Recipes for 12/11/08

With a snowy and cold weekend approaching, I’ve included warm and cozy recipes and suggestions to go with this week’s Produce Basket.  May it bring warmth and full bellies to you this weekend!

Happy Eating,
Ria A. Barbosa - Produce Manager

Organic Parsnips – Bell Organic Gardens Draper, UT
David and Jill have produced the sweetest, most delicious parsnips I’ve found yet!  They will be wonderful in the frittata recipe I’ve enclosed.
Organic Braising Mix – Coke Farm, CA
If beef stew is in your near future, throw this in the mix!  Not only will it add nutritious greens into your stew, but it will also provide another dimension of flavor!
Organic Radicchio – Coke Farm, CA
This member of the chicory family has a slightly bitter flavor, and is wonderful wilted in the Penne with Radicchio, Spinach and Bacon recipe!
Organic Italian Flat Parsley – Coke Farm, CA
Roughly chopped, this multipurpose herb can be thrown into anything you make this week!
Organic Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichoke – Coke Farm, CA
When cooked, the texture resembles a potato, and the flavor, an artichoke heart.  It can also be eaten raw and grated in salads, but don’t peel it!  That’s where most of the nutrition is!  A lesser known fact about the sunchoke, is that it is a wonderful alternative to a starch component in a diabetic’s diet.  The inulin it contains breaks down into fructose instead of glucose during digestion.
Organic Delicata Squash – Coke Farm, CA
This squash tastes like a cross between sweet potatoes and butternut.  Steam and eat as is, or try it the Delicata Squash and Gruyere Dip recipe!
Organic Spinach Bunches – Coke Farm, CA
Rich in iron, it’s wonderful in salads or sautéed with a little sesame oil, it’s packed with iron.  Did you know the nutritional value of spinach increases when it’s cooked?
Organic Ozette Potatoes – Coke Farm, CA
Knobby in appearance, thin-skinned with a nutty, earthy taste, these potatoes are less starchy and possess the kind of starch one finds in certain vegetables like the densest winter squash or carefully roasted chestnuts, these potatoes are dense and buttery, almost creamy.
Organic Artichokes – Coke Farm, CA
They require a little work, but when you get to the heart, you’ll be rewarded with a delicious jewel of a vegetable!  Wonderful when sautéed, sliced thinly and fried in tempura, roasted with other root vegetables, or marinated to be used in salads.
Organic Butternut Squash – Capay Farm, CA
One of the most familiar winter squash, it can be used for just about anything from soups to ravioli to eating simply steamed with salt and brown butter.  It has a wonderfully sweet flavor.  Try it with the Butternut Squash Risotto recipe included!
Organic Easter Egg Radish – Coke Farm, CA
Crisp and slightly peppery, the radish can be sliced thinly and added to salads or be a
part of a crudite platter.  Enjoy it as the French do, on top of a toasted and buttered slice of bread and sprinkled with fleur de sel!
Organic Hachiya Persimmon – Coke Farm, CA
The most wonderful eating experience awaits you if you heed one warning:
DO NOT EAT UNTIL THE HACHIYA FEELS LIKE A WATER BALLOON!  Sweet and rich, it’s flavor is very unique!  Enjoy this sensual fruit slightly chilled.

The Vegetarian Basket also included: Boo Boo Baby Swiss

The Omnivore Basket also included: Boo Boo Baby Swiss and Ground Lamb

~Organic certification is provided by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). CCOF has been helping to create and maintain extremely high standards in organic farming since 1973.~

Butternut Squash Risotto
Serves about 4
1 butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces pancetta, diced
1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional but encouraged!)
1 cup freshly grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano
4 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley for garnish
Directions
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
-Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes.  Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.
-Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.
-In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, adjust the seasoning and add the roasted squash cubes and Parmiggiano-Reggiano. Mix well and serve.
**Alternative method: once the squash is cooked, mash until smooth and add to the rice at the end, adjusting thickness with more or less stock.

Delicata Squash and Gruyere Dip
1 Delicata squash
About 1 cup of finely grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup milk or cream
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika or cayenne
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
-Heat the oven to 350F. Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds. Turn the shells upside down in a pie pan, cover with foil and roast for about 45 minutes or until very soft.
-Scoop out the flesh while still warm and blend with the cheese, milk, and seasonings. Adjust seasonings to taste, and warm up again in the oven if the cheese does not melt completely.
-Serve with bread, chips and/or celery.

Winter Frittata
Feeds 6-8 as an hors d’oeuvre

1 small leek – small dice
1 medium parsnip – cut into 1 inch cubes
2 ½ pounds waxy potatoes such as Yukon or Red Irish – cut into 1 inch cubes
10 Clifford Farm Fresh Eggs
4 tablespoons chopped italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

-Heat up an 8 inch nonstick skillet on medium and add about 6 tablespoons of oil

-Preheat oven to 325 degrees

-When the oil is hot, add the leeks and cook for about 5 minutes

-Next, add the potatoes and parsnips and allow to brown slightly

-Scramble the eggs in a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper, mix in the parsley, tarragon and chives

-When potatoes and parsnips are cooked, add the scrambled egg mixture and continue cooking until eggs are halfway done, scraping the bottom as you go

-Place your cast iron skillet in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the eggs are done.  It’ should spring back when pressed down lightly

-Slice and serve warm or at room temperature!

Penne with Radicchio, Spinach, and Bacon
Serves about 5

12 cloves Liberty Heights Fresh Organic Roasted Garlic
6 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 pound Manicaretti penne pasta
8 ounces bacon (about 8 slices), cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 head Treviso sliced into ½ inch strips
3 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves, torn in half
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, torn in half
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

-Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

-Meanwhile, cook bacon strips and chopped onion in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.

-Add chicken broth, remaining 5 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, and roasted garlic. Bring mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally.

-Add radicchio, spinach, and basil and stir to combine. Simmer just until radicchio and spinach wilt, about 1 minute.

-Drain pasta and return to same pot.

-Add radicchio-spinach mixture to pasta. Add 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper; toss to coat.

-Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper and serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese alongside.