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: All the greens are pre-washed but we recommend giving them a good rinse before eating. Unopened, the bags will store for several days in the fridge. They need to stay cool as much as possible. We're getting down to the last of our field greens! This mesclun is a mix of lettuce, kales, mustard, mizuna, and two varieties of baby arugula.
Acorn Squash: This is a classic old favorite green winter squash with distinctive longitudinal ridges and sweet, yellow-orange flesh. It's a good source of dietary fiber and potassium, as well as smaller amounts of vitamins C and B, magnesium, and manganese. It's excellent baked or roasted, steamed or stuffed with rice, meat, or vegetable mixtures. Try roasting veggies baking them into the squash. Just slice off the top and scoop out the insides. Fill the squash with your fixings and bake in the oven around 350 degrees.
Brussels sprouts: Stalks again this week! My favorite way to eat them is halved, sauteed in olive oil with garlic, and then broiled until crispy. This is Mark Bittman's style, and he dresses them in a little balsamic vinegar at the end. You could also go the Positive Pie route and deep fry them, then dip in a yummy garlic aioli! Brussels sprouts should be stored in a closed plastic bag in the crisper drawer.
Pac choi or Tatsoi: Both Asian greens, with the tatsoi being longer and darker (and has a spoon like shape, a pleasant and sweet aroma flavor like a mild mustard flavor). Both are 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 either in a plastic bag or container in your crisper drawer and use within several days.
Arugula: is also known as Rocket or Roquette. It's a very popular and versatile green that can be eaten raw, but also stands up well in the sauté pan. It has a peppery mustardy flavor and is great on sandwiches to give them pep, and into salads to take it up a notch. It also does well with a quick wilt added to pastas, frittatas or calzones, or as a stand-in for lettuce on an Italian-inspired sub. It blends particularly well with goat cheese and balsamic and olive oil. It is delicious simply sautéed in a pan with olive oil with a sprinkle of coarse salt & pepper.
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.
Leeks were once called the poor person's asparagus, but today are cherished for their culinary qualities right along side asparagus. Leeks tend to collect dirt in between the tops of their long leaves therefore it is important to wash between leaf folds to remove dirt or soak in a water bath and let dirt sink to bottom. Store wrapped in plastic in the fridge. Although the best quality is within the first few days, they can be stored for an extended amount of time in the fridge. Peel outer leaves if damaged and use tender inner stalks. Use them as if they were onions.
Recipes
Cheese Brussels Sprouts Pasta Bake
Waterbury CSA member Amy sent in this recipe she made last week with her Brussels. It'sadapted from a recipe by Deb Perelman (Smitten Kitchen). Deb's recipe calls for 12 oz Brussels sprouts. Here are Amy's notes:
It’s a cheesy baked pasta with shredded Brussel sprouts, lemon zest, and other yumminess. We LOVED it tonight. I bet it would be great with kale or cauliflower (or a mix of the two) as well! Could add bacon, sausage or chicken if not looking for a veg meal. We just served with a lightly dressed green salad…was perfect. :)
225g short pasta (we used scoobi doo, but macaroni, farfale or another small shape will do.)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2lb brussels sprouts (thinly sliced - about 8 cups)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup vegetable stock
the zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/4 cup grated gruyere cheese (about 115 g)
1 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese (about 115g)
Preheat oven to 400F. Cook pasta per package directions in a large pot of salted boiling water.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add Brussels sprouts and garlic and sauté until the sprouts begin to wilt and soften, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over sprouts and stir until no remaining flour is visible. Add stock, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 the cheese and stir to combine.
Transfer pasta to a greased 2 quart baking dish (8" x 11" pyrex dish works well) and sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and brown, setting the oven to broil for the last minute or two.
Roquette and Walnut Pesto Fettuccine
"Roquette" (aka arugula) makes a wonderful peppery pesto to dress up your fresh pasta. Add another dimension by sauteing your favorite vegetables to top this dish.
2 cups roquette
1/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup basil
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 tsp parmesan, grated
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
1lb fresh fettuccine, cooked according to package (about 3 minutes)
Chop the roquette, walnuts, basil, pine nuts, parmesan and garlic in a food processor. With the motor running, pour in the oil in a thin stream until the mixture is smooth and incorporated. Season with salt and pepper, then toss with the hot pasta.
Sorrel & Potato Soup
The recipe below is adapted from a classic French sorrel soup recipe. It is also good cold, particularly with some plain yogurt swirled in. Serves 3 or 4.
1 bunch fresh sorrel
4 cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2/3 pound potatoes, cubed
1 large egg
1/4 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream (or more to taste)
Wash the sorrel and de-rib the leaves if necessary. Put it in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until the sorrel has melted into a purée and nearly all of its liquid has evaporated. Add the water and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook over low heat until the potatoes are cooked through — about fifteen minutes. If you prefer a creamy rather than a chunky soup, put the soup into a blender or food processor and then return to the saucepan. Combine the eggs and crème fraiche in a warmed serving bowl. Mix until well blended. Add a ladle of the potato and sorrel mixture and blend well. Pour in remaining potato and sorrel mixture and serve immediately.
Napa Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Carrot Slaw
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
2.5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1.5 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
1 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 Napa Cabbage chopped
2 kohlrabi peeled and cut into matchstick size strips (optional, but I prefer it)
1 large red or yellow bell peppers, cut into matchstick-size strips
2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips
4 scallions, cut into matchstick-size strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
If you have a food processor you can use it to grate the carrots, kohlrabi and cabbage and peppers. Otherwise hand chop and mix together in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Chilled Sesame-Ginger Tatsoi
From the New York Times November 1995. You can use both the pac choi and the tastoi in this recipe. The cooking time for the pac choi will be a bit longer, and pac choi stems a bit longer still (still no more than 2 mins).
1.5 lb Tatsoi; washed and dried
Salt to taste
1/3 tamari
2 TB sesame oil
1 TB ginger
1 TB sugar
½ c white vinegar
4 dashes Tabasco
Black Pepper to taste
¼ c sesame seeds
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the tatsoi, blanch for I minute, drain, immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process, and drain again.
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, sugar, vinegar and Tabasco. Mix well, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the tatsoi and dressing, and mix well Refrigerate until well chilled, gar nish with sesame seeds and serve.
Chili-Roasted Acorn Squash
2 acorn squash (1 1/2 pounds each), halved lengthwise, seeds removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut each squash half into several wedges, then halve wedges crosswise.
On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss squash with oil and chili powder; season with salt and pepper, and toss again. Roast until tender and starting to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.
Steam squash, sprinkled with salt, in a large pot over medium heat, until soft. Puree with coconut milk, curry powder, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.
While squash is steaming, heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and saute, stirring frequently, until leeks are translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add mustard greens, salt and pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until mustard greens turn deep green, about 5 minutes, decreasing heat if necessary. Taste for seasoning. Ladle hot squash soup into bowls and garnish with the sauteed greens.
Sauteed Tatsoi
Here's a quick, tasty way to enjoy your tatsoi.
1 head tatsoi
Garlic
Salt
Olive oil
Slice the stems into 3/4-inch lengths and stir-fry them with some finely chopped garlic and a generous pinch of salt in olive oil for a minute or two, then add a couple tablespoons of water and steam them, covered, for a couple of minutes to soften them further. At that point add the whole leaves, stirring and turning them with tongs for about a minute, then add about ¼ cup water and another generous pinch of salt and steam, covered, until wilted and tender, about 3 to 4 minutes more.
You could give it an Asian flavor with ginger, soy sauce, and a touch of toasted sesame oil, but it’s just as delicious in a simple Italian-style treatment with garlic and olive oil.
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