Recipe: Alex's Mom's Stuffed Cabbage

2021 Week 24 Newsletter

Recipe & Pic From Smitten Kitchen

Another recommendation from a CSA member! Try with a bowl of perogies on the side and some good sour cream (or the hasselback potato recipe below).

1 head Savoy cabbage

1 pound ground beef

1 small to medium onion, chopped small

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 carrot, shredded

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

1 parsnip, shredded

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 to 4 cups of your favorite simple tomato sauce, tomato juice or V8

Cut the core out of the cabbage but leave it whole. Place it, with the empty core area facing up, in a large bowl. Boil a small pot of water and pour the water over the cabbage and let it sit for ten minutes.

Heat the oil in a saute pan. (I like to use the large one I will cook the final dish in — a deep 12-inch saute pan — to save dishes.) Cook the onions until they are soft, add the carrot, celery and parsnip and saute them for a couple extra minutes — until they are also soft. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, transfer it to a bowl and let it cool a bit. Mix in the meat, rice and tomato paste and season again with salt and pepper.

Drain the head of cabbage. Pull off large leaves, cut out the large vein — if the leaf is very large, you can make two rolls from each, if it is smaller, you can cut the vein out partially and pull the sides to overlap before you roll it into one roll. Pat the leaves dry with towels. Roll about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling in each leaf (depending on the size of your leaf) and arrange in a large, wide pot. Pour in enough juice or sauce to cover the rolls. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, letting them simmer covered on the stove on low for about 45 minutes. Serve immediately. If sauce has thinned a bit, you can heat up any additional sauce you didn’t use and pour it over as you serve the rolls.

[These also freeze very well.]

Recipe: Parsnip & Leek Soup

2021 Week 24 Newsletter

Recipe & Pic from Simply Recipe

A recipe recommendation from one of our CSA members! She suggests subbing in chicken broth for the 2 extra cups of water and offering feta as an additional topping option. She shared that cauliflower works great to add in if you're a bit short on parsnips, and we think carrots would probably work well here too!

2 tablespoons butter

3 leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced lengthwise, cleaned, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (about 3 cups of sliced leeks)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 to 2 pounds parsnips, peeled and chopped

2 strips lemon zest, 1 x 2 inches each

1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 cups chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegetarian option)

2 cups water

2 cups finely chopped fresh parsley (reserve a little for garnish)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat butter in a 4 to 6 quart pot on medium heat. Add the chopped leeks, toss to coat with the butter. When the leeks are heated enough so they begin to sizzle in the pan, lower the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook until soft, but don't let the leeks brown.

Add the parsnips and olive oil, and toss to coat. Sprinkle on the salt. Add the stock and water. Add the strips of lemon zest.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook until the parsnips are completely tender, at least 30 minutes.

After removing the zest and adding the parsley, purée by using an immersion blender or by working in batches with a stand-up blender. If using a standing blender, fill the bowl no more than halfway, hold the cover on the blender bowl, and start blending at the lowest speed. Return the puréed soup to the pot.

Stir in lemon juice and season with salt, if needed.

Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, a little olive oil, and chopped parsley or chives.

Recipe: Chicken & Collard Greens Spring Rolls

Image from Eating Well

from Eating Well

10 collard leaves (about 8 ounces)

½ cup rice vinegar

3 ½ cups water, divided

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

¼ cup smooth natural peanut butter

¼ cup reduced-sodium tamari

1 large clove garlic, minced

3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed

⅛ teaspoon salt

2 ounces thin rice noodles or rice sticks

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided

1 cup grated beet

1 cup grated carrot

¾ cup fresh basil leaves

¾ cup fresh mint leaves

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Set a large bowl of ice water next to the stove. Lay a collard green flat, with the thicker part of the stem that runs down the middle of the leaf facing up and the shiny, bright green side down. Using a sharp knife, shave off the thick stem so it's almost flush with the leaf. Trim any of the remaining stem from the base of the leaf, reserving all shaved and trimmed pieces. Repeat with the remaining leaves. Cut all the stem pieces into 2- to 3-inch lengths.

Step 2

Cook the leaves in the boiling water in 3 batches until soft but still pliable, 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to the ice water until cool. Drain and pat dry.

Step 3

Bring vinegar, 1/2 cup water and brown sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the collard stems and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the stems from the pickling liquid and set aside.

Step 4

Transfer 1/4 cup of the pickling liquid to a small bowl (discard the remaining liquid). Whisk in peanut butter, tamari and garlic. Set aside.

Step 5

Combine the remaining 3 cups water, scallions, lemongrass and ginger in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add chicken and reduce heat to maintain a bare simmer; cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 165 degrees F, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board. Shred and season with salt.

Step 6

Using a slotted spoon, remove the solids from the chicken-poaching liquid and discard. Return the liquid to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain, transfer to a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon sesame oil.

Step 7

To assemble spring rolls: Lay a collard leaf on a clean cutting board. Place 2 tablespoons chicken in the center and top with about 1 tablespoon each of the noodles, beet, carrot, basil, mint and pickled stems. Fold both sides of the leaf over the filling and, starting with the open end closest to you, roll into a tight cylinder. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling. Brush the rolls with the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with the reserved peanut sauce.

Recipe: Tomato Zucchini Focaccia

from A Family Feast

5 cups bread flour plus up to 2 cups more

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 cups room temperature water

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more to mist over dough

1 pound zucchini, sliced thin using a mandoline

1 large or two medium eating tomatoes such as beefsteak, sliced thin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup oil cured Italian olives, pitted

1 cup Romano cheese, freshly grated

Herbed oil

1 ¼ cups extra virgin olive oil

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon large grind black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, place 5 cups of the flour along with salt and yeast and mix to combine.

Add all of the water and 6 tablespoons of the oil and mix on medium speed to form a sticky dough. After 3-4 minutes of mixing, the dough should be pulling away from the sides but still be stuck to the bottom. If the dough is still sticking to the sides, add a little more flour until just the bottom sticks. Mix for a total of four more minutes on medium.

Pour out a cup of bread flour onto your counter and spread out to about a 6×6-inch square and using a bowl scraper, scrape the dough into the center of the flour.

Shape the dough by stretching into a small neat rectangle about 10×4. Does not have to be exact. Dust the top with flour and let this sit for five minutes.

Grab the left and right sides, stretch and fold towards the center making the same rectangle size only now three layers thick. Spray the top with olive oil from a mister, then dust with more bread flour. Cover with plastic and let sit 30 minutes.

Repeat the same method by stretching, folding, misting and dusting and again let rest covered 30 more minutes.

Repeat one last time but after you cover it, let it sit for 90 minutes.

During the time the dough rests, you will dry roast the vegetables and make the herbed oil.

Set oven to 250 degrees F.

Line three sheet pans with parchment and spray with pan spray.

Lay out the sliced zucchini on two pans and the tomato on the third, sprinkle with salt and bake for about an hour or so flipping the vegetables half way through. Bake until the slices are dried and slightly shriveled and just starting to brown. I rotated the three pans in my oven so each had a turn one each rack since the bottom rack cooked the quickest. Once done, cool, cover and refrigerate until next day.

To make the herbed oil, microwave the oil to 110 degrees F and add all of the other herbed oil ingredients. Set this aside.

Once the dough has rested the final 90 minutes, line a sheet tray with parchment paper and using a brush dipped into the herbed oil, brush the parchment paper liberally. (the herbs should have settled, let them stay that way and just dip the brush into the top oil)

Place the dough onto the oiled pan and press to fit the dough to the pan. Don’t worry about getting it into the corners. When it proofs the next day, it will fill up the pan.

Once the dough is pressed into the pan, use your finger tips to press dimples into the dough all over the top then spoon some of the herbed oil over the top (this time stir first and use the herbs). Cover with plastic and refrigerate for the next day and up to three days.

Three hours before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator and lay out the tomato slices and zucchini slices all over the top to about a half inch from the edges. Pit the olives and flatten with your fingers and scatter over the top. Spread the rest of the herbed oil all over the top. It will seem like a lot but as the bread bakes, it absorbs the oil.

Cover with plastic and a dish towel and let sit on your counter for three hours.

15 minutes before the three hours is up, preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Place the pan in the oven on the center rack, lower the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake for 10 minutes.

Rotate pan 180 degrees and bake for 7-10 more minutes or until it is just starting to brown.

Sprinkle on the Romano cheese and bake for five more minutes or until golden brown then remove from the oven.

Immediately slide the now baked focaccia off of the pan and onto a cooling rack. If the parchment paper slides out with it, slip it out from beneath the bread and let the bread cool for at least 20 minutes.

Slide the bread from the cooling rack onto a cutting board and cut 4X4 (16 pieces) or if you want smaller pieces, cut four the short way and five the long way for 20 pieces.

Store leftover bread in the refrigerator.

Recipe: Cucumber Tomato Salad

Image from Love & Lemons

from Love & Lemons

2 Persian cucumbers

3 cups cherry tomatoes

6 to 8 ounces halloumi cheese

Extra-virgin olive oil

Scant ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

Homemade Croutons (grilled option), from 2 large slices of bread

Greek Salad Dressing

⅓ cup fresh basil

Flaky sea salt, optional

Thinly slice the cucumbers, halve the tomatoes, and set aside.

Slice the halloumi into ½-inch thick planks. Rub both sides with olive oil and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, until well-charred. Remove from the grill and slice the planks into cubes.

Assemble the salad with the sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, halloumi, red onions, and croutons. Drizzle with the dressing and top with fresh basil. Season to taste with flaky sea salt, if desired.

Recipe: Grilled Cabbage With Sausage

Image from Feasting At Home

from Feasting At Home

1 large purple cabbage

olive oil for brushing

salt and pepper

4–6 Andouille Sausages ( I used chicken, feel free to use vegan sausage)

Mustard Seed Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons honey

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon fresh chives

Pre heat grill on high heat.

With the stem side pointing down, using a sharp chefs knife to slice cabbage into thin slices no thicker than ½ inch thick. Cut the core out, making a “v” —  or keep it in for easier grilling.

Clean and grease the grill well. Brush each side of cabbage with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. lower grill to med-high. Add sausages and cabbage. Grill each side of cabbage for 6-8 minutes, closing grill. You want cabbage slightly soft, but not completely collapsing. You can lower heat further, if slices are thicker, to get them to cook through. Grill the sausages until seared and plumped.

Place cabbage steaks down on a large plater. Spoon half of the dressing over top. Slice the sausages in half and steep diagonal and scatter over cabbage. Spoon remaining dressing over sausage.

Garnish with chopped chives and scatter with chive blossoms.

Recipe: Best Broccoli Salad

Image from Love & Lemons

from Love & Lemons

1 pound broccoli crowns

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons mayo, I like Sir Kensington's or vegan mayo

1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste

⅓ cup diced red onions

⅓ cup dried cranberries

Smoky Tamari Almonds

½ cup almonds

½ cup pepitas

1 tablespoon tamari

½ teaspoon maple syrup

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, more to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Chop the broccoli florets into ½-inch pieces and any remaining stems into ¼-inch dice. Peel any woody or course parts from the stem first.

In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mayo, apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, garlic, and salt. Add the broccoli, onions, and cranberries and toss to coat.

Place the almonds and pepitas on the baking sheet, toss with the tamari, maple syrup, and smoked paprika and spread into a thin layer. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes (they’ll get crispier as they sit).

Toss the almonds and pepitas into the salad, reserving a few to sprinkle on top. Season to taste and serve.

Recipe: Greens Gratin With All the Cheese

Image from Bon Appetit

from Bon Appetit

1 medium onion

5 garlic cloves, divided

2 cups heavy cream

1 rosemary sprig

1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more

4 medium or 3 large bunches of Tuscan kale and/or Swiss chard (2–2½ lb. total)

1 lemon

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

6oz. high-quality sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°. First, prep the cream sauce: Peel and quarter 1 medium onion. Smash 4 garlic cloves and unpeel. Place onion and garlic in a medium saucepan. Pour in 2 cups heavy cream and stir in 1 rosemary sprig, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion and garlic are very soft, 15–20 minutes.

While cream cooks, remove ribs from 4 medium bunches of Tuscan kale. Tear leaves into big pieces and wash. It’s okay if some water still clings to the leaves—this will help them wilt later. If you don’t have a bowl big enough to hold all of your greens, pile them on a baking sheet instead.

When cream is ready, pluck out rosemary sprig and discard. Finely grate zest of ½ lemon into cream and stir in ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.

Heat a large (as large as possible—12" is the goal) ovenproof skillet over medium. Add about one-quarter of greens, cover skillet (use a baking sheet if you don’t have a lid), and cook until wilted, 3–4 minutes. Scoot wilted greens to one side of pan. Add another quarter of greens, cover pan, and cook to wilt, 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and place skillet on a rimmed baking sheet.

Prep the toppings: Cut 6 oz. high-quality sharp cheddar cheese into ¼"-thick slices (you’ll have about 1½ cups). Place ½ cup panko to a small bowl and finely grate in zest of ½ lemon and remaining 1 garlic clove. Add 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

Pile remaining greens on top of wilted kale, pressing down to compact as needed. This will look BANANAS, but the greens will shrink dramatically in the oven. Carefully pour cream mixture over. It’s okay if it drips a little—that’s why it’s on a baking sheet. Break cheese slices into large crumbles and evenly distribute over top. Sprinkle panko mixture over.

Bake gratin until cheese is browned and bubbling and panko is toasted, 50–55 minutes.

Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Try not to eat the whole thing yourself!

Recipe: Lacto-Fermented Tomatillo Salsa

Image from NW Edible Life

from NW Edible Life

5 cups husked, chopped tomatillos

1-½ cups seeded, chopped long green chiles

½ cup seeded, minced jalapeño peppers

4 cups peeled, chopped onions

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro (about 1 bunch)

1/4 cup loosely packed minced fresh oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried oregano

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin, or more to taste

about 3 tablespoons fine sea salt

Clean and prepare a 1 gallon fermentation crock or a 4-liter glass, bail-top jar for fermenting. Make sure it's perfectly clean!

Chop the ingredients one at a time in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Combine all the prepared vegetables in a large bowl, and stir to fully mix everything.

Add the cumin and salt and 2.5 tablespoons of the salt, and mix to combine. Taste the salsa. It should taste distinctly salty, but not unpleasantly so. If the salsa seems bland, add the remaining half-tablespoon salt. Adjust seasonings as desired.

Add the tomatillo salsa to the crock or jar. With a clean spoon, press the ingredients down to release some of the juices. Press the solids under the juices, and weight the ferment.

Seal the crock or jar, and leave the tomatillo salsa at room temperature out of direct sun, for 2 to 4 days. Check the ferment daily. Look for bubbles and other signs of fermentation, give the ferment a little shake and swirl to keep everything fermenting evenly, burp the lid to release any pent-up carbon dioxide in the jar and taste the development of the tomatillo salsa (clean spoon please).

When you like the taste of the salsa or after 4 days, transfer the fermented salsa to smaller jars for cold storage in the refrigerator, where it will keep for at least 4 months.

Recipe: Kombu Celery

Image from Bon Appetit

from Bon Appetit

5 celery stalks, strings removed, cut into 3x½-inch sticks

1 tablespoon furikake

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Toasted sesame seeds (for serving)

Toss celery, furikake, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a small bowl to coat. Chill uncovered 30 minutes to let flavors meld. Serve topped with sesame seeds.

Recipe: Princess Diana's Stuffed Peppers

From food.com

4 medium bell peppers

1⁄4 cup olive oil

FOR THE FILLING

1⁄2 cup chopped onion

1cup thinly sliced mushroom

1 zucchini, diced

1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano

salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 cup rice, cooked al dente and cooled

1⁄2 cup water

1⁄chicken or 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube

4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped

1 tablespoon fresh basil, shredded

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Pre heat oven to 350°F.

Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out the seeds and membranes. If the peppers won't stand up, cut a little piece off the bottom to level them. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle with the oil.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until they start to soften. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Pour the oil from the peppers into a frying pan and add the onions, mushrooms, zucchini and oregano. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste, and saute over high heat until they start to soften.

Add the tomatoes, rice, water and bouillon cube to the vegetables in the frying pan, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning. Fold in the bacon, basil and mozzarella cheese.

Divide the filling among the peppers. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top of the peppers.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the filling is hot.

Recipe: Any Greens Instant Pot Saag

This is a go-to recipe for us and several of our long-time members when there are a lot of greens that need to be used up at once!  You can incorporate your turnip greens, radish greens, komatsuna, curly kale, and just about any other leafy green veggie!

2 tablespoons ghee

2 onions, diced

4 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced ginger

Spices

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne, adjust to taste

½ teaspoon turmeric

2 pounds greens (spinach, mustard, turnip and radish greens, collards, kale, etc)

Pinch of kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Ghee or butter, for serving

Press the “saute” button on the Instant Pot and add the ghee. Once it melts, add the onion, garlic, ginger and spices to the pot and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the spinach, stirring until it wilts and there’s enough room to add the mustard greens.

Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 15 minutes at high pressure. Naturally release pressure. Remove the lid and use an immersion blender to puree the contents of the pot (or pour the contents into a blender and then add the blended mixture back into the pot).

Stir in the dried fenugreek leaves. Serve with ghee.