Recipes: Buttery Spaghetti Squash, Farro with Fennel and Carrots and Arugula Salad

 

The force is strong with this one.

 

We got a great haul on Friday so dinner last night used a ton of  different veggies, including a spaghetti squash which has been sitting on our counter for weeks (months?) which I had been avoiding cooking because I just don’t like spaghetti squash that much.

Buttered Spaghetti Squash

• 1 spaghetti squash, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out and generously rubbed with oil
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 cup of parmesan
• a few sage leaves, chopped
• a pinch of nutmeg (freshly grated)

Roughly following this recipe from a Serious Eats thread, I roasted the spaghetti squash at 400 for 45 minutes, cut side down.  Turn the squash over and cook for 15 more minutes, or until tender.  While the squash is cooling a bit, melt a stick of butter in a small saucepan.  Add the sage leaves and cook the butter until it starts to brown and smelly nutty.  Combine everything in a large bowl.

Farro with Carrot and Fennel

Based on this recipe, I scaled it down for 2 people, and made some substitutions with ingredients I had on hand.

• 3/4 cup of farro, soaked for 30 minutes
• 3-4 small carrots, cut into matchsticks (or grated)
• half of a fennel bulb, cut into 1/4 inch die
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 small clove of garlic, pulverized into a paste
• some capers
• some garlic chives (or any other green herb, like parsley)
• olive oil

Drain the farro and discard the soaking water.  Combine with 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan.  Bring to boil then cook for 15 minutes with the lid off.  Meanwhile, combine fennel, garlic, capers, vinegar and a good pinch of salt and pepper in a serving bowl and let marinate.  When the farro is done, drain and add to the fennel along with the carrots and herbs and a good dose of olive oil.  Taste for S&P, or add more vinegar if you’d like.

Arugula Salad with Avocado and an Orange Vinaigrette

• Enough arugula for 2 people, washed
• 1 avocado, cut into large pieces
• Some orange juice
• 1/2 shallot, diced
• Some rice wine vinegar
• Olive oil

Combine the orange juice, rice wine vinegar, olive oil and shallot to taste.  Add some S&P.  Toss with arugula and avocado.

Recipe: Pasta with Tatsoi and Brown Butter

Tired of Thursday night kitchen sink tofu stir fries?  Well so am I.  So I wanted to do something different with our tatsoi this week.  It was a little too cold for a salad, so I pretended the tatsoi was spinach (it’s so mild in flavor) and combined it with some turnip greens for an easy brown butter pasta dish.

Ingredients

• whole wheat pasta, preferably curved or with ridges
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• leaves from a bunch of tatsoi
• turnip greens, torn and washed
• 1/2 cup chopped sage
• Freshly grated parmesan
• Lemon wedges

Cook pasta to al dente in salted water.  When pasta almost done done, melt butter in a skillet. Swirl the butter in the pan as it foams. (At this point, remove pasta from the heat and drain well in a colander.) When butter begins to brown, toss in pasta and mix to coat with butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Add greens and sage and cook until slightly wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Plate and serve immediately with grated parmesan and lemon wedges on the side.  The lemon really makes this dish!

Recipe: Potato Skillet Pie with Green Garlic

This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, Vegetarian Suppers by Deborah Madison.  The skillet pie is great with a simple salad and really showcases the green garlic.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter or oil
• 1 cup bread crumbs or 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for the pan
• Scant 2 pounds Yellow Finn or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chunked
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten with a little water
• 3 tablespoons chopped sage
• 2-3 heads of green garlic, whites and tender greens minced

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven with a tablespoon of the butter until melted (we don’t have a cast iron skillet, so we used our regular non-stick, but i think this would work much better using cast iron, we had a little trouble getting the pie out in one piece). Brush it around the pan, then scatter bread crumbs or Parmesan cheese into it to make a crust for the potatoes.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt, bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. While they’re cooking, smash the regular garlic in a mortar with 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth. Take the green garlic and simmer in a little water until tender, then drain.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add the garlics and remaining butter and mash. Taste for salt and pepper, making sure the potatoes are highly seasoned. Then stir in the eggs and sage, transfer the mass to the skillet, and smooth the top. Bake until golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 45 minutes. Remove, let stand for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and unmold onto a serving plate.

This is great topped with sour cream!