Baked Delicata Squash Steak Fries

A couple weeks ago we got some delicata squash from our CSA share. Neither of us had ever heard of it before, so they went straight into our basement refrigerator to wait for us to figure out what to do with them. Last Friday I decided it was time to try. I did an online search for recipes and stumbled across this recipe that bakes slivers of squash that are steak fry like.

I adapted the recipe a little by using olive oil instead of non-stick spray, since non-stick spray scares me. The results was better than I could have imagines. They are addictive. So much so that they were gone before I got to take a photo. We made them again last night and I managed to snap a couple to share with you.

Below is my adaptation of the recipe.

Baked Delicata Squash Steak Fries Ingredients 1 Delicata Squash Olive oil Salt Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and clean out the seeds with a spoon. Cut into long steak fry strips leaving the skin intact. They are surprisingly hard to cut through, so be careful. Toss the squash strips with a little olive oil (just to coat lightly) and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 30 minutes turning once half way through. Original recipe: http://greenlitebites.com/2007/11/15/delicata-steak-fries/

Baked kale chips

I have been wanting to try to make these ever since a friend mentioned how yummy they were. They seemed very intriguing to me.

Last night we finally got around to trying to make a batch with the flat leaf kale we got from our farm this week. And I have to say, they are delicious, and just plain fun.

We found a few recipes online and then came up with our own below. There are no amounts since you can use however much kale you want to eat and just coat with the oil and salt accordingly. Very easy. Enjoy!

Baked Kale Chips Ingredients Flat leaf kale (cleaned and dried) Garlic salt Olive oil Directions Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove stalks from kale. Cut leaves into approximately 1 – 1.5 inch shapes (bite/chip size). Toss kale in a bowl with a little olive oil to coat lightly. Add a little garlic salt and toss again to coat. Lay out in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for about 4 minutes. Watch them closely as they go from done to burnt very quickly. Remove from baking sheet an enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Having never cooked with (or even seen in real life) green tomatoes, when we got some with our farm share I scoured my cookbooks, online recipe sites and even posted a request to my friends on Facebook looking for a great recipe to try. And I lucked out and fell in love with the first one I tried.

A couple notes on the recipe itself:

•  
  • Don’t be shy with the garlic powder!
  • I found adding salt to the dry mixture adds a lot (they definitely needed more salt the first time with salt only in the buttermilk)
  • They are fantastic with a couple drops of tabasco
  • The recipe is very scalable for however many green tomatoes you have
  • Make a lot…they will go fast!

Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe Source: Tyler Florence, The Food Network Prep Time: 10 min. Cook Time: 15 min. Level: Easy. Serves: 4 to 8 servings Ingredients   1 cup stone-ground cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon garlic powder Pinch cayenne 1 1/2 cups buttermilk Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 large unripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices, ends removed 1/2 cup vegetable oil Hot pepper sauce, for serving Lemon wedges, for serving Directions In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, and cayenne together. Pour the buttermilk into a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dip the tomatoes in the buttermilk and then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture, coating both sides well. Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is hot, pan-fry the tomatoes (in batches if necessary) until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Carefully remove the tomatoes and drain on paper towels. Serve with hot pepper sauce and lemon.

Crispy and sticky chicken thighs with squashed new potatoes and tomatoes

I love love love this recipe. It is so easy to make, easy to scale up and is always a crowd pleaser because it is real comfort food. We serve it along side a salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette, usually right on the same plate making it feel even more rustic.

Note the British measurements. I couldn’t wait for the US version of the cookbook to be published so I ordered the UK version This recipe is so easy that it really isn’t an issue. As soon as you have made this once you’ll be eye-balling everything anyway.

Crispy and Sticky Chicken Thighs with Squashed New Potatoes and Tomatoes Recipe Source: Jamie at Home Cookbook (Jamie Oliver’s) Serves 4 Ingredients: 800 g new potatoes, scrubbed Sea salt and freshly ground back pepper 12 boned chicken thighs, skin on Olive oil 600g cherry tomatoes, different shapes and colors if you can find them A bunch of fresh oregano Extra virgin olive oil Red wine vinegar [Carriere: Balsamic vinegar makes a tasty substitution] Directions Put the potatoes into a large sauce pan of salted boiling and boil until cooked. While the potatoes are cooking, preheat your oven to 200oC/400oF. Cut each chicken thigh into three strips and place in bowl. Rub the meat all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss. Heat a large frying pan, big enough to hold all the chicken pieces snugly in one layer, and put the chicken into the pan, skin side down. If you don’t have a pan big enough, feel free to cook the chicken in two batches. Toss and fry over a high heat for 10 minutes or so, until almost cooked, then remove with a slotted to an ovenproof pan or dish. Prick the tomatoes with a sharp knife. Place them in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for a minute or so [you can leave them longer and they will be fine]. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, pinch off their skins. You don’t have to, but by doing this they will become lovely and sweet when cooked, and their intense flavor will infuse the potatoes [Carriere: It is true, it is worth peeling them, they are a real highlight of the dish. We often add extra tomatoes]. By now the potatoes will be cooked. Drain them in a colander, then lightly crush them by pushing down on them with your thumb [Carriere: the back of a wooden spoon works well too, since they will be hot!]. Bash up most of the oregano leaves with a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar. Add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a good splash of red wine vinegar and some pepper and give everything another bash. Add to the chicken with the potatoes, the tomatoes and the rest of the oregano leaves. Toss everything together carefully. Spread out and bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven until golden. Lovely served with a rocket salad dressed with some lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, and a nice glass of white wine.

Recipe: Vegetable Slaw with Jalapeno-Lime Dressing

My husband made this over the weekend and it was really delicious! We had it with  fish tacos, though it was great on its own as a side as well. We made a couple adjustments to the recipe:

• we did not use jicama or red and yellow peppers since we didn’t have any [update  9/4/09: we used jicama in our last batch and it was even better! Get some if you can!]
• we used napa cabbage instead of green and upped the amounts since we had a lot – just shows you how flexible the recipe is
• we only used one jalapeno since I’m a wimp
• we used the vegetable oil option. It was a little oily the first time. We now half the amount of oil.

Enjoy!!!

Vegetable Slaw with Jalapeno-Lime Dressing Recipe Source: Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook Ingredients  Dressing Juice and zest of 1 lime 3 T rice vinegar 1 T honey 1 garlic clove, minced 5 t salt 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced .5 t ground coriander 1 C vegetable oil or .5 C buttermilk plus .5 C mayonnaise Salad .5 small head green cabbage .5 small head purple cabbage 1 small jicama (optional) 2 carrots 1 sweet red pepper 1 yellow pepper 1 bunch of cilantro 1 medium red onion .5 C minced chives Directions Combine the ingredients up to coriander in a bowl or food processor.  Whisk or blend while slowly drizzling in the oil.  If using buttermilk and mayonnaise, simply whisk together all of the ingredients to blend well.  Adjust seasonings and set aside. Core the cabbages and finely shred them.  If using jicama, peel it, cut it in half and slice into thin, even rounds.  Julienne slides into long, thin matchsticks,   Peel carrots and slice thin, diagonal coins.  Julienne each coin into long matchsticks.  Seed peppers and slice into fine strips.  Slice thin slivers of onion.  Roughly chop the stemmed cilantro. Toss all of the vegetables in a large bowl and mix in the dressing.  Let the slaw sit at least 30 minutes, then toss again before serving.

Recipe: Grilled Beets

As I mentioned in my last CSA post we were planning to try a new beet recipe on the grill last night. It was actually the first time we’d ever cooked beets at home and the results were out of this world PLUS it was so simple. I included a photo of our results for you to se for yourself. If you get beets through a farm share you need to try this. Actually, if you see good looking beets anywhere, your farmer’s market, the grocery store, you need to try this! I found the recipe on the Waltham Fields Community Farm site (our CSA Farm), it had been submitted by a shareholder.

Note, we made it without the walnuts and it was still great. I also peeled the beets which the recipe didn’t mention.

Enjoy!! Let me know if you try it!

Grilled Beet Packets with Balsamic Vinegar and Walnuts Instead of grilling you could roast the beets in the oven. This recipe is from The Vegetarian Grill by Andrea Chesman. 4 medium beets (approx 3/4 lb) 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar salt and pepper Cut beets into 1/2 inch slices. Put beets and walnuts on large piece of foil. Drizzle with the oil and vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Seal the packets so no liquid or steam will escape. Grill the packets over medium hot grill for 20-25 minutes (baby beets will take about 15 minutes). Open packet and test with fork for doneness and then serve hot. (Serves 2)