October 7, 2021 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Daikon Radishes!

 

Cooking With This Week's Box

Spinach: 

One-Pot Pasta with Spinach & Tomatoes 
Spinach Egg Drop Soup

Salad Mix:

Honey Sesame Salad Dressing 

Italian Garlic: 

Garlic Butter Steak Bites 

Green Leaf, Green Boston and/or Mini Green Romaine Lettuce: 

“The Best Taco Salad” (Also calls for onions, tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, cilantro and radishes!)

 Yellow Onions: 

Western Bacon Burgers with BBQ Mayo and Crispy Onion Strings 

Orange or Red Italian Frying Peppers: 

Roasted Red Pepper Potato Soup

Tomatoes: 

Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry 

Easy Spinach and Tomato Frittata

Purple, Yellow or White Cauliflower: 

Sicilian Cauliflower Salad (Also calls for tomatoes, sweet peppers and onions)

Greek Cauliflower Salad Bowls

Broccoli: 

Broccoli Salad with Bacon & a Creamy Dressing

Asterix Potatoes:   

Crispy Oven Fries 

Homemade Baked Potato Chips

Jalapeño, Bacon and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes with Cilantro

Jalapeño Peppers: 

Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits 

Jalapeño-Cilantro Hummus 

Violet Queen Salad Turnips: 

Turnip Greens in Japanese Broth 

Soba with Japanese Turnips, Radishes, Greens, Ginger & Miso

Purple Daikon Radish: 

Spicy Roasted Daikon “French Fry” (See Below)

Quick Pickled Carrots and Daikon (See Below)

Savory Slaw with Mint & Cilantro Includes daikon radish and serrano chiles—sub jalapeños

Broccoli Raab: 

Broccoli Raab and Sausage Pie 

Linguine with Broccoli Raab and Peppers 

Cilantro: 

Cilantro Lime Rice 

Fermented Daikon with Cilantro and Lime Zest 

Hello Everyone!

Photo from simple-veganista.com

It’s another full box this week!  I’m going to keep this short and sweet this week as we’re deep into root crop harvest and the wagons of celeriac are coming into the packing shed just as fast as I can get them unloaded!   This week our featured vegetable is beautiful purple daikon.  This was one vegetable many members listed as one of their favorites from last fall.  If you search on our Facebook group you’ll find some great suggestions for ways to utilize this vegetable.  One recipe that was popular last fall was Spicy Roasted Daikon “French Fry” (See Below).  Because daikon is so juicy, these fries will not be as crispy or fluffy as a potato fry, so don’t expect them to be.  They are their own tasty creation!  The other recipe for Quick Pickled Carrots and Daikon (See Below) was another member recommended recipe from the group.  Pickled daikon is a great condiment to have in the refrigerator.  Eat it alongside homemade sushi, serve it with fish, add it to salads, or put it on a sandwich!

This week I also included several recipes for ways to use this week’s Asterix potatoes, which are a drier potato.  Give these Crispy Oven Fries or Homemade Baked Potato Chips a try.  If you really want to go deep, make these Jalapeño, Bacon and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes with Cilantro!

We have lots of options this week for salad greens.  One thing that sounded good, and utilizes a lot of vegetables in this week’s box is “The Best Taco Salad”!  This recipe includes 6 vegetables from this week’s box, and you could even add more if you’d like!

We didn’t have room for any winter squash in the box this week, but hang tight, it should be back next week along with more crispy, crunchy head lettuce, salad greens, potatoes and much more!

Have a great week!

Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Daikon Radishes 

By:  Chef Andrea Yoder

Purple Daikon

Description: Daikon radishes have a variety of different common names depending on the culture they are being used in, such as Japanese radish, Chinese radish or simply winter radish. They are a mild flavored winter radish that are extremely popular in Asian cuisines.  Their crisp, juicy texture is complemented by a sweet, slightly peppery bite.  We grow three different types of daikon including the traditional white daikon along with purple and pink varieties.  Although the typical white daikon will measure between 15-20 inches in length, certain varieties can grow to be 36 inches long!  The purple and pink varieties are slightly smaller than the white variety we produce and have stunning lavender and pink hues throughout the skin and flesh.  We find daikon to have a slightly sweet and spicy flavor that is more mild than spring radishes.  In its raw form, the flesh is very juicy and crunchy.  When cooked, the flavor becomes more mild and the texture becomes tender, similar to a cooked turnip.  If you are a radish lover, you’ll likely prefer them raw.  If you’re still learning to like radishes, you may find them more to your liking when cooked.

Traditional White Daikon

Preparation & Use: The skin of this radish is edible, but most often a thin layer is peeled away before use.  Pickling and stir-frying are the most predominant methods of preparing daikon radishes, and they are perfectly good to eat raw as well in slaws or as garnishes dressed with a simple vinaigrette.  Daikon radishes may also be roasted or sliced thinly and made into vegetable chips, either baked or fried.  We enjoy daikon radishes in fall and winter stir-fries, cabbage slaw and braised meat dishes.

In Chinese cuisine, daikon radishes are also featured in a variety of soups, braised meat and vegetable dishes as well as baked goods.  A popular Bangladesh dish finely grates daikon and ads it to a mixture of fresh chili, coriander, lime juice, salt and flaked steamed fish in a light and refreshing side dish known as mulo bhorta.  In Korean culture, daikon is often fermented.

Storage: Daikon radishes should be stored, in a plastic bag in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator.  They will last this way for several weeks.  Cut daikon stores well in its raw form, but can produce an odor that is absorbed by other items your fridge if it is not contained in a closed container. 

Additional Fun Facts: The word Daikon comes from Japanese, and literally means “big root!”

Quick Pickled Carrots and Daikon

Photo from:mykoreankitchen.com

Yield:  10 servings

10 ounces daikon radish, julienned

7 oz carrots, julienned

Pickle Brine:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup apple cider or rice vinegar

Pinch of salt

1. Combine the pickle brine in a saucepan and boil on medium heat until the sugar dissolves (3 to 4 minutes).  Stir occasionally.  Remove from the heat and cool it down.
2. Place the julienned radishes and carrots into a sterile pickling jar and pour over the brine.  Close the lid.  Gently move the jar around a little bit to make sure the brine is touching all the radishes and carrots.
3. Leave the jar at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, then move to the fridge.  Chill the pickles for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving for optimal taste.

Recipe borrowed from www.mykoreankitchen.com.  

Spicy Roasted Daikon "French Fry"

Photo from cookingontheweekends.com

Yield:  4 servings

“Look, I’m just going to be totally honest with you.  While they may look like potato fries, they’re not—nor are they trying to be potato fries.  They’re Daikon Fries, and proud of it.”---Chef Valentina Wein of cookingontheweekends.com

5 cups daikon radish, peeled and sliced (see instructions)

3 ½ Tbsp grapeseed oil or vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp chili-garlic paste

1 tsp soy sauce or tamari

½ tsp freshly grated ginger

½ tsp granulated sugar

½ tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 475°F, and position an oven rack in the center of the oven.
2. Cut the daikon into sections approximately 3-inches long, then cut lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices.  Stack a few of the slices and cut them again to make ¼ inch square “French Fries.”  Spread the daikon slices on a baking sheet and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the oil, chili paste, tamari or soy sauce, ginger, sugar and salt.  
4. Drizzle this over the daikon slices and then use your hands to toss them until they’re all evenly coated and in a single layer. 
5. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and roast until they are golden brown on all sides, about 30 minutes.  You should gently toss/flip them about halfway through the cooking time.
6. Add a double layer of paper towels to another baking sheet, and when the fries are done, add them on top of the towels to drain before serving.

This recipe was also a member-recommended recipe that several people in our private Facebook group tried last fall and posted positive comments!