Giant Stuffed Pattypan Squash

Do not adjust your screens. Despite the low resolution (I was forced to use my BlackBerry camera to take pictures for this post), what you see below is not an enlarged image of a tiny pattypan squash. It is in fact A GIANT PATTYPAN! I admittedly love cute vegetables, so when I saw this giant yellow squash from Cowberry Crossing at Saturday's market, I had to buy it. I decided to treat it kind of like a pumpkin, hollowing out and discarding most of the innards, par boiling it for 10 minutes and then stuffing and baking it for another 30 minutes. The squash was really easy to cut, and the soft flesh (which I scooped out with measuring spoons -- first using the tablespoon and then moving onto the teaspoon for the "detail work") did have seeds reminiscent of a pumpkin. I was barely able to submerge the squash in my small saucepan, and in the end, needn't have bothered because after 10 minutes, the squash was almost overcooked. I let it drain and cool slightly before coating it with oil and seasoning the inside with salt and pepper to prepare it for stuffing. By using an oval container that was just bigger than the squash, I was able to preserve the shape (you could also use aluminium foil balls to help prop up the squash in a square or rectangular container). The end result tasted similar to a stuffed spaghetti squash, but with the giant pattypan, you could eat the rind and all -- one way to conquer a monster (squash) .

Stuffed Squash

This recipe makes extra filling, which you'll want to serve alongside the squash so you can maintain the good filling-to-veg ratio while dining!

Ingredients

1 Giant pattypan squash

1 t. Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 t. Light whipped butter

6 Baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 Small onion, diced

2 Cloves of garlic, minced

.25 C. Bruchetta sauce (or diced tomatoes and extra oil)

1 t. Oregano

1 t. Dried basil

1 C. Brown rice

1 Link chicken sausage, diced

1 oz. Romano cheese, grated

Method

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and saute the sliced mushrooms until caramelized.

In the meantime, cut a circle through the stem end of the squash.

Using a small scoop, hollow out the interior, discarding the seeds and pulp or reserving for another recipe.

Place in a small casserole dish and drizzle one teaspoon of oil over the hollowed-out squash, season interior with salt and pepper.

Add onion, basil and oregano and saute two minutes; add garlic, diced sausage and bruchetta sauce, cook two additional minutes and remove pan from heat. Stir in cooked rice and cheese.

Stuff the squash until full but not overpacked (there will be excess filling). Bake squash at 350 for 20-30 minutes until squash is lightly browned and filling is bubbling.

Let stand for five minutes before serving.

Soup for Summer: Part 2 - Asparagus

Come summer, a recipe has to be pretty intriguing for me to get the energy to turn on the stove (otherwise it's cold salads and microwaved meals). But the asparagus soup recipe from Eating Well looked good enough to risk sweltering in an already overheated kitchen. After all, asparagus season was ending, and it was my last chance to use up the half bunch in the crisper. So on a recent "cool" evening (with temperatures finally dipping into the 60s and 70s), I fired up the gas burner and made soup. In the summer.

With a little tweaking (leeks for onions, garlic scapes for garlic clove), the end result was more like a vichyssoise -- perfect for enjoying hot or cold. Or, in other words, a perfect soup for summer (as long as you can bear standing over the stove)!

Asparagus Spinach Vichyssoise

Ingredients

1 T. Light whipped butter

2 T. Olive oil

2 Leeks, cleaned and chopped

1 Clove of garlic, mashed

1/2 t. Salt

1/2 t. Curry powder

1/2 t. Ginger root, grated

1 Lemon, zested and juiced

2 C. Red potatoes, diced

3 C. Chicken broth

1 C. Lite Coconut milk

2 C. Asparagus, chopped

2 C. Baby spinach Black pepper

Method

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat; add leeks and cook until soft.

Add garlic, salt, curry powder, ginger root and lemon zest; cook for three minutes.

Add potatoes, broth and coconut milk; simmer for 10 minutes.

Add asparagus; summer for 5 minutes more.

Remove pot from heat; add baby spinach and then puree mixture using immersion blender.

Season with additional salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Serve hot or cooled.

Soup for Summer: Part 1 - Squash

Despite the record heat, this is one of my favorite times of year, because week-to-week, there's always something new at the farmers market. The other day, I hit my local market and bought a sea of green -- from bok choy to dill, wild arugula to squash, napa cabbage to garlic scapes. So what to do but make a green soup? I recently subscribed to Eating Well, and also receive their free email newsletter. This recipe was inspired by one of the soups featured. Although it will be a few weeks until the local corn is ready, this is a nice way to use up some of the zucchini that will be flooding the market for weeks to come. And since it's pretty low cal, it's a great soup for bathing suit season too!

Dilled Zucchini and Corn Soup

Ingredients 1 t. Olive oil

1 Shallot, diced 2 Medium zucchinis, chopped 2 C. Chicken broth

1/4 t. Salt Kernels from 1 ear of corn 1 t. Lemon juice 1/4 C. Feta, crumbled

2 t. Fresh dill, chopped

Additional dill, plain yogurt for garnish (optional)

Method Saute shallot in olive oil over medium heat; add zucchini and cook until the squash starts to soften.

Add the broth and salt, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes over low heat.

Puree the soup in a blender until smooth.

Return to put and add corn, cook for 5 additional minutes over low heat.

Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice, dill and feta.

Garnish with additional dill and/or a dollop of plain yogurt.

If Is June, It Must Be Strawberry Season

Yay! June in New York State means strawberry season and this year's crop is especially good. Since the season for local berries is so short, there's only one way to enjoy them: as nature made them. But after a long workweek, you may prefer to drink them. And the recipe couldn't be easier.

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris

Makes three drinks, or one super grande drink for those that are extra thirsty.

Ingredients

1 Pint Strawberries 1/3 C. Rum

1/4 C. Fresh lime or Lemon Juice

3 t. Simple syrup or agave OR 3 packets of Splenda

Splash of orange Juice

4-6 C. Ice cubes

Method

Add all ingredients to blender; blitz until well Incorporated.

Garnish with whipped cream if you're feeling extra decadent.

Spring Finds at the Farmers Markets

After several weekends on the road, I am starting to return to old routines, including visits to the farmers market and some home cooking (as opposed to home defrosting). A few weekends ago, my travels took me to Ithaca, NY, and of course I stopped at the farmers market. Although Macro Mama’s was sadly missing, I did find a few other prizes, including a large bunch of rhubarb and basil plants. A few days later, I actually was able to get out of work in time to make it to the Union Square Greenmarket before they closed for the day. For a Friday market before a holiday weekend, the place was buzzing, but I managed to pick up some choice items, including spearmint mint plants (“mojitos?” the vendor asked as I handed over a 5 dollar bill), wild arugula and $11 worth of sugar snap peas (my bad for not looking at the sign saying they were $6 a pound).

So with my haul from Ithaca and my haul from Union Square, I spent Memorial Day weekend chopping and boiling and baking and braising. I prepared the Cheater’s Pulled Pork (which, with my off-brand slow cooker being on the fritz, took 22 hours to cook) and tried the potato salad with yogurt, arugula and dill posted on The Kitchn last week.

I made a riff on Simply Recipes rhubarb crumble, and enjoyed some pickled ramps on a Hoffman's Hot Dog. And I did end up mixing some mojitos with the fresh mint, lime juice, rum, agave syrup and a hit of Fresca. Not a bad way to toast the start of the summer season.

10 Ingredient Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble The tartness of the rhubarb really shines through in this recipe (aka, if you want it sweet, add more granulated sugar). Serve with whipped cream or ice cream to help mellow the flavors and make this humble dessert more special. Ingredients Cooking spray 1 lb. Rhubarb, cut into one inch pieces 1 lb. Strawberries, hulled and sliced into quarters 2 T. Corn starch 2 T. Orange juice ½ C. Granulated sugar ½ C. Butter, cubed ½ C. White whole wheat flour ½ C. Brown sugar 1 C. Ginger cookies, crushed Method Preheat oven to 375. Cover a 9x13 dish with cooking spray; add rhubarb, strawberry, granulated sugar, corn starch and orange juice and toss to combine. In a small bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar and cookie crumbles; add butter cubes and mash together until combined; sprinkle on top of fruit mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes until fruit has cooked and topping has crisped. Serve warm or cold, but make sure you serve with vanilla ice cream!

Crisper Clean Out: Asparagus and Ramps

About two weeks ago, I hit the Union Square green market. You could tell people had spring fever, because every other person was walking around with a bunch of just-purchased lilacs (with a going rate of $7-8 a bunch, you could make a killing as a lilac farmer down here). But those in the know were walking around bunches of other springtime favorites -- asparagus and ramps. So for $10 bucks, just a little more than a bunch of flowers, I grabbed some of both. And they sat in the fridge for a week and a half. I had intended all along to try pickling the ramps. I made a special trip to Penzey's for their pickling spice mix. I got myself a nifty container. But for one reason or another, I did not get around to it until last night. Since you only pickle the white parts of the ramps, I had whole mess of the green leaves leftover. I decided to use some of them in a pasta dish based on a recipe I found online (which, ironically, was originally was inspired by a recipe from Talula’s Table). I crisped a bit of pre-chopped pancetta, and then added a few sliced Baby Bellas and sliced ramp leaves. In lieu of eggs or cream, I (attempted) to melt a wedge of Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese into the pan, before adding the asparagus, which I sliced thinly and blanched, and a bit of cooked lemon pepper pappardelle. Since the cheese did not really melt, I added a healthy amount of grated cheese at the end and called it dinner (by then, it was 9 p.m., my kitchen smelled like ramps and vinegar, and Lost was starting). Still, I was happy to clear two more items out of the crisper.

Pickled Ramps

Inspired by a recipe from Serious Eats

Unless you have a incredibly well-stocked spice pantry, consider buying a pickling spice blend, which will save you some money and time.

Ingredients 1 C. White wine vinegar

1 C. Sugar

1 C. Bottled water

2-3 T. Pickling spice mix (a combination of mustard, coriander, and fennel seeds, plus peppercorns and bay leaves)

2 Lb. Ramps (wild leeks)

1 T. Salt

Method

Set a pot of salted water to boil.

Prep the ramps by cutting off most of the leaves and the hairy root ends; clean well by submersing in a bowl of water and letting the grit settle to the bottom (as you would clean regular leeks). Once the water is boiling, blanch ramps for about 30 seconds, then immediately shock them by adding to a bowl of ice water; drain well and insert into a glass jar; sprinkle with salt.

Add the vinegar, sugar and bottled water to the pot; bring up to a boil.

Add the spices to the pot and leave on heat for one minute.

Pour brine mixture over ramps; let cool to room temperature and then seal glass jar and refrigerate.

Crisper Cleanout: Apple Muffins

I admit it -- I've been letting produce pile up in the crisper. Oh sure, if it gets soggy and/or brown, I'll toss it, but if it has some life left in it, I let it sit, waiting for the right day, right moment, right recipe. But no more. This week, I am using up all of the odds and ends that have been in the fridge drawer for too long. First up: Fuji apples. Shamefully, I've had about 10 small apples lingering around SINCE THE SECOND WEEKEND OF MARCH. Because that's when I bought them at the Hastings Indoor Market. They were starting to look a little shriveled, so I pulled them out on Sunday and made apple muffins. After all, who doesn't bake when it's 86 degrees out? After much deliberation, I chose Ellie Krieger's recipe, which uses apple sauce and raw apples. Since I had so many apples, I actually made my own sauce (which actually was more of a mash, since Fuji's don't break down easily). Making apple sauce is simple, and it does not take much effort (of course, turning on the oven and the stove on a warm day has it's own challenges). But the nut topping is what makes these a standout. Do not omit! Despite slaving over a hot stove/oven and dirtying all of my mixing bowls plus assorted other implements, the end result was worth it. And getting to enjoy breakfast al fresco on my newly madeover terrace made it that much better.

Double Apple Muffins

Inspired by Ellie Krieger's Apple Muffin Recipe

Ingredients 5-6 C. of apples, chopped ½ C. Milk 1 T. Lemon juice ½ C. water ½ t. Cinnamon 2 T. Brown sugar 1/2 t. Cinnamon ¼ C. Pecans, chopped 2 C. White whole wheat flour 2 T. Corn starch 1 t. Baking soda ½ t. Salt ½ t. Cinnamon ¼ t. Nutmeg ½ C. Brown sugar ¼ C. Vegetable oil 2 Eggs 1 t. Vanilla

Method Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Simmer over medium high heat about two-thirds of the chopped apples with a quarter cup of water and a dash of cinnamon, reserving one-third of the raw apples. In the meantime, pour half a cup of milk into a liquid measuring cup. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice and set aside. Next, mix the next three ingredients (brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts) in a small bowl, set aside. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg) and whisk to insure they are well incorporated. In your largest bowl, whisk together the oil and remaining half cup of brown sugar. By now, your apples on the stove should be tender and starting to break down into a sauce (if not breaking down, give it a whirl in the blender). Add apple sauce/mash to large bowl and whisk to cool slightly. Once close to room temperature, add eggs one at a time, and then add vanilla. Add one third of the dry ingredients to the large bowl, mix until just combined. Follow with half of the milk mixture, and then repeat dry-milk-dry until everything is in the bowl. Fold in the remaining raw apples. Scoop the batter into a prepared muffin tin. Top with the sugar-cinnamon-nut mixture. Bake for approximately 20 minutes; allow them to cool before removing from pan.