This week’s box included: tomato, okra, butternut squash, summer squash, cucumbers, potatoes, garlic, green onions, green pepper, banana peppers, cherry tomatoes. You can see a photo that can help with identification on our Facebook page or check out our weekly video on Instagram.
Note from the farm: It’s officially the “summer lull” — that time in September where the summer harvests are waning and the fall harvests have yet to gather steam. We’re officially making the transition to fall produce, so look for more greens and other fall lovelies coming soon! Turn, turn, turn y’all.
Need storage instructions? Visit our fruit & veggie home pages. Click on the pic and a new page opens with storage instructions and a list of recipes curated by Conne over the years.
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This week’s box is full of delicious staples for seven days of cooking. Delighted to receive a bunch of green onions and a few peppers, a box of cherry and plum tomatoes. I’m going to experiment with some pasta salad recipes for easy lunches.
In the meantime, those tiny butternuts are perfect for stuffing for individual servings. I was amazed to see that among the dozens of butternut squash recipes we’ve posted over the years, there wasn’t one for a stuffed squash. (did I miss one?) So here’s a simple I found on Taste and Tell, makes a stuffed butternut squash that’s a lot like a stuffed baked potato, always a hit in this household. Apparently they adapted it from a Rachel Ray recipe.
With potatoes arriving for so many weeks (I promise, I am not complaining!) I thought I’d do something different with this week’s and make the Crispy Potato, Egg and Cheese Taco (recipe below) from Ali Stafford of Alexandracooks.com and her book “I Dream of Dinner.” I have some “artisan” tortillas in the refrigerator and this is a great way to use them up – perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
And I’m not above using grocery store gnocchi for a quick dinner. See the recipe below from Hetty Lui McKinnon. Have you seen her new book, “Tenderheart”? It is HUGE, with almost 200 recipes in chapter after chapter of ideas for the vegetables we get every week. So here are two recipes from the book – the gnocchi and tomatoes AND her vegan mapo tofu with eggplant. I literally keep the book at my desk and just leaf through it when I am looking for inspiration.
Crispy Potato, Egg & Cheese Taco
From alexandracooks.com
Her note about the recipe: “You only need 1/2 cup of grated potato, so if you are shopping, look for small potatoes. Even a 3-oz potato will give you more potato than you need for this recipe. The key to success here is to not use more than 1/4 cup of lightly packed grated potato per taco — it will be tempting to use more. Try to refrain.”
2 corn or flour tortillas
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/2 cup grated potato, see notes above
1/4 cup grated Cheddar or Asiago or cheese of choice
2 eggs
kosher salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce
lime
Warm the tortillas however you wish: in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat or directly over the flame or in your toaster or toaster oven. Transfer to a plate.
Read and rehearse what’s happening next. It comes together quickly:
Heat the olive oil or butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Sprinkle the potato into two piles in the pan, then use a spatula or fork to spread out each pile to about the size of your tortilla. You want the strands touching but not clumped, like a snowflake. The more space between the potato, the crispier the final result.
Salt the potato, then evenly sprinkle the cheese over the potato. It’s OK if some cheese comes into contact with the pan—it’ll taste like the crispy edges of a grilled cheese.
Make an indent in the center of each pile and crack an egg right in there. Salt and pepper the eggs, then cover the skillet and cook until the cheese and potatoes are golden and the egg white is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
Use a spatula to wiggle the potato and cheese loose from the skillet, then slide them onto your tortillas. Eat with hot sauce and lime wedges or whatever toppings you like (keeping in mind that the yolk is the built-in sauce).
Crispy Gnocchi With Tomato and Red Onion
From Hetty Lui McKinnon and published in The New York Times
Her note about this recipe: “Inspired by panzanella, the beloved Tuscan bread salad, this dish swaps out stale bread for pan-fried gnocchi. The plump, crusty dumplings do a surprisingly good job at soaking up the summery combination of tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, while still maintaining their crisp edge. Shelf-stable gnocchi work best, as they are sturdier and crisp up well, but you could use frozen gnocchi, taking extra care not to move them around too much in the pan so they don’t break apart. Top with a sharp cheese such as Parmesan, pecorino or ricotta salata, for a hit of saltiness, if you like. This meal is best eaten immediately while the gnocchi remains crispy, but it can sit for up to 30 minutes, giving the flavors time to mingle. (However, don’t let it sit too long, as the gnocchi will turn mushy.)”
5 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 (17-ounce) package shelf-stable (or frozen) potato gnocchi
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes (any variety)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (or your green onions)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
Handful of chopped parsley, plus more for serving
Handful of torn basil, plus more for serving
Heat a large (about 12-inch), well-seasoned cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high; add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the gnocchi to the pan, breaking up any that are stuck together. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing every 1 ½ to 2 minutes so they get golden and crispy all over.
Meanwhile, prepare your tomatoes: If you are using small ones like cherry or grape varieties, simply slice them in half. For larger tomatoes, quarter them or slice into bite-size chunks. (It is good to have a mix of shapes and sizes.) Place the tomatoes and onions in a large serving bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt; season with pepper and gently toss.
When the gnocchi are golden and crispy, add them to the tomatoes, along with 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil and a handful each of parsley and basil. Toss and taste, adding more salt or pepper as needed. Top with more parsley and basil, and eat immediately or at room temperature.
Mapo Eggplant
From Hetty Lui McKinnon in her cookbook, “Tenderheart.”
2 eggplants, cut diagonally into rounds
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Neutral-flavored oil, for frying
4 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in 375ml (1½ cups) boiling water (can substitute with fresh shiitake, oyster or Swiss brown mushrooms)
1 pound block extra-firm tofu, roughly crumbled
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
Sea salt
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons doubanjiang or black bean sauce
4 green onions, chopped into 2-inch lengths
2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Rice, to serve
Place the eggplant in a large bowl and toss with cornstarch.
Heat a large Dutch oven or deep frying pan over medium–high heat. When it’s hot, drizzle with oil and arrange as many eggplant rounds as you can fit in a single layer. Sear for 3–4 minutes, until lightly golden, then flip them over and fry the other side; they don’t have to be completely cooked at this stage – we just want them to be lightly golden. Remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside.
Remove the shiitake mushrooms from the water, squeezing out any excess liquid. Keep the mushroom soaking water (if there is a lot of sediment in the water, run it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove). Finely slice the mushrooms.
To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil, along with the tofu, mushroom, five-spice powder and about 1 teaspoon of sea salt.
Cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the tofu starts to brown. Add the garlic and ginger, stir and cook for 1 minute.
Add the doubanjiang (or black bean sauce), green onion and soy sauce (or tamari) and sauté for 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the eggplant and mushroom soaking water (or substitute with water), then reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 5 minutes, until the eggplant is completely softened. Add the sugar and stir, then taste and season with more sea salt, if needed. Serve with rice.
Stuffed Butternut Squash
From tasteandtellblog.com.
2 small butternut squash
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 pound bacon
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
Sliced green onions
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Halve each butternut squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the squash cut side up on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. Roast the squash until it is tender, 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of the squash. You should be able to pierce the squash easily with a fork. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly.
Decrease oven temperature to 375 degrees.
Dice the bacon into small pieces. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
When the squash is cool enough to handle with your hands, scoop out the flesh of the squash, leaving a border around the edges to keep the squash intact.
Place the squash flesh in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup of the parmesan, the ricotta, thyme, and sage to the squash. Add half of the cooked bacon. Stir all together until fully combined.
Stuff the squash shells with the mashed squash mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and parmesan over the tops. Return the squash to the oven and bake unit the cheese on top has melted, about 20 minutes. Serve the squash topped with the sliced green onions and the remaining bacon.