Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

what do you eat in january? 311

because they

of dinners for the cold months at our house.

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(^1) ⁄ 2
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups apple cider
1 teaspoon salt
too; most people I know have never eaten one, probably because they never
needed to. They couldn’t see them for all the bananas in the way.
Each season requires thinking about food in a different way. In her book
Local Flavors, Deborah Madison writes that when she teaches a fresh sum-
mer eggplant dish in her cooking classes, students always say two things:
“Wow, I never liked eggplant before, but I love this!” and “What kind of
eggplants should I buy in December, to make this for Christmas?” It takes a
while for them to realize that these particular fresh eggplants were so
yummy weren’t buying them in the winter. Most of us agree to
put away our sandals and bikinis when the leaves start to turn, even if
they’re our favorite clothes. We can learn to apply similar practicality to our
foods. Here are some delicious winter- vegetable recipes, along with a week

BRAISED WINTER SQUASH

2 pounds winter squash, peeled, halved, and sliced into -inch rounds

Rosemary and pepper to taste

Melt butter in skillet with rosemary; after a few minutes add the squash,

salt, and cider. You may need to add some additional cider (or water),

enough to cover the squash. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and braise for

20 minutes or until tender. At this point the juice should be reduced to a

glaze. If not, raise heat for a few minutes until excess liquid evaporates. Add

pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar if you like.