I got about two hours of sleep last night, and after three more hours of trying to get back to the peaceful land of dreams, I got up and chose to be productive instead. My first thought was to type... but the groggy state of my sleepy neurons needed to be fixed first. My morning mantra rang in my brain, "Coffee,I need coffee!" And while I was waiting-- like a brainless zombie-- for the nectar of the gods to drip through my recycled paper filter in the kitchen, I noticed the fresh butternut squash sitting alone on the counter. Honestly... I hate squash. The slimy stringy texture just bugs the living *bleep* out of me. The flavor however, that could be this large gourd shape thing's saving grace.
After the first cup of java replaced the blood of my caffeine stream the mental picture of my late night dinner began to come together.
Wait. Perhaps I should explain what I mean by 'Late Night.' I am acting in a world premiere play based upon a HBO film. I play a Nazi who is involved in deciding of the 'final solution to the Jewish question.' At the bottom of this post is a link to check out the film on Amazon. Its good, creepy, and cheep there. Anyway, because I am acting in this show I really don't have time to eat at the normal dinner time and don't get home till ten or eleven. And this inspired my meal... well, that and the squash.
I looked for veggie broth. None. Poured another cup of coffee and stared into the fridge with a confused look on my face. Another cup of coffee was needed to further formulate my plans. While pouring I noticed the crock pot. What better way to make a delayed dinner. Working mothers across the world make magic with that little device... and a personal favorite: pot roast. That was my answer to no veggie broth.
First, the squash. Sneaking one last sip of my darkly roasted coffee I set my oven to 350 degrees. I got out my cleaver and hacked and hammered away to split this wood like vegetation favorite. Then I gutted the thing like a caveman-- saving the seeds to roast later. I placed the thing on a cookie sheet and oiled it up with some extra virgin, sprinkled it with salt, and dusted it like Tinker Bell with fresh cracked pepper. When the oven beeped I slipped in the squash for its slow tanning process.
Second, came the browning for the roast. Since it was going to be slow roasted a good searing is necessary. Oil on the bottom of the crock pot and then it was time to wash-- very well-- all my veggies, even the onions with the skin on. Why? When i worked on Mackinac Island, I watched our head chief waste near nothing. All the skins from his potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, etc. etc. would go into a pot that became some of the best vegetable broth I have ever tasted. He told me the skins imparted color, and flavor. After getting the carrots, celery, garlic, onions, potatoes, in the crock, I threw all the left over bits and skins in another pot. Then it was a search for all the older, but not spoiled veggies in the fridge. Mushrooms, peas, and tomatoes, all went into my second pot with oil and plenty of salt, pepper, rosemary, sage, bay leaves, and a touch of nutmeg. Brought it to a boil. And set the second pot to simmer. And now that dinner is well on its way its time to go and paint patio furniture.
I hate you.
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