Posts tagged ‘Transpire Organic CSA’
Acorn Squash and Kale Soup
Acorn Squash and Kale Soup with bacon, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chipotle chili powder
The acorn squashes from my lovely CSA this year were so adorably tiny due to the drought in the summer. I used six little bitty squashes in this recipe where I would have normally just used 3 regular sized acorn squashes. Actually, I don’t know for sure that they are acorn squashes but they look close enough and acorn squash is very easy to find in local grocery stores so I’m sticking to calling these acorn squashes.
Feel free to peel your acorn squash but the size of mine and the toughness of the skin on the little buggers made it clear that peeling them would take forever and I would have sliced the shit out of my hand because the vegetable peeler would have slipped many times. I took the easy route by cutting them in half, scooping out the seeds and gross stringy bits. I added a bit of grapeseed oil to the centre of each half and then rubbed it all over the cut portion. I then just added a little salt and pepper to each one. I roasted them in the oven until a knife went into them very easily. I will put a cooking time in the recipe but be aware that the time may be quite different depending on the size of squash you use.
Mini squashes from Transpire Organic CSA
While the squashes were roasting I got on with the rest of the soup. I chopped up the kale into bite sized pieces and fried the cut up bacon in a large cast-iron enameled dutch oven (similar to Le Creuset brand but a cheap version so I didn’t have to re-mortgage my house). I then removed the bacon, leaving the glorious bacon fat in the pot and sauteed the kale in it until it was wilted. If you are really uptight about using bacon fat to cook with then just drain the fat off and replace it with some other type of oil. If you want the soup to taste really good then use the bacon fat. The soup is made with two of the healthiest vegetables – use the bacon fat, you will be fine.
After the kale sauteed for about 5 minutes, I removed it from pot and set it aside on a plate. I then sauteed the onion and garlic until it was soft and then added the broth. When the squash was cool enough to handle, I scooped it out of the skin with a spoon and put it directly in the pot and pureed it with a stick blender. If you don’t have one then puree the squashes with a regular blender or food processor. I would add the onion and garlic to the food processor or blender as well so that it gets blended nicely with the squash. Use some of the broth to loosen the squash up so it isn’t a claggy clump in your machine. Once you have the desired consistency, just add it to the soup.
Squashes after roasting in the oven for 40 minutes
I added the spices at this point and let it cook for about 10 minutes all together except for the crispy bacon pieces. Leave them out until just before you serve it or they tend to get soggy. It is nicer if they are crisp. I serve this with a dollop of sour cream and the bacon pieces on top. I don’t consider this to be a kid-friendly soup. We didn’t even attempt to give it to Tim because he has been a real pill at mealtimes lately and we didn’t want the dogs to wear the soup since he would have dumped it over the side of the highchair.
| Acorn Squash and Kale Soup |
- 3 medium acorn squashes
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 pieces of bacon
- 1/2 lb kale, washed
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- pinch of chipotle chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cut the squashes in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits with a spoon. Lightly oil the cut side of the squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast squash in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until a knife goes into the squash flesh very easily.
- While the squash is cooking in the oven. Slice the bacon into paperclip size pieces and fry in a large pot until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot leaving the bacon fat and set aside.
- Cut the stiff stem off of the kale and cut the leaf into bite-sized pieces (discard the stem). To do this you can lay two pieces of kale at a time on top of one another, roll it up and cut it up while rolled together. If the pieces are still to large keep chopping until they will reasonably fit on a spoon.
- Add kale to hot bacon fat in the large pot and sautee for 4-5 minutes.
- While the kale cooks, chop the onion and garlic.
- After cooking for 4-5 minutes, remove kale from the pot and set it aside on a plate or in a bowl.
- Add a little grapeseed oil to the pot and sautee the onion and garlic with some salt and pepper until it is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and scrape up and dark bits on the bottom of the pot and let it gently simmer.
- When the squash is fully soft, let it sit on top of the stove or counter on the pan until it is cool enough for you to hold it in your hand.
- Scoop out the squash flesh with a spoon (discard the skin) and put it in the pot. Puree until smooth with a hand-held stick blender. Add the cumin and chili powders. Stir well and then taste to see if you need to add more salt and pepper for your personal preference.
- Add the kale back to the pot and stir well. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes and then serve with a sprinkle of the bacon bits and a dollop of sour cream. Feel free to add a dash of chili powder (chipotle or regular) on top of the sour cream for a bit of style.
Add comment November 14, 2011
Crispy Red Kale Chips
Amazing Red Kale from our CSA
Like most people who have tried homemade kale chips, I’m hooked. I previously had put it in soup and loved it there but who am I kidding – lighting coating it in olive oil and Maldon Salt will always win. I have read other blogs and heard people talking about these and they say that they are like potato chips. I disagree. They are salty and crispy but they do taste like kale, but only in the best sense. When they are in the oven the steam coming out of the vent does smell a little cabbagy and not in the best way. The only thing I can say is try them and you will love them. If you don’t like them you only wasted 30 minutes of your time and a few dollars on some produce. It is well worth the effort. If you are a skeptic prepare to be surprised.
My CSA farmer, Candace (Transpire Organic) put the general instructions on the order form for Bailey’s Local Foods because she sells some of her veggies there too. I read about them somewhere but when I saw the suggestion on Bailey’s I just ran with it. The basic instructions for this are: wash kale, dry the kale, lightly coat in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and then bake. I used a salad spinner the first time I made these but I hate digging it out of the cupboard (I need to drag out a stool), so this time I used paper towel. The same principle of making a salad stands with this. Dry greens means the oil will stick. I’m not patient enough to give each piece of kale lots of room on the pan so I tend to crown them. This means that some will be done before others. I just pick out the fully crisp ones, turn the partially soft pieces over and put them back in the oven for a few more minutes. I keep doing this until they are all crisp and in the mean time, I snack on the pieces that are ready.
I find this to be a very filling snack. When Simon and I had it on Saturday afternoon, I hadn’t had lunch but this was good enough for me. I offered a chip to Tim but I got a firm “No Mummy,” as a reply. I wasn’t surprised but can you blame me for being hopeful?
I am looking forward to making this again soon. Candace didn’t have any this week at the CSA pick-up but I’m hoping she will next week.
Kale ready for the oven
Crispy Red Kale Chips fresh from the oven
| Crispy Red Kale Chips |
- 1/2 lb of red kale
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Maldon Salt (less if you are using a fine salt)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and get two baking sheets out. I line mine with parchment paper but that is optional.
- Cut the tough rib off the back of the kale leaf by holding the leaf on its side, holding the two halves of the curly part together and slice the rib off the length of the leaf.
- Cut or tear the large leaf into pieces.
- Wash the leaves and then dry them in a salad spinner or with paper towel.
- Put the dry, washed leaves in a large bowl and toss them with the olive oil to coat.
- Sprinkle them with salt to your taste and toss to make sure they all have oil and salt.
- Spread them onto the baking sheets and bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.
- After 10 minutes take the pans out of the oven and put the crispy pieces in a bowl to serve. Check all of the pieces and any that have soft spots still, turn them over and place them back in the oven for another 3 minutes. You will want to make sure that the whole piece of kale is crispy. Repeat this until all the pieces are crispy – remove fully crisp and put soft ones back in the oven.
1 comment October 10, 2011
Spicy Peach and Roasted Garlic Chutney
Spicy, sweet and garlicy! Amazing on brie but I bet it will be great on roast pork too.
I really didn’t know what I should call this recipe. Was it compote? Or perhaps a conserve because of the pecans? I didn’t add much spice to the dish but the addition of roasted garlic, white balsamic vinegar and some pepper led to my decision that it is a chutney. If I’m wrong according to chutney purists, then feel free to just call it a sauce. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what the name is, as long as it tastes good. This was delicious on baked brie as a decadent lunch with Simon last Sunday afternoon while my sweet boy napped.
In the photo is my beloved brie baker that my mom got me for Christmas last year. I can’t believe that I lived without this ubiquitous kitchen item for so long. For our lunch/snack I put a small wheel of double creme brie in the brie baker with the very top sliced off, topped it with half a jar of the chutney and put the lid on. I baked it at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. I like my brie really gooey – go for 15 minutes if you prefer it just warmed with a little structure left.
The chili peppers I used were from my CSA and were not super hot. If the peppers you are using are really spicy then you may want to scale back the amount you use. If you don’t have fresh then half a teaspoon of chili flakes would be nice as well.
This chutney is quite versatile. I loved it with the brie, but the next jar that I open is destined to go on a pork roast or maybe grilled chicken. This will also make a great Christmas or hostess gift, although it only made 4 jars so only one or two people will be getting a jar from me. I’m still sick of peeling peaches so a second batch is not in the cards for me, although I’m willing to make desserts that don’t require peeling peaches. The most likely use of peaches for the rest of the season will be cutting them into cubes for Timothy – he likes to eat them with a fork.
I better get on with getting the recipe typed up because I need to work on going overboard for my son’s birthday party that is happening in less than a week. I’m not making the cake, but I will be making some great snacks (veggie dip and my favourite layered apple slice dip) and Giada’s Chicken Tettrazini recipe. Shh – don’t tell him but we got him a tricycle.
***Note after posting: This is in response to a great question from Sean at Punk Domestics. I decided that this would be acidic enough because the lion-share of the ingredients was the peaches which is safe to use water bath canning for, even if there isn’t much sugar added. I used ‘We Sure Can’ by Sarah B. Hood as a general reference and also, I remember reading somewhere (can’t remember where) that it was important to use vinegar with 5% acidity, which the white balsamic I used was. If I hadn’t put in the roasted garlic then I wouldn’t have put in the vinegar but I wanted to make sure so I put that in. The amount of roasted garlic amounted to less than a quarter cup so I thought it wouldn’t be enough to off-set the acidity of the peaches. Also, the inclusion of 1 1/2 cups of sugar also increases the safety of water bath canning. If there are people out there that question the safety of this recipe I would be grateful for (contructive/helpful) comments. There are three jars of this in my basement that I’m confident are safe for longer term storage but if there is a compelling argument that they are not I will put them in the fridge or use them right away in the slow cooker with chicken thighs.
| Spicy Peach and Roasted Garlic Chutney |
- 6 cups peeled, chopped peaches
- 2 red chili peppers, finely chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried – use less if you want less heat)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 2 small heads, or 1 large head of roasted garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- Wash and sterilize jars, lids, and tools. Keep the jars warm so they are ready for the hot jam. Boil the lids only 5-10 minutes just before you are ready to use them so that the seal part is soft.
- Peel and chop the peaches and add them to a large heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pot (I use a stainless steel one).
- Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb and into the pot with the peaches.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except for the pecans.
- Heat over a medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until it has cooked down to where there is very little juice left.
- Stir often to prevent scorching on the bottom.
- When the chutney is the consistency you like (runnier if you want it for a sauce for meat, thicker if you want it to go on brie or other cheese) add the pecans and then ladle the chutney into the sterilized jars. Note: you can add the pecans sooner if you prefer them to be soft.
- Wipe the rims of the jars if you splattered a bit and place the heated lids on the jars. Put the rings on the jars and tighten – but do not too tight.
- Process in a canning pot with a rack in boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Remove from boiling water after 10 minutes and place them on a cooling rack. Leave them alone for 24 hours. After that, press the centre of the lids to check to make sure it sealed. If the jars are sealed, store them in a cool, dry place. If they did not seal then pop them in the fridge and enjoy them sooner rather than later.
- This makes approximately four 250 ml (half pint) jars of chutney. Serve with baked brie or roasted pork.
To roast the garlic: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut off the top of a head of garlic to expose the cloves. Drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Wrap it in aluminum foil and place on a cookie sheet. Bake it in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. When it is done it will be a caramel colour and be very very soft.
Add comment September 12, 2011
