Good Eats Newsletter - October 7, 2009
This Week's Vegetable Share Contains
Mesclun Greens; 1 Sunshine Winter Squash!; 1 lb Green Peppers; 2 lbs Red Norland Potatoes; 2 lbs Carrots; 1 lb Walla Walla Onions or Yellow Storage or Red Storage Onions; 1 bunch Sweet Salad Turnips; 1 bunch Ruby Streaks Mustard; 1 Bunch Curly Parsley, 2 Garlic Heads
Localvore Share Members Also Receive
Champlain Orchards Localvore Apple Pie
Cabot Clothbound Cheddar
Pete's Musings
Thanks everyone for joining us this share period. It has been a summer of challenges mostly weather related but we were blessed with 6 weeks or gorgeous sun in August and September. We have not had the best financial year ever but we have made some significant improvements in our farming abilities and general tidiness of the farm and that feels great. We have several tough weeks of storage crop harvest ahead of us but we'll get it done, we always do.
Last Friday night I was picking up pallets of cippolini onions with the tractor forks in the dark when it started to rain. They really should not get wet once in crates so I was not happy with the situation. These onions were grown in our rented field and near the field there was a spec house built last fall. It is a pretty little red house and this spring the builders added a garage with an open front, no doors. The house has been for sale and is unoccupied. There I was with it raining on my onions and that garage with the open doors just called to me. I don't know the owners but thought it might be ok to put the 6 pallets in the garage for the night.
Of course the next day I was way too busy and never made it over to collect the onions. Then Sunday came and I had pretty much forgotten about the whole thing. I was feeding the chickens Sunday morning when a man came walking across the field. He introduced himself as the owner of the house and I got ready for an earful. Nope, he was just coming by to say it was no problem and then we talked about how I had raced his son in cross-country in high school. I asked about his house and he told me where to find a key if I want to show it to anyone. It was great. ~Pete
Sign Up for the Fall Share Now!
Last chance to sign up without missing the first share week
This is it folks. Last chance to sign up without interruption in your weekly food deliveries. I must have your sign up sheets and payment in hand by the weekend in order to deliver your share next Wednesday Oct 14th. If you have been procrastinating, time to dig for an envelope and stamp!
Head to the Fall/Winter Share page for details and to download your sign up form.
Meat Share info and form also available.
Looking to split your share?
The Members Seeking page works really well as a place to connect with someone who is willing to split a share. Quite a few people have made use of this service this Fall and have found people to split a share with. Please send me an email if you'd like to have me post something on this page for you. I just need to know the name of the site at which you'd like to pick up and any special details you might be considering.
New Sites Update
New sites confirmed:
Shelburne - Shelburne Vineyard located at 6308 Shelburne Rd. Pick up times still TBD as we fine tune the new schedule but they are likely to be noon to 5:30pm.
Richmond - On the Rise Bakery. Pick up times still TBD but should be between 11 am and 6 pm.
Site change:
Montpelier - along with National Life, we will also be delivering to Montpelier Mud at 141 River St (just a short distance from current May Day Studio location). Pick up times 11am to 9pm.
New sites under consideration:
Burlington - There's a very good chance we will have a site in the Northwest corner of Burlington for the Fall share. This is still coming together though, and the soonest we could anticipate delivering there is October 28.
Newport - We have a potential plan for delivering shares to Newport. The only detail holding us back is having enough Newport members committed to joining. If you are interested in a Newport pick up or know someone who is, please email me! And stay tuned for developments.
Johnson - We have a similar plan brewing for Johnson as we have for Newport and will need to hear from people who would like to take advantage of a Johnson pick up. The potential pick up location would be the Butternut Mountain Farm Store (aka Marvins Country Store) right next to the Woolen Mill in Johnson. If a Johnson pick up would help you or someone else be able to join, please email me!
Pete's Pastured Chicken
Order your chickens and fill your freezer. You can now order as few as 3 chickens and have them delivered to your Good Eats pick up site. Visit the Pastured Chicken page for order info including available delivery dates and to download an order form. These are great tasting chickens raised on an abundance of greens and grass throughout their lives. This is healthy, nutritious, vitamin packed meat that you can feel great about eating. Only $3.75/lb.
Localvore Lore
As a thank you to all of you who have been a part of the Localvore Share this summer I wanted to send you something special. And who doesn't like apple pie and a good cheddar to go with it?
Champlain Orchards baked us pies this week, a full 9" apple pie especially made for us using the VT grown Aurora Farms flour, Cabot Creamery butter, maple syrup from Shoreham, a mix of apples from Champlain Orchards (Macintosh and Paula Reds), and organic spices.
And of course in keeping with the New England style of pie accompaniment, we are sending along a good cheddar. Not just any old cheddar though, the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar in the share today is a multi award winning cheese, judged best cheddar in many competitions, and even won the American Cheese Society's Best in Show Award in 2006 besting some 940 other cheeses from around the country in that year's competition. And it was a silver medalist at the World Cheese Awards taking home the title of the Best US Cheddar.
The cheese starts out at the Cabot Creamery. Immediately after the wheels are unmolded from their cheddar hoops at Cabot, they are loaded into a truck and delivered to the Cellars at Jasper Hill. Once there, they are bandaged with cloth and painted with lard. The cloth gives the wheels a breathable shield from the elements and the lard acts as a natural sealant, helping protect the cheese from the excessive drying during their 10-14 month stay. During the aging process a bloomy rind is allowed to develop which flavors the cheese. The cave environment is carefully monitored to age the cheese perfectly. The result is a traditional English type cheddar, with a slightly craggly texture, and flavors that are sweet and nutty.
Meat Share North Hollow Farm - T-Bone or Porterhouse Steaks!
From Mike and Julie Bowen's farm in Rochester, VT we have some excellent cuts of grass fed beef. The cows at North Hollow are born on the farm and graze the farm fields in spring, summer and fall, and in winter dine on hay and silage produced on the farm. I stumbled across a great article on line today about cooking 100% grass fed steaks. Lots of great tips here, definitely give it a look before cooking your steaks. Briefly though, don't overcook or allow to dry out! Because of the much lower fat content and resulting quicker cook time - lower the heat by 50°F, cook for 30% less time than grain fed beef recipes. Marinating in oil will add moisture and help seal in juices. Pan is better than grill for same reason of retaining juices. Turn with tongs, not a fork to hold in the juices. Cook to medium rare.
Maplewind Farm Andouille Sausage - This slightly spicy Cajun flavored sausage is made with Maplewind's pork and chopped garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme and salt. It's a classic in jambalaya and in gumbo recipes, and as such I have included a Gumbo recipe that uses a small whole chicken and this sausage. But it is also a classic in Po' Boy Sausage sandwiches so just grill it and throw it in a bun for a quick tasty lunch. Maplewind Farm in Huntington raises grass fed beef, pastured pork and chicken. They also grow 5 or 6 acres of vegetables that Bruce cultivates with his 2 Percheron draft horses and they operate their own seasonal CSA in Huntington. The pigs are born on the farm and spend their lives grazing and rooting around in rotationally grazed pastures.
Shuttleworth Farm Bacon - It has not been easy to round up enough bacon for the share so I was pretty happy to learn that Kelli had just put a bunch in her freezers. The Shuttleworth pigs are born on the farm and rotationally grazed around the farm, tilling up whatever needs tilling or cleaning up. This will be tasty bacon indeed.
Pete's Pastured Poultry - and of course we have also put one of our own chickens in the share. Our birds spend their days outside with moveable shelters and unlimited pasture. They actually now cohabitate quite happily with the pigs and the cows lately as we have to some degree given up on the in between fencing as long as the perimeter is secure. Everyone looks happy out there. The chickens live out a pretty relaxed life and forgae all day, every day. This means that their meat (and all grass fed meat) is lower in fat and vitamin packed. Enjoy!
Storage and Use Tips
Mustard Greens - Related to kale, cabbage, and collard greens, mustard greens are the peppery leafy greens of the mustard plant. Ruby Streaks Mustard has a delicate texture and mild, sweet yet slightly pungent mustard flavor. The greens are tender enough to liven up salads, and stout enough to stand on their own in steamed or stir-fried dishes or even soups.
Sunshine Squash - The squash in the share is a winter squash very similar to a Red Kuri. Sunshine Squash can be baked, braised, pureed, or steamed to be served as a side dish or used as a base for soups. Store all winter squash in a cool, dry, dark place with good ventilation, like a porch or garage, but make sure they do not freeze. They should last over a month at least. Once cut, you can wrap the leftovers in plastic and store in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Recipes
Quick Coconut Vegetable Curry
I took one look at the share ingredients this week (potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, and squash) and the first thing that came to my mind was a coconut curry. I keep a couple jars of that commercially available red and green curry paste in the fridge and coconut milk in the cupboard and at certain times of the year a coconut curry is a common occurence in the kitchen. Of course you can do without the paste, and the recipe below calls for stuff you probably have on hand. This recipe calls for squash as the main attraction, which will be delicious. I would of course have to fiddle with this, substituting some portion of the squash with whatever I most wanted to use up. If you substitute mustard greens in this recipe, add them to the pot with the squash so they have a longer cooking time. From the GardenofEatin Blog July 2oo9. Serves 6.
1 medium-sized sunshine squash, halved, seeds removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 bunch chard or other cooking green washed, stems removed and chopped into 1-inch pieces, leaves cut into ribbons
2 big handfuls of other color vegetables (peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, etc washed and cut to size)
2 medium onions, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced (or more!)
1 tsp minced fresh ginger (definitely more!)
2 cans of coconut milk
3 cups of vegetable broth
freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsps curry powder and/or garam masala (or more)
2 tsps sunflower oil or ghee
A pinch of red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp sugar
A very large handful of fresh cilantro, washed and chopped (optional)
Start by prepping the veggies: Peel the squash, cut in half, remove the seeds and then cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes. Wash the greens and remove the stems, chopping them into 1-inch long pieces. Slice the onions and mince the garlic and ginger. Wash and chop the cilantro, if using
Once all the veggies are prepped, put your rice on to cook. Short grain brown or Basmati would be great.
In a large pot, sautee the onions, garlic, ginger and chili flakes in the oil or ghee for several minutes, cooking until the onions have begun to soften and become translucent. Add the vegetable broth and the coconut milk to the pot then toss in the cubed squash (and potatoes and mustard greens if using) and season it all with curry powder, garam masala, pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the squash is beginning to feel tender when poked with a fork. Add the other veggies and the chard stems and simmer for another 3-5 minutes or until the green beans feel done to your liking. Then toss in the chard and the cilantro and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Allow to cool slightly and serve over the warm rice.
Sunshine Winter Squash Soup
There are so many great winter squash recipes out there. This one is a pretty simple one with ingredients most of us have around.
1 medium to large red squash, peeled, seeded, large chop
2 medium onions, small dice
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
4 stalks celery, small dice
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme
Pinch of allspice and nutmeg
1 cup of heavy cream
Water
In a 5-8 quart stockpot add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat. Sauté onion, celery, garlic for 4 minutes. Add squash, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, allspice and thyme. Add cold water to pot up to 2” above the squash. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. When at a boil, turn back down to a simmer for 30 minutes. When squash is tender, puree with hand blender until smooth. Add heavy cream and check if salt and pepper is needed.
Spiced pepitas
2-3 cups plain pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tsp curry
2 tsp nutmeg
In a large sauté pan add 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat on low. Add pumpkin seeds.
Sauté for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Strain through a fine chinois, reserve excess oil. Toss toasted pepitas [the now-cooked pumpkin seeds] with 2 teaspoons of curry, nutmeg, ground ginger, salt and pepper.
Garnish soup with 1 tablespoon of pepitas.
Mixed Greens
I like the long slow cook time for this recipe. The greens will be super tender, and this type of cooking takes the bitterness out opf stronger flavored greens. Sumbitted to Epicurious by Jessica B. Harris December 1996. Makes 6 servings.
1 pound mixed collard, mustard, and turnip greens
2 strips bacon
1.5 cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Hot sauce (optional)
Chopped onions (optional)
Vinegar (optional)
Wash the greens and drain well. Cut out the thick ribs. Tear the greens into pieces. Place the bacon strips in a large heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat until it is translucent and the bottom of the pot is coated with the rendered bacon fat. Add the greens and the water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, covered until the greens are tender, about 2 hours. If too liquidy, take cover off at the end of cooking time. Add the seasonings and serve hot.
Traditionally, greens are accompanied by a hot sauce, chopped onions, and vinegar. In some parts of the South, cooks add a pinch of sugar to the greens to take away a bit of their bite.
Gumbo Ya Ya
This is a four star recipe that had lots of reviews to back it up. It uses both chicken and andouille sausage, and the broth that will result from cooking down the chicken carcass. The recipe calls for Creole seasoning and I found a make your own recipe for that here. If it were me, I would cook the chicken one day and take the meat off the bone. Then the next morning cook the carcass to make stock and then proceed with the recipe. Epicurious February 2000. Makes 6 quarts.
2 cups unsalted butter (can use oil)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 quarts chicken stock, heated
2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 whole 4-pound chicken, roasted and deboned, cut into 2-inch pieces
1. First you make a roux. Melt the butter in a 12-quart stockpot. Whisk in the flour and cook until foaming. Cook, stirring often, until dark mahogany, about 1 hour.
2. Add the peppers, onion, and celery. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock (make sure it’s hot), and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer. Stir in Creole Seasoning, black pepper, crushed red pepper, chili powder, thyme, chopped garlic, bay leaves, and kosher salt. Cook, skimming fat as necessary, an additional 45 minutes.
3. Add the andouille and chicken and cook for approximately 15 minutes. Taste, and adjust for seasoning.
Mesclun Greens; 1 Sunshine Winter Squash!; 1 lb Green Peppers; 2 lbs Red Norland Potatoes; 2 lbs Carrots; 1 lb Walla Walla Onions or Yellow Storage or Red Storage Onions; 1 bunch Sweet Salad Turnips; 1 bunch Ruby Streaks Mustard; 1 Bunch Curly Parsley, 2 Garlic Heads
Localvore Share Members Also Receive
Champlain Orchards Localvore Apple Pie
Cabot Clothbound Cheddar
Meat Share Members! - This is a meat share week!
This is the last delivery week for the Summer Share!
This is the last delivery week for the Summer Share!
Pete's Musings
Thanks everyone for joining us this share period. It has been a summer of challenges mostly weather related but we were blessed with 6 weeks or gorgeous sun in August and September. We have not had the best financial year ever but we have made some significant improvements in our farming abilities and general tidiness of the farm and that feels great. We have several tough weeks of storage crop harvest ahead of us but we'll get it done, we always do.
Last Friday night I was picking up pallets of cippolini onions with the tractor forks in the dark when it started to rain. They really should not get wet once in crates so I was not happy with the situation. These onions were grown in our rented field and near the field there was a spec house built last fall. It is a pretty little red house and this spring the builders added a garage with an open front, no doors. The house has been for sale and is unoccupied. There I was with it raining on my onions and that garage with the open doors just called to me. I don't know the owners but thought it might be ok to put the 6 pallets in the garage for the night.
Of course the next day I was way too busy and never made it over to collect the onions. Then Sunday came and I had pretty much forgotten about the whole thing. I was feeding the chickens Sunday morning when a man came walking across the field. He introduced himself as the owner of the house and I got ready for an earful. Nope, he was just coming by to say it was no problem and then we talked about how I had raced his son in cross-country in high school. I asked about his house and he told me where to find a key if I want to show it to anyone. It was great. ~PeteSign Up for the Fall Share Now!
Last chance to sign up without missing the first share week
This is it folks. Last chance to sign up without interruption in your weekly food deliveries. I must have your sign up sheets and payment in hand by the weekend in order to deliver your share next Wednesday Oct 14th. If you have been procrastinating, time to dig for an envelope and stamp!
Head to the Fall/Winter Share page for details and to download your sign up form.
Meat Share info and form also available.
Looking to split your share?
The Members Seeking page works really well as a place to connect with someone who is willing to split a share. Quite a few people have made use of this service this Fall and have found people to split a share with. Please send me an email if you'd like to have me post something on this page for you. I just need to know the name of the site at which you'd like to pick up and any special details you might be considering.
New Sites Update
New sites confirmed:
Shelburne - Shelburne Vineyard located at 6308 Shelburne Rd. Pick up times still TBD as we fine tune the new schedule but they are likely to be noon to 5:30pm.
Richmond - On the Rise Bakery. Pick up times still TBD but should be between 11 am and 6 pm.
Site change:
Montpelier - along with National Life, we will also be delivering to Montpelier Mud at 141 River St (just a short distance from current May Day Studio location). Pick up times 11am to 9pm.
New sites under consideration:
Burlington - There's a very good chance we will have a site in the Northwest corner of Burlington for the Fall share. This is still coming together though, and the soonest we could anticipate delivering there is October 28.
Newport - We have a potential plan for delivering shares to Newport. The only detail holding us back is having enough Newport members committed to joining. If you are interested in a Newport pick up or know someone who is, please email me! And stay tuned for developments.
Johnson - We have a similar plan brewing for Johnson as we have for Newport and will need to hear from people who would like to take advantage of a Johnson pick up. The potential pick up location would be the Butternut Mountain Farm Store (aka Marvins Country Store) right next to the Woolen Mill in Johnson. If a Johnson pick up would help you or someone else be able to join, please email me!
Pete's Pastured Chicken
Order your chickens and fill your freezer. You can now order as few as 3 chickens and have them delivered to your Good Eats pick up site. Visit the Pastured Chicken page for order info including available delivery dates and to download an order form. These are great tasting chickens raised on an abundance of greens and grass throughout their lives. This is healthy, nutritious, vitamin packed meat that you can feel great about eating. Only $3.75/lb.
Localvore Lore
As a thank you to all of you who have been a part of the Localvore Share this summer I wanted to send you something special. And who doesn't like apple pie and a good cheddar to go with it?
Champlain Orchards baked us pies this week, a full 9" apple pie especially made for us using the VT grown Aurora Farms flour, Cabot Creamery butter, maple syrup from Shoreham, a mix of apples from Champlain Orchards (Macintosh and Paula Reds), and organic spices.
And of course in keeping with the New England style of pie accompaniment, we are sending along a good cheddar. Not just any old cheddar though, the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar in the share today is a multi award winning cheese, judged best cheddar in many competitions, and even won the American Cheese Society's Best in Show Award in 2006 besting some 940 other cheeses from around the country in that year's competition. And it was a silver medalist at the World Cheese Awards taking home the title of the Best US Cheddar.
The cheese starts out at the Cabot Creamery. Immediately after the wheels are unmolded from their cheddar hoops at Cabot, they are loaded into a truck and delivered to the Cellars at Jasper Hill. Once there, they are bandaged with cloth and painted with lard. The cloth gives the wheels a breathable shield from the elements and the lard acts as a natural sealant, helping protect the cheese from the excessive drying during their 10-14 month stay. During the aging process a bloomy rind is allowed to develop which flavors the cheese. The cave environment is carefully monitored to age the cheese perfectly. The result is a traditional English type cheddar, with a slightly craggly texture, and flavors that are sweet and nutty.
Meat Share North Hollow Farm - T-Bone or Porterhouse Steaks!
From Mike and Julie Bowen's farm in Rochester, VT we have some excellent cuts of grass fed beef. The cows at North Hollow are born on the farm and graze the farm fields in spring, summer and fall, and in winter dine on hay and silage produced on the farm. I stumbled across a great article on line today about cooking 100% grass fed steaks. Lots of great tips here, definitely give it a look before cooking your steaks. Briefly though, don't overcook or allow to dry out! Because of the much lower fat content and resulting quicker cook time - lower the heat by 50°F, cook for 30% less time than grain fed beef recipes. Marinating in oil will add moisture and help seal in juices. Pan is better than grill for same reason of retaining juices. Turn with tongs, not a fork to hold in the juices. Cook to medium rare.
Maplewind Farm Andouille Sausage - This slightly spicy Cajun flavored sausage is made with Maplewind's pork and chopped garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme and salt. It's a classic in jambalaya and in gumbo recipes, and as such I have included a Gumbo recipe that uses a small whole chicken and this sausage. But it is also a classic in Po' Boy Sausage sandwiches so just grill it and throw it in a bun for a quick tasty lunch. Maplewind Farm in Huntington raises grass fed beef, pastured pork and chicken. They also grow 5 or 6 acres of vegetables that Bruce cultivates with his 2 Percheron draft horses and they operate their own seasonal CSA in Huntington. The pigs are born on the farm and spend their lives grazing and rooting around in rotationally grazed pastures.Shuttleworth Farm Bacon - It has not been easy to round up enough bacon for the share so I was pretty happy to learn that Kelli had just put a bunch in her freezers. The Shuttleworth pigs are born on the farm and rotationally grazed around the farm, tilling up whatever needs tilling or cleaning up. This will be tasty bacon indeed.
Pete's Pastured Poultry - and of course we have also put one of our own chickens in the share. Our birds spend their days outside with moveable shelters and unlimited pasture. They actually now cohabitate quite happily with the pigs and the cows lately as we have to some degree given up on the in between fencing as long as the perimeter is secure. Everyone looks happy out there. The chickens live out a pretty relaxed life and forgae all day, every day. This means that their meat (and all grass fed meat) is lower in fat and vitamin packed. Enjoy!
Storage and Use Tips
Mustard Greens - Related to kale, cabbage, and collard greens, mustard greens are the peppery leafy greens of the mustard plant. Ruby Streaks Mustard has a delicate texture and mild, sweet yet slightly pungent mustard flavor. The greens are tender enough to liven up salads, and stout enough to stand on their own in steamed or stir-fried dishes or even soups.
Sunshine Squash - The squash in the share is a winter squash very similar to a Red Kuri. Sunshine Squash can be baked, braised, pureed, or steamed to be served as a side dish or used as a base for soups. Store all winter squash in a cool, dry, dark place with good ventilation, like a porch or garage, but make sure they do not freeze. They should last over a month at least. Once cut, you can wrap the leftovers in plastic and store in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Recipes
Quick Coconut Vegetable Curry
I took one look at the share ingredients this week (potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, and squash) and the first thing that came to my mind was a coconut curry. I keep a couple jars of that commercially available red and green curry paste in the fridge and coconut milk in the cupboard and at certain times of the year a coconut curry is a common occurence in the kitchen. Of course you can do without the paste, and the recipe below calls for stuff you probably have on hand. This recipe calls for squash as the main attraction, which will be delicious. I would of course have to fiddle with this, substituting some portion of the squash with whatever I most wanted to use up. If you substitute mustard greens in this recipe, add them to the pot with the squash so they have a longer cooking time. From the GardenofEatin Blog July 2oo9. Serves 6.
1 medium-sized sunshine squash, halved, seeds removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 bunch chard or other cooking green washed, stems removed and chopped into 1-inch pieces, leaves cut into ribbons
2 big handfuls of other color vegetables (peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, etc washed and cut to size)
2 medium onions, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced (or more!)
1 tsp minced fresh ginger (definitely more!)
2 cans of coconut milk
3 cups of vegetable broth
freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsps curry powder and/or garam masala (or more)
2 tsps sunflower oil or ghee
A pinch of red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp sugar
A very large handful of fresh cilantro, washed and chopped (optional)
Start by prepping the veggies: Peel the squash, cut in half, remove the seeds and then cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes. Wash the greens and remove the stems, chopping them into 1-inch long pieces. Slice the onions and mince the garlic and ginger. Wash and chop the cilantro, if using
Once all the veggies are prepped, put your rice on to cook. Short grain brown or Basmati would be great.
In a large pot, sautee the onions, garlic, ginger and chili flakes in the oil or ghee for several minutes, cooking until the onions have begun to soften and become translucent. Add the vegetable broth and the coconut milk to the pot then toss in the cubed squash (and potatoes and mustard greens if using) and season it all with curry powder, garam masala, pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the squash is beginning to feel tender when poked with a fork. Add the other veggies and the chard stems and simmer for another 3-5 minutes or until the green beans feel done to your liking. Then toss in the chard and the cilantro and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Allow to cool slightly and serve over the warm rice.
Sunshine Winter Squash Soup
There are so many great winter squash recipes out there. This one is a pretty simple one with ingredients most of us have around.
1 medium to large red squash, peeled, seeded, large chop
2 medium onions, small dice
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
4 stalks celery, small dice
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme
Pinch of allspice and nutmeg
1 cup of heavy cream
Water
In a 5-8 quart stockpot add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat. Sauté onion, celery, garlic for 4 minutes. Add squash, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, allspice and thyme. Add cold water to pot up to 2” above the squash. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. When at a boil, turn back down to a simmer for 30 minutes. When squash is tender, puree with hand blender until smooth. Add heavy cream and check if salt and pepper is needed.
Spiced pepitas
2-3 cups plain pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tsp curry
2 tsp nutmeg
In a large sauté pan add 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat on low. Add pumpkin seeds.
Sauté for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Strain through a fine chinois, reserve excess oil. Toss toasted pepitas [the now-cooked pumpkin seeds] with 2 teaspoons of curry, nutmeg, ground ginger, salt and pepper.
Garnish soup with 1 tablespoon of pepitas.
Mixed Greens
I like the long slow cook time for this recipe. The greens will be super tender, and this type of cooking takes the bitterness out opf stronger flavored greens. Sumbitted to Epicurious by Jessica B. Harris December 1996. Makes 6 servings.
1 pound mixed collard, mustard, and turnip greens
2 strips bacon
1.5 cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Hot sauce (optional)
Chopped onions (optional)
Vinegar (optional)
Wash the greens and drain well. Cut out the thick ribs. Tear the greens into pieces. Place the bacon strips in a large heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat until it is translucent and the bottom of the pot is coated with the rendered bacon fat. Add the greens and the water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, covered until the greens are tender, about 2 hours. If too liquidy, take cover off at the end of cooking time. Add the seasonings and serve hot.
Traditionally, greens are accompanied by a hot sauce, chopped onions, and vinegar. In some parts of the South, cooks add a pinch of sugar to the greens to take away a bit of their bite.
Gumbo Ya Ya
This is a four star recipe that had lots of reviews to back it up. It uses both chicken and andouille sausage, and the broth that will result from cooking down the chicken carcass. The recipe calls for Creole seasoning and I found a make your own recipe for that here. If it were me, I would cook the chicken one day and take the meat off the bone. Then the next morning cook the carcass to make stock and then proceed with the recipe. Epicurious February 2000. Makes 6 quarts.
2 cups unsalted butter (can use oil)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 quarts chicken stock, heated
2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 whole 4-pound chicken, roasted and deboned, cut into 2-inch pieces
1. First you make a roux. Melt the butter in a 12-quart stockpot. Whisk in the flour and cook until foaming. Cook, stirring often, until dark mahogany, about 1 hour.
2. Add the peppers, onion, and celery. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock (make sure it’s hot), and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer. Stir in Creole Seasoning, black pepper, crushed red pepper, chili powder, thyme, chopped garlic, bay leaves, and kosher salt. Cook, skimming fat as necessary, an additional 45 minutes.
3. Add the andouille and chicken and cook for approximately 15 minutes. Taste, and adjust for seasoning.
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