I found this recipe for Potato Gratin a few weeks ago and I’m officially IN LOVE! It is super easy to assemble and goes great with anything. I served it with grilled salmon, but it would work with a good steak as well. Several of the ingredients are in your cooler this week if you’d like to give it a try…

1 large fennel bulb
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 lbs yellow potatoes (~4 large potatoes)
2 cups heavy cream
2 ½ cups grated Gruyère or swiss cheese (~½ lb)
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter the inside of a 10×15x2-inch baking dish and set aside.
Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. Sauté the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline (I used the slicer on my cheese grater and it worked fine). Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper. Add the sautéed fennel and onion and mix well. Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes. Combine the remaining 2 tbsp of cream and ½ cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1½ hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve. Yummmmy!

The season is winding down and spending some quality time in the kitchen sounds better and better. This weekend I made zucchini bread (page 64 in your cookbooks, some in your box for sampling), plum cake, tarts and jam. You’ve had some herbs in weeks past, but just as a reminder here’s what you can do with some of them:

Flat Leaf Parsley: Great in just about everything! This flavorful version of the curly kind is pretty versatile. Potato salad, every home made soup, on top of alfredo or the gratin from last week.

Oregano: Fuzzy leafed with a mild savory flavor. Perfect for tomato sauce or tossing into grilled veggies. Also interesting in a hearty salad.

Basil: 100% Italian. Basil loves tomatoes. My favorite is a tomato, basil and mozzarella sandwich grilled or broiled for some extra crunch.

Chives: I usually chop chives into my macaroni or shrimp salad in the summer, but in the fall its all about the omelettes!

Rosemary: Very strong flavor. Goes well with beef and chicken. Great for grilling. Also lends itself to bean soups and potatoes.

I’m not exactly why I grow beans specifically for drying. It takes up tons of space and water. They take forever to dry, THEN you have to shell them by hand as quickly as you can before the vines and leaves get moldy. They are much cheaper at the store, so why do it? The warm flavor and smooth texture of these beautiful, home-grown and hand-harvested Cranberry Beans will show you why.

Cranberry Beans & Rice

1 C dried cranberry beans
1¾ C veggie or chicken stock
1 C stewed tomatoes, drained & chopped
¾ C water
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
½ t salt
¼ t Tabasco sauce
4 oz thick cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 cloves of garlic, minced
4 C cooked whole grain rice
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the beans in a medium-sized bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350º. Combine stock, tomatoes, water, Worcestershire, bay leaves, salt and Tabasco in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Drain the beans and add them to the mixture. Stir in the bacon, onion and garlic. Toss in ¼ teaspoon of pepper flakes if you like a some heat.

Cover the pot and move to the oven. Bake until beans are tender, 1½ hours. Let the dish stand for 10 minutes before serving over the rice. Great for weekend guests. Serves 6.

The Walla Walla onions in your box are a wonderful, sweet, NW native. Similar to Vidalias if you are from the southern US. They don’t keep especially well so I recommend this recipe as a way to use them up quickly.

2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp butter
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ C ricotta cheese, room temp
½ C cream cheese, room temp
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
¼ C gorgonzola, crumbled
¼ C dried currants

Preheat oven to 375° F. Heat olive oil and butter in large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add onions and sauté until onions start to lightly caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add chopped thyme and garlic. Continue sautéing until onions are more golden and caramelized, about 8 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, mix ricotta and cream cheese together until smooth. Set aside. Remove puff pastry from refrigerator and quickly roll out into 9″x13″-inch rectangle. With sharp knife score a line about ½-inch from edge all around border of pastry, making sure not to cut all the way through. This creates a puffy border.

Spread the cheese mixture evenly between the score lines. Cover with the onion mixture, again spreading evenly between the score lines. Sprinkle the blue cheese and currants over the onions.
Bake at 375° F for about 35 minutes, until puff pastry is golden on top and crispy and golden on the bottom. Remove from oven and cut into 2′ squares. Eat it while hot, or at room temperature.

There are a lot of squashes and gourds in your delivery this week, but not all are edible. Here’s a quick guide to the ones you’ll want to save…

ACORN: Sweet and flakey. Wonderful baked with butter, brown sugar and a hint of chili powder.

DELICATA: Great baked. Not overwhelmingly squashy. Smooth flesh with a sweet nutty flavor.
BUTTERNUT: Extremely sweet and moist. These are definitely the best squash fro soups in the bunch.

GOLDEN NUGGET: Very flavorful. Their small size make these great for roasting. Beautiful golden flesh.

HUBBARD (NW Native): These huge squashes are very sweet and dry. They store well and are great for pies!!

SUGAR PUMPKIN: This little squash is perfect for holiday pies. Tiny & sweet with yummy seeds!

All of these will store in a cool dark place for up to four months. They are a wonderful way to decorate your home for the season and an even better way to treat yourself after the fact. Check pages 7, 12, 75 & 79 in your cookbook for some great recipes. Enjoy the season!!!