This week your basket contains: :  Acorn squash, pie pumpkin, carrots, potatoes, leeks, cabbage, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, cauliflower, Florence fennel, SHALLOTS, parsley, celery, salad mix (spinach, endive and radicchio), and broccoli.

THIS IS YOU THANKSGIVING DOUBLE DELIVERY!  We will skip next Friday, 11/29 and resume deliveries December 6^th.  In DECEMBER, deliveries will be double on 12/13 & 12/20.  We will skip delivery on 12/27 & 1/03.  We will be back to normal delivery on 1/10.

We’ve been worried about the late maturation of broccoli and cauliflower this fall, so we are very pleased that they have come on line just in time for Thanksgiving.  This is a great recipe for them both.

DEEP-DISH HAZELNUT VEGETABLE PIE

3/4 c. cauliflower

3/4 c. broccoli

2 c. chopped fresh or frozen spinach

1 small onion, chopped

1 or 2 cloves garlic, chopped

3/4 c. grated Cheddar

1 c. coarsely chopped hazelnuts

1 1/2 c. milk

1 c. biscuit mix

3 eggs

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut broccoli and cauliflower into small florets and steam until almost tender. Drain and mix with spinach, onion, garlic, and Cheddar cheese. Spoon mixture into well-greased 10-inch pie pan or baking dish. Top with hazelnuts. Beat together milk, biscuit mix, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour over hazelnuts and vegetables and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Serves 6. From the Winter Harvest Cookbook by Lane Morgan.

Brussels sprouts look very good this year, which makes us happy as farmers and as cooks!  These are a couple of the easiest and tastiest ways to serve Brussels sprouts.

SAUTÉED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

3 strips lean bacon, chopped

1 stalk Brussels sprouts

1 leek or onion

1-2 c. chicken stock

1 tsp. lemon juice

Thinly slice the leek or onion.  Slice the sprouts thin, about 1/8-inch thick.  Cook bacon in a sauté pan, add the olive oil and sauté the leek slices.  When they have wilted, add the Brussels sprouts and sauté for a few minutes.  Add the chicken stock, to a depth of about a ¼ inch and continue cooking until tender.  Season with salt and pepper and the lemon juice.  Mix to end up with an emusified liquid that just coats the sprouts.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BROWNED GARLIC 

The roasting gives the outer leaves of the sprouts a crispy texture, while the middles remain nice and tender.

1 lb Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed then cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, optional
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Toss the Brussels sprouts with half of the olive oil, 1 tsp ground sage and a generous amount of salt and pepper.   Place Brussels sprouts in a baking dish coated with cooking spray.   Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until spouts are crisp, yet tender.    Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.   Add sliced garlic and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in fresh lemon juice if using.   Add roasted sprouts to the garlic oil, and toss to combine.

To make pumpkin puree, you can cut off the skin of the pumpkin as if you were peeling an orange. Then, halve the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds and pulp. After this, cut the flesh into 1 1/2-2 in. chunks and steam until soft. Press through a strainer or puree in a food mill. Pumpkin chunks can also be microwaved in a covered container in about 8 minutes. Use the puree for pies or in other recipes. It can be frozen and used later.

PUMPKIN WITH SOUP INSIDE

7-8 lb. pumpkin                                   4 cups vegetable or beef broth

4 Tbs. melted butter

1 cup peeled, chopped tomato          salt and pepper

1/4 cup rice

1 cup minced leek                               Bay leaf

1/2 cup minced carrot

1 cup sour cream (optional)              1/2 cup minced celeriac or celery

3 Tbs. chives (optional)

Cut a lid from pumpkin, leaving on stem as handle. Clean out seeds. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brush on inside. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, with lid on, in preheated 400-degree oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté minced vegetables in 2 tablespoons butter until wilted, 5-10 minutes. Add broth; heat to boiling point. Add tomatoes and season to taste. Place uncooked rice in pumpkin. Add boiling broth and veggie mixture and float bay leaf on top. Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender, but not soft. Place on serving dish. To serve, ladle out soup, scraping out portion of pumpkin with each serving. Garnish with sour cream and chives, if desired. Serves six to eight.

CRISP-BAKED ACORN SQUASH RINGS

2 eggs, beaten lightly

1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons honey

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 cups fine fresh bread crumbs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 small acorn squash, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and seeded

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk and honey. In another shallow dish, stir together the cornmeal, bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to taste.  Dip the squash rings into the egg mixture and then into the crumb mixture, coating them well and patting the crumbs on well. Generously butter 2 rimmed baking sheets. Arrange the squash rings in one layer on the sheets and drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 30 minutes, turning once halfway through, or until they are tender. Sprinkle the squash with salt to taste and arrange on a heated platter. Makes 6 servings. From Gourmet magazine, November 1985

CELERY & FENNEL SOUP

1 large potato, cubed
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 head celery, chopped (include the leaves)
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, and very thinly sliced (reserve feathery top)
1 small onion, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
salt, as needed, to taste
In large covered saucepan simmer potatoes in chicken broth and wine until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium heat, sauté celery, fennel slices, and onion in olive oil until tender, about 15 minutes. Mash potatoes right in the broth mixture in the saucepan with a masher. Stir in celery-fennel mixture. Heat through. Season with pepper and salt.  Chop reserved fennel tops and use to garnish each serving. Adapted from Food.com

CAULIFLOWER GRATIN WITH GRUYERE AND HAZELNUTS

1 medium cauliflower

Salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup crème fraiche (see note)

¾ c. shredded gruyere cheese

3 Tbsp. bread crumbs

3 Tbsp. hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp. flat parsley for garnish

Butter a 2-quart baking dish or gratin pan.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut cauliflower into small florets.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously.  Add cauliflower florets to pot and cook until tender, but not mushy, about 5 minutes.  Drain florets and pat dry with a kitchen towel.  Toss cauliflower with crème fraiche and half the cheese in the prepared baking dish.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over cauliflower, then top with bread crumbs and hazelnuts.  Bake on center rack until cheese has melted and bread crumbs and nuts are golden, 20-25 minutes or more.  Garnish with parsley.  Serves 5 or 6.  Note: you can make crème fraiche by whisking 1 cup whipping cream with 1/3 c. sour cream in a nonreactive bowl.  Let stand at room temperature until thickened, 6 hours or longer; then cover and refrigerate.  Makes about 1 1/3 cups. From Foodday.

For more tips and recipes, we recommend a blog started by one of our subscribers, Elise.   Called The Crunchy Ginger (thecrunchyginger.com or @thecrunchyginger on Instagram) her blog focuses on tips and techniques to make the best use of the contents of her weekly CSA basket in tasty and nutritious ways.  Elise has been a subscriber for 4 years, and has come up with some great suggestions for managing the seasonal variations of the CSA deliveries. Check it out!