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: A winter blend of spinach, red sorrel, green sorrel, claytonia, and shoots. We pre-wash the bagged greens but we recommend giving them a good rinse before using. Unopened, the bags of greens will last several days. Once opened, they will begin to wilt.
Chioggia Beets: An Italian variety, chioggias have alternating white and pink rings of color on the inside. The outside is lighter and more pinkish than traditional red beets. They are smooth and mild tasting. To prevent chioggias from bleeding their color, roast them whole then slice crosswise to show off the beautiful rings. Roasted this way, they make a stunning addition to a salad.
Garlic: As usually happens this time of year, we have lots of small garlic heads. You'll find a small one or two in your purple bags.
Arrowhead Cabbage: The pointed cabbage in your bags this week is Arrowhead, mellower in flavor than other storage cabbages, and can be used in all kinds of way. 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.
Sunchokes: Also known as Jerusalem artichokes, sunchokes make their debut in the large share this week! You might know of this plant as a beautiful yellow flower on tall stalks that blooms in summer. The tuberous roots, which appear in your shares, are also edible. Eat with or without the skin, and prepare as you would potatoes: roast, saute, bake, boil, or steam. They can be stored for a few weeks in your fridge.
Shallots are a member of the allium 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.
Frozen Squash Puree: Standard share members should pick up a package of frozen squash puree! This squash is grown at High Mowing Seeds for its seeds (called "Honeynut"). After the seeds are extracted, we chop it up, cook it down, puree it, and bag it. It's a great way to use the flesh of the squash and enjoy this crop during this time of year. It's great for throwing into sauces (check out the macaroni and cheese recipe below), serving as a side dish, or baking into a pie or bread.
Recipes
Pickled Cabbage
Here's a quick and easy way to make "pickled" cabbage. This would be great on top of a burger, or just eaten as a side dish.
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 shredded cabbage, shredded (about 3 cups)
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, coarsely crushed in resealable plastic bag with mallet
1 teaspoon celery seeds
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Heat vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage, sliced onion, crushed coriander seeds, and celery seeds; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sauté until wilted and crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in white wine vinegar and sugar. Sauté until all liquid is absorbed, about 30 seconds.
Simple Braised Potatoes
Mark Bittman recently wrote an article for the NY Times all about Yukon Golds. This recipe for braised potatoes is very easy yet delicious.
2 pounds potatoes
3 tbsp Butter
1 Onion, ciced
1 tsp Garlic, minced
A sprig of thyme or rosemary
2 cups Stock - chicken or veggie
Cut spuds into chunks. Heat butter in a deep skillet or broad pot over medium high heat; add potatoes, onion, garlic and the thyme or rosemary. Cook, stirring, until potatoes begin to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Add stock to barely cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and liquid is reduced, about 30 minutes. Garnish with thyme or rosemary.
Simple Baked Arrowhead Cabbage
Here's a nice, easy side dish that showcases these lovely cabbages.
1 Arrowhead Cabbage, cut in two lengthwise
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Chopped Scallions
Grated Parmesan
Place the cabbage halved on a baking sheet or in a glass baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and chopped scallions. Roast for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, sprinkle with grated parm and return to oven to bake a few more minutes until cheese is lightly browned.
The result was very light and lovely without any of the heaviness sometimes associated with cabbage. The best description of the taste I can come up with is buttery crunch — not at all tough, but a velvety texture. Mild, sweet, delicious.
Broiled Beet Slices with Maple-Teriyaki Sauce
These beets are irrestible!
12 small or 6 medium beets, scrubbed, trimmed
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp minced or pressed garlic (about 6 cloves)
1 tbsp finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
Preheat the oven to 400F. Place beets in a small roasting pan with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake until beets are easily pierced with a sharp knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on size).
Preheat the broiler. Allow beets to cool slightly, then run under cold water and slip off their skins. Slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in the maple syrup, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce or tamari. When the ingredients are thoroughly combined, remove from heat.
Put the beets in a shallow baking pan and pour the maple syrup mixture over them. Broil, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
Creamy, light butternut squash macaroni and cheese
I found this one in our archives and the description read: “This recipe was a hit with the kids.” Who are we kidding? Macaroni and cheese is great at any age! I love it anytime and with any kind of veggie variety!
3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash OR 1- 2 pound package of squash puree
1 1/4 cups chicken or broth
1 1/2 cups milk
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese (note: I never have cheese this fancy... use your favorite kind of melting cheese, like colby, mozzarella, or most cheddars)
1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1 pound uncooked cavatappi, elbows, or rotini
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.
Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.
Butternut Squash Ginger Carrot Soup
1 butternut squash or 1 package of frozen squash puree
6 carrots
4 cloves garlic
1 thumb size piece (or larger) of fresh ginger
1 onion
1 qt stock (veg or chicken)
water
olive oil
salt & pepper
(optional - cream, milk, sour cream, or coconut milk)
Cover the bottom of a large stock/soup pot with oil and add diced onion and a bit of salt on low heat. Cook 5-10 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add garlic and ginger with salt and pepper to taste and cook another 5 min so the flavors blend. Peel, seed and cut the butternut squash into large chunks. Wash and cut the carrots into large chunks as well. Add the stock to the soup pot, then the carrots and squash, then add water to barely cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the carrots are tender. Using a potato masher, crush the cooked veg then blend to your preference. I usually like to blend half leaving some of the mashed carrots and squash for some texture. At this point you can stir in something creamy if desired. I used about half a can of coconut milk recently and thought it was perfect. If using sour cream, add it into the serving bowl as a garnish.
Pan-Fried Jerusalem Artichokes in Sage Butter
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes,* scrubbed, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
3 tablespoons coarsely torn fresh sage leaves, divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Melt 1 tablespoon butter with olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add Jerusalem artichokes and half of sage. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown and just beginning to soften, turning frequently, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer Jerusalem artichokes to shallow serving bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sage to skillet; fry until sage darkens and begins to crisp, about 30 seconds. Add lemon juice; simmer 1 minute. Pour lemon-sage butter over Jerusalem artichokes in bowl, tossing to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.
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