CSA News: Week 28- December 6 to December 12

This Week’s Share

SIO is Keeping it Local in 2012…right down to the Recipes!

As we begin to plan for 2012 we wanted to let you know about an exciting change we will be making to our Blog for next season. We will be teaming up with Katherine Duemling (pictured above) and her SE Portland based Cook with What you Have (www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com) to bring you weekly recipes and other cooking tips related to your weekly share.

Katherine says “I help people cook more often and have fun in the kitchen by becoming confident, creative cooks using what grows in our fertile region. By offering tips, recipes and simple and creative ways to use the produce I hope to eliminate any fear or guilt of not using all the produce or the boredom of making stir-fries every night”.

Katherine’s recipes and tips will appear weekly on our blog and you can also follow her on her blog (http://cookwithwhatyouhave.wordpress.com/) where she talks about the ups and downs and the whats and whys of feeding a family well in this busy world.

Katherine also teaches classes focusing on what’s in season. The classes typically focus on straightforward weeknight dinners. Her most popular class is a series called Eat Better: Kitchen Fundamentals, Pantry Stocking, and 30-minute dinners. Rather than focusing on how to cut an onion or make salad dressing the focus of this series is on an approach to ingredients and food and building confidence and technique to be creative and successful in the kitchen, i.e. comfort in adapting recipes; substituting when necessary; tasting and adjusting as you go; and learning lots of new recipes using what is in season in our region.

We look forward to having Katherine’s recipes and tips as part of our blog in 2012, but for now check out her recipe for Winter Veggie Hash below!

Recipes

Carrot Recipes

Quick Winter Veggie Hash with Salsa Verde and Poached Egg
From the Cook with What You Have Blog by Kathering Duemling

This is a quick way to use a variety of vegetables such as zucchini, potatoes, parsnips, all of which you can grate. You can also use veggies you can’t grate but cut into small dice like peppers, broccoli, etc. It’s a great brunch or dinner dish. It can be adapted in many ways. You can add any leftover meat or add bacon or sausage. It’s fabulous with the salsa verde but if you don’t have time or interest in that, toss in the herbs noted below.

Serves 4

3 medium carrots, scrubbed trimmed and grated on the large holes of box grater, or w/ food processor (could also use potatoes)
1 small delicata squash, cut in half, seeds and strings removed and grated
1/2 onion, diced or several scallions sliced into thin rounds (could also use leek)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Handful of basil or parsley, chopped, or 2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional–see note above)
4 eggs, poached (see below)

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Add the onions and veggies all at once. Add a couple of pinches of salt and stir well. Cook on high heat for several minutes and then turn down to medium-high as the veggies start to brown. Cook for about 7-10 minutes until veggies are tender and a bit browned. Just before the veggies are done add the chopped herbs, if using. Adjust for salt and add freshly ground pepper.

Poaching Eggs

Bring plenty of water to boil in a wide pot. Add about 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar to the water. The vinegar is the trick to pretty poached eggs so don t skimp on it. One at a time crack an egg into a small bowl and slide it gently into the boiling water. Continue until all eggs are in the water. Cook for about 4-5 minutes to get firm whites and runny yolks. Lift out of the water with a slotted spoon. You can trim the edges if they are really ratty.

Serve the hash topped with a poached egg and a tablespoon or so of Salsa Verde, see recipe below.

Salsa Verde

This is a versatile, zippy sauce. I often just make it with parsley garlic, lemon juice, oil and salt but the addition of capers, onions and egg make it even better.

You can use a food processor for this since (except the egg white which you add at the very end, chopped by hand) but you can also just chop everything by hand. It‘s not intended to have a smooth, uniform texture so don’t overprocess if you go that route.

1 1/2 cups finely chopped parsley (about one medium bunch)
Grated zest of 1-2 lemons
1 shallot or chunk of onion, finely diced (optional)
2-3 tablespoons capers, rinsed (optional)
1-2 small garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or white or red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 hard-boiled egg (optional)

Combine all the ingredients except the egg, salt, and pepper. Mash the egg yolk until smooth, adding a little of the sauce to thin it. Finely chop the white. Stir the yolk and the white back into the sauce, season with salt and pepper and adjust lemon/vinegar as needed.

Collard Greens Recipes

Black-eyed Peas and Collard Greens
From Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka

1/2 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) black-eyed peas
1 pound smoked pork neck bones or ham hocks
2 dried cayenne peppers
1 pound collard greens, stems removed, cleaned and cut into 1-inch strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Soak the peas in water to cover at room temperature for 6 hours. Drain. In a 4-quart pot, bring 3 cups water and the neck bones to a boil. Lower the heat to simmering. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add the drained peas and the peppers. Cook and cover for 30 minutes. Stir in the collard greens. There should be enough liquid to cover the greens; if not, add water as needed. Simmer, stirring, until the greens and peas are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the peppers and pork bones or ham hocks; let the pork cool slightly. Set the pot aside. When the pork is cool enough to handle, remove the meat and coarsely shred it. Return to the pot and season with salt and pepper. This can be made up to 3 days ahead; reheat over low heat, adding water and seasoning as needed.

Collards with Potatoes
Adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

1 pound collard greens, thick stems removed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and coarsely diced
3 or 4 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces (optional)
2 tablespoons peanut or olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 plump garlic cloves, finely chopped
Good pinch red pepper flakes
Hot pepper sauce or vinegar for the table

Stem and wash the greens. Bring a few quarts of water to a boil. Add salt and the greens, then simmer for 10 minutes. Scoop them into a bowl. Add the potatoes to the cooking water and simmer until tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until browned. Set it on paper towels to drain, discard the fat, and wipe out the pan. Return the pan to the heat, add the oil, and when it’s hot, add the onion. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Coarsely chop the cooked greens, then add them to the pan along with the garlic and pepper flakes. Scoop some of the potato water into the pan as well so that everything cooks in a little moisture, add more water as needed. When the potatoes are tender, scoop them out and add them to the greens. Add the bacon, then toss everything together. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Keep everything distinct or mash the potatoes in to the greens. It’s messy looking this way, but especially good. Season with pepper sauce or vinegar to taste. Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a side.

Leek Recipes

Potato Leek Soup
From www.simplyrecipes.com

2 large leeks, cut lengthwise and chopped (use only the white and pale green parts)
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)*
2 pounds potatoes, peeled (if desired), diced into 1/2 inch pieces
Marjoram – dash
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce
Salt & Pepper

Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan, cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Check often. Do not brown leeks! Browning will give leeks a burnt taste. Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan. Add marjoram, parsley, and thyme. Add a few dashes of chili sauce to taste. Add some freshly ground pepper, 1-2 teaspoons salt or more to taste.

Lamb and Leek Flatbread
From Recipes from the Root Cellar by Andrea Chesman

Note: Think of this as a Greek pizza, and you have some idea what’s to come.

1/2 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe below)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces ground lamb
1 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoon pine nuts (optional)

Prepare the pizza dough and set aside in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, heat the 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the lamb to the skillet and sauté until browned, about 8 minutes. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and combine with the leeks. Sprinkle with the rosemary and season generously with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 500˚F. Lightly oil a 10-inch or 12-inch round pizza pan or a 12-by 15-inch baking sheet. Stretch the dough to fit the pan. Brush the dough with a little olive oil. Scatter the lamb mixture over the pizza dough. Top with feta and pine nuts, if using. Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven until the crust is golden, about 12 minutes. Slice and serve warm.

Potatoes Recipes

Potato Leek Soup
(see above in Leek Recipes)

Collards with Potatoes
(see above in Collard Greens Recipes)

Winter Squash Recipes

Curried Lentil-Stuffed Delicata Squash
From Recipes from the Root Cellar by Andrea Chesman

1 cup channa dhal, or yellow split peas
7 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 larger or 3 smaller Delicata squashes
3 tablespoons sunflower, peanut, or canola oil
2 medium onions (or leeks), thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup buttermilk (or coconut milk)
Hot cooked rice, for serving

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Combine lentils, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, slices the squashes in half horizontally. Remove and discard the seeds and fiber. Place skin-side up in a baking dish and add 1-inch of water to the dish. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the squashes are partially tender. While the squashes are baking, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, cumin, and curry powder, and sauté gently until the onions are golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the lentils and return to the pan. Stir the onion mixture and buttermilk into lentils and cook over low heat, stirring, until the lentils are creamy, about 5 minutes. Drain the water from the baking dish that holds the squashes. Turn the squashes flesh-side up an fill with lentil mixture. Return to the oven to bake for 20 minutes, until the squashes are completely tender. Serve hot, accompanied by the rice.

Quick Winter Veggie Hash with Poached Egg and Salsa Verde
(see above in Carrot Recipes)