Happy Halloween -- Cooking with Pumpkins (and their seeds)

Happy Halloween everyone.  I thought you would appreciate these Halloween inspired food links and a great new recipe from Nikki.  Enjoy!

Food52 Homemade Halloween Treats

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Maria's Country Kitchen

101 Cookbook's Toasted Pumpkin Seeds Three Ways

Food52 6 Drinks for after Trick-or-Treating

Notes From Nikki
Pumpkin Lasagna
Happy Halloween! I thought it would be appropriate to share a pumpkin recipe as it is Halloween. A frosty, snow-covered Halloween, but Halloween nonetheless. This recipe includes chicken apple sausage. Feel free to omit it for a vegetarian version. It will still be delicious. You can also substitute the chicken apple sausage with your favorite chicken or turkey sausage or ground turkey (cook the ground turkey or any bulk sausage along with the onions, garlic, and sage before you add the chard). Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a photo. You'll just have to make it yourself to see how pretty it is. ;-)


Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs sage, stems discarded, leaves minced
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
3-4 C cooked pumpkin (I halved, seeded, and roasted two of the pumpkins from our Inverbrook share, the oblong one and the orange and green sugar pie pumpkin; both boast tremendous flavor)
2 bunches chard, tough stems removed, chopped
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1- 1 1/2 lbs cooked and sliced apple chicken sausage (enough slices for two layers of the lasagna)
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles (feel free to use your favorite cooked lasagna noodles; the no-boil noodles are just a convenience)
1/2 C fresh shredded parmesan
3 C shredded mozzarella
1/4-1/2 C ricotta cheese (I used whole-milk for maximum flavor)
Splash of milk
Butter for greasing the bottom of the lasagna pan

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Saute the onion, garlic, and sage in a large skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
3. Toss in the chard and continue sauteing until the chard is wilted.
4. Add in the cooked pumpkin and another dose of sea salt and pepper, stirring well to incorporate. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Grease the bottom and sides of a lasagna pan with a bit of butter.
6. Add a splash of milk to the bottom of the pan, and then top with your first layer of lasagna noodles.
7. Top the noodles with the pumpkin/chard mixture, a layer of sliced sausage, close to half of the mozzarella (keep in mind that you'll just need to reserve some [less than 1/3] for the very top), half of the parmesan, and 1/2 of the ricotta (tiny dollops spread fairly evenly apart), in that order.
8. Add another layer of noodles, pumpkin/chard mixture, sausage, mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta.
9. Top this second layer with a final layer of noodles, the remainder of the mozzarella, and a drizzle of milk over the top.
10. Tent with foil and bake until bubbling (about 30 minutes).
11. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes or so until the top is golden brown.
12. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a good 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Notes from Nikki--what to do with all those greens

Wondering what to do with all those cooking greens? :-) Here are a few ideas that we have enjoyed this season. I hope you do too!

Perpetual Spinach Pie


Ingredients

1 bunch perpetual spinach, tough stems removed, finely chopped (kale or chard would also work)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 C whole milk
1 Tbsp dijon mustard (Optional... as it turned out, I didn't have this on hand. I include it here, because, in my mind, it would have been really good with a bit o' mustardy goodness)
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Approximately 1/2-3/4 C grated baby swiss (or more if you want it cheesier)
Couple shakes red pepper flakes (optional)


9" round pie crust, pre-made and ready to use


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375.
Combine the spinach, garlic, eggs, milk, mustard (if using), sea salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Pour the mixture into the pie crust.
Top the pie with the cheese and a shake of red pepper flakes (if using).
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the center is set and the top has browned a bit (if the center is set and you still don't have a brown top, you can always turn on the broiler for a minute or two to finish it off).
Allow the pie to cool a bit once you remove it from the oven, then dig in!


Enjoy!


Chard and Perpetual Spinach Casserole


Once again, Heidi provides the backdrop for this recipe. I use her basic casserole recipe, swapping ingredients for what I have on hand, regularly. You can find her original recipe here: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/mushroom-casserole-recipe.html . I almost always double (or triple) her list of ingredients to feed my hungry tribe, and have used an incredible variety veggies, meats, and herbs, in addition to the brown rice/cheese base. It's a great all-around recipe for that sort of thing. Below you'll find my latest go around with it. Feel free to double it if you have a lot of mouths to feed (I doubled it and just used a deeper baking dish). Azia snapped a super close-up shot of the finished casserole.

Ingredients

1 bunch chard, tough stems removed, finely chopped (feel free to use a food processor)
1 bunch perpetual spinach, tough stems removed, finely chopped
3 eggs, whisked
8 oz. cottage cheese (I always use the full fat variety for best flavor. Feel free to experiment with a lower fat version.)
8 oz. sour cream (Again, use the full fat variety for best flavor, or experiment with a lower fat version.)
1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbsp finely chopped chives (I use kitchen shears to snip them into little bits)
3 C cooked brown rice (I used Trader Joe's frozen brown rice, zapped in the microwave)
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375.
Combine the eggs, cottage cheese, and sour cream. Add in the rice, 1/3 of the cheese, garlic, chives, chard, perpetual spinach, sea salt and pepper.
Spread a little olive oil into a large baking dish.
Pour the mixture into the dish, top with the remainder of the cheese, and bake for 30-40 minutes or until hot, slightly puffed, and golden (if the top starts to get too brown, you can tent it with foil, removing for last 5-10 minutes).

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Rotelli with Perpetual Spinach Cream Sauce


Ingredients

1 lb whole wheat Rotelle (or other spiral pasta)
1-1.5 C half and half
1.5-2 lbs. chicken tenders (you could also substitute the chicken with chunks of cubed tofu or tempeh, or just leave it out altogether)
2 bunches perpetual spinach, tough stems removed, finely chopped (chard would work well here too, or a mixture of the two)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
1/3-1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling at the table
Glug of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper


Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil the pasta in. (Once your pasta water is boiling, add in the pasta and some sea salt and cook until al dente. The timing can be tricky, however when I made this meal and started the water boiling first, the pasta finished just slightly before the sauce and it worked out perfectly.)
Cook the chicken tenders (if using) over medium heat in the olive oil in a large skillet, seasoning with sea salt and pepper and working in batches, until cooked through. As the chicken finishes, set aside on a plate.
Using the same skillet, add the garlic and saute over medium heat until fragrant (1-2 minutes).
Add in the perpetual spinach (and/or chard) and saute until bright green and softened.
Add in the lemon zest, stirring to combine.
Add in the half and half and simmer gently for a few minutes, stirring to prevent scorching.
Add in the parmesan, stirring until it melts into the sauce.
Break the chicken into bite sized pieces with your fingers and add into the sauce, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate.
Add in sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta, toss to coat, and serve.

Enjoy!

A Note from Nikki--recipe ideas and more

Throughout the 2010 growing season I will be sharing recipe ideas and cooking tips from foodie mother of four Nikki Graham. Nikki is a great resource, not along because of her culinary skills, but also for her aspiring photographer daughter and her famous cookbook blogging friend. Enjoy the first "note from Nikki" :

For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to check out my dear friend Heidi's website, 101cookbooks.com, I strongly suggest you visit today (while you're there, you can sign up to receive email updates via RSS, twitter, or Facebook).
It just so happened that one of Heidi's most recent recipes included asparagus, which I had just picked up from Inverbrook this past Monday. Perfect!
Here you'll find the original recipe:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/carrot-almond-salad-recipe.html

I modified things a bit (as I often do with recipes... it's the rebel in me ;-)) and practically tripled the recipe to feed my tribe of six. The leftovers were perfect with a bit of Martha's Highland Farm, crumbled sheep's feta on top. I served the original meal with one of Claire's chickens, cut up and grilled to perfection. Delightful. My daughter, Azia, photographed her plate before she dug in. :-)

Below you'll find my version of Heidi's Carrot Almond Salad. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
3 bunches of baby carrots, scrubbed, tops removed, and sliced in half (or quarters if they're on the thicker side) lengthwise
3 bunches of asparagus (the thinner the better), stalks snapped at the bottom and cut into thirds
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

A couple handfuls toasted, sliced almonds

Dressing:
One bunch of cilantro (any stem below the bottom set of leaves removed)
I large jalapeno pepper, seeded and deveined (leave a few seeds if you want extra kick)
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 TBL agave (Admittedly, I have a bit of a sweet tooth and was generous with the agave. I strongly suggest starting with 1 TBL and then adjusting from there. It also depends on the size and tartness of your lemon.)
1/4-1/3 C extra virgin olive oil (Again, adjust to taste. Start with 1/4 C, and go from there.)
Sea salt to taste


Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the carrots with a generous drizzle of olive oil and half of the garlic, spread out onto a baking sheet, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Do the same with the asparagus.
Load both baking sheets into the oven, placing the carrots below the asparagus (they take longer to cook).
Roast until firm tender, about 10 minutes for the asparagus, and 15 for the carrots, give or take. Keep checking every 5 minutes, shaking the pans, until they are cooked to your desired tenderness. I like mine pretty firm.

While the carrots and asparagus are roasting, prepare the dressing. Using a food processor, process the cilantro, lemon, jalapeno, agave, sea salt, and olive oil. Taste and adjust to your liking. Set aside.

Once the carrots and asparagus are done roasting, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Toss the veggies with the dressing and top with the sliced almonds. (I used all of dressing, but if you want your veggies less "dressed up", use as much as desired and save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge. It should keep for at least a few days.)

Serve and enjoy!

Serves 6-8 generously

Nikki Graham (Faithful Inverbrook CSA member)