For college students on a budget, meals can go beyond ramen and cold pizza. The campus farmer’s market is making seasonal produce affordable and accessible for students—the hard part is figuring out what to do with it.
Squash, root vegetables and dark greens are taking over the produce stands. Although hearty and rustic recipes tend to follow these autumn ingredients, they can also lend subtle and delicate flavors to fancy recipes to bring them down to earth.
Butternut squash complements the rich Italian rice dish, risotto, by melting right into the starchy and creamy rice. Although this dish receives a fancy reputation, chefs are reluctant to admit to how easy it is to pull this recipe off—especially on college timing and budgets.
Dark greens get a bad reputation for bitter and unpleasant flavors, but with time, care and a few additional ingredients these nutrient-rich foods can turn from baby food to excellent side dishes.
Swiss chard, collard greens, mustard greens and dandelion shoots are all in season and unlike bland boiled spinach, these related vegetables have spicier and more complex flavors.
The following recipes include a simple butternut squash risotto and sautéed Swiss chard. Although these dishes work year-round, they are cheapest, most seasonal and most flavorful in the fall.
Butternut squash risotto
Ingredients:
Half an onion
One cup cremini mushrooms
Two cups diced butternut squash
Two cups Arborio rice [not to be substituted with normal rice]
Two tablespoons paprika
One tablespoon oregano
Sprig of rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups water or stock
Parmesan cheese
Quarter cup olive oil
In a large pan, heat olive oil at a medium high temperature and add onion. Make sure to add a few pinches of salt to draw water out of onion and to allow caramelization . Let the onion cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add some water if onion begins stick to pan or burn. Add spices and herbs, mushrooms and squash. Add a little bit of water to avoid burning. Once mushrooms are tender and the squash begins to soften, add rice. Let the rice absorb flavors of the onion and spices and let it toast for a minute. Now add water in half-cup increments. Stir consistently to allow the rice to release its starch into the mix. This is what makes risotto so creamy and special—and it doesn’t even use milk. Continue to stir and add water, and once the rice is soft and the squash has melted into the dish, serve while hot with cheese and garnish with green onion.
Sautéed Swiss Chard
Ingredients:
One bundle, 10 leaves, or chard
Half an onion
Quarter cup olive oil
Two tablespoons paprika
One teaspoon chili powder
Sprig of rosemary
One tablespoon crushed thyme
Balsamic vinegar
Three cups water or stock
Salt and pepper to taste
In a saucepan, heat olive oil at medium high temperature and add onion. Similar to the base of the risotto, cook this until it is golden brown, sweet and caramelized. After washing the dark greens, cut into thin strips less than half and inch thick, and add to the hot pan in handful increments. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of spices. Add a splash of water and in 2 minutes repeat until all the greens are added to the pot. Lower heat to medium-low heat, add two tablespoons of vinegar, and let the mix cook for at least 20 minutes. The longer you allow it to cook, the better, just as long as the greens don’t burn.