Stuffed Squash

I don't have a picture of this one right now, when I make it next I'll update with a picture.

Start with your rice, ours takes an hour for brown rice, so begin with that.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
1 onion chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
6 mushrooms chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, or roasted squash seeds
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage, or 4-6 sage leaves
6 inch french baguette cubed into 1/2 inch cubes
1 lemon
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, or gruyere

Preheat the oven to 350F, split the butternut squash lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, wash and salt them for roasting while you cook the squash.

Place the squash cut side down on an oiled pan for 40-50 minutes until fork-soft.

While the squash is cooking prepare the stuffing by sauteing the onion and celery in the butter for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add thyme, sage, mushrooms, seeds, and bread and continue another 5 minutes.  Squeeze in the lemon juice, cook another minute or two add half the cheese.

When the squash is fork soft, remove from the oven, turn cavity side up, and fill with the stuffing.  Don't just put the stuffing the cavity, cover the entire top of the squash with the stuffing so it will cook and get crunchy.  Cover all the stuffing and squash with remaining cheese.  Put back in the oven and cook until cheese melts, another ten to fifteen minutes.  Remove, let cool five minutes, and serve with rice.

Sweet Potato Bisque with mushroom and scallion topping

The sweet potato bisque with mushroom and scallion topping can be made with just about any squash, pumpkin, or potato.

Ingredients:
6 tbsp butter

3 carrots chopped

1 onion chopped

2 garlic cloves

4 cps vegetable stock

.5 cup dry white wine

1 lb sweet potatoes peeled and diced

herb bundle - 30 stems fresh parsley 10 stems fresh thyme

5 oz shiitake mushrooms 

1 cup tomato puree

6 scallions minced

.5 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

Melt butter, add carrots and onions cook for 10 minutes until onions clear, add garlic and one more minute

Add vegetable stock, wine, sweet potatoes, herb bundle shiitake stems, and tomato puree.  Bring to a boil

then cover and simmer 15-30 minutes

Prepare topping - heat 2 tbsp butter in skillet, add scallions and mushrooms cook 5 minutes until softened.

Use slotted spoon to transfer soup solids to blender, and blend until smooth in batches - only fill the blender 

1/4 of the way full and hold the top down or it will blow off and soup will go everywhere.

Return soup to pot, add cream and heat through.  Serve in bowls and put some topping on the soup.

Some hints: the wine is optional, and I prefer mushroom stock instead of vegetable stock, but choose what you like.  I find with a good stock the herb bundle doesn't add much flavor, so that's optional as well.  I rarely buy tomato puree, I like fire roasted tomatoes, and since you're going to throw it all in the blender, it doesn't mater what state the tomatoes are in - you could probably put fresh in for a great taste as well, just de-seed them first.

Lime Buttered Acorn Squash

Fall means squash, squash, squash, and pumpkins from the CSA.

Pictured is roasted acorn squash with lime butter, mushrooms and tatsoi, crunchy lentil salad, and brown rice.  The brown sauce all over my plate is the triple ginger teriyaki sauce from Maido! in Narberth, PA.

First, make your rice.  Our brown rice takes an hour, so get that going first.

The squash recipe starts with splitting the squash.   Remove the seeds, wash them, and then arrange in a single layer on foiled baking sheet and salt generously.    Preheat the oven to 350F, oil another baking sheet and place the acorn squash (or any other squash will do as well) cut side down on the sheet.  Roast the squash at 350F for 40-50 minutes until soft when you test with a fork.  You can put the seeds in at the same time, but stir them every 8-10 minutes until browned and toasted, usually about 20 to 30 minutes.

When you take the squash out, turn so they are cut side up with a spatula, and score the inside with your fork (this lets the lime and butter into the squash).  Cut one or two tablespoons butter into the squash cavity, then divide the juice of one lime among the squash so there are equal parts butter and lime juice.  Let it cool while preparing the rest of the meal, and the butter will melt and mix with the lime juice and marinade the squash.

For the tatsoi, cut the stems from the leaves and divide.  Chop some mushrooms, either shiitake, cremini, or both.  Saute the stems of the tatsoi in 1 tbsp oil with some garlic and ginger if you have it until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add 2 tbsp rice vinegar and 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, the mushrooms, and the tatsoi leaves and continue to saute until the leaves wilt about another 3-5 minutes.

Crunchy lentil salad, heat 3 cups water, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 1 cup dried lentils until boiling.  Depending on the lentils, set the timer to 13 minutes, and test how crunchy they are.  If still too crunchy, test after another 3 minutes and repeat, but don't let them get mushy!

Ginger soy tatsoi

Sauteed Ginger Soy Tatsoi along with a tomato pie.

Ingredients for the tatsoi:

• 2-4 tbsp slivered ginger
• 2 oz rice vinegar
• 2 oz tamari soy sauce
• 1 pressed garlic
• 1 or 2 bunches tatsoi
• 2 tbsp canola oil

Wash and then separate the tatsoi stems from the leaves like in the below pictures.  I chop the stems into one inch lengths to make it easier to chew.  

The greens and the stems. 

Heat the oil over medium-high heat, then add the ginger slivers.  sautee about 5 minutes or until ginger begins to brown, but not burn.  Add the tatsoi stems stir to coat with the oil, then add the pressed garlic.  Continue to saute for 5 minutes until stems begin to soften.  Add the tamari, vinegar, and leaves and saute until the leaves begin to wilt.

Pair with a tomato pie:

A modified cucumber vodka cocktail

My Korean friends introduced me to cucumber flavored soju - just take half a cucumber, slice it up and pour soju over it and let steep for half an hour.  Tastes great.

Here's a fancier cocktail -

• 1 and 1/2 ounce Effen Cucumber Vodka, 
• 3/4 ounce Saint Germain Elderflower liquor, 
• 1 tbsp agave syrup
• juice of one lime

Combine with ice, and shake or stir - pour into an ice-filled glass then top with soda water and garnish with a cucumber slice.

Refreshing.

Manchengo Stuffed Mushrooms with Potato Salad

These stuffed mushrooms are a departure from the typical dry-breadcrumb stuffing I've only been exposed to with mushrooms.  So I was delighted with the outcome.  Rat thought the stuffing was a little runny, so use less milk because it will melt a bit as it cooks.

Get the biggest mushrooms you can find - I used cremini here, but any type of mushroom will do.  Make the roux by cooking 4 tbsp butter with 4 tbsp flour for 3-5 minutes until it starts to brown.  Add 1/2 cup milk slowly and whisk to thicken the sauce.  Add 1 cup grated manchengo cheese with a touch of garlic to taste.  Pour into the mushroom caps and top with some paprika or chili powder, or even better - chipotle powder.  Bake at 425 for 5-15 minutes to desired toastiness.  Serve warm.

Vegetarian Corn Chowder

Vegetarian Corn Chowder

It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is a very good corn chowder.  I like it both hot and chilled.    We got quite a lot of corn from the CSA this week, so I'll be experimenting with some corn fritters as well.

Vegetarian Corn Chowder
3 ears of corn - boil for 7 minutes
After cooling, cut the kernels off one cobb, and put in the blender with 1 cup of water.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  Cut the kernels off the remaining two cobbs and reserve for later.

Chop up 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 or 3 ribs of celery.  Saute over medium heat with 2 tbsp butter for 5-10 minutes until just softened.

After the vegetables are softened, add 3 cups water to the pot, the creamed corn, and the remaining corn kernels.  If you like your chowder spicy, add one seeded chopped jalepeno pepper.  If you like bell peppers, you could chop one up and add it to the soup.

Bring soup to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.  Serve hot, or chill and serve cold.

Beet Salad

Beets every week from the CSA?  They are a treat.  Lately I've taken to sauteing the greens, and then smoking them with the hand-smoker that was gifted to me for Xmas.

I like citrus flavors, so I've adapted a raw beet salad to this roasted one because I like the textures and flavors.

Ingredients:
Beets - any number will do, but best if you have at least four medium sized so that after roasting you end up with about 2 cups chopped roasted beets.
Corn - about half a cup, frozen will do if you don't have fresh.
1 Lime
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped Cilantro
2 Carrots
Salt and Pepper to taste

Steps:
Scrub the beets clean of dirt, remove the thin root from the bottom and any greens at the top.  Place the beets in a covered roasting dish, if you don't have a cover use aluminum foil at 350F for 30-45 minutes until they are easily pierced with a fork.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool after removing the lid while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Defrost the corn if it is frozen by placing it in a dish in the microwave with a 1/4 teaspoon water at high for 30 seconds.  Otherwise boil the corn after husking for 13 minutes and then cut from the cob.  Place corn in a large bowl.

Chop the carrots and cilantro and add to the bowl.  When the beets have cooled enough to pick up, scrape the skin from the beets with the edge of a knife, or use a paper towel to push the skins off the beets. Chop into 1/4-1/2 inch squares and add to the bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine a pinch of salt, pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil, and juice of 1 lime, whisk to combine.  Add to the beets and toss.  Serve at room temperature, or chilled.

I'll post a picture when I make it next.

Komatsuna with Miso Sauce

This year's Lancaster Farm Fresh csa started up last week.  Did a great strawberry rhubarb crisp, alas forgot to take pictures.  Also forgot to take pictures of the Komatsuna with Miso sauce, but it was terrific.