Week 6 Box Contents
- Sunflower Shoots
- Parsnips
- Carrots
- Shallots or Leeks
- Winter Squash
Sugar Loaf, Red Kuri, Acorn or Jester
- Spicy Salad Mix or Braising Mix
- Radicchio Treviso
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Kohlrabi (Full Share Only)
*as always this list may change a bit once we get out in the fields to harvest
Recipes
This week brings us the star of the late fall and winter: Radicchio. The radicchio Treviso in this week’s box comes from our neighbors to the north, Local Roots Farm. They grow a ton of radicchio and chicories and we should all probably be eating more of them! Over time much of the food we all eat has had a lot of the flavor bred out of it, we’ve been left with much more bland and boring foods and that is what our palates have grown accustomed to. As a whole, we tend not to prefer the bitter taste of things like radicchio, but lets change all that! Bitter greens are great at stimulating the digestive system, cleansing the liver and there is some evidence that they may help quell the desire for sweets. Eat radicchio and you won’t even need dessert! Besides the recipe below, simply sautéing it with additional greens and serving with richer, fattier meats is amazing.
Happy eating!
-Liz
Risotto di Radicchio
(French/Basque Cabbage and Bean Soup)
The rich creamy risotto really works well with the bitterness of the radicchio. As always, you know if you want to add some sausage at the end, no one would be mad at you.
1 small head radicchio
½ red onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons cold butter, divided
1 ½ cups risotto rice (vialone nano, arborio, carnaroli)
1 ¼ cups red wine, warmed
4 cups unsalted vegetable or chicken stock, warmed
½ cup finely grated grana or Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Remove any wilted leaves from the outside of the radicchio head. Slice in half, remove the hard, white core, and shred the radicchio finely. Saute the onion in half of the butter over a low heat in a deep skillet. When soft and translucent, add the radicchio and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside while you toast the rice. In the same pan (no need to clean it), place the rice and 1 tablespoon of the butter, then toss over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the rice begins to appear translucent around the edges. Return the onion and radicchio back to the pan, toss together, and add the red wine. Turn the heat up and then let the red wine simmer rapidly, giving the pan a shake here and there, until the liquid has evaporated. At this point, begin adding the vegetable stock, a ladle at a time, letting the rice absorb most of the liquid before adding the next ladle and turning heat down to medium again. This process (including the time included to evaporate the wine) should take in total about 17 minutes. When the rice is ready (it should have a pleasant bite to it but not be too hard or too soft), remove the pan from the heat, add the grated cheese and the rest of the butter, and toss and/or stir with a wooden spoon until well incorporated and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into dishes and serve immediately.
Carrot Parsnip Soup with Yogurt and Toasted Pepitas
I’ve probably blabbered on about how much I love pureed soups before, but I can do it again! Creamy without the addition of dairy and super warm and cozy. The pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or nuts add a nice little texture and really complement the sweetness of the carrots and parsnips.
1 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 1/4 lb. parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
For the yogurt garnish:
1/3 cup plain yogurt
About 2 Tbs. milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
A few toasted pumpkin seeds or toasted nuts for garnish
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the parsnips, carrots, stock and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
Using a blender and working in batches, puree the soup on high speed until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Strain through a chinois set over a clean soup pot and, using the pestle, press on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Place over low heat and reheat to serving temperature. Season with salt and pepper.
While the soup is heating, make the yogurt garnish: In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and enough milk to make a barely fluid paste. Season with salt and pepper.
Root Veggie Fritters
Whenever you’re at a loss for what to do with root veggies, make fritters. Shred some things, bind them together with an egg, season a bit and fry ‘em up. Great with the little garlicky yogurt below, but feel free to sub in any herbs you have on hand. This would be great with dill and parsley!
1 medium kohlrabi (or shredded cabbage or more carrot or parsnip, or potato, or whatever you have around that can shred)
1 medium parsnip
1 good sized carrot
1 egg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil (enough for ¼-inch depth in a large skillet)
½ cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ lemon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
A few Green onions, thinly sliced
Cut the leaves off the kohlrabi and peel the bulb. Peel 1 carrot. Shred the vegetables in a food processor, or by hand using a grater. Squeeze the shredded vegetables in a tea cloth (or with your hands) to remove moisture, then add to a medium bowl with 1 egg, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Mix to combine.
Place 1/2 cup oil in a large skillet (enough for 1/4-inch depth). Heat the oil over medium high heat, then place small patties of the fritter mixture into the oil. Fry on one side until browned, then fry on the other side. Remove and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Mix yogurt, garlic, lemon, green onion and salt together in a small bowl. Serve with fritters.
Jubilee Farm 