SIO CSA Recipes Week 17, 2015
The weather and our share this week mean “soup!” You have some of the ingredients to make a vegetable bouillon paste I keep on hand in the cooler months. I’ve talked about it here before and it’s basically a delicious, fresh, economical alternative to boxed stock or broth and much quicker than home-made vegetable stock. And if, like me, you still have some celery root leftover, this is a great way to use it. And one batch of this concentrated base will make enough for about 40 meals! Happy cooking!
Veggie Bouillon
Cabbage Rolls
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Cabbage Soup)
Sweet Pepper, Sausage and Onion Pizza
Sweet Pepper and White Bean Salad with Pickled Red Onions and Basil
Celery Root, Carrot and Celery Slaw/Remoulade
Chicken Noodle Soup
Roasted Delicata Squash Slices with Rosemary
Joi Choi Stir Fry (over rice)
Veggie Bouillon
– adapted from The River Cottage Preserves Handbook by Pam Corbin
For me this is an essential item to have in the freezer for risotti, soups, braises, to cook grains and lentils in instead of water, etc. This recipe requires a food processor–borrow a neighbors if you don’t have one.
All you do is clean the appropriate veggies (carrots, onions, celery, celery root, parsley . . . .) and process them until they are very finely chopped, add lots of salt, process again and spoon into a jar. The salt keeps the paste scoop-able when frozen so it’s easy to use. Don’t be put off by the quantity of salt. This makes about 40- 50 meals worth of broth.
You can vary the amount and ratio of vegetables depending on what you have but keep the total quantity/weight more or less the same or increase or decrease the salt respectively. A general guide is 1/3 cup salt for each 2 cups of finely processed veggies/herbs.
5 ounces leek, sliced and well-washed
(about 1 medium)
7 ounces carrots, well scrubbed and chopped
(about 3-4 medium)
3.5 ounces celery (about 2 big stalks)
3.5 ounces celery root (celeriac), peeled and chopped (about a 3” x 3″ chunk) or a bit more stalk celery if you don’t have celery root
1 ounce sun-dried tomatoes
(about 6 dried tomatoes) (optional)
3.5 ounces onion or shallots, peeled (2 small shallots or 1/2 a small-medium onion)
1 medium garlic clove
6 ounces coarse sea salt or kosher salt (scant 1 cup)
1.5 ounces parsley, stems and all, roughly chopped
(about 1/3 of a bunch)
2 ounces cilantro, stems and all, roughly chopped (about ½ bunch)
Place the first four ingredients in your food processor and process until well broken down. Add the next three ingredients, and process again. Add the salt, process some more. Then add the parsley and cilantro. You may need to stir up the vegetables and herbs, so they all get processed evenly.
You should end up with a moist, loose paste of sorts. Pack the paste into a quart jar or container and freeze it for the next 2-3 months. Because of all the salt the bouillon stays scoop-able when frozen for easy use.
Start by using 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons of bouillon paste per 1 cup (250 ml), and adjust from there based on your personal preference.
Cabbage Rolls
These are a bit of a project but so fun to make, so beautiful to behold and so scrumptious to eat. This makes quite a bit and they improve on day 2 so if you’re going to go to the trouble of making them, it’s worth making this many.
Serves 4-6 (about 10 rolls)
1 large savoy cabbage (you won’t use all of it)
2 thick slices good crusty bread, crusts removed and slices crumbled
2/3 cup whole milk
4 good quality plain pork sausages, skins removed or about 14 ounces of bulk sausage.
5 sage leaves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 28-ounce can pureed or crushed plum tomatoes (you want quite a smooth sauce so break up any bigger bits of tomatoes) or 4 cups diced, fresh tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Clove of garlic, peeled and gently squashed with the back of a knife
Discard the very tough outer cabbage leaves and choose 9 nice, large leaves. Blanch these in boiling salted water for a few moments until supple. Drain the leaves, pat them dry and then spread them out on a clean dish towel.
Soak the bread in the milk – mashing it gently with a wooden spoon – until it forms a soft thick paste. Mix the bread paste with the sausage meat, rosemary and sage, parmesan, a grind of pepper and a few pinches of salt. I use my hands to gently but thoroughly combine it.
To make the rolls: If necessary cut away some of the fat stalk so the leaf lies flat. Using your hands, make a ball of sausage mixture roughly the size of a golf-ball and place it about a third of the way up from the base of the leaf. Bring the bottom third up and over the ball, tuck the two sides of the leaf in and then roll the sausage filled bottom third over the top two-thirds of the leaf tucking the leaf back around the whole parcel. Secure with a toothpick.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and cook the garlic clove until fragrant and turning golden, but be careful not to burn it. Add the tomatoes, stir and bring the sauce to a gentle boil. Lower the heat until the sauce simmers and place the rolls carefully into the sauce.
Cover the pan and gently simmer the rolls for 25 minutes, turn them, replace the lid and simmer for another 25 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another 10 mines so the sauce reduces a little Let the parcels sit for 15 minutes before serving with mashed potatoes.
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Cabbage Soup)
–adapted very slightly from Tender by Nigel Slater
Savoy cabbage is very good in this traditional Portuguese soup. One fresh chorizo (about 4 ounces) is enough to flavor this soup but if you have meat lovers at the table feel free to use another. If you’d like to make this without meat, I would add 1 teaspoon of smoked Spanish paprika (Pimenton) and another clove or two of garlic at the beginning. This soup is even better the next day even though it’s not going to win any beauty contests.
Serves 4
Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized chunks
6 cups broth or water (I use veggie bouillon broth, above)
2 bay leaves
1-2 fresh chorizo sausage (about 4 oz.), cut into thin rounds
(see headnote)
4 -5 cups cabbage, cored and cut into thin strips or kale (see headnote)
Salt and pepper
Good olive oil for drizzling
Sauté the onion and garlic over medium-low heat in a large pot in a bit of olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for a few more minutes before adding the water (or broth), bay leaves and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are quite soft. Meanwhile fry the slices of chorizo in a small pan until they are crisp and the fat has been rendered.
Mash the potatoes in the pot with a fork or potato masher until partially broken down. You want the potatoes to thicken the soup but also leave plenty of lumps. Add the cabbage and cook for a few minutes until tender. Add the chorizo, adjust for salt and serve the soup drizzled with good olive oil and another grind of pepper.
Sweet Pepper, Sausage, and Onion Pizza
Sweet peppers, sausage and onions are a classic combination and probably my husband’s favorite pizza topping. And late summer/early fall is the time of year to take advantage. I often use the whole wheat pizza dough from Grand Central Bakery, though I was a whole wheat pizza dough skeptic for a long time, I’ve been totally converted. But by all means make your own if you have time.
1 (14oz) ball pizza dough
3 sweet Italian peppers, washed, halved, deseeded and cut into ½-inch slices
½ a large onion, thinly sliced
1 4-ounce (more or less) pork sausage, spicy or mild, crumbled or sliced
Scant ½ cup Parmesan or Asiago Stella
Olive oil
Salt
Preheat oven (or grill) to 500 degrees with a pizza stone if you have one.
In a large skillet heat a little olive oil. Add the peppers and onion and a pinch or two of salt and cook rapidly, stirring often over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until softening and browning. Add the sausage and cook for another 4-5 minutes. It doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through as it will finish in the oven.
Flour a pizza peel or the back of a cookie sheet. Stretch out your dough into a nice big round-ish shape and place on the peel. Working quickly brush the dough with a bit of olive oil and then evenly distribute the remaining ingredients, ending with the parmesan. You can also hold off and add the Parmesan at the end when you take it out. Sprinkle the whole thing with sea salt.
With a decisive but careful couple of jerks of your wrist transfer the pizza directly onto the hot stone. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are browned and the toppings are beginning to brown as well.
Sweet Pepper and White Bean Salad with Pickled Red Onions and Basil
As with most salads, you can scale this up or down, however, you’d like and you can change the ratio of beans to vegetables to suit your taste and what you have on hand. Just taste and adjust the dressing accordingly. I tend to make a good amount of this salad since it keeps well and makes a good lunch the next day.
3 cups cooked and drained white beans (or canned and rinsed and drained) (navy, cannellini, lima, etc.)
2-3 sweet peppers, seeded and cut into small dice
1/3-1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped or torn
1/2 cup or so cherry or other tomatoes, diced (optional)
1/3 cup quick pickled red onion (just thinly sliced red onions in red-wine vinegar)
2-3 teaspoons red wine vinegar (from the pickled onions is fine) or more to taste
2-3 tablespoons best olive oil you have
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Mix everything together in a salad bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Enjoy with good crusty bread, some wedges of hardboiled egg or another salad.
Celery Root, Carrot and Celery Slaw/Remoulade
If you have celery root leftover make this coupled with this week’s celery.
I include Remoulade in the title as it is similar to the classic French salad that uses exclusively celery root and a mustard and mayonnaise dressing with lots of lemon and vinegar.
If you have a mandoline or benriner this is the time to use it. If you don’t a sharp knife and a little patience will yield good results too. This salad keeps well and while softer the next day is just as good or better.
1/2 small to medium celery root, trimmed, peeled and cut into julienne (see headnote)
1 large or 2 smaller carrots, cut into julienne (see headnote)
2-3 stalks celery, ideally with leaves attached, thinly sliced crosswise
1-2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced (both white and green parts)
1/2 of the below dressing (or a bit more)–use the rest to dress boiled potatoes or other roots or hearty greens
Dressing:
1 shallot (or similar-sized piece of red onion), minced
1 scallion, finely chopped, including all the green part
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard (you can use whole grain or smooth)
1/3 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream or plain whole milk yogurt (Greek yogurt would be fine too)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine or sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and finely chopped
Salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper
Mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Put the celery root, carrots and celery in a large salad bowl.
Toss with about half of the dressing and toss it with the vegetables. Taste and add more dressing or adjust seasoning. Store remaining dressing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Chicken Noodle Soup
You can change the ratio of vegetables, meat, stock, etc. Add other vegetables (add sweet peppers, savoy cabbage etc.). This is quite a basic version of this classic soup.
Serves 4-6
Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into rounds or half-rounds if large
3 stalks celery and a handful or two of celery leaves, chopped
2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/ 1/2 – 2 quarts chicken stock or combination of chicken stock and veggie bouillon broth (above) or just vegetable broth
2 cups chicken meat, cut into bite-sized pieces (cooked or raw)
1 -2 cups pasta (1 cup if it’s a small shape like small elbow macaroni, etc. or 2 cups if it’s fusili like in the photo or penne or egg noodles)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Fresh parsley and/or scallions for garnish (optional)
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and add the onions, carrot, celery and parsley and sauté for 5-10 minutes until softened. The longer you cook it the richer the flavor. Add the stock or broth and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta and the chicken meat and cook until the pasta is just al dente (it will continue to soften as it sits.) Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Garnish as you’d like and serve.
Roasted Delicata Squash Slices with Rosemary or Sage
This is always the first thing I make with Delicata squash in the fall. Use however much you have–it will disappear, no matter how much you make. It’s quick as you don’t need to peel the squash as it’s tender enough to eat the skin once roasted.
1-2 delicata squash, halved lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed and sliced into 1/3-inch thick half rounds
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or sage
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 – 1 teaspoon sea salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Toss the squash slices with the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Spread onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until browning and tender. Flip the slices half way through the baking time.
Joi Choi Stir Fry
This is a delicious way to prepare joi choi. And the sauce works beautifully for any other quick vegetable stir fries as well. The Sichuan peppercorns are pretty key here–it’s worth getting a jar of them and they keep well. They’re more floral and complexly flavored than black pepper though you could use 1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper corns in a pinch here.
Serves 3-ish
1 large or several smaller heads joi choi, stalks separated and washed and stems and leaves cut into 1-inch or so ribbons/slices
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 scant tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, crushed a bit (see headnote)
2 whole star anise
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 ½ tablespoons Chinese rice cooking wine (Mirin) or dry sherry
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Steamed rice
Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt lightly.
Meanwhile heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add the garlic, ginger, star anise and crushed pepper corns and sauté for a minute or two until very fragrant and just starting to brown, stirring often. Add the remainder of the ingredients, except the joi choi and rice, and bring to a simmer and cook for about 4-5 minutes at a simmer. Scrape all of the sauce out of the sauce pan and transfer to a wok or large skillet though discard the star anise.
Drop the choi into the boiling water and cook for about 3-5 minutes—taste after 2 minutes. The length of time will depend on the size of your pot/amount of water and strength of burner. Drain the joi choi and add it to the sauce in the skillet. Cook over high heat for just 1 minute or so to combine well. Serve hot over rice.