Butternut Squash Backlog

We've been getting a butternut squash each week in our CSA box for the last number of weeks. I am being very creative in the places that I store them in the pantry. Thankfully, they keep for awhile.

With some friends coming over for dinner recently, I saw an opportunity to use up the largest of the herd. I would make a butternut squash risotto. I looked online to see if there were any interesting variations. When I found this recipe (which I adapted below), I was reminded of the small container of saffron that was given to me over the holidays also sitting in the pantry.

Now, saffron is not absolutely essential to the recipe. It is the most expensive spice in the world since it must be hand harvested. But the good news is that a little goes a long way. On Amazon you can find some small amounts of saffron for less than $20 and you will get 3 - 4 uses out of it.

But the saffron elevates the typical butternut squash risotto to another level. The saffron imparts a subtle flavor but it also gives the risotto an exotic shade of light yellow.

A drizzle of truffle oil over the bowls just prior to serving gives the dish a heady aroma.

Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 stick of butter
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6 cups of broth, preferably homemade
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• salt and pepper
• truffle oil (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400
• Peel, seed and cube the butternut squash
• Place on a cookie sheet covered with foil, toss with oil, salt, and pepper and roast for 25 - 30 minutes, until tender (can be done the day before)
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter and saute the shallots on medium low for 10 minutes until shallots are translucent but not browned
• Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter
• Add the white wine and cook for a few minutes, stirring often
• Add the butternut squash
• Add a cup or two of heated stock, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a some fresh black pepper
• Continue adding stock as the previous batch gets absorbed, stirring often
• Add the saffron and squash about halfway through along with the next batch of stock
• Continue until rice is cooked but still al dente - 20 - 30 minutes
• Stir in cheese, turn off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes
• Optional: Serve in bowls and drizzle with truffle oil 

Serves 6.

Apple Cranberry Muffins

A pound of fresh cranberries were a part of this week's box. I popped one into my mouth and got the full dose of that cranberry tartness. I was also taken back to my childhood Thanksgiving meals where a gelatinous can of cranberry sauce was opened and sliced.

I got online and did some researching. Fresh cranberries can be frozen and will keep for up to nine months. Because of its tartness, it is often combined with other, sweeter fruits when making breads or muffins. Because we had a number of apples, I decided to go for this recipe.

This made a dozen muffins and two small loafs of bread. That I stuck in the freezer for the holidays.

Apple Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 large apple, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup cranberry juice
• 1/2 - 1/3 cup finely chopped cranberries
• 3 tablespoons vanilla extract (yes, 3. Not a typo)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine apples, sugar (2 tbsp.), and cinnamon and set aside.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• Combine eggs, oil, cranberry juice, cranberries, and vanilla extract in a bowl.
• Slowly pour the egg/oil mixture into the flour mixture stirring until fully mixed together
• Grease the muffin pans
• Fill about 1/3 of pan with the batter and then spoon a tablespoon of apples into the batter. 
• Make another pass with the batter covering the apples and filling up the muffins about 2/3 full.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes

Banana Bread

We always buy a bunch of bananas to include in the lunch bag for work. Sometimes, though, other fruits get selected for lunch instead.  After a number of days, those slightly green bananas are now spotted, brown, and tired. This recipe is for those bananas. If you have at least 3 over-ripe bananas then you should be thinking about bread instead of tossing them.

I was recently in that position with 5 bananas going brown on me. So I turned to my basic banana bread recipe.

The best thing about banana bread is that it's meant to be shared. I like to use a mini-loaf pan (like this one) because there is usually no waste involved. They are the perfect size to share with co-workers or neighbors without overwhelming them. Plus, I think the small size keeps it from drying out.

This is a basic recipe and it's a good one to try out with your own personal variations. Some links below give some additional ideas.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3-5 bananas (over-ripe with some browning on the peel)
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3/4 brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch cloves
• 1 1/2 cup flour

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• In a large bowl, smash peeled bananas into chunks
• Add butter and continue to mash
• Add seasonings, vanilla, sugar, eggs, and baking soda mix together
• Add flour and mix
• Ladle the batter into your bread pans
• Cooking time will depend on the loaf pan size. I used a pan with 8 mini-loaves and it was about 45 minutes. Larger loaf pans make take 50 minutes or more. Use a toothpick to test for doneness (it should come out clean).
• When done, remove from oven and let cool

Inspiration:

Smitten Kitchen's Banana Bread

Simply Recipes Banana Bread

Food Network's Banana Bread

Apple Pie Filling

My posts a few years ago had me troubled about my new apple tree. In its first few years it did not produce a whole lot of fruit. Maybe I was not giving it proper care or maybe it just needed a few years to mature. I'm not sure but this year I got a viable crop of apples. The coloring on the peel was still not what I expected but below the peel all was tasty.

A few weekends ago I harvested a shopping bag full of apples. In an earlier post, I had thought that I'd turn all my apples into canned applesauce, but some internet research got me interested in canned apple pie filling. I used most of my apple crop to make the 3 + quarts of apple pie filling. The rest will become applesauce. I was able to take some of the overflow apple pie filling to work with some yogurt the next day and it was quite tasty.

I won't go into the recipe here. Instead, I will just link you to the informative recipe I more or less followed.

Why You Should Buy US Shrimp

If you look on the back of a bag of frozen shrimp you're likely to see that it comes from Thailand or Vietnam. The shrimp is good and cheap. However, someone is paying a price: children and workers.
Domestic shrimp is sometimes harder to find and more expensive than imported shrimp but I hope you will consider going the extra mile and paying the additional money after reading this article.

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Thai-shrimp-industry-exploits-workers-3882500.php

Canning Applesauce

A friend recently brought by a dozen apples from the tree in his yard. I had no idea what kind they were but they joined an already full plate of fruit from a variety of sources.

My own apple tree is getting close to harvest-time so I thought this might be a good test run on canning some applesauce.

So I ran down to my local hardware store and picked up a dozen half pint jars. I came home and stuck some in the dishwasher to get them sterilized. I followed my earlier recipe for applesauce again using some honey in lieu of sugar. In order to can the applesauce, follow the earlier recipe and then add these steps.

Once the applesauce is processed, bring the applesauce back to a boil. Using a canning funnel, ladle in the hot applesauce into sterile jars leaving a half inch of head space. Use a wooden chop stick or other non-reactive utensil to stir out any air bubbles. Clean the rim and screw on sterile lids.

Set the jars in a boiling hot water bath for 20 minutes. Remove them from the water and let cool on a towel for 12 hours. Check that the lids sealed. Put them away to enjoy in a future recipe.

Canning Peaches

Last year, I made jam out of the peach harvest. I still have some jars in the pantry. This year's harvest was just canned over the last two weekends. It was quite an event with multiple pans going all at once: the hot water bath pan, a saucepan to boil the lids, boiling water to dip the peaches into, and a simple syrup.

I have an old Ball Blue Book from the '50's and it's pretty much the bible for canning. When I went online and looked canning peaches, it's amazing how little has changed. If you don't have this book, you need to get a copy.

So here are the "cheat sheet" directions

• Drop batches of peaches into boiling water for about 1 minute and then transfer to a bowl of ice water. The riper the peaches, the easier the peel will come off.
• Remove skin; halve and pit; place face down in a sterile jar. You may need to quarter the peaches.
• Gently push down on the peaches to maximize the space as you begin to fill up the jar.
• Ladle in syrup to cover leaving about a 1/2 of head space.
• Run a knife along the inside edge of the peaches to remove air bubbles.
• Clean the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel.
• Put on the lid and drop into a boiling water bath with a water level above the jar lid.
• Boil for 30 minutes and remove.
• Place jars on a towel to dry for 12 hours.
• Listen for the "pop" of the jars as the lids seal as it cools.

For this first time run, I went with the extra light syrup and I had to make a second batch:

Syrup

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 1/4 water

Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil and ladle into jars.

Here's the formula:
Extra light = 1 1/4 cups sugar to 5 1/4 cups water
Light = 2 1/4 cup sugar to 5 cups water
Medium = 3 1/4 cup sugar to 5 cups water
Heavy = 4 /1/4 cups sugar to 4 /1/4 cups water

Here are some YouTube videos that demonstrate the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoyEV0p0Ky8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G309JyFpuFs