Thai Pumpkin Curry

I received my first Kabocha squash in my farm box this week, which after a bit of research I learned is a Japanese variety of winter squash and is also referred to as Japanese pumpkin. Like other winter squashes, it is rich in beta carotene and also contains vitamin C, iron, and potassium. It's also supposed to be an aphrodisiac and I thought this curry dish turned out beautifully, but now I'm not sure if the curry tasted good as I thought or the squash's 'magic property' influenced that opinion... Either way, I think the recipe is worth a shot. You can make the curry within the time it takes to make brown rice, so you'll have a healthy, veggie-packed meal on the table during the week without too much fuss.

CSA Box- Vegetables for Breakfast

If there's one thing a farm box subscription will do, besides make you eat more vegetables and be in touch with what's in season, it makes you creative. For instance, what do you do with an excess of cucumber and baby sweet red peppers? Well, you could slice them both paper-thin with a mandolin and put them on a sandwich with goat cheese...

Farm box challenge #2: What do you do with extra tomatoes, turnip greens, and summer squash? Well, I chopped up the summer squash and tomatoes and sautéed them in olive oil and threw in the chopped turnip greens at the end so they just wilted. Then, make an omelette and throw in the veggies with a bit of goat cheese... (Yes, there's a goat cheese trend here. Goat cheese is awesome and I had it in the fridge this week. I find having some cheeses on hand make eating the random assortment of vegetables that much easier).

As far as this week's box goes, it's been another summer/fall transition mix, which is quite fun. Amazing tomatoes and crisp cucumbers alongside sweet winter squash and chard! Happy Sunday everyone, more to come soon.

This week's box Contents:

1¼ lbs Green Beans
2 Cucumbers
1 lb Tomatoes
1 bunch Chard
1 Red Kabocha Squash
1 bunch Tokyo Turnips (with greens)
¾ lb Summer Squash
1 lb Yellow Onions
1 bunch Red Beets (with greens)

Menu Ideas:

- Veggie omelets with sautéed tomatoes, beet or turnip greens, summer squash, and goat cheese.

- Roasted turnips and beets. Serve as a side dish or on top of a green salad.

- Sautéed kale as a side or on top of pasta with the tomatoes (oven roasted or sautéed) like this recipe.

- Thai red curry with winter squash, green beans, and chicken atop brown rice.

Grapefruit Campari sorbet - David Lebovitz

My trips home during summer always provide much needed time for relaxation, but also come with a few surprises.  This year, a sweet little deer was born in our back yard 10 feet from our house-

But back to the relaxation part, I don't know about you, but I cook to relax. So when I go home, I cook a lot. A lot a lot a lot. And it's absolute heaven. I have access to a bigger kitchen with a great stove and *gasp* a DISHWASHER!!! Heaven. On this particular visit, I spent a lot of time with the ice cream maker and was only further convinced that if you want great desserts, especially frozen treats, consult David Lebovitz and you won't be disappointed. His recipe for grapefruit Campari sorbet is available on his food blog, but I've since bought his cookbook, The Perfect Scoop. Ginger ice cream, chocolate Guinness ice cream, peach ice cream, melon sorbet, chocolate sorbet, and I'm only getting started. So good.

The grapefruit Campari sorbet is light, fresh, and sweet with just a hint of bitterness to balance everything out. A refreshing dessert that would be a simple and elegant option to serve at your next gathering. If you really want to jazz it up, pour a bit of champagne or prosecco over the sorbet before serving.

Grapefruit Campari sorbet

3 cups freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice (3 to 4 pink grapefruits)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup Campari

- Warm 1 cup of the grapefuit juice and the sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

- Remove the juice/sugar mixture from the stove and stir in the rest of the grapefruit juice and Campari.

- Chill the sorbet base thoroughly (I usually do this overnight) and freeze in your ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions. 

Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz