Storage Tips and Recipes
Every week we'll send you snapshots of veggies in your share. You can always find more recipes and storage info on our blog and website.
Mesclun: Our winter mix is here! This week is a blend of red lettuce, spinach, and claytonia.
Brussels Sprouts: Our crew went out to harvest and came back with so many stalks! We're swimming in Brussels, which I love since last year was such a poor year for them. Have fun as a family pulling the sprouts off the stalk! **Some sites in the Burlington area will get 2 small stalks. Your driver will let you know! Otherwise, take 1 stalk.**
Kabocha, Dumpling, or Delicata Squash: A variety of sweet winter squashes going out in your share! You'll receive either the colorful dumpling, delicatas, or red kabochas, akin to the green variety. Store squash in a warmer place, like a kitchen counter, rather than the fridge.
Shallots: A member of the alium family being similar to both garlic and onions, they grow in cloves similar to garlic and have a sweet, mild flavor like a sweet or Spanish onion. They are well known for their ability to be caramelized or cooked down to where the sugars are reduced or concentrated. When eaten raw, they are much sweeter and milder than even sweet onions. You can slice them thin and saute them in recipes that benefit from a sweet, mild onion flavor. When minced, they are fantastic in homemade vinaigrette and pan sauces. Store them in a cool, dark place
Tatsoi: Mild enough to be eaten raw or sauteed, but may be added to soups or stir fries at the end of the cooking period. Store in a plastic bag or container in your crisper drawer and use within several days.
Sweet Salad Turnips: Sweet Salad Turnips can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw they have a texture similar to a radish, but are not so sharp. Or slice, dice, or quarter them and saute with butter or oil. Cook until just tender and still a little crisp. Just a little salt or maybe a little bit of vinegar is all they need. Cooked with butter and given a slight drizzle of honey and even picky little eaters may gobble them up. Don't forget the greens! Turnip greens are tender and flavorful. Chop and saute with the turnips for a side dish, or cook up with other greens, or by themselves. They make a great addition to pasta sauces too.
Parsley: Much more than a garnish, parsley has lots to offer. Chopped parsley can be sprinkled on a host of different recipes, including salads, vegetable sautés and grilled fish. Combine chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest, and use it as a rub for chicken, lamb and beef. Add it to soups and tomato sauces. It is a key flavor ingredient in the mediterranean dish tabouli and in the Argentinian chimichurri sauce (recipe below). Parsley is one of those vegetables with huge nutritional benefits, even when using just a couple tablespoons of the minced green. The vitamin content is very high (particularly vitas A, C, K, and folic acid). And what's more, the activity of parsley's volatile oils qualifies it as a "chemoprotective" food, a food that can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens.
Red Cabbage: Though very similar in taste to green cabbage, red can have slightly more pronounced peppery notes. In my opinion, it can also tolerate longer cooking cycles without becoming too acidic and "stinky." If alkaline ingredients like eggs are present in your pan when cooking red cabbage, it can turn blue on you. To stop this from happening, add a bit of acid to the pan in the form of lemon juice, vinegar or wine. Classic braising red cabbage preparations often call for adding a little red wine, cider vinegar or both to the pan during cooking. Apples also make a perfect match with red cabbage. Cabbage can be stored loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for weeks. If the outer leaves wilt or turn spotted, just remove them and use the good leaves below. Once cut, keep the remaining cabbage in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer.
Recipes
Mom’s Apple Cake
This recipe comes from the Smitten Kitchen
6 apples
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar
2 3/4 cups pastry flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar, sub in some maple sugar if desired
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.
Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before running knife between cake and pan, and unmolding onto a platter.
Soft Brown Sugar and Maple Sugar Cookies
These cookies are to die for! If you have a chance to pick up some maple and sea salt butter made by VT Creamery I would highly recommend it but they can of course be made with regular butter.
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter blended with Maple & Sea Salt, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup maple sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 375º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and set aside.
Scoop dough onto the prepared sheet, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
Bake about 12 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Let cool on the sheet for several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Pour maple sugar into a small bowl and dip the tops of each cookie the maple sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Caramelized Shallots
What to do with all the shallots besides tossing them into a stir fry? Make these caramelized shallots! This recipe, from the Smitten Kitchen, is a great way to maximize the sweetness of the shallots.
6 tbs unsalted butter
2 pounds fresh shallots, peeled, with roots intact
3 tbs sugar
3 tbs good red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter in a 12" oven-proof saute pan, add the shallots and sugar, and toss to coat. Cook over medium heat for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shallots start to brown. Add the vinegar, salt and pepper and toss well.
Place the saute pan in the oven and roast for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the shallots, until they are tender. Season, to taste, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot.
Carrots with Coconut Butter and Lime
This recipe comes from the book "Vegetable Literacy" by Deborah Madison. It's a great veggie resource filled with interesting facts about all kinds of veggies, as well as wonderful recipes. This recipe caught my eye as it's so simple yet so delicious. You should be able to find coconut butter at a co-op or you can make your very own. Get a bag of shredded unsweetened coconut and blend for about 3-5 minutes until smooth. If it doesn't come together try adding some coconut oil to make it gel. Store the butter in a glass jar and use it anywhere you have a recipe that calls for vegetable oil or regular butter.
1 pound carrots, scrubbed and sliced into rounds or on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick
Sea Salt
About 2 tbsp coconut butter
1 lime
In a pot, bring 4 or more cups of water to a boil. Add the carrots and 1 tsp salt and simmer until the carrots are tender to the touch of a knife tip, about 15 minutes. Drain well, then return the carrots to the pan for a few minutes to dry in the residual heat. Add the coconut butter, toss to coat the carrots, and then halve the lime and squeeze over the carrots. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
Ginger-Braised Red Cabbage
This is a great way to enjoy your cabbage!
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 teaspoons brown sugar
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head red cabbage (about 2 1/2 lb.), cut into 8 wedges, core intact
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy ovenproof saucepan, heat oil. Cook shallot and ginger over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and brown sugar. Stir in chicken stock, water, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Add cabbage.
Bring to a boil. Cover; transfer to oven and braise until cabbage is tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
Remove cabbage with a slotted spoon and place on a serving platter; discard bay leaf. Simmer remaining liquid over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Spoon sauce over cabbage.
Comments