Jamie Oliver's Superb Squash Soup w/ the Best Croutons, posted by Melinda

Superb Squash Soup (photo source)

This is discussed in the post below. It uses butternut squash but could use other kinds as well, including acorn squash, pumpkin-type squashes (not Halloween pumpkins--they're watery and not terribly tasty), and so forth.  But the cool thing is, you don't have to peel them to get the squash chunks the recipe calls for!!!!  I have made this (it was in the Red Hill Root, Mar. 2008) and can attest that it really does work beautifully.

Superb Squash Soup with the Best Parmesan Croutons

• Olive oil
• 16 fresh sage leaves
• 2 onions, peeled & chopped
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed & chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled [or not--remember what Martha says!] & chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
• leaves from 2 fresh sprigs of rosemary
• 1/2 fresh red chile pepper to taste, seeded & chopped fine
• salt & fresh-ground pepper
• 4 & 1/4 lbs butternut squash, halved, seeded, and cut in chunks (with the skin still on)
• 2 qts stock (chicken or veg)
• 16 slices ciabatta or other hearty country bread
• 1 chunk parmesan, for grating [or be lazy & use grated cheese!]

Put large saucepan on medium & add a couple glugs of olive oil. Add sage leaves & fry for 30 secs. till dark green & crisp. Remove w/ slotted spoon to bowl lined w/ toweling. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, chile, & salt/pepper to taste. Cook gently ~10 min, till veggies are soft & sweet. Add squash & stock, bring to boil, & simmer ~30 min.

Meanwhile, make croutons. Drizzle a little oil over bread slices & press some parmesan onto each side. Place in nonstick pan w/ no oil & fry till golden on both sides. When squash is soft & cooked through [test w/ knife or fork], whiz soup w/ immersion blender or pour in standard blender in batches & pulse till smooth. [Be careful w/ hot liquid if using blender--let it cool a bit before blending in batches.] Season to taste. Put soup servings in bowls, adding 2 croutons & some sage leaves to each. Drizzle w/ extra oil if desired.   (Recipe source)

Great News re Winter Squash--You Don't Have to Peel 'Em! Posted by Melinda

OK, everyone knows that the pain-in-the-neck thing about working with winter squash is peeling them, if the recipe calls for that. The other day, I found a wonderful recipe for a roasted Delicata squash salad which stipulated NOT peeling the squash (see recipe, below).

Roasted Squash Salad, 101 Cookbooks (source)--see recipe
below

But then, that doyenne-wanna-be of all things "good" and "correct," Martha Stewart (!!!), noted in her Nov. 13 issue of MSL mag that "We've been eating our squash skins for a while now. Delicatas started us in that direction, since they're commonly cooked [and eaten] with their skins on, but now we're doing it with lots of other varieties too, like acorn squash...."  That's a huge relief with acorn squash, as their ridges make them almost impossible to peel!  She notes that this non-peeling applies to sweet potatoes, carrots, and even beets!

Meanwhile, Jamie Oliver was way ahead of the curve, as he stated as early as 2008 that in making smooth soups with butternut squash, he always leaves the skins on, then grinds it all together when he blends or food-processes the soup before serving!  See recipe in above post for his Butternut squash soup, which is from the March 2008 Red Hill Root (in which Amy & Chris announced they were leaving, for you old timers!) Obviously it also can be made with Acorn squash, like we have  (http://www.osfphila.org/files/file/redhillfarm/RHR_volVno%202_15Mar08.pdf).

And finally, Mothra Stewart (whoops, that's what we call her around our house!) also said in her Nov. 13 MSL that in roasting squash or pumpkin seeds, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET ALL THE STRINGY GUNK OFF THE SEEDS!  Woo hoo, I feel liberated! According to her (or her minions), "Roast seeds, flesh and all. Save yourself all the sorting and rinsing usually associated with cooking squash seeds, and roast the whole lot together. The fibrous pulp surrounding the seeds is sweet and nutty, amplifying the flavor of this addictive snack." Here's a link to a quick video of how easy it is to roast squash seeds this way! http://www.marthastewart.com/1039132/roasting-squash-seeds

Roasted Squash, Chile, and Mozzarella Salad--This calls for "buffalo mozzarella," not always easy to find here. If you can't find it, substitute fresh (not aged) mozzarella that's packed in water--true, real Italians are now throwing up their hands and running from the room!!! (For a fabulous and funny article on trying to produce buffalo [as in 'water buffalo'] mozzarella in the U.S., see http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/buffalo-mozzarella-craig-ramini.html?_r=0)

Fresh buffalo mozzarella
(photo source, NYT)

• 2 medium Delicata squash [or substitute acorn squash], scubbed, sliced lengthwise, and seeded [save those seeds for roasting the easy way]
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
• 2-3 dried chiles, slivered (not too spicy/hot!)
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for serving
• 1/4 tsp salt
• one 8-oz ball of buffalo mozzarella, or something similar [you can find it at TJ's or supermarkets--it's the fresh mozzarella that comes in water]--yes, yes, real Italians would be horrified; but you know, ya gotta bloom where you're planted!
• 4 cups arugula
• To serve, slivered scallion, herb flowers (optional), olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F with rack in the center. Slice the squash crosswise into 1/2-inch crescents. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, chile, thyme, & salt. Arrange on baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 20-30 min, till tender. Flip squash once to ensure browning on both sides. Transfer the pan to a rack, allow to cool a few minutes, & transfer to a serving bowl or platter. To serve, toss the arugula with the squash & a splash of olive oil. Toss till nicely coated, then pull the mozzarella ball apart, and gently toss it with the squash as well. Adjust seasoning & finish w/ slivered scallions if you like. Serves 4.   (Recipe source)

Taking a Stab at Apple-Celeriac Soup, by Melinda

Gabriella Fosso made such a spectacular apple-celeriac soup last Friday, so creamy and soothing, that I really wanted to try something like it. This is an approximation of it, though it's not Gabriella's recipe but rather one from British chef Jamie Oliver.

Cutting celery (photo source)

His calls for celery along with celeriac; while we don't grow head celery (like what you find at a supermarket), we do have "cutting celery" in the U-pick section of the farm, down at the end of a row toward Legion Road. It looks a lot like large, fat-stemmed parsley, but you'll recognize the celery smell if you pick one of the leaves and crush it in your fingers. And cutting celery is better for you than head celery! AND, the cutting celery is thriving in this cool autumn weather! (Btw, although this recipe calls for only one celeriac, Angela says we will be getting more, not this week but probably the following week. Celeriac keeps in the crisper drawer of the fridge.)

Jamie Oliver's Apple & Celeriac Soup--serves 8-10 as a starter; Jamie says "creamy yet earthy celeriac is the perfect foil to sweet and sharp apples."

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, sliced [for regular celery substitute 2 or 3 stalks of cutting celery, including the leaves]
• 1 celeriac, chopped
• 4 sweet but crisp & tasty apples, cored & quartered [in other words, not bland Red Delicious--something w/ a stronger, sharper flavor]
• a few thyme sprigs, leaves picked off to use [Melinda thinks lemon thyme would be nice]
• 2 qts of vegetable or chicken stock
• about 4/5ths of a cup of creme fraiche [available at stores, or click here to make your own creme fraiche ahead of time]
• a few sage leaves
• olive oil for drizzling
• toasted hazelnuts [aka filberts]--you can find these at markets [Jamie's recipe does not stipulate skinning the nuts, but here's another opinion: "Hazelnuts have a bitter brown skin that is best removed, usually by heating them at 350F for 10-15 min., till the skins begin to flake." (source). I believe that Gabriella skinned hers.]

Apple Celeriac Soup (photo credit)

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan. Add the onions & celery & cook over a medium heat for 10 min. until soft. Add the celeriac, apples, and thyme and cook for 2-3 min. Add stock, season [with salt/pepper] and simmer on low heat for 30 min, till the celeriac is tender. Remove from heat and blend w/ an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in half the creme fraiche. Heat the remaining oil and fry the sage leaves until crispy. Spoon the soup into bowls & top with remaining creme fraiche. To serve, drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle w/ crispy sage leaves and hazelnuts [crack the hazelnuts a bit first]. (recipe source) Check out Gabriella's website: http://www.seasonedchefservice.com/

If you're interested in connections among foods and art, see W. B. Yeats's lovely, nostalgic poem, "The Song of Wandering Aengus," about a bard who found his love in a hazel wood. Here's a printed version (http://www.bartleby.com/146/9.html) and here's a beautifully read version:

Jamie Oliver's Pasta Aglio, Olio, and Cooking Greens, reposted by Melinda

Pasta Aglio, Olio, & Cooking Greens (photo source)

In Italian, this just means pasta with garlic, olive oil, and cooking greens.  It's amazingly simple but oh-so-good. A lovely dish for fall. We're getting both garlic and cooking greens this week--and it doesn't matter what kind; all the greens can be treated the same.

Pasta with Garlic, Oil, and Cooking Greens--serves 4

• one lb pasta of your choice (we like angel hair, but any pasta will work)
• olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 red chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped (this is optional, but if you do use it, wear vinyl gloves to handle the chile)
• 1 bunch greens (kale, collards, etc.), center ribs removed and finely sliced
• the zest (outer yellow skin) and juice of 1 large, unwaxed lemon
• a good handful (or to taste) of finely grated parmesan or pecorino

Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions, ~8-10 min. Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan. Add garlic & chile and fry for a minute or so, till the garlic starts to color. Add the greens and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 min., till the greens have wilted somewhat (collards might take a little longer). Sprinkle the lemon zest over the the greens. Drain the pasta & add it to the pan w/ a splash of the water it was cooked in. Squeeze the lemon juice over the pasta and serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a wispy pile of grated cheese. Now that's both good and healthy home cooking!  (recipe source)