Tips and Recipes
for Brookfield Farm Crops

Winter Squash
(Cucurbita moshata and maxima)

Squashes are American natives and were cultivated to serve various purposes. Native Americans ate the shoots, leaves, flowers, and seeds of winter squash, and preserved the flesh in syrup. The yellow and orange flesh of winter squash is rich in beta-carotene. It contains goodly amounts of folacin and vitamin C as well.

Recipes:

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

1 small pumpkin
3 carrots
1/2 onion
1/2t. turmeric
1/2t. cumin
1/2t. cinnamon
1/4t. ginger
3/4c powdered milk
2t. honey

Peel and chop pumpkin and carrots and simmer in water till tender. Saute onion till soft and add spices. Allow to cook for a few minutes then add mixture to the pumpkin pot. Puree the pumpkin in its' water then add the milk and honey. Another option is to take leftover cooked pumpkin and fresh milk. Warm and puree them together instead of using cooking broth.

Pumpkin puree freezes well, so don't hesitate to cook your pumkin and then freeze the puree for latter use during the winter.

Lombardy Minestrone (from Ibby Gemmil)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 leek sliced
1 c.diced celeriac
3 c. butternut squash peeled and cubed
2 c. kidney beans soaked and simmered until soft
2 c. diced tomatoes
4 c. swiss chard
6 c. water or stock
1 tsp herbes de Provence (marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 c. uncooked long grain brown rice

Heat oil in deep coverd pan. Add leek and celeriac, stirring occasionally until soft. Add squash, cook a couple of minutes, stir once or twice. Add remaining ingredients. Cover, bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole
From the Moosewood Cookbook

1 squash
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tomatoes
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated mozzerella
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 cup bread crumbs

Slice the squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds. Bake it, face down, on a buttered tray at 375 F for about 30 minutes or until easily pierced by a fork. Cool and scoop out insides. While the squash bakes, saute the onions and garlic with salt, pepper, mushrooms, and herbs, When onions are soft add freshly chopped tomatoes. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates. Combine all ingredients. Pour into buttered 2 qt. casserole. Top with lots of grated parmesan. Bake at 375, uncovered, for about 40 minutes.

Stuffed Squash

Split 2 butternut squash lengthwise down the middle. Remove seeds and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. You can fill the squash with a variety vegetables or fruit. Saute onion and chopped apples and combine with cottage cheese and cinnamon. Or saute onions and mushrooms and combine with cottage cheese, rice, and some herbs of your choosing. Stuff the squash and contine cooking covered for 20 minutes.

Butternut Bevy

Butternut squashes are a favorite for soups in the fall.
1 peeled and cubed squash
5 cups water or stock
4 chopped onions
4 T butter1/3 cup white flour
3/4 cup cream
thyme to taste, 1/2 t. ginger, 1 T tamari, pepper
Combine squash and stock and cook for 25 minutes. Saute onions and thyme and add to squash. Puree until smooth and return to soup pot. In a fry pot, melt butter and add flour stirring 3 minutes. Add cream and wisk until blended. add to soup and simmer 25 minutes adding the rest of the ingredients.

Baked Winter Squash with Apples

1 1/2 lbs uncooked winter squash peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 lb fresh cranberries
2-3 apples, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
juice and grated peel of 1 small orange
1 1/4 tbsp maple syrup
dash of salt & cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine squash, cranberries, apples, and raisins in a small buttered casserole dish. MIx juice, orange peel, maple syrup, and salt together. Pour over squash mixture. Lightly dust with cinnamon, cover, and bake until squash is tender, approx. 30 - 45 minutes. Serves 4

Lentil Soup
- From the Quick and Easy Organic Gourmet, by shareholder Leslie Cerier (for sale at farm)

1 c brown lentils
3 cloves of garlic
1 onion, sliced
1 small winter squash, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced 3" piece of dulse or wakame
6 c. water salt and pepper to taste

Boil and simmer lentils for about 15 minutes. Add sea vegetable and onion. Simmer 15-20 mins. Add celery, squash, and garlic. Simmer 10-15 mins. or until lentils and vegetables are soft and even creamy. Season to taste with herbs and/or salty seasoning.

Harvest Bisque
This recipe comes from shareholder Barbara Hanson - she's a pro cook, try this!

Equal parts pumpkin (or other squash), apples, and onions (or leeks)

Wash and trim all ingredients and then steam all of them. When soft, put through a food processor and voila, Harvest Bisque! You can add cheddar cheese too, if that suits you.

Squash Pie

1/4 c. brown sugar
2 c. squash puree
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with rolled out dough, prick all over with a fork, then press a piece of heavy duty foil directly into the pie shell. Bake for 6 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for about 4 more minutes, until just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the squash puree and eggs. Add the evaporated milk and sugar then the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Beat until the mixture is smooth.
Pour into the pie shell and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 F and continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes, until the filling is almost set; a sharp knife inserted slighlty off-center will come out almost clean, with traces of the custard on it. The center of the pie should not be completely firm. It is best served slightly warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you wish.

Japanese Rainbow Salad
-from the Quick and Easy Organic Gourmet

1/2 cup dry arame (Japanese sea vegetable)
2 cups water
1 c chopped parsley
1 qt of chopped red or green cabbage
1 lg carrot sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp umeboshi vinegar, shoyu, or tamari

First look arame over and remove any tiny seashells. Cover the arame in 1 cup of water. Rub together and whirl to release any sand. Next, lift out the arame and discard the water. Soak arame in 1 cup of cold water for 5 minutes. Drain out the water. Put arame in a mixing bowl. Add the chopped vegetables, oil, umeboshi, and rice vinegar. Stir all the ingredients together, taste, and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Storage Tips: