November 9th, 2011

Fall into Fall Box There are many things about the fall season that take me back to memories of my childhood and remind me to slow down and enjoy the small moments of happiness. Growing up on the East Coast and in Canada, Fall was the most precious time because the leaves would all change; the days get shorter and cooler. Cozy fires in the fireplace and apple picking were among these happy memories. As I look out my kitchen window on this cool November morning I see my persimmon tree has taken on the fall colors and it makes me smile feeling the nostalgia of my youth. The recipes in this week’s box are some of my family’s Fall favorites as well as one that I grew up eating as a child. My parents are from Tunisia, so there is one recipe from my mom called Mom’s Tunisian Chicken Musli. Most of these are good for mid-week dinners - quick and fairly effortless. However, the Asian-style beef short ribs is one that is best done when you have a bit more time on the weekend. So try it, you won’t regret it! Wishing you all a happy Fall! Ayda Robana Tenerelli Peaches: The last of the year’s peaches, from the high desert farm of John Tenerelli. We are lucky to have them: John lost 95% of his crop this year due to a late frost in the Spring, so enjoy these amazing Autumn Lady Peaches, they are a small but sweet harvest this year! Fuyu Persimmons: Fuyu persimmons are the variety to be eaten while hard. Just cut them up, and enjoy them crunchy. Holey Cow Swiss: We can’t get enough of this great new cheese from the Central Coast Creamery, characteristic of a Swiss cheese, but with a smooth, creamy texture and a crisp, buttery finish. Fusano Smoked Olives: Genuine French Oak chips are soaked in red wine before firing up the smoker. Tips: Garnish a tri-tip sandwich for the BBQ experience. Chop and top your favorite pizza before baking for a delectable tasty surprise. A perfect partner on a cheese platter. (The creamy cheese will blend well with the smokiness of the olives.) Or zip up pasta or potato salad for a hint of smoky flavor.

Mission Rose Pasta: Another selection of Pasta from Mission Rose, this time Fusilli. Michael uses local eggs and flour milled in California, for this amazing artisan pasta.

“FALL INTO FALL BOX” | NOVEMBER 7H, 2011

Roots Vegetables Fruit • Spring Purple Onions (Amapola) • Garlic (Weiser)* • German Butterball Potatoes (Weiser)

• Yellow Crookneck Squash (Rancho Cortez)

• Pak Choy (The Garden Of...)* • Roma Tomatoes (Rancho Cortez) • Broccoli (Garden Of...)* • Delicata Squash (Roots)

• Pineapple Guava (Rancho Santa Cecilia)

• Autumn Lady Peaches (Tenerelli) • Pink Pomegranates(Earthtrine)* • Satsumas (Rancho Santa Cecilia) • Fuyu Persimmons (Earthtrine • Strawberries (Cortez) • Lemon (Friends)

Leafy Greens Extra Fruit ** Meat & Eggs • Spring Mix (Shepherd Farm) • Braising Mix (Garden Of...) • Savoy Spinach (Domingo Farms)

• Extra Strawberries • Raspberries (Cortez) • Grapes (Garcia) • Figs (Avila)

• !/2 Chicken or Chicken Legs (Dey deys)

• Sweet Italian Sausages (Jiminez) • Short Ribs (Dey Deys) • 1 dozen Eggs* (Lily’s Eggs)

Herbs Dairy Regional Specialty • Parsley & Cilantro (Earthtrine) • Butter (Organic Valley)

• Holey Cow Swiss (C’est Cheese)

• Ruby Salad Dressing (Om Sweet

Mama)

Juice Grain/ Pulse Nuts, Seeds or Dried Fruit • Orange Juice – Friends Ranch • Fresh Pasta (Mission Rose)

• Smoked Olives (Fusano)

Fair Trade Catch of the Week ** New Customer/ Referral Gift

• Coffee (Green Star) • Robalo (“fair trade” artisan, panga day boat fisherman, cenral Amer.)

Lovebird Honey

* Not included in the Couple’s Box ** This category is an ‘Add-on’ option. Please go to www.outoftheboxcollective.com if you are interested

THIS WEEK’S RECIPES! MOM’S TUNISIAN CHICKEN MUSLI, RICE AND CUMIN ROASTED DELICATA SQUASH ASIAN STYLE BEEF SHORT RIBS, GARLICKY BROCCOLI AND WASABI MASHED POTATOES SAUSAGE AND SAGE FUSILLI W/ CROOKNECK SQUASH SIMPLE VEGGIE STIR-FRY W/ WHITE RICE SPINACH CREPES W/ SWISS BÉCHAMEL, SPRING MIX SALAD W/ OM SWEET MAMA RUBY DRESSING MAPLE SOY ROBALLO

MOM’S TUNISIAN CHICKEN MUSLI Ingredients:

• 1 package of chicken thighs or a ½ chicken cut into 3-4 pieces • 1 T olive oil • 6 cloves of unpeeled garlic • 1 cup olives • 1/4 cup tomato paste if you have it (you can substitute with ketchup and a

tablespoon of vinegar) • 1 T brown sugar • 1 T paprika (smoked if you have it) • 1 t ground cumin • 1 t ground coriander • 1/2 cup chicken stock or water • 1 T sea salt • 1 t ground pepper

Sauce:

• 3-4 whole tomatoes • Handful parsley • Handful cilantro • Zest and juice of 1 lemon • 2 more cloves of garlic

Special equipment:

• Food processor • Cast iron pan or oven-safe heavy pan

Process: With a paper towel, pat the chicken dry. In a small bowl mix together the tomato paste, brown sugar, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture over the chicken. Pour the olive oil into a hot pan and sear the chicken on both sides for a few minutes, on a medium/ high heat. Add whole garlic cloves, olives, and stock, then cut the heat. Preheat the oven to 350. Halve the tomatoes and place in a food processor with the remaining ingredients: peeled garlic, lemon zest and juice, cilantro and parsley. Pulse until smooth and pour over the chicken. Cover with aluminum foil and cook covered for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, increase the heat to 400 and remove the foil and cook for 30 more minutes. Serve with white or brown rice and cumin-roasted Delicata Squash!

CUMIN-ROASTED DELICATA SQUASH Ingredients:

• 1 Delicata squash • 1 T Honey • 1 clove of garlic, minced • 2 T olive oil • 1 t ground cumin • 1 T fresh chopped cilantro • 1 t sea salt

Equipment: Nonstick or parchment-lined baking tray. Halve the Delicata Squash and, with a spoon, carve out and discard the seeds. Slice horizontally in 1/2 inch crescents. Toss together with honey, garlic, olive oil, and cumin and place it on the baking tray. You can cook it simultaneously in the last half an hour of your chicken Musli dish. If you are not cooking the chicken Musli, just cook the squash in a 400 degree oven for about half an hour until it is tender and golden. Once it is out of the oven you can season it with salt and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Cook’s Note: When roasting any vegetables you want your oven to be fairly hot- 400-450 degrees is usually good. You do not want to overcrowd your vegetables. Give them enough room on the baking tray to spread out and cook evenly. Attempt to cut the vegetables in the same thickness so they have an even cooking time. Lastly, always salt the vegetables once they have come out of the oven. Salting them beforehand with draw out any natural water in the vegetables and cause them to steam.

STICKY ASIAN BEEF SHORT RIBS Ingredients:

• Beef short ribs • 2 T Chinese five spice seasoning (If you don’t have Chinese five spice, don’t worry -

you can substitute with a few simple pantry items. 5 star anise, 1 t ground or fresh ginger, 3 cinnamon sticks or 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 t ground clove).

• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled • 1/4 cup brown sugar • 3/4 cup oyster sauce - if you don’t have oyster sauce you can combine 1 t fish sauce,

2 T soy sauce and 3/4 cup ketchup. • 3/4 cup malt vinegar or balsamic if you prefer • 1 cup water

Process: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the beef, spices, oyster sauce/ketchup mixture, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar and water in a baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 2 hours. Remove the foil and roast further for 30 minutes until tender and sticky. You’ll love it and it’s worth the wait! Serve with garlicky sautéed broccoli and wasabi mashed potatoes.

GARLICKY SAUTÉED BROCCOLI Ingredients:

• Broccoli • 2 cloves of garlic • 1 T olive oil • 1/4 cup water • Salt to taste

Cut broccoli into florets and chop up the stems. In a frying pan with a lid steam the broccoli in 1/4 cup of water for 4minutes. Discard any remaining water and add olive oil, and garlic and sauté further for another minute or two. Season with some salt.

WASABI MASHED POTATOES

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Potatoes • 1 T wasabi paste - you can also use wasabi powder. • 2 T butter • 6 cups water • Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and peel potatoes, then cut them into one inch chunks. Bring water to a boil and drop in the potatoes. Cook for 20 minutes or until fork tender. Strain the potatoes and place them in a bowl. Try to reserve a small amount of your cooking liquid to thin out the potatoes later if necessary. Mash them with a potato masher or ricer- if you don’t have these you can use a fork. Add in the butter, wasabi, salt and pepper.

SAGE AND SAUSAGE FUSILLI WITH CROOKNECK SQUASH

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of fresh fusilli pasta • Sausage • 1 Crookneck Squash • 3 T or 8 leaves of sage

• 2 T butter • 2 T olive oil • 1 small purple onion, finely chopped • 1 clove of garlic, minced • Salt and pepper to taste

Process: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil in preparation for the pasta. In a separate large skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil, then release the sausage from its casing and fry it in the olive oil, cutting it into pieces with a wooden spoon. Once the sausage has begun to cook, add purple onion, garlic and finely chopped sage. Cook together for 5-7 minutes. Chop the crookneck squash into small cubes and add that to the skillet to sauté. Turn of the heat and add the remaining olive oil and butter. Once the water has come to a boil, drop in fresh pasta and allow it to cook for 5-7 minutes until it is al dente. When straining the pasta, reserve half a cup of your pasta water to mix into the pasta sauce later on. Drop the hot pasta back into the skillet and turn it back on Medium/Low. Mix together with the sausage, adding the half cup of water gradually. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a salad of spring greens and Ruby salad dressing.

SIMPLE VEGGIE STIR-FRY

Ingredients:

• Braising Mix • Pok Choi (opt) • 2 purple onion • 1 garlic clove • 3 T tamari or Braggs Amino Acids

• 1 T fresh ground ginger if you have some - not necessary if not.

• 1 t sesame oil if you have it • 1 T vegetable or coconut oil • 1/4 cup water

Equipment: Wok Instructions: Chop the braising mix and pok choi. Then wash them thoroughly and spin them dry in a salad spinner. On a cutting board, finely mince onions, garlic, and ginger if you are using it and set these aside. Heat up the oils in your wok on high/medium for a couple of minutes. Once the wok is hot, add in greens and onions and sauté them together, stirring frequently. Next, add in water, tamari, garlic and ginger and continue to cook for several minutes until the greens have wilted completely and the pok choi is still crispy. Serve with white rice.

CREPES WITH SAUTÉED SPINACH AND SWISS BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

Ingredients:

• For crepe batter: 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup water 1/4 t salt 2 T melted butter

• For filling: 1 t olive oil 1 garlic clove 1 bunch of spinach Pinch salt

• For the Béchamel sauce: 2 T butter 1 T flour 1 cup milk 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese Pinch fresh ground nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste

• Special equipment: Three frying pans, preferably non-stick. If you don’t have three non-stick, at least the one for the crepes should be.

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth. Set the mixture aside and take out three frying pans.

Lightly oil the first pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Keep doing this until batter is finished.

Wash and chop the spinach and mince the garlic clove. Heat up the second pan, adding in the olive oil. When the oil is hot add the spinach and sauté for 3 minutes adding in the garlic and salt. Strain into a colander and press the spinach against the sides, removing any excess liquid.

In the third frying pan, melt 2 T of butter on medium heat. Add in the tablespoon of flour and mix it with a wooden spoon. Brown the butter and flour for a few seconds. Microwave your cup of milk for 30 seconds and gradually stir that into the butter and flour mixture. Be sure to stir it vigorously to avoid clumping. Turn down the flame and stir in the grated Swiss. Finish with a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Take one crepe and fill half of it with spinach and a spoonful of sauce. Then fold it over itself and top it with more sauce.

Enjoy!

MAPLE SOY ROBALLO Ingredients:

• Roballo fish fillets • 4T Tamari, braggs or soy sauce • 4T Maple syrup • 1 Clove of garlic minced • 1t Ginger- powder • 1T Vegetable oil

Pat your roballo fillets dry with a paper towel then place all the other ingredients with the exception of the vegetable oil in a ziploc bag. Drop in your roballo fillets and seal. Refrigerate for 1/2 an hour. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet for a few moments until the pan is hot but not smoking. Shake off any liquid from the fish and place it skin-side down in the pan. Cook for 4-5minutes on Med/High-be sure not to move it too much or you won’t get a crispy skin. Turn the fish over and cook on the other side for an additional 4-5 minutes. Serve with green salad, Om Mamma Dressing, and rice or potatoes...