This Week’s Share
- Beets
- Garlic
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Romanesco
- Sweet Peppers
- Turnips, Hakurei
- Winter Squash, Pumpkins
On Rotation
Share Notes
- Beets: Beets are back this week, and will be accompanied by their beautiful and tasty greens. Try sautéing the greens up in olive oil and garlic or using them in an omelet or scramble.
- Lettuce: Enjoy the lettuce in your share this week, it is some of the season’s last. Be sure to wash the base of the leaves well to remove any remaining soil.
- Romanesco: The beautiful pale lime green romanesco is a variant of cauliflower, and can be used in much the same way. Its flavor is somewhat more delicate than that of regular cauliflower, and can be cooked in any fashion suitable for regular cauliflower (being careful not to overcook). With its fractal geometry, mild flavor, and tender bite it also makes appealing crudités.
- Winter Squash: This week’s squash is a pumpkin variety called Snackjack, and it produces hull-less seeds that are ideal for roasting. Look forward to more pumpkins for Thanksgiving.
Recipes
Beet Recipes
Basic Baked Beets
From Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon
Whole fresh beets, all about the same size, green removed but “tails” and 3/4 inch of stem intact, very well scrubbed and dried
Mild vegetable oil, such as corn, canola, or peanut
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat each beet with oil. Individually wrap the oiled beets in sheets of foil. Place the beets in the preheated oven. Bake until done, testing with a fork (the fork should go in easily, but the beet should still offer a tiny bit of resistance). This could be as little as 35 minutes if beets are very small, up to 90 minutes if they are large. Remove from the oven and let cool. When the beets are cool enough to handle, unwrap and, if desired, slip the skins off (they will come off easily). Cut large beets into eighths, medium into quarters or halve or slice crosswise; small ones can be left whole. Refrigerate for later use or finish as directed in a specific recipe, such as the one below.
Scallioned Beets and Their Greens in Herbed Mustard Sauce
From Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup vegetable stock
3 tablespoons coarse-ground Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Yogurt Sour Cream, tofu sour cream, reduced-fat sour cream or the real thing
2 teaspoons butter (or olive oil or vegetable margarine)
3 to 4 scallions, roots and wilted greens removed, finely diced
1 to 2 bunches beets greens (whatever came off the baked beets), washed, stems finely diced, leaves stacked and sliced in 1/4 inch ribbons
8-10 small-medium baked beets, halved or 4 to 5 large baked beets cut into wedges
2 to 4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of stock in a small bowl. Smush together with your fingertips to dissolve the cornstarch, then whisk in the remaining stock, along with the mustard and yogurt sour cream. Set aside. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and beet greens and sauté for 1 minute, then cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and add the beets and garlic to the pan and toss until just heated through, about 1 minute. Whisk the mustard mixture. Quickly stir it into beets. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is hot and thick, 1 minute at most. Stir in the parsley and basil. Taste. If there is a raw cornstarch taste, cook a minute longer. Serve immediately
Romanesco Recipe
Roasted Romanesco
From www.nofearentertaining.blogspot.com
Romanesco, trimmed into bite-sized pieces and cleaned as you would broccoli or cauliflower
Olive oil
salt and pepper
sliced garlic
parmesan cheese grated
Preheat oven to 400. In a bowl toss all of the ingredients. Spread the seasoned romanesco out on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes or until just tender.
Winter Squash Recipes
Pumpkin Pancakes
Adapted from www.allrecipes.com
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree (from pumpkins in your share this week, or canned)
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/3-1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/3-1/2 cup rolled oats (optional)
In a medium bowl mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. In a large bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Stir the liquid pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients, just enough to combine. Add chopped walnuts and/or rolled oats if desired. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with maple syrup.
Pumpkin Curry Soup
Adapted from www.cooks.com
5 tbsp. butter
2 15-oz. cans pumpkin (not pie filling)
2 cups leeks, chopped (white and pale-green parts only)
3/4 cups onion, chopped
3/4 tsp. salt
2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 tsp. curry powder (or to taste)
1 tbsp. fresh minced ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cayenne
6 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
pinch of sugar
To prepare soup, melt butter in a heavy 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and onion and sauté until onions are softened, about 15 minutes. Mix in apples, pumpkin, sugar and spices. Add stock and cider and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Purée soup in pan with immersion blender (or working in batches, purée soup in blender). This can be made up to 2 days before using. Just reheat soup slowly to a simmer when ready to use.
Optional Toppings
Fresh chives, chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Whip cream and nutmeg to a soft peak, and have a bowl of nutmeg whipped cream available for topping soup. Top soup with chives as well.