CSA Members 2009: Newsletter Archive

Summer Delivery #16

Dear CSA Members,

Today we have the most beautiful broccoli I've seen all season. I am especially thankful for this broccoli because our other broccoli and cauliflower, struggling through heat fluctuations and environmental stress, was such a sad loss to endure. But broccoli just doesn't like hot weather, and this season has proven itself a tomato year. Look forward to another helping of broccoli, and perhaps a lovely head of cauliflower, now that cooler weather has settled in.

Cooler seasons mean more root vegetables, more time for roasts and stews, and a great reason to turn on your oven. Parsnips are a great candidate for roasting, but they're also an amazing substitute for French fries. Not the healthiest way to eat them, but we should all try a fried parsnip, just once. Or twice.

Rutabaga is a daunting Winter vegetable, and I think it's mostly forgotten in people's refrigerators. But clean and cut it (carefully! It's pretty hard!) and you can do all sorts of marvelous things with it. See the recipe below for an example.

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Green Bean & Radish Salad

ingredients

• 1 pound green beans, cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
• 1 bunch radishes, trimmed, sliced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

procedure

Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until beans are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Rinse beans under cold water to cool. Dry beans on clean towels. Chill.

Combine beans and radishes in large bowl. Whisk remaining ingredients to blend in small bowl. Add enough dressing to beans and radishes to season to taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Bon Appétit

Roasted Parsnips with Parsley

ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds medium parsnips, peeled, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

procedure

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss first 3 ingredients in bowl. Spread parsnips in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Dot with butter.

Roast parsnips 20 minutes. Using tongs, turn parsnips; roast until browned and soft, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer parsnips to plate and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.

Adapted from Bon Appétit, October 2008, by Maria Helm Sinskey

Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots

ingredients

• 1 pound slender green beans, trimmed
• 1 medium shallot
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves

procedure

Cook green beans in boiling salted water until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well.

Cut off and discard ends from shallots. Cut shallots lengthwise in half, then remove peel with paring knife. Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté 1 minute. Sprinkle with thyme. Reduce heat to medium-low; sauté until shallots are browned and tender, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add beans to shallots in skillet and stir over medium-high heat until heated through, about 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

Adapted from Bon Appétit, December 2006

Fall Vegetable Frittata

ingredients

• 1 medium or 2 small summer squash
• 1 shallot
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium rutabaga
• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• Salt and pepper
• Up to 1 cup sharp cheddar

procedure

Dice rutabaga and steam until just tender, 7-10 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, parsley, parmesan, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, and the cayenne. Heat oil in an oven-friendly skillet over medium high heat. Add shallot and a pinch of garlic powder, sautéing lightly, then add rutabaga, squash, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp tender. Lower heat to medium low and add the egg mixture, stirring until the ingredients are combined, 10 to 15 seconds. Then add cheddar and stir until well distributed. Cook without stirring until eggs have almost set, 10 to 12 minutes. (The center may still be loose but should be bubbling a little; the sides should be set.) Meanwhile, position an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler to high.

Transfer skillet to oven and broil until eggs have completely set and top is golden, 1 to 3 minutes. Let set for 5 minutes.