RECIPE: Raw Beet and Parsley Salad

2 medium beets without greens
1 Cup flat leaf parsley leaves
salt, or to taste
sugar, or to taste
black pepper, to taste
extra-virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Peel beets and julienne (1/16 inch). Toss beets with parsley, salt, sugar, and pepper in a serving bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle vinegar on salad and toss again. Serve immediately.

RECIPE: Question - What do I do with all that parsley?

Answer: Put it in scrambled eggs.  Just chop it up and make scrambled eggs all weekend with cheese and tons of chopped parsley, and it's great.

RECIPE: Baked Leek and Sweet Potato Gratin

Serves 8

Sautéed leeks add a milder, sweeter flavor than onions to this hearty sweet potato dish that can be served with a salad as a light main course.

• 3 medium leeks, white and light green parts chopped (6 cups)
• 1 ½ Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
• 3 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary, divided
• 2 medium sweet potatoes (2 lb.), peeled and cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices
• ⅓ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 Tbs. Italian seasoned dry breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbs. finely grated Romano cheese, optional

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat 10-inch round pan with cooking spray.

2. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, garlic, and 1 1/2 Tbs. rosemary; sauté 8 minutes, or until softened. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Arrange one-third sweet potato slices over bottom of prepared pan, overlapping slightly. Spread half of leek mixture on top. Arrange another one-third sweet potato slices over leeks; top with remaining leeks, followed by remaining sweet potatoes. Drizzle broth over dish. Cover pan with foil, and bake 35 minutes.

4. Stir together breadcrumbs, remaining 1 1/2 tsp. oil, remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. rosemary, and Romano cheese, if desired, in small bowl. Remove foil from gratin, and sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are browned and crisp. Let gratin cool slightly before cutting into 8 wedges and serving.

RECIPE: How to caramelize onions

Here's an idea for what to do with leftover onions...

1. Peel the onions and slice in half down the pole.

2. Slice crossways into thin slices.

3. Heat enough olive oil in a pan over medium heat to coat the amount of onions you are going to cook.

4. Add the onions, toss them in the oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

5. You can cook them over medium heat in the beginning as they release liquid. Stir them intermittently.

6. As they have given off most of their liquid, you need to reduce the heat to low/very low and stir more frequently.

7. Be patient and wait for them to develop a golden brown or even deeper brown color. You can taste occasionally to see if they have developed the amount of sweetness and caramelization you like.

8. If they are sticking and you are getting a lot of brown bits stuck to the pan you can deglaze with a bit of water, wine or vinegar, but I did not need to do this.

9. When they are done to your liking, portion and freeze for up to 2 months. You can portion in baggies or any other freezer safe container but another good idea is to portion into muffin tins and freeze, then put all your muffin size portions in a big ziploc bag. The quantity will be dramatically less than what you started with.

The overall idea is to cook them slowly over low heat - you are NOT trying to brown them quickly or stir fry them.

RECIPE: Vegetable Stock Recipe

Making vegetable stock is quick compared with making stock from poultry or beef bones, but it's no less flavorful. Vegetable stock only needs to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes to extract the maximum flavor from vegetables. In fact, quality can actually start to diminish beyond a certain point if the vegetables are simmered for too long.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

·                        1 gallon cold water

·                        1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

·                        1 medium leek (white and green parts), rinsed and chopped

·                        1 medium rib celery, chopped

·                        1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped

·                        ½ medium turnip, chopped

·                        3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

·                        2 Tbsp vegetable oil

·                        -------- For Sachet: (see note) --------

·                        1 bay leaf

·                        ½ tsp dried thyme

·                        3-4 fresh parsley stems

·                        3-4 whole black peppercorns

·                        1 whole clove

Preparation:

1.              Make a sachet d'epices by tying the thyme, peppercorns, clove, parsley stems and bay leaf into a piece of cheesecloth.

2.              In a heavy-bottomed stock pot or soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.

3.              Lower the heat, add all the vegetables and sweat, with the lid on, for about 5 minutes or until the onions are softened and slightly translucent. Don't brown the vegetables, though.

4.              Add the water and the sachet, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

5.              Strain, cool and refrigerate.

Makes 1 gallon of stock.

This week's shares

Shares for this week include the following:

fennel

red cabbage

celery

spinach

carrots

red onion

parsley

winter squash

tomatoes

more to come...

RECIPE: Apple Chips

Ingredients:
2 apples, sliced crosswise 1/8-inch thick, seeds removed

Directions:
Heat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange apple slices on two parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Flip, then continue baking until crisp, about 1 hour more. Remove and let cool completely. Chips keep, stored in an airtight container, 1 week.

RECIPE: Delicata Squash with Rosemary, Sage, and Cider Glaze

Makes 6 servings.

2 medium delicata squash (about 2 pounds) or other firm winter squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup very coarsely chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups fresh unfiltered apple cider or juice
1 cup water
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Squash. If using delicata squash, peel it with a vegetable peeler, cut it lengthwise in half, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut each piece lengthwise in half again, then crosswise into 1/2-inch -thick slices. Other types of squash should be peeled with a chef's knife, seeded, cut into 1-inch wedges, then sliced 1/2-inch thick.

2. Herb Butter. Melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over low heat. Add the sage and rosemary and cook, stirring, until the butter just begins to turn golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not brown the herbs. Cooking the herbs in butter mellows their flavor and improves their texture.

3. Cooking the squash. Add the squash to the skillet, then the apple cider, water, vinegar, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat at an even boil until the cider has boiled down to a glaze and the squash is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and season with pepper, and additional salt if needed.

RECIPE: Chickpea, Carrot & Parsley Salad

Ingredients:

19-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups of cooked chickpeas)

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, very coarsely chopped

1 cup loosely packed shredded carrot (from about 1 large carrot)

1/2 cup sliced radishes (about 6 medium)

1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (about 4)

3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. ground coriander

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese or toasted pine nuts (optional)

Cayenne pepper (optional)

 

Put 1/2 cup of the chickpeas in a mixing bowl and mash them into a coarse paste with a potato masher or large wooden spoon. Toss in the remaining chickpeas along with the parsley, carrot, radishes, and scallions. Stir to combine. 

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, coriander, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a few generous grinds of black pepper. Continue whisking while adding the olive oil in a slow stream. Pour over the salad and toss gently. Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste. (Add cayenne pepper to taste if you want a spicier salad.) Top with the feta or pine nuts, if using, and serve immediately.

Shares for 10/2/2012

The shares for this week include the following:

onions

carrots

beets

leeks

cabbage

winter squash

potatoes

tomatoes

lettuce

radish

 

 

RECIPE: What to do with Homemade Bread Crumbs

[a tip from Ann] 

Everytime you have some leftover good bread, slice and lightly toast the leftovers in your toaster, oven or toaster oven. Real cooks recommend removing the crusts; I don't bother. (Honestly, I don't even toast it first. I just grind up the old bread.)

Pulse in food processor until the bread becomes crumbs. I store them in a ziploc bag in my freezer. These have many uses: you can saute them in a pan with a little oil and add any seasonings of your choice such as garlic, herbs, or a bit of grated cheese. Use them to top roasted vegetables (broccoli, asparagus), sauteed greens in garlic, gratins, or pasta dishes (especially good when made with garlic and parmesan and used to top pasta with pesto). You can also use them for coating meat or fish for sauteing or frying.

Being a midwestern cheapskate I had stored up bags of these in the freezer and they were driving my husband crazy. Once we knew we were moving this summer I started trying to use everything up and started putting bread crumbs on everything and now we are out! They taste great and the little bit of crunchy texture is a great complement to so many dishes.

RECIPE: Zucchini Bread

A delicious option for leftover zucchini...

Ingredients:

    1 ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

    ½ teaspoon salt

    ½  teaspoon baking soda

    ½ teaspoon baking powder

    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

    1 egg

    1/3 cup expeller pressed canola oil

    1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

    2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt

    ¾ cup sugar or honey

    2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    1 cup grated zucchini

    1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Grease 8-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, oil, applesauce, yogurt, sugaror honey and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until well combined. Fold in zucchini and optional walnuts then transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until risen, deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool in pan on rack for 30 minutes then remove bread from pan and continue cooling on rack.

RECIPE: Miso-Carrot-Sesame Dressing:

Great flavor even on a simply salad... 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup white miso

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup (packed) finely grated peeled carrot

2 tablespoons finely grated peeled ginger

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons honey

 

Preparation:

Place all ingredients plus 1/4 cup water in a resealable container. Cover and shake vigorously until well combined. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.