Jan and Gary Amsinger from St. Louis, (also shirttail relatives), have turned into “turnip and radish farmers” at their Phelps County getaway down the road from me. Gary says the deer like the large patch of green-topped root vegetables. So do I, so we traded pears for turnips. Take note, if we fall onto hard economic times, you know where to go.
From Pear Picking to Pasta Swirling
Robin and Emily, a guest from Chicago, load up the Gator with the fruit picking pole and a plastic carton for a trip to the old pear tree.
Emily took to pear picking quickly.
Cows munching on the fallen pears eyed us suspiciously when we invade their territory.
From up in the pear tree, Robin tosses down pears to me one by one. Catching the old Kieffer pears was like snagging a hard ball without a catcher’s mitt.
Grace, one of the team members here at GoodFoodSTL, tastes a pear she just picked.
Woodland scene photographed through the windshield as I watch the pear pickers at work.
Back at the farmhouse that evening, I enthusiastically toss a big bowl of pasta with a Bolognese sauce, that I made earlier in the day. Along with a salad and some roasted veggies, we had a quick supper on the table.
A Salad That Dazzles
The salad of the evening gained extra punch from the sauteed lemon-garlic garbanzos, roasted spicy pecans, and a bag of colorful tortilla strips I found in Straub’s produce section. I added a bit of pre-cut broccoli mix, too. Once again I made my favorite basil vinaigrette, because I’m overrun with basil thanks to a hearty basil plant the size of a bushel basket outside by kitchen door.
I love this salad! There’s so much going on—a combo of leafy greens, including spinach, crumbled goat cheese, an ear of fresh cooked corn, and red onions and green onions.
No Need to Say ‘Eat Your Veggies”
The roasted mixed vegetables in the upper right corner include butternut squash cubes, Brussels sprout halves, and cauliflower chunks, slathered in duck fat. (Hmm. . . loving that stuff. It even makes my hands feel softer!). I sprinkled some salt, pepper and garlic powder on the veggies, too. (I wish grocery stores offered butternut squash cut in larger chunks, because one size does not fit all recipes.)
Roast the veggies at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, or more, on a parchment-lined sheet pan until brown. To shorten the oven time, parboil the cauliflower and sprouts for one minute. I roasted the smaller chunks of butternut squash on a different cooking sheet, turned them more often, and removed them earlier. Before serving, top with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan.
