Red Wagon Farm

Seed (and Nut) Crusted Delicata

Posted on December 13, 2023 by mo

This time of year I can’t get enough roasted winter squash.

We celebrated Hanukkah this weekend I made these cute little seeded delicata rings and they were gobbled up as fast as the latkes! Everyone loved them!

These are super easy to make.

Preheat your oven to 400F. Cut two delicata squash (that’s how many fit on my sheet pan) into 3/4 inch rings and scoop out the seeds and rub them really well with olive oil and salt and pepper. I used garlic too, I don’t think I would use garlic again.

In a food processor I added;

3 tablespoons of turbinado sugar (you can use any sugar you like, coconut or maple would be nice here if you have it, or just brown sugar would work too.)
1/4 cup almonds (use what you like, or just use all seeds)
1/4 cup sesame seeds. I used white and black.
You could add cinnamon or herbs, I didn’t but I will next time.

Pulse all that in the food processor until it is like sand then press one side of the oiled squash into the seed mix and arrange on a baking tray seed side up.

I baked these for about 1/2 hour covered and uncovered for another 10 minutes. I covered the tray with another tray so they wouldn’t dry out and so the sugar in the crust wouldn’t get too dark. I wasn’t sure what would happen. I’d never made these before so I was cautious.

You could roast them uncovered and they would be more caramelized and crunchy than mine were.

I also roasted a couple delicata “boats” while the oven was hot and added the last bit of the nut/seed/’sand’ mix to the hollow of the squash. Yum.

I will be making this again and again. It was easy and very very tasty everyone love them.

Posted in 2023, Recipes, Winter Squash | Comments Off

Lemon Garlic Bok Choy

Posted on December 6, 2023 by mo

Bok Choy! It’s not just for stir fries and Asian dishes!

Bok Choy is a brassica and is related to broccoli, cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts so when life gives me Bok Choy and I don’t want a stir fry, I cook Bok Choy like broccoli or kale or, prepare it raw like cabbage in a slaw.

Probably everyone has prepared kale or Brussels sprouts by heating olive oil in a pan, add garlic, salt and pepper-add vegetables and sauté until done to your liking-squirt some lemon on it and you’re done. Super happy right?

Let’s cook our Bok Choy like that, sort of channeling sauteed lemon garlic broccoli, (except I didn’t have any garlic how do I not have garlic? :-/ I used a shallot).

I wanted my Bok Choy to be reminiscent of broccoli so I left the stalks long and chopped the shallot like I would garlic.

Heat a pan to medium high add some olive oil and the shallot (or garlic).

Then I added the Bok Choy and some salt and pepper. It looks like a lot but it cooks down.

Let that sear for 3 or 4 minutes, don’t mess with them, then turn them with some tongs.

Let them sear on that side for another 3 or 4 minutes (don’t fuss with them) and turn again until they are done to your liking. If some of the pieces get done before the others move them to a plate until the rest are done.

When they are all cooked through plate them and give them a squeeze of lemon and little more salt and pepper and voila. Lovely side dish.

The different textures of the stalk and the leaf of the Bok Choy are really nicely contrasted in this method of cooking. It really is very reminiscent of broccoli prepared this way.

One of the challenges of being a CSA member is thinking outside the box with your weekly bounty, when you do, the reward is the joy and satisfaction of a simple delightful satisfying dish.

Have a great week.

Posted in 2023, Bok Choy, Recipes | Comments Off

Honeynut Squash

Posted on November 28, 2023 by mo

This week we have a fun novel offering, Honeynut squash!

Below is a photo of some Honeynuts with their bigger cousins, a couple of Butternut squash.

Honeynuts are not small butternuts they are hybrids developed from butternut and buttercup squash. They are about the size of a medium/large sweet potato (about one pound) and much sweeter and more creamy and dense than a butternut. You don’t need to peel Honeynuts the skins are edible. If you don’t like to eat squash skin, still leave the skin on, it serves as a handy ‘bowl’ so you can easily scoop the tasty flesh out.

When roasted, Honeynuts have a caramel malty rich flavor. The flesh is smooth and tender without any of the stringiness you get from larger squashes. They’re the perfect personal or two person-size squash and are absolutely delicious.

Roast these much like any winter squash; Preheat your oven to 425F, Wash the Honeynut and cut them in half and remove the seeds, rub them all over with olive oil, salt and pepper.

I roasted some of these cut side up and some cut side down to see if I liked one way more then the other. Up and down were both great. I have no preference other than if you want to put something in the cavity like syrup (the cut side up ones I put a little maple syrup in the cavity) or nuts or cheese-roast them up.

Cook these for 30-40 minutes, start checking to see if they are done at 30 minutes by sticking a sharp knife into one. If they aren’t tender, check again ever 10 minutes until they are done.

Have fun with these little treats. They are one of my favorite crops we have had this year.

Posted in 2023, Recipes, Winter Squash | Comments Off

Melted Leeks

Posted on November 16, 2023 by mo

Melted leeks are a delicious side dish and a great addition to big holiday meals. A small portion of leeks packs a big flavor punch when added to heavier dishes like mashed potatoes and dressing.

Melted leeks are super simple to make (recipe at the bottom) and can be made ahead and reheated or served at room temperature, so perfect for holiday meals! You can serve them alone, as a side dish, with your turkey or ham, macaroni and cheese, lasagna. Just a spoonful will add a nice pop to your holiday dishes, kind of how cranberry sauce adds a little zing.

I topped some mashed potatoes with melted leeks and sage brown butter, it really elevated plain mashed potatoes. You could do the same with dressing. I didn’t mix the leeks in because some people/kids might not want leeks but you could mix them in if you like. Plus, I kind of like how it looks.

Below photo is a simple appetizer-melted leeks and cheese on small bite size pieces of buttered toast. Sort of a deconstructed French onion soup. This would travel really well if you need to bring an snack or appetizer to a friends house.

Melted leeks are simple and fast to make. You’ll need;

3 or 4 large leeks
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of olive oil
a splash of water, broth or white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Clean your leeks and slice them into rounds.

Add the leeks and the rest of the ingredients to a pan and cook on a medium low heat with the lid on for 20-30 minutes.

You don’t want them to brown, just collapse and ‘melt’.

Taste the leeks and see if you want them softer or if they need more salt or pepper. Depending on what you are eating these with you dress them up further and add a splash of cream or some parmesan cheese, maybe lemon zest?

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I can’t wait to use some of my CSA bounty in our Thanksgiving Feast. Leeks will be somewhere on our menu. Hope they make it on yours too.

Have a great week.

Posted in 2023, Onions and Leeks, Recipes | Comments Off

Citrus Glazed Hakurei Turnips

Posted on November 8, 2023 by mo

One of the most cooked and loved recipes on the Red Wagon blog is Miso Maple Turnips. Here is very similar dish but this has an easy to make sauce that is has a bright citrus essence rather than a deep warm miso note of the older recipe. Try both!

So fast and simple. You need.

1 bunch of turnips washed and I cut mine into 1/8ths.
3 tablespoons of butter
about 1/2 cup of orange juice. I had ‘cutie’ mandarins and used three and didn’t quite have a half cup. I went with that. As always adjust as needed.
Olive oil and salt, pepper for roasting the turnips (and delicata).
Optional toppings like red pepper flakes, nuts or peel from the citrus.

To roast the turnips preheat the oven to 400F, mine took about 25 minutes to roast. I had extra room on my baking tray so I roasted a delicata squash on the other half of the tray because you can never had too many roasted vegetables in your life!

Juice the citrus and put that and the butter into a pan to melt and reduce the liquid to thicken while the turnips are roasting.

Check the turnips after 25 minutes, they are done when they are turning brown and tender when you poke them with a fork or sharp knife. Take them out of the oven and add them to the pan with the citrus butter and let all that simmer together until the sauce thickens.

It looks like I’m making candy. Don’t worry. It’s not too sweet it just sticks to the turnips as it gets thick.

That is it. A lovely dish to go with just about anything. This time of year I think about the holidays and food, a lot. This would be a really nice dish to go with any holiday food. It is light and bright and you could easily make it ahead and warm it up before serving or even serve it at room temperature.

What are you doing with your turnips? Let us know in the comments.

Have a great week.

Posted in 2023, Recipes, Turnips | Comments Off

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