There are some different veggies in this week's shares, so please enjoy this assortment of recipes! You can always find more recipes on our blog and website.
Shoots: This week's salad greens are shoots! Shoots are like sprouts, except that they are grown in soil. This week you'll see sunflower and radish shoots. These little plants are packed with nutrients beneficial enzymes, and antioxidants. Shoots tossed into any salad, sandwich, or slaw are delicious!
Frozen Corn: To reheat your corn, just bring some water to a boil in a pot (salted if you wish) and throw in a handful of corn. Heat for 2-4 minutes and then drain and serve, with a bit of butter. If you have kids they will be especially pleased! This corn is also great in soups, chowders (recipe below) and casseroles etc.
Frozen Tomatoes: Large shares are receiving a package of our frozen whole tomatoes. These are great for adding to tomato-based sauces. W freeze tomatoes in the peak of summer when they are sweet and abundant. They freeze very well, and are best used when they are frozen or just off frozen as they are easier to handle this way. If you run a frozen tomato under warmish water in your hand, the skin will separate and come right off and you can pinch the top and bit of core out at the same time. Then toss the fleshy tomato into the pan you are cooking in. If you are looking for chopped tomatoes, just let them thaw a bit and chop away before they completely thaw and are to soft to handle.
Like onions, garlic, shallots and scallions, leeks are a member of the allium family. They have a milder flavor than onions and cook beautifully into tarts, soups and gratins, just to name a few. To cook, trim off the dark green leaves, and cook with the white and light green parts only. To get the most sweetness out of your leeks, try sweating them instead of sauteing. When you sweat a veggie, you cook it in a fat, (I like butter), over a lower temperature or flame. You should barely hear it sizzle. This slower method of cooking yields a much sweeter taste. Add the leeks to a quiche or mix in with mashed potatoes for a decadent side dish. Store the leeks loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer.
Banana Fingerlings: Fingerling potatoes are a family of heritage potatoes that naturally grow much smaller than conventional potatoes. They tend to be elongated and slightly knobbly, making them very finger-like in shape. The unusual-looking, flavorful potatoes can be used just like regular potatoes in an assortment of roasted, broiled, baked, grilled, or boiled dishes. No need to peel, just scrub clean before cooking.These should be kept in a cool, dark place. Make sure that they are dry before storing.
Arrowhead Cabbage: The pointed cabbage in Fancy and Standard bags this week is Arrowhead, an early summer cabbage, mellower in flavor than storage cabbages, and can be used in all ways. Arrowhead cabbage is most similar to green cabbage, but you can use in many other cabbage recipes too. It's pretty versatile. Make slaw, your favorite cabbage dish, or quarter it and drizzle olive oil on it, sprinkle with salt, and grill it. Add a little teriyaki sauce if you like. Yum. We're experimenting this week - many of these cabbages were very large and unwieldy for your bags (plus, they were just too large for most households to use in a week!) so we halved them like you might find in a grocery store. Rinse off before eating. Feedback on receiving your cabbage like this? Please let me know.
Featured Recipes
Shoot Salad
This recipe came from our former wash-house manager, Annie. This was her stand-by recipe for a bowl of greens in her kitchen.
2 eggs
Shoots salad mix
Olive oil
Mustard
Apple cider vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Optional: blue cheese, walnuts, almonds, bacon
Hard boil two eggs (Place the eggs in a small pot of cold water. Heat over medium heat. Remove from the stove as soon as water boils. Let sit ten minutes. Remove the eggs from the water.) While still warm, chop the eggs into large pieces and throw them on top of a bowl of greens. Mix up a dressing of mostly olive oil, a squirt of dijon mustard, a bit of apple cider vinegar, and a solid pinch of sea salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the eggs and greens, and mix. Sometimes almonds, or bacon, or blue cheese make it into the bowl, but eggs and a mustard dressing are the basics.
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Seasoned Salt
This is a simple recipe for your potatoes, and a good way to appreciate their thin skin and delicate flavor.
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof gratin dish or skillet in the oven 15 minutes. Combine salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary in a small bowl.
Toss potatoes in a medium bowl with the olive oil. Sprinkle generously with seasoned-salt mixture, and arrange potatoes in a single layer in preheated pan. Roast until they are golden on the outside and tender when pierced with a sharp knife, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve hot with additional seasoned salt on the side.
Warm Fingerling Potato Salad
Already looking for a good alternative to roasting roots? Tossing boiled roots with flavorful herbs and oil while they're still hot is the next-best thing. The warm vegetables soak in the flavors of the herbs beautifully, and the salad only gets better after a few days in the fridge.
2 pounds fingerling potatoes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt-packed capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 medium red onion, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced crosswise on bias
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt to taste
Place potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan covered 2 inches by salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, combine olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, capers, lemon, and red onion. Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat. Drain the potatoes, halve lengthwise, and toss with warm dressing, celery, and parsley. Salt to taste and serve warm.
Potato, Beet, and Leek Soup (serves 6-8)
Here's a great basic soup recipe using some of this weeks' veggies. Feel free to experiment and add in whatever you have on hand!
1 Tablespoon cooking oil of your choice
2 to 3 cups loosely packed, coarsely chopped leeks (or sub in onions)
3 to 4 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
1 1/2 cup shredded carrots (or 1 cup chopped)
1 pound potato, chopped (about 3 cups)
1 pound peeled, chopped beets (about 3 cups)
6 cups vegetable stock
fresh dill (I used 3 large sprigs and pulled them out before pureeing)
bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 grinds pepper
1/3 cup sugar or sweetener of your choice
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
sour cream, optional, a dollop per serving
1 pound ground beef, optional, seasoned with 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, browned, and drained
Preheat a large pot over medium heat with a turn of cooking oil. Sauté the leeks until they are barely beginning to brown, and add cabbage, carrots, and potatoes as they are prepped and ready. Stir to coat each addition with some of the oil. You're not going to get each piece of vegetable fully caramelized because the pan is too crowded, but if a lot of pieces have a bit of color that's good. Then add in the chopped beets. All bets are off once the beets join the party, as they will dye the whole mess pink.
Add the stock, dill, bay leaf, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a fast simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Remove dill sprigs and bay leaf. Use an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender (careful!) and puree until smooth. Add in the sugar and vinegar, and stir to combine. Taste and see if you'd like a bit more salt or pepper. Serve with a sprig of dill for the vegans, with a dollop of sour cream for the vegetarians, or with some ground beef for kids.
Roasted Baby Beets
This is a very simple, basic recipe that yields great results.
10 baby beets (each 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter; about 5 bunches), unpeeled, all but 1 inch of tops trimmed, rinsed
1 large fresh rosemary sprigs, plus additional sprigs for garnish
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place beets in roasting pan. Add rosemary sprig and enough water to barely cover beets. Cover pan tightly with foil. Roast beets until tender, about 50 minutes. Transfer beets to work surface. Peel while still warm; place on rimmed baking sheet. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter with oil in small saucepan. Pour over beets on sheet; toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Garnish with additional rosemary sprigs and serve.
Spoon Bread with Leeks and Corn
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 2 cups of milk, cayenne, and salt to a boil. Sprinkle cornmeal into liquid, stirring constantly, and cook until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, baking powder, and egg yolks.
In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Stir 1 large spoonful of whites into cornmeal mixture, then gently fold in remaining whites.
Pour half of the batter into prepared dish. Sprinkle on corn and leeks. Cover with remaining batter. Bake until set and golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately.
Mexican Corn and Jalapeno Soup
This is a perfect soup to warm you up on these cold days! Feel free to leave the jalapenos out.
3 scallions
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, thawed and diced into small pieces
1 bag frozen corn, thawed and drained, divided
2 tsp salt
4 cups plus 3 tbs water, divided
2 tbs fine cornmeal or masa harina
Crumbled queso fresco or shredded cheese plus fresh cilantro for serving
Divide the white and green parts of the scallions - save the green parts for later use. Combine the white scallions and onions in a large saucepan or cast iron skillet. Cook over medium heat until soft. Add cooked onions, 2 1/2 cups of corn, salt, and 2 cups of water into a blender. Blend until smooth or leave chunkier for a thicker soup. Transfer the puree to the skillet and place over medium-high heat. Stir in the remaining corn and up to 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let boil until slightly reduced, about 8 minutes. In a bowl, combine the 3 tbs of water and cornmeal or masa. Whisk until smooth. Blend into the soup in the skillet and add the jalapenos. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the soup has thickened. Serve topped with cheese, green scallions, and cilantro as desired.
Chili
The recipe below calls for beef but if you prefer a vegetarian chili simply omit the beef. You can also substitute a number of meats such as stew beef, ground pork, turkey or veal. Chili is also one of those dishes you can add other veggies and ingredients to very easily. I like to add diced carrots (cook like potatoes), frozen corn (add at end) and pickled jalapenos (add to taste) to mine at home. A good friend of mine swears by adding chocolate to her chili to give it a rich flavor. Have some fun!
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 lb ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 Tbs chili powder (paprika, cumin, cayenne, oregano, garlic powder)
28 oz diced tomatoes
1 jar tomato puree
1 package frozen sweet peppers, thawed and chopped
1 1/2 lb (6 c cooked) light red kidney beans
3 c (3-4 med sized) potatoes, diced
Heat the oil in a soup pot set over medium heat. Add the ground beef, garlic, and onion. Cook, stirring to crumble the ground beef, until beef is no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chili powder. Add the tomatoes, puree, peppers, cooked light red kidney beans and broth and uncooked potatoes. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Season as desired.
*You can cook your beans before adding them to the chili. Optional to soak beans for at least 8 hours before cooking them (1 1/2 hours) or just cook without pre-soaking. Or, add dried beans to the chili, let it boil for 30 minutes undisturbed. After that, stir the chili every 20 minutes or so and adjust the heat so it continues to bubble gently. Add more water, 1/2 c at a time, if the chili starts to stick to the bottom of the pot.
Comments