Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza
From The Cook's Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking
"Squash on a pizza?" Yes, trust me, it's delicious! With or without tomato sauce, this is a treat that even small children will enjoy. Try a crust from Collegeville Artisan Bakery or the Naan Bakery -- both available at the St. Joe Farmer's Market.
½ tsp. active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
4 cups white bread flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil"
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped -- or yellow or red onions
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed about 1 pound prepared weight
Sage leaves
2 x 14 ounce cans chunky tomato sauce -- or fresh tomatoes
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
4 ounces firm goat cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Put 1 ¼ cups warm water in a measuring cup. Add the yeast and sugar and let sit 5-10 minutes until mixture is frothy.
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Gradually pour in the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Mix to make a smooth dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes, until smooth, springy and elastic. Place the dough in a floured bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Oil four baking sheets. Put the butter and oil in a roasting pan and heat in the oven for a few minutes. Add the shallots, squash and half the sage leaves. Toss to coat. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender.
Raise the oven temperature to 425°F. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll out each piece on a floured surface to a 10 inch round.
Transfer each round to a baking sheet and spread with tomato sauce, leaving a ½ inch border all around. Spoon the squash and shallot mixture over the top.
Arrange the mozzarella over the squash mixture and crumble the goat cheese on top. Sprinkle with the remaining sage leaves and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the crusts are golden.
Raw Beet Slaw with Fennel, Tart Apple and Parsley
From Roots The Definitive Compendium
I'm not a big fan of fennel, so I'm going to make this without. I also prefer to save chopping time and not do matchsticks but use the shredding function on my food processor.
Dressing:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. freshly grated orange zest
½ tsp. honey
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
1 medium red beet, 3 to 5 ounces, peeled and cut into matchsticks
½ fennel bulb, trimmed, halved lengthwise, cored and cut into matchsticks
½ medium crisp tart apple like a Granny smith, cored and cut into matchsticks
½ cup firmly packed chopped parsley
To make the dressing, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, orange zest, honey, salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, toss together the beet, fennel, apple and parsley. Add the dressing and mix gently to coat all of the ingredients evenly. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, then remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
Carmelized Spiced Carrots with Honey and Orange
From Roots: the Definitive compendium
I really like learning the history and lore of vegetables ... carrots originated in Afghanistan and were purple. They spread eastward to India, China and Japan and also westward into Arab-occupied Spain the in 12th century and then through Europe in the 14th century. The first carrots were purple and the orange that we know today were hybridized in the Netherlands in the 17th century.
¼ tsp. peppercorns
¼ tsp. coriander seeds
¼ cumin seeds (or use powdered cumin if you don't have the seed)
¼ tsp aniseeds
2 lb. carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut on a severe diagonal into slices ½ inch thick
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. Aleppo chile -- these are a dark red, sweet, sharp-flavored chile grown in Syria and Turkey and named after the town of Aleppo. Maybe pray for peace in that part of the world as you use the chile, or pray for peace here and use a pepper from the garden.
2 tsp. freshly grated orange zest
1/3 cup orange juice
3 Tbsp. honey
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
Place a small, heavy frying pan, preferably cast iron, over high heat. Add the peppercorns, coriander, cumin and aniseeds to the pan and toast, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Using a spice grinder of a mortar and pestle, grind the spices to a powder.
Line a large roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place the carrots in the pan and toss with the oil, ground spices, salt, chile, orange zest and juice. Cover tightly with another sheet of foil and roast, stirring once or twice until the carrots are crisp-tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.
Add the honey and toss to coat. Increase the heat to 450°F and continue roasting, uncovered until the carrots are tender and dark brown around the edges, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately, or let cool and serve warm, barely warm or at room temperature.
Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad with Creamy Goat Cheese
From The CSA Cookbook
For the roast
4 beets
¾ pound young carrots
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
¼ tsp. salt
A few grinds of black pepper
For the dressing
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. stone-ground Dijon mustard
Scant ½ tsp ground black pepper
1 to 2 ounces creamy goat cheese
Chopped fresh parsley for garnishing
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Roll out two sheets of aluminum foil, each about 8 inches long. Make two foil pouches and wrap the beets loosely in pairs. Place the foil pouches on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until a fork easily pierces the beet flesh, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large shallow dish, toss the carrots with 1 Tbsp of the oil and the salt and pepper. About 15 minutes before the beets are done, spread the carrots in a single layer on the same baking sheet, around the beets, and continue roasting for the remaining time. The carrots should be fork-tender with a slightly wrinkled appearance.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Carefully unwrap the beets and let cool slightly for 5 minutes. Hold a beet in place with your hand and use a paper towel to rub the skin away. The skin should slide off easily; if it doesn't the beet likely needs more time in the oven. You can slice off any remaining skin with a paring knife. Rub the skins off all the beets, trim the stem and tail ends, and cut them in to quarters (or eights, if your beets are very large). Combine the beets and carrots in a large bowl.
To make the dressing, stir together the vinegar, mustard, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil and toss with the vegetables.
Divide the beets and carrots among four plates for serving. Add a few dollops of goat cheese to each plate and garnish with a small handful of chopped fresh parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Common Ground Garden is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, where members purchase a share of vegetables and each week during the farm season receive a bountiful box of fresh produce. We pride ourselves on producing fresh, clean, healthful food picked at the peak of flavor and nutrition. As much as we are able, we grow our vegetables without the use of any chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers. We use cover crops, rotations, compost and ingenuity to produce your food in a way that's healthy for you and for the community. When necessary for pest control or to combat disease, we use only products approved for organic gardening.