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.

Maple-Braised Carnival Squash

This Boistfort recipe is incredible. I can barely stand to look at the picture without eating what's in it.

Ingredients:
6 T. butter
One 3-to-3 1/2-lb. carnival squash, butternut squash, or other winter squash (halved lengthwise, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks)
1 1/4 c. chicken broth (I made some with Better than Bouillon)
1/3 c. maple syrup (none of that Aunt Jemima fake crap)
1 T. minced fresh thyme leaves (or some dried thyme, which is what I used, because we didn't have any fresh)
Freshly ground black pepper
Coarse salt, to taste

Melt the butter in a very large, heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Add the chunks of squash, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth, syrup, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Then cover the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook until the squash is tender--8 minutes or so. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked squash to a bowl. Boil the liquid in the skillet, uncovered, until thickened--4 minutes or so. Return the squash to the skillet, and toss to coat it with the reduced sauce. Add some pepper, then taste and add salt if desired.

Comments:
Oh my. This is amazing and decadent.

Simple Radish Salad

This is my own creation. It's quick, easy, and tasty.

Ingredients:
Radishes, sliced into thin rounds
Red wine vinegar, to taste
Coarse salt, to taste
Fresh or dried herbs, to taste (this time, I used dried oregano)

Drizzle the radish rounds with vinegar, then sprinkle with salt and herbs. Toss to coat.

Comments:
Liam, Annika, and I all gobbled this up at lunchtime a couple weeks ago.

Roasted Pork with Carrots and Onions

Yet another recipe from Penzeys. Their version is waaaaaaay more photogenic than ours.

Ingredients:
4-5 lb. pork shoulder roast (we used bone-in, but boneless would work too)
Vegetable oil (a tablespoon or so)
2 T. (or so) pork seasoning (we used Penzeys' 33rd & Galena)
2 onions, sliced into thin rounds
1 lb. carrots, cut into large chunks
1/2 c. (or more) apple juice
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rinse and pat dry the roast. Rub it with a little vegetable oil, then coat it with the pork seasoning. Place the onions in the middle of a roasting pan, drizzle them with a little oil, and toss to coat. Put the seasoned roast down on top of the onions. Arrange the carrots around the roast, and drizzle them with a little more oil. Roast at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F. The roast will need about 2 hours total cooking time if it's bone-in, slightly less if it's boneless. Stir the carrots and any exposed onions every 20 minutes or so during the 2 hours of cooking. After the first hour, sprinkle them with the apple juice. Add more apple juice if everything seems to be drying out too much during roasting.

Comments:
We could not figure out how to cut this roast, so we ended up hacking it to pieces. It tasted pretty good, but I'm not sure it meets our criteria for a repeatable meal.

Baked Beets and Shallots

This is another Penzeys recipe. Don't let the small ingredient list fool you--it's excellent.

Ingredients:
4-6 beets, cut into large chunks
4-6 shallots, sliced
Olive oil (a tablespoon or so)
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Freshly pressed garlic (a couple cloves)
1 t. crumbled rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put the beets and shallots in a cast-iron skillet, other type of oven-safe & heavy-bottomed skillet, or a heavy metal baking dish. Add the other ingredients, and toss to coat. Cover the skillet with foil, and bake for about 60 minutes. The beets are done when a sharp knife can pierce them fairly easily. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Comments:
This is such a simple recipe, but it's really quite incredible. We cooked it for a dinner with some dear friends, and everybody raved about it.

Shredded Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and Shallots

Another Boistfort Valley Farm recipe.

Ingredients:
Olive oil (a tablespoon or so)
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cored, and shredded
1/2 c. water
Balsamic vinegar, to taste
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, and sauté until softened--about 3 minutes. Stir in the Brussels sprouts and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender--about 8 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Comments:
This tasted fine, but it was so not worth the tremendous effort of coring and shredding all those darned Brussels sprouts.

Chicken Pot Pie

Okay, I know it's been a long time since I last posted, but hopefully this amazing recipe will make up for my long absence. As a bonus, there'll be a whole lot of recipes to follow in the days to come. (Even though I've been blog-silent, we have indeed been cooking, complete with photo documentation.)

This is another recipe from a Penzeys catalog. We've made it two different ways--with puff pastry and with biscuit topping. I know puff pastry might scare some of you away from a calorie standpoint, but calorie-wise, these two come out about even, assuming you only do a top crust with each. However, they do have different features, which I'll point out in the comments.

with puff pastry

with biscuit topping

Ingredients:
2 c. cooked, diced chicken
1/4 t. (or so) dried rosemary*
1/4 t. (or so) dried thyme*
1/4 t. (or so) poultry seasoning*
1/4 t. (or so) rubbed sage*
1/4 t. (or so) celery seed*
1/4 t. (or so) herbes de provence*
1/4 t. (or so) curry powder
Ground cayenne pepper, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Puff pastry (1 sheet) or biscuit topping (see recipe below)
Olive oil (a tablespoon or so)
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
1 c. potatoes, somewhat finely diced
One 13-oz. can coconut milk
2 t. chicken base (I use Better than Bouillon)
2 T. flour (to thicken)
1-2 c. frozen mixed vegetables, or a mixture of fresh veggies if it's summertime
1/2 to 1 c. water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. If you don't have 2 c. cooked and diced chicken, cook and dice some before proceeding. Mix together all the herbs/spices and set aside. If using puff pastry, take it out of the freezer to thaw. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and potatoes. Cook until softened, 4-5 min. Stir in the coconut milk and the chicken base, and cook until heated through--about 2 min. Add the flour. Cook, stirring, until the gravy is fairly thick. Add the pre-mixed herbs/spices, along with the cooked chicken and the frozen veggies. Stir until heated through. Add water to thin the gravy to the desired consistency. Then pour the mixture into the greased baking dish. If using biscuit topping, proceed to the recipe below. If using puff pastry, press/roll it out until it's big enough to cover the baking dish. Drape it over the dish, then pinch it around the edges of the dish to seal in the filling. Cut a few slits in the top of the puff pastry, and bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes, until the top is nicely browned.

*You don't absolutely have to use all of these if you don't have them on hand. (Case-in-point: I didn't have any celery seed, and the pie still turned out great.) Just use this list as a general guideline.

Biscuit-Topping Ingredients (if not using puff pastry):
1 3/4 c. flour (plus some extra for rolling out the topping)
1 t. salt
1 T. baking powder
4 T. butter, softened
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t. granulated garlic powder
1 t. crumbled dried rosemary (optional)
3/4 c. milk
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 T. water (optional)

Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter, spices, and milk. Stir well. Dust your rolling surface and a rolling pin with flour, then roll out the topping gently and evenly, turning twice. Make sure it's big enough to cover the baking dish. Drape it over the dish and seal the edges with a fork. Cut a few slits in the crust. Brush with the egg-yolk mixture if you want a deep golden crust. Bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes, until the top is nicely browned.

Comments:
This is delicious. I never would have thought to use coconut milk in a pot pie, but it's an amazing touch, as is the spice mixture. My mouth is watering just thinking about this meal. The puff-pastry version was wonderfully buttery and flaky. The biscuit-topping version had a pleasant crunchiness, with a nice rosemary flavor boost. Either way you make it, you're in for a treat.

Barley Soup

This recipe from Penzeys is a cheap, easy, and tasty cold-weather classic. It's also great if you're recovering from illness, as I found out recently when I made it for some friends recovering from The Stomach Plague of 2011 . . . which we passed along to them. Sorry, Goffs! I imagine you enjoyed the gift of soup more than the gift of nausea that preceded it.

The soup's ingredient list is quite flexible. For example, you can add more carrots or leave out celery, depending on what you have on hand.

Ingredients:
6 c. beef, chicken, or vegetable broth (or 6 c. water and 6 t. Better Than Bouillon, which is what I used)
1/2 c. pearled barley
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 small potatoes, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c. (or so) fresh parsley, chopped
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Add everything to a stock pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 50-60 minutes, until the barley is soft.

Comments:
I'm making it again this week!

Baked Delicata Squash with Apple Filling

This is another Boistfort recipe. I like what Heidi and Mike posted about the recipe: "Get crazy when it comes to filling choices and use up your carrots or fennel or whatever. This dish is the meaning of fall. We often top with a little cheese and have even been known to add sausage to filling."

Ingredients:
1 delicata squash
1 apple, chopped*
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 c. (or so) leeks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 c. (or so) slivered almonds or chopped walnuts
Butter (a tablespoon or so)
Water (a couple tablespoons)
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the delicata squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds, and compost them. Place the squash halves facedown in a shallow, ovenproof dish. Add about a quarter-inch of water to the dish. Combine the remaining ingredients (except the salt) in another small, ovenproof dish. Cover this dish with foil (or a lid, if it's fancy like that. I used a glass loaf pan, so foil it was for me). Put both dishes in the preheated oven, and bake for 45 minutes or so--until the squash is tender. Stir the filling once or twice during baking, re-covering it each time. Once everything is cooked, salt the squash halves. Add salt to the filling to taste, then scoop the filling into the squash halves.

*We rarely peel our produce (apples, beets, carrots, potatoes, etc.). It just doesn't seem necessary, because the texture of the peel doesn't bother any of us, it's often quite nutritious, and since we're using organic produce, we don't need to worry about the pesticides that would otherwise be present in large amounts in the peel.

Comments:
Tasty. Liam and Annika loved it especially well. Steve and I liked it a lot too but felt that it could use a bit more salt to balance out the sweetness of the delicata and the apples. (We didn't sprinkle the filling with salt, but I added that to the recipe above, and we'll do it next time.)