L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 13 L'Italo-Americano As the new year dawns, my body, as if on queue, begins to crave lighter, healthier foods after all the (wonderful) excesses of the holiday season. Visions of sugar plums are replaced with visions of healthy grains and veggies, like beautiful Tuscan kale or crunchy toasted farro. I d r o o l o v e r p h o t o s o f c r i s p lemony salad or simply simme- red chickpea soup. Social media and email is awash with photos of beautiful lighter meals ready to help us sweep out the old and cast that first glimpse towards the spring weather ahead. And our local winter CSA is happy to oblige. I leave with sacks filled with oddly shaped root vegetables, squash twisted in all shapes and sizes and proud leafy kale, in numerous varieties. I challenge myself each week to try to use my haul in new and different ways. I normally pass by the majority of the root vege- table bins at the market but now, awash in stubby rutabagas and misshapen celery root, I am for- ced to use my winter bounty. R u t a b a g a f r i e s ? D e l i c i o u s ! C e l e r y r o o t p u r e e ? A m a z i n g under a pile of garlic sautéed shrimp. This week, I scored armloads of squash – graceful crookneck s q u a s h a n d b r i g h t l y c o l o r e d acorn squash. Time to do some roasting! After piling my haul of squash, kale and apples on the counter, I decided to roast my acorn squash and stuff them with a farro, kale and apple filling. You could also make this as a f a r r o r i s o t t o w i t h t h e s q u a s h cubed and roasted alongside the a p p l e s a n d t o s s e d i n t o t h e cooked farro. Either preparation makes for a delicious and soul- warming meal. And don't toss all those deli- cious and nutritious seeds from inside the squash – just toss with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with a healthy dose of salt and roast until toasty. And extra special t r e a t f r o m w i n t e r ' s a m a z i n g bounty. Buon Appetito! Roasted Acorn Squash with Farro, Kale and Apples Ingredients: For the squash and apples • 2 tablespoons unsalted but- ter • 2 acorn squash • 1 apple • Salt • Freshly ground pepper For the stuffing: • ½ bunch kale, preferably lacinato (Tuscan) kale • 1 cup farro • About 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter • 2 large shallots, diced • 2 cloves garlic, minced • Salt • Freshly ground pepper • Sliced almonds or pine nuts, toasted Preparation: Roast the squash and apples: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Slice the squash in half. Remove and clean the seeds and fiber. (You can roast the seeds separately sprinkled with a bit of salt – they make an excellent and nutritious snack!). Brush the melted butter over the flesh of the cut squash. Place the squash halves cut side down on a rim- Roasted Acorn Squash with Farro, Kale and Apples MICHELE BECCI MAESTRO BRAND ITALIAN SAUSAGE Also served at many of your favorite restaurants! www.maestrosausage.com Find us exclusively at the following retailers: Sorrento Italian Market 5518 Sepulveda Blvd. Culver City, CA 90230 Beef Palace Butcher Shop 5895 Warner & Springdale HunƟngton Beach, CA 92649 The Butchery 415 South Associated Rd Brea, CA 92821 The Butchery 103 E. 17th Street Costa Mesa, CA 92627 The Meat House 23982 Alicia Parkway Mission Viejo, CA 92691 Vicente Foods 12027 San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 Roma Italian Deli & Grocery 918 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91104 Bay CiƟes Imports 1517 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401 Eastside Market Italian Deli 1013 Alpine St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 Eagle Rock Italian Bakery 1726 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 CavareƩa's Italian Deli 22045 Sherman Way Canoga Park, CA 91303 Mickey's Deli 101 Hermosa Beach Ave. Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 Grand View Market 12210 Venice Blvd Mar Vista, CA 90291 Venice Ranch Market 425 Rose Ave Venice, CA 90291 m e d b a k i n g s h e e t . R o a s t f o r about 30-40 minutes until ten- der. While the squash is roa- sting, core and seed the apple. Slice into ¼ inch thick slices. Toss with any remaining melted butter. Place the apple slices on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven during the last 8-10 minutes of squash roasting. You want the apples to still have a nice crunch so check for done- ness starting at about 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Prepare the stuffing: Clean the kale by removing the large center stems. Tear the leaves. Cook the kale in a large pot of boiling salted water until w i l t e d , j u s t a f e w m i n u t e s . Transfer to a bowl filled with ice water. Allow to cool. Drain. Soak the farro in a medium bowl with about 4 cups of cold water. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain. Warm the stock in a stockpot and keep warm over low heat. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in shallots and cook, stirring occa- sionally, until shallot is translu- cent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with ½ t e a s p o o n s a l t a n d f r e s h l y ground pepper. Add the farro and cook, stirring constantly until toasted and coated in oil, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the white wine and stir until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add ½ cup of the warm broth and stir until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding ½ cup of the broth at a time, allowing the broth to absorb between addi- tions, until farro is tender and cooked through, about 30 minu- tes. Dice the apple slices into bite –sized pieces. Stir into the farro mixture along with the drained kale. Stir to combine. Adjust salt and pepper. To assemble: Fill squash halves with the farro, kale and apple mixture. Sprinkle with roasted almonds or pine nuts and serve! Joe and Michele Becci are a brother and sister team who love all things Italian. Together, from opposite coasts, they co-author the blog OurItalianTable.com. Roasted Acorn Squash with Farro, Kale and Apples

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