Blog – Page 69

1947 Tabasco Sauce Recipe

July 25, 2014

This week I discovered that a work colleague is a subscriber at one of Riverview’s other CSA pick-up locations. We chatted about the cayenne peppers in last week’s box, and agreed we’d like to have something to do with them beyond chopping them up and storing in the freezer for when you need a tablespoon or two of hot chiles for a recipe.

He and I talked about experimenting with Tabasco-type sauces. I found a great website, www.mexican-barbecue-recipes.com/tabasco-hot-sauce-recipes.html, with a bunch of ideas, and I liked this particular one, maybe because I’ve been working on a story that features recipes from the 1920s and 1940s.

Depending on how many peppers were in your box (that you haven’t already used), you may have to scale things up or down. I guess you could use any kind of vinegar you like, but white vinegar is probably what is meant here. I’ll be working on my sauce this weekend. Let us know if you decide to experiment, too.

Balsamic Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash

July 25, 2014

Finally, this is a recipe we ran in the AJC last year in a story about sweet potatoes. It will work perfectly well with just butternut squash – and it really is good.

This dish is pretty irresistible even for those who expect their sweet potatoes to be sweet. A little honey tips the scale slightly to the sweet side, but the natural sweetness of the butternut squash and sweet potatoes may be all you need.

These savory roasted vegetables combined with crisp arugula could be served as a salad-like first course, or as a side dish with the main meal. And it’s easy to halve or double the recipe, depending on the number of people you’re serving.

To make ahead of time, roast the sweet potatoes and squash a few hours or a day ahead and refrigerate up to 1 day. Heat roasted vegetables in a microwave in 2- to 3-minute intervals until just warmed through, then combine with arugula and dress with balsamic vinegar and olive oil just before serving.

Asian Butternut Squash Casserole

July 25, 2014

Butternut squash is a great sponge for Asian flavors.

Warm Butternut Squash Salad

July 25, 2014

Many of us roast butternut squash and serve it as a side dish – the addition of croutons here put it into the salad category. You could add another vegetable – like Brussels sprouts – when roasting the squash.

Vegetable Lentil Soup

July 25, 2014

This recipe is extremely simple and everyone who’s eaten it has loved it. This recipe came from Lincoln Stevens who was the catering chef for the Woodruff Arts Center and served this recipe at the High Café. Adjust the herbs to suit your household’s preference. I’m not a big fan of rosemary, so I’d have more parsley. The leeks, shallots and garlic are all ways of adding onion flavor to the soup. You could substitute a white or yellow onion for the leeks and shallots and the soup would still be delicious. Leave out the butter, obviously, if you need a vegan dish. We’re running this recipe next month in the AJC.

Squash and Corn Tacos

July 25, 2014

Do you know how to roast peppers? I roast poblanos (and other large peppers) by just putting them on the gas burners on my cooktop. You want to brown the skins, so just leave them in the flames and turn them to get all sides blistered. Then drop the peppers into a paper bag, fold down the top and let the peppers steam. When they’re cool enough to handle, remove from the bag and remove the stem, seeds and skin. Easy! I do this periodically and store the roasted peppers in bags in the freezer to pull out as needed.

Summer Squash Pizza

July 25, 2014

This is basically a white pizza with squash. Thinly slicing the squash will help it crisp up in the oven. You could use red sauce and mozzarella if you prefer – it’s just another take on roasted squash.

Pizza can go together really quickly. Once you have some pizza dough, you should be able to assemble this one in about 10 minutes, and it bakes in just 5 minutes in a really hot oven.

Make your own dough (mix dough together, let it rest about 15 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients), or you can use one of the refrigerated or frozen doughs. I understand that you can buy pizza dough from a pizzeria, too; haven’t tried that yet, but it would be worth a phone call to see if your local favorite will sell you a ball or two.

If you don’t have roasted garlic on hand, just sauté a little minced garlic. Or … if you love garlic and don’t need the flavor “tamed” … just mix it in raw.

Raw Thai Spring Rolls with “Peanut” Sauce

July 25, 2014

And then there’s the arrival of that other green – collards. I was reminded that someone once demonstrated dolmades – grape leaf rolls – where collards stood in for the grape leaves. Makes perfect sense. And given the small bunches of collards we’re going to get right now, that idea might be just the way to use up the dozen or so leaves that are in our boxes.

I also ran into lots of raw food recipes using collard greens to wrap “spring rolls”. Here’s one from goneraw.com. Adjust the vegetables, the amounts and the sauce ingredients to suit your household. You can substitute peanut butter for the almond butter if you’re not a stickler for a raw food diet.

Arugula and Asian Pear Salad

July 25, 2014

Arugula in our boxes, two weeks in a row. Hooray! I love this peppery green, but it can be really bitter. When you’re getting ready to use it, nibble on a leaf or two. If it’s tasting really young and sweet, the less you do to it, the better. I love it tossed with a vinaigrette and then put on top of hot (homemade) pizza.

If it’s more on the bitter side, you might give it sweeter accompaniments.

I love salads with fruit (you may have noticed this already) and believe it or not, I just ate my first Asian pear this week. I’m not sure why I never tried them – just happy with “regular” apples and pears, I guess, and maybe that rusty-looking skin meant I’d have to peel them, and I absolutely hate to peel anything. Turns out the peel is just fine, no need to pare these pears.

What a revelation. Juicy and sweet, I was an instant convert. Locally grown Asian pears are at farmers markets right now, so how about pairing them with the arugula? (ok – way too many puns. sorry.)

Apple Chutney

July 25, 2014

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat; add onion. Saute over heat until translucent and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add apples; sauté 4 minutes more. Add vinegar, raisins, ginger, mustard, and cayenne. Stir well to combine; cover. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until apples are very tender but hold their shape, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool and store in the refrigerator. It should keep for about a month.