Red Thai Curry with Fall Vegetables

2 cans (each 14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk (see notes)

1 tablespoon red curry paste (see notes)

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon mild paprika

2 large sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

4 medium-size onions, peeled and quartered

½ head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets (2 ½ cups)

Salt, to taste

3 scallions (green parts only), chopped

Thai hot sauce or Tabasco sauce, for serving (optional)

Shake 1 can of the coconut milk vigorously, open it, and pour 1 cup coconut milk into a large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until it has thickened slightly, 3 minutes. Gradually add the red curry paste, turmeric and paprika, stirring constantly with a spatula or whisk. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring, for 3 minutes.

Shake the remaining can of coconut milk, open it, and add it along with the remainder in the first can. Stir in the sweet potatoes and the onions. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and cook until all the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened, 15 minutes. Season with salt. Sprinkle the scallions over the top, and pass the hot sauce at the table. Serve on its own or over rice as a side dish with grilled seafood or meat.

Serves four as a main dish; four to six over rice or as a side dish.

Cook’s notes: Coconut milk, usually sold in 13½- or 14-ounce cans, is very perishable once the can is opened, but an opened can can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. You can use “light” coconut milk here, but the sauce won’t be quite as thick and flavorful. Some Thai curry pastes come in glass jars, some in cans. Both will keep for several months after opening if refrigerated. When using the canned type, remove any unused paste and refrigerate it in a sealed glass container.

Virtually any vegetable can be included in a curry. This fall-to-winter version might also be made with winter squash, broccoli, Swiss chard (both stem and leaf), and turnips. In summer we like to combine red bell peppers, plum tomatoes, eggplant and yellow summer squash.

“The Four Season Farm Gardener’s Cookbook” by Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman (2013 Workman)