The beautiful Castlefranco Chicory is wonderful in the risotto below but makes for a handsome salad too. Be sure to dress it well—Dijon-style mustard and sherry or red wine vinegar and maybe a few capers stand up well to this colder-season lettuce, as do toasted nuts and hard cheeses.
Baked Acorn Squash with Toasted Squash Seed & Parsley Pesto
Toasted Squash Seeds
Carrot, Parsnip and Parsley Fritters (pan-fried)
Pan-fried Parsnips
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Cabbage and Potato Soup with Chorizo)
White Beans, Onion and Parsley Salad with Oregon Albacore
Farro and Chicory Risotto
Baked Acorn Squash with Toasted Squash Seed & Parsley Pesto
Acorn squash is really best baked and then turned into a variety of dishes or eaten just as is. The scalloped, tough skin is a bear to manage raw so either bake the whole thing for 20 minutes until it’s soft enough to more easily cut in half or cut it in half raw, scoop out seeds and save those, and bake cut side down for about 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees until tender.
I like this combination of bright, fresh parsley and sweet nutty squash seeds and lemon juice over the soft, sweet squash. I particularly like barley hard-cooked eggs, quartered and also dressed with the pesto along side. You could also use some of the pesto to make deviled eggs:)!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
1 or 2 Acorn squash (might as well bake both at once if you have two) (see headnote)
1 batch Toasted squash seed and parsley pesto (recipe below)
Bake the acorn squash until tender. Scoop out flesh and leave as is or roughly mash. Serve tossed with or topped with the pesto.
Toasted Squash Seed & Parsley Pesto
Squash seeds (1/2 a cup’s worth, more or less)
1 small bunch parsley
1 small to medium clove garlic, chopped
Juice of half a lemon or 2 teaspoons red wine or cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
About 1/3 cup olive oil
Rinse the squash seeds and pat dry. Toss with a little olive oil and salt and spread on a baking sheet. You can bake them alongside the squash but they will only take 10 minutes or so. Check frequently as they burn quickly. Let cool.
In a food processor, process the seeds for a few seconds. Then add the remaining ingredients and quickly process. I like a fairly rough texture, not a paste. If it’s too thick thin with a little cream, water or more olive oil. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve with baked squash and cooked eggs, if you’d like (see headnote).
Carrot, Parsnip and Parsley Fritters
–inspired by Tender by Nigel Slater
If you have a jalapeno or Serrano chili sitting around by all means mince it and add it.
This makes quite a few pancakes–about 12 or more 4-5-inch cakes.
Carrots, well scrubbed and grated on the large holes of a box grater to make about 2 cups of grated carrots
Parsnips, same as above to make about 1 ½ cups
1 small-ish onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (optional – see headnote)(seeded or not depending on comfort with heat)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 egg, beaten
2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
¼ cup grated sharp cheddar (or more- to taste)
1 heaping tablespoon of flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil for frying
Mix everything except the oil in a large bowl. Taste for salt and adjust seasoning. Then fry large dollops in a large, heavy bottomed skillet lightly coated with oil until crispy and brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes on the first side and a bit less on the second. Enjoy, you guessed it (!) with a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Pan-fried Parsnips
When the first parsnips come around each year I just make this, simplest of simple dishes. The tender sweetness of the parsnips gets to shine. And of course a fried or poached egg on top would not be amiss!
They are so tender and fairly small this week that there is no need to peel them. Just scrub and slice!
However many parsnips you want to use, scrubbed (not need to peel), trimmed and sliced into ¼-inch rounds or half-rounds (if larger)
Olive oil
Salt
Chopped parsley for serving
Heat a heat skillet over high heat with a splash of olive oil. Add the parsnips rounds and toss well to coat with a little oil. Sprinkle with salt. Lower heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning. When tender, which should take more than 10 minutes, remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and serve with another little drizzle of good olive oil if you’d like and a scattering of chopped parsley.
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Cabbage and Potato Soup with Chorizo)
–adapted very slightly from Tender, by Nigel Slater
I’m guessing you have couple of potatoes leftover from previous shares. I used a couple of huge red ones for this soup last night and it was wonderful. One chorizo is enough to flavor this soup but if you’ve got meat lovers at the table feel free to toss in another. If you’d like to make this without the meat, 2 teaspoons of smoked Spanish paprika (Pimenton) and another clove or two of garlic at the beginning. This soup is even better the next day even though it’s not going to win any beauty contests.
Serves 4
Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 -4 medium potatoes
6 cups broth or water
2 bay leaves
1-2 chorizo sausage (4 or 8 oz.), cut into thin rounds
(see headnote) (I particularly like Pastaworks’ fresh Chorizo for this dish but use what you have/can easily find)
5 cups cabbage, cored and cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper
Good olive oil for drizzling
Sauté the onion and garlic over medium-low heat in a large pot in a bit of olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for a few more minutes before adding the water (or broth), bay leaves and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are quite soft. Meanwhile fry the slices of chorizo in a small pan until they are crisp and the fat has been rendered.
Mash the potatoes in the pot with a fork or potato masher until partially broken down. You want the potatoes to thicken the soup but also leave plenty of lumps. Add the cabbage and cook for a few minutes until tender. Add the chorizo, adjust for salt and serve the soup drizzled with good olive oil and another grind of pepper.
White Beans, Onion and Parsley Salad with Oregon Albacore
This is a quick, hearty and classic Italian salad and a great place for your parsley this week. It’s strongly flavored with generous amounts of acidity from both vinegar and lemon juice and capers and onions. It’s best with some of our local Oregon Albacore that can be found in cans at New Seasons, Pastaworks, Fred Meyer, etc. It’s worth getting good-quality canned tuna (something I always keep in the pantry) for this dish.
Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a side.
1 or 2 (5 or 6-ounce) cans tuna (preferably Oregon Albacore)
3 cups cooked white navy or cannellini or other white beans or 2 (15-ounce) cans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cups parsley leaves, just slightly chopped
2 tablespoons capers, in brine or packed in salt, drained and rinsed and chopped up a bit
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (or more vinegar if you don’t have lemon juice)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion very thinly sliced (soaked in ice water for 20 minutes to remove some of the onion’s bite if you have sensitive eaters)
Zest of half a lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
In a large bowl, add the tuna, reserving the olive oil or juices from the can in a separate small bowl. Break tuna into bite-size pieces with a fork. Add the beans and capers. Into the bowl of olive oil or tuna juices, add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and zest and extra olive oil. Season with salt and pepper Pour dressing on the tuna, bean and caper mixture and add the onion and the parsley to tuna mixture and toss gently. Serve with good, crusty bread.
Faro Risotto with Chicory
–very loosely adapted from Food and Wine via smittenkitchen.com
This is creamy, delicious and perfect for this blustery weather.
Feel free to make changes. . . add a clove of garlic, use romano instead of parmesan, dollop in some crème fraîche at the end; use red wine or skip the wine.
Serves 3 to 4
5 cups vegetable or chicken stock (I use homemade veggie bouillon)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup white or red wine (optional)
1 cup faro (if you have whole, not pearled faro, par boil it for 10 minutes, drain and then proceed with the recipe)
6 cups thinly sliced chicory
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, grated
1 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
In a medium saucepan, bring the veggie or chicken stock to a simmer over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.
In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and thyme and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Add the faro and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine if using and cook, stirring until absorbed, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook, stirring, until nearly absorbed. Continue adding the stock 1/2 cup or so at a time. When the faro is just about tender, add a bit more broth then add the chicory and let it wilt and then cook for an additional couple of minutes. Stir in the 1/2 cup of cheese and the butter and season with salt and pepper. Let sit covered off the heat for 5 minutes at least, then serve, passing more cheese at the table if you’d like.