Janine Papesh and her husband Brant Cheikes moved to Whately about six years ago from the Boston area. Papesh was struck immediately by the variety of foods available in our area and the local interest in using seasonal produce. “I call this the Culinary Valley,” she told me in a recent interview.
Papesh grew up in the kitchen. “My mother hated cooking. She wasn’t very good,” she recalled. “So I was happy to take over when she would let me. I kind of learned on my own and sought out various resources: cooking magazines, classes … ”
In 2018 she decided to increase her culinary proficiency by enrolling in Holyoke Community College’s culinary-arts program. She spent two semesters alongside younger aspiring chefs learning the ins and outs of professional cooking.
Papesh explained that she didn’t enroll in the program because she wanted to work in a restaurant. “The reason I did it was I was able to do it at this point in my life,” she said. “It was something I wanted to do for me. It wasn’t for a career.”
I asked her whether the course at HCC had offered surprises. “There were so many surprises!” she laughed. “I’d been cooking for 20 or 30 more years than all the other folks.”
One thing that struck her right off the bat was learning that professional cooks do not wash mushrooms. Mushrooms tend to soak up liquids. Cooks treasure these vegetables’ ability to absorb; it’s what helps them take on the flavors of fats and sauces. They don’t need all that extra water inside them, however.
“They’re grown in soil, but it’s a very sterile environment,” explained Papesh. “You want to dampen a paper towel and wipe off the dirt.”
She also learned to rise to the challenge of temperature-sensitive sauces like Hollandaise and to develop bread skills.
I asked her how her cooking has changed since she studied the culinary arts formally.
“I do more tasting of my dishes along the way, with salt and pepper and seasoning,” she noted. “My husband would say things are more flavorful.” She added, “I always have and still kind of do follow a recipe. And I’m a little more adventuresome with ingredients and spices. After all, what’s the worst that can happen?”
Studying at HCC definitely boosted her morale in the kitchen, she observed. “I’m more relaxed because I’m more confident. I try my food out on other people, and I get good feedback.”
She treasures that feedback and the bonds it has created in her community. “I don’t have any trouble making new friends here in the Pioneer Valley when I cook for people,” she smiled. “I would say that it helps me in my social circles.”
She believes that what makes her happy and successful in the kitchen is that she savors every bite she eats. “People who really don’t like eating don’t tend to be very good cooks,” she pronounced. “I do try to focus on nutrition,” she said. “And because I’m doing this I love to share my recipes.”
At this time of year, Papesh likes to take advantage of the wide variety of produce still available, particularly the many types of autumn and winter squash. She couldn’t pinpoint a favorite squash during our conversation because she still has some varieties to taste. She did state that her husband’s favorite squash is the delicata, with its sweet taste and edible rind.
The recipe she made for our readers lets squash shine and can be made with different types of gourds. She chose to use chicken sausage as the protein in her stuffing, but her recipe is flexible. “You could use a meat, a non-animal product, a quinoa,” she suggested.
Ingredients:
2 acorn squash, halved and seeded
2 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
spices to taste (optional)
2 tablespoons canola or other cooking oil
8 ounces chicken sausage (Papesh likes seasoned sausage, and she notes that River Valley Co-op sells packaged bulk sausage: ginger/garlic/scallion, feta/spinach, curry, and other flavors.)
salt and pepper as needed
½ cup onion, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 cup peeled and chopped apple
2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons (¼ cup) grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, beaten
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place the squash halves cut side up on top. In a small dish combine the melted butter or olive oil with the minced garlic and any other spices that go with your type of chicken sausage.
Use a pastry brush to coat the inside of each squash half with the flavored butter or oil. Roast the squash for 50 to 60 minutes. (If you use a daintier squash, like a delicata, this takes less time, maybe 30 minutes.)
Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the canola oil. Add the sausage.
Cook, breaking the sausage up with a spoon, adding ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper while cooking. When the sausage bits have browned, remove them from the pan.
Add the onion, the celery, and the mushrooms to the skillet, again adding ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the apples and cook for 2 minutes.
Turn off the burner and mix the sausage and vegetable mixtures together in a bowl. Taste, and adjust the seasonings to your taste; you may need more salt and pepper.
Add the panko crumbs and the cheese. Taste again. Add salt and pepper if needed. Add the egg and mix well.
When the squash halves have finished roasting, evenly pile the sausage stuffing into the 4 halves. Return the squash to the oven for an additional 18 to 20 minutes. If you want the bread crumbs to brown/get crispy, increase the temperature to 425 degrees and cook for a little less time.
Serves 4.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning author and singer. Her latest book is “Pot Luck: Random Acts of Cooking.” Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.