We also ate (more!) sunchoke gnocchi with sautéed spinach and polished off the peaches and cantaloupe as delicious lunch time snacks. We still have more onions and cucumbers to use up.
What I Made – Week 12
Week 12
What I’ve Planned – Week 12
Even as hot as the days are, we’re still getting leafy greens along with our beans and squash, so I’m not in full casserole mode yet! Here’s what we are planning to make this week
- Crispy salmon and chard
- Beet and avocado salad
- Wok cooked Romano beans
- Greek Turkey Meatballs with tzatziki and pitas
- Sunchoke gnocchi and spinach
- Lemon blueberry scones
Well probably eat the peaches and definitely the cantaloupe for breakfast and snack on the cucumbers throughout the week. I’m still hoping to make a chocolate zucchini cake, if I can stand to run the oven that long this week!
What I Got – Week 12
What I’ve Planned – Week 12
- Greek Bulgur Salad
- Thai steak with noodles and green beans
- Sheet pan chicken with green beans and potatoes
- Blueberry waffles
- Blueberry peach cobbler
What I Got – Week 12
Clockwise from left: Slicing Cucumbers, Green Beans, Yellow Straightneck Squash, Green Savoy Cabbage, Red Tomatoes, Mixed Specialty Eggplant, Blueberries, Cubanelle Peppers, Yellow Peaches, Athena Cantaloupe
What I Made: Cavatelli with Squash and Sage
One of the things I have come to appreciate about getting my produce from a CSA is the unmistakeable slide of the seasons. There’s no need to check to calendar to know it’s no longer summer. We’ve clearly left the tomatoes and peaches behind for substantial squash and crisp apples. With its warm spices and hearty sauce, this dish is one of those that tastes like fall and is perfect when the days start turning a bit cooler. (Those Pumpkin Spice Latte aficionados understand that sentiment, I’m sure.)
This was another attempt at homemade pasta. This time I got even more adventurous by combining all purpose and whole wheat flour. It wasn’t exactly a failure, but I did think the dough could rest longer to better incorporate the whole wheat.
Cavatelli with Squash and Sausage, adapted from Simply in Season
(Cavatelli recipe via Food Network)
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 large egg
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/cavatelli-with-asparagus.html?oc=linkback
1 pound Italian sausage (I used spicy, but recipe suggests sweet)
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons fresh sage, cut into thin strips
1 cup dry white wine (could also use chicken broth)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup acorn squash or other winter squash, cooked and pureed
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
DIRECTIONS:
1. Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Mix the ricotta and egg in a small bowl with a fork and then dump into the well. Using the fork and working your way around the well, gradually mix the flour into the ricotta mixture until the dough is crumbly. If the dough is too dry to come together, add up to 3 tablespoons water, a little at a time.
2. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic (not sticky), about 6 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 30 minutes. (The dough can be made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator, just bring it to room temperature before rolling it out and forming the pasta.)
3. Take about one eighth of the dough (leaving the rest wrapped), roll the dough on the counter into a 1/2-inch-thick log. Cut the log into 1/2-inch pieces and then roll each piece into a small ball.
4.With a butter knife, gently pull the the dough towards you and let the dough curl up over the knife edge, making a thin, twisted pasta.
5. Place completed cavatelli on a floured baking sheet, and repeat step 4 to make the remaining cavatelli.
6. Cook pasta in salted, boiling water until al dente, about 5 minutes.
7. Brown sausage in pan. Remove meat and drain off fat.
8. Return pan to heat and sauté garlic and onion until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
9. Add bay leaf, sage, and wine and cook until reduced by half.
10. Mix in pureed squash and chicken broth, and bring to a simmer. Add sausage back in to mixture.
11. Stir in milk, cinnamon and nutmeg and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
12. Remove bay leaf and add cavatelli. Cook 1 minute until pasta is heated. Serve topped with with additional sage and grated Parmesan.
What I Made: Breakfast Potato Hash
I’m not big on making elaborate breakfasts. I generally keep it simple in the mornings, because need I remind you of the blueberry buckle (mostly averted) fiasco? Now that the weather is turning cooler, however, it’s nice to start the day with something a little more substantial than a slice of toast.
I’m a huge potato lover, so of course I’ll jump at any excuse to eat them for breakfast. The best part about potato hash is the endless ability to customize it to your tastes. Want a Tex Mex kick? Add taco seasoning. Top with cheese or don’t! Add tomatoes or don’t! Anything on a based of fried potatoes is a winner in my book.
For this version, I cut potatoes roughly into 1 inch wedges and fried them in some oil until they were nice and browned on all sides. Then I added green bell peppers and onions and cooked until thy were soft. A dash of salt and pepper later, breakfast was served!
I’d suggest looking at this recipe if you’re really clueless on where to begin, but honestly, no recipe is needed.
What I Got: Week 12
Produce arrangement and photo this week courtesy of my very talented sister
yellow cubanelle peppers, green acorn squash, rainbow chard, golden gem watermelon, red tomatoes, green beans
mixed yummy peppers (yellow, orange and red), fortune plums, baby eggplants, gala apples, red potatoes
Since I’m posting this in much later, here’s a recipe I made with the baby eggplant and completely forgot to document! Stuffed Baby Eggplant from Tyler Florence. My eggplant were a little too baby-sized to make this effective, but it was still quite tasty.
CSA in the Suburbs 