CSA News: Week 19- October 4 to October 10

This Week’s Share

Recipes

Eggplant Recipes

Baba Ghanoush
Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

Note: This recipe doubles very easily.

1 Italian eggplant
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon toasted coriander seed
1 teaspoon toasted cumin seed
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Paprika, for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Place eggplant on baking sheet, and make holes in the skin with a fork. Roast it for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, or until soft. Remove from oven, and place into a large bowl of cold water. Remove from water, and peel skin off. You can also allow to the eggplant to cool to handling temperature on its own and peel skin off. Place eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, sesame/coriander/cumin seeds, and garlic in an electric blender/food processor, and puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer eggplant mixture to a medium size mixing bowl, and slowly mix in olive oil. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Sprinkle paprika over the top just before serving.

Eggplant Parmigiana
From The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker & Ethan Becker

1 batch fresh tomato sauce (recipe below)
2 Italian eggplant
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 1/4 cups fresh bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2/3 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
2 teaspoons fresh parsley (optional)

Prepare 1 batch of fresh tomato sauce (recipe below). Peel and cut eggplant into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Salt, and let drain for 30 minutes if desired. If salting, turn into a thick towel and gently press out excess moisture. Lightly rub the pieces in the towel and rub off the salt and dry them.

Whisk together the eggs and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Dredge the eggplant rounds in flour. Shake off excess flour and then dredge in egg/oil mixture. Then dredge in breadcrumbs. Set eggplant aside and heat 1/4 cup olive oil to medium-high in a large skillet. Cook the eggplant slices (in batches if necessary) over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, turning with a spatula. Keep warm in a 200˚F oven while you finish cooking the rest. You may have to add more oil to the skillet if you fry the eggplant in batches. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Coat a 17×11-inch rimmed baking dish with half of the tomato sauce. Arrange the fried eggplant slices in a single layer or slightly overlapping. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle oregano and pepper.  Combine the mozzarella and Parmesan and sprinkle over the top. If using, sprinkle parsley over the top as well. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly and dish is heated thoroughly throughout, about 10-20 minutes. Serve at once.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Note: This uncooked tomato sauce is great for use in this Eggplant Parmigiana recipe, but is also great for using as a fresh sauce for pasta, polenta, pizza or anything you like tomato sauce on.

5 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (or 2 tablespoons dried basil)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Drain diced tomatoes in a colander for 20 minutes. Remove to a large bowl and stir in basil, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Let stand for 30 minutes. If serving over hot pasta, sprinkle each portion with 1 to teaspoons balsamic vinegar.

Joi Choi Recipe

Joi Choi with Apples
From the Rolling Prairie Cookbook by Nancy O’Connor

Note: You can also try this recipe with a shiitake mushroom variation. Omit the apples, add 1 cup fresh sliced shiitake mushrooms, substitute 1-teaspoon soy sauce for salt, and add freshly ground black pepper to taste.

1 head Joi Choi
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/4 cups onions, sliced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tart green apple, cut in cubes
2 to 3 tablespoon vegetable broth
1/2  teaspoon salt

Cut the leave of the Joi Choi stems and set aside. Slice stems on the diagonal. Cut greens into ribbons. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add onions and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add ginger, then bok choy stems and apples. Stir in as much broth or water as needed to prevent scorching. Stir-fry for approximately 5 minutes. Add bok choy greens, sprinkle with salt, and stir-fry until just wilted. Serve immediately. Serves 4. Great with pan fried tofu and basmati rice.

Turnip Recipe

Oven-Roasted Carrots and Turnips
From Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

4 medium carrots
1 bunch Hakurei turnips, greens removed (save greens to use in another dish)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Prepare the carrots and turnips so they are about the same size and shape (you may leave up to a 1/4-inch of their tops on if desired). Cut carrots into 1/8-inch slices on the diagonal. Halve or quarter the turnips lengthwise, and slice into 1/8-inch-thick pieces. In a large bowl, toss the carrots and turnips together with the olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. (Taste a raw vegetable to check seasoning.) Spread the vegetables evenly in a baking pan in a single layer, and roast, uncovered, stirring and tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked through and caramelized, 20 to 45 minutes. Serve as a side dish with roasted meats or chicken, or on top of creamy polenta for a hearty vegetarian meal, sprinkled with fresh chopped herbs. Serves 4 to 6.

Tomato Recipe

Tomato Bean Blend with Thyme
From Herbs Love Tomatoes, Pepper, Onions & Zucchini by Ruth Bass

2 to 3 sweet red peppers
8 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried)
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme (or 1 tablespoon dried)
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano (or 1 tablespoon dried)
2/3 cup fine, unflavored bread crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
4 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 can (16oz) black beans
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon capers

Preheat the broiler. Slice the red peppers lengthwise, removing stems and seeds. Place the peppers skin side up on a broiling pan and pop them under the broiler for 5 to 7 minutes, charring them. Place blackened peppers in a bag, close it tightly, and set aside for 10 minutes. In the meantime, set the oven to 375˚F. Remove the stem and blossom end from the tomatoes and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and finely chop. Combine the parsley, thyme, and oregano in a small bowl. Combine the bread crumbs and cheese in a separate bowl. Open the bag of peppers, taking care not to get burned by escaping steam. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the peppers and slice into strips. Mix the oil and vinegar, and pour half the mixture into a bake-and-serve dish. Add a layer of tomatoes and a thin layer of black beans. Sprinkle with some of the sun-dried tomatoes, herb mixture, and pepper to taste. Add a layer of pepper strips. Cover them with more tomato slices beans, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, pepper and salt to taste. Continue until all the vegetables have been used. Pour the rest of the oil an vinegar over the top; add the capers and the bread crumb mixture. Bake 30 minutes or until the top is browned and the tomatoes are soft. Cool on the counter, then refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Fresh Tomato Sauce
(see above in Eggplant Recipes)