This week your basket contains: sweet peppers, spaghetti squash, RUTABAGAS, BRUSSELS SPROUTS TOPS, leeks, broccoli, and carrots.

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In our house spaghetti squash was a bit of a hard sell until we discovered this recipe.  It is very flexible in that just about anything you want to add works (red pepper strips come to mind this week).  Give it a try and let us know what you think.

ORIENTAL SPAGHETTI SQUASH SALAD

Flesh of one cooked spaghetti squash

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

4 Tbs toasted sesame seeds

2 Tbs lemon juice

1 Tbs grated ginger

4 Tbs soy sauce

3 Tbs rice vinegar

1/4 cup veg. or sesame oil

hot pepper oil (optional)

Whisk together oil, lemon juice, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and hot pepper to taste.  Stir in onions and sesame seeds.  Pour dressing over spaghetti squash, mix gently and serve.  This can be served as a warm salad, or refrigerated over night to allow greater melding of the flavors and served cold.

Rutabaga alone can be an intense experience. On the other hand, rutabaga takes on flavors well especially complex flavors like curry or garam masala (try tossing chunks of rutabaga in garam masala and roasting).  It also pairs well with other root crops as in this recipe.

Fabulous Fall Roots Soup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2-1/2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (3 to 4 medium leeks)

1-1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and diced

1 medium rutabaga (1 to 1-1/2 pounds), peeled and diced

8 cups chicken stock

Kosher salt

1-1/4 cups crème fraîche

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat butter in a large, heavy pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. When melted and hot, add leeks, carrots, and rutabaga. Sauté vegetables until softened, for 10 minutes or longer. Add stock and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, for about 30 minutes.  Purée the soup in batches in a food processor, blender, or food mill, and return soup to the pot. (Or use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot.) Whisk in 3/4 cup of the crème fraîche. Taste soup and season with salt, as needed. (The soup can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat.)  To serve, ladle soup into shallow soup bowls. Garnish each serving with a generous dollop of the remaining 1/2 cup crème fraîche and a sprinkling of parsley.  From Sunday Soup: A Year’s Worth of Mouthwatering, Easy-to-Make Recipes by Betty Rosbottom

Rutabaga is an often overlooked root vegetable member of the cabbage family.  Sliced winter squash, like Kabocha,  added to this soup would bring out a sweet touch and play well with the rutabaga. This soup can be made ahead and its flavor will only improve. When you have time, try roasting the vegetables before cooking them into a soup. Toss the chopped vegetables with a little olive oil, spread them out on a shallow pan and roast at 425 degrees F until they begin to soften and caramelize; the flavors will be more intense.

We take the tops off the Brussels sprouts to encourage even development.  The tops are like small collard greens with a great Brussels sprouts flavor.  This is a great way to use them.

ADOBO GREENS

2 lbs. fresh greens

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3-c. oil

1 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

pepper