In Kim's Kitchen

Fall is certainly the season of brassicas, the family that encompasses broccoli, kale, cabbage, turnips, and so many other good things to eat. We have two succession plantings of Broccoli coming in one on top of the other right now, producing an abundance of the immature flowers that make up the broccoli heads.

Cabbage, like Kale, is actually a member of the same species as broccoli, but they’ve been selected for different traits so thoroughly that although they can readily cross pollinate (and produce viable seed) they look nothing like one another. This week’s Savoy Cabbage has a light texture and delicious flavor, well-suited to uses both raw and cooked. Store in a bag in your crisper drawer. If you only use half at a time, save the rest the same way; it will keep for several weeks.

Light and Lively Slaw

The Dressing
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
salt to taste
The Slaw
3 cups thinly sliced savoy cabbage
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh onion
1 small beet, grated (raw beet)
1 large carrot, grated
1Tablespoon sesame seeds

In a bowl combine all the dressing ingredients. Set aside. Combine the cabbage, onion, carrot, beet, and sesame seeds in a medium bowl. Toss the dressing with the slaw ingredients. Wait 10 minutes for flavors to blend and serve.

We’ve lost a lot of Carrots to the wet weather, but the ones we do have – harvested on Saturday by an enthusiastic volunteer crew – taste pretty darn good. We were grateful for dry weather on Saturday, which made the picking – and the washing – much easier than we have become accustomed to.

Green, leafy Kale’s leaves thicken and sweeten as the weather grows colder, and fall kale tastes almost nothing like the leaves produced in August’s heat. The leaves taste great sautéed simply with a little oil, or steamed until thoroughly wilted, but our favorite unusual treatment for kale follows:

Crispy Kale

1 bunch kale
salt

Preheat the oven to 375. Stem and chop a bunch of kale. Put the kale on an oiled cookie tray, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, tossing once or twice during that time. If you wish, top with parmesan, then bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, tossing occasionally, until it is crisp. The kale will shrink and soften then it will begin to turn crisp. Remove from oven and let cool on the tray.

On Wednesday, we discovered that a crop of Cilantro that should have matured over three weeks ago had finally come in, and looked just great. The cool fall weather actually sweetens the leaves of this herb, which makes a nice addition to many dishes in the place of parsley.

The great flavor of this year’s Acorn Squash continues to amaze us, and we enjoyed this spicy treat one cool evening recently.

Roasted Spicy Squash

1 medium winter squash
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes
salt
pepper
1 clove garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 Tablespoon cilantro

Preheat oven to 400. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Cut lengthwise into 1 inch wedges. Put into a bowl. Put all the dry herbs and spices, into a mortar and pestle and grind them up. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped garlic clove and olive oil to the spice blend. Toss the squash with this blend to coat evenly. Place the squash skin sides down on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 min. until tender. Remove from oven and top with cilantro.

Yellow Onions may feel boring after all of the exciting onions we’ve had around this year, but they are still the essential onion. Store them in a cool, dry place, preferably in the dark.

Flat, red Cipollini Onions make a nice addition to any roast meat dish, and taste fantastic on their own. Because of their great flavor and small size, I occasionally chop them up for morning omelets.