CSA Share Week 20: From our farm to your table this week…

Acorn squash

Basil
Onions
Bell peppers
Spaghetti Squash
Sweet Corn
Tomatoes

Tips for using &/or preserving your produce…

Acorn Squash

Did you try stuffed acorn squash last week?  If not, and if you’re looking for a quicker recipe for acorn squash, try this one by my best imaginary friend (Ford’s words) Ree Drummond, The Pioneer woman: Delicious Baked Acorn Squash.  Although I haven’t used this technique with acorn squash, I’ve baked butternut squash this way and it’s delicious.

Basil
Earlier this year we mentioned using basil to flavor water but last weekend our friends and CSA members, the Harringtons, made an amazing flavored water using basil with fresh strawberries.  What a great idea! The sweet strawberries and aromatic basil were a perfect pair.

Bell peppers
This week I came across a great recipe that uses a combination of peppers, mushrooms, celery, and apples with couscous.  What a delicious way to combine the last peppers of summer with some of the first fall apples!  The recipe is from the May 1996 edition of Cooking Light but I made a few modifications.  To see the original, click here: Moroccan Couscous Peppers (original). 

Moroccan Couscous with Peppers

2 large bell peppers (about 1 pound), diced

1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup sliced celery

1/4 cup chopped peeled tart apple

1 garlic clove, minced

3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)

1/2 cup uncooked couscous

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons raisins

2 tablespoons walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Coat a large nonstick skillet with oil, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add peppers, onion, mushrooms, celery, apple, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

 Combine broth, salt, cumin, pepper, and turmeric in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; stir in couscous and oil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add pepper mixture, raisins, pine nuts, and parsley; stir well. Spread evenly into an 8-inch square baking dish; bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Onions
Caramelized onions are delicious accompaniments to many main and side dishes.  My parents say that when I was a child, I ate onions like apples.  That didn’t last but apparently I’ve always had an affinity for these flavorful bulbs.  Try this along with your favorite meat or mix it into a vegetarian favorite for a more robust flavor.  They’re also incredible piled on top of mashed potatoes!  (Can you tell I’m hungry while writing this one?)  Combine about 1tsp olive oil and 1 tsp butter per small/medium onion and heat in skillet until melted and hot.  Add thin slivers of onion and cook for about 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt and cook 30-45 more minutes.  Be sure to stir the onions frequently but allow them to get good and brown.  A tiny sprinkling of sugar helps with this, but please don’t make them too sweet!  When they’re nice and soft, and brown, toss in a splash of your favorite vinegar.  (Adapted from www.simplyrecipes.com )  There’s also a nice step-by-step recipe (slight variation from above) with photos on the Southern Living website HERE.

Sweet corn
Ford tells me this is the last week for fresh, sweet corn, so I’ve decided to share a family favorite recipe with you.  We call it “fried corn” on Pistol Creek, but don’t worry, there’s no batter or deep fryer involved.  It is best eaten with a big bowl of fresh tomatoes, a few slices of fresh onion, and cornbread.  YUM! 

“Fried” Cornaccording to the instructions of my mom (Margie Baker) as passed from her mom (Daisy Johnson)

6 ears of fresh sweet corn, washed, silks removed, patted dry

Option 1 - Leftover batter from a batch of cornbread OR
Option 2 -         2 tsp cornmeal        2 tsp flour

water

 milk

1 Tbsp butter

Prepare your corn and set aside.
Option 1 – Stir up a batch of your favorite cornbread, pop it in the oven but DON’T wash the bowl you used to stir up the batter!  Instead, cut the kernels of corn into that bowl. 
Here’s an important step: once you slice the kernels off all the way down the cob, go back and scrape the cob with your knife to remove the milky residue at the base of the corn kernels.  This is a little messy, so you should probably put the bowl you’re cutting the corn into down in your sink because the corn juice goes all over the place.  Trust me; this makes all the difference in the world.

Option 2 – Stir together cornmeal, flour and enough water and milk (about half & half) to make a thin batter.  Add the corn as described above.
Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet until melted, then add the corn mixture and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Mom says to stir it very often or it will stick!Try not to eat the whole bowl all by yourself if possible.

Spaghetti Squash

In case you don’t have it handy, here’s a basic recipe for cooking spaghetti squash.  Spaghetti Squash video.  Once this basic preparation method is complete, you can enjoy as-is or spice it up with cheese, marinara, or whatever makes you happy.

Tomatoes
If you make my mom/grandma’s fried corn recipe, please, by all means, serve up freshly sliced chunks of tomato along with it!  You won’t be disappointed.

As always, please feel free to contact me for clarification, further information, or to share your own adventures in cooking local, USDA-certified organic produce.  amanda.waterstrat@gmail.com