This week's squash is either a Carnival or Sweet Dumpling variety. These look like a delicata, but round instead of long, and both are both crowd-pleasers. These can be roasted whole, steamed in a pressure cooker, or cubed and roasted. The skin does not peel well. For easy cooking, slice it in half, remove the seeds and "goop", and bake it, cut side up, for about 25 - 30 minutes at 350. To make clean up easier, put them in a glass dish with a little water at the bottom. When it's done, drop in a little butter and drizzle with maple syrup. It makes a great side dish! You can also fill it with meat, veggies, or grains - like couscous, tabbouleh, rice, etc. The peel is edible but is easier to eat if you cook it in a pressure cooker. Also try cooking it with the top cut off, with butter and a sprig of rosemary inside. When it's done, pull out the rosemary, scrape the sides, and eat the flesh with the essence of rosemary. You can eat right from the squash! Store squash around 50 degrees.
Lean & Green and Everyday Large share members are receiving Poblano Peppers this week. We don't send these out often because we don't typically have the quantity, but this year they are performing wonderfully! Try charring these over a burner or in the oven until it gets a nice blackening (scrape off before eating/ cooking). Poblanos can be hot, or they can be mild. The spiciness varies from pepper to pepper. Red poblanos in particular tend to be spicier. They're good for stuffing or for mixing in with other peppers. Peppers don't like extreme cold, so store in a paper bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge.
Our celery is not your typical supermarket celery! This is fresh celery, with long, fibrous stalks full of nutrition. It is noticably flavorful compared to most conventionally grown celeries out there. And, you get the leaves. Check out the celery salt recipe sent in by another CSA member for ideas about using the leaves. Wrap unwashed celery tightly in a plastic bag and store in the coldest part of your refrigerator. To maintain really crisp celery, store as you would basil or parsley. That is, place it upright in a glass of water in your fridge and cover loosely with a plastic bag.
Featured Recipes
Sweet Dumpling Squash with Wild Rice and Apple Stuffing
The small size of these squash makes them perfect for stuffing.
2 sweet dumpling or acorn squash
1/2 cup wild rice
1 shallot
1 large firm apple (Macoun or empire would be great; use 1 1/2 if on the smaller side)
1/8th cup (large handful) sliced almonds, toasted
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp honey, plus more to taste
Cinnamon
Finely ground sea salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Cook the wild rice according to package directions -- it will take 40-60 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. Cut the squash in half (vertically) and scoop out the seeds. Pierce the flesh with a fork in a few places. Divide the butter between all 4 squash halves. Drizzle each with the honey, and then sprinkle with cinnamon.
Cover each squash half with foil, put them on a baking pan, and pop them in the oven for 30 minutes.
While the squash is cooking, chop up the shallot and saute it in evoo until it starts to brown, then set aside. Roughly dice the apple, then squirt with a little lemon juice to keep it fresh. When the wild rice is done cooking, add the apple and shallot, almonds, sea salt and pepper to taste, and a generous drizzle of both the evoo and honey and toss to combine.
Take your baking pan out of the oven (leave it on) and remove the foil from the squash. Scoop the wild rice mixture into each half. Lightly spray the top of the filled squash halves with cooking spray, then return to the oven for 15 minutes uncovered.
This will serve 4 as a side dish or 2 as a vegetarian main course.
Red Bean and Green Grain Taco Bowl
From Smitten Kitchen: You can go high or low, fast or slow, with these ingredients. I used hard white wheat berries, which take a full hour to cook, but have a tiny chewy bite, but you could use farro, freekeh, barley, quinoa, brown rice or another grain you like here, just adjust the cooking time and liquid amount to the package directions. Use dry or canned beans. Minus the sour cream or any added cheese, this dish is vegan as well as vegetarian.
Serves 2 to 3
Grains
2 fresh poblano chile peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
1 cup cilantro leaves (picked from 1 bunch)
3/4 medium white onion, roughly chopped (I save the last 1/4 to finely mince as a topping)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups water or broth (amount needed for wheat berries, adjust if needed)
1 cup uncooked wheatberries
Salt to taste
Beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 finely chopped chipotle from a can, a rehydrated and finely chopped dried chipotle or in a pinch, chipotle powder to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup water or broth
1 3/4 cups cooked small red beans (from a 15-ounce can, or cooked from about 1/4 pound dried)
Kosher or coarse salt to taste
Fixings: Minced white onion or picked red onions, lime wedges, hot sauce, pickled jalapenos, sour cream or Mexican crema, sliced avocado, pico de galo, crumbled or shredded cheese or some crumbled tortilla chips if you’re having trouble convincing your child to try it
Make green grains: In a blender or food processor, combine poblanos, cilantro, onion and garlic with a splash of cooking broth or water and puree until smooth. In a medium saucepan, combine wheat berries, remaining cooking water or broth, 3/4 of green puree and salt to taste over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a very low simmer and cover, cooking for 1 hour, or until grains are chewy-tender. Add remaining green puree and cook for 5 minutes more.
Meanwhile, make red beans: In a smaller saucepan, heat olive oil over medium. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until sizzling. Add chipotle, cumin, oregano and tomato paste and cook together for 1 minute. Add water or broth, beans and salt to taste and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes on low.
Assemble and eat: For each bowl, I like about 2/3 grains and 1/3 beans, but you can go half-half as well. Top with desired fixings, don’t hold back. (The sour cream was particularly awesome here, in our opinion, although decidedly un-vegan.) Repeat as needed.
Quick and Easy Baked Chicken
This is a Mark Bittman recipe that is a simple and delicious crowd-pleaser.
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 parts, skin on: 2 breasts, 2 wings, 2 drum sticks, 2 thighs
(don't fret about how neat your cuts are or are not, it doesn't really matter in the end, it will be delicious)
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup fresh herbs (or 1-2 tsp dried)
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the oil or butter in a roasting pan and put the pan in the oven for a couple of minutes, until the oil is hot or the butter melts. Add the chicken and turn it couple of times in the fat, leaving it skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and return the pan to the oven.
After the chicken has cooked for 15 minutes, toss about 1/4 of the herb or herb mixture over it and turn the pieces. Sprinkle on another quarter of the herb and roast for another 10 minutes.
Turn the chicken over (now skin side up again), add another quarter of the herb, and cook until the chicken is done (180 F , or you'll see clear juices if you make a small cut in the meat near the bone) a total of 30-50 minutes at most. Garnish with the remaining herb and skim excess fat from the pan juices if necessary; serve, with some of the juices spooned over it.
Variations:
*Add several cloves of garlic (20 wouldn't be too many).
*Add a cup or so of chopped onion, shallot, or leek.
*Add a cup or so of sliced fresh mushrooms, after the first 15 minutes of roasting.
*Add 2-3 lemons (or organges/limes). When the chicken is done, squeeze the hot lemon juice over it.
*Use Compound Butter, Flavored Oil, or a Vinaigrette from the beginning of the cooking or as a basting sauce during the cooking.
*Stir in a dollop of grainy French-style mustard when the chicken is done.
*Add a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes and some black olives after turning the chicken skin side up again.
*Stir in a cup of any salsa in the last 10 minutes of cooking or spoon on top of the cooked chicken before serving.
Swedish Meatballs
This recipe uses your ground pork and ground beef, and works wonderfully over egg noodles.
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup Panko*
2 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups beef broth
3/4 cup sour cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Panko, egg yolks, allspice, nutmeg and cooked onion; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 24 meatballs.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
To make the gravy, melt butter in the skillet. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in beef broth and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in sour cream; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Stir in meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
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