glacier grist
Issue #7 • Thursday, November 06, 2008
12 November 2008 box contents:
Well, Arthur and I are learning a lot in these first few weeks of our CSA business! We found out on Saturday that the organic fennel and oranges that we had ordered well ahead of time from Outside were delayed and wouldn’t be here in time for your box! So we’ve had to change the contents of the box a little bit! (Luckily, those beautiful little Delicata squashes DID make it.)
Instead of fennel, we’re loading your box with beautiful Alaskan Yukon Gold potatoes, and we’re substituting grapefruit for the oranges, and adding apples!
I had a recipe all planned for the squashes, fennel, and oranges: baked squash filled with wild rice, fennel, golden raisin & pine nut stuffing. I was disappointed not to be able to use that recipe this week, but this last-minute change has given me the opportunity to include a couple of other wonderful and favorite recipes instead. And don’t worry--I’ll put the stuffed squash recipe in another time! It’s a good lesson for me, writing this recipe newsletter. Coming up with recipes on the fly for a new box of produce is kind of exciting!
from Alaska’s Glacier Valley Farm and VanderWeele Farm:
Alaskan Brussels sprouts | Alaskan carrots | Alaskan yellow onions | Alaskan Yukon Gold potatoes
from Outside:
certified organic Delicata squash | certified organic grapefruit | certified organic Bartlett pears | conventionally-grown Honeycrisp apples
Please try and remember to return your box!
recipes
for glacier grist Issue #7
simple, sweet & savory baked squash
This is a really fun, and really easy way to bake your winter squash! Use any kind of squash that has a cavity in it to hold the flavorings. It’s based on a recipe from Crescent Dragonwagon’s Passionate Vegetarian
small winter squashes, such as Delicata, or sweet dumpling, or acorn squash
extra-virgin olive oil
soy sauce (I like to use Nama Shoyu—it has a really smooth, complex flavor. You can find it at Natural Pantry.)
maple syrup or honey
orange (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
3. Spray one or more baking sheets with cooking spray (this makes cleanup easier). Place the squash on the sheets, cavity-side up, and drizzle about ¼ teaspoon olive oil into each. Rub it around a little, then add about a teaspoon of soy sauce to each cavity, then a teaspoon of maple syrup or honey.
4. If you happen to have an orange hanging around, you could squeeze a little orange juice over the squash.
5. Cover the sheets tightly with foil, and bake until the squash is tender when poked with a fork. (The thinner the flesh, the faster it bakes.) Delicata squash may be tender in as little as 35 minutes, but other types may take 50 minutes or so.
6. Raise the heat to 500 degrees and remove the foil. Continue baking until slightly browned, 10 minutes or so.
7. Serve immediately, nice and hot. Mash the seasonings into the flesh as you eat it!
Indian-spiced roasted potato salad with carrots
I included this roasted potato salad recipe in one of our very first CSA boxes in September, when we didn’t have very many customers yet. I’m putting it in again, because if you haven’t made it since early September, it’s time to make it again! And if you haven’t seen if before, you’re going to love it!
Loosely based on a recipe in Yamuna’s Table
3 pounds waxy potatoes (like Yukon Gold)
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more, for vinaigrette)
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
6 to 12 carrots, peeled and grated finely
½ cup chopped cilantro
--------------------------------------
1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
1 cup vegetable broth, plus extra to taste
1 tablespoon garlic oil or olive oil
½ - 1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into ½” to ¾” dice.
2. Coat 2 large rimmed baking sheets with non-stick spray or oil (this makes cleanup a lot easier). Toss the potatoes with the garlic oil, salt and chili powder, and roast in the oven until they are golden-brown, tender, and browning on the bottom where they touch the baking sheets, about 30 minutes, but check them after 20 minutes, turning them over with a spatula.
3. Scrape the potatoes into a large bowl and fold in the carrots and cilantro.
4. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover with the lid, and shake the pan until they begin to pop. Add the cumin seeds, cover them, and shake for 30 seconds or so while the mustard seeds continue to pop. When the cumin seeds are fragrant and toasted, remove the pan from the heat and add the broth, garlic oil, and salt. Whisk to combine, and pour the sauce over the potatoes. Taste for salt, and add freshly ground pepper to taste. If you think it could use more moisture, add more broth. Serve warm or at room temperature.
5. When eating the leftovers, you might want to add more broth, since the potatoes absorb the broth as it sits in the refrigerator. You might need to add more salt and pepper, too.
brussels sprouts with toasted hazelnuts
I love this recipe almost as much as the plain roasted Brussels sprouts that I gave you two weeks ago… (in back issue #4) OK, maybe I love this recipe even more, but the roasted sprouts are so easy that I don’t always think to make this one.
So… I love this recipe for a little Brussels sprout variety, and I think you’re going to love it, too. It’s especially useful if you get a hankering to buy some of those specialty oils at the Summit Spice & Tea Co. (1120 E Huffman Road, #4). This recipe will absolutely help you justify the purchase of their fabulous roasted hazelnut oil. (Keep it in the ‘fridge after you open it to keep it fresh.)
This recipe is based on one in Mollie Katzen’s fantastic new book, Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup minced onion
4 cups (1 pound) Brussels sprouts, halved or quartered lengthwise (or left whole, if small).
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt (or to taste)
roasted hazelnut oil (optional)
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (or more) hazelnuts
1. Bring a large pot of water on to boil.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet until fragrant and light-brown all the way through—about 15 to 20 minutes (but keep checking). When they come out of the oven, rub them in a dishtowel briskly to get rid of some of the flaky skins, but don’t worry about getting all the skins off. Chop the nuts coarsely.
3. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about five minutes, until light golden brown.
4. When the water in the pot boils, salt the water well and toss the Brussels sprouts into the water. Simmer for 3 minutes or so, until they turn bright green and are beginning to become tender.
5. Drain the sprouts in a colander in the sink, and then spread them out on the counter on top of a dishtowel, to cool and let the extra water evaporate.
6. Add the sprouts to the onions, sprinkling in the salt. Stir to combine, and sauté over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the sprouts are completely tender and some of the outsides of the sprouts are caramelized.
7. Serve hot or warm, garnished with the toasted hazelnuts and a drizzle of the hazelnut oil. You can substitute a little extra-virgin olive oil for the hazelnut oil, if you like.
For more recipes, search my Alison’s Lunch website!
Or check the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market website, where I’ve loaded even more recipes!
Cheers! And happy cooking! --Alison
