We belong to a Lancaster PA Farm Fresh CoOp and receive all sorts of fresh, seasonal produce throughout the summer and not into the fall. Sometimes it is overwhelming the amount of stuff we get and have to find ways to use it.

Lately, we’ve been inundated with shallots and were looking for recipes that called for them. We also are now starting to receive a lot of various varieties of squash including the creamed skin with dark-green stripped delicata squash.

Fortunately, my November edition of Fine Cooking had an interesting recipe for Delicata Squash with Caramelized Shallots. Perfect! Just what we needed to use up some of those shallots. Last night I fired up the outdoor wood-burning oven to make some pizzas for the kids and roasted a chicken for the adults. The squash dish was made the night before but was absolutely delicious with the roasted chicken.

So if you are looking for a way to use up some squash and shallots, I highly recommend you give this one a try.  This recipe serves four so you might want to double it up if you are having guests or want to serve it again later in the week.

Delicata Squash with Caramelized Shallots & Sherry
adapted from Fine Cooking - November 2008

Ingredients:

1 large delicata squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dry sherry
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup thinly sliced shallots (3 large)
4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Start by peeling the squash but don’t worry about the skin in the crevices. Trim the ends and then cut the squash in half lengthwise. You’ll need a big knife to cut through the squash so be careful.

Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and then cut the squash crosswise into 1/2 thick pieces.

In a large fry pan, skillet or saute pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. So not to overcrowd the pan, cook half of the squash pieces in a single layer making sure not to move them until the slices begin to brown. This should take about two minutes.

Flip the squash over and cook on the other side until they begin to turn brown. Again they should take about two minutes.

Transfer the squash to a baking dish that has a cover or use foil if you don’t have one. Finish cooking the rest of the squash and transfer to the baking dish trying to keep everything in a single buyer. Sprinkle about two tablespoons of the sherry along with half a teaspoon of salt and a little bit of the ground pepper on top of the squash.

In the same pan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and a little bit of salt and cook until the shallots turn a golden brown. This takes 3-5 minutes but be sure to stir often.

When the shallots are done remove the pan from the heat and add the sage along with the remaining two tablespoons of sherry.  Use the sherry to deglaze the bottom of the pan while scraping any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Place the shallots over the squash in the baking dish.

Cover the pan and bake until squash is fork tender which should take about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

I think you’re going to like this one.

What To Do With All Those Peaches

When we came back from the Jersey shore last week we stopped at a farmer’s market and picked up a basket of ripe yellow Jersey  peaches. With perfect texture and that distinctive aroma, Jersey peaches in season are one of my all time favorite fruits.

We had a bunch and I knew they wouldn’t last so we had to figure out what to do with them fast. My wife thought some fresh halibut topped with a peach salsa would be nice and it was terrific. My youngest daughter doesn’t care for halibut so I grilled up a chicken breast for her and the salsa was perfect on that too.

In fact, the next night I grilled up the rest of the chicken breasts for the whole family and we served it with the salsa. Delicious!!

Quick & Easy Peach Salsa

There are hundreds of ways to make peach salsa and I recommend you experiment with various ingredients to come up with one that you can call your own.

4 or 5 ripe peaches, cut up into 1 inch cubes
2 or 3 ripe tomatoes, cut up into 1-inch cubes
1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 of a red onion, to taste
Juice from 1 lime
2 - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil for a slightly different taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste

How to Make Peach Salsa at Home

Once you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, all you have to do is combine the peaches, tomatoes, cilantro, onion and lime juice. Add the oil and give a stir. Season with salt & pepper, taste and let the salsa sit for 10 minutes before adjusting seasonings.

If you are in a hurry like we usually are, you can serve the salsa but it will taste much better if you let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours.

Chef JoAnna Minneci’s All Day Potatoes, AKA Those Awesome Potatoes

Chef JoAnna Minneci is a personal chef to the stars. That’s movie stars in Tinsel Town, California. I just finished one of the most informative interviews I’ve done on Novice2Pro and it is a must read for anyone thinking of going to culinary school to become a personal chef, caterer or professional chef. See interview with Chef JoAnna
Chef JoAnna is a graduate of The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles but didn’t waste any time setting up her own business, Chef JoAnna, to service the celebrities of Los Angeles. When I asked her for one of her favorite recipes, she described what she calls her “All Day Potatoes”. Here is what she said,
“There are no measurements because trust me, if I tell you to make 4 potatoes for 4 people, you’ll still end up eating half of them before they get to the table…even before they’re cool enough to eat. Potatoes are cheap, so go ahead and make a couple extra. There are no timings because there are too many variables: They’re done when they’re done.”

How to Make Chef JoAnna’s Roasted Potatoes

Peel some medium-sized russet potatoes and cut into quarters.

Refine edges by “turning” them (in other words, cut into tournée shape) *see below

Rinse off the starch, then put potatoes in a pot of cold water to cover. Bring pot of water to a boil.

When the potatoes have boiled for about a minute, pull them out gently and place them on a sheet pan and let them air-dry.

Put the oven on to 400ºF

In a roasting pan (Pyrex is nice because it cleans easier) melt some butter, enough to coat all the potatoes. If you’re using unsalted butter, put in a pinch or three of salt. Toss in a few sprigs of fresh thyme, but if you only have dried thyme, that works okay. As the potatoes cook the leaves will come off the stems.

Now add the potatoes, and roast until they’re blistery and a little bit browned.

They’re delicious as-is, but you can also serve them with aioli or some fresh butter.

© Chef JoAnna, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used With Permission.

What is “turning” the potatoes or cutting into a tournée shape?

A tournée cut is a fancy seven sided oblong shaped cut that is often used in fancy high-end restaurants on vegetables like carrots and potatoes. It gives the food a rich look and consistent appearance when served as a side dish to an expensive entry.

The vegetable is usually about 2 inches in length and the preparer “turns” the vegetable while making seven equally wide sides and then cuts off the ends so they are flat. There is a special knife used for this cut called a Bird’s Beak knife, also known as a Tourner knife that has a curved blade but you can also use a paring knife just as effectively with a little practice.

This type of cut will really impress your friends but it is time consuming for those of us who don’t do this professionally. You have to remember, high-end restaurants have very low paid staff that spend all day prepping ingredients for the evening dinner service. By all means, try your hand at this cutting technique just for the experience. Your kids will love the look and shape of it.