Delicata Squash, Japanese Turnips and Kohlrabi...

The Saturday folks got a few "different" veggies this week, so here are some ideas for how to use them (in fact this is what I did with mine)....

ARMENIAN RAGOUT Delicata Squash as a main dish
Slice squash half long wise and scoop out seeds and insides. Place face down on a pan or in a flat casserole, and bake at 350 until a knife will easily pierce (about 35-40 min). I used 2 delicata squash for this recipe.

While the squash is cooking...Put 3/4 cups of dried lentls into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until done (not quite as done as for Dal -which is smooshy). When done, remove from heat.

Chop 1/2 cup dried apricots. Pour 1 cup boiling water over and let them sit.

Once the squash is tender, remove from oven and cool. Cut into cubes (I took the peel off first, it was easier to peel cooked, than raw).

In a pot, saute 1 small diced onion and 2 diced cloves of garlic in 2 tbsp. olive oil. You want to cook them until they are transparent. Add 1 tsp. ground cumin, and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon. Add the lentls, squash and apricots (and liquid). Stir. Then add 1 can (15 oz) of diced tomatoes. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon (2 tbsp. if you are using from a bottle). Salt and Pepper to taste. Let cook down until thick.

Serve over Basmati Rice and put a little chopped parsley on top. YUM!


Squash Rings Delicata Squash as a side dish

Peel squash and slice off ends. Scoop out the seeds, etc. Cut the squash into rings about 1/3 inch thick. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp. Olive oil in skillet, add squash and fry over medium heat until reachly colored on bottom. TUrn and cook on second side. Remove to serving dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and freshly chopped parsley.

JAPANESE TURNIPS
Those lovely turnips you received this morning can be chopped and added to a stir fry, cooked and mashed, or grated into a salad.

KOHLRABI
Cut off the long leafy stalks, and thinly peel the bulb. Grate the Kohlrabi into a bowl and top with mustard vinegrette:
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 shallots, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp. sour cream
1/3 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
1 tbsp. chopped parsley

Fall Foods and Fried Green Tomatoes

This week we received tomatoes that were green to pink and a huge pile of collard greens. Definitely these are signs of fall.

Tomatoes picked before the first frost are often hard, even when you let them ripen in your kitchen window (place them on the ledge, stem side down to ripen). SO....why not make fried green tomatoes? Here is what I do....

Slice the tomatoes (about 1/4 inch thick). Set up two bowls to dredge them - first in a bowl of beatten egg, then in a bowl of corn meal. You can even pat the corn meal into the beatten egg coating if it is not sticking well.

In a skillet heat some oil (in the south we would use either corn oil, or bacon fat - I find that Olive Oil is too strong a flavor - you might try Canola oil or Grape Seed Oil because both of them have a high heat index).

When the oil is hot, place the tomato slices in the oil, and cook until brown, turn over and cook the other side. These are best when hot, but a cold slice on a biscuit is pretty good too.

Collard Greens are a puzzle to my northern friends. In the south they are a constant, since they grow nearly year round (3 growing seasons in most places). Here is what I do....

Remove the stem from the collard with a pairing knife. This will leave you with a large leaf. After you have a stack of stemless leaves, use a large knife to cut into smaller pieces. Like spinach this is going to cook down some.

Par-boil the leaves. This means heat a large pot salted water and once it is boiling, put the leaves in. I use a slotted spoon to put the leaves down into the water. Let them cook for a few minutes (3-5) and then drain them.

While they are draining, heat some fat in a skillet (I use bacon fat, but Olive oil works well here). Add 2 cloves of minced or pressed garlic to the oil, followed by the greens. Stir them around and let them absorb the flavors and continue to cook (2-3 min more).

If you like them a little bit hot, add 1/4 tsp. crushed pepper flakes when you add the garlic. Even my kids will eat this!!!