Cooking With This Week's Box
Porcelain Garlic: Herbed Leek Tart (see below); Celeriac & Leek Soup (see below); Wild Rice & Celeriac Gratin; Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Edamame: Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad
Sweet Peppers (Orange Ukraine,
Red Bell & Red Italian Frying peppers): Herbed Leek Tart (see below); Red Pepper, Lentil & Tomato Salad
Mini Sweet Peppers: Herbed Leek Tart (see below); Red Pepper, Lentil & Tomato Salad
Yellow/Red Grape Tomatoes OR
Roma Tomatoes: Red Pepper, Lentil& Tomato Salad
Red Seedless Watermelon: 1-Ingredient Watermelon Slushie
Purple Viking Potatoes: Celeriac & Leek Soup (see below); Leek & Potato Soup
Jalapeno Pepper: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa; Smoky Sweet Corn Tostadas
Mixed Variety of Melon: Chardonnay Cantaloupe Sangria
Celeriac: Celeriac & Leek Soup (see below); Wild Rice & Celeriac Gratin
Green Top Red Beets: Avocado Tomatillo Breakfast Tacos; Beet & Corn Salad
Sweet Corn: Smoky Sweet Corn Tostadas; Beet & Corn Salad
Leeks: Herbed Leek Tart (see below); Celeriac & Leek Soup (see below); Leek & Potato Soup
This week we move into late summer as we start the
transition into fall. Peppers are
ripening like crazy, zucchini production is tapering off, melons and
watermelons are nearly finished, and we’ve started winter squash and root crop
harvest. I enjoy cooking with vegetables
coming in this time of year as most of them are very versatile and can play
well with summer vegetables and fall vegetables. A good example of this is this week’s
featured vegetable, leeks. Leeks are a
late season allium, the last allium we’ll harvest this year. There are classical preparations that pair
leeks with summer vegetables such as peppers and tomatoes, but they also
complement fall vegetables like spaghetti squash and celeriac. So this week we’re featuring two
recipes. The first is a Herbed Leek Tart (see below) that is
very simple and in terms of tarts, it’s on the rustic end. You don’t need a tart pan to make this one,
it’s more of a crostata where the pastry is just laid out on a baking sheet and
is folded around the filling. This
filling is a simple leek, herb and sweet pepper filling. This could serve as dinner along with salad
or a bowl of soup. Leftovers reheat well
and are good eaten either hot or at room temperature.
The second recipe this week pairs leeks with celeriac, more
of a fall root vegetable. This is a
simple recipe for Celeriac & Leek
Soup (see below), courtesy of Farmer Andrea Bemis. It’s a lean soup based on leeks, celeriac and
potato to thicken it. At the end you
stir in a dollop of crème fraiche or yogurt to add some richness to the soup
and bring it together. The combination
of leeks and celeriac makes a nice silky, smooth soup.
If you don’t use celeriac to make the featured soup recipe,
consider making this Wild Rice & Celeriac Gratin. You can keep it vegetable based, or it’s also
good with chunks of chicken or turkey mixed in.
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| Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad photo from gimmesomeoven.com |
This week in our Facebook Group a member shared this recipe
for Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad,
a recipe I’m anxious to try. This salad
is built off of a base of cabbage and is topped with toasted almonds and ramen
noodles as well as mango and edamame.
The whole thing is dressed with a simple Asian vinaigrette that you make
by shaking all the ingredients in a jar. You can make this salad now, or save this
recipe and squirrel away some edamame in the freezer so you can make it later
in the fall or winter when cabbage is abundant.
This is a nice refreshing salad to liven up your winter mealscape. I also think it would be nice to add some
thinly sliced sweet peppers or shredded carrots for some extra flavor and
crunch.
While tomatoes haven’t been as plentiful this summer, the
tomatillos have been producing very well!
If you’re tomatillo-ed out for now, I encourage you to make another
batch of tomatillo salsa and tuck it away in the freezer. If you don’t want to make salsa right now, at
least clean the tomatillos and freeze them so you can make salsa later! Tomatillo salsa can be used for more than
just dipping chips in it. Here’s a few
ways you can put it to use. Check out
this recipe for Avocado Tomatillo Breakfast Tacos which are topped with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. These tacos call for spinach, but you could
easily substitute this week’s beet greens in place of spinach.
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| Smoky Sweet Corn Tostadas photo from loveandlemons.com |
If you’re going to make a batch of tomatillo salsa, you
might as well use it for multiple recipes.
Here’s another recipe, courtesy of the same blog (loveandlemons.com),
for Smoky Sweet Corn Tostadas. For this recipe, you make a creamy sweet corn
hummus that gets spread on crispy tortillas and topped off with sliced
jalapenos, onions and tomatillo salsa.
If you didn’t have a chance to make the Red Pepper, Lentil & Tomato Salad featured in last week’s newsletter, I encourage you to check it out this
week. It’s easy to make and can serve as
a main dish or a side salad. It’s also
very colorful with sweet peppers and grape tomatoes in shades of red to orange!
This may be the last week for watermelon. The easiest thing to do is cut it in half,
grab a spoon, position yourself in a comfy chair on the patio and just eat it
right out of the rind! If you want to
put forth a little more effort, but not too much, make this 1-Ingredient Watermelon Slushie! While we’re making drinks, what better way to
mark the end of melon season than Sangria!
Here’s a recipe for Chardonnay Cantaloupe Sangria. While it calls for cantaloupe, I think this
would be delicious made with any of the melon varieties in this week’s
box.
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| Beet & Corn Salad photo from lucismorsels.com |
I don’t typically pair beets and corn together, but why
not?! This is a simple, refreshing recipe
for a Beet & Corn Salad with cilantro and onions dressed with a light vinaigrette. It would be a nice accompaniment to grilled
fish or chicken or serve it alongside the Herbed Leek Tart for a full
vegetarian dinner.
I think that concludes this week’s cooking adventure. Pretty soon we’ll be picking the Korean chili
peppers, which have become one of my favorites for making chili garlic sauce to
stash away in the freezer. I’m also
excited to start experimenting with recipes for the new Black Futsu
Pumpkin! Jicama will be coming in,
likely before the end of the month.
There are so many delicious things yet to come! Have a great week!
Vegetable Feature: Leeks
By Andrea Yoder
We’ve been enjoying a variety of vegetables in the onion/allium family since our first box all the way back in May. From ramps and chives to overwintered spring onions, scallions and most recently sweet onions. This week we’ll add leeks to the list. Leeks are a favorite fall allium that, as Chef Deborah Madison says, “add more of a whisper and less of a shout.” Leeks have a more delicate, mild onion flavor and are cooked using more delicate cooking methods to yield a soft, silky finished product. They have fewer sugars than onions, so they will not caramelize in the same way as an onion. It’s best to sweat leeks, meaning you cook them at a lower, more moderate heat to soften them but don’t try to brown them.
Leeks have a long white shank that turns to more of a bluish green color as you reach the top of the leek. The shank is made of many thin layers and is the portion of the leek most often used. However, the green portion on top is equally edible and at the very least should be added to stock for flavor. Throughout the growing process, dirt is hilled up on the leeks to cover the shank and block sunlight which keeps it white. As a result, dirt may get between the layers. While you need to take care to carefully clean the entire leek, the upper portion may have a bit more dirt between the layers and may need a little more attention. I find it easiest to wash the exterior of the leek and then slice them. Place the chopped leeks in a sink of clean, cold water and swish them around to remove any dirt. Remove the leeks from the water and place in a colander to drain. If there isn’t much dirt between the layers, you may also just place the sliced leeks in a colander and rinse them.
Leeks pair well with many fall vegetables including potatoes, celeriac, and fennel. They are often incorporated into cream soups, gratins and egg dishes such as quiche. A traditional use for leeks is to make Leek & Potato Soup, of which there are many variations. In our opinion, Purple Viking potatoes are one of the best potatoes to use for Leek & Potato soup, which is why we included them in this week’s box! It is best to take your time and cook leeks more gently and slowly over medium heat. Sauté them over low heat to just sweat them until softened. When cooked in this manner, leeks become creamy and have a silk-like texture. They pair well with white wine, lemon, cream, cheese, apples, walnuts, chicken, bacon, fish and fresh herbs to name just a few ingredients.
Store leeks loosely wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.
Celeriac & Leek Soup
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| photo from dishingupthedirt.com |
Yield: 4 servings
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, diced
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small or 1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 medium to large potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock (plus more to thin as needed)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Crème Fraiche or plain yogurt, for serving
Minced parsley, for serving
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Heat the oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, celeriac, potato and a hefty pinch of salt. Stir well. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let the soup cool for a few minutes before transferring the soup (you may need to do this in batches) to a high speed blender and pureeing until completely smooth and creamy.
- Return the soup back to the pot, stir in the lemon juice and taste for seasonings. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water. Keep the soup on low heat until ready to serve. Serve with a drizzle of crème fraiche or plain yogurt and minced parsley.
Recipe borrowed from DishingUpTheDirt.com, by Andrea Bemis.
Herbed Leek Tart
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| photo from tasteofhome.com |
Yield: 2 tarts (8 servings each)
3 cups thinly sliced leeks (about 4 medium)
½ cup chopped sweet pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp herbes de Provence (or may substitute dried thyme)
1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated pie crust
1 tsp whole milk
2 Tbsp chopped almonds or walnuts, optional
- In a large skillet, sauté the leeks, red pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Remove from the heat; cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese, mustard and herbs; set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each sheet of pastry into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to parchment-lined backing sheets. Spoon leek mixture over pastry to within 2 inches of edges. Fold edges of pastry over filling, leaving center uncovered. Brush folded crust with milk; sprinkle with nuts if desired.
- Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Using parchment, slide tarts onto wire racks. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.
Recipe borrowed from www.tasteofhome.com.
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