Poached, roasted, sautéed, pears are a healthful treat

If people are leaving bags of unripe pears on the front seat of your car while you’re at the store, it’s probably because this has been, according to area gardeners, an exceptionally good year for pears. The ones that have been left in my car, by two different people on two different occasions, are both homegrown variations on the golden Bartlett pear.

If you want to see photos of all the different types of pears, go online to usapears.com, but the short easy description I can give you is they’re not the brown boscs with their very narrow necks and they’re not the fatter, more dumpling-like anjou pears.

Pears are not as popular as apples, possibly because many types of apples last forever in your kitchen but pears are one of those fruits that stay unripe for days, even weeks, and then suddenly, while your back is turned, they rot.

They’re also not as chock-a-block full of nutrients as apples are, although of course they’re still good for you. Like most fruit, pears are a good source of vitamin C (a cancer-fighter and immune booster) and fiber (good for your heart and your colon). They are also a good source of copper, which maybe you didn’t realize you needed but apparently copper is a cancer fighter that attacks a type of free radical known as a superoxide radical (they attack your cell membranes).

And of course, they’re an excellent low-sugar, no-salt snack. And when they’re perfectly ripe, they’re very sweet and children like them.

Pears are tricky as an ingredient in cooking, because they have a tendency to kind of melt. Gloria Miller Levin stopped by The Journal for a visit last week and said she poaches her pears in a 3:1 mix of orange juice and water (add some ginger or cinnamon for extra flavor). Place the unpeeled fruit in the saucepan, stems up, and then add enough liquid to just cover the pears. Cook at medium to low heat until tender.

I  like to slice and then roast my pears, preferably in a hot toaster oven in a small baking dish. If you use butter and sugar they get nice and sticky with a sort of caramelized edge, and are fantastic on top of bland puddings such as panna cotta and flan.

In the meantime, I am recommending this recipe adapted from one found online at simplyrecipes.com, which is a wonderful food blog where one multi-generational family shares handed-down recipes as well as new experiments.

                                                             Curried squash and pear soup

                                                          Adapted from simplyrecipes.com

1  butternut squash; 1  tablespoon butter; 2  cups chopped, cored and peeled Bartlett pears (about 1 pound); 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion; 2 1/3  cups water; 1  cup pear nectar; 2 (14.5 -ounce) cans of chicken broth; 2 1/2  teaspoons curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 cup thick yogurt (such as Fage); 1 small Bartlett pear, cored and thinly sliced

First you’ll want to roast the squash, which will take about an hour altogether (you can chop and prepare the other ingredients while the squash cooks).

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half lengthwise,then cut off the top and bottom and discard the seeds. Place the squash halves, cut sides down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (be sure to use a baking sheet with sides, squash can be very wet). Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender. When it’s cool, peel off the skin (or scoop out the pulp, whichever is easier). You’ll need 3.5 cups of squash (the rest can be used on risotto or in pancakes).

Now, to make the soup: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven (or a deep skillet with a lid) over medium heat. Add the chopped pear and onion and sauté until lightly browned.

Add the squash, water, and all the other ingredients except the yogurt and the extra pear. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer, partially covered, for a half hour or so.

Let it cool for a few minutes, then purée the ingredients with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor. Before serving, reheat and add the yogurt, whisking it so there are no lumps. Keep it at low heat so the yogurt melts but doesn’t curdle.

You can serve this soup with slices of pear. You can also garnish with baked parmesan cheese or fresh croutons (or both), and add a little dash of yogurt on top of each serving.