Welcome back from fall break! By now you’ve surely unpacked your duffel after visiting your Auntie in New Hampshire or going to New York with the rest of Wesleyan, and have started to settle back into your routine. Were you expecting a giant box of fruits and vegetables to be awaiting your return?
Lucky for you, the Fruit and Veggie Co-op is back from break as well! Who needs to catch up on sleep when that box of fresh co-op edibles is waiting on your kitchen table? It looks like your reading will have to wait until your rumbling stomach is appeased.
Once again, we have been given an eclectic, almost nonsensical, assortment of delicious fruits and vegetables that could never be combined into a coherent dish. I have discovered the trick to mastering fruit and veg is to relinquish the dream that all of the ingredients will fit nicely into one mouth-watering meal. Instead, I like to find the best and most interesting combinations. I also suggest using this opportunity to try some new recipes with your fruits and veggies that you wouldn’t normally attempt.
In this edition of ‘what the hell am I going to do with all of these potatoes?!’ I offer some suggestions for cooking that butternut squash (my personal favorite) and those honey crisp apples (right in season and bound to be perfectly crisp). I hope that these dishes will keep you warm and cozy as we move into fall.
The Argus recommends enjoying these dishes with a hot cup of tea, a warm blanket, and a raucous Halloween party in your neighbor’s room.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Serves 3 ½ quarts
Ingredients:
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Sprinkle with cinnamon and or spiced sugar, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.
3. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks. Add the apples, salt, pepper, and water/broth to the pot. Add the squash when it has achieved a nice browning.
4. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes until the squash and apples are very soft and much of the water has evaporated. Process the soup through a food mill or puree it coarsely in a food processor.
5. Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper, add more spice if desired, and serve hot.
Dessert Fruit Pizza
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix pizza crust according to package and press in pan or simply open up pre-made crust.
3. Spread the crust with preserves, then top with remaining ingredients.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Enjoy!
Cider Potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Directions:
1. Place the potato slices into a large pan and cover with the cider. Put on low heat.
2. Add the butter and season with salt, pepper, and rosemary sprigs.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is reduced and starts to become syrupy; the potatoes will start to caramelize.
4. Carefully turn the potatoes, so that they will color on both sides.
5. If the potatoes are golden but not cooked through, add a little water and repeat the steps. Yum!
Simple Pickles
Serves 2
Ingredients
Directions:
1. Peel cucumber and slice (crosswise, as thin or thick as you like).
2. Mix vinegar, salt, and pepper in a serving dish (don’t use a metal container!) Gently mix in cucumber.
3. Best if refrigerated for at least one hour.