Recipes 9/26 & 9/27
Roasted Delicata Squash
2-4 delicata squash, depending on size
(~1.5 lbs)
2 Tbls olive oil
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Clean the delicata squash by running under warm water and scrubbing away dirt with your hands. If there are any hard spots on the squash, you can scrape them off with a butter knife.
With a sharp knife, cut delicata in half lengthwise. This should be easy and not require any crazy hacking. With a spoon scoop out the seeds and discard (you can save these and prepare them like pumpkin seeds if you wish). Cut each delicata half into 1/2 inch segments, creating moon-shaped pieces that have slight bumps around the curve.
Arrange the pieces in a single layer in a metal baking pan and coat in 2 tbsp olive oil. Too much oil can make the squash soggy. Salt gently. It’s okay if the pieces are a little crowded, but try to maximize the surface area of the squash touching the pan. The browning only occurs where the squash and pan meet.
Place in oven and roast 10 minutes. Using a spatula turn the squash in the pan so that the light sides are now touching the pan and the brown sides are facing upward.
Continue roasting, turning every 7-10 minutes until both sides of the squash pieces are golden brown and the texture is creamy to the teeth all the way through, about 25-30 minutes. Adjust salt. (From summertomato.com)
Collards, Carrots, and French Green Lentils
4-5 collard leaves
4-5 medium carrots
1/2 C French green lentils, cooked
1 small leek
1 clove garlic
olive oil
sea salt
lemon juice (optional)
chopped parsley (optional)
If you are making your lentils from scratch, quickly pick through for pebbles, give them a rinse then boil them in excess water with a pinch of salt for 20-30 minutes, until tender. Even though I rarely consume more than half cup (cooked) in one sitting, I usually like to cook up at least one cup dry (at least 4 servings) and save the rest for later. Start them boiling as soon as you step into the kitchen and start cooking your vegetables at least 15 minutes after you turn them on.
In the mean time clean and chop your leek and mince your garlic. Peel and slice your carrots at a sharp angle to maximize the surface area for cooking. Clean your collard leafs, chop off the stems then stack them on top of each other in a pile. Cut into one inch squares, removing any sections that have thick pieces of stem.
Heat a pan on medium heat, then add olive oil. When the oil swirls easily in the pan, add the leeks and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, until the pieces break up and become tender and translucent. Add carrots and stir. Cook 2 minutes, then add collards. Sprinkle with sea salt and continue to cook, stirring occasionally.
Be careful with your heat when pan frying collard greens–don’t let it get too high. The leaves easily trap steam from cooking, and I had a few jump out of my pan onto the floor. They make a loud popping sound too, which is very exciting. If it makes you feel safer, you can cover the greens for the first minute or two while they soften.
Shortly after the collards turn bright green from cooking (4-5 minutes), clear a space in the center of the pan and add your minced garlic in a single layer (you can add a touch more oil if necessary). Let garlic cook 30 seconds or so until fragrant, then add the lentils and mix with the other vegetables. A squeeze of lemon juice, zest or a dash of vinegar is a good addition here, if you like. A sprinkle of your favorite herb, e.g. Italian parsley, basil or thyme, adds depth and complexity if you have them around.
Continue cooking 3-4 more minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. If you are using cold lentils, cook until warm. Adjust salt and serve. (From summertomato.com)
Leek Delicata Squash Soup w/ Caramelized Apple Croutons
1/2 lbs delicata squash, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
2 1/2 Tbls unsalted butter
2 large leeks, white and tender green parts, chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 1/2 C vegetable broth or 2 1/2 C vegetarian chicken broth
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
sour cream, if desired (to garnish) (optional)
1 tart green apple, of your choosing
1/4 C light brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool slightly and gently scrape or cut squash away from skin (delicata skin is edible, but not tasty in this dish). Set aside.
Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add leeks and thyme and stir occasionally until soft and brown, 10-15 minutes. Stir in the stock and the squash and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Using an immersion hand blender, puree the soup directly in the pot until smooth. (Alternatively, puree the soup in batches in a standard blender or food processor).
Season with salt and pepper & top with sour cream and caramelized apple croutons
To make the croutons:.
Peel and core apple and halve lengthwise. Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, cut apple into very thin slices. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread one layer of apple slices on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake slices for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until crisp.
Transfer to cooling racks and let cool completely. (From food.com)
French Green Beans w/ Herbs
1 lb thin green beans, trimmed
1/4 C red onion, chopped fine
3 Tbls butter
2 Tbls parsley, chopped fine
2 Tbls fresh thyme leaves
2 Tbls tarragon or basil, chopped fine
2 Tbls chives, chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges
Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Boil the beans for 2 minutes. Plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain the beans and pat dry on a cloth or paper towel.
Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Cook the onions until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the green beans and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
Add all the herbs and some salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute more.
Serve hot or at room temperature, with lemon wedges. (From simplyrecipes.com)