Kabocha Squash with Sausage and Apples
Now that it’s fall, lots of squash is popping up in our farmers’ market. We picked up two Kabocha squash, which are actually available year round. Kabocha is a Japanese variety of winter squash, but it has become to mean any squash in the buttercup family. You can use Kabocha squash in any recipe that calls for buttercup squash. It has a great strong, sweet and nutty flavor and is intensely orange.
The Kabocha squash are “personal” sized – so get one squash per person. With the hearty sausage and apple filling, it definitely is a main dish. You may be full after eating one half, but it is so tasty, you’ll want the second half! Plus, I think it would definitely taste best eaten straight from the oven, rather than reheated later.
This recipe was adapted from several that we found on the internet.
Kabocha Squash with Sausage and Apples
Ingredients:
- 2 Kabocha Squash, or some other small squash like accorn
- 1/2 pound mild italian sausage, not in the casing
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 1 slice of sandwich bread, diced (optional)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- Salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut the squash in half, and scoop out the seeds. Trim the top and bottom of the squash so that the halves sit level.
- Place the squash in a high rimmed baking dish and pour in about an inch of water. Bake the squash for 45 minutes or until the squash is tender.
- While the squash is baking, cook the sausage over medium heat until it begins to brown and brakes into small pieces, and then add the onions, apples and thyme. Add a pinch or two of salt. Cook until the onions are tender.
- When the squash is done, remove it from the oven and drain the water from the pan. With the squash back in the pan, stuff the squash halves with the sausage mixture.
- Place the oven rack 6-8″ from the broiler. Cook the squash under the broiler for 5-10 minutes or until the squash/sausage begins to brown on-top.
Potato and Leek Soup
It was a rainy, cold Saturday in October when we decided to make this hearty, warming soup. This is an incredibly easy soup to make and contains three basic ingredients – potatoes, leeks and stock.
Be sure to give the leeks a good wash – any dirt left in the stalks will make the soup gritty. Cooks Illustrated has good technique for cleaning the dirt out of the leeks. First cut off the dark green portion of the leek. Then slice the leek almost in half lengthwise, leaving a little bit at the root end intact which will help hold it together. You can now peel back the leaves and washes in between them.
Adding chopped scallions and some fresh dill at the very end after blending gives the soup a little extra flavor. You can add any fresh herbs you have on hand. Oh, and top with a little bacon for a little crunch.
Potato and Leek Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, washed and sliced into thin rings
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
Directions:
- Heat the butter or oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. When the butter melts or the oil is hot, add the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, 2 or 3 minutes.
- Add the stock, adjust the heat so it gently bubbles, and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to blend about one quarter to one half of the chunks.
- Add fresh herbs if using, such as chopped scallions and dill. Serve!
Pan-Seared Lemon Cod
Sauteed lemon slices makes this dish really good, but the butter makes it great. This is a simple way to prepare fish that works with any delicate, mild-tasting white fish, such as sole, red snapper, or tilapia. Personally, I like cod.
In addition to the preparation below, Luke make a pan sauce with sherry and fresh dill, thickened with a little corn starch.
Pan-Seared Lemon Cod
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 pound cod
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 lemon, ends trimmed, sliced into thin rounds
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
Directions:
- Place the flour on a plate. Season the cod with the salt and then coat it in flour, shaking to remove any excess. Set aside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the lemons and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
- Push the lemons to the side of the skillet and add the cod. Cook until it’s the same color throughout and flakes easily, about 2 minutes per side.
- Add the remaining butter and the capers. Remove from heat and tilt the skillet to swirl the butter until it melts.
- Transfer the cod and lemons to plates and spoon the capers ad butter over the top.
Michelle Obama Makes Farmers’ Market Shopping More Fun
One of the great benefits of living in DC are all the unexpected adventures. The opening of a farmers’ market two block from my office ends up being a press event with First Lady Michelle Obama, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and DC Mayor Adrian Fenty showing up…along with plenty of metal detectors and trench-coated Secret Service officers. It was an odd combination of “In the Line of Fire” meets “Babe the Pig.”
This White House Market was setup by FreshFarm Markets. I walked by the market on the way to a meeting and twittered (@Cookography) about all the metal detectors being setup. The FreshFarm Folks (@FRESHFARMMktsDC) tweeted right back with the tip. Twitter is clearly a powerful tool!
It was a great event and everyone who spoke talked about the importance of sustainable agriculture and accessible good food. Clearly there is a real change a foot when you see this level of attention being paid to improving the food we eat and the way we produce it. Of course compared to the goliath Ag industry, it is a very small gesture, but hopefully it represents a real shift in the way the nation looks at the importance of food.
DC Rules!
Eggs With A Summer Hash
There isn’t much to this recipe, but some nights that is not a bad thing. This recipe got “invented” one night when we were too lazy to cook much but we had veggies to use up. The result was a dilly summer hash top with a pair of fried eggs. It may sound a little crazy, but just think of it as a deconstructed quiche.
I am not going to bother typing up a recipe, this is supposed to be a quick and easy. The basic concept is taking a bunch of summer squash and even dicing them along with an onion. Saute the mixture with a good bit of butter, adding a healthy pinch of salt or two. After the vegetables have become tender add in a lot of minced, fresh herbs. I used dill, but I think you can get creative depending on what you have on hand. After you got this all mixed together, plate it and then fry up some eggs to place on top.
This recipe isn’t too crazy, but sometimes you don’t need to be in order to have good eats.
