Cooler weather is promised for later in the week which is a good thing since the vegetables are calling for slower cooking, warming dishes and hearty flavors. And by all means cook all your beets at once (boiled or roasted) and use them in salads, sandwiches (with goat cheese and herbs and onions). I’ve included a couple of dishes that call for some of last week’s produce (in combination with this weeks’s) as I was slow to get through my last share, but just adapt to this week’s produce if you don’t have anything leftover. . . .Happy cooking!
Braised Fennel, Sweet Peppers and Onions (over Pasta . . .)
Simple Italian-style Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes
Rich Parsley Soup (link)
“Everything” Frittata
Roasted Winter Squash with Salsa Verde
Classic Sweet, Buttery Baked Acorn Squash
Caramelized Onions with Collard Greens
Onion and Fennel Soup with Cheesy Toast
Beet and Carrot “Lemonade” Salad
Beet Pesto
Braised Fennel, Sweet Peppers and Onions (over Pasta . . .)
Serves 4-6
SIO member Jessica Roberts also sent me a Deborah Madison recipe for a fennel pasta dish that inspired this version. It takes a little while to cook but is dead simple and versatile. I just had it as is for lunch one day this week.
You can toss this dish with just-cooked pasta and a bit of hot pasta cooking water and some grated Parmesan and a good drizzle of olive oil for a luscious dish. Or you can serve it as a side with most anything or top it with an egg. . ..
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise
1-2 sweet peppers, trimmed, seeded and sliced
½ large onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons cider vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have except for balsamic which is too sweet)
1 ½ cups water, divided
Salt
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Grated Parmesan
¾ lb pasta (optional)
Good olive oil
Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Add the onions, fennel and pepper and a pinch or two of salt. Toss well and cook over high heat for 7-10 minutes or so, stirring frequently until the vegetables are browning in places. Add the vinegar and 1 cup water and a bit more salt. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the water is mostly absorbed. Add the remaining ½ cup water and continue cooking until the fennel is tender throughout and all the water has been absorbed/evaporated. Taste and adjust seasoning and drizzle with a little good olive oil. See headnote for serving suggestions.
Simple Italian-style Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes
Such a satisfying and simple dish. A big green salad and/or some crusty bread and you’re set. And if you still have a few tomatoes lying around you’ll be set.
Serves 4-6
3-4 sweet yellow or red peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 chicken, cut into 10 pieces
¾ cup dry white wine
1- 1 ½ lbs tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup halved, pitted, cured black olives (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, optional
Preheat the broiler. Roast the peppers, turning until all sides are blackened and blistered. Remove from oven and put in a bowl, covered by a plate to steam. When cool enough to handle, peel and seed and cut into strips.
Heat the oil in large, deep skillet. Add the chicken pieces, working in batches if you need to, and cook, turning to brown all sides. Return all the chicken to the pan (if you had to work in batches) and season generously with salt and pepper, add the garlic and the wine and cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Stir in the tomatoes and peppers and simmer, loosely covered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the olives, if using, and cook another 5 or so minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through. If the sauce is too thin for your taste (as it sometimes is for mine) remove the chicken pieces and keep covered on a plate and reduce the sauce on high heat for a few minutes. Then put the chicken back in.
Rich Parsley Soup
If you still have parsley leftover (or have lots in your garden—both of which I have/had) this soup would be great. Many thanks to SIO member Jessica Roberts for drawing my attention to this fabulous “CSA” recipe. http://www.savorsa.com/2012/03/keep-it-green-with-this-rich-parsley-soup/
“Everything” Frittata
I know I include these frequently but this last month has been particularly busy and I often make something like this the night before the next share arrives. I did it yesterday with kale, parsley, sweet peppers, scallions, onions and a bit of egg-but it was more veggies than egg for sure. I had some feta to add as well. I added a little Aleppo pepper which gave it a nice underlying, earthy note.
Serves 4 as an entrée 5-6 as a side.
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup chopped parsley
1 bunch kale, washed, trimmed and tough stems removed and thinly sliced
2 sweet peppers, washed, seeded and thinly sliced
4-6 eggs (or whatever you have or want to use–see headnote)
Feta or other cheese (optional)
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional)
Salt
Heat the oil in a heavy sauté pan or well-seasoned cast iron pan or non-stick (if it’s heatproof and can go in the oven). Add the onions, scallions and peppers and a few generous pinches of salt and sauté them over med-high heat, stirring often so as not to burn, for about 5 minutes. Add the kale and continue cooking, covered, until the vegetables are tender. You may need to add a splash of water to ensure even cooking and avoid burning.
Set your oven to broil.
Lightly whisk the eggs until they’re just broken up—no need to get them frothy or really well mixed. Add a few more pinches of salt and several grinds of pepper. Pour eggs over the vegetables and tilt the pan to evenly distribute the eggs. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the eggs, if using. Cover and cook on medium heat for a few minutes. When the eggs are beginning to set take the pan off the heat and set under the broiler until the eggs are cooked and slightly puffed and golden.
Let the frittata sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving. It will come out of the pan much more easily that way and is more flavorful. Serve with a slice of good, crusty bread and/or a salad.
Roasted Winter Squash with Salsa Verde
Serves 4
I taught this dish in the very first cooking class I ever taught. I’m very fond of it for that reason and because it’s just a nice combination of warm roasted squash and bright, fresh acidic parsley sauce. If you have parsley leftover from last week you can make the sauce or use another herb of your choice.
Halve an acorn squash and scrape out the seeds and strings. Cut into about 2-inch thick wedges. Sprinkle the cut sides generously with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until tender when pierced with a fork.
When cool enough to handle, scoop flesh out of skin and place in a bowl, generously drizzle with salsa verde (from previous week’s recipe).
Classic Sweet, Buttery Baked Acorn Squash
My mother used to halve acorn squash, salt the insides and then put a generous pat of butter in each halve and a tablespoon or so of brown sugar. She’d bake them, cut side up on a sheet pan at 350/375 degrees until tender and browning around the edges. Serve as is with a spoon!
Collard Greens with Caramelized Onions
Simple and delicious.
Olive oil, butter or bacon fat
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 bunch collards, tough ends removed but leave the rib in, washed
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, optional (or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Caramelize the onions in a wide skillet with a bit of your choice of fat and a few pinches of salt and the cayenne. Stir occasionally and cook for about 15-20 minutes on medium to medium-high heat until very soft and starting to brown.
Meanwhile slice the collard leaves into thin strips and cook in salted, boiling water for 6-8 minutes. You want them to be tender but still bright green with a little texture. Drain well and add to the onions. Mix well and cook for another 5-6 minutes to marry the flavors and soften the greens a bit more. Adjust seasoning to your taste and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice or drizzle of balsamic or sherry vinegar if you’d like.
Onion and Fennel Soup with Cheesy Toast
This is a bit like a simplified French onion soup. The cheesy toast gets a nice kick from the thin layer of mustard, which complements the sweetness of the onions and fennel.
Slice enough onions to make about 3 cups
Slice enough fennel, very thinly (after trimming the bulb) to make 2 1/2 cups
Olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves fresh or dried
5 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 slices good, crusty bread
1-2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
3 ounces Gruyere, Emmental or sharp cheddar
In a large, heavy pot cook onion and fennel in a bit of olive oil along with the thyme until soft and translucent and getting pale brown. Add the wine to the onions and scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to get up all the brown bits. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes and then add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer and cook gently for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Depending on how salty your stock is you’ll need more or less additional salt and pepper.
Meanwhile toast the bread and spread the toast thinly with mustard and then heavily sprinkle the bread with a grated cheese. Put the bread on a baking sheet and set under the broiler until the edges are crisp and brown and the cheese is bubbling.
Portion the soup into wide, deep plates or bowls and top with a cheesy toast and serve immediately.
Carrot and Beet “Lemonade” Salad
This is a sweet tart salad that is hard to stop eating. Quantities listed are just suggestions. You can use whatever you want/have on hand and skip any one of the three main ingredients.
3 medium carrots, grated on the large holes of a box grater or with grating blade of a food processor.
1-2 medium beets, peeled and grated
1 crunchy apple, peeled and grated
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey (warmed a bit if too stiff to mix easily with the other ingredients)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Mix the grated vegetables in a salad bowl. Be careful when grating the beet as the beet juice will splatter far and wide. I grate the beet in a bowl in the sink to prevent excessive messes. Add all the dressing ingredients and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Add some chopped fresh mint or parsley or chives if you’d like.
Beet Pesto
This is a delicious and beautiful variation on regular pesto. And if you have cooked or roasted beets on hand it’s very quick to pull together. You can serve over grains, hardboiled eggs or other egg dishes or roasted veggies or as a spread or dip. I don’t tend to use it over pasta, however, as somehow the even pink coating doesn’t seem quite right to me.
1 1/2 cups cooked, diced beets
Generous handful of walnuts, toasted or raw (or hazelnuts or almonds)
1 small clove garlic
About ¼ -1/3 cup grated Parmesan or other hard cheese
¼ cup good-tasting olive oil
Salt and pepper
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice or 1 teaspoon of cider, white wine or sherry vinegar
Process the cheese and nuts first until finely ground. Then add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust seasoning to your liking.
To use with pasta, dilute with ¼ cup of hot pasta-cooking water before tossing with cooked pasta. Top with extra cheese.