One of our favorite events every summer is The Sylvia Center's Farm-to-Table dinner, hosted by Great Performances in the fields of Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook, N.Y. The mission of The Sylvia Center is to inspire young people and their families to eat well through hands-on learning experiences on the farm and in the kitchen. The Center does this by teaching skills that inspire students to establish independent healthy eating habits that lead to healthy and productive lives. Sounds like a good plan for all of us, which is why we've asked The Sylvia Center's Liz Neumark, the founder of the farm and center, to share some recipes with us.
I like an all-inclusive side dish like this one. It goes with lots of main courses, chicken and duck to lamb and beef, and even substantial fish entrees, like roasted striped bass or salmon. This combination can be varied with pomegranate or pumpkin seeds, toasted walnuts or pine nuts, or bacon, all of which add some crunch along with their flavors. Needless to say, I always choose a type of Hudson Valley apple that will hold up during roasting, like a Baldwin, Cortland, or Rome. Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash and ApplesServes 6 2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved or quartered, depending on their size 2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash 2 large apples, roughly cubed (about 2 cups) 1 shallot, diced 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon maple syrup Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the Brussels sprouts, squash, apples, shallot, and olive oil in a large, shallow baking dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the dish in the oven and bake until the vegetables and apple and wrinkled and slightly brown, and the edges of the squash are beginning to crisp, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Excerpted from SYLVIAS TABLE by Liz Neumark. Copyright ©2013 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.)
