Roasted Acorn Squash with Red Chili Vinaigrette

This is an amazing recipe that I tried recently. It got raves reviews from my client and also the husband, who had SECONDS of squash! It was from the Epicurious site. I believe it was originally in Gourmet Magazine. It is an unusual departure from most squash recipes and is delicious. If you don't want it spicy, remove the seeds and veins from the chili before chopping. If anyone will be at our place on Thanksgiving, it will be on the menu.
For smaller households, divide in half or plan on eating leftovers.
Words in (...) are mine, for easier work.


2 (1 1/2 - to 1 3/4-lb) acorn squash
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot red chile, including seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro



Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges (cut into 16ths). Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl, then arrange, cut sides down, in 2 large shallow baking pans ( I covered mine with parchemnt for easy clean-up. silpat would be another good choice). Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.

While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste ( with flat side of chef's knife. Drag along cutting board, repile and drag again, until paste forms. Or use mortar and pestle) with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, chile (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Makes 4 servings.

trouble in blog land

I have some things to post but am having trouble loading pictures. The host is having difficulties this week so I am assuming it is them, not me. It will be worth tha wait.

Gadget Alert!

Before you rush out to but those OXO products: the ones i have are the old style peeler, not the "y" style with the blade going horizontally across the top of the "y".
and the ice cream scoop is a small, ovalish scoop with kinda sharp edges and not the ice cream paddle. Ok- commence shopping.

Pad Kee Mao

CSA box- tomatoes, cilantro, garlic


Peanut oil for cooking
1 pound fresh rice noodles , cut into 1 inch strips and separated
8 oz. firm tofu, cut into small cubes or thinly sliced meat of choice
4 cloves chopped garlic

Sauce ingredients:
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoons of palm sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 small hot peppers, chopped finely ( seeds removed for less heat)
1/2 c. water or stock
Salt and white pepper to taste

2 medium tomatoes, quartered
Handful of coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned


Mix together all sauce ingredients in small bowl.

Season a large pan with oil. Heat over high heat and cook tofu or meat until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat 3 Tb. oil in the pan. Add the chopped garlic and cook until beginning to brown. Add the noodles and cook until soft and beginning to take on a transparent look.

Add the sauce to the pan and cook until thickened slightly. Stir in Tofu or meat. Heat thru. Remove from heat.

Stir in tomatoes, basil and cilantro. Serve.

Good Tools make kitchen work easier

As a person with several drawers of kitchen tools and gadgets I think I can say that having the right tool for the right job adds to the enjoyment of cooking. A number of people have commented to me recently that it is difficult to peel squash. If it is hard work, one is not going to eat squash very often. For this delightful task I recommend the OXO potato peeler. It will whip the skin off a butternut faster than a......( you come up with a metaphor! An old Saturday Night Live episode is coming to mind.). It is a tough little peeler that I use on apples, pears, tomatoes, many different squashes. and oh, yes, potatoes. And then there is the matter of those pesky seeds in the squash. WEll, OXO also makes an ice cream scoop that is not only wicked on the hardest of ice creams, but also is amazing at removing those aforementioned seeds. I am not totally in love with OXO. I share my love with Zyliss for their garlic press and with the microplane grater people. And you can never love tongs enough. Tongs. Tongs. Tongs.
P.S. If you hear the OXO people are looking for sales reps let me know.

Red Pepper Hummous

Roasted red pepper hummous

2/3 cup diced roasted red pepper, homemade or store bought, patted dry
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup tahini, roasted preferred
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water

Add all ingredients to food processor and process until extremely smooth, drizzling in a bit more water if it seems to thick.
To serve- drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle on some chopped parsley or some paprika ( try smoked paprika!).

Just for fun

We had the pleasure of hosting the relatives for a dinner while Steve and Ruiko were here from Honolulu. The menu was a greek-style baked pasta, Grilled pork tenderloin, salad, red pepper hummous, pita bread and dessert which is pictured below. It was homemade chocolate gelato in meringue cups, served atop a drizzle of chocolate ganache and garnished with mint and a raspberry from the garden.

Thai tomato, fish and vegetable soup

CSA box- leeks, onions, kale, spinach, cilantro, peppers


This is also very good vegetarian style. Add tofu instead of fish and use soy sauce in place of fish sauce.

1 t. oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 leeks, white part
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, thin sliced
1 yellow pepper, thin sliced
1 32oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
2 cans coconut milk
1 t. red curry paste
2 T. fish sauce
1 T. lemon juice
small bunch asparagus, trimmed into 1" pieces (optional)
4 Cups kale thin slice
2Cups spinach, shredded
1 # white fish, cut into chunks
1/4 c. cilantro, stemmed

Saute onion, in oil, in a large soup pot over med heat stirring until barely soft.
Add leeks and celery- cook for 2 minutes.
Add mushrooms and bell peppers, cook for 2 min.
Add tomatoes and coconut milk, then blend in red curry paste.
Stir in fish sauce and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer. Add asparagus, if using. Return to a simmer. Add kale and spinach. Return to a simmer. Stir in fish, reduce heat to low and cook unti fish is opaque (3-5 min. )
Serve hot, garnished with cilantro.

Gingered Squash and Apple Soup

CAS box- Delicata squash, onion, cilantro, pears
As you can see from what I used from the CSA, this soup is open to interpretation. It was very different using pears instead of apples. Still delicious, though. I squeezed in a bit of lemon juice to brighten the flavor a bit.
I adaped this recipe to the pressure cooker, which saved an hour of roasting the squash in the oven. To achieve that layer of flavor the squash is caramelized in the pot before the other ingredients are added.


2 1/2 lb Tahitian, buttercup, or kabocha squash
2 1/2 Tb. butter
1 Large red onion, coarsely chopped
1 lb sweet apples- peeled, cored and sliced
3 Cups vegetable broth
2 Tb. rice vinegar
2 Tb. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tb. chopped fresh cilantro
Pepper, to taste
Salt to taste

Instructions: Peel and seed squash and cut into 2-inch chunks ( kabocha does not need to be peeled, the skin is edible).

In a 6-quart pressure cooker, melt butter over medium high heat. Add squash and let cook until beginning to caramelize on the bottom. Stir and cook a bit longer until squash is nicely colored.
Stir in onions. Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in broth, carefully scraping up all browned bit off the bottom of the pan. Add remaining ingredients.
Lock lid into place and bring up to high pressure. Lower heat to maintain pressure and cook for 12 minutes. Quick release pressure, turning lid away from you when opening cooker.
Squash should be very tender. If needed, return to heat and simmer until squash is done.
Correct seasoning.
Puree' in batches in a blender or food processor, or in the cooker, using a hand-held blending wand.
Cream can be added for richness or serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or crème' fraiche. Sprinkle cilantro on top.
***For standard stove top, increase broth to 3 1/2 cups and simmer squash for about 30 minutes or until tender.

Slacker

So, I have fallen prey to the affliction that hits bloggers in my house- procrastination. Also, I have not replaced my dead batteries in my camera so picture taking has been limited. I will post some recipes without pictures. As you are reading just use your imagination.
Last week was the last delivery of our farm share. I am sooo sad to have it over. It has been a wonderful year. Not as many green beans as I was expecting, nor fennel. I think I enjoy the greens the most. The kale, arugula, so many kinds of lettuce, even iceberg! That was a walk down memory lane as I can't say I have bought a head of iceberg in at least 15+ years. It is so good with Marie's blue cheese dressing and a few toasted and chopped hazelnuts that I might have to indulge myself once in a while.
I have spread my wings this year on the salad dressing and have embraced Annie's Goddess dressing. It's really sesame-y, with a hint of peppers and vinegar. It gave old Marie a run for her money.

Before my Mom died we used to get Marie's Blue cheese once a month, when the welfare check came. After she died, my grandparents wouldn't buy it because it was too expensive. So, every year, at Christmas, Maries would be on my list. And my Aunt Verna usually gave me a big jar of that creamy goodness.
Some kids get a pony. I got Blue Cheese and underwear.
If I could fend off the sisters, I would enjoy that jar for weeks.

awhile back I came unglued because they changed the packaging, the design and the size. It went from a sixteen ounce container to a 12 ounce container. Of course, the price stayed the same. (Just like Tillamook did the the ice cream cartons last year. Shrink the size and not the price.)
Anyway, now I know how my sister felt when the Whitman Sampler was rearranged. She was NOT happy. I thought it was funny at the time. And then they messed with my dressing.....