SOUPS AND SALADS (and their dressings)
Easy and Refreshing Carrot Salad
3 grated Carrots
3-5 tbsp Lemon or Lime juice (fresh is very tasty)
3-5 tbsp Olive oil
Salt
Currants or Raisins (optional)
Grate your carrots and put them in a bowl. Toss some salt in. Mix in lemon or lime juice and olive oil. You can add more of each if you need a richer flavor from the olive oil or more tang from the lemon. Then add currants or raisins if you like and you're all set!
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Easy Beets
1 bunch beets, greens removed
1-2 pearl onions, or half a regular onion
2 Tbs. vinegar of choice
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs. cumin seed (opt)
Boil the beets in a small, lidded sauce pan until a fork goes in easily (~30 min). Drain and dump the beets in a bowl of cold water. Slip the skins off by rubbing them around in your hands (if you do this under the water, you shouldn't splatter beet juice all over the kitchen). Slice into bite-sized pieces. Mix in additional ingredients and chill for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
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Raw Parsnip Winter Salad
Sarah makes this for fall and winter feasts. Parsnips are amazing raw.
3 cups shredded raw parsnip
1 and 1/2 lemons, juiced (if organic, include some zest)
3/4 cup currants
1 cup whole milk yogurt
honey to taste
pinch of salt to taste
Grate parsnips, unpeeled is fine as long as they're good and cleaned of dirt. Just grate down to the inner core, which is tougher, and you can tell when you get there. Then mix with the other ingredients and taste. If you let it marinate a little while before serving, the flavors meld more. You can use dates or other dried fruit instead of currants, or a mix.
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GREENS AND THEIR DRESSINGS
Throughout the
season and even the winter we will harvest salad greens or lettuce from the fields and green house. Fresh salad galore!
Here are a couple dressing recipes to use with all types of greens, including
baby lettuce, spinach, arugula, tatsoi, mizuna, etc.
When making dressings,
try warming them up on a skillet before serving. It infuses flavors and
makes a slightly warmer salad if the days are cold.
Rosemary Vinaigrette
1 stem of rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
Shake or stir ingredients together in a jar.
Warm Dressing with Shallot
(great over baked squash and greens)
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c cider vinegar
1/3 c olive oil
2 ts Dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced
salt and pepper
Shake ingredients together and place in a small pan. Heat until shallots begin to have an aroma.
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Daikon Radish and Apple Salad
1/3 volume grated diakon
remaining 2/3 volume grated apples
sprinkling of olive oil
salt to taste
raisins (optional)
Grate the daikon and cored apples (a food processor makes this easy!). Mix together in a bowl with a sprinkling of olive oil and a dash of salt. Adjust towards more diakon or more apple if you want more bite or sweet respectively.
You could add a little lemon juice as well, though when I made it the apples didn't discolor when mixed with diakon for whatever reason.
From Sarah Voiland, 2009.
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Hearty Autumn Stew
I found a recipe that included butternut squash and daikon radish. It appeared on a woman's blog who, after diagnosed with breast cancer, took her doctor's advice to go on a macrobiotic diet. She's felt the healthiest in her life! I thought this soup would be great for the adventurous cook.
For those of you who love to cook with kombu, it is called for in this recipe. For those who are not interested, you may omit it. However, I recommend using broth instead of water as the kombu adds that flavor. Below is a version adapted for your share this week
4 cups water
1 large carrot
1 cup daikon radish
1 onion
1 cup rutabaga, diced
1/2 cup parsley
2 cups butternut squash
1 strip kombu seaweed
1/2 package tempeh
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 heaping tablespoons kuzu, in 1/4 cup cool water (this is a thickening substitute for corn starch or cream bases, you may substitute the amount of ¼ cup with ½ cup yogurt or 2 T corn starch in ¼ cup water)
sea salt to taste
Peel the squash and cut the vegetables in friendly bite-sized shapes. Slice the tempeh in 1" squares, & saute, covered, in an oiled skillet on medium-low heat, 10 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, boil the water, add seaweed, onion, daikon, squash, parsley, rutabaga, and carrot. Simmer 20 minutes, then add sauteed tempeh. Simmer 20-25 minutes more. Remove kombu, slice into small squares, and return it to the pot. Season to taste with sea salt.
From Red Fire Chef Kristen Schafenacker, 2007.
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Daikon Radish Salad
2 cups shredded or finely chopped daikon radish
1 cup shredded carrots
1 t. sesame oil
1 T rice vinegar
½ t. sugar
1 t. minced ginger (optional)
Toss together and serve!
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Butternut-Apple Bisque
2 med. or 1 large butternut squash
3 Tbs. olive oil or butter
2 onions
3 apples
5 cups vegetable stock
1 cup cream (or coconut milk)
salt and pepper to taste
Cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and bake at 375˚ until soft. While squash is baking, sauté the onions in the butter. When they become translucent, add the apples and cover, cooking until apples are soft. When squash is soft, scoop it from the shell and puree with the onions and apples. Add the stock and the cream and reheat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Golden Autumn Soup
2 red, yellow, or orange peppers
1 large winter squash, roasted in oven
1 head cauliflower, diced and blanched
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ ts. Ginger
2 ts. Curry
1 sprig rosemary
4 cups veggie broth
1 hot pepper, diced
1/4 c. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Saute onions, garlic, hot pepper, rosemary, and ginger in 2 tbs. olive oil or butter. Add the peppers and squash and saute for a few more minutes. Add remaining ingredients except cauliflower and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree in a blender or food processor. Add cauliflower and heat for 5 more minutes. serve!
Optional: Roasted Red Peppers add a smoky flavor to this dish. Simply add peppers during puree process.
From Red Fire Chef Kristen Schafenacker, 2007.
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Kohlrabi and Potato with Sour Cream and Dill
2 tbsp butter
3 cups kohlrabi, peeled and cut into rough chunks
2 potatoes cut into rough chunks
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup vegetable stock
½ cup sour cream or crème fraîche
1 bunch of fresh dill, roughly chopped
Heat the butter in a pan over a medium heat and add the kohlrabi, paprika, potato and a little salt. Stir, lower the heat, cover and leave for 5 minutes or so.
Add the stock, bring to a gentle simmer and cover again. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft enough to cut with a spoon. The stock should have reduced quite a bit by then but don’t worry if it hasn’t.
Raise the heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the soured cream or crème fraîche and remove from the heat. Add salt as needed, then fold in the dill to serve.
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Ginger Kale
Serves 4 to 6
1 large bunch kale (about 1 pound) stems removed, leaves cut into strips
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger
2 Tbs olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1 Tbs butter freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
In a large skillet or wok, heat oil and butter, add garlic, onion, and ginger, and sauté until onion is softened. Add kale and ¼ cup water and cover. Cook over low heat stirring occasionally until kale is just tender.
Sprinkle with lime juice and toss. Grind fresh pepper over kale and serve.
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Fennel Bean Salad
1 fennel bulb, finely diced
4-6 tomatoes, seeded, juiced drained, and diced
3 cups cooked white beans or cooked fresh shell beans
1/2 cup crumbled feta (or tofu ricotta)
5 kale or chard leaves finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Serves 5. Combine first 5 ingredients. Toss to mix. Add remaining ingredients and toss again.
Alternative to fennel:
If not receiving fennel in your share, I recommend using either parsley or dill, about 2 T, finely chopped with an addition of one small minced onion.
From Red Fire Chef Kristen Schafenacker, 2007.
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Here's a recipe and notes from a Granby CSA member:
Since tomatoes are here and soon to be more abundant, i thought i'd share a simple recipe but goodie... this soup can be made w/all seasonal RFF ingredients. we LOVE it. i've only approximate measurements, you really can't go wrong. here it is:
Dekal's Tomato Bean Soup
approx. 3-4 lbs tomatoes (seconds come in handy here / also can add a can of crushed/diced) quartered
1 large chopped sweet onion
approx. 2 quarts of yellow beans - trimmed and cut into 1 inch size pieces
handful of chopped dill
2-4 TBS olive oil
salt & pepper
water (as needed)
grated parmesean cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
heat a large saucepan with olive oil over medium heat. sautee sweet onion until soft and translucent. add beans and sautee a few minutes more. blanch tomatoes to remove skins prior to quartering. add tomatoes to the sautee and let cook for 30-45 minutes over medium heat until tomatoes completely break down. add water, if necessary, for desired consistency. add dill, salt & pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes. top each serving w/parmesean cheese and/or a dollop of sour cream if desired. reheats very well.
take care and bon apetit!
melissa
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Panzanella: Tomato & Bread Salad
Ingredients (makes 6 servings)
1/2 small baguette (about 12 inches long)
1 large garlic clove, mashed
Olive oil for brushing
6 medium to large Red Fire Farm tomatoes, cut into large chunks
1/2 medium onion chopped
3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh basil
4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 300ºF.
Split the baguette lengthwise. Rub the cut side of one half very well with the mashed garlic. Brush liberally with olive oil. Cut the baguette half in half again lengthwise, and then cut these strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Place the croutons on a baking sheet, crust side down. Bake 30 minutes, until dark golden.
If croutons are made in advance, put the Red Fire Farm tomatoes in a large mixing bowl a bit before you intend to mix the salad, then drain off and discard any juice that may accumulate. To serve, add the croutons, onion, and basil to the tomatoes. Whisk the vinegar and oil for the vinaigrette. Pour over all and toss.
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Gazpacho
- Spanish Cold Tomato and Cucumber Soup -
1 red onion
3 Red Fire Farm tomatoes
½ medium cucumber
½ green pepper
½ red pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 ½ cups tomato juice
½ teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup white wine vinegar
Garlic Croutons
6 slices bread
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1. Finely chop the onion, tomatoes, cucumber and peppers. Place in a large bowl with garlic.
2. Sir in the juice, sugar, salt and pepper, and combined oil and vinegar and mix well.
Refrigerate. Serve soup cold, with a bowl of garlic croutons.
3. To make Garlic Croutons: Preheat the oven to moderate. Trim the crusts from the bread and cut the bread into cubes. Drizzle with combined oil and garlic and mix well. Spread on baking tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes, turning twice, or until golden brown.
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Cucumber Soup
5-6 cucumbers (peel if desired)
2 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs. chopped dill
1 tsp salt
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp minced mint
1 Tbs vinegar
black pepper to taste
Place all but one cucumber in the blender and process until smooth. Chop remaining cucumber and add. Chill.
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Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Dressing
1 Tomato
1-2 Sprig basil
1 Sprig Rosemary
1⁄4 cup oil
1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
1⁄2 cup tahini
1 clove garlic
salt to taste
Broil tomato on high for 10 minutes. In a food processor or blender, add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. Chill to room temp or cooler.
From Red Fire Chef Kristen Schafenacker, 2007.
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Bean and Swiss Chard Soup Recipe
From Chelle, a CSA member
We made this the other night in our crock pot with our most recent CSA pick up and it turned out great so we wanted to share it.
4-5 cups swiss chard leaves chopped (stems and veins removed)
1 zucchini, chopped
1 squash, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (low-sodium works well)
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
Put all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
If cooking on a stove top, heat some olive oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic and saute until onions are tender. Add all other ingredients and stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until chard is tender.
Enjoy!
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Panama's Pink Potato Salad!
From Anna, a member of the CSA
I studied abroad in Panama in the Spring of '08 and it was my favorite dish there. Panamanians mostly eat rice, beans, tropical fruits when in season, meat, and starchy foods...so having this mixed vegetable dish was a treat!
(Serves 4)
5 medium sized potatoes
2 medium sized carrots
3 medium sized Bull's Blood beets
1-2 stalk celery
1 onion
1 bunch parsley
1 clove garlic
3 eggs
1-2 tablespoon mayonnaise
1-2 teaspoon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Start by boiling the potatoes in a large pot. When they are close to half cooked add the beet and carrot. Then add the eggs to the pot for the last 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the celery, parsley, onion, and garlic.
Drain the potato pot. You should now have tender potatoes, a tender beet, carrot and a hard boiled egg.
Peel, dice the beet and carrot. It is a little counter intuitive to us Americans, to boil and then do the chopping. However, that is the custom in Panama. The cooks say it is easier to peel the vegetables after boiling.
Separate the hard boiled egg white from the egg yolk. Chop the egg whites. Crumble the egg yolk. Mix the egg whites, celery, parsley, onion, garlic, mayonnaise and mustard in a deep bowl. Then add everything else and mix just enough to coat the vegetables with the mayonnaise.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more mayonnaise or mustard to the desired consistency. Mix well.
Sprinkle the crumbled egg yolk on top for a beautiful touch of yellow color!
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Tomato Basil Salad
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 small bunch fresh basil, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh mozzerella
2 Tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together and marinate. Pour off extra liquid as desired.
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Slaw with Radicchio
1 head radicchio, cored and coarsely chopped or shredded
½ head cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1 cup minced fresh cilantro (opt.)
¼ cup sliced green onion
4 tablespoons roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Dressing:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 crushed garlic clove or garlic scapes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
Place radicchio, cabbage, carrot, cucumber and cilantro in large bowl. In a small bowl stir together dressing ingredients until well blended; pour over vegetables and toss thoroughly. Place slaw in serving bowl and garnish.
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Cucumber-Yogurt Salad (Tzatziki)
Yield: about 2 1/2 cups
2 cups of thick Greek yogurt, reg. plain yogurt is fine
2 cups of diced or grated cucumber
4 to 10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp of lemon juice
1 Tbs of olive oil
Prepare all ingredients in advance. Combine oil and lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl. Fold the yogurt in slowly, making sure it mixes completely with the oil. Add the garlic, according to taste, and the cucumber. Stir until evenly distributed. Garnish with a bit of green and serve well chilled.
Add mint or dill: Slight variations include 1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh dill and/or fresh mint.
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New Potato Salad
2 lbs new potatoes, quartered
¼ cup mayo, sour cream, or yogurt
2 Tbs. finely chopped dill
3 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbs. mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Boil or steam potatoes until a fork can go in easily, but do not overcook! Mix with the rest of the ingredients and chill.
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Raw Kale, Squash and Turnip Salad
2 med zucchini or summer squash
1 bunch kale, chopped
2 med. Hakurei turnips, julienned
2 pearl onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbs. dill
1 Tbs. Maple syrup
salt
Slice the squash lengthwise with a peeler and place the ribbons in a bowl. Toss with turnips, salt and let sit and wilt while preparing the kale. Salt the chopped kale and massage for 5-10 minutes until tender. Add to the kale and toss with remaining ingredients. Let marinate for an hour, stirring occasionally to coat the veggies with the vinegar. Add salt before serving if needed.
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Cold Strawberry-Buttermilk Soup
(as served at the Strawberry Soiree 2009)
2 pt. fresh strawberries
2 Tbs lemon juice
zest of one lemon
1/4 c. sugar
4 1/2 c. buttermilk or plain yogurt
2 Tbs. minced mint plus sprigs for garnish
Rinse and hull strawberries. Place in blender with sugar. Process until smooth. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in lemon juice and zest. Stir in buttermilk or yogurt and minced mint. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Spoon into soup bowls and garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.
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Strawberry-Vinaigrette
(as served at the Strawberry Soiree 2009)
1 qt. fresh strawberries
3 garlic scapes
½ cup olive or other veggie oil
½ cup vinegar of choice
1 Tbs salt
¼ cup water
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
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Dilly Slaw
4 cups shredded veggies (carrots, hakurei
turnips, radish, kohlrabi)
5 scallions chopped
Dressing:
3⁄4 cup yogurt or 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs. lime juice
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. honey
1⁄4 cup dill
1 tsp. salt
3 garlic scapes or
cloves of garlic, minced
Blend dressing and toss with veggies. If time, let
chill and stir occasionally so the dressing can
soak into the veggies.
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Warm Spinach Salad with a Touch of Purple
One time I went to a restaurant and had a salad featuring an amazing hot dressing over spinach, and it came to me today that I wanted to eat it! At the time, I stopped the waiter and wrote down the ingredients, but they're long lost now. So this is the reimagining. With spring ingredients.
Dressing:
1/3 c olive oil
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
2 ts Dijon mustard (optional)
A bunch worth of Chive Flowers
A handful of chopped Chives
salt and pepper
Salad:
Spinach
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional, could also use tempeh sauteed with tamari)
Radishes, sliced into thin rounds, even maybe done with a peeler.
Put olive oil and chive flowers in a pan over medium heat. Saute flowers until wilted. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and bring to a boil.
Toss a good handful of spinach in the pan and stir it around for half a minute, then pour it all over the rest of your spinach. Garnish with slices of egg and thin shavings of radish. Salt and pepper on top if needed.
From Sarah Ingraham, 2009.
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Rosemary Vinaigrette
1 stem of rosemary leaves, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons
sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup olive
oil
When making dressings, try warming them up on a skillet before serving. It infuses flavors and makes a slightly warmer salad during cold days, too.
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Kohlrabi and Potato Salad with Horseradish
1 or 2 Kohlrabi peeled
2 medium Potatoes
2 to 4 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons chopped dill
Salt and freshly milled pepper
Prepared horseradish in vinegar
Slice the kohlrabi into julienne strips or wedges. Steam until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Coarsely cube potatoes and boil until tender. Then put potatoes and kohlrabi in a bowl and toss with sour cream, horseradish, and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Beets and Carrots in a Lime Vinaigrette
2 medium beets, peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, sliced diagonally
1 medium cucumber, cubed
6 Tbs veggie oil
3 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs chopped cilantro or dill
1 garlic clove, minced
salt to taste
Steam beets and carrots separately until tender. Combine dressing ingredients (I find a jar works well because you can put the lid on and shake it all up.) Put the veggies, including the cucumber in a bowl and toss with dressing. Chill.
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