November 21, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Escarole

 

What's In The Box

Italian Garlic:  Garlic confit is when garlic is slowly cooked in oil as a means of preservation. The resultant garlic is sweet, silky, and mild in flavor. Check out this week’s recipe suggestion for garlic confit!

 

Red & Yellow Onions: Both red and yellow onions may be caramelized, making them sweet, silky and delicious! Incorporate them into baked goods, pasta dishes, quiche, pizza, add them to sandwiches, etc.

Sweet Potatoes: Use this week’s sweet potatoes in sweet or savory dishes. It is best to store them at a temperature of 55-65 degrees. And before you add too many marshmallows, brown sugar, or maple syrup to them, taste them first! You may be surprised by the natural sugars they contain!

Brussels Sprouts: Brussels sprouts may be eaten raw or cooked. When cooking, take care to not overcook them, as that is when their flavor and texture fades to a state that is not so delightful. When cooking, they should be bright green and fork tender or al dente. The size of the sprouts may vary on the plant, but whether they are small or large, they are all edible! Larger sprouts are great for shredding or slicing thinly for slaws and salads. Smaller sprouts are great because they can be cooked whole and require minimal preparation.

Celeriac: Also known as celery root, this humble root vegetable offers a subtle celery flavor to winter salads, slaws, stews, and roasted root blends. Cut the celeriac in half or quarters to make it easier to peel. Using a paring knife, trim away the outer skin and root base to reveal a solid, white interior. Once peeled, celeriac may be shredded or shaved and used in salads and slaws or cut it into chunks or slices and add it to roasted root blends, root mash, stews, gratins, or soup.

 

Rainbow Carrots: This week we are adding some additional color to the box with this festive blend of rainbow carrots including orange, purple and yellow! These tricolored carrots make a beautiful roasted carrot blend or a fresh salad.

 

Lacinato Kale: Sweetened by the frost, this is the final lacinato kale for the season. We’ve harvested the youngest leaves on the plant from the very top, hence the short, stout bunches. Use this kale in winter slaws or salads or add it to hearty soups and stews.

Autumn Frost Squash: Autumn Frost is a more decorative version of its cousin, the butternut. This variety may be used interchangeably in any recipe calling for Butternut as you’ll find the flesh has the same color, consistency and flavor as butternut. We have found this squash to be sweet and delicious while also having good long term storage potential!

Purple Viking Potatoes: We saved this variety for the pre-Thanksgiving delivery in case you are looking for a tasty potato to use for mashed potatoes. Along with russet potatoes, Purple Viking potatoes are our favorite variety for mashed potatoes with their white flesh and slightly starchy texture. This variety is actually an all-purpose type of potato, adapting well to mashed potatoes while also being a great option for roasting and soups. The skin is purple with splashes of pink while the flesh inside is pure white.

 

Escarole: This vegetable resembles a head of leaf lettuce, but it is actually a bitter green in the chicory family. Read more about this vegetable in this week’s feature article. And don’t be deterred by the description of “bitter.” We intentionally harvest escarole late in the season after it has been through several frosts as the cold treatment makes the flavor more mild and well-balanced. You may notice some browning on the edges of some of the leaves. This is a touch of frost damage. Simply remove that portion of the leaf before using.

Beauty Heart Radishes: This radish is a winter storage radish with a creamy colored skin that often has green around the top. When you cut it open, you’ll find a vibrant pink interior. Peeling is optional, but some find the radish to be more mild when peeled. While often eaten raw, it may also be roasted.

Green Kohlrabi: Add some crunch and juicy freshness to your winter meals with this storage kohlrabi! Store it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag to prevent dehydration. If it does get a little soft, don’t throw it out! Rather, use it in soups or stews. It also makes a tasty winter gratin either solo or with potatoes or other root vegetables. Of course, it may also be used as the base for a raw salad or slaw.

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

Sicilian Garbanzo and Escarole Soup

Pasta with Escarole

Warm Escarole, Egg & Bacon Salad

Wilted Escarole with Feta, Walnuts & Honey

Escarole & Goat Cheese Pizza with Honey-Toasted Walnuts

Garlic Confit Mashed Potatoes

Garlic Confit Crispy Roasted Potatoes

Butternut Squash, Onion Confit and Gruyere Cheese Galette

Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Confit

Sweet Potato Confit

Turkey & Brussels Sprouts Club Sandwich

Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad with Beauty Heart Radishes, Pickled Dates & Onions (aka Make Ahead Holiday Salad)

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples, Hazelnuts & Brown Butter Vinaigrette

Thanksgiving Lentil Salad with Roasted Squash & Garlic-Sherry Vinaigrette

Brown Butter Butternut Squash Pasta Salad

Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Bread Pudding

Roasted Carrot Hummus

Carrot Pie with a Pecan Crust (Dessert)

Maple & Mustard Roasted Root Vegetables

Sweet Potato Dump Cake

Sweet Potato Coconut Soup with Thai Curry 

Loaded Sweet Potato Casserole

Red Wine Caramelized Onions

Caramelized Onion & Bacon Dip

Kohlrabi Remoulade

Kohlrabi & Apple Slaw with Hazelnuts

Watermelon Radish Toast with Miso-Honey Butter

Potato & Celeriac Gratin

30 Best Celeriac Recipes

Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Honey, Thyme & Whipped Feta

Shaved Rainbow Carrot Sesame Salad

Brown Butter Butternut Rolls

Butternut Squash & Spice Cheesecake

Orecchiette with Roasted Butternut Squash, Kale, and Caramelized Onions

Toasted Turkey, Brie & Caramelized Onion Sandwich

Vegetable Feature: Escarole

Escarole is in a family of vegetables called chicories which also includes radicchio. Escarole has a pretty long growing season and some years it’s hard to get them to full size.  However, with our warm fall this year, we had no trouble getting them to full maturity.  In fact, they were so big we had to trim them down to fit in the box!  Escarole holds an important place in our season as it is a cold-hardy green that is best suited for growing in the fall and is sturdy enough to be able to take some frosty, cold nights, unlike lettuce for instance.  In fact, we don’t even think about harvesting escarole until it’s had some chilly nights! The flavor changes dramatically after they’ve had cold treatment. This green does just fine uncovered when freezing temperatures are in the low 30’s and high 20’s, but it can sustain some damage when we get a hard freeze. Most years we do cover this plant to protect it from freezing too hard on those really cold nights. You may see some browning on the edges of the leaves.  This is a bit of frost damage, but we ask that you just trim that part away as the frost is what makes it tasty!

Escarole resembles a head of green leaf lettuce, but it does have some distinct differences.  First of all the leaves are more broad and a bit more thick when compared to leaf lettuce.  The center of a head of escarole and the portion of the leaves near the base are generally blanched to a light yellow or white.  While all the leaves are edible, these light colored center leaves tend to be the most tender and mild flavored.  As such, this is the portion of the plant you may wish to prioritize for eating raw and save the darker outer leaves for cooking.

Storage Tips: Store escarole in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use. When you are ready to use it, separate the leaves from the base and wash well in a sink of cold water. If you are using the escarole for a raw salad, shake or spin off excess water to dry the leaves. If you are cooking it or adding it to soup or stew, it’s ok if there is still some water on the leaves.

Preparation & Usage: Escarole may be eaten raw or cooked. When eaten raw, the bitterness is going to be more pronounced, however we think you'll find this year's escarole to be quite mild and pleasant both raw and cooked.  Cooking does mellow the bitterness and accentuates the sweet qualities. It’s also important to note that different ingredients help to balance the flavor of escarole, both raw and cooked. Fatty ingredients such as sausage, prosciutto, bacon, duck, hard cheese, olive oil, olives and nuts such as pine nuts and hazelnuts provide a nice counter balance to the bitterness of escarole. Acidic ingredients also perform similarly, which is why you’ll often see recipes for escarole that include vinegar or fruit such as apples, citrus, pears, persimmons and pomegranate. Of course it also makes sense to pair escarole with other fall vegetables such as garlic, onions, beets, potatoes and winter squash. Escarole is a popular used more in Italian cuisine where it is often used in soups or sauteed and/or braised along with white beans, lentils, pork and garnished with a variety of cheeses.

There’s a classic preparation for escarole that some Italian cooks call Scarola Affogata, which means “smothered escarole.”  In this dish, garlic is sautéed in olive oil until golden, then chopped escarole, salt and red pepper flakes and seasoning are added to the pan.  The greens are cooked until they are soft and tender.  This is then served as side dish, or you can use the greens for another purpose, such as on top of a pizza or slathered on a piece of thick, crusty bread.

 Escarole, Bacon and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad 

This is a delicious late fall/early winter entrée salad. It’s hearty enough to stand alone, or serve it alongside a bowl of soup.  The salty bacon, sweet apricots or dates and roasted squash are a nice balance to the slightly bitter escarole. The addition of either pepitas or almonds adds texture contrast to the silky escarole and squash. While this recipe calls for bacon, you may choose to exclude this ingredient and opt for a vegetarian option and the salad will still be delicious and “complete.”  If you do include the bacon, adjust the amount to your liking. And for one final optional suggestion, while I chose to use dates in my salad, any dried fruit would be a nice addition and dried cranberries in particular would be a nice alternative.

Yield: 4-6 servings

ROASTED SQUASH:

3 cups butternut or autumn frost squash, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

SALAD:

1 head escarole, cleaned and roughly chopped

½-1 pound bacon, cooked and finely chopped

½ cup dried apricots or dates, thinly sliced

¾ cup roasted and salted pepitas or almonds (chopped)

VINAIGRETTE:

1 shallot or small yellow onion, minced

2 Tbsp minced flat leaf parsley or 1 Tbsp dried parsley

2 Tbsp stone ground mustard

2 Tbsp honey

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

Salt, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Toss the squash with the olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast the squash for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown and fork tender. Set aside to cool.
2. In a small bowl combine all ingredients for the vinaigrette except for the oil. Stir to combine, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil, and stir vigorously to incorporate the oil. Season to taste with salt. 
3.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the escarole, bacon, apricots/dates and a bit of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top and gently toss to coat. You want to use enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the escarole leaves. Serve immediately topped with the roasted squash and roasted pepitas or almonds.

Recipe borrowed and slightly adapted from www.heatherchristo.com.