235: Celeriac and Apple Slaw

A while ago I read a book called Spiced, wherein the author talks about having worked for Martha Stewart. She says they put out so many recipes that a decent amount of them are just variations on the other. So it's not surprising that this recipe exists, given the variations I've done with kohlrabi and turnips. My only sub was using apple cider vinegar instead of plain cider.

Of the three variations I like kohlrabi best, but celeriac definitely beats out turnip. My only complaint was I'd cut the matchsticks way too long, so actually eating the thing was a bit of a challenge. The texture of celeriac raw isn't great, either, but with this style of preparation it isn't too bad. Not sure I'd do it again though.

228: Kohlrabi Carrot Soup

Not a pretty soup, but a sweet and tasty one. I sort of used this recipe from Eat, Love and Be Happy! When skimming it seemed fine, but upon the reread I was generally confused as to what I was supposed to do, so I did my own thing.

Ingredients:

2 kohlrabi
3 carrots
1 head garlic
1 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
~ sage, thyme, parsley
~ chiken stock
~ salt, pepper, olive oil

I peeled, cut into chunks, and roasted the kohlrabi and carrots until soft and browned. I also chopped the top of the garlic off the head, drizzled a little olive oil and wrapped in foil. That was also roasted until soft.

Meanwhile, I diced my onions and celery and started those in a pot with a little olive oil and salt. Once they got soft, and the onions started to brown, I added in the rest of the ingredients. The chicken stock was added until it just covered (I like my soups full of "stuff", not super brothy), and I let that simmer for a while, until the flavors had a chance to mingle and the herbs had some time to do their thing. Tasting, adjusting seasoning as necessary.

Roasting the kohlrabi and carrots brought out their sweetness, which extended out into the soup. Last night it seemed unpleasantly sweet, but I dug it a lot more for lunch. Next time I'd probably add roasted potatoes, but I totally forgot until it was too late to prep them.

226: Herb Butter Roasted Potatoes

Sometimes it's really good to just cook something, like potatoes, that you don't have a recipe in mind for. While I was roasting (off share) sweet potatoes, I threw a few potatoes on the other rack. I figured at worst they could hang out in the fridge until a day I was too lazy/busy to cook. And that's what happened. 

After getting my hair cut and doing my weekly extra ingredient shopping trip (an expensive one, though a good $10 was stock alone) I got home with just enough energy to eat a bowl of yogurt and whip this up. 

I thickly sliced the cooked and cooked potatoes, then sauteed them for a bit in herb butter. I meant to post about the herb butter but never got around to it- to the best of my recollection it had parsley, thyme, dill, mint, maybe some basil and cilantro. I added a bit of pepper and way too much salt, so I'm forced to use it sparingly. 

The results were perfect for a cold day, and a more than good reason to just throw something extra into the oven whenever it's on.

223: Wilted Parsley and Mint on Toast

My favorite and least favorite part of the CSA is the herbs. On the one hand, it's something I generally never use, and am happy to have it forced upon me so I get some experience. On the other...how much thyme and sage can a person really go through in a week or two? Sure you can make pestos, salsa verde, or herb butters, but seriously. It can get a little ridiculous now and then. 

So I'm happy when I stumble across a recipe like wilted parsley and eggs on toast. It cuts a bunch down to a single dish, and in a way that's not entirely overpowering. My issue is that I don't love parsley. It can be a little harsh on its own, so when I thought of doing it again (here's the first time) I wanted another herb to help round it out. 

I chose mint, cooking it exactly as I did the parsley. Next time I probably wouldn't blanch the herbs- or maybe not the mint- as I feel I lost a lot of the flavor in the blanching water (or ended up with an odd tea). But what there was did the job wonderfully, adding a bit off sweetness, balancing out the assertiveness of the parsley.

Another change from the prior iteration was to continue on my roasted garlic kick, spreading a clove or two on each slice of Breads Bakery sourdough (it's solid version with a fine crumb and decent sturdiness- though I wish I'd thought to thaw the SCRATCH I had in the freezer). 

Topped (eventually, took me three tries to not break the yolk) with a runny egg. I could eat this most days and not get tired of it. 

220: Apple and Turnip Slaw

I was originally going to do this recipe, which used turnips, carrots and parsley from my share, but of course cooked all my carrots for another dish (to be posted soon), and had to improvise. The mystery dish also featured mint, which is a minor love of mine, so I decided to go for something as cool, tart, and refreshing as I could.

I'm getting a little ahead of myself. When I realized I'd just (seriously, just) cooked all of my carrots, I decided to go on as well as I could with what I had- the turnip and apple. I was reminded of the kohlrabi and apple slaw I made a while back, and thought that a simple prep would be best. The carrots would've added some sweetness to the party, but I remembered my beet and kale salad and knew I could add a little more acid to smooth down any bitterness.

I cut my turnips and apples into little matchsticks, mixed them up with lemon juice, olive oil, mint and a little parsley. Made myself a batch that night with some salt, but the rest I put in the fridge without, to keep it from getting watery.

I rather liked it, though now and then I wasn't sure I liked that addition of parsley. And then now and then the bitterness of the turnip came through. So this morning I tossed in a little apple cider vinegar, drained out what liquid was at the bottom of the container, and brought it in for lunch, waiting to salt until I was almost ready to take lunch. It was good- a little better fresh- maybe an hour or so before kind of thing to give enough time for the flavors to meld.

Delivery 22

Potatoes - 2 pounds

Beets - 2 pounds

Carrots - 1 pound

Red Russian Kale - 1 bunch

Purple Globe Turnips - 2

Flat Leaf Parsley - 1 bunch

Garlic - 2 heads

Acorn Winter Squash - 1

Popcorn - 4 cobs

Hot Peppers - take if you like

Red Russian Kale

Gorgeous! Kale with pecans. With smoked paprika. Kale chips. With buckwheat noodles.

Garlic

Guess. You'll probably be right.

Turnips

Believe it or not, I went for the smaller turnips, hoping to avoid the weird bitterness I had with the last big one. Slaw with carrots and apples. Slaw with carrots (bonus for parsley).

Acorn Squash

Soup with turnips. Soup with turnip chips. Soup with kale and bacon. What? I'm cold.

Popcorn

Note with the popcorn: let dry for three more weeks for best results. Um, thanks? I'll probably wait to bring this home to my parents', where there is a microwave.

Beets

Went for a bag with smaller beets. Salad with ginger. Salad with kale. Beet chips. Salad with potatoes.

Carrots

Boo orange carrots! Here's a slaw with beets (and beet greens, but I could use kale or something).

Potatoes

Ugh, potatoes. Part of me just wanted to swap these guys out for more garlic on the swap table. Here's fritters with turnips. Potato pancakes. Potato pizza dough. Or this potato cake (bonus for parsley).

Hot Peppers

Flat Leaf Parsley

I just kind of want to do wilted parsley on toast again.

181: Moroccan Veggie Stew

I realized I was working for 24 of the 48 hours of the weekend. Standing for much much longer. I'm caving and buying work shoes, as my legs are still complaining from all that. My brain is also largely fried, so cooking dinner was a bit of an adventure (in not the best way). I, of course, chose a complicated recipe from Bon Appetit, and also made a number of changes. I'm surprised a dish came out of it.

Ingredients:

1 lb carrots, peeled, chopped
1 1/2 lb turnips, peeled, cut into bite-sizes pieces
3 Tbs butter
1/2 pound green onions, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs chopped parsley
1 Tbs chopped fresh mint
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 oz bitter greens, chopped
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

~ salt and pepper to taste

Looking through that recipe and the changes I made, I had a few moments of "ohhh! I was so braindead cooking I can't believe I forgot _______," so please, go to that link and add some things I do not have in here. This was alright, don't get me wrong, but there can always be more garlic. And chickpeas would've been nice, because protein.

After my last experience blanching, decided to roast these veggies. I had cut the carrots smaller than the turnips, hoping they would be soft around the same time but it didn't quite work. Next time I'd give those guys a little head start before adding the turnips.

My greens were from my turnips and radishes and I would've loved more- though something more usual and like kale would've been better. Also I needed to wash them more as I got a bit of grit in there. Boo. Overall it's nicely spiced but on the sweet side- more bitter greens or a little heat would be a good addition. As it was I didn't have Harissa, so used a little sriracha. Not sure I'd make again, or if I did I'll be sure to follow the recipe a little closer next time.

Leftovers: Potato Pancakes

I didn't egg these potato pancakes up on first making, but of course they're very very good for breakfast.

Also after hanging out in the fridge for a day or so, they're firm enough to pop in the toasted to easily reheat. The one above I did in a pan, not as burnt as it looks.

167: Wilted Parsley on Toast

Any doubt I'd love this recipe? The only thing I didn't do was rub the toast with garlic. That would've made things even better, but it was rather good without. 

It's a nice application of parsley- the first time I'd seen it treated like just another green- and it was obviously super strong but not unpleasantly so. Wilted in a little water, drained, then lightly sauteed with butter, salt and pepper. Put on some lovely She Wolf sourdough. Topped with two almost overdone eggs, caught them just in time.

The parsley is really bright and assertive, a lot of butter and a rich egg were definitely needed to round it out. I almost think the raw garlic on the toast may have been too much of a bright bite, that I'd like some roasted garlic spread on like butter. I may have to try that; I did save a little parsley. I'd also be interested in trying it with other herbs.

Mmm action shot! My weekend internship is a brunchy place, and for a second I thought I'd gotten sick of eggs, but who am I kidding?

166: Potato Pancakes

In theory I followed this recipe, but in actuality something else was going on in my head, as I par boiled the potatoes before grating. They're more like mashed potato pancakes- not a bad thing. I added parsley and a little thyme, fried up the first batch, and for the second added a little more salt (the first were under seasoned) and some smoked paprika.

Really lovely, light and fluffy. These potatoes ate actually from two weeks ago, so I may try this again the legit way, grated raw.

Delivery 16

Lactino Kale - 1 bunch

Tomatillos - 10
French Breakfast/Cherriette Radishes - 1 bunch
Parsley - 1 bunch
Mustard Greens - 1 bunch
Bok Choy - 1 head
Broccoli - 3 These were feeling rather limp, so I hit up the swap table for more tomatillos!
Shallots - 4
Red Cabbage - 1
Peppers - 2

Hot Peppers - Serranos take if you like

Lactino Kale 

Why are people calling this Lactino Kale when it's also known as DINOSAUR kale. Seriously, so much more awesome and totally apt. Here's a raw salad, and some stuffed sweet potatoes.

Bok Choy

Hash, super easy saute, and I'm still feeling in need of soup.

Tomatillo

You could buy 10 lb bags of these from the farm that supplies the CSA. It was tempting, but I somehow refrained. I want to do something vastly different with these guys. Here's a tart, or some curd, a drink, or braised chicken. Ok and a guac, just in case I feel like dipping.

Radishes

I've had this salad on the list for ages, but now I actually have share radishes to make it with, so it will definitely happen soon. Greens are also nice! If I want to go simple here's a sandwich, or roasted. A few salads: detox and with mangos. And out of the blue a bit: curry!

Red Cabbage

No red cabbage on the swap table today. This is a little guy, so this won't hit as many recipes as the usual cabbage. Simple sweet and sour, a salad with white beans, a few slaws, cooked with apples, and a plain ol sear.

 

Mustard Greens 

There was a surprising amount of mustard greenage on the swap table, maybe people aren't as enamored of it as I am? I keep cooking them, this time I have to keep it raw. Here's a salad with anchovies and one with apples.

Peppers

So the long guys are probably cubanelles- I've just been eating them as easy snacks and will probably continue to do so. This looks really good, though anything with eggs is a winner for me. They're also often stuffed. I have a blacklog of hot peppers, maybe I'll finally get around to pickling them.

Shallots

I'll be posting something amazing with shallots soon, but, again, will mostly just try to use in place of onions/garlic in a few standard recipes.

Parsley

A few recipes mention parsley (at least one of the slaws has it), but here it is wilted on toast (with an egg- scroll down!)...and even further down the page there's a simple salad with lentils and a mustardy vinaigrette. Tabbouleh, a roulade (not gonna happen but cool), eggplant dip, potato cake.

99: Peperonata

Is there a way to photograph this so it looks as lovely as it tastes? Not sure. Would help if it weren't blurry.

I followed the same method as the last time I'd made peperonata. Or actually, let the peppers go with the onions for a bit before adding the tomato. But that didn't seem to make much of a difference. My sweet onions were a little smaller so used a whole one instead of half. Probably a little less tomato, but I have to split up my romas between this and another dish I'll post about tomorrow.

Kept the peppers on the al dente side, per my note for improvement last time, but I think they're actually better a bit softer. As these peppers were a little riper than the last set (noted by how nice and green they are), the whole dish ended up on the sweet side. A little extra pepper and red pepper flake fixed that nicely.

Used the last of my genovese basil and parsley on this as well.

I think next time I'd like to try slicing the peppers a bit thinner, and maybe cutting the tomatoes into wedges like the other ingredients instead of the dice, just to see how that works. I also need to remember to do this in a larger pan, as the peppers kept wanting to escape their delicious fate every time I stirred (aka made a mess).

95: Smoky Kale and White Bean Soup

Mmmmm. I used a few recipes as inspiration for this, but as it goes, the most important thing was to use up a bunch of ingredients/leftovers I had in my fridge. So more a case of: fill my mind up with possibilities then kinda wing it. It'd be nice if that always worked well, I'll say it comes through 75-85% of the time. This was a good time.

Ingredients:

- 2 medium onions, diced

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced then made into a paste with kosher salt

~ 1 cup super strong turkey broth concentrate (from a bag in my freezer, I'm not sure exact amounts)

- 1 1/2 cups cannellini beans

- 1/4 cup bean water

- 3/4 water water

- 2 cups diced canned tomatoes

- Sprigs of savory, parsley, and basil

- Most of a bunch of kale, sliced into thin strips (minus the small amount I used on this and some leaves I ate as I went)

- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika

- salt and pepper to taste (heavy on the pepper!)

Sweat the onions a bit, then added my garlic, cooking briefly until fragrant. Then I added my tomatoes, broth, bean water and water. I like my soups thick so I let this simmer away for a while to reduce, throwing in a decent sized sprig (kind of a branch, really) of savory, basil and parsley mid-way through.

Once it had reduced to my liking I added the beans and kale, along with 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and a little more salt and pepper. Removed the herb sprigs. Let that simmer a little longer, then decided to add a bit more paprika and pepper.

Super happy with the result. Before I added the sprig/branches of herbs I thought the base was a little too...bright? acidic? It just wasn't doing it for me and I can't describe why. But those herbs really helped broaden the flavor. I'm generally not a huge tomato soup fan, either, but I can get behind this. I think it's the smoked paprika.

93: Balsamic Glazed Carrots

So I wanted to do something slightly different with carrots. Saw this recipe from Bittman but didn't have orange juice. One of the things I notice that I love about his recipes is he tends to offer alternates. Chose the balsamic with garlic variant mentioned in the accompanying article. I only had about a 1/3 lb of carrots after peeling and chopping, so third-ed everything and went for it.

I forgot about it a little, so there was probably a little more browning than the recipe wanted, but they're nicely glazed and still firm. Something was missing though. He mentioned adding herbs if you'd like, and after debating decided on a little trial:

On the left is parsley, on the right is basil. Tore the leaves (I had just cleaned Sweetness and the cutting board) and let it sit for a few minutes while working on something else.

Which won? Basil. Worked really well with the balsamic, though I guess that's not too surprising.

88: Peperonata

Dear Purple Bell Peppers,

Why you gotta turn white when I cook you?

Love, 

K

Seriously though, how awesome would that purple have been in this dish? When I cut them I knew it wouldn't last though- the purple color is only skin deep.

Anyway, I used a mix of the two peperonata recipes I'd mentioned in the Delivery post- probably relying on the more laid back Bittman version.

Sliced up my two peppers (for the record the purple was just bitter whereas the green had a bit more to it- a little grassy? probably not the right word), and half a walla walla onion. Chopped up a 1/4 cup of basil, some parsley and a little savory. Minced two cloves of garlic and diced a roma and cocktail tomato.

Started the onions in a pan, cooked until they got soft. Added everything else and cooked until the peppers softened as well.

Super good, very comforting and tomato-y. Needs some crusty bread. As do all the things.

Note for Improvement: Don't cook it quite as long, the peppers could've used a little more bite.

Update: I had cold leftovers for lunch and loved it. The peppers had a bit more bite to them than I remembered last night, and while the purple ones were still bitter, it contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the tomato and onion. I definitely want to do this again.

86: Carrot Top and Herb Scrambled Eggs

I have off today, so a weekend breakfast was in order. Making a point to use up herbs this week, I also felt like experimenting with carrot tops. Not entirely successful, but learned a thing or two. 

Ingredients: 

- 1 tsp savory

- 1 tbs parsley

- 1 tbs basil

- 1/2 cup carrot dops

- 2 eggs

- olive oil/butter

I sliced the herbs as thin as I could manage, then chopped up the carrot tops fairly fine. Started some olive oil in the pan, added both. Assumed the carrot tops would soften up pretty quickly. Let those go for a minute before adding some butter and salt to the pan. Whisked my eggs, added those as well. Scrambled. Etc.

Turns out carrot tops are pretty toothsome, so the texture here was weird. And I think I overdid the savory and butter- I was missing a little brightness. Maybe I'm so used to having sriracha/jalapeno in my scrambled eggs anything rich just tastes odd.

Used up the last of my SCRATCH buckwheat sour. It was growing on me a bit. Will probably go back to the regular sour, or the foccacia, next time.

Notes for Improvement: When trying new veggies, how about you taste them? If I'd just tried the carrot tops before adding the eggs, I would've realized they needed more time. Womp womp. Hard to do that badly with eggs tho.

85: Cucumber Salad

Simple salad. I wanted to use up the last of my share ingredients before the next delivery. Most of these ingredients had been earmarked for a tabbouleh that couldn't happen after I caved and just ate those sungold tomatoes as is (no regrets on that btw). So I winged it a little with good results. 

Ingredients: 

1 slicing cucumber, deseeded

2 scallions, sliced reasonably thin

~1/3 cup chopped herbs (parsley, mint, lemon basil)

Toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper

I chopped up the cucumber into manageable pieces then tossed with a teaspoon salt and let drain while I prepped the rest. 

Sliced the scallions, and chopped up the herbs. Mixed the sesame oil, vinegar and a little salt and pepper to make a simple vinaigrette. 

Rinced the cucumbers and tossed everything together. I had a little last night, it was nice and fresh, but left most in the fridge to meld overnight. Today it was pleasant- though I'd hoped the herbs would come through more. I tried separating part and adding a little red wine vinegar (the only kind I have at my desk), in case more tartness would help. It was still fine but not essential. Just depends on the kind of mood you're in.

Notes for Improvement:

- Needs a little more salt or more herbs (or keep salt and pepper at your desk)

- Wouldn't mind trying this with tomatoes

79: Middle Eastern Veggie Salad

One of these days I won't be consuming so much acidic food. Today is not that day. Made as close as I could to this simple salad using a ton of my CSA ingredients (scallions, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley and basil FTW). I didn't have quite that many tomatoes so I scaled everything down a touch. I also couldn't dress this thing as heavily as the recipe is calling for (on principle), so I just made a lemon juice/oil vinaigrette that I thought tasted good. Also no feta.

Everything got mixed together (sorry for the gross night shots my phone takes) and sat in the fridge for about an hour as I went on a little bike ride in search of Pickle Crisp. Wasn't able to find it- though I do have a lead! More on that in another post.

Anyway, after that hour the flavors had nicely melded. Ate a bunch as in the first pic with a toasted pita (nom), and then a little later remembered I had some homemade (or classmade) mozzarella. That really made the dish for me.

Delivery 8

So much excitingness in this week's delivery.

Beets with Greens - 1 bunch

Walla Walla Sweet Summer Onions - 2

Heirloom Cucumbers (Boothby Blonde and Poona Kheera) - 2  (apparently these were pulled last minute. sadface)

Marketmore Slicing Cucumbers - 2

Orient Express Eggplant - 2 

Scallions - 1 bunch

Tomatoes - 2 

Lemon Basil - 1 bunch  

Flat Leaf Parsley - 1 bunch

Bell Peppers - 2

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 basket

Summer Squash - 2 pieces

Things I am in love with:

Tomatoes

Not gonna lie, may have screamed a little when I saw tomatoes on the list. I've been sooo obsessed with them this summer. Will resist the urge to eat (all of) them like handfruit. Especially when I have cucumbers and basil just begging to be combined for a salad. And it's hard to do something crazy with just two, you know? Or the little basket.
 

Beets

I have a beet post with off-share ingredients I'll put up soonish, but super excited to have these. I've always wanted to make a beet cake. I may have to do that this week- the idea is making my brain itch- even if it's hot and time consuming.

It's also nice to have leafy greens, will probably saute those with some mushrooms. Going way back for that idea.

Eggplant

I want to redo a recipe this week- even though Ratatoullie uses more of this week's delivery, I'll probably go with Baingan Bharta. Once I figure out how to make it the way I remember it will be the only thing I eat ever.

Parsley

Parsley isn't my favorite, but always happy for fresh herbage. A lot of sauces come to mind- like chimichurri- or an actual real salsa verde. I'm also liking the idea of tabbouleh (bonus for tomato, cucumber and scallion).

Lemon Basil 

If you haven't had this herb before, it smells AMAZING. Ideas: Cookies, vinaigrette on zucchini pasta, or maybe just a pesto for once. It's a shame I haven't yet dabbled in soap or candlemaking, I want everything to smell like this.

Scallions:

CSA was all about fun colors this week. I'm not sure what the difference between the white and red are- one of the staff suggested it could be like the difference between white and red onions? I got a mixed batch just to see. I actually still have scallions from last week to use up...so, scrambled eggs?

Sweet Onions:

Onions are useful for everything- can throw them in the baingan bharta, or another batch of pickles. Not sure if I can use the green tops but I'd like to try.

Bell Peppers:

I've never seen purple peppers before. It's so cool! I got one of each color to see if they tasted different. Part of me wants to roast and (of course) pickle them- I even have a recipe lined up. Though I think I'd need more than two to fill a jar.

Cucumbers

I think I was the only one lamenting the lack of heirloom pickles this week. Part of me wants to wing a cucumber salad- and I don't think it would be that hard. The rest wants to pick up a thing or two and make this guy.

Summer Squash:

They were small this week for some reason. I picked based on prettiness. With no heirloom cucumbers these may sub in for my pickle canning redo I mentioned yesterday. The canning book I've been using says any cucumber recipe can be subbed out with zucchini, but recommends getting pickle crisp granules. I'm in NYC- so I'm sure I can find some- the question is just the least out of the way place.

EXTRAS!

Mushrooms:

Due to a generous/lazy person who did want to pick up their mushroom share, I got some creminis to take home. Of course I'd just bought crummy white button mushrooms earlier that day, but doubt I could ever turn these down. I'm going to use them up before I can find the perfect recipe- major mushroom cravings right now.

 

Stone Fruit:

Hooray for the lazy. Also got a bit of a fruit share to try. I'd debated ordering a fruit share- it's one of the few things I'm still always buying at the store- but it would've been way too much for just me. This is a weird mix of underripe nectarines, super ripe peaches, and middling plums. It's already macerating in the fridge for jam. 

I have a bit of a canning problem. If you didn't know that already, you will very soon.