The New Place in Town
Welcome David and Toni Upchurch, your new restaurant will be an asset to downtown New Albany. I look forward to working with you and your new adventure. We are proud to be associated with such an awesome undertaking, and look forward to supplying fresh produce from our farm to your business.
I love your concept and the fact that you use only the finest ingredients atArtesia Fusion Eatery & Catering. You are striving to provide foods that are organic, seasonal and naturally grown locally. From meats produced without hormones and antibiotics to vegetables produced without pesticides by growers in your own town, you make food that is good to eat and good to the earth that we inhabit. Maybe you should call it good karma food…
Heck out their web site @ http://www.artesiabistro.com/fusion_bistro_and_catering/
They are opening tomorrow, September 20, 2010, from 11 – 4pm. Stop in and welcome them to the neighborhood and enjoy an exciting new concept in dining. I’ll be there and hope to see you there too.
Acorn Squash Soup
Ingredients:
3 acorn squash, halved, seed removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
1 Mutzu apple, cored and chopped (this is my choice because we grow them, Granny Smith can be used)
1 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
4 cups vegetable broth
Preheat oven 400 degrees F. On a baking sheet, roast the acorn squash, cut side down, until soft, about 45 minutes. Scoop out the squash flesh and set aside.
In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Saute carrot, apple, and onion until soft. Season with ginger and allspice. Add the squash and the vegetable broth. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender (a must have for every kitchen, my sister, Stephanie, gave me one for Christmas a few years ago and I don’t know how I ever cooked without it).
Serve with warm bread if desired.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
Tags: acorn squash, mutzu apple
Squash Bread
Equally delicious for breakfast, snack or as a light dessert, this honey sweetened loaf can be spread with low-fat cream cheese or whipped butter.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 egg plus 1 egg white
1 1/4 cup pureed cooked winter squash
1. On a plate, sift together first six ingredients. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix oil, sugar and honey together until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in egg and egg white. Add squash puree and beat until smooth.
4. Fold in dry ingredients. Turn into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.
5. Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about one hour. Remove from the oven, let stand in pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire cooling rack or cake plate to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
To warm: Wrap thick slices in a paper towel and microwave for 15 to 20 seconds on high.
Tags: honey, Winter Squash
Spaghetti Squash
One 4 to 5 pound spaghetti squash
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or parsley
Additional parmesan cheese for passing
1. Pierce squash in several places with a long-tined fork or metal skewer. Place on baking pan and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Using potholders, squeeze squash to test for doneness. It is ready when it gives slightly under pressure. Remove and cool.
2. Heat a saucepan over heat, pour in olive oil. Add garlic and cook until tender but not browned for about 5 minutes.
3. When squash is cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and stringy portions. Using a fork, pull pulp from the shell in long strands and add them to the warm garlic oil.
4. Toss squash strands gently with pepper, salt and cheese. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with basil or parsley.
Serve immediately. Pass additional cheese at the table. Serves 6.
Variations
Strains of cooked spaghetti squash can be tossed with your favorite marinara sauce, mushroom sauce or pesto. The empty shell halves are nice to use as a serving bowl.
Tags: Parmesan cheese, Spaghetti Squash
Our Selection of Winter Squashes
Winter squash is a warm-season vegetable that can be grown in most of the country. It differs from summer squash in that it is harvested and eaten in the mature fruit stage, when the seeds within have matured fully and the skin has hardened into a tough rind. When ripened to this stage, fruits of most varieties can be stored for use throughout the winter.
The squash family (Cucurbitaceae) includes pumpkins, summer squash and winter squash. They are really edible gourds. There are many varieties with a wide range of flavors and textures. Winter squash does not look the same either. Their tough outer shells can be smooth or bumpy, thin or thick and rock hard with a wide array of colors.
The most popular winter squash includes acorn, buttercup, butternut, calabaza, delicata, Hubbard, spaghetti, sweet dumpling, and Terk’s Turban. There are many more, but theses are the most common and the ones we try growing every year.
For storage, we harvest sturdy, heavy squashes with fairly glossy skin that is unblemished by soft spots, cuts, or breaks. Most winter squash benefits from a curing stage; the exceptions are acorn, sweet dumpling and delicata. Curing is simply holding the squash at room temperature (about 70 degrees) for 10 to 20 days. We have usually all ready done this before you purchase them.
After curing, transfer to a cool (45 to 50 degrees), dry place such as the basement or garage for long term storage. Careful, do not allow them to freeze. The large hard rind winter squash can be stored up to six months under these conditions. Warmer temperatures simply mean shorter storage time.
More Winter Squash
The smaller acorn and butternut do not store as well, only up to 3 months. Store cut pieces of winter squash in the refrigerator. Refrigeration is too humid for whole squash, and they will deteriorate quickly.
Check my web sight for some of my different winter squash recipes. I love cooking with these squashes and I’m sure you will too.
Tags: acorn squash, buttercup squash, Butternut Squash, hubbard squash, Spaghetti Squash
Acorn Squash with Jeweled Wild Rice
Try this vegetarian main dish in place of your traditional Thanksgiving Turkey. I took this recipe along with my fresh acorn squash to my sister’s home in North Carolina several years back for Thanksgiving and I have to say it’s a lot of work but well worth the effort. I think I’ll make it again this year at home for Thanksgiving.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
2 onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups apple cider
2 cups wild rice
2 cups long-grain brown rice
2 pears, cored and cubed
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped green onions
salt and pepper
8 small (1 pound each) acorn squash
1. Cut 1-inch off (and save) the top of each acorn squash and scoop out the seeds—you can cut a little off the bottoms to make them stand up if they wobble over.
2. Melt 1/2 cup butter in large pot over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender.
3. Add broth and cider to pot and bring to boil. Add wild rice and reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Stir in brown rice. Cover and simmer until rice liquid is almost absorbed, about 30 minutes.
5. Stir pears, apricots, cranberries, sage and thyme into rice. Cover and cook until the rest of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer.
6. Mix in pecans and green onions, season liberally to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide the mixture evenly among the squash, top each squash with its lid and bake for 1 hour or until the squash is tender. Serve immediately. (Leftover rice can be baked in a dish for 30 minutes.
Tags: acorn squash, apricots, cranberries, pears, Vegetarian, wild rice
- Grilled Eggplant
What a great way to dress up eggplant. Piled high with herbs, cheese and fresh tomatoes, this grilled side nicely complements most main dishes.
Ingredients:
Feta Zucchini Cakes
Another solution for all that extra zucchini that is still available…these rustic cakes make a wonderful side dish.
Ingredients:
1 cup zucchini ~ shredded
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 green onions ~ chopped
1 egg
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley ~ minced
1 Tbsp. fresh dill ~ minced
1 garlic clove ~ minced
1/4 cup feta cheese ~ crumbled
3 tsp. olive oil ~ divided
Drain zucchini, squeezing to remove excess liquid. Pat dry. In a small bowl combine all ingredients except olive oil. Heat 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium – low heat. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons into oil; press lightly to flatten. Fry until golden brown on both sides, using remaining oil as needed.
Tags: Zucchini
Grilled Veggie Pizza
Excess summer bounty is perfect for this outstanding simple pizza. Grilling the veggies first brings out their wonderful flavors. I also like to add some black olives and pine nuts before adding the cheese.
Ingredients:
8 small fresh mushrooms ~ halved
1 small zucchini ~ cut into 1/4 in. slices
1 each small sweet red and yellow pepper ~ sliced
1 small onion ~ sliced
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. minced fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 pre baked whole wheat pizza crust
1 can (8 oz.) pizza sauce (we use our home canned sauce)
2 small tomatoes ~ chopped
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
In a large bowl, combine mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, onions, vinegar, water, oil and basil. Transfer to grill basket. Grill, covered, over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until tender, stirring once.
Place crust on ungreased pizza pan (we use a pizza stone) spread with pizza sauce. Top with grilled veggies, diced tomatoes and cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes and cheese is melted.
ENJOY
Zucchini Bars
3/4 c. margarine
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. coconut
3/4 c. dates
3/4 c. raisins
Beat the margarine, sugars, eggs and vanilla until creamy. Stir in zucchini. Mix in dry ingredients. Spread in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
Tags: Zucchini
