Grapevine December 7 2008 Market

this week
- Holiday Events In SW Portland
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Butternut Squash Lasagne

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving market signals the beginning of the holiday season at the Hillsdale Farmers Market. Many vendors have created their own holiday gift packages. Several craft vendors will also be joining the market for the December 7th and 21st market sessions.

The annual Hillsdale Holiday Sing and Chili Feed will be held this weekend. Multnomah Village is conducting a Holiday First Friday this week and has a fun packed Saturday scheduled as well. Check the following article for more details and links. See you on Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

Holiday Events In SW Portland

Hillsdale and Multnomah Village have a number of events to kick off the holiday season this weekend. Multnomah Village has scheduled a Holiday First Friday this week with a tree lighting at 6:42pm. There will also be carolers and carriage rides Friday night. The fun continues on Saturday with the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast (8am at the Lucky Lab) and carriage rides throughout the day. On Sunday, Hillsdale holds its annual Holiday Sing and Chili Feed from 10am - 1pm with school groups performing at the market and on the veranda in front of Food Front Co-op. (The market is open until 2pm). Businesses on both neighborhoods are running specials this weekend and throughout the month.

Visit the Hillsdale News and Multnomah Village websites for more information and the schedule of events.

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

As we move into winter, apples and pears are the dominant fruit. You should find asian pears as well. Small supplies of wild huckleberries and cranberries will be available possibly persimmons as well. As for nuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts and possibly walnuts will be available.

Winter squashes and root vegetables (beets, carrots, celeriac, parsnips, potatoes, radishes) will be plentiful this weekend. Greens (collards, chard, kale, mizuna, spinach) will be readily available as well as cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts and celery. Several farms should have winter salad mixes available too.


Check the availability list for the complete list of who's coming this weekend and what they expect to be selling.

IN
Two Brothers Chocolate

OUT
Blossom Vinegars (back in March)
Columbia River Fish (back in February)
Linda Brand Crab
Salubrious (finished for the season)
Salvador Molly's (finished for the season)

Cooking Ideas - Butternut Squash Lasagne

Lasagne doesn't have to be red. Here's a seasonal recipe by Kim Carlson at Culinate. The sausage is optional and I think I'll be substituting maitake mushrooms for crimini. This recipe make more than enough for leftovers. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Lasagne

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ lb. Italian sausage (pork or chicken)
¼ cup butter
2 small onions, chopped
3 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
~ Salt and pepper
1 bunch chard, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 lb. ricotta cheese
3-4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
4 large eggs, beaten
~ Extra-virgin olive oil
1 package (9 ounces) no-boil lasagne noodles (or 3 sheets fresh pasta; see Note)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread squash in a single layer on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, tossing squash with your fingers to coat. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and golden brown. Set aside. Turn oven down to 350 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, brown sausage in a large skillet; when cooked, remove to a large bowl. Melt butter in same pan, add onions, and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until tender, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper, and remove to bowl with sausage. Add chard to skillet with dried thyme and cook just until chard is wilted. Remove to bowl with sausage and mushrooms. Toss together.
3. In a medium-size bowl, mix together ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, 1½ cups Parmesan cheese, and eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Brush a 13-inch-by-9-inch baking dish with olive oil. Spread 1 cup ricotta mixture over bottom. Arrange 3 noodles on top (or 1 sheet). In the following order, layer the remaining ingredients: 1½ cup ricotta mixture, one-half of the squash, one-half of the sausage/mushroom/chard mixture, one-half of the (remaining) mozzarella. Place 3 dried noodles on top, and again layer the ingredients: ricotta, squash, mushrooms mixture, mozzarella. For the final layer, top with 3 noodles, spread with remaining ricotta mixture, and sprinkle ½ cup Parmesan cheese over the top. Cover with oiled foil.
5. Bake lasagne, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Note: If you’re lucky enough to live near a shop that sells fresh pasta, buy three sheets of pasta to substitute for the dried lasagne noodles in this dish.

You'll find a printable version of the recipe here.