Newsletter: In the kitchen: Winter squash and a quick bowl of pho

Whether you’re still reeling from — or reveling in — last week’s election results, there are other things to focus on, at least where matters of food are concerned. Have you started planning your Thanksgiving meal yet? We’ve compiled some helpful stories, recipes and tips to inspire you, including what to do with all the great winter squash now showing up at the market.

And if you’re a pho fan, you’ve probably noticed that the addictive Vietnamese dish is having an “it” moment. Andrea Nguyen, author of the upcoming “The Pho Cookbook,” shares her thoughts, and some recipes.

— Noelle Carter

WHAT TO DO WITH THE WINTER SQUASH IN SEASON NOW

Sure, you can find varieties such as acorn, butternut and kabocha squash at the supermarket, but what about the chirimen squash or winter luxury pumpkins you might find at a farmers market? We share tips for using winter squash, as well as recipes ranging from roasted squash salad to tamales, soups and more. Oh, and we didn’t forget pie.

Pumpkin pie with bacon and bourbon crust.

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times )

HOW TO MAKE GREAT PHO AT HOME

While the Vietnamese dish pho has been around for more than 100 years, it’s wildly popular at the moment, gracing a cover of Food & Wine magazine earlier this year, serving as the subject of the Lucky Peach summer issue, and the subject of a Bon Appétit video that served up more than a little controversy. Cookbook author and teacher Andrea Nguyen explores the history of the dish, and shares some recipes from her upcoming book, “The Pho Cookbook.”

Quick chicken pho.

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times )

LEARN HOW TO ROAST GARLIC AT HOME

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Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen director Noelle Carter shows how easy it is to roast garlic. 

SIT DOWN TO A COMFORTING PLATE OF FRIED CHICKEN

When it comes to comfort food, you can’t do much better than a generous serving of fried chicken. At Terrine in Los Angeles, chef Kris Morningstar serves pickle-brined fried chicken over a bed of warm grits drizzled with maple syrup. We share his fried chicken recipe, along with some of our other favorite fried chicken recipes from our Recipe Database.

Terrine’s pickle-brined fried chicken.

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times )

Vote for your favorite cookie: You can now cast your vote in our sixth Los Angeles Times Holiday Cookie Bake-Off. Vote now to help determine the top 20 recipes. We’ll judge those and print our top 5 in our Saturday Section on Dec. 17.

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