CSA Week 23 and Mini Farm Store

We always enjoy two planting projects this time of year - tulips and garlic - and we got to do both last week! We also brought in bulk harvests of carrots, turnips, and radishes, as these crops will store better in the cooler than they will in the fields so late in the season. As the conditions outside get tougher for or crops, we start to transition to some high tunnel harvests. This week’s harvest includes both scallions and salanova lettuce mix from our high tunnels!

There are 2 more weeks left in the CSA, including this one. A reminder: the CSA now closes at 6pm instead of 6:30 on Wednesday evenings. If you can’t make it by 6pm (or by 3pm on a Saturday) email shopkeeper@barrettsmillfarm.com and we will pack a bag and leave it on the farm stand porch for later pick-up. The PYO herbs will close once it is dark out. The mini store is open to the public on Wednesdays 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm (see below for a list of what will be available this week).

Farm housing fundraising update: If you missed the recent newsletter about our farm housing fundraising effort it is available here. We are incredibly touched by the donations made already by customers, members, past employees, and other community members. We have also received some great ideas that we are working on to expand our outreach. Please help us spread the word and if you have any fundraising experience, event planning skills, or other talents you’d like to contribute please get in touch. One question we’ve had is about project designation. If you write "Barrett’s Mill Farm” on your check or the in honor of field during online checkout then your funds will be officially designated for this project. The Concord Housing Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) so all donations are tax deductible.

In the CSA this week:

• Scallions- Grown in our high tunnel.

• Popcorn on the cob - We have been drying our harvest by hanging it inside our greenhouse for the past month and it is now ready to pop! Just take the kernels off the cob and pop it on the stove as you would any popcorn!

• Red cabbage

• Beets - From Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA and Winter Moon Roots in Hadley, MA, both certified organic.

• Carrots

• Butternut squash

• Autumn Frost Squash - A specialty butternut squash with edible skin.

• Sweet Potatoes

• Garlic

• Green peppers

• Green Cabbage - Savoy and storage varieties

• Mini daikon - Purple, red and white varieties.

• Turnips

• Watermelon radish

• Kale

• Salanova lettuce mix - From our high tunnel.

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Herbs: parsley, thyme, spearmint

In the mini farm store:

Hours this week are Wednesday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. This week in the farm store we plan to have:

• The following items that are also in the CSA: autumn frost squash, butternut squash, cabbage, kale, salanova lettuce mix, garlic.

• Dried flower hangings - Likely available starting Saturday. Door/wall hangings made of our own dried flowers including sweet annie, eucalyptus, strawflower and gomphrena!

• Pumpkins

• Broccoli florets

• Honeycrisp Apples from Bolton Orchards in Bolton, MA. Not organic.

• Salsa Verde - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapeños and cilantro. Mild.

• Hot Sauce - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic habañeros, aji rico, fresno, cayenne, Hungarian hot wax and garlic. Hot.

• Cranberries from Fresh Meadows Farm in Carver, MA. Certified Organic.

• Raspberry Jam and Raspberry Vinegar Infusion - Both from Silferleaf. Certified Organic.

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

Vegetarian Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas

From Cookie + Kate

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 1 ¼ pounds sweet potatoes (2 small-to-medium)

• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans

• 4 ounces (1 cup) grated Monterey Jack cheese

• 2 ounces (½ cup) crumbled feta cheese

• 2 small cans (4 ounces each) diced green chiles

• 1 medium jalapeño, seeded and minced

• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon chili powder

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

• ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper

Remaining Ingredients

• 2 cups (16 ounces) mild salsa verde

• 10 corn tortillas

• 4 ounces (1 cup) grated Monterey Jack cheese

• 2 tablespoons sour cream

• 1 tablespoon water

• ¼ cup chopped red onion

• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

2. Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and coat the flat sides lightly with olive oil. Place the sweet potatoes flat-side down on the baking sheet. Bake until they’re tender and cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Leave the oven on, since we’ll bake the assembled enchiladas soon (no temperature adjustments necessary).

3. Meanwhile, pour enough salsa verde into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish to lightly cover the bottom (about ½ cup). In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the remaining filling ingredients.

4. Once the sweet potatoes are cooked through and cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides with a spoon. Discard the potato skins, and lightly mash the sweet potatoes with a fork or the back of a spoon.

5. Stir the mashed sweet potato into the bowl of filling, and season to taste with additional salt (I added ¼ teaspoon) and pepper.

6. Warm up your tortillas, one by one in a skillet, or all at once in a microwave so they don’t break when you bend them. Wrap them in a clean tea towel so they stay warm.

7. Working with one tortilla at a time, spread about ½ cup filling down the center each tortilla, then wrap both sides over the filling and place it in your baking dish. Repeat for all of the tortillas.

8. Top with the remaining salsa verde and cheese. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and the cheese is lightly golden.

9. Let the enchiladas cool for about 5 minutes. Whisk the sour cream and water together to make a drizzly sour cream sauce. Drizzle it back and forth over the enchiladas, then top them with cilantro and red onion. Serve.

Catherine working on dried flower hangings while Joe bags popcorn. It was a festive fall greenhouse morning!

CSA Week 22 and Mini Farm Store

We are steadily making progress with our late season to-do list. This week we are focused on planting all of our tulips and garlic for next season (once all of the garlic is planted we’ll know if we’ll have any extra available for the mini store and Thanksgiving sale!). In spite of the fact that we just shored up one of our lettuce fences today, we are looking forward to taking it right back down as soon as the lettuce has all been harvested (surrendering, for now, in the great 2025 battle with the deer).

There are 3 more weeks left in the CSA, including this one. Pick-ups are now in the greenhouse attached to the farm stand for warmth and light! Additionally, the CSA now closes at 6pm instead of 6:30 on Wednesday evenings. If you can’t make it by 6pm just email shopkeeper@barrettsmillfarm.com and we will make you a bag and leave it out on the front porch of the farm stand for later pick-up. The PYO herbs will close once it is dark out. The mini store will continue to be open to the public during the remaining CSA pick-ups: Wednesdays 11am-6pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm.

If you missed the recent newsletter about our farm housing fundraising effort and are interested in learning more, it is available here!

In the CSA this week:

• Sweet Potatoes

• Carrots

• Autumn Frost Squash - A specialty butternut squash with edible skin.

• Onion

• Garlic

• Peppers

• Green tomatoes

• Cabbage - Savoy and green storage varieties

• Mini daikon - Purple, red and white varieties.

• Turnips

• Watermelon radish - These are unassuming on the outside but inside they are bright red with a ring of green! They also taste delicious in salads and make a great addition to crudités.

• Kale - Curly green and toscano

• Lettuce - Green leaf and Red leaf varieties

• Salanova lettuce mix

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Herbs: parsley, thyme, spearmint

In the mini farm store:

Hours this week are Wednesday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. This week in the farm store we plan to have:

• The following items that are also in the CSA: autumn frost squash, cabbage, kale, lettuce, salanova lettuce mix, garlic

• Pumpkins

• Tomatoes

• Broccoli

• Escarole

• Leeks

• Salsa Verde - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapeños and cilantro. Mild.

• Hot Sauce - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic habañeros, aji rico, fresno, cayenne, Hungarian hot wax and garlic. Medium spicy.

• Corn stalks - For decorating!

• Cranberries from Fresh Meadows Farm in Carver, MA. New delivery coming this week - available starting Saturday. Certified Organic.

• Raspberry Jam and Raspberry Vinegar Infusion - Both from Silferleaf. Certified Organic.

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

Cabbage Soup

By Lidey Heuck, from NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 2 medium carrots, diced (1½ cups)

• 2 to 3 ribs celery, diced (1½ cups)

• 4 large garlic cloves, minced (2 tablespoons)

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 

• Crushed red pepper, to taste

• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Kosher) and black pepper

• 1 large Yukon gold potato, diced (about 8 ounces)

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes 

• 6 cups chopped green cabbage (from 1 small cabbage)

• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving

Preparation

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon salt (or 1½ teaspoons if you’re using low-sodium broth) and ½ teaspoon black pepper; cook until the garlic is fragrant, 1 minute.

2. Add the potatoes and tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until the paste is fully incorporated and begins to brown on the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and diced tomatoes (with their juices) and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the cabbage, lower the heat and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Off the heat, add the vinegar and parsley. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve hot, topped with more parsley. The soup will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer (see Tip).

Tip: To freeze soup, cool to room temperature in the pot, then transfer to an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or run the container under hot tap water until the soup releases. Reheat in a pot on the stove, partially covered, until the soup comes to a simmer, adding more water or broth if necessary.

Sweet potato cakes

Adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

• 2 ¼ lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

• 2 tsp soy sauce

• ¾ cup flour

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp sugar

• 3 tbsp scallion, chopped

• ½ tsp fresh chilli, finely chopped

• Lots of butter, for frying

For the sauce:

• 3 tbsp Greek yogurt

• 3 tbsp sour cream

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Steam the sweet potato until soft, then drain in a colander for up to an hour. Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside. In a mixing bowl, work all the fritter ingredients by hand - it should be sticky, so if it's a little runny, add some flour. Melt some butter in a nonstick pan. Use a tablespoon to put mix in the frying pan and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon. and fry on moderate heat until you get a nice, brown crust, turning as necessary - about six minutes. Place between two sheets of paper towels to soak up the excess butter. Serve hot or warm, with the sauce on the side.

Fundraiser for our future on the farm

As many of you know, we (Lise and Melissa) have leased this farm from the Town of Concord since 2014 when the Town put out a Request for Proposals and chose us as the farmers! Our lease includes 14 acres of farmland, the farm stand, barn, a house, and an apartment converted from a two car garage. Lise had a 3 month old at the time (and a couple of years later had a second child), so she and her husband moved into the house while Melissa moved into the one bedroom apartment. In 2023 Melissa had a son with her partner Nigel. Since that time we have looked into ways that we might be able to continue to live here and farm this land while also giving Melissa and Nigel’s son a bedroom separate from his parents as he grows up. 

While many options were considered (and exhausted), the non-profit 501(c)(3) Concord Housing Foundation stepped up to help and has taken on the project of a small addition to the apartment where Melissa and her family live to make it a 2 bedroom unit. The proposed addition would allow both the current and future farmers living in the second unit to continue to farm the land once having a family with children. As the houses on the farm are leased as affordable housing units with income restrictions, this fits with CHF’s overall mission to increase the number of affordable family homes in Concord.

If you would like to learn more, visit the Concord Housing Foundation website:

https://concordhousingfoundation.org/barretts-mill-farm-fundraiser

If you have any questions about the project or ideas about fundraising email Lise or Melissa!

Melissa and Lise with their kids and the farm crew in 2023!

CSA Week 21 and Mini Farm Store

There are 4 more weeks left in the CSA, including this one. Pick-ups will now be in the greenhouse attached to the farm stand for warmth and light! Additionally, the CSA will now close at 6pm instead of 6:30 on Wednesday evenings. If you can’t make it by 6pm just email shopkeeper@barrettsmillfarm.com and we will make you a bag and leave it out on the front porch of the farm stand for later pick-up. The PYO herbs will close once it is dark out.

The regular farm store season has come to a close, but starting this week we will have a mini store open to the public during the remaining CSA pick-ups: Wednesdays 11am-6pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm. There will also be a large pre-Thanksgiving sale open to all on Saturday, November 22nd from 9am-3pm.

In the CSA this week:

• Watermelon radish - These are unassuming on the outside but inside they are bright red with a ring of green! They also taste delicious in salads and make a great addition to crudités.

• Green tomatoes - Fried green tomatoes are a classic preparation, but they can also be pickled or turned into a sauce like salsa verde.

• Autumn Frost Squash - A specialty butternut squash with edible skin.

• Pie pumpkins

• Yellow potatoes - from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Garlic

• Peppers

• Broccoli

• Beets - From Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Cabbage - Tendersweet and Savoy varieties

• Mini daikon - Purple, red and white varieties.

• Turnips

• Kale - Curly green

• Salanova lettuce mix

• Escarole

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Herbs: parsley, sage, thyme, mint

In the mini farm store:

Hours this week are Wednesday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. This week in the farm store we plan to have:

• The following items that are also in the CSA: pie pumpkins, autumn frost squash, salanova lettuce mix, broccoli.

• Leeks

• Bok Choi

• Tomatoes - We just cleared out the remaining ripe tomatoes from the high tunnel to make way for winter spinach this week!

• Corn stalks - For decorating!

• Cranberries from Fresh Meadows Farm in Carver, MA. Certified Organic.

• Asian Pears- From Ed at Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified organic. Limited amounts available.

• Apples - From Carver Hill in Stow, MA. Macoun and Cortland varieties. Not organic. Limited amounts available.

• Raspberry Jam and Raspberry Vinegar Infusion - Both from Silferleaf. Certified Organic.

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

Vegetarian Stuffed Squash

adapted from Cookie + Kate

Ingredients

• 2 medium squash (original recipe calls for acorn, but Autumn Frost would work really nicely!)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided

• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed

• 1 cup water

• ¼ cup dried cranberries

• ¼ cup raw pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

• ¼ cup chopped green onion

• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

• 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• ½ cup crumbled goat cheese or feta

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.

2. To prepare the squash, use a sharp chef’s knife to slice through it from the tip to the stem. I find it easiest to pierce the squash in the center along a depression line, then cut through the tip, and finish by slicing through the top portion just next to the stem. Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits inside, and discard those pieces.

3. Place the squash halves cut side up on the parchment-lined pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the squash, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Rub the oil into the cut sides of the squash, then turn them over so the cut sides are against the pan. Bake until the squash flesh is easily pierced through by a fork, about 30 to 45 minutes. Leave the oven on.

4. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, combine the rinsed quinoa and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until all of the water is absorbed, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cranberries. Cover, and let the mixture steam for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff the quinoa with a fork.

5. In a medium skillet, toast the pepitas over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pepitas are turning golden on the edges and making little popping noises, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.

6. Pour the fluffed quinoa mixture into a medium mixing bowl. Add the toasted pepitas, chopped green onion, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Taste and add additional salt, if necessary.

7. If the mixture is very hot, let it cool for a few minutes before adding the Parmesan cheese and goat cheese. Gently stir the mixture to combine.

8. Turn the cooked squash halves over so the cut sides are facing up. Divide the mixture evenly between the squash halves with a large spoon. Return the squash to the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cheesy quinoa is turning golden on top.

9. Sprinkle the stuffed squash with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and serve warm.

Notes

Squash filling adapted from the stuffed sweet potatoes in my cookbook, Love Real Food (page 144).

Change it up: You can add more protein to this dish by stirring 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas), into the quinoa mixture. You may have some of the mixture leftover—it’s a great quinoa salad on its own.

Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit both varieties of cheese. You might want to add chickpeas (see above) to fill out the stuffing mixture. Top the baked squash with dollops of vegan sour cream, and you could even finish it off with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan.

Fried Green Tomato Parmesan

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs

• 4 cups Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

• 10 green tomatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick

• 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided

• 1 (16 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

• ½ teaspoon dried basil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk eggs in a small bowl until smooth. Pour bread crumbs into a shallow dish.

3. Dip each tomato slice in egg, then press into bread crumbs to coat. Arrange coated tomato slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 5 minutes per side.

5. Pour 3 cups spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with a layer of tomato slices. Layer with 1/2 of the mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat layers with remaining 3 cups spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, remaining mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Sprinkle basil over the top.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

CSA Week 20 and Farm Stand Updates

This is the last week that the farm stand will be open for regular hours. Barrett’s Bucks will also expire this Saturday, October 25th. Though the regular store will be closed next week, we will have a mini store open to everyone during CSA pick-ups Wednesdays 11am - 6pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm. We will also have our big pre-Thanksgiving sale on Saturday, November 22nd. Although this is the last week for the store, the CSA continues on until Saturday November 22nd. If you have a Flex membership, be sure to check in with the Shopkeeper to find out how many pick-ups you have left to skip!

Even though it feels like the season is winding down, we still have a wide array of fall veggies to enjoy! We also still have lots of field and high tunnel work to keep us busy. The late fall always entails putting the farm to bed - this means taking down trellising, pulling up plastic mulches, seeding cover crops, mulching strawberries and garlic with straw, ripping out summer crops in our high tunnels, digging up dahlia tubers, taking down fences and more. It’s not all about endings, though! We’re also planting tulips and garlic for next year and greens in our high tunnel for this winter. We keep wondering when we’ll have time to catch up on our mountains of office work!

In the CSA this week:

• Butternut squash

• Turnips - We now have the more classic purple-top storage turnips.

• Rainbow carrots

• Yellow potatoes - from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Leeks

• Garlic - Back after a hiatus!

• Fennel

• Colored pepper

• Green and purple peppers

• Broccoli

• Cabbage - Tendersweet and Savoy varieties

• Mini daikon - Purple, red and white varieties.

• Bok Choi - Full-sized heads.

• Kale - Curly green

• Salanova

• Escarole - This bitter green is excellent in soups and stew like the classic white bean and escarole soup. It can also be sauteed with garlic and olive oil as a side dish.

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Herbs: parsley, cilantro, sage, thyme, mint and chives.

In the farm store:

Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. Our farm store will be open until October 25th! This week in the farm store we plan to have:

• The following items that are also in the CSA: butternut squash, turnips, garlic, broccoli, rainbow carrots, potatoes from Atlas Farm, escarole, leeks, bok choi, cabbage, fennel, green and purple peppers, kale, salanova, herbs.

• Tomatoes - From the high tunnel. We may not have them for the whole week as the plants are looking rough and we’ll need to begin turning over all of our high tunnels to winter greens!

• Pie pumpkins

• Autumn Frost squash

• Acorn squash

• Lettuce

• Mini daikon

• Watermelon radish

• Salad turnips

• Onions

• Corn stalks - For decorating!

• Cranberries from Fresh Meadows Farm in Carver, MA. Certified Organic.

• Beets from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Apples - From Carver Hill in Stow, MA (not organic). Macoun and Cortland varieties. Not organic.

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified Organic.

• Raspberry Jam and Raspberry Vinegar Infusion - Both from Silferleaf. Certified Organic.

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags of Italian Cranberry. We will have more varieties soon when Charley Baer is able to make our fall delivery!

Pasta With Kale Pesto and Roasted Butternut Squash

By Melissa Clark, from NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds butternut squash

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, more for squash

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 bunch (about ½ pound) kale, center ribs removed

• 8 ounces pasta (penne rigate works well)

• ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts

• 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

• Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

• Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a vegetable peeler to peel squash, then halve it lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Dice squash flesh into 1-inch pieces, place on a baking sheet, and toss with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread pieces into an even layer, making sure there is space between them. Roast, stirring squash pieces once or twice, until golden brown and tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; have ready a bowl of ice water. Drop kale into boiling water and cook for 45 seconds. Use tongs or slotted spoon to transfer kale to ice water. Bring water in pot back to a boil, adding more if necessary so there is enough to cook pasta.

3. Drain kale well, then wrap tightly in a dry kitchen towel and squeeze thoroughly to remove any excess moisture. Roughly chop leaves. When water in pot comes back to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions.

4. In a food processor, pulse together kale, nuts, garlic, salt and lemon zest until mixture is smooth and salt has dissolved. With motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until fully incorporated. Taste and add more salt dissolved in a little lemon juice, if necessary.

5. Drain pasta, reserving a little cooking water. Toss pasta with kale pesto and some pasta cooking water if necessary to help it coat pasta. Add cheese, lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve topped with squash and more cheese.

Roasted Cabbage with Walnuts and Parmesan

from Smitten Kitchen

• 1 medium-large (1 3/4 pounds) or two small heads savoy cabbage

• 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Scant 1/2 cup (1.75 ounces) walnut halves and pieces

• 1 large or 2 smaller garlic cloves

• 1 large lemon

• Red pepper flakes, such as Aleppo (optional)

• Grated parmesan, to taste

Heat oven to 475ºF. Remove any damaged outer leaves of cabbage and cut it 8 (for small ones) to 12 (for a large one) wedges. Coat a large baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange cabbage wedges in one layer, drizzling or brushing them with 2 more tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until charred underneath (don’t panic if you see a few thin black edges; they’re going to taste amazing). Use a spatula to flip each piece over and roast for 5 more minutes, until the edges of the cabbage are dark brown.

Meanwhile, while cabbage roasts, place nuts on a smaller tray or baking dish and roast them next to the cabbage for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and scatter them, still hot, onto a cutting board and coarsely chop them. Scoop into a bowl and finely grate the zest of half a lemon and all of the garlic over it. Add remaning 3 tablespoons olive oil to walnuts, a few pinches of salt and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. If you’ve got a couple minutes to let it all infuse as it cools, let it rest. When ready, squeeze the juice of half your lemon in and stir to combine. Adjust flavors to taste, adding more lemon if needed; you want this dressing to be robust.

The moment the cabbage comes out of the oven, spoon the walnut dressing over the wedges. Grate parmesan all over, to taste. Serve immediately, while piping hot.