RECIPE: Hot and Sauerkraut Soup

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Ingredients:

Cabbage

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 TB honey
salt, pepper
1 TB sriracha
1 TB minced garlic
3-4 cups chicken stock

Take half a cabbage (red or savoy) and boil it until soft (1-2 hours) and then discard the water.  Allow it to cool so you can chop up the cabbage, then cook the cabbage again with salt, pepper, almost a cup of apple cider vinegar, a cup of water, 2 TB honey, until the vinegar is reduced and the cabbage tastes of acid.

Add the sauerkraut, sriracha and garlic to chicken stock.  Sett aside some extra chicken stock in case this recipe is too hot or too sour for you, and adjusting accordingly.

 

But to me, this is a delicious fusion of Chinese, German and heat.

 

Submitted by Adrienne Mishkin

RECIPE: Millet and Greens Gratin

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

1 generous bunch dark greens

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil

2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1 to 1 1/4 cups cooked millet

3 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (3/4 cup)

1. Stem the greens and wash the leaves in 2 changes of water. To blanch the greens, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, salt generously and add the greens. Blanch for 1 minute or until tender. Alternatively, steam the greens over 1 inch of boiling water for about 2 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a bowl of cold water and drain. Taking the greens up by the handful, squeeze hard to expel excess water. Chop medium-fine. You should have about 11/4 cups.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the herbs, greens, and salt and pepper to taste, and stir and toss in the pan for about a minute, until the mixture is nicely infused with the oil, garlic and herbs. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, egg yolk and milk. Add salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon), pepper, the millet, the greens and the cheese and stir together until the mixture is well blended. Scrape into the oiled baking dish. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil on top.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until it is sizzling and set, and the top is just beginning to color. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes or longer before serving.

Submitted by Erin Hotchkiss

RECIPE: Butternut Squash Sage Soup

Difficulty level: Intermediate (easy if you omit the garnish of seeds and fried sage)

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, cut in half with seeds scooped out and reserved

Ground cumin

Ground coriander

9-10 whole fresh sage leaves

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon Madras-style curry powder

2-3 fresh sage leaves, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups veggie stock

Salt

1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Rub the butternut squash with olive oil and place it face side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast the butternut squash for 30-35 minutes, until it's tender with a fork. Remove and set aside until it's cool enough to handle.

2. Meanwhile, let's make the garnish. Rinse out the seeds, discarding any pulp. Sprinkle the seeds with a pinch of cumin, pinch of ground coriander and a pinch of salt. In a small skillet, add a teaspoon of olive oil. When hot, add the seeds, toasting them on both sides, about 2-3 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. To the same skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil until hot. Add sage leaves and fry until the leaves are crispy and the edges are lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

4. To a stock pot, placed over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the minced shallot and cook until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the spices: 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, Madras-style curry powder, minced sage leaves and minced garlic clove. Cook until the spices and garlic are fragrant, about 1 minute. Scoop out the butternut squash flesh and add it to the pot, along with the veggie stock. Cover the pot, turn the heat to medium low and simmer for 10-12 minutes. In batches, carefully transfer the soup to a blender and pulse until very smooth.

 

Transfer the soup back to the pot and salt to taste. I added about 3/4 teaspoon. Stir in the heavy cream and heat until warm. Divide the soup between bowls and garnish with butternut squash seeds and fried sage leaves.

 

Submitted by Sarah Marder

RECIPE: Cauliflower Puree

Difficulty level: Easy

Cauliflower
Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper
Onion flakes

Boil cauliflower for 90 minutes in water, until it is super soft. Allow to cool.

In a blender, add the half cauliflower head, broken up with your hands, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt, plus 1 tsp each salt, pepper, and onion flakes. Blend until fully smooth, then put back on the heat to let a little bit of the water evaporate and to bring to temperature. This is a delicious, smooth and creamy side dish, and nice and hot to welcome in the cold weather.

 

Submitted by Adrienne Mishkin

RECIPE: CSA Curry

Difficulty Level: Easy

A great and easy way to use LOTS of CSA veggies...

Ingredients:

Potatoes
Turnips
Sweet peppers
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Onions
Garlic
Curry powder
Greek yogurt

 

Chop onions and garlic with a few tablespoons of curry powder (adjust to your spice preference, I like a lot) and let those cook with just a little bit of oil, then add in potatoes and turnips, coarsely chopped, and cover while you chop the rest of the veggies, then add those in and stir together, and allow to cook for about 30-45 minutes or until everything is soft.

Taste and add salt until to your satisfaction, turn off the heat and add 2 TB of butter, stir in and serve with a big dollop of Greek yogurt.  Enjoy!

Submitted by Adrienne Mishkin

RECIPE: Mustard Roasted Potatoes

Difficulty level: Easy

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1/2 cup whole grain Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

3 pounds 1- to 1 1/2-inch-diameter mixed unpeeled red-skinned and white-skinned potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges 

Position 1 rack in top third of oven and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray 2 large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Whisk mustard, olive oil, butter, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, lemon peel, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add potatoes; sprinkle generously with freshly ground black pepper and toss to coat. Divide potatoes between prepared baking sheets, leaving any excess mustard mixture behind in bowl. Spread potatoes in single layer. Roast potatoes 20 minutes. Reverse baking sheets and roast until potatoes are crusty outside and tender inside, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes longer.

Submitted by Sarah Marder

RECIPE: Winter Squash Butter

Difficulty level: Intermediate

 

Makes 4 small jars 

·                       2 cups roasted squash

·                       1/2 cup brown or demerara sugar

·                       2 teaspoons spice blend of choice (see recipes for spice blends below)

·                       1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

·                       4 tablespoons apple cider (can substitute water)

1. (If you haven't yet roasted your squash, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, cut your winter squash of choice in half, remove the seeds and stringy bits, drizzle with a bit of neutral tasting oil, and roast until the flesh of the squash is very tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour.)
2. Scooping the roasted squash flesh from the skin, measure out two full cups of winter squash, packing it into the measuring cup.
3. In a food processor, combine all other ingredients and process until smooth.
4. Using a spatula, scrape the mixture from the food processor into a medium saucepan. Bring the squash mixture to a simmer, and continue to simmer, scraping the bottom to prevent sticking and burning, for 10 to 15 minutes, until it thickens and becomes velvety.
5. Allow the squash butter to cool, and then funnel into small jars. The butter will keep, refrigerated, for up to two weeks. (Please note that you can not safely can the squash butter.)

Cardamom-clove-star anise spice blend

·                       1 teaspoon whole cloves

·                       1 teaspoon cardamom seeds

·                       1 small piece of a star anise pod

·                       1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1. In a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder, pulverize the cloves, cardamom seeds, and star anise pod. Mix with ground cinnamon.

RECIPE: EASY Homemade Apple Sauce, Two Ways

Difficulty Level: EASY

1. Homemade Apple Sauce made on the stove

Ingredients:

• About 2 pounds of any variety of apples (I prefer to combine different kinds) peeled, cored, and diced into small chunks
• A splash of apple juice or apple cider (optional)
• Cinnamon, more or less to taste

Preparation Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a large pot, including about 1/4 cup water.  You don't want to cover the apples with liquid completely.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, then reduce heat to low (it should reduce by about half).

If you like your apple sauce chunky, just stir and mash with a spoon.  If you prefer apple sauce to be smooth, take the apple sauce off the stove and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Store in the fridge and serve by itself, over pork chops, over ice cream, over pancakes, or any place where applesauce is needed.  It's particularly tasty mixed in with oatmeal!

Submitted by Laura Grund

2. Oven Roasted Apple Sauce 
see my Instagram http://instagram.com/p/fYOk-QBaZM/

Ingredients:

•3 lbs mixed apples (I used Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, and Gala)

•1/4 cup water

•1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

•pinch of salt

•1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

•1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

•pinch of ground cloves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Peel, core and cut apples into eighths. In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples, water, brown sugar, salt, and spices and mix well.  Place mixture in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Roast apples until they are very soft (30 to 40 minutes).  Remove from oven and let cool slightly then process to desired consistency in a food processor (or with a potato masher). 

Serve warm, chilled, or at room temperature.  This applesauce should be refrigerated in an airtight container and used within 5 days. Great with roast pork loin.

 

Submitted by Erin Hotchkiss

RECIPE: Eggplant with Chunky Tomato Sauce

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Note: Simmering the eggplant in water removes the bitterness, gives it a creamy texture, and allows it to be cooked with no added fat.

servings: 4

Ingredients:

6 tomatoes

1 to 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish, or 1 teaspoon dried

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 small eggplants, (about 3 to 4 ounces each)

1 cup ricotta cheese

Directions:

1. Cut tomatoes into large chunks. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute garlic in olive oil until golden brown. Add tomatoes, thyme leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 7 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Keep warm.

2. While sauce is cooking, prick eggplants in several places with a fork. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, and add eggplants. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until eggplants are tender.

3. Drain eggplants, and place one on each of four plates. Slit open eggplants, and spoon some tomato sauce inside each one. Garnish each plate with a spoonful of ricotta and a sprig of thyme.

RECIPE: Bread Crumb Potatoes

Difficulty Level: EASY 

◾3 pounds potatoes

◾1 medium onion, coarsely cubed

◾2 cloves garlic, sliced thin

◾ juice of 1 lemon

◾olive oil

◾a few sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme (or dried)

◾1 tablespoon salt

◾ black pepper

◾1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

◾1/2 cups bread crumbs, plus another 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 450F, wash potatoes (leaving skin on) and cut into uniform size cubes or wedges.

2.Place cut up potatoes and all ingredients into a large bowl and toss well until everything is evenly coated.

3.Spread the potatoes onto a parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with 1/2 cup reserved bread crumbs and bake at 450F for 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway with spatula (careful not to knock the crumb crust off), till crispy and golden brown. This can also be done in a roasting pan on the barbecue.

 

Submitted by Sarah Marder