CSA (our) week 16 October 28th, 2009

1. Lettuce

2. Kohlrabi

3. Cauliflower / Broccoli: Purple

4. Eggplant

5. Misato (watermelon radish - Japanese)

6. Potatoes, Sweet

7. Beans: Cranberry

Lettuce: Salad.

Misato: Eaten raw. This radish is really beautiful. I don’t think I would eat it any other way. May use the remainder for a salad similar to the radicchio salad from our first share.

Kolrabi: I'm stumped here. I met a few people who said this was a staple for them growing up but I have never seen or heard of it before. Cooked in a tomato sauce? Seems like a no fail.

Lo Bak Goh

Please do not take this as a suggestion to try this recipe as it is an adaptation of the original using the ingredients that were available to me. I have never made nor eaten these before so I'm not sure if they turned out correctly.
I am including it simply to catalog the recipes I have used for our CSA veggies.

In short... I'm not sure I like the finished product here.

1/2 cup crab meat in oil (in place of dried shrimp)
1 large daikon radish, shredded
1 handful dried shitake mushrooms
2 green onions finely sliced
2 cups non-glutinous rice flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp honey (in place of sugar)
1 1/2 Cups Water
12 very mini hot dogs (This is all I had that was remotely similar to sausage) [this is in place of Chinese sausage]

Start by soaking the shitake mushrooms in hot water 20 -30 mins.

In the meantime, peel and shred the daikon and place it in a small saucepan with water. (You can use a cheese shredder for this) Bring mixture to a boil, than reduce the heat to a low and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Remove radish from liquid (do not discard the cooking liquid) and place in measuring cup. Add in cooking liquid to bring the amount to approximately 3 cups.

Drain the mushrooms and squeeze out excess liquid. Dice the mushrooms.


Heat your pan and add in the crab, sausage and black mushrooms. Cook for Approximately 2 minutes then add the green onion and honey and cook for 30 seconds more.

Start the steamer. I used a large pan with a rack and covered it.

In a bowl, combine rice flour and salt. Add the radish and cooking water, and stir to a batter-like consistency. Stir in the hot mixture. Pour mixture into a 8×8 cake pan, or a 9 inch round cake pan.

Place the pan into the steamer and steam at a medium boil for 35 - 45 mins.

Remove from steamer when ready and let it cool. Once cold, cut into square pieces or wedges and pan-fry until it starts to brown and get crispy on both sides.

If you were to use dried shrimp (Which I would suggest if they are available) you will want to soak them at the same time as the mushrooms and use a bit of oil to fry them with the sausage, mushrooms and onions.

Eggplant Caponata

Another 'Thank You' to my Aunt Barbara. Without whom I would not have thought to try this recipe.

1/4 cup virgin olive oil (actually called for 1/2 cup but I couldn't do it)
1 large sweet onion, diced

3 tablespoons almonds (pine nuts would have been better but they were no where to be found)

Large handful of golden raisins
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, plus extra for garnish

2 Japanese eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
I left the skin on but in the future I would definitely peel them because I wasn't crazy about the texture.

2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 tomato sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet. Add the diced onions, nuts, raisins, and chili flakes until the onions are soft.

Add the eggplant, cinnamon, and cocoa and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add the thyme, tomato sauce, honey and balsamic vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. I allowed it to chill in the refrigerator overnight before eating. Served once over bread and once over pasta. Very good. I will definitely make this again.

CSA (our) week 15: October 22nd, 2009

1) Red leaf lettuce - 1 bunch

2) Daikon -1

3) Mizuna - 1 bunch

4) Sweet potatoes - 2 lbs

5) Japanese eggplant - 2

6) Peppers - 2 lbs

The lettuce went into a salad.
The Daikon was used to make Lo Bak Goh [recipe to follow]
I plan to sauté the Mizuna and serve with the Lo Bak Goh and rice noodles.
The Japanese eggplant was used to make a Caponata (finally and inspired by a facebook post by my Aunt Barbara) [recipe to follow]
The peppers will again be sautéed with onions and served with black fish.

Sweet Potato Falafel

Sweet Potato Falafel

The website the original recipe came from cautions that these are not your typical falafel. There is a lack of crunch and texture found in a traditional falafel. However, the flavor is there and the potatoes add a nice sweetness.

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
2 big handfuls of fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup chickpeas (This is my modification. The original recipe called for 1 cup of chickpea flour which I did not have on hand.)
olive oil
sesame seeds
salt and pepper


Preheat the oven to 425F degrees (220C) and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender - 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leave the potatoes to cool, and then peel.
Cook the chick peas in a small pot with some of the canning liquid until soft. Then add to a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, lemon juice and chickpea mixture into a large bowl. Season well, and mash until smooth with no large chunks. Stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When you take it out, your mix should be sticky rather than really wet.

Reheat the oven to 400F. Using a couple of soup spoons (put a well-heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides) create 1 inch balls of the mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the bases are golden brown. I turned mine about 1/2 way to caramelize more than one side.

Served with pita bread (naan in my case) arugula and yogurt sauce.

Roasted Pepper Tapenade

Roasted Pepper Tapenade

1 lb of peppers
2 cups pitted kalamata olives
1 (3.25-ounce) jar capers, drained
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

The original recipe called for 1 handful of basil chopped, 1/2 cup olive oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. However, after mixing these ingredients together I liked the flavor and texture so much that I decided not to add anything else.


Preparation
1. Broil red pepper 3 inches from heat 15 minutes or until charred on all sides, turning occasionally. Place in a paper bag, seal, and let stand 10 minutes to loosen skins. Peel peppers, discard skin and seeds, and chop roughly.

2. Place roasted peppers, olives, capers, and garlic cloves in a food processor, and pulse until combined.

I think typically this is served on a crostini. I plan to mix part with some tomatoes sauce to create a puttanesca of sorts. I'm also thinking I'll thin some out with a bit of oil and use it as a sauce for chicken breast. I imagine it can also be used as a spread for a sandwich (maybe mozzarella with roasted red peppers and eggplant)

CSA (our) week 14: October 15th, 2009

1. Lettuce

2. Carrots

3. Broccoli Rabe

4. Pepper, Sweet

5. Scallions

6. Potatoes, Sweet

7. Beans: Green

I barely cooked at all this week.
The green beans dried out.
The scallions have been used to flavor a few random dishes.
The carrots were not yet used.
The lettuce was put into a salad.
The broccoli Rabe was sautéed with garlic and used in several Panini style sandwiches with sundried tomatoes and goat cheese.
The peppers were used to make a roasted pepper tapenade (recipe to follow)
The sweet potatoes which were used to make sweet potato falafel
[suggested by my Aunt Barbara :) ] (recipe to follow)

Vegetable Quiche

Quiche
(will get you to eat your vegetables)

As a child, I absolutely loved when my mom made quiche. It was so rich, flavorful, and creamy. It was full of sliced ham and Swiss cheese with a buttery crust. Today, this is not a quiche I would consider making on any regular basis.
This recipe is for a less rich but satisfying (and easy!) alternative. It is really not a true "quiche" as there is no milk or cream involved. For this version I also tried out a potato crust which is a great alternative to those packaged pie crusts. It's also gluten free. While I’m not so interested in unnecessary restrictive diets (I understand gluten free is a new fad in the diet world) there are many folks out there who have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity and many others who chose a gluten free diet for personal reasons.

You will need:
4-6 red potatoes
1 small head of broccoli
1/2 yellow onion
8 eggs
cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, Gruyere)

Slice the potatoes THIN. This is a real pain (unless you happen to have a mandolin) but completely necessary if you want the potatoes to be pliable enough to shape into the pan.
Brush the bottom of your 8 x 8 cake pan or 9 inch pie pan with melted butter or cooking spray. Position the potato slices on the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of your pan slightly overlapping. They will shrink with cooking so make sure to overlap them well. Brush with melted butter or cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Chop the 1/2 yellow onion and sauté in olive oil until soft.
Chop the broccoli (should be 1 1/2-2 cups)
If you choose to chop some of the broccoli stems (which I do) I suggest you add them to the pan first and allow them to cook for about 2 minutes before adding the broccoli heads. Cook until the all of the florets have turned a bright green.

In a bowl, mix together 4 whole eggs and 4 egg whites. Add cheese (reserve some for the top) and pepper to taste.

Remove the potato crust from the oven and allow it to cool.
Add the broccoli and onion mixture.
Pour the egg mixture over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Make sure that all of the broccoli pieces have some egg covering. The pieces do not have to be completely submerged in the egg but spoon some egg over the top if there are pieces without.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until middle is cooked through. You can test that just as you would a cake.

CSA (our) week 13: October 8th, 2009

1. Lettuce

2. Pak Choi, Red

3. Broccoli

4. Pepper, Sweet

5. Leeks

6. Arugula

7. Cranberry Beans

8. Squash, Summer


I've be come a lazy cook in the past couple of weeks. Between work and life in general I just haven't felt like cooking or eating anything I had planned to make. Hopefully that will change after this week.

The lettuce and arugula went into a salad.

The summer squash and cranberry beans were not used.

I julienned the peppers and sautéed in olive oil and butter with some onions and served them under black fish cooked the same way with lime juice and pepper added.

The Bok Choi was added to a pad Thai mix (just rice noodles and pad Thai sauce from the food store with pan fried egg and shrimp, peanut butter and chili flakes added)
When working with Bok Choi, make sure you slice the stems separate from the leaves and cook them about 2 minutes longer.

The broccoli was used in a quiche (recipe in next post.)

The leeks have not yet been used. I have noticed they keep very well in the refrigerator though so I believe I will still have the opportunity to use them within the next week or two.

CSA (our) week 12: October 1st, 2009

1. Lettuce

2. Tat Soi

3. Squash, Winter: Butternut

4. Pepper, Sweet

5. Eggplant

6. Mint

7. Beans: Green

8. Husk Tomatoes (Ground Cherry/Cape Gooseberries)

9. Squash, Summer


I think I came up with a way to make sure I don't waste my lettuce this week. Clean it, dry it, separate the leaves and put it in a large covered bowl in the refrigerator. Sounds simple enough but preparing it right away really makes a huge difference for me. I also purchased some Arugula from the farmers market.

The tat soi was used in a shrimp stir-fry. A spur of the moment recipe done like this:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon raw cashew butter
red pepper flakes
(If I had the ingredients in the house I would have used a bit of chili paste, peanut butter and fresh toasted peanuts. This wasn't nutty or spicy enough for my taste.)


1/2 medium yellow onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 small bunch tat soi
1/2 can water chestnuts
10 large shrimp


Heat 1 teaspoon of oil and add onions. Cook on medium heat until soft and lightly caramelized. Add the mushrooms and cook until brown on one side. Stir the mixture and add the shrimp. Allow to cook through on one side (until they are pink and begin to curl). Then stir the mixture making sure all of the shrimp get flipped to the uncooked side. Add the water chestnuts, tat soi and sauce, cover with a lid and allow tat soi to begin to wilt. When the tat soi turns a brig green (about 2 minutes) stir the mixture and cover for another 2 minutes.