I use rapini and chard in this, but you could also use mustard greens, spinach, kale - any greens you like. The winter squash needs to be a sweet one, like butternut or Kabocha, baked until soft and then mashed or puréd.

2 cups coarse or medium polenta
4 cups water
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups puréed, baked winter squash
3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 onions, chopped
salt to taste
1/3 cup white wine
8 cups packed, shredded rapini and spinach or chard
3 cloves garlic
10 oz. mixed feta cheese and white farmer cheese, crumbled

Pour the polenta out onto a baking sheet and smooth it into a 1/2" layer. Allow it to stiffen, then cut it into rectangles about 2"x 3", or into circles.

Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons olive oil in a large non- stick pan and slowly cook the onions in it with a dash of salt, stirring often, until they are a deep golden brown, at least half an hour. Add the wine, stirring as it cooks away.

As the onions cook, wash and chop or shred the greens, discarding any tough stems; be sure you have 8 cups, well- packed. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick pan or wok and add the chopped garlic. Stir it for a minute, then add the shredded greens and a little salt, and toss them over medium heat until they wilt. Continue cooking the greens for about 5 or 6 minutes, or until they are tender, and add a few drops of water if they dry out.

Lightly oil a large oblong or oval gratin dish. Combine the sautéd greens, caramelized onions, and about two-thirds of the crumbled cheese, tossing everything together. Spoon a little of this mixture into one end of the gratin dish, then start overlapping layers of polenta slices with layers of the greens mixture, leaving some of the green and white filling showing between rows of golden polenta slices. Do this until you have filled the dish and used all the greens. You may have some polenta left over, depending on the size pieces you cut.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the green strips that show between the layers of polenta.

Bake the gratin at 375° for about 35 minutes. It should be bubbling hot, and the cheese on top will be golden brown in spots. Serve hot, with a salad on the side.

Serves 6 - 8.

This substantial soup, almost a stew, is my version of an interesting recipe I once watched Deborah Madison make. She, in turn, adapted it from a South American cookbook, and before that I cannot trace its provenance.

Quinoa is a tiny, quick-cooking grain with a pleasant, mild flavor. Here it is combined with spinach, chard, and two kinds of potatoes for a dish that is hearty without being heavy, just the kind of steaming bowlful we want in January.

1 cup quinoa
8 cups water
2 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp. ground, toasted cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. yukon gold potatoes, cut in 1/2" dice
4 oz. sweet potatoes, cut in 1/2' dice
1 1/2 cups thin-sliced green onions
3 cups thinly sliced spinach, tightly packed
2 cups thinly sliced chard, tightly packed
3 cups home-made vegetable broth
black pepper and cayenne to taste
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Combine the quinoa and the water in a pot, bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes. Drain the quinoa and reserve the liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large soup pot and stir the garlic in it for about a minute. Add the cumin, salt and all the potatoes, and stir over medium heat for about five minutes.

When the quinoa is drained, add the liquid to the large pot, along with most of the green onions, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about ten minutes. Add the chard and spinach, the vegetable broth, the quinoa, and some pepper to taste, and simmer again for a few minutes.

Taste the soup, add salt if needed, and squeeze in some fresh lemon juice. The chopped cilantro and crumbled feta can be stirred into the pot at this point, or passed seperately for everyone to stir into their own bowls.