Each week it’s hard to narrow down the recipes to include in the week’s boxletter there really are a myriad of things to do with root veggies I promise! I know sometimes it’s hard to work through another box of roots and squash but as the weeks go by it gets easier I swear. Seasonal eating isn’t always intuitive, it’s something that we must work at especially in the beginning. I know that many of you have been members for years and are well accustomed to the transition to the winter months, and you too may have great recipes to share. I’d like to invite all of you to join our Facebook group, Jubilee Farm: Cultivating Community to share recipes and ideas, post questions, get answers and to build the community of the Jubilee CSA!
-Liz
Beet, Oat and Feta Burgers
There’s some of you who are not excited about beets, I get it. I urge you to try this recipe, it’s hands down the best veggie burger recipe I’ve ever made. The ‘beet-iness’ is greatly lessened and even the pickiest of eaters could be convinced they like beets. Children and adults alike 😉.
3 cups grated beets
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs
1 ½ cups rolled oats
6-7 ounces feta cheese
1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons mild oil or olive oil, for frying
Peel and grate beets, onion, and garlic on a box grater or use a food processor with the grating blades attached.
Place the grated vegetables in a large mixing bowl.
Add olive oil, eggs, and rolled oats and mix everything well.
Add feta, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Set aside for about 30 minutes, so the oats can soak up the liquid and the mixture sets (this is important for the patties to hold together).
Try shaping a patty with your hands. If the mixture is loose, add a few more oats.
Form 4 to 6 patties with your hands.
Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add patties and cook until golden brown, a few minutes on each side.
Serve on a bun and with toppings of your choice; lettuce, cabbage, mango, avocado, tomatoes, sprouts, or onions. The possibilities are endless!
Buttermilk Pumpkin (or squash) Pie
Thanksgiving is still a week away but I know many of you have recipes in place and possibly in motion already. This makes a wonderful fluffy pie with a mere ½ C. sugar and a whole wheat crust, meaning it’s healthy right? Beating the egg whites takes a strong arm (yes you could use a hand mixer, but I’m a glutton for punishment) but it truly makes the best textured filling. Not heavy and dense, more like a mousse. It also makes an amazing breakfast with coffee! Make the crust this week with the flour and toss it in the freezer till next week. Pull it the morning you plan to use it or slow thaw in the fridge the night before.
1 medium large pie pumpkin or butternut squash, cut in half and seeds removed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, separated
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup full- or lowfat buttermilk
1 All Purpose All Butter Pie Crust (a half recipe will yield a single crust), prebaked (instructions below, recipe can be found in Week 5 recipes and on our blog, or use your favorite pie dough recipe)
Whipped cream, for serving (beat in a little bourbon if you want)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place squash on a large sheet pan, cut side down and roast till fork tender about 30-40 minutes. Scoop out flesh into a bowl. Mash into a smooth puree with a fork or potato masher (though I suspect that a potato ricer would also do a great job). You should have 1 1/4 cups puree; save excess for another use. Add the butter, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and mix thoroughly after each addition.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a whisk, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until they’re a creamy lemon-yellow color, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the egg mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir until the eggs are thoroughly incorporated and the filling is a consistent bright orange color. Add the flour a little at a time, stirring after each addition until thoroughly incorporated. Add the buttermilk and again stir until smooth and even.
With a cleaned whisk (or electric hand mixer), whisk the egg whites to soft peaks in a clean, dry bowl. With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the sweet potato-buttermilk mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the prebaked crust and bake on the middle rack of the oven until the center is firm and set, 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove the pie from the oven and cool completely on a rack. Serve at room temperature (or cold from the fridge; you can cover it with plastic wrap before chilling) with a dollop of whipped cream.
*To pre-bake your pie crust: Lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the dough and carefully scatter pie weights, dried beans or pennies over it. Bake on the middle rick of your oven at 325°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and the foil, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, and bake for 10 minutes more.
All Purpose All Butter Pie Crust
A basic recipe but with a bit of heartiness thanks to the whole grain flour.
1 ½ cups Jubilee Farm whole grain flour
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting counter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, very cold
½ cup ice water
Whisk together both flours, sugar and salt, place in the bowl of a food processor. Cube the butter and add to the food processor. Pulse until butter and flour combine to form a course sandy mix. Slowly stream in about ½ cup of ice cold water just until dough comes together. Lightly flour counter and turn dough out. Knead gently a few times just till dough comes together. Divide into two even pieces and flatten each into a small disk. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge for about an hour before proceeding with your recipe.
(You can also do all of the above steps simply using your hands or a pastry blender if you don’t have a food processor)
Farro Risotto with Shitakes and Sunchokes
Sunchokes are the tuberous root of a native North American sunflower. They are nutty and tasty with a slight artichoke flavor. They are amazing pureed into soups, mixed with other roots and roasted or as we do here, tossed with a risotto or farrotto if you will. If you can’t find farro, feel free to sub in regular risotto rice (Arborio) but follow the package instructions. Risottos are one of my favorite fall comfort foods and the addition of a little miso could be optional, but it really ups the ‘umami’ of the dish. Try it, you’ll like it!
4 sunchokes, washed and cut into medium dice
3/4 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil divided
4 cups vegetable broth preferably homemade
2 shallots chopped or 1 leek sliced thin
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup farro
½ cup white wine
2 tbsp mellow white miso
4 cups stock or broth (chicken, veggie, whatever)
½ freshly grated parmesan or pecorino
1 cup swiss chard leaves ribs removed and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
½ lemon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sunchokes and shiitake mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toss with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Heat the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock just stays hot.
Heat remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Add farro to the pot and stir so that the grains are coated with the oil. Sauté for another minute or so, until farro is lightly browned and imparts a nutty aroma.
Add the wine and miso paste and continue to cook while stirring until the liquid is fully absorbed.
Add a ladle of simmering stock to the farro, stirring often, until the liquid is fully absorbed. When the farro appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock and repeat the process, adding stock, a ladleful at a time, for about 20-30 minutes or until the grains are tender but still firm to the bite.
Before adding the last ladle of broth, stir in the parmesan and swiss chard. Continue to cook until the last of the broth is absorbed. The farro should have a slightly creamy consistency. Stir in the sunchokes and mushrooms, season to taste with salt and pepper, and finish with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of parm just before serving.
Jubilee Farm 