Braised Winter Squash With Cilantro and Caper Sauce

Shared with us from CSA member Maya Binyam

In the early months of fall, when fall produce began arriving in our CSA share but the temperatures were still in the 70s and 80s, I began cooking squash on the stove. I use this Bon Appetit recipe for quick-braised squash as a base, substituting delicata for kabocha and deploying whatever aromatics I have on hand: rosemary, bay leaves, sherry vinegar, etc. (I also skip the butter and honey, to make the recipe vegan.) Once the squash is braised and seared, I top it with a make-shift knife pesto. I fry capers in a few tablespoons of hot olive oil, pour both into a bowl, and mix them with a few teaspoons of sliced preserved lemon, a palmful of golden raisins, crushed walnuts, salt, pepper, and a fistful of whatever chopped herbs I have on hand, most often cilantro or mint.

Roast *Almost* Everything Salad

From CSA member Camie Hoang

After looking at what was left of our box, the easiest way to use it all up was to roast almost everything.
I find that when you get lettuces from the local farm, sometimes it is a bit bitter and rough. Maybe someone will know and can answer why? Is it because it's later in the season that it was harvested or because it is a strain that is bitter? or?!?

But I find that if you roast it in the oven, it counteracts the bitterness and actually adds a bit of sweetness. So here is my version of a roast *almost* everything salad

ingredients:
1x head of lettuce - from CSA
1x red cabbage - from CSA
4 sections of Garlic(half clove) - from CSA 3x zucchinis - from CSA
1 bunch radishes - from CSA
olive oil -6 glugs... so maybe 1/2 cup
salt - 1/2 tbsp
1x lemon- for juice and zest
Parmesan (as desired)
***seasoning

what you'll also need: 2x sheep pans
large mixing bowl

Directions

Pre-heat oven 380F degrees
Do a rough chop of the zucchinis, cabbage and garlic.
Slice radishes into slivers approx same size as the veg above, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the chopped zucchinis, cabbage, garlic, and half of the salt and olive oil together. Coat well.
Place on a sheet pan and spread evenly.
Place on the lower rack of the oven. Roast of approx 30 minutes. Give it a turn once or twice. Add more olive oil if it's looking dry.

In the meantime, slice the head of lettuce in half and place on a sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt on top. Place on the top rack of the oven. This should take approx 15min., The desired result is to have a bit of char but the body of the lettuce should be slightly wilted. Remove and plop on some parmesan, it's as much or little as you want. Now, this is ready to eat as is or you can cut it up and set aside to put in with the rest of the vegetables at the end.

Back to the rest of the vegetables- they should be ready at this point (see photo). Remove and place in a salad bowl. Put in the radishes (the only non-roasted member of the team).

Zest the skin of one lemon (or as desired) onto the vegetables.
In a small bowl, you will make a dressing by using 3/8 cup (just a little over 1/4 cup) of OO, half of a lemon's worth of juice, and salt to taste, and beat with a fork until it looks cloudy.
Mix the dressing into vegetables and serve with the lettuce! I've also made a version with some leftover pasta (for anyone who needs a carb version).

Enjoy!

CHERRY BANANA BREAD

From CSA member Sarah McDowell

Yield: 1 loaf | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 60 mins

Ingredients

2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup (150g) packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup (80g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature 

2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 large ripe bananas)

1 cup pitted cherries

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

2. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.

3. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy (approx. 2 minutes).

4. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined.

6. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Do not overmix.

7. Fold in the pitted cherries with a spoon.

8. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 60-65 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil after 30 minutes to stop the top from getting too brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when the bread is done. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely before slicing (good luck waiting!).

9. Cover and store banana bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Grandma Binky’s Apple “Pita” (family recipe)

Recipe from CSA member Arielle Burlett

Ingredients:

3 cups sifted flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup and 2 tablespoons cold butter cut into cubes

1 cup sugar

½ cup milk

2 eggs (beaten)

4-5 cups of chopped CSA apples  (immediately sprinkle with lemon juice and toss in

 ½ cup sugar)

¾ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

Mix milk and egg together. Mix flour, baking powder together.  Cut the butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir the egg mixture into flour mixture (dough will be slightly sticky).  Avoid adding too much flour – it will make it tough.  Pat out ½ of dough on a sheet pan.  Spread on apples, Pat on remaining dough in small globs.  This will fill out over the pan as it bakes.  Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of sugar,  Sprinkle with nuts. 

Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes until golden.

The end result is more of a sheet pie or pastry and is an old family recipe that I turn to every fall!

Zucchini Noodles with Chicken and Mushrooms in Alfredo Sauce

Image and Recipe from CSA member Arielle Burlett

Ingredients:

1-2 medium chicken breasts (optional)

3-4 zucchinis from your CSA!, julienned or spiralized

¾ cup fresh white mushrooms, sliced

1-2 cloves garlic from your CSA

¼ cup unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups of freshly grated parmesan cheese (more or less to your liking)

1 ½ cups of heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of oregano, basil, thyme (optional)

Olive oil

Instructions:

Slice chicken into strips and marinate in a mixture of olive oil, salt, black pepper, basil, oregano, and thyme for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Saute chicken and when almost done, add in sliced mushrooms. 

Separately, start your alfredo sauce by melting butter and heavy cream to simmer.  Add in basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper to taste and let simmer for an extra minute. Slowly add in shredded parmesan about ½ cup at a time and stir continuously to avoid clumping. 

Drizzle spiralized zucchini noodles in a little olive oil and saute for 1-2 minutes in medium-hot heat.  Do not overcook them because they will become soggy (key is to slightly cook them to get them warm and bring out the flavor!)

Toss everything together and plate your dish!