CSA Members 2007: Newsletter Archive

Dear CSA Members,

It's not too late to sign up for the Winter deliveries! Our delivery dates for the winter boxes will be Tuesday, November 20th and Thursday, December 20th. We will include some storage vegetables as well as goodies to eat right away. You may sign up for just one delivery ($50) or both deliveries ($100).

Before I get any further, a word on the winter squash. . .

All the winter squash varieties you have received do not have to be eaten right away. A blemish-free squash will keep for several weeks, up to a few months. The varieties with the shortest shelf-life are the butternut and the green kabocha, which you will receive the final two weeks of our program. Even they should last a few weeks.

When storing squash, look for a dark, dry place with fairly consistent temperature, like a cupboard or a pantry. Squash should not be exposed to frost or too much moisture, as they will mold more quickly.

Today we have our first parsnips! Parsnips, although odd looking (giant white carrot, anyone?) are amazingly sweet and excellent for soups or as French fries. They can also be sautéed, baked or roasted. We have also sneaked in a head of garlic. For our long-time members, you may recall that we had a terrible flood of our garlic field two winters ago, ruining virtually all our garlic. This season we finally had enough seed garlic to plant and a few to send to you. We hope to have a nice big crop again next summer!

This week you will find a mix of peppers in your CSA boxes. The spiciest of the group are the cayennes, the very long thin pepper that is (still) dark green. Eventually they ripen to red for a fierce spiciness, but even green they beat jalapenos hands down for heat.

The orange Kabocha are a dry, sweet squash that is perfect in soup. I have included a recipe below, but don't be afraid to substitute this in place of other squashes, such as buttercup or acorn.

Squash Soup with Cilantro Chutney

for the chutney

• 1/4 cup sliced blanched almonds
• 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 chilies (try one cayenne for more heat)
• 2 cups loosely packed cilantro

for the soup

• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• a 3- to 3 1/2-pound kabocha squash, peeled, halved, the seeds and strings discarded, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 6 cups chicken broth
• two 4-inch strips of orange zest
• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
• 8 cilantro sprigs for garnish

procedure

Make the chutney:

In a blender or food processor blend the almonds, the coconut, the chilies, a pinch of salt, and 1/3 cup water until the mixture is ground fine. Add the cilantro and blend the mixture until it is ground fine. (This recipe makes what is known as a dry chutney, which has a slightly grainy texture.) The chutney may be made 8 hours in advance and kept covered and chilled. Makes about 1 cup.

Make the soup:

In a kettle cook the onion in the butter and the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the squash and 1/2 cup water, and cook the mixture, covered, over moderately low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Add the broth, the zest, and the juice and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 15 minutes. In a blender or food processor purée the mixture in batches and strain it through a sieve into a large bowl. The soup may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.

Ladle the soup into 8 bowls and garnish each serving with about a tablespoon of the chutney, to be stirred into the soup, and a cilantro sprig.

Adapted from Gourmet, November 1990

Root Vegetable Gratin

This will be even better the next day. For a less fussy recipe, cube the vegetables. You will need to cover them and may need to increase baking time.

Special equipment: an adjustable-blade slicer; a 3-quart gratin or other shallow flameproof baking dish.

ingredients

• 1/2 lb parsnips
• 1 small celeriac
• 1/2 lb squash
• 3/4 lb baking potatoes
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

procedure

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Peel parsnips and cut crosswise into 3-inch lengths with a knife, then cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices with slicer. Transfer to a large bowl. Peel celeriac, potatoes and squash (prepare potatoes last to avoid discoloration) and halve lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices with slicer. Add to parsnips along with salt, garlic, pepper, nutmeg, broth, and 1 3/4 cups cream, tossing to combine. Transfer to gratin dish, spreading evenly.

Cut out a piece of parchment or wax paper to fit just inside gratin dish, then butter 1 side of parchment. Cover vegetables directly with parchment, buttered side down, then put dish in a shallow baking pan (to catch any drips). Bake until gratin is bubbling all over and vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife, about 50 minutes. Discard parchment.

Just before serving, preheat broiler. Drizzle top of gratin with remaining 2 tablespoons cream and broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

Adapted from Gourmet, November 2006