Siren Song Farm Newsletter
Volume 19
Hello wonderful CSAers!
I can’t believe that next week is the last week of the CSA! This week we have red bell peppers, Cinderella pumpkins for baking, sweet corn, yellow onions, St. Valery carrots and pears. I made a pie this weekend with some of the pears. It would have been delicious if I had managed not to burn the crust. This week’s carrots are a different variety from last weeks. These are heirloom St. Valery carrots. I am on the fence about these carrots- on the one hand I think they taste better than the stockier nantes carrots but on the other hand they are rather ugly. I guess it’s nice to try both.
I am really, really excited that the pumpkins are ready. These are baking pumpkins and they have a great sugary flavor. To bake pumpkins simply cut them in half and scoop out all of the seeds. Then cut each side in half again so the pumpkin is in fourths. Rub olive oil on the pumpkin wedges both front and back. Put on a baking sheet with a thin layer of water. Bake the pumpkins at 450’ until a fork pokes into them easily. This can be anywhere from about 15- 45 minutes depending on the size of the pumpkin. Once they are done take them out of the oven and peel off the skin. If you are eating the pumpkin as is I would suggest baking the pumpkin with some butter and brown sugar sprinkled on it. If you are baking pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie or making soup I would mash up the pumpkin with a fork or put in a food processor.
The seeds can be cleaned and baked in the oven on a cookie sheet with some olive oil and salt for a nutritious snack. Pumpkin seeds are especially good for prostate health.
Cheers-
Jen
Grilled Polenta with Corn and Parmesan
6 servings
Carrot Cake With Walnuts
Ingredients for cake:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice (or a combination of any of the following: powdered nutmeg, clove, and ginger)
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs beaten
2 cups grated carrots
Ingredients for icing:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
½ cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks softened unsalted butter
2 tsp whole cardamom pods
1 tsp dried lemongrass (or try ground ginger or, of course, vanilla extract)
Finishing touch:
½ cup finely chopped walnuts plus optional walnut halves or marzipan carrots.
TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 375F. Cover 2 round cake pans with a thin layer of butter and then dust with flour and shake out the excess. The pans should be 8 inches and 6 inches in diameter, respectively. Line the bottom of each with parchment paper.
Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil, and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in the grated carrots. Add the sifted dry ingredients from the medium sized bowl and stir to just barely mix. Overmixing might make the cake tough.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pans and place them in the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350F. Bake for 30 minutes or until cakes are done in the center. This time it took me 40 minutes, so keep checking. (Place a toothpick into the center of the cake, pull it out and if it is clean, no bits of cake clinging to it, the cake is done.) Let cakes cool on wire racks before removing them from the pans.
TO MAKE THE ICING: Crush the cardamom pods and extract the seeds. Grind them to a fine powder along with the lemongrass in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Ideally, combine all icing ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at a low speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat at high speed for 5 minutes more
Spread the icing smoothly over the top and sides of each layer cake. There is enough icing to coat the cakes with 2 layer s of icing. Do the first, called a “crumb layer” due to all the stray crumbs that can still be visible in it, then place cakes in the fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes until icing is hard. Then proceed with the second layer. This will look smoother and more attractive. Press the chopped nuts into the sides. Stack the layers. You may want to decorate the top with, say, marzipan carrots or walnut halves.
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Pear and Blue Cheese Flatbread
The classic combination of pears, walnuts and blue cheese isn't just for salad. Toss the same ingredients onto purchased whole-wheat pizza dough and make your own gourmet flatbread at home.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced onions
20 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
Freshly ground pepper , to taste
2 ripe but firm pears , sliced
1/2 cup finely crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
1. Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, 5 to 8 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes. Toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Stir vinegar, sage and pepper into the onions. Spread on the crust and top with pears, walnuts and cheese. Bake on the bottom rack until the crust is crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 11 to 13 minutes. Slice and serve.
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Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust:
3/4 cup crushed vanilla wafers (or graham crackers)
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
Filling:
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
16 ounce pumpkin
2 tablespoons light rum
To make the crust, combine the vanilla wafer crumbs with the melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan, and line the bottom with the crumb mixture. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
Slowly beat in the sugar.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gradually beat in the flour, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin, and rum.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, or until the filling is set.
Let the cake cool on a ware rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate several hours before serving. The cake may also be frozen.
Just before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
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Pumpkin Pancakes
Everyone loves pancakes - especially when the weather gets cooler again in the fall. Made with pumpkin and cinnamon, these tasty pancakes are sure to please.
makes: 12-4 inch Pancakes
Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, adding yogurt, milk and pumpkin puree. Mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter onto a preheated, oiled griddle, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes slowly over a low-medium heat for approximately 4-6 minutes, flipping after 3 minutes.
Volume 19
Hello wonderful CSAers!
I can’t believe that next week is the last week of the CSA! This week we have red bell peppers, Cinderella pumpkins for baking, sweet corn, yellow onions, St. Valery carrots and pears. I made a pie this weekend with some of the pears. It would have been delicious if I had managed not to burn the crust. This week’s carrots are a different variety from last weeks. These are heirloom St. Valery carrots. I am on the fence about these carrots- on the one hand I think they taste better than the stockier nantes carrots but on the other hand they are rather ugly. I guess it’s nice to try both.
I am really, really excited that the pumpkins are ready. These are baking pumpkins and they have a great sugary flavor. To bake pumpkins simply cut them in half and scoop out all of the seeds. Then cut each side in half again so the pumpkin is in fourths. Rub olive oil on the pumpkin wedges both front and back. Put on a baking sheet with a thin layer of water. Bake the pumpkins at 450’ until a fork pokes into them easily. This can be anywhere from about 15- 45 minutes depending on the size of the pumpkin. Once they are done take them out of the oven and peel off the skin. If you are eating the pumpkin as is I would suggest baking the pumpkin with some butter and brown sugar sprinkled on it. If you are baking pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie or making soup I would mash up the pumpkin with a fork or put in a food processor.
The seeds can be cleaned and baked in the oven on a cookie sheet with some olive oil and salt for a nutritious snack. Pumpkin seeds are especially good for prostate health.
Cheers-
Jen
Grilled Polenta with Corn and Parmesan
6 servings
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 3 cups water, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cornmeal
- Additional olive oil
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add corn; sauté until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Bring 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk cornmeal and 1 cup water in medium bowl to blend. Whisk cornmeal-water mixture into boiling water; return to boil. Cook until polenta is smooth and thick, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Stir in corn mixture.
- Brush 11x7x2-inch dish with oil. Spread polenta in dish. Cool completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
- Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill with oil. Cut polenta into 12 squares. Brush both sides with oil. Place on grill; cover grill. Grill until polenta is golden brown, about 3 minutes per side, sprinkling with cheese during last minute. Serve hot.
Carrot Cake With Walnuts
Ingredients for cake:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice (or a combination of any of the following: powdered nutmeg, clove, and ginger)
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs beaten
2 cups grated carrots
Ingredients for icing:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
½ cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks softened unsalted butter
2 tsp whole cardamom pods
1 tsp dried lemongrass (or try ground ginger or, of course, vanilla extract)
Finishing touch:
½ cup finely chopped walnuts plus optional walnut halves or marzipan carrots.
TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 375F. Cover 2 round cake pans with a thin layer of butter and then dust with flour and shake out the excess. The pans should be 8 inches and 6 inches in diameter, respectively. Line the bottom of each with parchment paper.
Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil, and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in the grated carrots. Add the sifted dry ingredients from the medium sized bowl and stir to just barely mix. Overmixing might make the cake tough.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pans and place them in the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350F. Bake for 30 minutes or until cakes are done in the center. This time it took me 40 minutes, so keep checking. (Place a toothpick into the center of the cake, pull it out and if it is clean, no bits of cake clinging to it, the cake is done.) Let cakes cool on wire racks before removing them from the pans.
TO MAKE THE ICING: Crush the cardamom pods and extract the seeds. Grind them to a fine powder along with the lemongrass in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Ideally, combine all icing ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at a low speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat at high speed for 5 minutes more
Spread the icing smoothly over the top and sides of each layer cake. There is enough icing to coat the cakes with 2 layer s of icing. Do the first, called a “crumb layer” due to all the stray crumbs that can still be visible in it, then place cakes in the fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes until icing is hard. Then proceed with the second layer. This will look smoother and more attractive. Press the chopped nuts into the sides. Stack the layers. You may want to decorate the top with, say, marzipan carrots or walnut halves.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pear and Blue Cheese Flatbread
The classic combination of pears, walnuts and blue cheese isn't just for salad. Toss the same ingredients onto purchased whole-wheat pizza dough and make your own gourmet flatbread at home.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced onions
20 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
Freshly ground pepper , to taste
2 ripe but firm pears , sliced
1/2 cup finely crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
1. Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, 5 to 8 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes. Toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Stir vinegar, sage and pepper into the onions. Spread on the crust and top with pears, walnuts and cheese. Bake on the bottom rack until the crust is crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 11 to 13 minutes. Slice and serve.
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Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust:
3/4 cup crushed vanilla wafers (or graham crackers)
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
Filling:
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
16 ounce pumpkin
2 tablespoons light rum
To make the crust, combine the vanilla wafer crumbs with the melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan, and line the bottom with the crumb mixture. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
Slowly beat in the sugar.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gradually beat in the flour, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin, and rum.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, or until the filling is set.
Let the cake cool on a ware rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate several hours before serving. The cake may also be frozen.
Just before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
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Pumpkin Pancakes
Everyone loves pancakes - especially when the weather gets cooler again in the fall. Made with pumpkin and cinnamon, these tasty pancakes are sure to please.
makes: 12-4 inch Pancakes
Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, adding yogurt, milk and pumpkin puree. Mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter onto a preheated, oiled griddle, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes slowly over a low-medium heat for approximately 4-6 minutes, flipping after 3 minutes.