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Author: mo

  • Skillet Apple Crisp

    This tastes like a hug. I prefer apple crisp to apple pie. I love everything going on in a crisp: nuts, crunchy bits, chewy oats, tart apples and sweet syrupy juices. Pie always disappoints me, crisps never do.

    I think it’s been super fun to have apples in our winter CSA shares.

    There are literally millions of apple crisp recipes out there. I really like this one because you dump all the filling ingredients in the skillet and cook it until the apples are done.

    At our altitude, when making apple pie it is really hard to cook the apples until they are done. If you add flour or any thickener it often isn’t cooked all the way. This apple crisp solves those problems. Also, you can taste the filling and adjust it if you want  the filling sweeter or more lemon or spices. I was happy with my filling cooked down to this point.

    I topped it with the crumble and baked it until it was crisp. I don’t know why I always leave a hole in the middle of my crisps, but I do. Maybe my mom did it? You can cover the whole thing if you want.

    I also don’t know where I got this recipe but I’ve used it for decades. It’s got the perfect amount of apples to topping for me. If you make it I hope you like it as much as I do.

    My Apple Crisp Recipe

    Topping

     3/4 cup flour, any kind. I used whole wheat. Gluten free works fine.

     3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

     3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled outs

     1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

     1/4 cup granulated sugar

     1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

     1/2 teaspoon table salt

     8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter melted

     

    Filling

     3 pounds apples, peeled, cored, cut into chunks

     1/4 cup granulated sugar

     1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

     1 cup apple cider or juice

     2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

     2 tablespoons unsalted butter

     

    Preparation

    Make the topping: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour, nuts, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in butter until mixture is thoroughly moistened and crumbly. Set aside while preparing the fruit filling.

    Make the filling: Put all the filling ingredients into a skillet (mine was an 8 inch skillet) and carefully mix everything over a medium heat on the stove. It will slowly collapse and cook down. When the apples are cooked to your liking sprinkle the topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks. Place skillet on baking sheet (incase it spills over) and bake topping is deep golden brown, 20 – 25 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes before you eat.

    Happy thanksgiving. Stay warm and well.

    Mo

  • Cheesy Roasted Pepper Mashed Potatoes

    This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes. I’ve never shared any holiday food with you on the blog. Now, with the winter CSA I’ll get to! Roasted chilies added to mashed potatoes are so good with turkey and dressing and cheese makes everything better.

    We had a ton of peppers this summer didn’t we? I hope you stashed a few of the roasted chilies away in the freezer to enjoy this winter.  You can use any of the roasted peppers we gave you in mashed potatoes. I used some mild Anaheim. Poblano are great in mashed potatoes if that is what you have.

    Cheesy Roasted Pepper Mashed Potatoes

    Serves 1…just kidding. This serves at least 4 and probably more like 6.

    • 1 1/2 pounds potatoes
    • 4 or 5 roasted chilies cleaned and diced
    • 1 cup milk/cream/1/2 & 1/2
    • 1/2 to 1 cup cheese to taste
    • sour cream to taste
    • salt and pepper

    Put potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water. Cook the potatoes over medium-heat until fork tender, about 15  to 25 minutes start checking them after 15 minutes. When tender, drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the sour cream, milk, butter, cheese, salt, pepper. Mash by hand with a potato masher  and add the roasted peppers at the end of mashing and adjust seasoning, if needed.

    This is after they are fork tender and before mashing, you can’t see the milk in the pan, but it’s there.

    Add the peppers when you are done mashing, just stir them in.

    That’s it. Of course these are great anytime, not just Thanksgiving. If you have leftovers they make delicious potato pancakes or to die for potato croquettes .

    Have a great week. Enjoy this gorgeous weather.

    Mo

  • Cabbage, Beet and Lentil Borscht

    Delicious. Satisfying. Chocked full of vegetables. Filling. Beautiful.

    I followed this recipe exactly, it’s well written and easy to follow so I am not going to rewrite it. I’ll just link to the the post and post some of my pictures making it.

    You probably have all the vegetables you need in your refrigerator. I did. I have made this with sauerkraut instead of cabbage, that was really good too.

    Chop everything up. The mandolin came in handy here, but you can chop by hand if you like.

    Chuck it all in a big pot with the lentils and the other ingredients called for and cook for about 30-40 minute.

    The vegetables release lots of water and make a delicious broth, it’s almost like a vegetables stew. The lentils add a nice satisfying texture. This can be vegan if you use vegetable oil and top it with olive oil. I like it with some crusty bread or croutons and sour cream so darn good. I do think it needs some kind of fat to top it off to balance the flavors.

    It gets better after a day or two and it makes at least 8 servings, so lunch is taken care of for a few days.

    I hope you are all well and stay that way.

    Mo

  • 2 Easy Acorn Squash Preparations

    Acorn squash are a perfect side dish to go with almost any meal. They have a very mild ‘squash’ taste and aren’t as sweet as butternut squash or pumpkins.

    The skin is edible, I like it. Some people don’t. I’ll show you two ways to cook it, one you scoop the flesh out the other you eat it skin and all. Try both and see which you prefer.

    Like most winter squash, acorn squash are very hard to cut. Before cutting your squash, then you can microwave winter squash for about 3 minutes to make them easier to cut.

    Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds, use a melon ball utensil or a grapefruit spoon to make the scooping easier.

    I roast all my winter squash in a 425F oven and start checking for doneness after about an hour. If the squash is cut in smaller pieces check for doneness sooner, like 35 or 40 minutes. It’s pretty hard to over cook squash.

    Put your squash on a sheet pan lined with parchment. I like acorn squash sweet since they are pretty bland so I put in a pad of butter and some maple syrup or a little brown sugar and salt and pepper. If you don’t want sweet you can rub it with olive oil and just salt and pepper.

    I scored the squash after about 45 minutes in the oven so the butter and maple syrup would soak in a little. I finished baking it for about an hour total. That’s it. A tasty easy side.

    Here is my favorite way to cook acorn squash. Scoop out the seeds and slice the squash in about 1/2 inch wedges. I like to make a rub of equal parts miso, maple syrup and olive oil and salt and pepper. You can just use olive oil and salt and pepper. Then spread the wedges evenly on a sheet pan and bake.

    Start checking for doneness after about 35 – 40 minutes.

    I had some romesco sauce I served with this. Pesto or chimichurri sauces are great with this, pretty much any sauces you have will work, or just eat it as is.

    Look at the blisters and caramelization. Yum.

    I hope you all are doing ok and are well and stay that way.

    Mo

     

     

     

  • Different kinds of winter squash-which are interchangeable?

    I love late season and storage vegetables and I really love winter squash.

    Here is a primer of some of the different kinds of winter squash we have and which are interchangeable with each other.

    Clockwise these are buttercup, butternut, pie pumpkin (winter luxury), spaghetti, baby butternut and kabocha. We have lots and lots of information on this site about storing and cooking different kinds of squash.

    Let’s look a little deeper into what makes them unique, and similar.

    Kabocha (my favorite winter squash) and buttercup squash both have cork like stems and bright orange, very sweet and dry flesh. The shape stands up to braising in curries or stews and is delicious in soups, ravioli filling and they are dry enough to make squash gnocchi.  These two squash are completely interchangeable with each other and also with a sweet potato!  Kabocha skin is thin so I never peel it. Buttercup is a little thicker so I either peel it or scoop the flesh out and compost it.

    Pie pumpkins and butternut squash are the two ubiquitous winter squash in most people’s repertoire. Almost any thing you can do with any winter squash you can safely substitute one of these. The flesh is orange, slightly firm, slightly stringy, slightly sweet, slightly nutty and not too dry especially if you roast them. I LOVE winter luxury pie pumpkins in this pie.

    I love spaghetti squash but I always say I wish it had a different name. No, it doesn’t taste like spaghetti. It is stringy and very mild in taste, not sweet at all like other squash. It takes on the flavor of whatever you cook or serve it with. It has a chewy almost crisp texture that is sort of like rice vermicelli AND it comes with it’s own bowl! You can cook and eat your whole meal in one go! I can’t really think of anything you can substitute for or with spaghetti squash. In my experience this is the longest storing winter squash. I have kept a spaghetti squash from October to June! That’s 8 months!

    One squash I don’t have on this list or even on this site is an acorn squash. I didn’t have one here today but I’ll find one at the farm this week and fix that!

    Enjoy your winter vegetables and know they will keep for you for a long time.

    Have a great week.

    Mo

     

  • Lentil Soup using any Root Vegetable and any Green

    Any root vegetable is good here; rutabaga, potatoes, carrots or turnips (scarlet or Hakurei) or parsnips would all be good.

    This is super simple to make and it makes a lot, so you will have leftovers and the leftovers are great. You can throw in any extra grains or vegetables you have to freshen up the leftovers and eat this all week, oh and this just happens to be vegan.

    I love adding a little bit of vinegar to lentil dishes, I add a splash about 1/2 way through cooking when I add the greens, if I am using greens and usually a little more right before eating it. If you don’t think you’ll like the vinegar just start with just a little and add more to taste or leave it out. It will be delicious either way.

    To make this you’ll need;

    • 1 1/4 cups green lentils
    • 12 oz canned (or cartoned?) or fresh tomatoes —  (1 1/2 cups)
    • 2 large onions, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 tablespoons to a 1/4 cup vinegar to taste – I used white balsamic, I like the slight sweetness but any vinegar is good – red wine vinegar is good.
    • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon fresh or dried thyme leaves
    • 2 cups peeled and diced root vegetable(s)
    • 2 cups diced carrots
    • 2 cups chopped greens – collards, spinach, chard – green are totally optional
    • 6 cups water
    • crushed red pepper flakes to taste
    • freshly cracked black pepper to taste

    Peel and dice the rutabagas and dice the rest of the vegetables you are using. I don’t peel carrots. Put everything in the amounts above in a pan except the vinegar and greens.

    Simmer that for a total of about an hour. About 1/2 way through cooking add about 2 tablespoons of vinegar and your greens and finish cooking until all the vegetables are cooked through. It’s fine to cook it longer. This photo is when I added the greens it needs to cook at least 1/2 hour longer.

    I like eating this with an added splash of vinegar and olive oil and bread or croutons.

    See you at pickup.

    Mo

     

     

     

     

     

  • Pumpkin Risotto

    This love making risotto. I have a pressure cooker that I use to make it. I know lots of people have Instant Pots, the two are interchangeable in this (and most) recipes.

    This risotto is super easy to make with deliciously creamy results.

    Here is what you need.

    • 2 tbsp olive oil (I forgot to put that in the picture)
    • 1 large shallot or small onion finely chopped
    • 2 or 3 cloves chopped garlic
    • 1 1/2 cups uncooked arborio rice (any rice works, arborio is really creamy)
    • salt and black pepper
    • 1/2 cup dry white wine (I use vermouth)
    • 3 cups liquid, you can use broth or water or milk. I used 1/2 milk and 1/2 water
    • 2 cups peeled and cubed squash or pumpkin
    • 1/3 to 1/2 grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
    • squeeze of lemon and some chili powder, optional but delicious.
    1. Sauté onion and garlic until softened. Add pumpkin and rice, cook until rice is translucent. Stir in salt and pepper. Add wine; cook and stir about 1 minute or until evaporated. Add the liquid and mix well.
    2. Secure lid and move pressure release valve to Sealing position. Press Manual if you are using an Instant Pot, if you have a Pressure Cooker cook on high for 6 minutes.
    3. When cooking is complete, press Cancel and use quick release.
    4. Stir risotto about 3 minutes or until it gets creamy. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese.
    5. Replace the lid and let it rest for at least 20 minutes or even longer. It gets creamier while it is resting. Don’t skip this step.

    This is what it looks like after pressure cooking for 6 minutes. It isn’t cohesive yet, it needs some time to rest and get creamy. Stir it really well and add the parmesan cheese and lemon and chili powder if you are using it. Put the lid back on and walk away for 20-30 minutes.

    After resting it will look like this.

    Happy Fall CSA members. See you at pickup.

    Mo

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Roasted Green Chile Sauce

    I can’t believe I haven’t posted a roasted chili sauce before. This is a super delicious and easy sauce you can make with any of the roasted chilies you get in your CSA share. Ue your hot, mild or even sweet if you use roasted Carmen.

    You can eat the sauce with just chips or put it inside a burrito or make enchiladas or huevos rancheros or just eat a bowl of it. It makes everything better, just beans and rice and chile sauce is so good. 

    You can make this vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable broth. To make this you’ll need;

    • 1 pound of roasted chilies, any kind. Peel and seed them. 
    • 1/2 cup of broth, again any kind you like, or even just water.
    • 1/2 cup each chopped tomatoes and onions
    • a few cloves of garlic and some spices like cumin and oregano about 1 teaspoon if the spices. 
    • Hot sauce is optional, I didn’t use it this time. My chilies were plenty hot enough. 
    • 1 Tablespoon each oil and flour (I forgot to put those in the picture) any flour will do, gluten free, whole wheat or masa flour. I used plain all purpose flour. 

    Heat a pan with the oil and add the onions and cook until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and flour and stir until the flour is absorbed. 

    Add the spices you are using and slowly add the broth and everything else.

    Let that simmer until the tomatoes have totally collapsed and the sauce is thickened to your liking, about a half an hour. 

    You can change the mood of this chili by using a different thickener than flour. If you use masa flour or even crushed corn chips instead of flour and you get a deep rich flavor that is more New Mexican cuisine tasting. 

    Only 3 more weeks of CSA left. Start freezing some chilies so you can make this for winter.

    Have a great week. See you at pickup.

    Mo

     

  • Super Simple Pickled Watermelon Radish

    Radish pickles make any dish a little more tasty and fun and add a really nice crunch to everyday food. They are super quick and easy to make and dress up anything. Try radish pickles on a simple bowl of rice, a taco or a sandwich or top a salad with it.

    I had watermelon radishes today, but you could use a daikon or a black winter radish if that is what you have. Look at the tap root on that big radish! You’ll have to scroll waaaaayyy down to see the whole thing. Way to grow Team Red Wagon Farm!

    To make this you’ll need;

    • A winter radish
    • 1/4 cup vinegar-any type will do. I used cider vinegar, rice vinegar is good or white wine vinegar is good too.
    • 2 tablespoons of a sweetener-agave, sugar, honey. I used maple syrup
    • Black sesame seeds are optional, but fun with watermelon radishes, they look like watermelon seeds :-).

    Slice the radish very thin. You can use a knife or a mandolin or even a spiralizer if you have one and toss in the vinegar and sweeter…that’s it, you made a radish pickle.

    This will keep in a jar in the refrigerator for a week to 10 days. I hope you try this. It makes me happy to have a jar and try it on different things.

    Have a great week. See you at pickup.

    Mo

     

  • Breakfast Poblano Potatoes

    I like to pull all my vegetables out of the refrigerator every week or two to weed out what needs to be used up and decide what is old and should go to the chickens. This is usually when I decide what to blog on for the week. Today I had some potatoes, poblanos and some corn that really needed to be used. I was going to make a potato poblano soup. Basically using this recipe and adding the poblanos and some corn.

    As I was cutting up the potatoes, they looked so good I decided I wanted the potatoes to be the star and not get lost in a cream soup. There is nothing like freshly dug potatoes. See how buttery they look. I changed my mind and decided I wanted roasted potatoes instead.

    So I made Breakfast Poblano Potatoes

    Preheat the oven to 425F.

    Dice about 1 pound of potatoes, an onion and 2 or 3 peppers, I had poblanos but Carmen or bell peppers would work too. Put the chopped vegetables in a sheet pan.

    Coat everything with oil and toss it all together with salt and pepper and a little cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and/or dry chili powder if you like.  Roast it in the oven for 30-40 minutes, stir it when it is about 1/2 cooked. I’ll add the corn 1/2 way.

    This is what it looks like 1/2 way cooked with the corn added.

    These would be great in a breakfast burrito or made into a frittata.

    Only a few weeks left of CSA. Hope you are enjoying your shares. I’ll see you at pickup.

    Mo