Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Fennel, and Mushrooms

I used some of my last fresh tomatoes for this, but whole frozen or canned tomatoes would work perfectly, too. You can serve this hot or at room temperature, which makes it a decent option for pot luck meals or buffets; in that case, mix some grated Parmesan right in with the pasta. For a version with more protein, see the optional additions.

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 medium fennel bulb plus tender stalks, chopped
4-5 cups coarsely chopped and seeded tomatoes
1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1 tsp whole fennel seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
1 lb dry cut pasta (such as penne, shells, etc)
Grated Parmesan for topping
Optional additions: toasted pine nuts, sausage, cannellini

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Toss the vegetables together in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with the fennel seed, salt, and pepper, then drizzle generously with olive oil. Stir to coat everything well. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until the vegetables are nice and tender and starting to caramelize a bit.

While the vegetables roast, cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water. Drain the pasta, then toss with the vegetables.

Serve hot or at room temperature, and pass grated Parmesan at the table.

Serves about 6.

Local Wine

Mineral Hills Winery in Florence opens tomorrow with sales of its wine (apple, grape, and honey)! Tours and tastings every Friday-Sunday or by appointment. Check it out.

Pizza with Roasted Eggplant, Onion, and Feta

This is it, I'm officially out of eggplant until next year.

1/2 lb eggplant, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick (quartered if large)
1 medium onion, sliced
olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 14-inch pizza crust
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2-3 oz. crumbled feta
2-3 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 400 degree.

Toss the eggplant and onion in a baking dish and drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Turn the oven up to 450 degrees.

Spread the pizza crust with a little olive oil, then the tomato sauce. Top with the roasted eggplant and onion, then sprinkle with crumbled feta and top with mozzarella. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Roasted Green Tomato Salsa

Since I had a lot of tomatoes, and I just can't leave well enough alone, here's another salsa recipe for green tomatoes.

7 lbs green (unripe) tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 lb green chili peppers and/or green sweet peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic in roasting pans (I needed two) and sprinkle generously with salt. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Puree the vegetables and any liquid they have given off, then pour it all into a large pot. Add the vinegar, lime juice, and sugar and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Refrigerate, freeze, or can.

To can, use pint jars and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Yield: about 6 pints.

Green Tomato Salsa

As I had hoped, this worked out pretty well. The result is much like salsa verde more traditionally made with tomatillos: a green, fairly thin, smooth salsa with a nice sour edge to it.

7-8 lbs green (unripe) tomatoes
1/2 lb green chili peppers and sweet green peppers (ratio up to you)
2 large onions
1 cup lime juice
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
Salt to taste

Coarsely chop the tomatoes, seed and chop the peppers, and chop the onions. Put it all in a large pot with a splash of water, and cook until nice and soft, 15-20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

Puree the vegetables, then stir in the lime juice, sugar, cumin, and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Refrigerate, freeze, or can.

To can, use pint jars and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Yield: about 6 pints.

Green Tomatoes

We had our first semi-hard frost here a night or two ago, and there's a hard frost forecast for tomorrow night. Time to finally bring in the last of the green tomatoes still on the vine. Yesterday my husband picked about 8 pounds of them. Last year at this time I made and canned a bunch of Green Tomato and Apple Chutney, which was delicious. This year I think I may experiment with green tomato salsa. Unripe tomatoes are a bit like tomatillos in texture and flavor, so it seems like they ought to work pretty well in a riff on salsa verde. If it comes out well, I'll post the recipe.

Applesauce Pancakes

These are best with a nice, chunky homemade applesauce. I recently made some from a bag of utility apples from Clarkdale Fruit Farms. The pancakes come out tender and soft with a wonderful apple-y flavor.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Optional additions: raisins, walnuts
Butter or oil for cooking

Preheat one or two skillets over low heat while you prepare the batter.

Combine the whole wheat pastry flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

In another bowl, combine the egg, applesauce, milk, and brown sugar. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. If desired, add in optional addition(s).

Cook the pancakes in butter or oil over medium heat, roughly 3 minutes per side. Keep cooked pancakes warm under a towel or in a low oven.

Serve with maple syrup.

Serves about four.

White Bean Stew with Roasted Tomatoes, Sausage, and Kale

With nights dipping down below freezing, the flavor of kale improves noticeably in the fall. In this stew I put it together with beans and sausage, both classic companions for kale, and some more late-season tomatoes.

Be sure to plan ahead so you have time to soak the beans for at least 6 hours.

2 cups dried white beans
olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
Water or stock (chicken or vegetable)
2-3 cups chopped roasted tomatoes
1 sprig rosemary (3 inches long or so)
1 lb cooked sausage, sliced into rounds
1 medium bunch kale, stemmed and chopped (4-6 cups)
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak the beans in a generous amount of water for at least 6 hours. Drain and rinse.

Heat a little olive oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the beans and enough water and/or stock to cover them by about an inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 60-90 minutes.

When the beans are tender, add the tomatoes, rosemary, sausage, and kale and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Remove the rosemary and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves about 6.

Pizza with Roasted Garlic and Shiitakes

A beautiful way to show off good quality mushrooms. Shiitakes and roasted garlic go beautifully together.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
2/3 cup tomato sauce (a roasted garlic flavor would be ideal)
1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut in large slices
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large or 2 small heads roasted garlic, cloves peeled and halved
2-3 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Paint the pizza crust lightly with olive oil, then top with tomato sauce.

Heat a bit more olive oil in a skillet, then saute the shiitakes until tender, 5 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the shiitakes over the tomato sauce, then sprinkle the roasted garlic over it as well. Top with mozzarella.

Bake the pizza for 15-18 minutes, until crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Roasted Eggplant-Garlic Dip

This is sort of a riff on baba ganoush. Try it with pita, crackers, or as a dip for veggies or chips.

I think eggplant season is finally just about over. We could have another frost any night now. Today I went out to the garden and picked all the eggplants that were past the itty-bitty size - meaning that once again I have a big pile of them needing to get used!

I have heard rumors that pureed eggplant like this actually freezes decently, unlike most preparations of it. But I haven't yet tried it out to confirm.

1 lb eggplant
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 head roasted garlic, cloves peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Cut the calyxes of the eggplants and place them in a baking dish. Bake until completely soft, about 20-30 minutes (exact time will depend on the size and shape of your eggplants). Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.

When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel the skin off (with the help of a paring knife, it should come right off in strips). Place the eggplant flesh in a food processor along with the olive oil, lemon juice, and some salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add parsley if desired.

Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Makes 1 1/2 - 2 cups.

Greenfield Farmers Market Season Extended

I had heard rumors about this before, but I got confirmation this morning from market manager Devon Whitney-Deal: the Greenfield Farmers Market is extending its season to November 20 this year. In past years the market has closed after the last Saturday in October. So the November shopping may get a bit chilly, but we'll be able to stock up on Thanksgiving veggies right up to that week!

Fall Sheep Shearing and Fiber Day at Winterberry Farm Tomorrow

Winterberry Farm in Leverett is having a Fall Sheep Shearing and Fiber Day tomorrow from 9:00-4:00. Take the kids and check it out! The weather is supposed to be better by tomorrow. Winterberry's website is a little hard to navigate, but directions are here. According to the website, the farm also has a limited amount of meat for sale, including lamb, sometimes pork, and a variety of poultry at what look like pretty reasonable prices.

Savory Lamb-Stuffed Eggplant

This stuffing is so good I could happily eat it straight. But the eggplant is nice, too, and certainly makes for a more elegant presentation. If you happen to end up with extra stuffing (I didn't), you can serve it over pasta.

3 1/2 - 4 lbs eggplant (nice fat ones)
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground lamb or lamb sausage (casings removed)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups finely chopped tomato (seeded)
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp minced fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
3/4 cup crumbled feta

Cut the calyxes off the eggplants, then slice them in half the long way. Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/2-inch thick shell. Line the eggplant halves up in a baking dish, cut side up. Chop the flesh you removed, and reserve it.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brown the lamb in a large skillet, breaking it up well as you go. Add some salt and pepper. When the lamb is cooked, pour off some of the fat, then add the garlic and onion. Cook over medium-high heat for another 2-3 minutes, then add the tomato and the chopped eggplant flesh. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is nice and tender, 6-10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and oregano. Remove from heat and stir in the pine nuts (if using) and feta.

Spoon the lamb mixture into the eggplant halves, filling them well.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, until eggplant shells are tender. Serve hot.

Serves 4-6.

Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes, Shallots, and Edam

As you may have noticed, I'm going through a bit of an infatuation with roasted tomatoes. There won't be many more off the vine (we had our first frost last night, but the plants seem remarkably okay; still, only a couple weeks left at most), but since frozen tomatoes roast so amazingly well I'll be making them right through the winter. Yay!

I used Chase Hill Farm's Dutch Gold for the cheese - really good. They sell it at the Greenfield farmers market, Green Fields Market, and the Clarkdale Farms farm stand; possibly other places as well.

2-3 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes (or cherry tomato halves)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
14-inch pizza crust
4 oz. shredded Edam
1-2 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 large shallot, minced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a baking pan (one with sides!). Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Roast for 15-20 minutes, then remove from oven.

While the tomatoes roast, lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil, then top with the shredded Edam.

When the tomatoes are done, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the excess liquid behind. Spread them over the cheese on the pizza crust. Sprinkle with oregano and minced shallot.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crust is done.

Serves 3-4.

Wheelview Open Farm This Weekend

Wheelview Farm in Shelburne is having one of its open farm weekends this weekend. Stop by the farm from 10-4 Saturday or Sunday to chat with John and Carolyn Wheeler, check out the beautiful shaggy cows, and buy some excellent local beef on sale.

Local Grain CSA

Just heard about this, again via CISA. Sign up for the Pioneer Valley Heritage Grain CSA, organized by Wheatberry Farm and Bakery with the participation of multiple Valley Farms, and get 100 pounds of heritage grains and dry beans.

A full share costs $350. A half share, about 50 pounds, costs $200. There are two pick-up dates in November, at farms in Hadley and Shutesbury, and shareholders must show up at both to get the whole share. The grains are unmilled (i.e. whole grain, not flour) but milling is available weekdays at Wheatberry Farm or you can use a home flour mill like I have.

See the website for details and the sign-up form.

(If 100 lbs, or even 50 lbs, sounds like too much at once, there are a few other sources of local grain and flour in the Valley, including Four Star Farms in Northfield and Upinngil Farm in Gill. I have seen Four Star Farms at Winter Fare and other markets, and Upinngil has a farm stand that is open year round.

Bringing Winter Fare to Springfield

Some exciting news from CISA's October newsletter:

Help CISA bring Winter Fare to Springfield!
Winter Fare is a vibrant, diverse, one-day winter farmers' market that has become an annual event in Greenfield and Northampton, and CISA is bringing it to Springfield this December! In addition to an amazing array of locally-grown foods, Winter Fare features workshops on eating and growing locally, a barter fair, hot soup, and educational displays. We need volunteers to help with planning and advance promotion of the market, as well as help running the event. Please contact CISA's volunteer coordinator Ann Pemberton at volunteer@buylocalfood.org or 413-665-1700 x 18 for more information.

The availability of great local food through the winter just keeps growing and growing in the Pioneer Valley, and CISA has played a huge part in this.

Squash Pancakes

Since I've still got a bunch of cooked butternut squash in my fridge, awaiting packaging for the freezer, it was an obvious thing to put into Sunday morning pancakes. I don't know why, but when added to baked goods, squash or pumpkin always seems to have a leavening effect - a particularly nice bonus when combined with whole grain flour.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup cooked winter squash or pumpkin, well mashed or pureed
Butter or oil for cooking
Maple syrup for topping

Preheat one or two large skillets over low heat while you put the batter together (thanks to Mark Bittman for this tip).

Combine the whole wheat pastry flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, brown sugar, and squash or pumpkin and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Cook the pancakes in butter or oil over medium heat, roughly 3 minutes per side. Keep cooked pancakes warm under a towel or in a low oven.

Serve with maple syrup.

Serves about four.

Simple Squash Soup with Ginger

Okay, it's October, I can start to think about cooking winter vegetables. I know winter squashes have been in the farmers markets for weeks, but with all the tomatoes and eggplants and so forth still so abundant, and with summer such a recent memory, I can just never bring myself to cook squash in September.

A farmer friend gave us a bunch of small butternuts that couldn't be sold. Most had their stems broken off and wouldn't keep. So I put the whole lot in the oven last night. Some went into this soup and the rest is in the fridge, destined for the freezer. I haven't quite decided whether to package it all in quarts for soup or in 1 cup bags for baking. Maybe some of each.

1 Tbsp canola oil
2 medium onions, sliced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp grated ginger root
6 cups cooked butternut squash (or similar smooth-fleshed squash)
Water (or use stock if you like)
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onions and saute over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes or so. Add the garlic and ginger and saute another 2-3 minutes. Add the squash and some water. Remove from heat and puree, either with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor (in the latter case, return to the pot when done). Add additional water if needed to achieve the desired thickness. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6.

Pizza with Eggplant and Goat Cheese

Yes, the eggplant recipes just keep coming! This pizza is pretty simple, but it's really good.

1 medium eggplant (about 1/2-3/4 l), peeled
olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 14-inch pizza crust
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz. goat cheese

Preheat the broiler.

Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices. Spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet, then paint lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil the eggplant for 3-5 minutes, until tender.

Turn the oven to 450 degrees.

Paint the pizza crust lightly with olive oil, then top with tomato sauce. Spread the eggplant slices over the sauce, then sprinkle with onions. Spread small chunks of goat cheese over the whole thing.

Bake pizza for 15-18 minutes, until crust is done.

Serves 3-4.