Cooking With This Week's Box
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| Creamy Onion Dip Photo from www.chocolatemoosey.com |
Italian Garlic:
Green Top Gold Beets:
Orange Italian Frying Peppers:
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| Broccoli & Pepper Stir-Fry Photo from www.atcoblueflamekitchen.com |
Mini Sweet Peppers:
Jalapeño Peppers:
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| Three Cheese Bacon & Jalapeño Pasta Phot from www.thecreativebite.com |
Poblano Peppers:
Large Tomato Variety:
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| Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup Photo from www.simplyscratch.com |
Broccoli and Broccoli Romanesco or Cauliflower:
Deborah Madison’s Cheese & Broccoli Soup (See Below)
Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric, Spice & Cilantro (See Below)
Baby Spinach:
Salad Mix:
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| Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli Photo from www.pinchandswirl.com |
We are blessed with plenty of salad greens this week, so it’s time to pull out some recipes to put simple salads on the table in no time flat! If you have a few simple dressings or vinaigrettes on hand, you can build a salad quickly. This Sweet Onion Dressing sounds delicious as does this Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette. I also came across this recipe for Jalapeño Ranch Dressing which would be tasty on a spinach salad. This Ranch Dressing may also be good drizzled over roasted vegetables such as cauliflower or potatoes.
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| Tomato Spinach Frittata Photo from www.bake-eat-repeat.com |
I always like to give you something to look forward to, so I’ll let you know that we’ll likely start sending some of our early season winter squash varieties your way next week. We are also planning to harvest the jicama for next week’s boxes! Sweet potatoes are not quite ready, but it won’t be long. What other fall favorites are you anxiously awaiting?
Have a great week and we hope you’ll join us at the Harvest Party this weekend!
--Chef Andrea
Vegetable Feature: Brassicas-Cauliflower, Broccoli & More!
“Brassicas” is a term we use to refer to a family of vegetables that includes cauliflower, broccoli, broccoli Romanesco, turnips, cabbage, radishes, Brussels sprouts and more! This week we thought it fitting to feature this crop group in a bit more detail with an emphasis on the broccoli, cauliflower and Romanesco crops we are currently harvesting. While we grow broccoli and cauliflower in the spring and fall, fall is the time of the year when these crops typically thrive and usually taste the best with a little touch of cold weather. As with other crops in this family, you’ll notice a bit of sweetness in the flavor of these vegetables once the plant has gone through a bit of a cold snap. Over the past few years, we have had to adjust the planting dates for our fall cauliflower, broccoli, Romanesco, and cabbage plantings. With climate change, our fall plantings have been coming in too early while it’s still warm! It’s a delicate balance in that the plants need enough warmth and growing days to produce a full-size vegetable, but the rate of growth typically slows as the temperatures taper off in the fall. In some years we’ve had trouble with crops like cauliflower reaching full maturity before it gets so cold that the low temperatures damage the product. While we have not had a frost yet (thankfully!), we have had some cool nights where the temperature dropped down into the 40’s. How will this fall play out? It’s anyone’s guess!
Broccoli is one of the most commonly consumed vegetables, considered a staple by many households. We won’t spend much time talking about broccoli other than a reminder to get the full value from broccoli by eating both the stem and the florets on top! Shifting our attention to cauliflower, white is the traditional cauliflower color, however we also grow purple and yellow varieties in the fall. A common question we are often asked is if the colored varieties taste different. The basic answer is that they all do still taste like cauliflower, however, remember that different color pigments in vegetables indicate the presence of different nutrient compounds. So, if you pay close attention, you may notice subtle flavor differences between the different colors. The yellow variety we used to grow was named “Cheddar.” We’ve since switched to a different variety called “Flamestar,” however another common question we get is whether or not the yellow cauliflower tastes like cheese. While that would be pretty cool to have a built-in cheese flavor, the answer to that question is “no.” If you want your cauliflower to taste like cheese, you’ll have to put the cheese on it!
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| Broccoli Romanesco |
So where does broccoli Romanesco fit into this conversation? Despite the word “broccoli” in its name, broccoli Romanesco bears more resemblance to cauliflower. It grows on a plant that is more similar to cauliflower and may be used interchangeably with cauliflower in recipes. But take a moment to really take note of Romanesco’s unique appearance as that is the area where this variety really sets itself apart from the crowd! I’m not a mathematician, so I won’t even attempt to explain the fractal nature of this plant, but it’s a pretty remarkable representation of nature’s perfect design!
I think it’s also important to mention the health benefits of vegetables in this family of vegetables. Basically, any vegetable in the brassica family is going to be packed with valuable nutrients. Cauliflower in particular contains glucosinolates, which are plant compounds that help protect our bodies from cellular damage by free radicals and have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral effects. Broccoli contains a compound called sulforaphane which has anticancer properties. Mentioning just two compounds is a gross underrepresentation of the nutritional benefits you will glean from incorporating brassicas into your diet regularly but trust me—it’s worth it!
Broccoli, cauliflower, and Romanesco are very versatile in their uses. All three may be eaten raw or cooked. They may be roasted, grilled, baked, stir-fried, boiled, or sautéed. They are delicious in soups, gratins, salads, pickled, and the list goes on!
Deborah Madison's Cheese and Broccoli Soup
Yield: 6 Cups
1 ¼ pounds broccoli
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbsp butter or canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 celery rib, celery diced and leaves chopped
½ pound gold potatoes, diced
1 plump garlic clove, chopped
⅛ tsp cayenne, or more to taste
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 pinch of dried thyme
1 Tbsp flour
½ cup light cream, milk, or reserved cooking water from the broccoli
2 tsp Dijon-style mustard, or to taste
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Rye or whole wheat bread, toasted
- Separate the crowns from the broccoli stems, then separate the crowns into florets. You should have at least 4 cups or a little extra. Peel the broccoli stems, quarter them, and chop them into small pieces, yielding a cup or so. Bring a quart of water to a boil and add 1 scant teaspoon salt and the broccoli florets. Cook for about 3 minutes, then scoop out the florets, reserving the water. Rinse broccoli under cool water and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a soup pot and add the onion, celery, potato, broccoli stems, garlic, cayenne, and herbs. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then. Add ½ teaspoon salt, stir in the flour, then pour in 3 cups of the reserved water from the broccoli, saving any remainder. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, until the potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the cream or additional broccoli water if needed to thin the soup. During the last few minutes, add the florets and allow them to heat through.
- Remove the bay leaf and carefully puree the soup using either an immersion blender or a regular blender. Once pureed, return the soup to the pot. Stir in the mustard then taste for salt and season with pepper. Just before serving, stir in the cheese, but don’t let the soup boil or the cheese will toughen. Serve hot with the toast on the side or broken into the soup.
Three Variations:
- Make this using cauliflower or substitute Broccoli Romanesco – the flavor will be about the same, but the color will be more lively.
- Try another kind of cheese. Gruyere and aged sharp Gouda are other possibilities.
- Add a teaspoon of curry powder as a seasoning.
Source: Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen
Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric, Spice, and Cilantro
Yield: 3 or 4 servings
1 medium to large cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp paprika, plus more to finish
1 tsp roasted, ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp sunflower seed or coconut oil
Freshly milled pepper, to taste
Yogurt, to finish, optional
Handful cilantro leaves, for garnish
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut the cauliflower or Romanesco into small florets and slice or dice the stem. Toss with the spices, salt, and the oil until well coated, then turn onto a sheet pan in a single layer and roast until tender, about 30 minutes, possibly longer depending on the size of the florets. Turn the cauliflower as it cooks so that it browns evenly.
- When done, turn the cauliflower out onto a platter. Taste a piece for salt and add more if needed. Season with pepper, drizzle yogurt all over, add a final dash of paprika, and garnish with the cilantro leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Source: The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
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