Archive for June, 2007
Pasta Primavera with Summer Squash
As we drove home from the farm with a patty pan and more crookneck squash in the backseat, it dawned on us that it might be nice to make “pasta primavera,” a simple Italian dish prepared with pasta and fresh vegetables. Although “primavera” means “spring” we decided to bend the rules by using summer squash!
The crooknecks and patty pans contributed a soft, nutty flavor that fit perfectly with our seasonings: fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. At the last minute, a creamy sauce came to mind as the perfect way to meld all the flavors together. It made this dish substantial enough to hold its own as a light summer meal.
“Las Cruces Dal” with Split Peas and Squash
We love international cuisine, but we also love fresh, local food. Fortunately for us, we certainly don’t see why we can’t have the best of both worlds!
As we were browsing through Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2004, we came across a Split Pea-Spinach Dal with Cauliflower recipe and started wondering how we could adapt it to what we brought home from the farm and what we had in our pantry. This week, our options included a couple of zucchini, a crookneck squash, a bag of split peas, and a few miscellaneous farm goodies.
A dal is a spicy Indian dish traditionally made with legumes and seasoned with a variety of spices and other flavorings (e.g. mango, tamarind, cumin, ginger, etc.) , depending on regional preferences. So we decided to make a “Las Cruces Dal,” named after the city we live in.
“Mysterious” Salsa
You can’t fully experience living in New Mexico without ever making your own salsa. Throw in some green chile, and you’re really in business!
We decided it was time to try our hand at making salsa from fresh ingredients that thrive right here in New Mexico, the chile capital of the world. The name of this salsa was inspired by the farm from which we got the main ingredient (tomatoes): Mysterious Horizons Farm. We also got our hands on some leftover tomatillos, so we decided to make a hybrid salsa–a combination of salsa verde (“green sauce”) and salsa roja (“red sauce”).
Since we both enjoy a little heat, we couldn’t resist throwing in a Serrano pepper to liven things up a bit (not for the faint of tongue!). What we got was a fresh medley of colors and flavors that reflects our landscape and captures a little heat of the New Mexico sun.
Scalloped Squash (Beta)
Now we know exactly what CSA members feel like when they’re bombarded with a whole lot of one thing. The question “What do you want for dinner tonight?” didn’t require much thought when we remembered we have a bag of squash in the fridge.
Because we had so much crookneck squash from the previous week, we decided to make a dish that called for it almost exclusively. Instead of browsing through recipes again, we turned to a family favorite: scalloped potatoes. We figured we could substitute the potatoes with the squash, and also make use of our farm fresh rosemary (which the recipe called for anyway).
We anticipated that the firmness and deep flavor of the squash would stand up well when the dish was finished baking. But we were concerned that the hard skin wouldn’t cook thoroughly, so we steamed the squash briefly in the microwave before assembling the dish. At the table, the squash performed exceptionally well. It held its shape and contributed great flavor. To tell you the truth, the final product was very similar to the original recipe! The only difference was that the squash variation was much lighter than its potato counterpart.
Although the flavor was wonderful, there were some issues with the dish’s consistency. The recipe was handed down from family and not recorded in any manner, so we were left guessing proportions and amounts. Well, you know what that means: Something just has to go wrong! And it did.
Pasta with Swiss Chard Stems and Bacon
When we made our Creamed Swiss Chard a few nights ago, we were left with the colorful ribs and stems. We usually fold the leaves in half and cut off the stems to be cooked separately because their flavor and texture are distinct from the leaves.
We read that in Europe, the stems are often treated like asparagus while the leaves are discarded. Inspired by this practice, we tried to find a recipe that could emphasize the crispiness of these stems. What we decided on was a pasta dish that incorporated smoky bacon and a touch of heat from red pepper flakes. The final result was full of flavor and character, cinching its place as a frequent and favorite side on our table.
Chicken Pot Pie with Squash
Yesterday, we harvested a little over three bushels of squash (yellow and green zucchini, crookneck, and patty pan). The crookneck squash plants are now at their peak of production, cranking out these delicious delectables like there’s no tomorrow.
Although these warty looking squash won’t win any beauty pageants, they’ll certainly score major points in the flavor department. They have a distinct and hearty flavor and a texture that adds further depth to any dish. That’s why we chose a chicken pot pie as the context for the crooknecks to perform.
We used homemade dough that was left over from the previous night’s empanada meal to house a creamy chicken and squash filling. Much to our delight, everything came together wonderfully, making for a comforting and filling meal. This is how we made it work:
Creamed Swiss Chard
This last distribution, there was more than enough Swiss chard left over for us. We were the lucky beneficiaries of probably two pounds of these bright and colorful leaves, so we were quite excited to try a new recipe we found in a cookbook: creamed Swiss chard.
It’s not uncommon in Europe to enjoy warm rutabaga smothered in a nutmeg accented béchamel, so this recipe wasn’t foreign to us. Since chard has a strong and nutty flavor similar to spinach, we thought it would be interesting to taste how this flavor would match up to the spiced béchamel.
Our instincts proved correct; this dish was scrumptious. So we thought we’d share our recipe, which we pulled out of The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.
Welcome to Taste the Seasons!
Thanks for stopping by! We started this blog to document our adventures from farm to kitchen. Check out the About Us page to learn a little more about where we’re coming from.
The first distribution of squash at the farm yielded much more than what you see here. (Under the table are three bushels worth of squash!) We had plenty of these colorful beauties to prepare in our kitchen, and pretty soon we’ll post the results of our culinary explorations into the world of cucurbits.
