August 24, 2011 CSA Delivery

Recipe Suggestions from Conne Ward-Cameron

Spaghetti Squash Salad with Sesame and Ginger

Herbed Spaghetti Squash with Red Peppers and Walnuts

This week’s box may be the prettiest we’ve had all season. Should we give credit to our ace photographer for her beautiful shots? Or to the creative packers at Riverview who mixed and matched for just the right combinations of red, yellow, orange and green?

Love, love, love all the colorful tomatoes and peppers. You know those little peppers are cayenne, right? Last year we had a recipe for making your own hot sauce, see the September 15 recipes at http://www.grassfedcow.com/recipes/September15.html for some other ideas. Someone asked about the heat of the peppers and as a general rule, you can count on the smaller the pepper the hotter it is. Doesn’t hold true 100% of the time, but generally ….

How about some ideas for that spaghetti squash? Just a few notes first. The larger the squash, the larger the strands of “spaghetti” inside. You can bake, steam or microwave the squash and then top it with squash as you would pasta or combine with a creamy squash and bake au gratin, or top with dressing and serve warm or cool. Refrigerate it until you’re ready to cook.

To steam: Halve squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Set pieces over rack (cut squash again if you need to make it fit) over boiling water. Cover, cook until a finger leaves an indentation in the shell, 20 to 30 minutes. “Comb” out the strands with a wide-tined fork.

To bake: Prick whole squash in several places. Bake at 350 degrees until a finger leaves an indentation in the shell, 35 to 45 minutes. Set on cutting board and halve immediately (so it won’t continue cooking). Scoop out and discard seeds. Pull out strands with a wide-tined fork.

To microwave: Halve squash lengthwise and remove seeds. Set in microwave container, season if you wish, and top with a little oil or butter. Cover and microwave 10 to 15 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then pull out strands with a wide-tined fork.

Here are two recipes from “Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini” by Elizabeth Schneider (HarperCollins, $60).

Spaghetti Squash Salad with Sesame and Ginger

1 spaghetti squash
1 teaspoon salt
2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced sweet pickled ginger
1 large pepper, diced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Leaves from 1 bunch cilantro
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Cook squash using one of the methods above. Pull out strands and put into a colander set in a bowl. Sprinkle squash with 1/2 teaspoon salt, toss, then cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Toss cucumbers with pickled ginger, pepper, sesame seeds and cilantro. Refrigerate.

Make dressing by combining remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt with chili flakes, sherry vinegar, rice vinegar, sesame oil and corn oil.

When ready to serve, combine drained squash, cucumbers and ginger and pepper mixture. Toss with dressing and serve immediately.

Herbed Spaghetti Squash with Red Peppers and Walnuts

1 spaghetti squash
2 medium red peppers, slivered
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Pinch ground cayenne (or toss in one minced cayenne pepper)
1 teaspoon wine vinegar
Salt
1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
1/4 cup slivered cilantro or basil leaves

Cook squash using one of the methods above.

Heat oil in a medium skillet and cook peppers, garlic and cayenne just until slightly softened. Add vinegar and set aside.

When squash is cooked, comb out strands into a serving bowl. Add peppers, walnuts and herb. Season to taste and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

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That’s it for me for this week. Next week Kim Dell will be sending you ideas for your box. Thanks, Kim!

See you all in 2 weeks.

conne

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