Week Three - Summer Squash-a-palooza

Okay, so we got squash in the farmshare, but then the ONE little zucchini plant decided to get in the game... so squash-a-paloosa. Squash doesn't pickle well, to my taste, which has been my go to solution for extra veggies so far this summer.  I was at my wits' end, then I remember some yummy curry I had down in Centralia at McMenamin's Olympic Club. I think they called it Caribbean Curry or something similar.  Served with black beans and rice, with fried plantains on the side.

This is pretty close...

Summer Squash-a-paloosa Curry

Summer squash (zucchini, scotch bonnets, yeller, etc)
Sweet onion
Garlic scapes, if you have any left, or  2-3 cloves of garlic 
2-3 small carrots
1 small red potato
5 baby bell peppers, for color pick red and orange!
2 - 3 cups collard chiffonade
Peas (as many or as few as you want)

1/3 cup creme fraiche + 1/3 cup coconut juice or 2/3 cup coconut cream
2 tablespoons peanut butter (optional)
1/3 cup broth (I used Ginger Miso because it was in the fridge, but chicken, veggie or beer would work)



Coconut oil
Lime juice

1 tablespoon ground curry
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 star anise
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste

Rice in the rice steamer, then...

Chop up squash and potato. Squash should be the thickest slices, potato thinner, so the cooking time will be the same. Garlic can go in whole. Toss with a little coconut oil. Dash of salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in pop 'em in the over to roast. About 450 (F) until potatoes are a little crispy on the edges.

Meanwhile...Chop up carrots, onions, peppers into moderately thin slices.  Sauté in coconut oil briefly (5 minutes or less). Turn heat down, add in all the spices, stir around a bit, then cover and let sweat for about 10 minutes.

Now pop your chicken or fish in the oven.  If you picked shrimp, you should clean it now, but wait a bit to cook them.

Check on the veggies when you put your meat in the oven.  Empty your two cans of beans into a small pot, put on stove and bring to a boil.  Maintain the boil while...

In the saute pan, push the veggies all to the sides. You've been sweating them, so you'll have some good juice to play with. Add in the coconut cream (or substitute) and the broth and beer/wine to this juice. Stir it all around. This is when you add peanut butter, if you like that. Also add a big squirt of lime at this point.  Toss in beans without liquid. Cover about 5 minutes and continue simmering.

Sip the beer or wine, if you didn't add it to the mix. Open the lid and stir everything up together. Yum!  Let it simmer away on low until the other veggies are roasted, then stir those in with the collards and the shrimp, if that was your meat of choice.  It's ready when the shrimp are red.

...and yum!

Kat