Cooking With This Week's Box
Red & Yellow Onions:
Garlic:
Covington Sweet Potatoes:
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| Photo from food52.com |
Asterix Potatoes:
Autumn Frost Squash:
Orange Carrots:
Red or Chioggia Beets:
Celeriac:
Beauty Heart Radishes:
Brussels Sprouts:
Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples (Substitute fresh baby ginger for ground ginger!)
Tat Soi:
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| Photo from theroastedroot.net |
Fresh Baby Ginger:
Collards:
Happy Thanksgiving!
As a kid, Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday of the year. I loved to help my Mom make Thanksgiving dinner, complete with all the family favorites such as Prune Dressing (my mom’s side) and Cranberry Jello Salad (my dad’s side). As I got older and started subscribing to food magazines, the Thanksgiving issues were always my favorites. Of course the pretty pictures that made all the Thanksgiving spreads look so beautiful and inviting were fun to look at, but these issues were packed full of tasty recipes that were fun to cook all winter! So whether you’re making a big dinner or not, this is a great time of the year to pick up some new recipes in magazines, on blogs, etc. Over the past week my inbox has been flooded with notices of blog posts packed full of great Thanksgiving recipes. So, there’s a few more recipe suggestions on this week’s Cooking With the Box list because I just couldn’t let a good idea pass you by!
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| Photo from brooklynsupper.com |
We have been blessed with an abundant ginger crop this year! If you want to include it in your Thanksgiving dinner, consider making this Cranberry Sauce with Ginger and Maple. If you are looking for an interesting cocktail to share with friends, check out this Spicy Ginger Pomegranate Paloma. If you have a little extra time over this long holiday weekend, have a little fun making these Ginger Sesame Chicken Potstickers. And lastly, if you want to just cuddle up on the couch and enjoy some peace and quiet after all the festivities, make yourself a cup of Hot Ginger Lemon Tea.
This week’s squash variety is the beautiful Autumn Frost. It’s very similar in use to a butternut squash, but may also be substituted for pumpkin in most recipes. I’ve given you several dessert suggestions this week that would be tasty to make using Autumn Frost. If your oven is full of other Thanksgiving dishes, consider making this No Bake Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake. If you’re more if a traditional pie person, perhaps you’ll enjoy this Butternut Squash Pie. Of course, you could skip dessert and use the squash to make these Fluffy Butternut Squash Rolls with Sage.
There is quite a pile of sweet potatoes in this week’s box! Does anyone else think this recipe for Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet N Savory Bacon Pecans sounds good!? I recently had a member ask me about eating the sweet potato skins. I typically don’t eat the skins, but this recipe for Simple, Salty Sweet Potato Skin Chips may change that going forward! Turn the sweet potato skins into fried or baked chips! They may not look terribly pretty, but I guarantee they’ll be tasty!
I hope some of this week’s suggestions inspire your culinary creations this week, whether on your table for Thanksgiving or every day. We still have two more vegetable share deliveries coming up after Thanksgiving, so be sure to mark your calendars so you don’t miss anything!
Happy Thanksgiving!!! Chef Andrea
Vegetable Feature: Tat Soi
by Andrea Yoder
Growing Information: While tat soi can take some cold weather and frosty nights, repeated cold exposure can result in frost damage. Each fall we take a little extra time to put wire hoops in the field to support a large cover that drapes over the crop, anchored with lots of sandbags to keep it in place. The tat soi may still freeze under the cover if the temperatures are cold enough, but it isn’t as hard of a freeze and thus it recovers more favorably. You may notice some discoloration on the tips of some of the leaves. This is from a little bit of frost damage, typically where the cover may have been resting on the plant. It can sometimes be tricky to harvest it as you have to time the harvest to coincide with a warm afternoon when the tat soi have thawed!
Preparation & Use: Prior to use, turn it over and use a paring knife to cut the stems away from the base. Wash the stems and leaves vigorously in a sink of cold water. If you’re using it to make a salad or stir-fry, make sure you pat the leaves dry or dry them in a salad spinner. If you’re using them in a soup or just wilting them, just shake a little water off of them.
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| Spaghetti with Roasted Butternut Squash & Tat Soi |
As mentioned above, tat soi may be eaten both raw and cooked. It is very similar to spinach and bok choi, so consider using it in recipes or preparations where you may use greens such as these. In its raw form, I like to use tat soi in tasty salads with lots of fall vegetables such as winter radishes (daikon or beauty heart), carrots, cabbage, etc and a simple, light vinaigrette. Turn it into a meal itself by adding nuts, seeds and/or meat such as grilled steak, roasted chicken or seared salmon.
Tat soi is one of nature’s fast foods, as are most greens, and it can be stir-fried, steamed and sautéed in just a few minutes. The stems may need a slightly longer cooking time, so it’s best to add those to the pan first. The leaves cook very quickly and need just a few minutes to become silky and tender.
I tend to use tat soi in dishes with some Asian influences, and rightfully so as it pairs well with ginger, miso, soy, sesame, etc. But it also pairs well with other ingredients including lemon, beans, grains, pasta, winter root vegetables, etc. Of course you may also choose to incorporate it into casseroles, hot dishes, egg preparations such as quiche and scrambled eggs, pasta dishes, etc.
Storage: It’s best to store tat soi in a plastic bag or a covered container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Salad with Tat Soi
Yield: 6 servings
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil or sunflower oil
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp sea salt
Scant ½ tsp ground black pepper
½ Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
Salad:
5 cups peeled and diced butternut squash*
2 - 3 Tbsp olive oil
Sea Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
3 cups thinly sliced tat soi (or spinach)
½ cup thinly sliced red onions
½ cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
3 cups cooked wild rice, room temperature to slightly warm
¾ cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts or almonds
- To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a jar and use an immersion blender to puree. Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk thoroughly by hand. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a bowl, toss squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, stirring once, until fork tender and slightly golden on the edges. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature
- Just before serving, combine the following ingredients in a large serving bowl: tatsoi, onions, cherries or cranberries, wild rice and roasted squash. Drizzle with salad dressing and toss to combine. You want enough dressing to lightly coat all of the components, but not so much that it gets soggy. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper to your liking.
- Garnish with chopped nuts and serve at room temperature.
*Note: May substitute other similar squash varieties such as Butterkin and Autumn Frost.
This recipe was adapted from Amanda Paa’s version as featured on her blog, heartbeetkitchen.com. We had the pleasure of spending some time with Amanda when she came to the farm to do a photoshoot several years ago. If you aren’t familiar with Amanda’s blog, go check it out! She has a lot of really great, healthy recipes AND she is a dynamic person so you can absorb some of her good energy!
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