Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
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I think we have a beet theme going this week; first Cynthia Fan sent me that great picture of beet-smoosh-faced Jack (above), and then Cristie Boone sent pictures of her version of my broccoli beet pasta recipe from the database! I'll include the recipe again. And yes, Cristie, it did come out beautifully! I really like your variation of sauteeing the broccoli with the onion instead of boiling it with the pasta (and cooking the pasta in the beet water for color!). I hope Cristie has inspired others to send me their box-veggie-recipe successes, with or without photos. It's so great to be able to share them with everyone! Just another aspect of the 'community' in Community Supported Agriculture. - Debbie

Cristie wrote, "Hi Debbie! I had to share this picture(s) with you, because I thought it turned out so beautiful. I had all these beets piling up from the last several weeks of my share, and wanted to do something new with them. So I perused the Live Earth Farm recipes, and used the "Broccoli, Beet, and Feta Pasta" recipe, which was really more of a guideline that you made up than an actual recipe, but worked fantastically. I changed some very simple things, like sauteing the broccoli with the garlic and onion, instead of cooking it in the pasta water, because I cooked the pasta in the beet water instead, and got beautifully colorful pasta! I swear, the pasta in the picture started out white (rice pasta), and that color is all from the beet water. :) Thank you for the delicious recipe!"



Broccoli, beet and feta pasta
This is from a recipe I made up back in January of 2006. There are no real measured quantities here. This recipe is not that picky!

broccoli or broccolini, cut into bite-sized pieces
a few beets, topped, tailed, peeled, sliced, then cut crosswise into strips
penne pasta
onion, garlic, olive oil
toasted walnuts (optional)
feta cheese
salt and pepper

Cook beet strips in a saucepan of boiling salted water about 10 minutes or until tender. Boil your penne pasta according to package directions, adding the cut up broccoli for the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking time so it will be done when the pasta is done. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent or even longer, if you like them a little caramelized. When the pasta/broccoli is done, drain well then add to skillet and stir/toss to combine. Add crumbled feta cheese to mixture and stir/heat until feta melts and makes it all creamy. Add salt to taste, and I like to add a generous amount of fresh ground black pepper. Drain and add beets last, stirring just to mix (so the beets' color doesn't overpower it all). Stir in optional toasted walnuts and serve.


We're getting the first of our winter squash this week -- hooray! Here's a recipe from the latest Bon Appetit that caught my eye, and is perfect for this week as it uses both winter squash and kale. It sounds a bit involved, but... yummy too!

Winter Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding
from Bon Appetit, Nov 09, modified slightly
serves 6 to 8 [recipe could easily be halved]

2 lbs. peeled seeded butternut squash [could also use Kabocha; Kabocha is a little drier, more intensely flavored, so see different handling, below]
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt, plus additional for sprinkling [I like a good sea salt]
7 large eggs
2 1/4 C half and half
6 tbsp. dry white wine
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 day-old baguette (do not remove crust) [NOW yer talkin!], torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
1 C chopped shallots (about 4 large) [could get away with using your red onion]
2 bunches Tuscan kale [or Red Russian!], stems removed, kale coarsely chopped
8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss squash with 1 tbsp. oil on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt; bake until squash is tender, turning with spatula occasionally, 20 to 25 minutes. [If using Kabocha: see "on Kabocha Squash" from a 2007 newsletter; I'd recommend steaming the cubed squash rather than roasting. Interesting note: if the skin is in good condition, believe it or not you can leave it on and eat it too!]

Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add half and half, wine, mustard, and 1 1/2 tsps. of the coarse salt; whisk to blend. Add baguette pieces; fold gently into egg mixture. Let soak 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbps. oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add kale; cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover and stir until kale is wilted but still bright green, about 5 minutes (kale will be a bit crunchy).

Reduce oven temperature [if roasting butternut] to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half of the bread from the egg mixture to prepared dish, arranging to cover most of dish. Spoon half of kale over bread. Spoon half of squash over bread and kale; sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat with remaining bread, kale, squash and cheese. Pour remaining egg mixture over all.

Cover dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered until custard is set and bread feels springy to touch, about 20 minutes longer.

Preheat broiler; broil pudding until cheese browns slightly, about 2 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and serve.


And lastly, for those of you getting pineapple guavas in your fruit option, if you've never had them before, you're in for a treat! When ripe, they have this intense pineapply-citrusy perfume that is just lovely. You eat them peel and all (the skin has lots of vitamin C). Anyway, here's a blurb I wrote back in fall 2002 -- in that long ago time when not only were we at the Willow Glen Farmers Market, but when Tom manned the tables himself!:

How to eat Pineapple Guavas
Being observant pays off. Those odd little green fruit were an enigma to me until I watched Tom at the Willow Glen farmers market last Saturday as he chatted up customers and snacked on pineapple guavas. What he would do is pick one up, squeeze and roll it a little between his fingers to soften it a bit, then break the skin slightly with a thumbnail and pinch the fruit in half, like opening a cracked egg. Then he'd just bite into the fruit, skin and all, only tossing the very stem end. I studiously attempted to repeat this at home and... it worked! Somehow it was the tastiest way to eat them, better than cutting or slicing. I don't know why. All I do know is that they are disappearing from my fruit basket rapidly now that I know how to eat them...

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