Week #21
- Tomatillos
- Eggplant
- Tomatoes
- Cherry tomatoes
- Sweet peppers
- Hot peppers
- Spaghetti squash (new item!!) It is freshly harvested so that it can sit for a while and intensify in flavor)
- Zucchini
- Cucumbers
- Onions (enjoy these “torpedo” onions, heirloom from Italy) nice sliced and marinated
- Basil (If you haven’t made your pesto and frozen it yet, it is time!)
- Garlic
- Fruit
- Potatoes
- Green beans
- Kale or chard
The change in weather this week will be good for fall crops and may give a second life to some summer crops like the cucumbers. The tomatoes will resent the rain and will likely split. I hurried out on Thursday night to gather as many of the heirlooms as I could before they were affected by the rain. The cherry tomatoes will be the hardest hit as they tend to split with the dew. We hope we have tomatoes well into October.
The winter squash is looking great. We have so much we feel like we have to start giving it. Please enjoy the spaghetti squash baked in the oven. I cut it in half, scrape out the seeds and place it face down on a baking sheet. Once the squash is cooked (soft when a fork is stuck in it) remove it from the oven and scrape out the contents of the squash and use it as you would pasta, as a vehicle for the sauce.
We managed to harvest all the potatoes and replant the beds with lettuce and spinach for fall harvest. The weeding is what really gets to us, as it is never ending. The rain is great for encouraging those buggers.
The canning party is scheduled for September 12, from 9 – 5. Mary Kay has been instrumental as always at creating a master marketing list and organizing the recipes into a clear fashion. She has done the addition for us as we triple or quadruple each recipe. I have attached the list of items to bring to the canning party for all participants. Please read it over and send me any questions. We need to get started early so that we can finish by 5:00. The party goes on rain or shine, but we surely hope it shines as much of the prep is done out on the cement pad in front of the deck and our outdoor kitchen. We are almost at capacity for the party, so sign-up this week.
Zucchini and Egg Casserole
Sauté 3 cups of Zucchini chopped
1 medium onion
crush 2 cloves of garlic
Mix: 4 eggs
1/4 cup dried or fresh parsley
1/2 cup parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Then add to above and mix well. Place in an 8 X 8 baking dish gently oiled with butter or pam. Bake for 25 minutes and then add 1 cup of jack cheese to the top of the dish.
DrWeil.com
Tomato Red Pepper Salad Dressing
This rosy, zesty salad dressing is great on a bed of leafy greens, sliced cucumbers and fresh mozzarella cheese. It is virtually fat free and therefore very low in calories. It also keeps well in the refrigerator for at least a week.
1 small (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
1 whole roasted red pepper or pimento from a jar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender container. Blend until well mixed.
Serves 8
Nutrients Per Serving
Calories: 22.9
Protein: 1.0 grams
Fat: 0.2 grams
Saturated Fat: 0.0 grams
Monounsat Fat: 0.0 grams
Polyunsat Fat: 0.1 grams
Carbohydrate: 5.3 grams
Fiber: 1.1 grams
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Vitamin A: 1,057.4 IU
Vitamin E: 1.0 mg/IU
Vitamin C: 33.3 mg
Calcium: 9.6 mg
Magnesium: 13.2 mg
Roasted Red Onions with Tomatoes and Red Wine
Cipolle al Forno
September 12, 2009
Copyright Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Serves 4 as a main dish; 6 to 8 as a side dish.
These generous sized wedges of red onion roast with wine, tomatoes, olive oil and herbs to become almost a meal unto themselves. I always make enough for leftovers because the onions are such a good lunch the next day with bread and cheese.
Every country cook has a collection of favorite onion recipes, onions grow easily in kitchen gardens and keep well through the winter in root cellars. Pair the onions with grilled and roasted meats, or simple seafood dishes.
At one farmhouse lunch my hostess served sections of onions roasted like these along with their pan juices atop a simple risotto — an even better reason to make extra.
- 6 medium red onions (3-1/2 to 4 pounds) cut in 4 wedges each
- 3 branches of fresh thyme leaves
- 2 4-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves, broken
- generous 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground
- 3 canned tomatoes, drained
- about 1/3 cup dry red wine
- about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- water
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange onion pieces wedge side up in a large shallow pan (half sheet pan or broiler pan). Tear up thyme branches and scatter over the onions along with the rosemary leaves. Tuck broken bay leaves here and there. Sprinkle with fennel and crush the tomatoes over the onions, too. Moisten wedges with the wine and olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Roast about an hour basting with pan juices several times. After about 20 minutes, add the garlic. If pan juices threaten to burn, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup water and scrape up any brown glaze with a spatula. Baste it over the onions. They’re done with they still hold their shape, but are tender when pierced with a knife. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, basted with their pan juices.
Spaghetti Squash and Herbs (Martha Stewart)
- 1 spaghetti squash (about 4 pounds), halved lengthwise, seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 1 tablespoon packed light-brown sugar
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup blanched hazelnuts (1 ounce), toasted and coarsley chopped
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush cut sides of squash with oil, and sprinkle with sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Place squash, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly on sheet on a wire rack, about 10 minutes.
- Scrape squash with a fork to remove flesh in long strands. Place in a large bowl. Add oil, Parmesan, parsley, cilantro, hazelnuts, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Toss, and serve immediately
Ernesto’s Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa
3 chipotles or moritas 1 cup chopped onions
1 large tomato, broiled or charred over flame 2 cloves of garlic
1 pound tomatillos (10 or so), blackened 1 ½ cup chicken broth
½ to 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
3 teaspoons chipotle en adobo, pureed 2 tablespoons cilantro
Soak the chipotles or moritas in boiling water for 15 -30 minutes depending on their dryness. Broil or char tomato and blacken the tomatillos. Fry the chopped onion in an ungreased frying pan until slightly browned but not burned. Add the garlic at the end so that it doesn’t burn. Place soaked chipotles, onions, garlic, tomato, tomatillos, half the broth, salt vinegar, the adobo and cilantro in the blender. Puree. Sinner the salsa in a saucepan , adding the rest of the broth. Simmer for 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning, serve warm.