Fennel, Red Pepper and Purple Carrot Salad

Photo by Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

JP tells me that the final main season share from Glade Road Growing for 2017 will include about a pound of purple carrots, a fennel bulb a red sweet pepper and an onion.  This combined with some potatoes and garlic would make a great pureed soup, but it would not take advantage of the visual of the purple carrots, so I decided on a salad instead. Mine includes lentils, so that it will make a whole meal.

The first of the purple carrots were available at the farm stand this past Friday.  They were purple on the outside with an orange core (go Hokies, eh?), so I suggest shaving them lengthwise into ribbons with a vegetable peeler.

The photo above doesn't include the carrots (or the lentils), so let me give you an idea of what the carrot ribbons will look like in this photo by Marie (no last name given) of the blog Proud Italian Cook:

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Serves 4


Ingredients:

Salad

2/3 cups of lentils, cooked and cooled
1  trimmed fennel bulb, quartered and cut into very thin crosswise slices (reserve the stems and leaves to puree in smoothies)
1 red sweet pepper, seeded and cut in thin 2-inch slices
1 tablespoon minced onion
4 purple carrots trimmed and shaved lengthwise into ribbons
2 ounces of shaved Parmesan or Asiago, shaved into ribbons


Dressing

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 small garlic cloves, smashed, peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoon of fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoon miso

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin


Directions:

1.  To cook lentils, cover with 1 1/3 cups of water and bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes.  Rinse until water runs clear.  Add water to original level, add a bay leaf and return to a boil and then simmer until soft and water is absorbed.  Remove bayleaf, drain if necessary and chill in the refrigerator.

2.  While lentils are cooking, prep veggies and combine in a large bowl. When lentils are cool, add them and cheese and toss together. 

3.  Whisk dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Toss with the salad and serve.

Cauliflower Couscous with Dried Fruit and Almonds

Photo for Epicurious by Chelsea Kyle.

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JP tells me this week's bag from Glade Road Growing should include cauliflower.   While I like my cauliflower in florets or steaks, you can also use it in "rice" form as a low-carb and gluten-free substitute for semolina (a coarse grind of high-protein durum wheat) in couscous.

Apparently, Trader Joe's has found its "cauli-rice" so popular that it instituted rationing this summer, as reported by Well and Good.  While folks have never been able to nab a location of that popular chain for Blacksburg (or even Roanoke), it's easy to make your own "cauli-rice," using a grater (or food processor). 

For other ways to serve cauliflower, check out my recipes for Beet, Chickpea and Cauliflower Salad and Aloo Ghobi Chana Masala (Curry with Potatoes, Cauliflower and Chickpeas).

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Ingredients:

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into quarters.
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons miso
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup golden or conventional raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced dried apricots (I prefer California apricots which are tarter)
1 medium Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
1/2 parsley, cilantro, basil or a combination chopped

Directions:

1. 1.  Toast almonds in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
   
   2.  Using the largest holes on a box grater, grate cauliflower into a large bowl until rice-like in texture.  If you prefer to use a food processor, fitted with a blade, you can coarsely chop the cauliflower and pulse, working in batches as needed.  This will make about 4 cups.
2. 3.  Thin miso with water and whisk together with honey in a small bowl.
3. 4.  In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add cumin, turmeric, paprika, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Immediately add cauliflower and stir to coat. Season with pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until cauliflower is softened, 3–5 minutes. Add honey-miso mixture, raisins or cranberries and apricots; stir to combine. Cover and continue to cook until just tender, 3–5 minutes more.
4. 5.  Transfer cauliflower mixture to a serving platter and stir in half of almonds. Top with remaining almonds and chopped apples and herbs before serving.

Lima Bean And Dill Kuku

Photo from Sanam Lamborn of The Persian Kitchen blog.

This week, JP tells me Glade Road Growing's bag will contain dill.  While it's too late in the season potatoes or cukes--two of my favorites with fresh dill--the herb is used as a common ingredient in Persian cooking.  You can combine it with rice or try my adaptation of Sanam Lamborn's recipe for Lima Bean Kuku, which is she describes as a Persian version of a frittata or quiche. 

Since pomegranates are in season, you might want to pair this with a Persian salad consisting of salad greens topped with pomegranate sees, walnuts and feta, with a dressing made of pomegranate juice or molasses, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.

Lamborn's recipe, shown, serves four and is cooked in a non-stick skillet.  I don't like non-stick skillets, so I  bake mine in the oven.  For a more ornate version served by chef  at the Obama White House, see this New York Times recipe.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 pound of lima beans (frozen or fresh)
1 medium onion peeled and diced
6 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
6 duck or chicken eggs
1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper1 bunch of fresh dill, washed and roughly chopped
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice flour
1/4 extra virgin olive oil

1.  Add lima beans to salted boiling water and wait for water to return to a boil.  Then turn down heat and simmer until tender.

2.  Heat cast iron skillet until a drop of water evaporates and turn down to medium low heat.  Melt butter and coat pan.  Sauté until translucent, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and cook until both are golden in color.  Cool to room temperature.

3.  Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a 9-x-12-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

4.  Crack eggs in a mixing bowl and pierce yolks with a fork.  Add salt, pepper, rice flour and baking soda and whisk together.  Fold in onions, garlic lima beans and lemon juice.

5.  Brush prepared baking dish with 1/4 cup oil. This may look like a lot, but it gets absorbed into the batter. Add batter, smoothing out the top and pushing it to the sides. Bake until center is set, about 20 minutes, and transfer to a cooling rack.

6.  Cut into 6 equal pieces. Serve hot or room temperature, with pita and yogurt, if desired.

Beer-Braised Greens

Photo by David Loftus

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Braising greens makes them more tender.  My recipe uses porter or stout for a richer taste.  The alcohol evaporates.  If you'd rather not use beer, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of tomato paste thinned with water to make 1/2 cup.


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Serves 4


Ingredients:

Kale, beet greens or chard or spinach, turnip greens, collards, and/or arugula, rinsed well and torn into 2-inch strips to make 4 cups.  I prefer a mixture.

• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled and finely sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup stout or porter
  2 cups of cooked, drained black or white beans (optional)
• 4 tablespoons miso, thinned with a bit of water
• Directions:

1.  In a large pot bring 2 quarts of water and a large pinch of salt to a boil. Add greens a blanch for 1 minute.  Remove to a colander to drain.

2.  In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and  sauté  for 1 minute. Add greens, pepper flakes and beer, cover simmer until tender (about 6 minutes). If you'd like to make this a complete meal, add 2 cups of cooked, drained black or white beans and stir to warm through.  Remove from heat.  Stir in thinned miso and serve.

Bok Choy and Tempeh (or Chicken or Pork) Stir Fry with Mushrooms, Sweet Peppers and Onions

Photo by Susanna Liang at Divine Healthy Food.  Her recipe uses a red chili pepper so it's spicier.


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Sally wrote me after I had developed recipes for tomatillo salsa, to say that the bag for Glade Road Growing this week would instead include bok choy, salad turnips, red pepper, red onion, arugula, lettuce mix and tomatoes.  Here's my recipe for a stir fry using the bok choy, red pepper, red onion and tomatoes with tempeh.  If you prefer, you can use cooked chicken or pork, sliced thin and added in with the tomatoes.

Plus check out the recipe Sally found for the newsletter for  grilled bok choy and turnip rice bowls with soy sesame sauce by Oregon "farmer turned foodie Andrea Bemis" at her blog Dishing Up The Dirt.  (And while you're there, check out the other recipes!)



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Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups of brown rice

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
8  cremini mushrooms, sliced (sometimes called baby portobellos)
1 red onion, thinly sliced with one tablespoon finely chopped and reserved for garnish
1 package of tempeh, cut into thin strips (or 1 cup cooked chicken or pork)
1 sweet red pepper, stemmed, seeded, membrane removed and cut into thin slices
4 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled and chopped
fresh ginger, chopped to make 1 tablespoon
4 medium bok choy, chopped into thin slices
2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons of balsamic or rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons of miso
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro chopped


Instructions

1.  45 minutes before you start the stir fry, bring 2 cups of brown rice and 4 cups of water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed lidded pot.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Rinse rice until water is clear, add water up to the original level and bring again to boil for another five minutes.  Cover pot, turn off the heat and let steam for 40 minutes until the water is absorbed.

2.  Heat a dry cast iron skillet over a medium heat until a drop of water boils off.  Toast sesame seeds until they pop.  Immediately transfer to plate and reserve for garnish.

3.  Add olive or peanut oil to the skillet and heat until a bead of water sizzles.  Add mushrooms and cook until tender.  Add the onions and cook until translucent.  Add the garlic, ginger, paprika, red pepper flakes, red pepper and bok choy and cook the vegetables are tender. 

4.   While the veggies are cooking, in a small bowl, make a paste of the cornstarch, water, miso, sesame oil and vinegar.  Turn down the heat to low and add mixture to the skillet, stirring until it thickens.  Stir in tomatoes (and meat, if you are substituting for the tempeh) and turn off heat and let warm through.

5.  Stir the rice with a fork to fluff and divide among four bowls.  Top with stir fry, garnished with toasted sesame seeds, chopped cilantro and  reserved, chopped red onions.

Photo by Andrea Bemis of her grilled bok choy and turnip rice bowls with soy sesame sauce.

far


mer turned foodie, Andrea Bemis  

Three Tomatillo Salsas: Chopped, Blended OR Grilled

Photo accompanied a recipe by Kate Ramos at Chowhound (no photographer listed).  You can find more of her "nueva Latina" recipes at her blog, ¡HOLA! JALAPEÑO.


JP tells me that this week's bag from Glade Road Growing will include tomatillos and other makings for salsa.  I've included my favorite recipe for an easy peasy fresh salsa, plus more traditional recipes for a blended salsa verde and a roasted tomatillo salsa.

All of these recipes can be served immediately or covered and refrigerated for several days.  In that case, let the salsa come to room temperature before serving.


1.  Chopped:  Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients:

1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed and diced small
1 medium onion (white or yellow) peeled, root  and stalk end trimmed and diced small
1 or 2 medium jalapeños, seranos or chipotles, seeded with membranes removed and chopped coarsely
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
2-3 fresh limes, halved and squeezed (or enough to make 1/4 cup juice)
2 teaspoons sea salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a glass mixing bowl, stir to combine, adjust seasoning as necessary, and serve.

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2.  Blended:  Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Photo by Danny Kim for Bon Appetit

Makes about 2 cups


Ingredients:

1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
½ medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 jalapeños, serano or chipotle chile, seeds and membrane removed and chopped coarsely

¼ cup fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Purée tomatillos, onion, garlic, chile, and cilantro in a blender, adding water as needed, until smooth; season with salt.

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3.  Grilled:  Grilled Tomatillo Salsa

Photo by Colin Clark for Fine Cooking.Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

10 medium tomatillos, husked and washed
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2-3 fresh limes, halved and squeezed (or enough to make 1/4 cup juice)
1 medium clove garlic, smashed peeled and chopped
1 jalapeño, serano or chipotle chile, seeded, membrane removed and chopped coarsely

2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1/4 cup  scallions chopped

Directions:

1.  Grill the tomatillos on gas or charcoal grill, covered, until charred on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until charred on the other side, 3 minutes more.  If you don't have a grill, you can roast them on a rimmed baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler.

2.  Purée the tomatillos, onion, lime juice, garlic, chiles and a pinch of salt in a blender until it makes a smooth sauce.

3.  Transfer the salsa to a serving bowl.  Add the cilantro and scallions, and season to taste with salt just before serving.