Butternut Squash-Parsnip Soup with Thyme

In case you still have parsnips in your veggie drawer leftover from last week (I know I didn't offer up a recipe last week).... This one is from Bon Appetit October 1997.

2 tablespoons butter
1 2-pound butternut squash, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, cut into 8 pieces
1 pound parsnips, peeled, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, thick end pieces cut lengthwise in half
1/4 cup water
1 onion, halved, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried
4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup half and half

In a pot of boiling water, simmer parsnips til tender. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and thyme; sauté until onion is tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Puree onion mixture and parsnips until smooth using a food processor or a potato masher if you don't mind some lumps in your soup. Mix in broth and squash puree.

Transfer mixture to heavy large saucepan. Whisk in half and half (you can substitute whole or even low fat milk here if you lke). Bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)

Tunisian Stew

This one has been adapted slightly from a recipe in Andrea Chessman's Serving Up the Harvest. This is a simple and tasty way to get to know this vegetable a bit better.

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 TB olive oil
1 lb turnips, peeled and grated
1 lb tomatoes, skinned and cut into pieces
Sea salt
Black pepper, coarsely ground
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 lb spinach
Large handful of parsley, finely chopped

Fry the onion in oil in a saucepan. When the onion is soft, add the turnips and tomatoes. Season with salt, organic black pepper and organic spices, half cover with water and simmer, uncovered until the turnips are cooked but still crisp. Turn the turnips over once so that they cook evenly. Wash spinach, cut off stems and cut leaves into ribbons. Put them into the saucepan and cook, stirring, until they crumble. Serve hot and garnished with parsley.

Moroccan Style Chicken and Root Vegetable Stew

This recipe from epicurious comes with many solid reviews. I offer it here as a theme, and there is lots of room for improvisation. If you are vegetarian, you can substitute chick peas for the chicken and veggie broth for the chicken broth. You can dig through your fridge and use different root vegetables. Potatoes, winter squash, carrots, parsnips, turnips, celeriac, even some cabbage, all would work great in this stew. Serve it up with couscous and some salad for a fine meal. Adapted from Bon Appetit January 1998, the recipe serves 6.

1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces (or chicken thighs or some leftover cooked chicken would work great!)

1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon)
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled parsnips (or more turnips, carrots, potatoes)
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled turnips
1 cup 1/2-inch pieces peeled rutabaga (or potatoes)
2 cups canned chicken (or veggie) broth
1/4 cup dried currants or raisins
1 cup drained diced tomatoes
Chopped fresh cilantro (or dried or frozen)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pot and sauté until light golden but not cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer chicken to bowl. (Skip this step if you are using leftover roast chicken from a previous meal.)

Add onion to pot and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add curry powder, cumin and cinnamon stick and stir 30 seconds. Add sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, broth and currants. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add tomatoes and chicken with any accumulated juices to pot. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and flavors blend, about 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Tomato Soup

To go along with my salad, I also made a simple tomato soup. It's very basic, and could be made richer with the addition of some milk or cream, some grated cheese (cheddar or a parm would be great). Serve with some nice fresh flax bread for a good quick meal.

4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 onion sliced thin
3 whole cloves
2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less depending on the stock and your taste)
2 teaspoons honey

In a stockpot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, cloves and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from heat. Remove cloves. Run the mixture through a food mill into a large bowl, or pan. Or puree in blender or food processor (Carefully! Hot liquid!).

In the now empty stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with honey and salt, and adjust to taste.

Optional - After adjusting seasonings, you could add a touch of cream, or some grated cheese if desired.

Shoot Salad with Honey Miso Dressing

I just had a delicious salad for lunch...

several large handfuls of shoots mix
2 valentine radishes sliced thin
about 1/4 green cabbage, sliced in thin ribbons in food processor
2 carrots grated in food processor

Honey Miso Dressing
2 1/2 tablespoons red miso
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons water or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix the miso, honey, and mustard together. Add the remaining ingredients, mix until smooth. Let sit 15 minutes before using.

Pesto

- In the share today is pesto made simply with basil and sunflower oil. We chose not to add other ingredients so that people could make the pesto that suits their personal taste best. We did try a bunch of different recipes though and had fun doing it. You could use some local aged cheese (try some old blue for a zesty pesto!) or go with something more classic. You could skip cheese altogether and try some nuts and lots of garlic.

To make a fairly simple pesto add the following to your 1/2 pint
1 clove minced or crushed garlic(or 2-3 depending on taste)
3 TB grated parmesan
2-3 TB pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/8 - 1/4 tsp salt

Winter Creme Fraiche Baked Potato Soup

The recipe was supplied by Vt Butter and Cheese. Serves 8.

5 baked potatoes
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups 1% milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 oz creme fraiche
1 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup scallions

In the oven, bake the potatoes at 400°F for one hour, then peel and mash coarsely. In a large casserole, cook the bacon and onions over medium heat until onions are translucent. Sprinkle flour over bacon and onions and stir until the mixture. Lower the heat and gradually whisk in the milk til blended. Turn heat back to medium and allow the milk mixture to thicken and come to a slow boil while stirring. Add mashed potatoes and cheese stirring until the cheese is melted. Lower the heat and add the creme fraiche, black pepper, and half the scallions. Cover and lower the heat for about 10 minutes, until hot (do not boil). Place soup in bowls and garnish with remaining scallions (and more grated cheese if you would like).
Whole Wheat Apple Muffins
These dark, moist muffins will keep well for several days, and the brown sugar on top, should you not skimp on it, adds a crunchy touch. Adapted from King Arthur Flour. Yield: 12-18 muffins

1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Winter Creme Fraiche Baked Potato Soup

Apple, Parsnip and Potato Puree

A perfect recipe for this share, this one is from EatingWell September/October 1996. Sweet apples and earthy parsnips add depth to potato puree. Serves 4.

2 sweet fragrant apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (about 4 potatoes)
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
Freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Combine apples, parsnips, potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan. Pour in cold water to cover, add salt and bring to a boil. Partially cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat until the vegetables are very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in sour cream. Season with salt and pepper.

Cream of Parsnip Soup

This recipe came to me by way of long time member Margi Swett who said it was wonderful. This one has been modified from a Canyon Ranch recipe created for Epicurious. Serves 8.

2 teaspoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup minced onion, plus 1-2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped parsnips (about 9 small)
5 cups chicken stock
3/4 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch pepper
3/4 cup half-and-half (or half milk, half Creme Fraiche)

In wide saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add onion and garlic and sauté, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add wine, stir well, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Add parsnips, chicken stock, vinegar, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until parsnips are completely tender, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from heat and use immersion blender to purée the soup (or cool slightly and purée in batches in standing blender, transferring purée to clean saucepan). Whisk in half-and-half (or milk/creme fraiche). Set over low heat and rewarm until steaming. Serve 3/4 cup portions in soup bowls.

Savory-Sweet Rutabaga Pudding

From the website www.angelicorganics.com: Somewhere between a fluffy ricotta dessert and mashed potatoes, this delectable rutabaga pudding has all the qualities needed to become a standard in your culinary repertoire. This dish will surprise you in many ways: in taste, in texture, in ease of preparing, and in the compliments it will bring to your table. It pairs exceptionally well with lamb. Friend of the Farm (adapted from Nika Hazelton's Way with Vegetables). Serves 6 to 8.

1 large rutabaga (about 2 pounds), peeled, cut into 2-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
butter for greasing the baking dish
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, beaten
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup raisins, plumped in hot water for 15 minutes and drained (optional)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rutabaga and 1 teaspoon salt, partially cover, and cook until the rutabaga is very soft, 30 to 45 minutes. (You will need to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.)

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with butter.
Beat the eggs and egg yolk in a medium bowl. Stir in the cream, bread crumbs, maple syrup, and nutmeg.

Drain the rutabaga, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Mash the rutabaga thoroughly with a potato masher or run it through a food mill. If the mixture seems dry, add a little of the reserved rutabaga water as you mash. Add the egg mixture, raisins, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grindings of pepper; stir to combine.

Transfer the rutabaga pudding to the prepared baking dish. Smooth the top and dot with butter. Bake until lightly golden on top, about 45 minutes. Serve hot.