that I had in-house.  But not before my husband Lunchmeat couldn’t resist making a lewd gesture with it.  If you haven’t purchased butternut squash before, you’ll know it by its phallic shape.

Cooking creatively can be expensive but it doesn’t have to be. So, buy fresh and supplement with what you have in your freezer and pantry…that is KEY.  I found a couple of links of hatch-chili and chicken sausage in my freezer and decided to wing it from there.  Below is my recipe for Stuffed Butternut squash that turned out awesome by the way!

Baked Butternut Squash with Sausage Stuffing

Medium-sized butternut squash (cut length-wise and cleaned of seeds) clean a nice area in squash for stuffing…using a melon-baller is ideal for this.

For the stuffing: Saute (in butter) chopped onion, celery and garlic until golden brown, mix one link of raw sausage (preferably chicken based), one raw egg, and toasted bread pieces, salt & pepper to taste, and some dried or fresh herbs of your choice.

Optional ingredients for stuffing are pecans and some currants or apple.

Mix above ingredients and stuff squash opening.  Brush remaining surface area of squash with olive oil or cooking spray to keep squash moist.  Bake on 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes and until stuffing is golden brown.

Happy To You

Author: admin
Published: October 10, 2010
Filed Under: Blog

Subscribe to Robyn's Blog via RSS