Frisee Salad With Broccoli & Pickled Grape Vinaigette

Recipe & Pic From Loam Agrinomics

It may be fall, but this recipe proves that salad season doesn't have to be over just yet!

pickled grapes

4 C red seedless grapes

1 T peppercorn

1 T fennel seed

1 T yellow mustard seed

2 T kosher salt

¼ C sugar, coconut sugar or honey

¾ C red wine vinegar

1 C water

vinaigrette

1/3 C grape pickling brine

½ – ¾ C olive oil

4 sprigs parsley

2 garlic cloves

1 ts Dijon mustard

1 ts kelp or dulse powder (optional)

salad and assembly

6–8 oz thick cut bacon, strips cut in half

1 head broccoli

1 head frisée, leaves torn

1 small head other lettuce such as little gem, bibb etc leaves torn

4 small carrots, shaved into ribbons

1 watermelon or other radish, peeled and thinly sliced

¼ C goat feta, preferably Blue Heron Farms

¼ C pepitas, toasted

1/3 C pickled grapes, cut in half

pickled grapes

Place grapes in a glass jar or heat safe container.

In a small saucepan, combine the rest of the pickle section ingredients and bring to a boil stirring occasionally to dissolve the salt and sugar.

Carefully pour the hot liquid over the grapes and let sit for 1-2 hours at room temperature before transferring to the fridge. Pickles will keep for up to a month.

vinaigrette

To a blender, add pickling brine, parsley, garlic, mustard and kelp/dulse powder (if using).

With the motor running, pour in ½ cup olive oil and blend until creamy and combined.

Taste, and add up to ¼ cup more oil if the dressing is too punchy for your liking.

Add a pinch of salt (or more, to taste).

salad and assembly

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a cast iron or heavy bottom skillet over medium-low heat, cook your bacon WITHOUT stirring. After about 5-10 minutes when the bacon starts to look browned on the other side, flip your pieces. Cook until it looks deeply golden brown and crispy and transfer pieces to a paper towel. Reserve the bacon fat in your pan for the broccoli!

Cut broccoli into florets and then cut those in half lengthwise (or quarter lengthwise if some are a bit larger) to maximize caramelization. Add broccoli and a tablespoon of bacon fat (or olive oil if you’re not using bacon) to a sheet pan and toss to coat. Arrange the broccoli with as many cut sides down on the pan as possible and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are crispy and the bottoms are deeply browned where they were face down on the pan.

Put all your frisée and lettuces in a large bowl and toss with some (about 2T to ¼ cup depending on the size of your lettuce heads) salad dressing and top with roasted broccoli, shaved carrot, radish, feta, bacon, pepitas and pickled grapes. Drizzle more vinaigrette on top and serve.

Mexican Pickled Carrots

Recipe & Pic From A Fork’s Tale

This classic spicy and tangy condiment can be served along side tacos, faijitas, quesadillas, enchiladas and more!

1 bunch carrots

4 jalapeños

1 medium onion

5 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon sugar

1½ cup water

1½ cup vinegar

5 bay leaves

1 teaspoon peppercorn

2 teaspoons Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon salt

* you can alter the ratio of carrot, jalepeno, and carrot depending on your preference and whay you have on hand

In a stockpot, add 1 ½ cup vinegar, 1 ½ cup water, 1 teaspoon sugar, 5 garlic cloves, 5 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon peppercorn, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano. Bring to a boil.

Peel and slice carrots into ¼ inch coins or diagonal slices. Slice 1 onion into slivers. Slice 4 jalapeños . Reduce the brine in the stockpot to medium heat and add the carrots, onion, and jalapeños. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes.

Allow to cool, then add to a glass jar with lid. You can eat immediately, but it is best to sit overnight (or longer) in the fridge to allow the full flavor to build.

Thai Chard Wraps With Peanut Sauce

Recipe & Pic from Fed & Fit

You'll have to boil water to quickly blanche the chard, but that's the only heat involved in these cooling summer wraps! You can replace the shrimp with tofu or any other meat that you prefer.

1 bunch Swiss chard about 8 leaves

1 pound medium-sized cooked shrimp

3 carrots peeled and cut into matchstick pieces

1/2 cucumber cut into matchstick pieces

1/4 red cabbage finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems

For the peanut sauce::

1/2 cup smooth peanut or almond butter

1/2 cup coconut aminos

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon black and white sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Blanche chard for 5 min in boiling water then submerge in an ice bath and dry.

Whisk all ingredients for peanut sauce together until smooth and garnish with sesame seeds.

To assemble, cut the larger chard leaves in half cross-wise and leave the smaller leaves as-is. place an even amount of carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, and cilantro on each leaf. Add three to four shrimp on top and carefully roll each leaf up, securing with a toothpick if needed. Serve with the peanut dipping sauce and enjoy!

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.]