Week 12 Boxletter

It’s September.  While we will surely see some nice, warm days in the next month or two the end of summer is nigh.  Soups and slow cooked things are starting to re-enter my repertoire and when I saw the list for this week’s box it practically screamed BORSCHT to me!  I missed getting a gazpacho recipe in here but, dang it, I was not going to miss the opportunity to give you a borscht recipe that uses at least 60% of your box.  Eat borscht this week and live a little! 😊

Happy Eating!

-Liz

Tomato Risotto

Risotto is one of the highest ranking of the comfort foods for me.  I stir a wide array of things into this cozy rice depending on the season. This recipe doesn’t do it, but if you have white miso in your fridge, stir a spoonful in at the end.  It adds a nice little pop of umami to the finished dish.   Good enough to be eaten on it’s own, possibly on the couch, under a blanket, this also does well paired with a simple piece of fish like grilled halibut but then you’d have to eat like a civilized person at the table.  😊

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

 Salt and pepper

1 ½ cups arborio or carnaroli rice

 Pinch of red-pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves

½ cup white wine

2 cups diced ripe red tomatoes

3 cups boiling water or vegetable broth

½ cup grated pecorino or Parmesan, plus more for serving

4 medium tomatoes, in different colors, sliced

 Chopped parsley, for garnish

 Snipped basil, for garnish

Add the rice and cook the onions, stirring, until the onions are barely brown, about 2 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes, garlic, white wine and diced tomatoes, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes more.

Add 2 cups boiling water and adjust the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring well with a wooden spoon every minute or so.

When the liquid is absorbed, add remaining 1 cup water and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, until the rice is cooked, but the grains are still firm. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding another splash of water if necessary to loosen the mixture. Turn off the heat, stir in the pecorino and 2 more tablespoons olive oil.

Transfer to a low, wide serving bowl. Surround the rice with tomato slices and season them with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and basil. Pass more grated cheese at the table.

Adapted from NYT Cooking/David Tanis

Borscht with Beet Greens

Don’t you dare skim right by this recipe!  I know borscht isn’t necessarily the most appealing recipe around, especially if you’re not a fan of the beet, but there is so much else going on here that the beets are not the main star.  Sure they impart their vibrant color but is that a bad thing?  A bold, beautiful hot pink bowl of comforting and super good for you soup just can’t be bad.  You can leave out the beef bones and sub in a good quality stock of whatever origin you’d like, meat or veggie. 

2 pounds beets with greens, beets peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice, greens coarsely chopped

1 pound meaty beef bones

1 pound green cabbage, shredded

1lb tomatoes, chopped

1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

 Salt to taste

1 pound large waxy potatoes, quartered

 Freshly ground white pepper to taste

 Balsamic vinegar to taste, for drizzling

In a soup pot, combine beets (not greens), bones, cabbage, tomatoes, onion, 8 cups water, bay leaf and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, put potatoes in a medium saucepan of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a cutting board. Add chopped greens to boiling water and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice.

Discard bay leaf. Remove bones, remove meat from bones, chop meat and return meat to soup. Taste and add salt if needed. Ladle soup into bowls and season with white pepper. Top with potatoes and greens, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Adapted from NYT Cooking/Jane Sigal

Caramelized Onion Dip

If you make onion dip from scratch then its automatically ok to eat an entire bag of chips with it.  Just kidding, you’ll eat this with celery sticks and steamed beet slices right? Truth be told, the yogurt used here keeps this fairly light.  If you’re looking for something a little richer, try adding half sour cream instead of all yogurt.    

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 pounds Sweet Onions (or whatever onion you have around) thinly sliced– about 4 cups worth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

hefty pinch of salt

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 cups full fat Greek Style plain yogurt

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

thyme sprigs for garnish

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat until it begins to sizzle. Add about half of the chopped onions and give the pot a big stir. Cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to wilt down a bit. Add the rest of the onions , the thyme and a big pinch of salt. Give the pot another stir  and then reduce the heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring often until the onions begin to turn brown and become fragrant. About 15 minutes.  Add your chopped garlic and continue to cook for about 5 minutes longer. Add the wine, turn the heat up to medium high, stir frequently until the wine evaporates and the onions and garlic are very fragrant, about 5 minutes longer. Reduce your heat to medium low again and continue to cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes longer or until your onions are deeply golden and tender.  If your pan dries out too much add a splash more wine.

Remove your onions from the heat and dump them out onto a cutting board. When cool enough to handle roughly chop them (this step is optional but I find I like the onions chopped really small for the sake of the dip. If you prefer the longer strands that’s totally up to you!) Add the chopped onions to a large bowl and stir in the yogurt and vinegar. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper and taste for seasonings. Top with fresh thyme sprigs and serve.

Adapted from Dishing up the Dirt