Cravings for Sweets Before the Holidays

Halloween is right around the corner which means that soon the Holidays will be here!  Thanksgiving means indulging in many homecooked delicious decadent foods, and I can’t wait (Yay!), love to enjoy these foods with my dear family and friends.  Planning out these meals, however, is a full-time job.  Gathering all the necessary ingredients, double-checking for allergens, pricing and etc. is enough to make me tempted to cater to it (LOL!).  

So, I gleaned through my past CSA emails to find a couple of recipes which can definitely help, these were contributed by Afua Yeboa:

The carrot cake was the inspiration for this delicious dessert. Grated zucchini, which makes the cake extra-moist takes the place of the carrots:

Yield: Makes 10 servings

Active Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

ingredients

Cake:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin)
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (about 8 ounces)
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Frosting:

• 1/2 8-ounce package Philadelphia brand cream cheese (do not use reduced-fat or fat-free), room temperature
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• preparation

For cake:

• Position rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper with nonstick spray.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, coarse salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in medium bowl to blend well. Whisk oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl to blend well; fold in flour mixture, then grated zucchini and pecans. Transfer cake batter to prepared pan.
• Bake cake until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on a rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto platter; peel off the parchment paper.

For frosting:

• Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until blended. Beat in sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Spread frosting thickly over top of the cake. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
• Cut cake into wedges and serve.

Butternut Squash with Walnuts and Vanilla Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, about 2 pounds, peeled, seeds removed, flesh cut into 1-inch cubes (see how to cut and peel a butternut squash)
• 3 bay leaves (if boiling the squash)
• Salt
• 1 heaping cup of walnuts (can substitute pecans or pine nuts)
• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Black pepper to taste

Method:

• If roasting Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat the cubed squash with a little vegetable oil and spread out onto a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and roast until the cubes begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
• If boiling Put 4 cups of water into a medium-sized pot and add the bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Add the squash to the pot. Boil, covered for 10 minutes. Drain.
• Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and toast the walnuts. Stir frequently or they will burn. Once they start to brown, and you can smell the aroma of toasted walnuts, remove from heat.
• Melt the butter in the pan with the walnuts over medium-high heat. Toss the walnuts to coat with butter, then add the squash. Toss them to coat with butter.
•  Add the grated ginger, vanilla extract, black pepper, a little salt, and dried thyme and toss once more. Turn off the heat and squeeze some lemon juice over everything. Taste for salt and lemon and add more to taste. If you want this to be a bit more luxurious, mix in another tablespoon of butter or two before serving.
• Serves 4.

Favorite Recipes from Past Newsletters

In the past, I was the editor of the Norwood CSA newsletter and received many recipe submissions.  I do admit there were some I never had time to try, then there were some which were simple enough to master and make a part of my regular cuisine.  I am not the type of person who likes to spend lots of time in the kitchen, quick and easy is my forte. The following recipes are my “go to’s”, the ones I use when I have a bunch of one type of veggie (hello Summer 2019 fennel!).  They came in handy this year….Enjoy! 

Zucchini and Carrot Fritters With Yogurt-Mint Dip (contributed by Afua Yeboa, Summer 2010 season)

Ingredients -

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more for serving
• 1 cup milk, more as needed
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 large carrots, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 large zucchini, grated (about 2 cups)
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Olive oil, for frying.

1. 1. To make the batter for the fritters: in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, coriander, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, lemon zest and pepper.
2. 2. Pour dry ingredients into wet; whisk until just blended (do not overmix). The batter should be slightly thicker than cream. If it’s too thick, add some milk; if it’s too thin, sprinkle with additional flour. Stir in the carrots, zucchini, and scallions. Allow resting for 30 minutes.
3. 3. To make the yogurt dip: using a mortar and pestle or the back of a knife, mash together the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic paste, yogurt, mint and 1 tablespoon extra virgin oil. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. 4. Fill a wide saucepan with 1 inch of olive oil; heat until the temperature registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer (or until a small drop of batter browns immediately). Line a cookie sheet with paper towels. Working in batches, drop battered vegetables by the tablespoon into the oil, being sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry, turning occasionally, until golden all over, about 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer fritters to the cookie sheet to drain. Transfer fritters to a platter or plate; sprinkle with salt and serve with yogurt dip.

Yield: 3 dozen fritters.

Fennel in Milk (Fenoci col Late) (contributed by Sarah Wilcox, Summer 2010 season)

From Venice Tradition and Food, by Pino Agostini and Alvise Zorzi.

Ingredients -

• 1 lb fennel
• 1 ½ cup milk
• 2 TBS butter
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Remove the cores from the green upperparts and the outside parts that are damaged.  Cut the fennel in half lengthwise.
2. Put the fennel into a pot, cover with lightly salted cold water and bring to a boil for a few minutes. (If the fennel is very fresh and fairly small, it doesn’t need to be blanched.)
3. Drain the fennel and let it cool for a while.  Then cut each half into three wedges.
4. Melt the butter with a little olive oil in a frying pan [I made this without butter].  Add the fennel wedges and saute them on both sides, turning when necessary.
5. Cover with milk, add salt and pepper and let the fennel simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the milk has thickened.
6. Arrange the fennel wedges on a platter with cooking sauce.

Roasted tomatillo salsa

What is a tomatillo? Although the name implies "little tomato", it's actually not a small unripened tomato like I had thought. Also known as husk tomatoes, tomatillos are the fruit of a different plant and have a slightly more acidic taste. This bright flavor is what makes it great for a salsa.

Ingredients:
1 pound tomatillos
3 jalapenos or serranos (we used both)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 medium onion
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Peel off the tomatillo husks and wash. The tomatillos will be a little sticky so the best way is to soak in warm water for 5 minutes then try to rinse the sticky stuff off. The next step is to quick roast them in the oven for 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tomatillos on a cookie sheet with the washed peppers (we added an extra because we really like the spice), 1/2 onion (quartered and peeled), and peeled garlic cloves.

Roast in the oven and turn the ingredients about half way through. The tomatillos will turn yellow and the peppers will blister. Once out of the oven, rough chop the onion and deseed the peppers and place all the ingredients in a food processor. Add the cilantro and salt and process until smooth. You can add a little water if you want it more smooth.

Now, enjoy! You can eat it with chips or put it on your favorite Mexican dishes.

My Soapmaking Adventure

I recently started making my own soap to remedy my dry skin and as a hobby.  This has been rewarding so far, I am able to save money and create soap which I can customize to my preferred scent, color, and bar size.  I use the melt and pour method, which uses soap bases made of unscented glycerin and different oils such as olive and Shea, some bases contain other additives such as oatmeal and hemp; then I melt them down in the microwave by cutting the base into small pieces.  Afterwards, I add herbs such as turmeric, and other additives such as spirulina which adds a green color as well. 

Here are pictures of soap I made:

This soap was made using an oatmeal base layered with a clear case, I scented it using ylang ylang and peppermint essential oils.

This soap was made using a hemp base, I used turmeric and spirulina which gave it its color.  I scented this one using bergamot essential oil.

I am planning to incorporate CSA items into soap, fennel fronds can be used as a decoration on top of the soap, or I can add honey or milk.  Fresh fruits and vegetables should not be used in soap, it can have an adverse reaction, however, you can use other items such as fragrance oils, essential oils, lab-created micas or other items to personalize the soap.  Embeds are decorations you can make to resemble fruit or vegetable if you want to make a certain type like citrus or berry type of soap, colors can enhance the look.

I am just learning about the various possibilities of soaps I can make, it is like a new world I am discovering for myself.  I am reading books and getting inspired by YouTubers such as Brambleberry’s Ann Marie and Katie Carson on the Royalty Soaps channel, I watch they then make my own creations from herbal ingredients.

Written by Patrice Hall

Pasta à La Everything

Pasta à La Everything goes a little something like this: survey inventory of Norwood CSA vegetables from given week, decide that they’ll all be tasty in a tomato sauce, and presto! Our version of the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink dish was created this week with:

1. 1 handful of fennel fronds

2.     1 large zucchini

3.     1.5 yellow onions

4.     2 garlic cloves

5.     7-9 small eggplants

6.  1/2 - 2/3 cup cup of red wine 

7. 2 cans of 15 oz whole peeled tomatoes

Steps: Heat olive oil in a medium pan, add garlic and fennel fronds, chopped. Add a few large glugs olive oil, add eggplants, chopped. 

Let the vegetables sweat. Add zucchini and a pinch of sea salt. 

cook until onions, zucchini and eggplants are browned. 

Add 2 cans of tomatoes and red wine. Let simmer on low for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!

Everything-from-the-CSA Pizza

This week, I did the least possible creative thing with our CSA ingredients: I had a pizza party. I bought dough, mozzarella, sausage, and goat cheese at the store. I sautéed eggplant, zucchini, peppers, fennel, scapes, and onions from our share. Tomatoes and plums from our share went on raw. Tomato sauce was from the winter share. Everyone made their own pie, and it was easy and fun (and hot for a Bronx apartment). It was also a solid way to use up produce that, at this point, I have way too much of.

Pizza Ideas:

Sausage, pepper, onion

Tomato, fennel, basil

Zucchini, eggplant, pepper

Plum, goat cheese, balsamic

Surprisingly, the plum was my favorite! It was tart and sweet and goat-cheesy and just right. Overall, the diner was a success. As a friend from out of town put it, "This is just like out of a magazine!" So easy to prepare, so cheap, and so worth it to feel like kids at Pizza Hut again (but with a far more delicious result).

In other news, we're not the only ones with (seemingly) endless zucchini. Deb at Smitten Kitchen seems to have lots of zuc this week, too. Here are some recipes from her site that are on my to-make-asap list:

Ultimate zucchini bread

Zucchini quesadillas

Marinated eggplant with capers and mint

Here's to feeling like a kid again!

Want more CSA inspo? Check us out on insta and Facebook for more recipe ideas and photos.