10/28 Delivery

Cardoon, you left my heart in Venice
Cardoon, you're great in salad with lettuce

1 lb Greens
1 lb Green Tomato
1 Brussel Sprout
1 lb Carrot
2 Cardoon (artichoke thistle)
1 lb Beets
2 Garlic

Cardoons?

I must admit, I dont think I've ever seen a Cardoon. (That will change tomorrow)

Here is one idea for what to do with them from www.thekitchn.com

other suggestions very welcome!

Celeriac: The Bible Says

Mark Bittman's book, "How to Cook Everything" (or "The Bible") includes the following recipe for Celeriac and Potato Purée:

Ingredients:

1 pound celeriac (2 small knobs or 1 large one), peeled

1 pound baking potatoes, such as Idaho or Russet, peeled

Salt

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup milk or cream, warmed

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

1. Cut the celeriac and potatoes into roughly equal-sized pieces, 1 or 2 inches in diameter. Place in a pot with water to cover; add a handful of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until both potatoes and celeriac are tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Drain the vegetables well and rinse out the pot. (You may prepare the recipe in advance up to this point; refrigerate, well wrapped or in a covered container, for up to 2 days before proceeding.) Put the vegetables through a food mill placed over the pot, or mash them with a large fork or potato masher. Add the butter and, gradually, the milk, beating with a wooden spoon. When the mixture is smooth, season it with salt and pepper and serve, keep warm, or allow to cool for reheating later. Garnish before serving.

Goes well with meats cooked in liquid, according to Bittman (whatever that means.)

Colcannon

Our potatoes are coming in just in time to cook up this traditional Irish Halloween dish.

Ingredients:
1 pound greens

1 pound potatoes

2 leeks (can also use scallions or yellow onion)

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 pinch ground mace

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Chop greens and saute until tender. Set aside and keep warm. Boil potatoes until tender. Remove from heat and drain.

Chop leeks, green parts as well as white, and simmer them in just enough milk to cover, until they are soft. (If you are using scallions or onions, you can also saute them with the greens)

Season and mash potatoes well. Stir in cooked leeks and milk. Blend in the greens and heat until the whole is a pale green fluff. Make a well in the center and pour in the melted butter and cheese. Mix well.

10/21 Delivery!

Beans AND tomatoes AND...celeriac? If you've ever used it please post a recipe. Remember, pick-up is now in the Cafeteria.

1 Bok Choy
3/4 lb Greens
1 lb Green Tomato
1 lb Carrots
2 Celeriac
1 lb. Potato
1 lb. Beans

And please let us know if you're interested in the winter share. Thanks!

Fennel with Lentils, Thyme & Chard

recipe inspired by a french dish in Moosewood Simple Suppers (a fantastic cookbook)

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked lentils
• 1-2 bulbs fennel, finely sliced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• white wine vinegar
• 1 cup chopped chard- optional. Any other green, including bok choy, could work too (can use more or less, but the raw leaves should not be more than 3/4 the volume of the fennel)
  

Directions

• boil the lentils
• in a separate frying pan, saute the garlic in the olive oil
• when the garlic is slightly golden, add in the fennel and stir
• when the fennel is slightly golden (it gets a slight shade of off white darker) add in the thyme and stir.
• mix in the chopped chard
  
• leave on stove top while stirring for 3-4 more minutes or until chard is fully wilted
  
• mix the lentils
• serve with a generous drizzle of white wine vinegar

AMAZING

Polenta Pizza with Spinach or Chard

By Mark Bittman, in the New York Times:

Something different to do with your chard...





Time: About 45 minutes, plus one hour’s chilling

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for pan
• 1/2 cup milk, preferably whole
• Salt
• 1 cup coarse cornmeal
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) chopped pancetta
• 1 pound spinach, washed, trimmed and dried
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled.

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees; brush a layer of olive oil on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk with 2 1/2 cups water and a large pinch of salt. Bring just about to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and add cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking all the while to prevent lumps from forming. Turn heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until thick, 10 or 15 minutes. If mixture becomes too thick, whisk in a bit more water; you want a consistency approaching thick oatmeal.

2. Stir 1 tablespoon oil into cooked cornmeal (polenta). Spoon it onto prepared pan, working quickly so polenta does not stiffen; spread it evenly to a thickness of about 1/2 inch all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and put it in refrigerator until it is firm, an hour or more (you can refrigerate polenta overnight if you prefer).

3. Put polenta in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to brown and crisp on edges. Meanwhile, put two tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and pancetta is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to take onion and pancetta out of pan; set aside. Add spinach to skillet and sauté until it releases its water and pan becomes dry; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper.

4. Take polenta out of oven, sprinkle with Gorgonzola, then spread onion-pancetta mixture and spinach evenly on top of cheese; drizzle with another tablespoon olive oil. Put pizza back in oven for two minutes, or until cheese begins to melt and pancetta and vegetables are warmed through. Cut into slices and serve hot or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings.

Variation: Before you put polenta in oven, top it with thin slices of fresh mozzarella, two or three thinly sliced Roma tomatoes or a bit of tomato sauce, and a handful of fresh basil leaves.

Beets!

My favorite way to eat beats is to roast them.

(dont forget- the green tops are delicious. treat them like any other green).

There are two ways to roast beets:

	Roast first- then chop	Chop first- then roast
What you do:	· Wash the beets well, trim off the ends. (peel, if you want) · Cut the beet into quarters · Wrap in aluminum foil and place in the over at 375˚ F until soft (about an hour) (Note- the oven time is flexible. I try and roast beets while I am cooking something else in the oven)	· Wash the beets well, trim off the ends. (peel, if you want) · Chop the beets into small cubes · Place on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil · Roast in oven at 375˚ F- first 15-20 minutes covered, then 10-20 minutes uncovered. (oven temperature can be up to 400˚ F)
Advantages:	· Its much cleaner- few things are messier than chopping uncooked beets- the juices get everywhere and can stain · Its easier to chop- uncooked beets are very hard, and this method saves you chopping time	· Less cooking time · More slightly crispy/ caramelized edges · You can add flavors while roasting- like citrus, garlic, or herbs · You can roast with other veggies (see below)
Disadvantages:	· Takes longer to cook	· Its much messier- few things are messier than chopping uncooked beets- the juices get everywhere and can stain · Its harder to chop- uncooked beets are very hard, and this method saves you chopping time

what to do with roasted beets:

• serve with goat cheese!
• serve with citrus vinaigrette or honey mustard vinaigrette
• serve in a salad (or in a salad with goat cheese)

Sweet Beet & Veggie Roast

• chop the beets (see above)
• chop parsnip & carrots & red onions
• optional- garlic cloves still in the peel (see below)
  
• place in lasanga pan
• drizzle with olive oil
• roast covered, and then uncovered in a 375˚F oven
  
• veggies are done when they are super tender (time will depend on how many veggies you have, but its usually at leats 40 min)

Savory Beet & Veggie Roast

• chop the beets (see above). but beets are optional.
  
• chop parsnip & carrots & onions & turnips
• add garlic cloves- peeled or unpeeled. see below.
  
• optional- chop a fennel bulb
  
• place in lasanga pan
• drizzle with olive oil
• optional- mix in crushed dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried basil, (any of the above, all of the above, or other herbs of your choice)
• optional- mix in chopped greens (like beet greens, collard, kale, chard, etc). volume of veggies should be around 1/3 volume of whole dish when raw. Maximum 1/2 of dish)
  
• roast covered, and then uncovered in a 375˚F oven
  
• veggies are done when they are super tender (time will depend on how many veggies you have, but its usually at least 40 min)

Note about the garlic:

• you can roast the garlic peeled or unpeeled
• if you peel it, the garlic will better flavor all the other veggies
• if you roast the individual cloves while still in the peel, the cloves will get soft and caramelized, and will pop right out of the peel when fully cooked
• I like both- so I always put in some cloves peeled and some unpeeled.
  

October 14 Delivery

Here's this week's crop:

1 Bok Choy
3/4 lb Greens
1 Celery
3/4 lb Carrots
1 lg or 2 sm Fennel
3 Beets

Oh yeah. It's beet time. Please attach your favorite beet pun in the comments section.

Hearty Vegetarian Crockpot Stew... Or, What to Do With Languishing Share Leftovers

I came home from five days in California and found myself confronted by chilly, windy weather and two weeks' worth of leftover share vegetables on their way to rotting in my crisper drawer. So I made a hearty vegetarian stew. Take that, turnips.

Note #1: If you've never tried seitan before, you can find it in most organic/hippie food stores. It's only $4 or $5 for an 8 oz package.  It is made of wheat-gluten and is a great meat substitute as it has a hearty taste and texture and tons of protein.

Note #2: You can also add any number of other vegetables, such as greens, squash or tomatoes. This is just what I had on hand.

Ingredients:

 - 1 package chicken-style seitan, shredded

 - 1 onion, diced

 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

 - 6 cups vegetable broth (I used mushroom flavored "better than boullion")

 - 3 potatoes, cubed

 - 1/4 head cabbage, shredded

 - 2 ears corn, diced

 - 3 carrots, sliced

 - 3 turnips, cubed

 -  3 stalks celery, sliced

 - Seasoning: salt, pepper, dried mustard, oregano & paprika, to taste

 - 1/4 cup soy sauce

 - 4 TB cornstarch blended with 4 TB cold water

What You Do:

- Warm olive oil in a pan. Cook seitan for a few minutes until brown.

- Combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. 

 - You can add more cornstarch or flour if you want a thicker stew; just blend it first in a separate container with equal parts cold water before adding to the stew. Also, the stew will get thicker as it cools.

 - Serve with shredded parmesan cheese on top and thick, crusty bread.  Enjoy!

Tote Bags!

The tote bags arrive this week! Hooray! Come pick one up at this week's veggie pickup. $7 cash, all proceeds to support our donations to Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen on 59th street.

a recipe for this week's veggies

Here is what I plan to do with my CSA lot this week:

1. cook the spaghetti squash
2. saute onions in olive oil
   
3. add in the chopped turnips and the brussel sprouts (removed from the stem & chopped in half)
4. add in the turnip greens & bok choy (see the greens recipe for tips)
5. if you want, add in the celery and/or baby greens (im not the biggest fan of celery in stir fries, though some people love it. the baby greens will wilt down to nothing, so add them in towards the end)
   
6. add some salt and chopped garlic
7. when cooked very very well, serve on top of the squash with a cheese of your choice.
   

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash is incredibly easy to make. When cooked it has a spaghetti-like texture (which leads many dieters to substitute it for the pasta version).







Baking Directions

1. cut the squash in half and remove seeds (if some remain, this is fine- you'll remove them after baking)
   
2. fill a baking pan, pie pan or small lasanga pan with 1 to 2 inches of water
3. place the squash down in the pan with the cut open side face down
4. bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until outside skin can be easily pierced with a knife
5. remove from oven, and scoop out insides with a spoon or fork

Serving Suggestions

1. plain
2. with tomato sauce
   
3. with tomato sauce and meatballs
4. with Parmigiana cheese
5. with melted cheese
   
6. with butter and salt
7. with sauteed fresh veggies on top
8. any other way you like your spaghetti (though I don't know how well an Alfredo sauce would stick to the squash- but if you try this keep us posted)
   

crop for 10/07

you heard the news, this week we are getting:

1 Bok Choy
1 Celery
1 Brussel Sprout
3 Turnip
1 Fennel
1 Squash
1/2 lb Baby Green

Recipes to come- but in the mean time- what are your favorite recipes with these veggies?

Fennel Salad

I used fennel for the first time last year in a salad, and loved it. It's light, crisp and tastes like licorice. There are lots of great variations on this. Basically fennel pairs well with any kind of greens and tart fruit. You can use apples in addition to, or in place of, orange. You can also add walnuts or pecans and dried cranberries to make it a heartier salad.

Ingredients:

- I bulb fennel

- 1 red onion

- 2 oranges, peeled and sliced

- 4-6 cups baby greens

- 1 tb olive oil and 1 tsp white wine vinegar

- dash of salt, pepper

Preparation:

- Cut off the feathery tops and base of the fennel bulb (you can reserve the feathery parts for garnish if you want)

- Slice the fennel and onion very thinly

- Combine with orange slices

- Mix olive oil, vinegar, and seasonings

- Serve everything over greens

- Enjoy!

Week of 10/7 Veggies!

Got some good stuff this week. Please bring your own bag, and remember that we've shortened the pickup time to 4:30-6:00. See you tomorrow!

1 Bok Choy
1 Celery
1 Brussel Sprout
3 Turnips
1 Fennel
1 Squash
1/2 lb Baby Green

Fresh Corn Risotto

Thanks to Nicolas M. for sharing!

INGREDIENTS

6 cups chicken stock or low-sodium

broth

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, very finely chopped

1 1/2 cups arborio rice (12 ounces)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup white corn kernels (from 2 ears)

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-

Reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken

stock to a boil with the bay leaf. Keep

the stock warm over very low heat.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil.

Add the onion and cook over moderately

high heat, stirring, until softened, about

2 minutes. Add the rice and cook,

stirring until opaque, about 3 minutes.

Add the white wine and cook, stirring,

until completely absorbed, about 1

minute. Add 1 cup of the warm stock and

cook over moderate heat, stirring, until

nearly absorbed. Continue adding the

stock 1 cup at a time and stirring until it

is absorbed between additions. After

about half of the stock has been added,

stir in the corn, then add the remaining

stock. The rice is done when it's al dente

and creamy, about 25 minutes total. Stir

in the cheese and butter; season with salt

and pepper. Discard the bay leaf and

serve.

Yood Family Sauteed Cucumbers

This is a family recipe that Sara and her brothers fought over constantly when their mom would make it. Many people don't know that you can cook cucumbers, but you can and they are delicious!

Ingredients:
2 large or 6 small cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill, or 3/4 tbsp dried dill
salt
pepper

1. Cut the cucumbers once lengthwise. Cut the cucumbers into 1/2-inch thick slices width-wise. Put the cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 20 minutes to drain some of the water out of the cucumbers.
2. Melt butter in a large sautee pan. Add the cucumbers and dill, and sautee for 5 minutes, until warm and slightly tender. Season with pepper, and serve.

Sara's Cucumber/Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
1 large or 3 small cucumbers, peeled and diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
zahtar to taste (Zahtar is a middle eastern spice blend of sesame seed, sumac, thyme, and oregano. It is available at most spice stores and also at Fairway.)
salt to taste

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Add liberal amounts of zahtar (I use tons because it is delicious), and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Stir, and serve.

News Bits

From the email sent out last night, but still relevant:

Time Change - pickup is now 4:30 to 6:00
Our room is double booked after 6:30 so we're going to need to shorten the pickup time to 4:30 to 6:00. The volunteer schedule will not change. If this is a hardship for you, please let me know, and we can work something out.

Too Much Food? Share your share!
We've been hearing from a lot of people who didn't sign up for a share in time. Please let me know if you're interested in splitting your share and we can set you up with a share-buddy!

Bags
Unfortunately, we're still not going to have our F2F tote bags by next week. Please remember to bring your own bag to collect your veggies next week!

APB: one old sheet
We could use one more old, worn-out sheet to protect the tables at the pickup room. If you have an extra lying around we'd love to take it off your hands.