Winter CSA, Month 5 (March)

Here's what was in the Boistfort box we picked up today:

Apples (Fuji)
Beans, dried
Beets
Brussels sprouts
Celery root (a.k.a. celeriac)
Honey!
Italian kale flowers
Kale (red Russian)
Leeks
Onions (red)
Pears (d'Anjou)
Potatoes (red)
Potatoes (Russian banana)
Thyme

Swiss Chard with Golden Raisins and Lemon Bread Crumbs

My mom passed along this recipe that she found in The Olympian last summer.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. golden raisins
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 1 pound)
1 onion, halved and sliced thinly into half-moons
Olive oil (a few tablespoons)
Freshly pressed garlic (a couple cloves)
1 1/2 t. lemon zest, divided
Crushed red pepper flakes (just a dash)
Coarse salt, to taste
3/4 c. bread crumbs
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Lemon juice (a tablespoon or so)

Put the raisins in a bowl of warm water to soften. Meanwhile, wash the chard and separate the stems from the leaves. Cut the stems into 1-inch slices. Shred the leaves. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, and add the sliced onions. Cook until somewhat soft--4 minutes or so. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the sliced chard stems, 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest, the crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover the skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the stems are very tender--20 minutes or so. Meanwhile, combine the bread crumbs, the remaining lemon zest, and a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet. Stir to coat the bread crumbs with the oil. Add salt to taste. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the bread crumbs are toasted--5 minutes or so. Then remove them from the skillet and set aside. Once the chard stems are very tender, add the shredded leaves and the softened & drained raisins. Add salt to taste. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the leaves are tender--another 5 minutes or so. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste, along with the lemon juice. If there's a lot of liquid in the pan, drain it. Taste the chard mixture and add more salt if necessary. Sprinkle each serving with toasted lemon bread crumbs.

Comments:
This is quite tasty; we all gobbled it up. However, it is rather work intensive, so it's probably best to save it for a day when you have a fair amount of time and energy to devote to a meal. Also, we had it as a main course, but it would probably be better as a side dish.

Winter CSA, Month 4 (February)

. . . and in February's Boistfort box:

Apples (Granny Smith)
Beets (golden)
Black Sheep Creamery cheese (aged Pecorino)
Brussels sprouts
Carrots
Kale (lacinato)
Leeks
Onions (mixed)
Onions (yellow)
Parsley (flat-leaf)
Pears (Bosc)
Potatoes (fingerling)
Potatoes (russet)
Radishes
Santa Lucia whole-bean coffee (Lucy, its namesake, was our doula!)
Turnips

Winter CSA, Month 3 (January)

Here's what was in January's Boistfort box. Yeah, yeah--I know it's almost April. Hey, better late than never, right?

Apples (Braeburn)
Beets (both red and golden)
Black Sheep Creamery cheese (Tin Willow Tomme)
Carrots (orange)
Carrots (purple)
Celery root (2!)
Kale (curly)
Kale (red Russian)
Leeks
Onions (cipollini)
Onions (red)
Parsnips
Pears (d'Anjou)
Potatoes (purple)
Potatoes (Russian banana)
Thyme

Celery-Root Mash

Hello again! It's been a while, hasn't it? This Boistfort recipe should make up for that; it's absolutely delicious. I can't think of any reason I would go back to plain old mashed potatoes after having this. It's just so far superior in flavor--and much healthier, too!

Ingredients:
One celery root (a.k.a. celeriac), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
12 ounces (about 2 1/2 c.) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 c. whipping cream (not whipped cream, mind you!)
2 T. butter
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Add the chopped celery root to a pot of boiling salted water, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Then add the potato, and boil both until they're very tender--10 minutes or so longer. Drain, then return them to the same pot. Add the cream and butter, and mash to desired consistency. We like ours fairly smooth but with a few chunks. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Comments:
So, so good. It's wrenching to think about making anything else when we get celery root now.