So glad to be back in town for this week’s box. September brings butternut squash. The first of many, I’m guessing. And apples. Just when I’ve been mourning the end of peaches, the apples begin to appear.
And all the ingredients you need for ratatouille. We’ve got several recipes at grassfedcow.com including a ratatouille quiche, ratatouille stuffed eggplant and spaghetti with grilled ratatouille.
And sauerkraut! In the nine years I’ve been a Riverview CSA subscriber I don’t remember ever receiving a jar of sauerkraut. Now all I need is some Riverview sausage (I’ll be bright and early at Freedom Market this Saturday, or maybe Peachtree Road) and that’s dinner along with some red-skinned potatoes left from a previous box. Or I could be judicious and eat a spoonful of sauerkraut every morning ‘til the jar is gone to get my daily ration of fermented vegetables.
And another giant sweet potato. I’m making these cheese-free sweet potato quesadillas with mine – just cutting the potato in half so it will bake a little more quickly. We find we really like just having these around the house to snack on. Eat some when they’re fresh, refrigerate the remainder and then warm (or not) when you’re ready to nosh.
I have plans aplenty for this week’s box, but if I’m stuck for inspiration, I often turn to the weekly menus created by Jenn Robbins of Good Foods Kitchen. This week she’s offering:
- sweet tea chicken and mixed herb pesto with a roasted butternut squash salad that includes charred poblano, cilantro and a lime vinaigrette
- smoked brisket and Alabama white sauce with spiced, grilled okra, sweet peppers and summer squash
I’m bad to just copy her ideas and then go cook. Both menus sound amazing and just as if she’d planned them with our box in mind.
For another menu, I’m thinking butternut squash pizza, a recipe from seriouseats.com.
Butternut Squash Pizza
Place each ball of pizza dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside.
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 325°F. Toss three butternut squash quarters with 1 tablespoon olive oil and coat thoroughly with hands. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a cast iron skillet or on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast until a knife meets no resistance when poked into the flesh around the stem, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Scrape squash flesh out into a large bowl. Add honey and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mash with a whisk until a rough purée is formed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
While squash is roasting, cut remaining quarter into 1/2-inch dice. Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat, swirling until foaming subsides. Add diced squash and apple and cook, tossing and stirring frequently until tender and browned on most sides, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in minced sage. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
When toppings are ready, adjust oven rack to top position under broiler and place a Baking Steel or pizza stone on top. Preheat oven to maximum heat setting. Allow to preheat for 30 minutes.
Transfer one ball of pizza dough to a bowl of flour and turn to coat. Transfer to a lightly floured wooden pizza peel and stretch or roll into a thin circle. Top with half of shredded gruyere cheese, half of the mozzarella applied in dollops, and a light sprinkling of Parmesan. Add mashed squash in rough dollops around the cheese. Add half of sautéed squash and apple. Sprinkle with torn sage leaves and half the scallion whites. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt. Turn broiler on to high and launch pizza onto baking steel. Bake, rotating occasionally, until puffy and charred around the edges, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with half the pale-green scallions, and serve. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings.