Every Saturday we gather as a community to work for the morning, caring for the Community buildings and grounds — cleaning the church, cooking in the kitchen, mowing, raking, working on various building and maintenance projects. It’s a good time of fellowship and work. These past two Saturdays we had all-day affairs which we called Oktoberfest — winterizing gardens, pruning, transplanting, and harvesting the last of the vegetables and fruit. The first Saturday was a classic Autumn day, just the way I like it — a little cool, but sun-shiny — that special sparkle that comes in October with the change in the angle of the sun. We all came together to eat lunch and dinner in our refectory. I planned the meals to reflect Oktoberfest traditions; roast pork with apple and onions, German potato salad, braised red cabbage, but I also wanted to include something not so traditional — butternut squash soup, which speaks more to me about autumn than anything else. We made the soup in the big tilting skillet since it was for 250 — using many pounds of squash, onions, and apples and I must say it was delicious! I’ve reduced it down here so that you can enjoy it, too.
Butternut Squash Soup
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Butternut Squash Soup
SERVINGS6servings
|
COOK TIME30-40mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stock pot, add onions and thyme, and sauté until onions are tender. Stir occasionally.
- Add squash, apples, and stock to pot.
- Cook over low heat until squash and apples are very tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
- Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding apple cider, and enough stock to make the soup slightly thick.
- Pour soup back into pot, reheat, and add salt and pepper to taste.
One of the things I most look forward to early every morning is seeing the young Sisters come back from the garden with their overflowing crates of freshly picked vegetables… an absolutely gorgeous sight! As they sort them out before taking them into the convent kitchen I look to see what has come in today- chard, beets, golden onions, tomatoes, eggplant, big bunches of basil, lots of green beans and of course as always, an abundance of zucchini and yellow squash.
Summer squash is perhaps the most prolific and versatile of all vegetables. You can count on it to faithfully keep producing all season long and there is no end to the many ways in which it can be cooked and enjoyed
Both are great sautéed, roasted or grilled. Yellow squash, when simply steamed, mashed and seasoned with a little butter, onion salt and pepper can be mouthwatering.
For something with a little more zest simmer it into a tasty ratatouille with green peppers, onions and tomatoes – always a favorite!
But there is still another way that is excellent but often overlooked and that is fritters – these crispy little patties are similar to potato latkes but much lighter – simple to make, they are perfect for a light lunch or a side dish with dinner. I think they are fantastic! Try them and see if you don’t agree.
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Zucchini Fritters
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix together and drop by tablespoons into a fry pan of hot oil and cook until golden brown on both sides.
- If desired serve with a dollop of sour cream.
The weather turned dry and cool today. It reminds me of those golden days we will soon see in October, so it’s a promise of things to come: apples and pumpkins, butternut squash. We have a while to go before that, so bear with me the next few weeks as we tour through the garden sampling the last of summer’s offerings! I think of how much fun God must have had creating all of the different edible plants — not only making them taste good, but also making them beautiful to look at. There is nothing quite like an eggplant. The flowers are lovely, and the eggplants are like huge purple jewels hanging on the plant. I think they are my most favorite plant in the garden. This week the eggplant is coming in by the tubful, and of course so are the tomatoes. One of my favorite lunches is roasted eggplant, tomato and cheese sandwiches in pita bread pockets. YUM! So simple to make:
Roasted Eggplant, Tomato, Cheese Sandwiches in Pita bread with Herbed Mayonnaise
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Roasted Eggplant, Tomato, Cheese Sandwiches In Pita Bread With Herbed Mayonnaise
SERVINGS
|
COOK TIME20mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN15mins. |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice eggplant crosswise into 1/2 inch slices, place in a colander lined with paper towel, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Mix chopped herbs into mayonnaise, season to taste with salt and pepper, set aside.
- Blot eggplant with paper towels to remove moisture.
- Transfer to sheet pan that has been oiled or sprayed with cooking spray.
- Brush on olive oil generously.
- Roast for about 20 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.
- Cool to room temp.
- To assemble sandwiches, spread herb mayo mixture inside pita pockets, and then fill with eggplant, tomatoes, and cheese.
- Enjoy!!
