Roasted Beet Salad with Mesclun Greens & Crumbled Chevre
Topped with a light vinaigrette and roasted pumpkin seeds, this salad is both colorful and satisfying.
Ingredients:
Roasted beets, sliced and still warm from the oven (see recipe)
2-3 cups Mesclun greens, washed and dried
½ cup crumbled chevre cheese
½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds
½ cup high-quality olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 small clove garlic, crushed
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. To prepare vinaigrette: Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic together, seasoning with fresh ground pepper to taste.
2. To assemble the salad: Arrange Mesclun greens on a large platter and then top with beet slices. Top with roasted pumpkin seeds and crumbled chevre, then drizzle with the vinaigrette. Top with additional ground pepper to taste.
Rainy Day Comforts Recipes
Stave off the rainy day blues this week with a lineup of warm-and-wonderful fall pairings—rich, flavorful roasted squash soup with freshly-grated Grana cheese, toasted Pain au Levain bread and herb compound butter, and baked fruit crisp, fragrant with a cinnamon-pecan topping. Complemented by a French red wine and seasonal produce including Brussels sprouts, Shiitake mushrooms and the last of the season’s Chile peppers for frying, this cozy meal begs to be eaten fireside, tucked in your favorite chair, with the drip-drop-drip of rain falling outside.
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Pan-Fried Chile Peppers with Sea Salt
Rich and sweet with just a hint of spice, Chile peppers are delicious blistered in a cast-iron skillet and then sprinkled with sea salt.
Roasted Squash Seeds
Pumpkins aren’t the only fall squash with delicious seeds to roast: Butternut, Red Kuri Kabocha and many others have seeds worthy of crisping up in a hot oven.
Baked Winter Squash with Sage
Roasted inverted on the pan, savory Red Kuri Kabocha squash is amplified by a stuffing of fresh herbs and onions.
Garlic Butter-Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms
Roasted with capers and garlic, this simple mushroom dish is a real show-stopper.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Buttered Breadcrumbs
Topped with buttery, golden brown breadcrumbs, these Brussels sprouts are the epitome of comfort food.
Fall Fruit Crisp
Delicious with, apples, pears or a combination of both: Simply toss the fruit with cornstarch and sugar, then sprinkle with the topping from this week’s box.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Wonderful tossed in salads, or just for snacking, these seeds are both salty and a little sweet!
Ingredients:
Seeds from 1 Winter Density or other pie pumpkin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2-3 teaspoons sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 300°.
2. Using a spoon, scrape the pulp and seeds out of your pumpkin into a bowl. Separate the seeds from the stringy pulp, rinse the seeds in a colander under cold water, then shake dry. (Don’t blot with paper towels; the seeds will stick.)
3. Spread the seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet and roast 30 minutes to dry them out.
4. Toss the seeds with olive oil and brown sugar and a generous sprinkling of sea salt. Return to the oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 20 more minutes.
