Good Eats Newsletter - February 8th, 2012

This Week's Vegetable Share Contains: Shallots; Parsnips; Adirondack Red Potatoes; Mixed Colorful Carrots; Savoy Cabbage and..... 1 Bag of Salad Greens 1 Package of Frozen Roasted Red Peppers 1 Package of Frozen Sweet Corn Localvore Offerings Include: Elmore Mountain Milanaise Bread Vermont Soy Artisan Plain Tofu Les Aliments Massawippi Soy-Barley Miso Around the Farm With the longer hours of daylight overwintered crops such as Red Russian Kale in the greenhouse are waking up. Spring Share Just 2 Weeks Away! February 22nd - June 13th 17 weeks of Good Eats! We are close to selling out of the Spring Share! Sign-up now to reserve your share of fresh, organic, Vermont grown goodness and the localvore staples you love. NEW - Sign up online!  Go to our Spring Share page for more details or to download an order form. Changes to Your Delivery? If you will be away some upcoming week, and need to make changes to your share delivery, let us know at least 1 week before the change. You can have your share donated to the Food Pantry, or we can stop your share delivery and you will retain a credit on your account toward the purchase of your next share. Storage & Use Tips Similar to the Adirondack Blue potatoes that you had a few weeks back this week'sAdirondack Red Potatoes have a dark pink skin and dark pink insides. The pigments in these two varieties offer higher levels of antioxidants than tradition white or yellow potatoes. The Adirondack Red is a bit more versatile than the Blue's being great for boiling, roasting and baking. And I bet it is very exciting for all of you kids at heart to have pink potatoes. At this time of year potatoes are best stored in the fridge in a plastic bag. This week's frozen items are Frozen Roasted Red Peppers and Sweet Corn. Our frozen veggies are grown on our farm, come in from the field, are cleaned and processed on site  and then head straight into the freezer. The roasted red peppers are whole peppers that have been washed and then roasted in a barrel flamer, cooled, bagged and frozen. You will notice our roasted reds are not skinned or seeded. You can easily wash off seeds and peel away skin for use. The corn has been blanched, removed from the cob and packed in their natural juices. To use these vegetables let the package thaw in the fridge till soft, or if you are in a rush take straight from the freezer and submerge bag in warm water till usable, usually takes about 15 minutes. Remove from plastic bag before heating . Since frozen foods are often blanched (or lightly cooked) the cooking time tends to be reduced and all they really need is a warm up. Localvore Lore Elmore Mountain Bread is making Quebec Flax Seed Loaves for us this week.  They are made with Milanaise wheat and rye flours, Gleason's sifted wheat flour, Quebec flax seeds, sourdough and sea salt. Vermont Soy's Artisan Tofu is produced right down the road from us in Hardwick, Vermont. Tofu is a fermented soy product, high in protein and rich in calcium. Todd Pinkham and Andrew Meyer have a long history with soybeans, Todd focusing on vegetable soy food production and Andrew having grown soybeans for animal feed on his family's dairy farm. They work together to produce one of the highest quality organic tofu products available. They try to use as much locally grown soybeans as possibly for production and use traditional fermentation methods when processing their product. Although tofu can be eaten raw, it is best used with seasonings and marinades as it soaks up flavor. Before using, wrap tofu block in a very clean cotton or linen kitchen towel and squeeze the excess moisture out.   From our Canadian neighbors at Les Aliments Massawippi in Quebec we offer Soybean and Barley Miso made from local, organically produced ingredients. Soybeans and barley grains are fermented with lacto-bacteria (same as sauerkraut) and sea salt for two years and directly packaged without any pasteurization to preserve its live culture. The flavor is fresh and soft, almost sweet on the finish with some saltiness. As miso is a living food, it is best not to cook it. Instead, stir miso into a dish after it is removed from the heat to maintain it's nutritional benefits. Kept refrigerated, it will last several years. Recipes Have a recipe you want to share? Nearly-Instant Thai Coconut Corn Soup  Good Eats member Magge Stone sent me this recipe last week. I made it at home the other night and totally agree this is a great recipe and it really takes no time at all. Adapted from Vegan Express: Featuring 160 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Healthy Meals, by Nava Atlas.   1 Tbs olive oil 1 large shallot, minced 4 to 5 scallions, thinly sliced, separate white and green parts (leeks work too) 1-2 roasted red peppers, cut into thin strips (sub sweet red peppers) 1 13oz cans coconut milk 1½ c rice milk (sub regular milk or water) 1 bag frozen corn 2 tsp curry powder ¼ tsp Thai red curry paste, more or less  to taste  1 tsp salt ½ cup minced fresh cilantro (if available)   Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic, the white parts of the scallions, and the pepper. Sauté over medium-low heat until garlic has softened and turned golden, about 2 to 3  minutes. Add the coconut milk, rice milk, corn, curry powder, the green parts of the scallions. If using the curry paste, dissolve it in a small amount of water before adding to the soup. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove from the heat. Serve, passing around the cilantro for topping.       Indian Cabbage and Carrot Salad An oldy but goody recipe from the Good Eats archives, this is an easy to prepare dish that is perfect to serve on top of greens for a dinner salad or add to hot sandwiches as an Indian Slaw or eat as is. Adapted from the Lite and Luscious Cuisine of India cookbook, by Madhu Gadia.    4 c cabbage, thinly sliced 1 c carrots, scrubbed and grated 1 tsp sunflower oil 1/2 tsp mustard seeds pinch of turmeric 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper   Heat oil in a heavy skillet on high heat. Add mustard seeds, cover with a lid to avoid splattering. Cook for a few seconds until the mustard seeds stop popping. Add the cabbage and carrots and then the turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until heated through. Do not overcookm the cabbage should be just barely cooked. Transfer to a serving platter immediately.       Beet and Cabbage Borscht Borscht began its existence in Eastern Europe from trimmings of cellared vegetables consumed throughout the winter months. Most families had a container, usually a kettle or stove pot, kept outside to store those trimmings. Around the first spring thaw, that pot was placed on the fire and cooked into a soup-like meal. One of the primary vegetables of the Slavic diet consumed during the winter months was the beet but other vegetables such as cabbage, potato and carrots were often included. The beet color was most predominant and hence, the recipe changed into what is traditionally known as a beet soup. Borscht is a great cold weather way to enjoy those winter veggies. There are many variations of borscht. This recipe was adapted from Vegan Express: Featuring 160 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Healthy Meals, by Nava Atlas.    3 Tbs sunflower oil 3 c potatoes, peeled, chopped 1 c parsnip, chopped 3 c chopped cabbage (about 1/2 cabbage in this week's share) 1 large onion, chopped 8 cups (or more) canned broth (chicken, veggie, miso consumme (see below) or water) 3 c beets, peeled, chopped 1 c chopped tomatoes (drained) or tomato puree   1 Tbs fresh lemon juice Sour cream or plain yogurt Chopped fresh parsley Lemon wedges   Heat oil in heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, cabbage and onion and saute until cabbage softens, about 5 minutes. Add broth, beets and tomatoes. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.   Working in small batches, puree 4 cups of soup in blender; return to remaining soup in pot. If desired, add more broth by 1/2 cupfuls to thin soup. Add lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with dollop of sour cream or yogurt; sprinkle with parsley. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.       Baked Tofu in a Sweet Ginger Marinade I used the basics of a favorite Korean marinade, added some local ingredients and found this to be a really yummy way to eat tofu with rice, sauteed vegetables or even as a cold snack out of the fridge.    1 lb firm tofu, sliced in eight even slabs   Marinade 1/2 tsp sesame seeds 1 clove of garlic, minced fresh ground black pepper chopped scallions (sub small leeks)   Make the marinade by shaking in a ball jar. Arrange the tofu slices in an oiled flat baking pan. Cover with the marinade - add more vinegar and soy sauce as needed. Cover and marinate 4 - 8 hours in the fridge. Turn over once if possible. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake 30 minutes in the marinade, uncovered. Turn over halfway through the baking. Broil for a few minutes if the tofu isn't golden on both sides. Serve with rice or noodles.       Curried Tofu Spread This is a simple snack to make on the fly and eat with crackers, on top of a green salad or use as a sandwich spread. Adapted from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin.   1/2 lb firm tofu 3 Tbs mayonnaise 3/4 tsp curry powder 1 celery rib, finely diced 1 small carrot, grated 1 1/2 Tbs raisins 1 scallion, thinly sliced (sub small leeks) 1/4 tsp salt Ground black pepper to taste   After draining tofu, drop into a bowl and mash with a fork until the texture is fine or resembling course bread crumbs. Stir in remaining ingredients and chill for at least an hour, to allow the flavors to develop.        Miso-Ginger Dressing This is a basic recipe that works well for salad dressing or as a marinade for tofu. If you like a bit sweeter add some honey!   3 Tbs plus 2 tsp vegetable oil 3 Tbs rice vinegar 2 tsp miso 2 Tbs ginger, chopped and peeled 1 clove garlic, minced   Mix vinegar and garlic and set aside. Dilute the miso into the vegetable oil with a whisk and slowly whisk into vinegar mix with whisk.        Miso Consomme  Consomme can be used as a base for preparing soup or added to any recipe calling for a broth. With the slight addition of red wine it becomes an excellent bouillon to flavor soups and other dishes. Adapted from Miso: More than Food, Life by Suzanne Dionne.   1 TB sunflower oil 1 onion, quartered 1 carrot, quartered 1/2 turnip, coarsely chopped 2 to 5 cloves garlic, halved 2 whole cloves 3 bay leaves 6 pepper corns 1/2 tsp of thyme 4 cups of water 2 TB miso diluted in 1/4 cup of hot water   Heat the oil in a pan and saute all the ingredients except for the miso, water and parsley. Cook at low heat for 5 minutes. Add the water, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. Skim the protein (scum) off the top with a spoon. Remove from heat and strain the mixture. Mix in the diluted miso.