It was an absolute delight to bring home the first fruits of the CSA season this week. Greens aren’t quite ready yet, but there was plenty of interesting and beautiful produce in the first CSA delivery to keep me busy. Here’s what I’ve done so far:
Shiitake and Seminole Pumpkin Risotto
I roasted small cubes of pumpkin (butternut squash would work equally well) in the oven and sautéed the (gorgeous!) shiitakes and then set these veggies aside once ready. Meanwhile, I spent about 25 minutes standing at the stove stirring my risotto (look for the directions on any container of arborrio rice or simply google “risotto” – recipes abound). Once the rice was nice and soft and had absorbed all the broth, I stirred in the squash and mushrooms. While the oven was warm I gently warmed figs stuffed with goat cheese. Along with a simple salad, it was a delicious and cozy Fall meal.
Roasted Eggplant with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Victor shared this great recipe and I decided to put it to use right away. Our CSA eggplant was perfect on its own (no bitterness at all), but it was out of this world with this “dressing” on top. Though not local, pomegranates are in season and on sale - not to mention their beauty and Judaic symbolism – so now is the time to enjoy them. Per the recipe notes, simply skip the chorizo for a vegetarian/kosher dish. I mixed the leftovers with some salad greens for lunch today, and it finally hit me – the topping is a sort of exotic and tart charoset – delicious, familiar, comforting.
What has your first taste of the CSA season been like? I look forward to hearing about your mealtime adventures and sharing the upcoming CSA season with you.
