CSA 2013 Winter Share 1

Winter Share 1 Bounty:

Green tomatoes 
Turnips (and greens)

Onions
Acorn Squash
Kohlrabi
Garlic
Carrots 

Leaf lettuce Mix

Broccoli spears

Peppers

Spicy Greens Mix (brassicas, oriental kale, purple kale)

Gold Potatoes

Cilantro

Red Cabbage

Bright Lights Chard

Kale

Bok Choi

Collard Greens

Dilled pickles in a glass canning jar 
Tomato sauce in a glass canning jar

Meal #1: (tomatoes, potatoes, turnips, onions, squash, kohlrabi, garlic, carrots)

Image from whatwouldcathyeat.com

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chickpea and Vegetable Stew
I used all carrots from share, two small squashes (which I pre-roasted so that I could scoop out the meat), and I added turnips, turnip greens and kohlrabi.  I doubled the broth and spices to balance the recipe.  When it was all cooked I put it in the Ninja and pulsed it a few times.  We served it over whole wheat couscous. Everyone devoured it.  Definitely a recipe to make again.  Fortunately, we still have leftovers and two more containers that went into the freezer!  

2 large carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces (or a big handful of baby carrots) 
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 small gold potatoes 

(I also added turnips and greens and kohlrabi)
2 cups soaked dried chickpeas (or 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
14 oz. diced tomatoes with juices
2 c vegetable broth
2 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ginger
1 cinnamon stick
4 large cloves garlic
1 yellow onion diced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Place carrots, butternut squash, potatoes, chickpeas, and tomatoes in the slow cooker. Add vegetable broth, spices, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cover and cook at low heat for 6 hours or until vegetables and beans are tender. Taste and add more salt and pepper and spices if more flavor is desired. Serve over rice or couscous or with flatbread. Sprinkle with cilantro, almonds, and raisins. * Recipe from yummymummykitchen.com

Meal #2 (onion, carrot, garlic, bok choi, tomatoes, mushrooms)
I modified this for the crock pot. We used the entire duck, inerds removed. Put all other ingredients on the bottom of crockpot and placed the duck on top. Cooked for 3 hours on high, checked that inner temperature was 185 degrees Fahrenheit.  Then we removed the skin and bones and placed meat in our Kitchen Ninja and pulsed a few times to shred the meat.  We used an immersion blender to puree the vegetables and stock.  Then combined and served over pasta.  Love, love, LOVE this dish!

Image from thepalladiantraveler.com

Bigoli al'anatra (Duck Bigoli)
4 duck legs and thighs, skin removed
4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped into 1/4-inch dice (substituted bok choi stems)
8 ounces red wine (Chianti preferred)
1 (28-ounce can) tomatoes, peeled whole
1 cup chicken stock
2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper Wash the duck legs and remove all fat. Pat dry. In a heavy-bottomed casserole or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil until smoking. Add the duck legs and cook until brown on all sides and remove, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and celery and cook until softened, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add the wine, tomatoes, chicken stock and dried mushrooms and bring to a boil. Add the duck legs and return to a boil, lower the heat, cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour. Remove the duck legs and allow to cool. Pull all meat off the bones and return to pot, without the bones. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until quite thick. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Fill a large pot with 6 quarts water and add 2 tablespoons salt. Cook bigoli until "al dente", about 8 to 9 minutes. Heat the sauce, drain pasta and toss in pan. Toss to coat and serve immediately. * Recipe from Mario Batali

Meal #3 (chard)
Chard and Bacon Pasta
We pan-cooked the bacon until crispy and removed from the pan onto a paper towel.  Then we sauteed the chard in the bacon grease.  We crumbled the bacon into the chard and served it over pasta. Salt and pepper as needed.

Side #1 (leaf lettuce mix)

Side salad with chia seeds and olive oil and balsamic vinagrette.  We shared this at a dinner with friends.

Side #2 (kale)
Baked Kale Chips
(Served with leftovers)
1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt, for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes. Serve as finger food. * Recipe from Melissa d'Arabian at foodnetwork.com

Other (spicy greens, collard greens, cilantro)
Greens - steamed, pureed and frozen (we add to sauces and eggs, etc.)
Cilantro - frozen

Bread
A new endeavor, making homemade bread.  It has been wonderful.  I found a great recipe and modified it based on the comments.  * The whole family has been eating solely this bread for the past two months.  Everyone enjoys it.  I have forgotten the yeast once and lost count on cups of flour while dealing with a child "emergency," but all other attempts have been perfect.  It is great with sandwiches and toast.  
100% Whole Wheat Bread
For 1 1/2 lb. bread machine (2 lb.)
1 1/4 cups water (1 2/3 c)
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) olive or vegetable oil (2 T + 2 t)
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (1/3 c)
3 cups (14 ounces) 100% White Whole Wheat or Traditional Whole Wheat Flour (3 1/2 c)
1/4 cup oats (1/3 c)

1/4 cup wheat bran (1/3 c)

1/4 cup sunflower, sesame or flax seeds, or a combination (I used ground flax) (1/3 c)
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (1 T + 1 t)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (2 t)

1/4 cup bakers dry milk (1/3 c)
2 teaspoons instant yeast
Put all of the ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed. Program for basic white bread, and press Start. * Recipe adapted from kingarthurflour.com

CSA 2013 Week 20

Week 20 Bounty:
Brussels Sprouts
Assorted tomatoes
Peppers
Greens Mix
Beets
Yellow Potatoes
Onions
Eggplant
Winter Squash
Arugula
Kale


It has been a while and I just realized that I failed to ever post about our last regular season share.  All of these dishes were superb.  The chili is a mainstay at our house.  The Pizza with Arugula we have enjoyed previously, but this time we added prosciutto.  The truffled mashed potatoes were scrumptious.  It really was one wonderful meal after another!

Meal #1 (chard, garlic, onion, kale)
Stir Fried Swiss Chard with Spicy Honey Cashew Sauce2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed with a garlic press
1 medium size onion, sliced
4 kale leaves, roughly chopped
2 Swiss chard leaves, roughly chopped
1 carrot, julienned
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp garam masala
4 green onion stalks, minced
8 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 cup cashews (I used raw, unsalted), chopped well
1 inch nub of ginger, grated
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Sriracha (substituted chili pepper)
Chop the cashews with a nut chopper or food processor until broken into teeny, tiny pieces and some particles are powdery. In a small bowl, mix well together the ginger, honey, and soy sauce. Heat a small nonstick pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, toast the cashew pieces for about 2 minutes until fragrant and golden. Stir often to avoid getting the cashews burnt. Pour the wet mixture all over the cashews and turn the heat down to medium low. Stir well for about a minute, making sure all cashew pieces are coated with the sauce. Add the Sriracha and stir for another minute. Move pan away from heat. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, sauté the garlic until fragrant and golden brown. Throw in the onions and sauté until soft and almost caramelized, about 4 minutes. Toss in the kale and Swiss chard and cook, stirring often, until it wilts, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for 2 minutes, stir often. Mix in the spice mixture and stir well. Turn off the burner and remove pan from heat. Throw in the green onions and basil leaves, mix well. We mixed the nuts and greens together and served over rice. * Recipe adapted from Let's Cook and Be Friends blog

Image from annmariavolpi.com

Meal #2 (arugula, basil)
Pizza con Rucola/Arugula
Whole wheat Trader Joe's pizza crust
Frozen pesto cubes from the freezer, thawed
Sliced fresh mozzarellla

Prosciutto
Arugula
Spread pesto on crust, added mozzarella slices and prosciutto and baked at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Added arugula just before serving.

Meal #3 (brussels sprouts, garlic, scallions)

Pork and Brussels Sprouts Stir Fry

3 tablespoons oil1/2 pound boneless pork loin chops, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips
1 pound brussels sprouts, halved2 scallions, whites and greens sliced separately
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add pork and cook until golden; transfer to plate. Add remaining 2 tbsp. oil and sprouts to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add scallion whites and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, brown sugar and 1/4 cupwater; cook until sauce is slightly thickened. Return pork to pan and toss to coat. Top with scallion greens. *Recipe from rachelraymag.com

Meal #4 (tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic)

Image from kalynskitchen.com

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

3 cans black beans
2 yellow or green bell peppers
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
5 to 6 medium-sized garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon lime juice
two 4 oz. canned diced green chiles (or 1-2 medium-sized minced Anaheim or poblano chiles)
2 teaspoons dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh basil)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato puree
Heat oil in skillet. Add garlic and all other seasonings, lime juice, bell peppers, and chiles. Sauté over medium heat until peppers and chiles are tender (about 15 minutes). Add sauté to beans and tomato puree. Simmer covered over low heat for about 20 min., stirring occasionally. Serve with dollop of light sour cream, sprinkle of cheese, or without any toppings. We served with taco chips. *Recipe from FitSugar.com.

Side (potatoes)

I do not even remember what we served this with, but know that we still have some in the freezer and I cannot wait to break them out again!  We used real black truffle, shaved, that we brought back from a trip to Italy last year.  We spent $20 on what would cost us around $100 for the same here in the U.S.  As for the recipe, we cut out the dill as we wanted to just let the truffle work it's magic!

Rustic Truffled Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Dill

2 pounds Idaho russet potatoes (~4 big ones, wash but do not peel)
1 heaping teaspoon table salt
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons truffle oil (yes, I know it is ridiculously expensive!)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed)
Scant 1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt (may need more)
Grinding of fresh black pepper
A fresh black truffle, if you can afford it (optional)
Place potatoes and salt in medium pot. Fill with water so it comes to about 1-1 1/2 inches above potatoes, and bring to a boil. Throw in garlic cloves, partially cover pot and turn heat down so it is just boiling (not furiously boiling). Boil 18-20 minutes. Remove lid and poke a bamboo tester or toothpick into potatoes to make sure they are done. If done, drain water and leave potatoes and garlic in the pot. To the pot, add butter, oil, dill, salt and pepper, and mash a bit with a potato masher. Put lid back on pot and let potatoes rest about 3-5 minutes, so butter can fully melt into the hot potatoes. Uncover pot and mash with potato masher further, until you have desired consistency. I like to leave them a bit rustic; not too smooth. As you mash, the potato skin will break up charmingly. Taste and adjust for salt, adding a bit more if you need it. Remember, you can always add more salt, but it is difficult to repair a dish that is too salty, so go slow on the salt. Put lid on pot and let rest until serving time. At serving time, grate some fresh truffle over each mound of mashed potatoes on plates, and be sure to serve with a dramatic flourish. If you don’t have fresh truffle, that’s OK. There will still be plenty of truffle flavor infused from the truffle oil. Just make a mental note to save up for a fresh truffle, at least once in your life. Serves 4-6, depending on appetites. * Recipe from shockinglydelicious.com

Other (beets, eggplant, sqush, greens)
Beets roasted, pureed and frozen
Eggplant roasted, pureed and frozen
Squash roasted, pureed and frozen
Greens, steamed, pureed and frozen