Cooking With This Week's Box
Brussels Sprouts:
Shredded Brussels Sprout & Bacon Pizza (See Below)
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| Photo from www.williams-sonoma.com |
Orange Carrots:
Purple Viking Potatoes:
Sweet Potatoes:
Cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco or Broccoli:
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Porcelain Garlic:
Red Monastrell Onions:
Salad Mix:
Escarole:
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Winter Blush Squash or Butterkin Squash:
Jester Squash:
Hello All!
After this week we only have 4 deliveries remaining. Can you believe it?! It’s almost time to start planning our holiday menus! This week we’re excited to be sharing the first of the Brussels sprouts with you. If you’re looking for a new recipe to try, consider this week’s featured recipe for Shredded Brussels Sprout & Bacon Pizza (See Below). Yes, you can put Brussels sprouts on a pizza! Serve this pizza with a simple green salad comprised of salad mix tossed with either Orange Vinaigrette Salad Dressing or Pear Vinaigrette.
As we move into the winter months, lets start enjoying a slower pace and more leisurely cooking. This includes long, slow cooking, such as is the case with Perfect Pot Roast or
In the spirit of starting the day off with vegetables for breakfast, consider making
Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies or Sweet Potato Kale Breakfast Salad! Of course, you may also wish to use your sweet potatoes to make a Sweet Potato Cheesecake.
What are you going to do with that beautiful head of escarole? Well, may I suggest you go with either Escarole Salad with Pomegranates and Pistachios or this recipe for Rigatoni with Escarole & White Beans!
I’m going to wrap it up here, but before I go, I want to remind you that this is our final Peak Season delivery. We have a plan for the remaining boxes which will include some fun selections like red daikon and fresh baby ginger!
Have a great week and I’ll see you back next week for more cooking fun!
Chef Andrea
Vegetable Feature: Brussels Sprouts
by Andrea Yoder
Brussels sprouts are a popular crop many members have come
to adore when they realize how delicious they are when harvested fresh, in the
peak of their season, AND cooked properly. Brussels sprouts are another
selection in the family of Brassicas
which include cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage. They resemble little cabbages
and grow on stalks with leaves similar to collards. We start Brussels sprouts from seed in the
green house in the spring and then plant the transplants to the field where
they require a 4-6 month period to reach their full potential.
Brussels sprouts are a hearty vegetable and
can take cold temperatures. In fact, we like them to be “kissed by the frost” a
few times before we harvest them. The reason for this is that the cold exposure
changes the flavor making them sweeter, which contributes to a better tasting
sprout overall. This year was an unusual
year and most of our fall Brassicas crops came in several weeks ahead of
schedule, Brussels sprouts included. We had to start harvesting the large
sprouts from the bottoms of the stalks first and have just continued to work
our way up the stalks as the sprouts continue to grow. We waited until they
were frosted to start harvesting them for your boxes. We are very thankful to
have a productive crop this year and plan to include them in both of the
November boxes. They will also be
available for purchase as a Produce Plus offering for delivery the week before
Thanksgiving, just in case you want to include them in your Thanksgiving Day
feasts!
Now that you know fresh, frosted Brussels sprouts are going
to taste the best, let’s talk about proper cooking. In my youth I did not adore
the drab, olive green little cabbages that made the house smell funky when Mom (over)cooked
them. In my adult life I realized that
it was not the Brussels sprouts I disliked, but rather my mother’s overcooked
approach to preparing them! For just a
moment let’s talk about the science of Brussels sprouts. As with other
vegetables in this family, Brussels sprouts are packed with phytonutrients that
make them nutritional powerhouses! One nutrient compound they contain are
glucosinolates, a sulfur containing nutrient that protects and benefits our
bodies in many ways including protecting our cardiovascular system and
providing anti-cancer effects. These sulfur containing compounds also
contribute to their flavor, but this is where we need to talk about the fine
line between a delicious tasting Brussels sprout and one that has crossed the
line because it is overcooked. As you cook Brussels sprouts these sulfur
compounds are released. When overcooked the flavor becomes strong, pungent and,
in my opinion, just not very enjoyable. Brussels sprouts may be roasted, boiled, steamed, or sautéed. Regardless
of the cooking method you choose, it’s important to cook them just until they
become bright green and are tender, but still with a little bit of firmness
remaining. The next stage after this is
where they turn olive green, get soft and mushy and develop a strong smell from
all the sulfur compounds volatilizing into the air! The other important thing
to remember when cooking Brussels sprouts is to let them breathe. It’s best to
cook them uncovered as it lets the sulfur compounds dissipate into the air
instead of building up in the pan under the lid.
To prepare sprouts for a recipe, use a paring knife to trim
a little bit off the base of each sprout which will allow a few outer leaves to
fall off. If the sprouts are small, you may cook them whole. If they are a little
larger you may want to cut them into halves or quarters. I should mention that
Brussels sprouts may also be eaten raw in slaws and salads. In their raw form
they are generally sliced very finely. Brussels
sprouts are a natural pairing with other vegetables including garlic, onions
(especially caramelized onions), winter squash, root vegetables, sweet potatoes,
and mushrooms. They also pair well with fall fruits including apples,
cranberries, pomegranate, and lemons. In my kitchen, they also have an attraction
to butter! Additionally, they pair well with other dairy products including
Parmesan, feta, and blue cheese as well as cream. Their strong flavor goes well
with salty, cured meats such as bacon and sausage as well as toasted nuts. A
drizzle of maple syrup, honey or even balsamic vinegar is also a nice way to
finish off a Brussels sprouts recipe.
Store Brussels sprouts in the refrigerator in the plastic
bag we’ve portioned them in for you.
They will keep for several weeks, but we recommend you eat them within a
week or two. We are grateful to share the bounty of this year’s harvest with
you and hope you enjoy them!
Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Pizza
Yield: 4 servings
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| Photo from halfbakedharvest.com |
½ pound pizza dough, at room temperature
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1 ½ cups shredded Brussels sprouts
½ cup grated Manchego or Parmesan cheese
1 ½ cups shredded fontina or Havarti cheese
4 thick-cut slices of bacon, chopped
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease a large baking sheet or pizza pan with olive oil.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp olive oil, the honey, balsamic vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
- In a separate bowl, toss together the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, the Brussels sprouts, Parmesan or Manchego, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- On a lightly floured surface, push/roll the dough out until it is pretty thin (about a 10-12 inch circle). Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet.
- Spread the dough with the olive oil/balsamic herb mix. Add the fontina or Havarti cheese, then layer the Brussels sprouts over the cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp. Top the pizza with the crispy bacon and additional freshly shaved Parmesan. Slice and enjoy!
Recipe sourced from www.halfbakedharvest.com.
1 comment:
I love all the CSA box recipe suggestions! My CSA delivered many of the same so I'll need to check out some more options! And thanks for including my recipe!
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