february 17 weekly menu | winter table

Farm Fresh

beets, carrots, collard greens, fennel, kale, leeks, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, potatoes, squash

What’s for Dinner?

Boy, Hood River Organic grew a lot of spaghetti squash this season. And I am the lucky recipient… yippee! They are such a fun vegetable, with their “noodles” of squash. The key to not getting stuck on “what the heck do I do with spaghetti squash?!?” is to treat it like any other winter squash. Dish it up with some butter, salt and pepper; layer it into a veggie lasagna; highlight it as a baked potato option; toss it in nearly any winter soup. Beyond the squash, I’ve got my hands full with eleven different vegetables this week – amazing that this is the winter growing season in Oregon!

Friday – TV trays, movie, & pizza!

leek, mushroom, and prosciutto pizza (Martha Stewart)

Saturday – goin’ retro

tuna noodle casserole (Simply Recipes)
beet, lemon, and gorgonzola salad (Bon Appetit)

blood orange olive oil cake (Smitten Kitchen)

Sunday – move over noodles

lasagna with collard greens + squash (Martha Rose Schulman, NYT)

Monday – italian skillet pasta

fideos with chickpeas, fennel, & kale (The Splendid Table)

Tuesday – anyone-can-do-it potato bar

baked potato bar + veggies galore

Wednesday – salmon cakes + fries

salmon cakes
parsnip fries (Bon Appetit)
shredded kale salad (Serious Eats)

Thursday –  sammie night

roasted beet, gorgonzola, & walnut bread panini (Williams Sonoma)

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Friday – TV trays, movie, & pizza

leek, mushroom, and prosciutto pizza (Martha Stewart)

Pizza Night this week comes straight from the veggie box, plus a little fantastic flavor from prosciutto. The amazing mushrooms from Hood River Organic just keep on coming! The Martha recipe is included only as a guide for the leek and mushroom preparation. I will double the recipe, knowing that I’m making at least two pizzas. Experiment with the cheeses -mozzarella, fontina, parmesan, chevre – they all sound amazing. You can have all of the toppings ready in an assembly line for do-it-youself fun! A perfect accompaniment to an Oscar season Friday night at home!

Other Winter Pizza Suggestions:

winter squash and wild mushroom 
leek, crimini mushroom, and prosciutto
portabella mushroom & roasted red pepper
shitake mushroom
leek, sundried tomato, and goat cheese
caramelized leek, mushroom and Italian sausage pizza
pizza with kale raab, leeks, and olives 
pizza with fennel sausage, braising greens and rosemary
dandelion greens, Italian sausage, and fontina cheese pizza
spinach and chive pizza
grilled pizza with kale, mushroom, & sausage
shaved asparagus & parmesan pizza
leek, chard, & corn flatbread
pizza with green garlic & arugula
pizza bianca with goat cheese & chard
fresh ricotta and red onion pizza
sweet onion pizza
pizza with grilled fennel and parmesan
eggplant & tomato pizza
caramelized onion, kale, & corn flatbread
classic margherita pizza
caramelized fennel, onion, and sweet pepper pizza 
pizza with red and yellow peppers
kale, sundried tomato, & feta pizza
ricotta and gremolata pizza
parsley pesto & potato pizza 
roasted red potato pizza with taleggio, roasted leeks & pancetta
roasted acorn squash & gorgonzola pizza 
winter squash pizza 
butternut squash and caramelized onion galette
sausage, leek, & shitake pizza
potato & rosemary pizza 

Saturday – goin’ retro

tuna noodle casserole (Simply Recipes)
beet, lemon, and gorgonzola salad (Bon Appetit)

blood orange olive oil cake (Smitten Kitchen)

With my Garibaldi canned albacore tuna in the pantry (a lovely Christmas gift each year!) I just couldn’t resist this classic tuna noodle casserole. It will take you back to yesteryear, when using canned cream of mushroom soup and crumbled potato chips was the only way. Nowadays, there’s certainly more gourmet ways, and certainly a bit healthier ways, but I say live a little…break out the canned soup and bag o’ chips! After all, we are adding our own farm fresh mushrooms, and using local, gourmet Kettle chips! The only thing I’m going to muck with is using thinly sliced kale instead of broccoli, and upping the ante on the pasta – I’ll use one full pound, sensing the milk, butter, & cheese in the recipe supports this. This definitely makes it a one-dish, full-meal-deal. But, given my overload of beets, I’ll add this delightful salad packed with beets and dressed with a perfect lemony, gorgonzola vinaigrette. And because it’s a three-day weekend, and because I got a little too ambitious with buying blood oranges, I’m going to try this very simple olive oil cake. What makes it extra special is the oranges in the batter, as well as in the honey-compote topping. There’s nothing in this dessert that you wouldn’t already have in your fridge or pantry (besides maybe the oranges.) I say get while the geting’s good with this fabulous winter fruit!

Sunday – move over noodles

lasagna with collard greens + squash (Martha Rose Schulman, NYT)

Using no-boil noodles, canned sauce, and barely blanched collard green leaves, this lasagna is quite simple to assemble (as lasagnas go…). And healthy to boot – the collards stand in for the additional pasta that is usually used, and the recipe is light on the cheese front. This week, I’ll layer in a par-baked spaghetti squash. Just cut it in half, scoop out the innards, place it face down in a 400 degree oven for a half an hour. The inside squash “noodles” are now ripe for scooping right out, adding to any recipe. Choose your favorite pre-made marinara sauce – if you have a  hankering for italian sausage, saute it up and throw it in with the sauce! I also love to assemble lasagna over the weekend, then just throw it in the oven on that crazy, busy weeknight!

Monday – italian skillet pasta

fideos with chickpeas, fennel, & kale (The Splendid Table)

I didn’t know that paella had a lesser-known cousin…fideos, featuring small toasted noodles instead of rice! This Splendid Table version adds chickpeas, kale, onion and fennel, and is simmered in a smoky tomato sauce. It’s a quick week-night full meal deal, featuring so many of my HRO veggies, as well as just a few pantry staples. The resulting skillet dinner is toasted under the broiler until the noodles are lightly browned and crisp. Yum!

Tuesday –  anyone-can-do-it potato bar

baked potato bar + veggies galore

Try as I might, I’ve got potatoes coming out my ears. And because everyone loves a toppings bar, I thought I’d cook up four of the larger ones and have a potato bar party. “Cooking” might be a stretch; I make good use of the “potato” button on the microwave. Beyond that, use your creativity and hankerings in the topping line-up. Mine will surely include all of the traditional items:  sour cream, chives, cheddar cheese, and chopped crispy bacon (again, microwave friendly!) –  all essential for that true baked potato bar experience. It could also include some slightly non-traditional ones too, like freshly foraged, chopped and sautéed wild mushrooms, thinly sliced, lightly sautéed kale, and baked spaghetti squash. (See Sunday for squash cooking instructions.)

Wednesday – salmon cakes + fries

salmon cakes
parsnip fries (Bon Appetit)
shredded kale salad (Serious Eats)

Tonight I’m building my dinner around the pre-made salmon cakes I saw advertised at New Seasons. They are healthy and tasty, and best of all take just a few minutes in a saute pan to cook up. As a side, I’ll go for the parsnip fries. Just cut your parsnips into thin fry-shaped pieces, drizzle with olive oil and a good sprinkling of salt, and bake until lightly golden brown. I’ll also add a nearly effortless kale salad. I use the basic formula again and again – kale, the very few dressing ingredients, toasted hazelnuts (or any nuts), and a farmer’s market cheese. I pre-dress the chopped kale a bit before dinner time, to soften it up.

Thursday – sammie night

roasted beet, gorgonzola, & walnut bread panini (Williams Sonoma)

Beets and gorgonzola (or really any blue cheese or chèvre) is a match made in heaven. And it’s another stress-free night with my beets already roasted and peeled. Lots of bakeries will have a nice walnut bread – the sandwiches will resemble the beet, cheese, & walnut salads you pay big bucks for in a restaurant! But if walnut bread isn’t your thing (or your kids’!), pick whatever, but I do think a heartier, nuttier, whole wheatier bread would taste best in this combo. Forget the mayo, sprinkle with a little balsamic & olive oil instead. You could easily add some thinly sliced roasted chicken, and that would fit right in too.

“What the Kale?!?”

Don’t panic and get out the compost bin if all of the sudden you have a giant veggie delivery coming your way, and you still have a fridge full.  Here are a few suggestions for preserving the bounty!  (Soups and stews freeze wonderfully in those gallon zip lock freezer bags.

• potato soup with kale and chorizo (Bon Appetit)
  
• red lentil and winter squash dahl (Katherine Deumling, SIO Blog Week 27)