Kale Salad with Delicata, Apples, and Turnip

1 bunch red kale, stems removed and rough chopped

Delicata squash cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices, seeds removed

4 apples cut in quarters seeds removed

1 turnip cut into similar size as the delicata

1.5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons light-brown sugar

4 slices of bacon, cut crosswise (1/2-inch wide)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Blue cheese crumbles (optional)

Apple Cider Vinaigrette 

2 tablespoon onions, minced

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

First, start the vinaigrette: In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the onion, vinegar, salt, pepper, and maple syrup. Set aside to let the shallot marinate until squash mixture is finished roasting then whisk in olive oil. 

Toss together squash, apples, turnips, oil, sugar, bacon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast until golden on bottom, about 50 minutes. Flip squash, turnips and apples over, and roast until tender, about 5 minutes more. Sprinkle thyme over mixture, then toss with kale serve immediately. Crumble blue cheese over the salad and enjoy.

German-Style Cabbage and Delicata Squash

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 cups fresh cider

1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

1 cinnamon stick

1 dried bay leaf

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 delicata squash, seeded and cut into half moons

1 small head red cabbage cut into 8 wedges, core intact

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a large, heavy ovenproof saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion until edges start to caramelize, 10 to 12 minutes. Add sugar, and cook 1 minute more. Add vinegar. Scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in cider, stock, cinnamon, bay leaf, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add cabbage and delicate arranging in a tucked layer. Bring to a boil. Cover; transfer to oven. Braise until cabbage is tender, 40 to 45 minutes.

Transfer cabbage and squash to a serving platter using a slotted spoon; discard cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Bring remaining liquid in saucepan to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes (you will have about 1 cup sauce). Spoon sauce over cabbage.

Perfect side dish for Oktoberfest celebration beers.

Eggplant and Delicata Stew

1 eggplant

1 delicata squash

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup finely diced red onion

1 cup finely diced bell pepper

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 cups diced tomatoes, 

1 tablespoons whole cumin

1/2 tablespoon whole coriander seed

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Cut the eggplant and delicata into similar sizes. I prefer to go with a large dice

In a large frying pan, heat 1/3 cup of the oil over medium-high heat, and cook the delicata until it starts to brown. Add the eggplant and continue cooking until it starts to brown then remove from pan

Add the onion and pepper to the pan with the coriander and cumin, and cook over medium heat until soft and caramelized, about 5 minutes.

Add the apple cider vinegar to the pan, scraping up any of the browned bits that have adhered to the bottom with a wooden spoon. Cook until the vinegar has evaporated, then add the tomatoes.

Cook the tomatoes over low heat until they are thickened and saucy. Then return the eggplant and delicata to the pan and continue cooking on low heat for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir in the cilantro.

Delicata and Red Cabbage Stir-Fry

2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar or honey

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons canola oil 

½ pound firm tofu, diced. ( or ½ pound of cooked chicken)

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 delicata squash cut into half moons

Salt to taste

½-1 red cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped

Rice

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, the rice wine vinegar, sugar or honey, sesame oil and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates upon contact. Add the tofu, and stir-fry until lightly colored, about three minutes. Remove from the pan, and season to taste with soy sauce.

Add the remaining oil to the pan. When it is hot, add the delicata squash. Stir-fry until it begins to color, five to eight minutes. Add salt to taste, the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, and add the cabbage. Stir-fry until the squash is tender and the cabbage is crisp-tender, about six minutes, adding about 1/4 cup water to the pan from time to time if the vegetables begin to stick. Return the tofu to the pan.

Stir the sweet and sour mixture, and add to the vegetables. Stir just for a few seconds until they are glazed. Remove from the heat and serve with rice.

Delicata and Green Bean Casserole

1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into inch pieces

1 Portobello mushroom, thinly sliced

2 small yellow onions sliced thin

3 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

2 cups whole milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 medium-sized delicata squash

1 tablespoon olive oil

about 2 oz. grated parmesan 

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a wide pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until just beginning to brown slightly. Add the onion slices and another pinch of salt and pepper. Decrease heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until the onions are just translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and once just melted, stir in the flour. Continue stirring until the mixture becomes bubbly and appears liquid. Continue stirring frequently until the mixture turns golden-brown, about 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in another pan until just warmed through (do not bring to a boil). Grab a whisk and while whisking the butter and flour mixture rapidly, pour in the warmed milk. Continue whisking until the mixture appears smooth and no large lumps appear. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Continue whisking at a rolling boil for another 5-6 minutes, until the mixture thickens significantly. Add salt, pepper and optional nutmeg to taste and remove from heat. Congratulations! You just made a béchamel sauce (gravy).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the delicata squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds and pulp. Slice very thin across the squash to create little crescent moons. Toss with the olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Stir the green beans, mushrooms and onions into the béchamel sauce. Taste, and add salt and pepper as desired. Add about half of the squash to the bottom of a casserole dish then pour green bean mixture in and spread evenly. Scatter the remaining squash evenly across the top of the bean mixture. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables sliced on top appear golden and sizzling. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Delicata and Cabbage Stir-Fry

1 delicata squash cut into half moons

½-1 cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped

1-2 red peppers cut into thin strips

1 red onion sliced thin

2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar or honey

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons canola oil 

½ pound firm tofu, diced. ( or ½ pound of cooked chicken)

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt to taste

Rice

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, the rice wine vinegar, sugar or honey, sesame oil and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates upon contact. Add the tofu, and stir-fry until lightly colored, about three minutes. Remove from the pan, and season to taste with soy sauce.

Add the remaining oil to the pan. When it is hot, add the delicata squash. Stir-fry until it begins to color, five to eight minutes. Add the peppers, onion, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, and add the cabbage. Stir-fry until the squash is tender and the cabbage is crisp-tender, about six minutes, adding about 1/4 cup water to the pan from time to time if the vegetables begin to stick. Return the tofu to the pan.

Stir the sweet and sour mixture, and add to the vegetables. Stir just for a few seconds until they are glazed. Salt to taste. Remove from the heat and serve with rice.

Braised Turnip Greens and Delicata Squash

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ small shallot, chopped

Kosher salt

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon grated ginger

Freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch Turnip Greens, cleaned and chopped into bite size pieces (the skin is edible on these)

1 Delicata Squash, seeds removed and largely diced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Fresh lemon juice or hot sauce, optional

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the shallots are soft, about 3 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger and a few grinds of pepper; stir until combined.

Add the collard greens, 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the collards wilt, about 5 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the collards are tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add the squash, cover and cook until tender, about 7 minutes.

Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the butter and toss to coat. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.