CSA Week 13

Vegetable List
Boro Beets
Mokum Carrots
Eggplant
Fairy Tale Eggplant
Bell Peppers
Hot Pepper Mix
Butterkin Squash
Butternut Squash
Tomatoes

Notes from the Farm
I didn't like squash for more than the first half of my life. We'd only eat it at Thanksgiving, and it'd be the watery, flavorless, mushy dish that was the worse version of mashed potatoes... I gaged it down for nearly 25 years... I had no idea there were other ways of cooking it... Spoiler, there are. Don't boil your squash... or don't boil the squash you get from us... it's forbidden. If you want boiled squash, go get it somewhere else... here, we forbid the boiling (or steaming) of squash. I have yet to find a good reason not to roast your squash. If you cut it in half and roast it in a pan with a little water (which I concede is a form of steaming) it will eventually roast until soft and give you that mashed base to work with. If you peel and cube it before roasting, you'll get sweet firm potoatoey bites. Both ways retain, and condense, the sugars of the squash and start you off on the right foot. Butterkin is a new squash to us... we tried it blind this year, and we've been eating the shit out of it. It's a dry dense buttercup type squash that is wonderful with dried cranberries, sweet & spicy pork or Gorgonzola... it is maybe the best squash we've grown this year, or maybe any year. The butternut is the workhorse. We, Americans, eat more butternut than any other squash. It's more moist than the buttercup and easier to peel. Butternut never dissapoints. Either way, roast your squash, then add it to your dish. Squash pizza, squash tacos, squash on burgers (trust me, and try the butterkin), roasted with carrots and beets, squash fries... squash is good, and doesn't need to be a watery mush.

Recipes Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza
Pizza dough
1 1/2 cup ricotta
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 butternut squash, cubed
1/3 cup dried cranberries, blueberries, raisins, cherries
2 tbs butter
1 tsp garlic, minced Preheat the oven and pizza stone (if using one) to 400-degrees.
Roast the butternut squash drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, flipping once while cooking the dough. Spread the pizza dough out and poke a few holes into the dough.
Cook the dough for 10-15 minutes until lightly cooked.
Remove from the oven and spread ricotta onto the dough. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Spoon roasted squash onto the pizza.
Return to the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts and the crust browns a bit.
In a small pot, melt butter and garlic over medium heat.
When it starts to gently bubble, add in the dried berries. Cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Once the pizza is cooked, remove from the oven and spoon the butter/garlic/berry sauce over the top.
Let sit about 2 minutes before slicing.

Gingered Butternut Squash Pie
For the Crust
24 ginger snaps (6 ounces)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil For the Filling
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups) 3 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine gingersnaps and sugar; process until finely ground. Add oil and pulse until crumbs are moistened. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch pie plate and press into bottom and up sides. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. For the filling, set a steamer basket in a large saucepan, and fill with 1 inch of water; bring to a boil. Place squash in pan, cover, and steam until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool. Place squash in food processor and process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Add eggs, brown sugar, half-and-half, fresh ginger, salt, and nutmeg; process until smooth. Place cooled crust on a rimmed baking sheet and pour filling into crust. Bake until set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool 1 hour at room temperature, then refrigerate to cool completely, at least 1 hour. Garnish with crystallized ginger.

Braised Butternut with Bacon Tacos
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tomato, rinsed and cut in half across the equator
1 to 2 hot peppers, halved, stemmed, seeded, and washed with hot water.
1/2of a small (2-pound) butternut squash peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 3 cups of chunks)
2 to 4ounces (2 to 4 thick strips) bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt
¼ cup fresh goat cheese
Generous handful fresh arugula

Roast the Butternut pieces at 425, well coated with olive oil, for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Set a large (10-inch) skillet (nonstick or lined with foil) over medium-high heat and lay in the garlic and tomatoes (cut side down). When the tomatoes are well browned and soft, 5 to 6 minutes, flip everything over and brown the other side. (The garlic should be soft.) Cool, then peel the garlic. In a blender, combine the garlic, tomatoes, hot peppers and 1 cup water. Blend to a coarse puree. Meanwhile, in a large (10-inch) skillet set over medium, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the butternut and tomato sauce to the pan, raise the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a brisk simmer. Cook until the butternut is fork-tender and the sauce has reduced by about half its volume, about 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt (it will need only about ¼ teaspoon because of the bacon’s saltiness). Scoop into warm tortillas and finish with a generous sprinkling of the goat cheese and arugula.