PROMISED LAND CSA WEEK TWENTY ONE OCTOBER 18^TH/20^TH 2011

I have never done a countdown to the final share week but as we have had ongoing inquiries I think this year I’ll begin! There are four weeks of fruit shares left and there are five weeks of produce shares including this week. We do not want anyone to miss any shares because the weather seems like nothing would still be growing. We have also had several people in another type of farming assuming that we are winding down now. Yes, we have all the heavy produce like winter squash in but there are many crops which are still thriving even if they aren’t growing as fast as tomatoes in July! Like sweet peppers in October; I had thought that the sweet peppers would have succumbed to the cold by this point but even though they are smaller in size they are a welcome addition to this week’s share. We have a lovely cipollini onion to go with them as well as a shallot and garlic. Shallots are a delicate balance of garlic and onion and are milder than either one. The cipollini onion is deliciously sweet when cooked and has a flattened shape which slices superbly as long as you aren’t trying to cut them horizontally. And this is the first week for rutabaga. This year we tried a different planting method. We had previously direct seeded them and then had to go through and thin them by hand when they were still small. This isn’t an arduous task but a very time consuming one. We would normally wait until mid to late summer so that there wasn’t a flea beetle population to be concerned with. This year there was and extremely high population of beetles and so we decided to seed the rutabagas in the greenhouse and then transplant them out to the field when the seedlings were big enough. The other nice thing about this method is that the spacing is precise as opposed to when I thin them by hand. I have such a hard time choosing which plants to pull out. It is difficult for me to pull out such beautiful little rutabaga seedlings! And so I usually end up not thinning them enough and if they are spaced to close together they will never produce a mature bulb. It will be interesting to see how sweet they are as a good frost or two sweeten them and so far we have had only one patchy frost. I like them best served with a pork roast as I think that pork gravy compliments them nicely. I serve them instead of potatoes. A grandmother in our family who was probably trying to mellow the favor would cook the potatoes and rutabaga and mash them together. Roasting them is always a good way to introduce them especially if you are roasting a variety of roots or squash. And if you are in the mood for a pork roast try cooking the fennel bulb on top of the roast. I think that a combo of a variety of this week’s vegetables would make for an interesting stir-fry. I can remember years ago when I first began stir-frying vegetable dishes. I thought that it took so long to prepare all the vegetables before I began. I then understood to prepare the ones that take the longest to cook first and begin the stir-frying process with those and then continue to prepare the next vegetable and add it to the pan as I continued the veggie prep. Now it’s quick, quick and if I have some leftover meat it’s even quicker! There are never two stir-fries alike. And if you don’t have rice on hand try using your spaghetti squash for a base. Even a faint at heart squash person will enjoy it this way! I’ve converted a few family members to spaghetti squash. And last but not least we have the first of the Savoy cabbage; did I hear someone say golabki (stuffed cabbage)? The Savoy cabbage leaves although not huge are soft and supple for wrapping fillings. It is a labor of love and although I find them cute and delicious I prefer the quick short cut method of layering the ingredients because I prefer lots of cabbage with a smattering of meat. Each to his own! And I have to say that one of my favorite dishes at the potluck was the Creamy Spaghetti Squash Parmigiana. Whomever made this dish also made my day (week actually) because they were gracious enough to leave the remaining dish for us to enjoy. And I’m afraid that I had more than my share. My family is divided over mushrooms and so any dish with mushrooms I get the lion’s share! It was phenomenal! I’ll add it to this week’s recipes. Well I hope that even though the last few days have been wet and blustery that you have enjoyed the night moon when the sky has cleared. It has been quite a treat every evening. There is something about the October moons. Perhaps because night falls earlier there is just more time to enjoy it. Enjoy the harvest and four more to go!!! Jane

P.S. This week Tuesday’s shares will get kohlrabi and Thursday’s will get broccoli; next week it will be the opposite.

THIS WEEK’S SHARE: SPAGHETTI SQUASH RUTABAGA FENNEL DAIKON SWEET PEPPERS GARLIC

SAVOY CABBAGE KOHLRABI (Tues.) BROCCOLI (Thurs.) CAULIFLOWER CIPOLLINI ONION SHALLOT

FRUIT SHARE: BOSC PEARS CRISPIN APPLES FUJI APPLES

CREAMY SPAGHETTI SQUASH PARMIGIANA

4 T. butter, 1-2 T. olive oil, 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 1 large onion – Candy or Vidalia are good, 8oz. sliced mushrooms. Sauté the ingredients above until most of the moisture have dissipated. Take 8 c. roasted spaghetti squash; add to pan and sauté with the onions and mushrooms to heat through. Add 2 c. heavy or light cream, 4T. butter and 8oz. Parmesan cheese. Place in buttered casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350⁰. If made ahead and cold you’ll need to bake for about an hour. *To roast spaghetti squash; Heat oven to 400⁰. Either half or leave whole. If left whole puncture in several places to allow steam to escape. If halved season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 45-60 minutes. A great idea is to stuff Portabella mushrooms with this mixture, top with a slice of Provolone cheese and bake for a single serve side or a quick lunch. Thanks to the Promised Land member who shared this recipe!

STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

12 cabbage leaves*; 1 pound hamburger; 1/2 cup uncooked instant rice; 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup); 1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt; 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon water

Cover cabbage leaves with boiling water. Cover and let stand until leaves are limp, about 10 minutes. Remove leaves; drain. Sauté hamburger, rice, onion, mushrooms (with liquid), salt, pepper, garlic salt and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Place about 1/3 cup hamburger mixture at stem end of each leaf. Roll leaf around hamburger mixture, tucking in sides. Place cabbage rolls seam sides down in ungreased square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches. Mix remaining tomato sauce, the sugar and lemon juice; pour over cabbage rolls. Cover and cook in 3500 oven until hamburger is done, about 45 minutes. Mix cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in saucepan. Stir in liquid from cabbage rolls. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve sauce with cabbage rolls. Garnish with parsley if desired. 4 OR 5

FENNEL EGG SALAD

6 large eggs (not too fresh! they will be difficult to peel if very fresh); 1/3 cup finely chopped fennel stalk; 2-3 tablespoons chopped fennel leaves; 2-4 tablespoons finely chopped sweet red onion; 4 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; salt and pepper to taste

SAUTEED KOHLRABI

Grate kohlrabi, place in colander, and sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes to drain. Heat 2 T. butter over medium heat. Add 1 small onion chopped, and sauté a few minutes. Stir in kohlrabi, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium and cook two more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs. Makes 1-2 servings.

VEGETABLE GOULASH

2 pounds white root vegetables: turnips, kohlrabi, celery root, parsnips; 8 ounces onions; 2 Tbsps butter; 1 Tbsps mild paprika pepper; 1/2 tsp caraway seeds; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2/3 cup sour cream

First, prepare the root vegetables by peeling them, then cutting them into even, bite-sized pieces; peel and chop the onions. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, put in the onions, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes, then add the root vegetables, paprika and caraway and stir well. Pour in a scant cup of water or vegetable stock and add a teaspoonful of salt. Cover tightly and leave over a gentle heat for 45-60 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender and bathed in a glossy brick-red sauce. Keep an eye on it and add a tablespoonful of water if it looks as if it's sticking. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sour cream, check the seasoning, then serve, with the rest of the sour cream.

SERVES 2. Recipe from Vegetarian for Four Seasons.

BROCCOLI SALAD

1 head broccoli, flower and stems chopped; 1/2 lb. fried bacon, crumbled; 1/2 cup chopped onion; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Dressing: Stir together:1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup sugar; 1 Tbsp vinegar

Mix all salad ingredients and stir in dressing. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

2 large cloves garlic, minced; 3 tablespoons olive oil; Salt and black pepper, to taste; 1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets; 113 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped Combine garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a casserole dish. Add cauliflower, and toss to coat well. Bake 25 minutes at 425 degrees, stirring halfway through. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and parsley, and broil 335 minutes, until golden brown. Makes 6 servings

BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH SAGE SHALLOT APPLE DRESSING

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; 2 tbsp each chopped fresh sage and parsley; (6 ounces each) or 2 t. dry herbs,

2 heaping cups dried bread cubes or croutons; 1 tbsp butter; salt and pepper to taste; 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots; 1/2-2/3 cup chicken broth;1 cup finely chopped tart apple

Oil a baking pan. Trim chicken of all fat; flatten meat by pounding it lightly with a flat, heavy utensil. Place in pan. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook shallots in butter on stove top until tender, 4-5 minutes. Stir in apples, herbs, bread cubes, salt, pepper, and just enough chicken broth to make a moist stuffing. Mound on chicken. Bake until stuffing has browned and chicken is tender, 20-25 minutes. Makes 4 servings. Recipe from MACSAC