An Amazing Surprise **RECIPE ALERT**

To continue my penance to you all for having taken such a long hiatus, I wanted to share an amazing recipe that you should all go make RIGHT NOW.

Do you ever have one of those kinds of cooking adventures where you think, "Hey, this recipe kinda looks nice," and then you proceed to be blown away by how incredible it is? Oohing and aaawing through every bite? Yeah, this recipe is one of those.

It came about a few weeks ago when we were just loaded up on Swiss chard and leeks from the farm box. We both love chard and leeks and were looking for a recipe where we could use up a whole bunch of either, but ideally both together. Also, being the late eaters we are, on this particular evening we knew we were getting a late start on dinner and needed something relatively fast. I found this recipe for a leek and chard tart and thought it fit the bill perfectly.

And did it ever! This tart was not only quick and easy but the flavors were just astounding. Truthfully, I didn't expect much out of something whose base ingredients were a leafy green and a mild onion. Yeah, doesn't sound terribly exciting, does it? But somehow they are balanced perfectly and the full savory flavors just come out and hit 'ya with every single bite. This recipe alert doesn't even need a full backstory to go with it. Just go out and make it. Now!

Well.... no backstory but of course I can never post a recipe without some notes. First, I did go with the store bought puff pastry. Remember, we were looking for efficiency. If you are lazy (or efficient) like me, just run to Whole Foods and pick up a package from the frozen section. You can't say the ingredients don't fit the Au Naturale mantra:

Second (and this is small), we only had about 1/4 tsp of thyme left in the container so we supplemented with dried oregano. Finally, the recipe calls for heavy cream. We took a risk and substituted skim milk instead, mainly to make it healthier. I feared that the skim might "water it down," so to speak, but like I said this tart was absolutely packed with flavor. If full cream could add anything more, well then, I'll eat my hat.

Thanks to both Smitten Kitchen and Epicurious for providing this recipe (I found the same one cross-listed on both sites). Enjoy!

Swiss Chard and Leek Tart
Serves as many as you can slice up. But officially: 8
Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 bunch Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 cups whipping cream (We used skim milk)
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg

Instructions:
Roll out pastry on floured work surface to 12-inch square. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold under; crimp edges. Cover; chill.

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until leeks are very tender but not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add chard; saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cool.

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in cooled leek mixture. Pour filling into crust.

Bake tart 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until filling is puffed and just set in center, about 15 minutes longer (this only took our oven about 10 minutes longer). Transfer to rack; cool 10 minutes.

We inhaled half of it it before it occurred to me to take a picture.

I'm Not Dead Yet: Self-Promotion and **RECIPE ALERT**

Happy post-Thanksgiving, everyone!

I think there is something going around. A flu of some sort, but one that only affects bloggers. I know that I have gone my longest stretch yet without posting-- oh, the humanity!-- but other bloggers I know have remarked with a combination of guilt and curiosity that they, too, have been woefully ignorant in blogging over the past month. And other blogs that I follow I noticed have had a few cobwebs themselves. Daylight savings time malaise, perhaps? Too bundled up under heavy blankets to bother pulling out a pen... er, keyboard? Who knows. I'm not using this as an excuse for my pathetic lack of posting, dear readers. But I do find it most curious. And with that I apologize in advance for what will most likely be a long post, as I expound on so many things floating around in my brain. 

Anyhoo, just because I haven't been busying myself with the never-ending to-do list in my personal life doesn't mean I haven't been Au Naturale-ing myself up. Quite the contrary! The fall CSA share has been keeping me busy and my ears have perked up on some food-related items in the news that I shall be waxing poetic about in some following (and timely, I promise) posts. But first... shameless self-promotion time!!!

I have decided to dip yet another toe in the bottomless pit that is social media and sign my Au Naturale persona up for a twitter account. Now you can get your Au Naturale musings in carefully proportioned character limits at any time! This will help relieve the pressure valve of ideas and half-written posts that sometimes just can't get written when I want them to. (See exhibits A, B, and C, which will be the onslaught of musings to follow in the coming days.) It also is unabashedly a way to get the blog out there more, as I've gotten some great feedback and would love to recruit more loyal readers. I swear though, this is not a criticism of any of you, you've been great! Please don't take it personally. I promise I love you all. In the meantime, please follow me at @AuNaturaleFood. 

Now back to the exciting stuff. Besides the fun that is the new and interesting items in the CSA box-- celery root, anyone?-- it's been a blast to share this Autumn bounty with my more handsome half. As you may remember we decided to split a full box for the fall and it's been all kinds of fun to find recipes to fit our fresh and fabulous groceries, instead of the other way around. I've also been enjoying going back to basics quite a bit too. Sometimes it's just nice to enjoy a salad of fresh greens, carrots, peppers and celery and appreciate the flavors in their most pure and unadulterated form (and oh, Lordy, the carrots are amazing!)

Sharing has some other advantages, too. Sometimes it's easy to split everything up based on personal preferences; for example, brussel sprouts always go into the BF's take-home pile as he adores them and I most assuredly do not. Squash in any form goes into mine for the same reason. The one problem with always getting the spoils of what the other doesn't want is that you inevitably end up with sooooo much of just one thing. My boyfriend has had to blanch and freeze pounds of brussel sprouts that will no doubt last him through the end of the season and then some. And my squash? Thank goodness those things last a while because I still have 3 butternuts and an acorn hanging around even after already using a few others. And that, my fine friends, is where this week's recipe alert comes in.

Earlier this month I was on the road yet again for work, this time to the fine state of Iowa. I got on the plane healthy and rearing to go and a mere hour and a half later I stepped off sick as a dog. I was distressed not only because this was the second time I had gotten sick in as many months, the first being immediately after I got back from Israel, but it is not pleasant meeting with clients when you're sniffling and sneezing and snotting all over them while trying to close a business deal. It's also just not pleasant being sick in Iowa. Those of you who have spent any time in that state know what I am talking about (and I say this with all due respect and affection for all the fine people of the Hawkeye Nation). 

So for days I subsisted on nothing but soup and tea. When I got home I was convinced that my blood was actually turning into a form of soup, I had been eating it so much. But yet I was still not well so the quickly tiring soup diet had to continue. And to me, there would be nothing better to indulge my weary body than homemade butternut squash soup. As a fun bonus, it would also be a great opportunity to get to use my new kitchen toy, a stick blender that my bro and sis-in-law got me for my birthday. Thanks, guys! Side note: if you do not have one I whole-heartedly recommend picking one up! A must for any kitchen!

Fear not, though, if you don't have one, as this soup is still easily made without fancy kitchen gadgets. It is a flavorful, succulent, silky soup just perfect for cold winters days. Even better, it freezes beautifully so you'll never have an excuse to go back to the canned stuff. I still have some from last season that, on a day when I didn't have time to make a fresh batch, I simply defrosted and heated up. Tasted just as fantastic as if I had made it yesterday. 

The only note I have on the recipe below is in regards to the milk: it is up to you how much you want to add depending on if you like your squash soups on the thicker or thinner side. I generally don't put much more than a quarter cup in just because I like my squash soup pretty thick. And really, is fresh sage not the most underrated herb ever??? Don't skimp on it. Your taste buds and belly will thank you. Bon appetit!

Autumn Squash Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 3-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 7 cups)

1 8-ounce sweet potato, peeled, diced

2 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low salt broth

3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 1 tablespoon dried sage leaves (trust me, go for the fresh!)

1 1/2 cups (about) low-fat milk

Instructions:

Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cover and cook until tender, stirring often, about 5 minuts. Add squash, sweet potato, stock and 2 tablespoons sage; bring to boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to processor and puree until almost smooth but some texture remains. return mixture to liquid in Dutch oven. (Alternatively, puree directly in Dutch oven with a stick blender.)

Stir in enough milk to thin to desired consistency. Simmer soup over medium-low heat 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Stir in 1 tablespoon sage and serve.