My winter bounty

Last Saturday I took home a few organic beets, a pumpkin on its last legs and some raw chocolate. Roasting the beets while stuffing the pumpkin with polenta and peppers gave me a hearty, mostly local dinner. And the chocolate picks me up like coffee without any bitterness.

The beets were easy. Chop them into not quite bite-size pieces, brush them with olive oil and add salt, pepper and savory herbs to taste.

For the pumpkin, or any winter squash you happen upon, cut her in half and save the seeds. (They'll make a great snack halfway through the pumpkin's baking by adding oil and salt.) Chop a quarter log of polenta, a large pepper — any variety — and add a half cup of water in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. This allows the cornmeal to blend, which you should do to create a mashed-potatoes consistency. Add roasted garlic if desired, and fill both halves of the pumpkin/squash to capacity. Bake in an oiled pan with the seeds in a separate dish at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, taking out the seeds after 20 minutes and adding the beets after 10. It's done when the flesh of the squash is soft to the very edges.

Sweet and savory victory should ensue.

brooks.johnson@umontana.edu