Harmony Valley Farm: November 30, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Shallots

Can you believe we’re in the final month of the year and the 2023 CSA delivery season?! Our valley is blanketed in white, and this week was a reality check with single-digit temperatures! We’ve pulled out our insulated pants, snow boots and lots of layers of clothing as we work in the chilly outdoors. In the kitchen, I finally feel like I’m ready for soup to be a mainstay on the menu each week and it’s time to start doing more long, slow braises. These final two CSA boxes of the delivery season will hold a lot of vegetables, some of which you’ll use over the next two weeks, but I’m guessing many households may have extra vegetables to carry over into the new year. No worries—everything in these final boxes has storage potential. So, as you unpack your box this week, take a little extra time to make sure you store each vegetable appropriately and check in on them periodically. If you notice something starting to sprout or a bad spot starting to form, it’s time to use that item. If you have some root vegetables that get a little dehydrated, don’t throw them out! Use them in a soup, stew or a pot of meat or vegetable broth. They’re still usable and they’ll rehydrate in the liquid.

Ok, let’s dive into cooking! This week’s featured vegetable is Shallots. Shallots often provide a nice, subtle, sophisticated background flavor; however, I chose two featured recipes this week that use shallots in a more forward manner. Check out this recipe for Whipped Rutabaga with Crispy Shallots (See Below). This would be a great side dish to serve with roasted chicken or braised beef. This other recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Shallots (See Below) showcases the beauty of roasting shallots to bring out their natural sweetness.

Spicy Sweet Onion Jam & Grilled Cheese
Photo from www.kalamazoogourmet.com

While we’re talking about onions, let’s take a look at a few tasty recipes to use the red & yellow storage onions in this week’s box! Check out this recipe for Spicy Sweet Onion Jam & Cheddar Grilled Cheese, a very gourmet upgrade to a simple sandwich! Looking for something tasty to take to holiday parties? This Baked Brie with Balsamic Onion Jam recipe will be a showstopper for sure, and it’s really quite easy to prepare with just a little patience and time to gently caramelize the onions for the jam. Lastly, you know I love a good quiche, so this recipe for Sausage & Onion Sheet Pan Quiche caught my eye. If you’ll be hosting overnight guests over the holiday season, this is a great recipe to prepare and serve for breakfast if you’re cooking for a crowd!

Let’s talk about roots for a moment. This year we had a phenomenal crop of rutabagas! This humble vegetable is often either someone’s favorite or you look at it and aren’t sure what to do with it. I always recommend to keep it simple with rutabagas, such as in the featured recipe for Whipped Rutabaga with Crispy Shallots (See Below) or Parmesan Mashed Rutabaga. While you may not think to use rutabagas in a raw preparation, I always like to mention this recipe for Rutabaga & Apple Salad. It’s simple, but tasty and makes for a very nice winter salad.

Sunchokes can sometimes be another difficult root vegetable (tuber to be specific) for some CSA members. I recommend pairing sunchokes with sweet potatoes in this Sunchoke & Sweet Potato Gratin. My other all-time favorite, and very simple, way to use sunchokes is to roast them. Here’s a simple recipe for The Best Roasted Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke) Recipe. Of course you could also add carrots, potatoes or any other roots along with the sunchokes to make a medley.

And what are you going to do with more carrots? Eat them for dessert in these tasty Carrot Cake Cookies. Serve them for breakfast in this Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal or put them on the menu for Taco Tuesday with this recipe for Grilled Beef Short Rib Tacos with Roasted Carrot Butter & Pickled Radishes.

Every season of the year comes with its own set of culinary adventures, and winter is no different. If you feel like you’re falling into a root rut, venture outside of your usual preparations and go-to recipes and see if you can find something different to make with your storage vegetables. Chances are there is something out there to add a little pizazz back into your meals. Of course, if you’re stumped you can also check out our private Facebook page and see what suggestions your fellow CSA members may have! Just a reminder, we will not be packing or delivering regular CSA Vegetable boxes next week. We will however be delivering End of Season special orders and Meat shares. I’ll meet you back here in two weeks as we pack the final box of the season! Take care & happy cooking!—Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Shallots

by Andrea Yoder

Shallots are similar in appearance to an onion, but they are not “just another onion.” The variety we grow has an elongated shape with rosy, pink skin and thin, purple layers on the inside. Shallots are both strong and delicate at the same time. We like to describe it as elegant and sophisticated, meaning the flavor remains bold, but balanced and soft around the edges. It’s kind of hard to explain but pay attention when you start to use them, and I think you’ll understand what I’m talking about!

Shallots are a key ingredient in many French sauces such as Hollandaise, Bearnaise, and Bordelaise as well as vinaigrettes. Shallots really shine in these applications, not so much as the main event, but rather for the flavorful foundation they lay for these preparations. The flavor of the shallots infuses into the sauce and while you can’t specifically taste the shallot, you would know if it were missing. Shallots may be eaten both raw and cooked. When cooking, keep the heat gentle so as not to burn them. They do have a natural sweetness to them that can turn bitter if you burn them. That natural sweetness also makes them a great candidate for roasting and caramelizing! They are tasty incorporated into egg dishes, braised meats, sliced thinly and added to fresh vegetables, and incorporated into marinades and vinaigrettes. Crispy fried shallots also make a delicious garnish for soups, sautéed greens, and mashed roots.

Shallots store well throughout the fall and winter if kept in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location. If you notice a sprout starting to shoot up, just remove it and use the remainder of the shallot.

Whipped Rutabaga with Crispy Shallots

Photo from www.nerdswithknives.com

Yield: 3-4 servings

For the Crispy Shallots:

¾ cup olive or vegetable oil

1 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter

2-3 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings

For The Rutabaga:

1 large or 2 small Rutabaga (about 2 pounds)

½ cup whole milk

1 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter

Salt & Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare the Crispy Shallots. Heat the oil and unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Add the shallots and cook very slowly until they turn almost completely translucent (it should just barely bubble at this stage). This should take about 30 minutes. Then turn the heat up a little to medium low and cook, stirring often, until they turn a rich golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Do not walk away once you turn the heat up because they will brown very quickly at this stage. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain well, and spread them out to cool on paper towels. Once they have dried and crisped, they can be stored at room temperature, covered, for several days.
Prepare the Rutabagas. Peel the rutabagas to remove the skin and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Place them in a saucepan with water to cover and 2 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until tender (they should be easily pierced by a paring knife), about 35 minutes. Drain well.
In a separate saucepan, heat the milk until it just begins to simmer.
Purée the rutabagas in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or mash with a potato masher by hand. While pureeing/mashing, add the butter to the hot mixture and then pour the milk in a steady stream. The rutabagas should be silky and smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
This dish may be served immediately, or made up to two days ahead and reheated (keep crispy shallots separate until serving). Top with the crispy shallots just before serving so they stay crunchy.

Recipe borrowed from www.nerdswithknives.com.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Shallots

Photo from www.blue-kitchen.com

Yield: 4-6 servings

1 to 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes

3 to 4 shallots, peeled, ends trimmed and halved lengthwise

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary

¼ to ½ tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite-sized chunks. Place in a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Add shallots and garlic to baking dish and drizzle with 2 to 3 Tbsp of olive oil. Toss gently with a wooden spoon to avoid breaking up shallots. Season generously with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with cayenne pepper and add the rosemary. Toss gently again to spread seasonings more or less evenly.
Place baking dish on middle rack in oven and roast 40 to 55 minutes, stirring gently a couple of times during the roasting, until sweet potatoes are tender and slightly browned.
The sweet potatoes may absorb a bit of the olive oil and appear to be drying out—just drizzle with some more oil before tossing them. The shallots may brown even more than the sweet potatoes, and the chopped garlic will almost certainly blacken. That’s okay—all will be delicious. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Recipe borrowed from www.blue-kitchen.com.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

November 30, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Shallots

Cooking With This Week's Box

Vegetable Feature: Shallots

Whipped Rutabaga with Crispy Shallots

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Shallots

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