A Fall Favorite: Southwestern Pumpkin Soup

There's this soup I have been making for years that I would love to share with you. I've made it mostly for myself (I can be selfish with my food at times), but I also made it for my daughter's second birthday party last year and there wasn't a drop left.

I have an addiction to soup - mostly the pureed kind - and this one is at the top of my list. It's a twist on the traditionally-spiced pumpkin soup. I found it while paging through Bon Appetit all the way back in 2000 and lucky for you, the recipe is below or online at Epicurious.com.

It's Southwestern Pumpkin Soup: slightly sweetened with brown sugar and spiced with chili powder and cumin. The added touch of cilantro and sharp cheddar sprinkled on the top makes it quite special. It does call for canned pumpkin, but if you have a pumpkin from the Farmers Market all the better!

Southwestern Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4 (first course)

• 3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 cup whipping cream

• 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (packed) grated sharp cheddar cheese
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Bring chicken stock and whipping cream to boil in heavy medium pot. Whisk in canned pumpkin, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, coriander and nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until soup thickens slightly and flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Soup can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally.) Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with cheddar cheese and cilantro and serve.

Romanesco Invades the OFM

Romanesco broccoli, that is. This most unusual of crucifers -- looking like alien vessels, shrubbery maintained by garden gnomes or perhaps an oddly green coral outcropping -- is actually a variant form of cauliflower, known for its visually stunning fractal appearance as much as for its tastiness. When I spotted a bin full of perfectly fresh specimens at North Star Orchard's stand at last week's OFM, I couldn't resist taking one home.

The question was what to do with it once I got it home. Not one to cook from recipes very often, I decided to just wing it, my only parameter being to utilize ingredients from the Oakmont Market wherever possible. Here's what I came up with -- my "recipe," if you insist.

Romanesco cidrée au gratin
(Don't let the fancy French name scare you. It's really easy.)

Ingredients:

- One medium-large head of Romanesco, florets divided and stem chopped in 1/2 inch cubes.
- One medium yellow onion, diced
- A few ounces of fresh apple cider
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cheddar, Jack, Gruyere or other semi-soft cows' milk cheese, grated or thinly sliced.

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Steam Romanesco until al dente. If using the stem, give the stem pieces a brief head start.
- Meanwhile, sautée onion in olive oil until aromatic and soft.
- Remove Romanesco from the steamer, shake off excess moisture and add to the sautée pan, cooking together with the onions for a minute or two, just enough to let the flavors meld.
- Add apple cider to the pan -- I used the delicious cider from Fruitwood Orchards -- and simmer until cider reduces by about half.
- Transfer contents of pan to an oven safe casserole, top with cheese of your choice and bake in oven until cheese starts to bubble. I used Gruyere (that I already had on-hand) but the Cheddar or Jack from Hillacres Pride should work mighty fine.
- Remove from oven and you're ready to enjoy.

Can be served on its own as a side dish or over brown rice or other grain of choice as a main course.

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Posted by David McDuff, HTFMA
McDuff's Food & Wine Trail

Harvest Locavore Dinner - 6PM (SEATS AVAILABLE), 8PM (SOLD OUT)

The Haverford Township Farmers Market Association is thrilled to announce the first-ever Haverford Locavore Harvest Dinner on Thursday, October 16 at Kaya’s Fusion Cuisine, 5 Brookline Boulevard, Havertown.


Kaya's Fusion Cuisine is using ALL LOCAL FOODS from the Oakmont Farmers Market to create a fixed-price four-course dinner. There will be two seatings, at 6 pm and at 8 pm (SOLD OUT), and the cost per person is $45 (includes tax, but not tip). Kaya’s is a BYOB establishment and there are no corkage fees for this dinner.

Items featured on the menu will be (subject to change):

Starter: Butternut squash and 5 spice soup with a coconut drizzle

Second Course: Broccoli, red onion and turkey bacon salad

Main Course: Slow-roasted Bison short ribs served with a Colby cheese and cauliflower puree with braised Brussels sprouts

Dessert: Pumpkin cheesecake and spiked hot apple cider

To find out more about the Harvest Dinner and make a reservation, call 610-446-2780.

Hurry! Space is still available at the 6pm seating, but the 8pm seating is SOLD OUT!

I hope to see you there!

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

Blueberry Hill Farm (Video)

Peg Dearolf of Blueberry Hill Farm talks about the Farm and who they are. As a family-owned and family-run farm, the Dearolfs grow a wonderful variety of fruits and vegetables. They also offer dog treats, bird houses and decorative pumpkins and gourds as they are available throughout the Farmers Market season.

Stop by to say hi to Peg!

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

A Little Cool Air and a Lot of Cooking!

We have a note on the white board in our house that says "Cool Air: Please come to our house!" - a note I wrote in the heat of the summer. Well today, someone was listening. It was a lovely day, just the perfect temperature for cooking a comfort meal with fresh ingredients from the farmers market.

I didn't know what I was going to make for dinner when we walked around the market today, but I ended up with a perfect September meal - spinach quiche with fingerling potatoes.

The sweet little potatoes called my name upon approach of Blueberry Hill Farm's stand. There were two varieties - yellow and red. I chose the red ones after a "little birdy" pointed to them - otherwise known as Peg Dearolf, the queen behind all of their delicious fruits and vegetables.

After reading a bunch of recipes on one of my favorite cooking sites, Epicurious, I decided to make up my own.

Buttered Fingerling Potatoes with Chives
Serves 4

8 potatoes, scrubbed
2 T butter
2T finely minced chives
3/4 T salt, plus additional

Boil water in a medium saucepan, add potatoes and 3/4 T salt and cook about 15 minutes until tender. Strain potatoes then add back to the dry saucepan. Add butter, chives and salt to taste.

The quiche recipe is one that I have used over and over again. It's easy and quite convertible. You can use whatever cheese and veggies you have, or even add some chopped ham or bacon. I used the fresh eggs I bought from the fine folks at Lindenhof Farm.

Speedy Spinach Quiche
Serves 6

1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained well

1 9-inch refrigerated ready piecrust (1/2 box)
1 teaspoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) grated Monterey Jack
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) grated Parmesan
4 eggs
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon dried dillweed

Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add spinach and stir until spinach is dry, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Dust 1 side of crust with flour. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter quiche dish or pie pan, floured side down. Press into pan, sealing any cracks. Trim edges. Sprinkle both cheeses over bottom of crust. Top with spinach mixture. Beat eggs, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and dillweed in large bowl to blend. Pour over spinach. Bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut into wedges and serve.

Note: I have modified the recipe slightly as follows. I use fresh spinach (about a six ounce bag). I also use a frozen whole wheat pie crust that I get in the freezer section of Whole Foods. I prebake the crust for about 7-8 minutes before putting the filling in and when I pour the filling in I alternate cheese, spinach mixture, eggs, etc. I have also substituted ricotta cheese for the cottage cheese and tonight I used 1/4 cup of half and half and 1/4 cup 2% milk because that is what I had. Bottom line: this is a versatile recipe that always tastes delicious!

The best part is that both of these can sit after cooking and still taste great, while you set the table or whatever. In fact, the quiche tends to taste better the second day after the flavors mingle.

I hope you try these and enjoy them!

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

Music at the Market

Singer/songwriter and Havertown native Mary Scholz performed at the Oakmont Farmers Market this week. Her lovely voice and guitar skills added a little extra sunshine to an already beautiful day. If you caught her performance and would like to learn more, check out her website or listen to some of her tunes at her MySpace page.

The OFM is always on the lookout for local musicians. As we're an outdoor market located in a residential area, the township asks that all performances be acoustic/unamplified. If you'd be interested in bringing your own music to market, feel free to drop a line to us at: oakmontfarmersmarket [at] gmail dot com.

Summer of 69...Tomatoes (An Ode To)

I have eaten so many tomatoes lately. Many of you are probably not surprised as you have been waiting for the plump, sweet, juicy summer tomatoes all year and are also feasting. However, this is a very unusual situation for me.

I grew up with fresh, homegrown tomatoes from my parents' and grandparents' gardens every summer and can still hear my grandfather say, "I love to pop those cherry tomatoes in my mouth right off the vine. The bigger ones I slice, sprinkle with salt and devour!" I also recall my aunt saying that she used to like to eat ripe summer tomatoes just like an apple - no adornment necessary!

But, strangely enough, I never ate one myself. At the sophisticated age of 33 (or so I have been told I can call myself sophisticated now that I'm over 30), I have recently started eating fresh tomatoes. Huh!? How can that be? Have I been living under a rock? Am I being serious? Yes, I'm afraid I am. Of course, I have always eaten tomatoes cooked in a sauce or on pizza, but never raw. Science says that tastebuds change over time and I think they're right because now I can't get my hands off those red, ripe tomatoes (watch out Big Hungry Bear!).

It all started last summer, when I bought the heirloom tomatoes from the Farmers Market and fell in love. They were sweet with the perfect amount of flesh to seed ratio. After that, I started to feel ashamed of my past opinion of tomatoes. On the other hand, can you really blame me for not wanting to eat the pale orange tomatoes that are found in virtually all supermarkets and house salads - with stiff outer skin and tasteless, mushy middle?

This year, fresh tomatoes have become a staple of my diet. I have eaten them in many different configurations, but mostly with a little salt and pepper, basil, olive oil and sometimes balsamic vinegar. I swear I've had at least 69 tomatoes this summer. Here are some pictures to prove it!

Here are my luscious friends in a fresh tomato salad.

And, here they are appearing on a tostada.

Ladies and Gentlemen, tomatoes with pasta and olives.
And one of my favorites...gazpacho!

If you haven't tried the fresh tomatoes (my favorites are the "pink" heirloom tomatoes) at the Farmers Market, you have got to run there on Wednesday and get some.

Even if you've never cared for raw tomatoes, or never gave them a second thought, these are not to be missed!

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA