Thanksgiving Harvest

Thanksgiving rapidly approaches and we have a great selection of fall veggies. The weather has been kind, without a hard frost tender crops have survived. “Enjoy a salad with your Holiday dinner”, Dan insisted when he joined our family over 20 years ago. We have made a salad mix for you all to share with your families. Pumpkin and apple pies can be enjoyed as well.

We wish you all a happy holiday season. We will miss seeing you and your families running around the farm. Now is our time to focus inward, prepare the farm for next season, and perform needed repairs and my favorite . . . order seeds! Thank you for being members or our farm and farm community. Hearing your stories and knowing our family has contributed to the health of yours is the reason we do this work.

Stay in touch and please do let us know if you want us to reserve your spot for the 2013 season. Deposits are due 12/1/2012. Tell your friends about La Finquita, we have space for them as well.

POTATO, LEEK AND FENNEL SOUP

The fennel is the special flavor in this soup.

2 tbsp.

2 cups

2 cups

4 cans

2 lbs. (1/4 stick) butter

sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)

sliced fennel bulb, fronds reserved for garnish

(14 1/2-ounce) low-salt chicken broth

red-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and fennel and saute until leeks are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add broth and potatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer soup until potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return to same pot. Rewarm soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with reserved fennel fronds and serve. Serves 8. Bon Apetit

LEEKS WITH SHALLOT CAPER VINAIGRETTE

4 sm to med

1 1/2 tsp.

1 tbsp.

1/2 tsp.

2 tbsp.

1 tsp.

1 tbsp. leeks (about 1 pound untrimmed)

Sherry vinegar* or white-wine vinegar, or to taste

minced shallot

Dijon mustard

extra-virgin olive oil

drained capers, chopped fine

minced fresh parsley leaves

Trim leeks to about 5 inches and trim root ends, leaving them intact. Cut each leek in half lengthwise and wash well, discarding any tough outer leaves. In a skillet just large enough to hold them in one layer arrange leek halves, cut sides down, and add enough water to reach halfway up sides of leeks. Simmer leeks, covered, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes, and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice and cold water. In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, shallot, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste and add oil in a stream, whisking. Whisk vinaigrette until emulsified and whisk in capers and parsley. Transfer leeks to paper towels. Pat and gently squeeze leeks until dry and divide between 2 plates. Spoon vinaigrette over each serving. Gourmet

adapted from The Greens Cookbook by D. Madison and E. Brown

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

salt

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

sugar, if necessary|

Pepper

1 butternut winter squash, weighing 2 1/2 to 3 pounds

4 ounces Fontina or Gruyere cheese, sliced

Freshly chopped parsley

Heat the olive oil and add the onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and a little salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft; then add the wine and let it reduce by half. Add the cayenne or paprika and the tomatoes. Cook slowly for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick. Taste, add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are tart, and season with the salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the tomatoes are cooking, prepare the squash. Cut it open, scoop our the seeds and strings, and then, with the flat cut surface resting on the counter, shave off the skin. (The butternut can easily be peeled with a vegetable peeler before it is cut in half. Another method is to cut the squash into pieces and then remove the skin from each piece. This takes more time, but you may find it easier.

Slice the peeled squash into large pieces about 3 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Heat enough oil to generously coat the bottom of a large skillet, and fry the squash on both sides, so that it is browned and just tender. Remove it to some toweling to drain; then season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To form the gratin, put a few spoonfuls of the tomato sauce on the bottom of individual gratin dishes, or use it all to cover the bottom of one large dish. Lay the squash on top in overlapping layers with slices of the cheese interspersed between th layers. Bake until the cheese is melted and the gratin is hot, about 15 minutes, and serve with the fresh parsley scattered over the surface.

adapted from Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider

Cut off the caps, scrape out seeds, season, re-cap, and bake. That’s all it takes to give each diner a yummy little pumpkin, custom-flavored. Bake while you roast some meat or vegetables, or both! Or, for an all veggie meal, serve with braised greens and toasty baked grains. Make sure you cook dull skinned (not shiny coating like the supermarkets do just for decoration!). As the Cinderella coaches bake, natural oils surface and they turn as glossy and bright as painted and shellacked decorations.

For Each Serving:

1 mini pumpkin

pinch of ground coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, or garam masala or big pinch of dried savory, sage, or thyme, crumbled to powder

pinch salt

pinch pepper

1 teaspoon butter or nut oil

1 Tablespoon prune, apple, cranberry, or orange juice

1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey

1. Set oven to 350 degrees to 375 degrees, as suits whatever else is roasting. With sturdy sharp knife, cut a square (or 5-6 sided ) cap around pumpkin stem, poking into the heart of the squash to cut the fibers. Pry out the cap. With melon ball cutter or grapefruit spoon, scoop out and scrape interior to remove all seeds and fibers. Trim fibers from cap.

2. Sprinkle spice (or herbs), salt, and pepper inside and tap to distribute. Add butter, juice, and sweetening. Set cap back in opening, but do not press in fully (or it may slip inside). Place in baking dish.

3. Bake until creamy-soft inside, about 30 minutes for small squash, 45 minutes for larger ones. Test with knife tip – it should slide through easily. Let stand 15 to 60 minutes, as convenient.

First the pumpkin:

Preheat oven to 350. Cut and remove seeds from one medium sugar pie pumpkin, or 2 small ones. Bake in glass dish cut side down for at least 45 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces the entire wall of the pumpkin.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Next the crust:

For best results use a 9 inch pie plate and have foil and beans or pie weights available

4 tablespoons EACH cold unsalted butter and shortening, cut into pieces

1 1/4 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

3-6 tablespoons ice cold water

In a food processor, whirl the dry ingredients together, then drop the butter and shortening pieces into the processor and pulse a few times until the mixture looks crumbly and there are no lumps larger than peas.

Mix above mixture in a mixing bowl with 3 tablespoons of the cold water. Add water a ½ tablespoon at a time and mix until the dough is pliable and releases from the sides, but isn’t too sticky. After 3 Tablespoons or so it’s easiest to use your hands to bring the crumbs into a dough. Don’t wash the food processor yet.

Refrigerate in waxed paper as a thick disk for at least ½ an hour while you prepare the filling. After about 30 minutes, roll out dough until it’s about 13 inches in diameter. Fold it over, and place into a 10 inch pie plate. Trim edge to about ½ an inch beyond the end of the pie plate, tuck in crust and pinch the edge into a design. Lightly place some aluminum foil or parchment paper onto crust, then put in some pie weights to cover the bottom (or dried beans) This step helps to make the perfect pie shell. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

FILLING:

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon each ground cloves and nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cup half and half

4 large eggs

In the bowl of the food processor, remove any large clumps from the making of the crust, and add the pulp from the pumpkins, discarding the skin and any renegade seeds. Whirl the pumpkin until thoroughly pureed. Measure out 2 cups of the pumpkin, and reserve the rest for another use. (See soup recipe or add about a cup to any pancake or cookie recipe.)

In the bowl of the food processor, mix the pumpkin with the spices and the brown sugar. Remove to a saucepan, and heat until it’s lightly bubbling. In the bowl of the food processor, whirl the eggs with the half and half until mixed, then add gently to the warm pumpkin mixture. Cook for 2 or 3 more minutes, stirring a few times. Pour warm pumpkin mixture into the warm pie shell, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until center is still slightly wobbly. Cool on a rack for at least an hour. Enjoy with whipped cream or ice cream.

FRESH PUMPKIN BREAD

(From Reminisce, Nov1991)

 

3 1/2 all purpose flour

2 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 t each ground cinnamon and nutmeg

2 c sugar

1 c vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

1 t each vanilla extract

¾ cup buttermilk

1 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup walnuts, chopped

2 cups fresh pumpkin

 

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl

2. Add eggs, oil, buttermilk, and sugar, mix well (I beat with a wisk)

3. Add pumpkin, vanilla, raisins and walnuts

4. Pour into two greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pans.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until bread tests done.

6. Let stand 10 minutes before removing from pans. Then cool on a wire rack.

7. Can be served fresh or frozen