Apple Radish Salad

Recipe sent in by CSA member Maralie Armstrong-Rial.

Serves two as a side dish. The fresh mint is crucial for rounding out the pungent and sweet in this salad. Optional smoked salmon makes an excellent complement.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 apple, cubed

• 2 radishes, sliced & quartered

• sprig of fresh mint, chopped

Dressing:

• Juice squeezed from 1/4 lime

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• Honey to taste

• Splash of water to desired consistency

• Dash of salt

DIRECTIONS

• Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl.

• Pour dressing over the apples and radishes.

• Toss it altogether and enjoy!

Turnip Apple Soup

Recipe sent in by CSA member Ellen Granger

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch sweet turnips (about 6 medium size), roughly chopped

• 1 apple, sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• Half yellow onion, roughly chopped

• 1 inch knob ginger, sliced or roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp butter

• Turmeric 

• White pepper

• Black pepper salt

DIRECTIONS

• Melt butter on medium heat 

• Sweat onions and ginger for 10+ mins

• Add garlic until fragrant

• Add apples and turnip slices 

• Season 

• Cover with broth and/or water 

• Season more to taste

• Cook for 30 mins or until you think it’s done. Can be partially covered to retain liquid, or add more liquid if necessary

• Immersion blend or blend until very smooth

• Eat hot or set in fridge to chill 

Thai Oyster Omelette (Hoi tod)

Recipe sent in by CSA member Ellen Granger.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup rice flour

• 1/4 cup water

• 2 tbsp peanut oil 

• Salt

• 5 eggs

• 3 garlic scapes, or garlic cloves 

• Small bunch of cilantro

• 3-4 green onions

• 1 shallot 

• 2-3 Thai chilis 

• 1 tsp of sugar 

• 1 tbsp fish sauce 

• 10-12 fresh shucked oyster meat

DIRECTIONS

• Mix 1/4 cup rice flour with 1/4-1/2 cup water and 1 tsp salt until still watery, less thick than pancake batter 

• Mix eggs, sugar, fish sauce, herbs, all veg leaving one garlic scape/clove aside

• Heat 1 tbsp of peanut oil into wok, swirl around

• Pour in rice flour batter to coat the sides of the wok with it

• Once it’s crisping at edges, break into quarters and flip each piece over and move away from middle of wok

• Put 1 tbsp more of oil, add remaining garlic scape/clove, cook until fragrant, then add oysters and let cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute 

• Dump in egg mixture and let it cook until set to desired amount (flip if you want, not necessary). Enjoy!

Rhubarb Cordial

Recipe sent in by CSA member Maxyel Acevedo, who recommends saving any leftover rhubarb to make a compote.

Based on an original recipe by David Lebovitz.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 lb rhubarb cut into 1/2" pcs

• 1 tbsp orange liqueur

• 1 cup gin

• 2 3/4 tbsp sugar

• 1 wide strip orange zest

DIRECTIONS

• Put all ingredients in a large mason jar (make sure there's about 1" left of empty space).

• Cover and shake so sugar dissolves. Let stand at least 1 week and up to a month, continuing to shake every day.

• Using a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth, strain into a clean bottle with a tight fitting cork or swing cap.

• Store in the refrigerator.

• Drink with an ice cube as a cordial or mix with gin and seltzer as a summer cooler.

Summer Squash & Garlic Scape Egg Roll

The other day I watched a trailer for Nadiya Hussain’s Netflix show Time to Eat, where she made the easiest (and come to find out - most delicious!) egg sandwich.

It’s sort of a mix between a quesadilla and an egg sandwich, and works well as a “clean out your fridge” or “use up all your leftover CSA veggies” meal. You can throw any veggies, cheeses, meats or other add-ons that you want and it’s delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 garlic scape, chopped

• 1 small summer squash, thinly sliced

• 1 egg (could use 2 for some extra protein!)

• Splash of almond milk (or any variety of milk)

• Salt & Pepper

• Tortilla

• Scallions, sliced

• Small handful of shredded cheese

• Hot sauce (optional)

Directions

• Heat butter or oil in pan with garlic scapes. Cook 1 - 2 minutes until lightly browned

• Add summer squash to pan and cook until lightly brown on one side

• While it’s cooking, mix egg(s), almond milk, salt & pepper in a bowl

• Add egg mixture to the pan and make sure it covers the whole bottom of the pan

• Before the egg is fully cooked, place the tortilla on top, covering the entire mixture. Let is cook for a few seconds so the egg can bind to the tortilla

• Flip the whole thing with a spatula so your tortilla is on the bottom and almost cooked eggs are on the top.

• Sprinkle with cheese, scallions and hot sauce (if using). Let cook for 2 - 3 more minutes, until bottom of tortilla is lightly browned and egg is cooked through to your liking.

• Remove from pan and roll (don’t burn your hands!). Slice in half and enjoy! (I added some CSA strawberries on the side, too!)

Apple Butter

Not sure what to do with the dozens of apples you are collecting from your fruit pickups? Tired of crisps or don’t feel like messing with a pie? Try Apple Butter!

If you saw me at the garden last weekend, you probably heard me dreaming about making apple butter, thanks to a hot tip from a creative member. I did it! And it was easier than I thought.

This recipe was adapted from Food Network - I took a number of liberties, didn’t measure a thing, and it turned out great. Time not on your side? Try this in an Instapot or slow cooker (sorry you are on your own for the timing and temperature there, but let us know what works!)

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs of apples; peel and chop them

• 2 cups apple cider

• 1 cup light brown sugar

• Sprinkle of Kosher salt

• Juice from half a small lemon

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1tsp nutmeg

• 1tsp ground cloves

• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

• Combine the apples, apple cider, brown sugar and salt in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, partially cover and cook about 20 minutes

• Stir in the lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla and cloves. Use immersion blender (or ladle into a blender) to blend until smooth

• Put dutch oven filled with apple mixture into the oven and bake for around 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. You’ll know when its done when it has thickened into a deep amber.

• Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Squash Miso bowl with ginger and greens

CSA member Bianca brings us this vegan recipe from Amy Chaplin. Bianca suggests making the ginger juice from the CSA ginger as well!

Serves 1

1 cup peeled and cubed winter squash

¾ cup water

2 teaspoons fresh ginger juice

2 teaspoons unpasteurized miso, I used chickpea miso. Be careful not to boil the miso as it will destroy the enzymes.

1 handful washed greens, tatsoi, chard or spinach

1 scallion, thinly sliced

For the how-to, please visit Amy's site

Baked Apple Hand Pies

This recipe comes to us from CSA member Devin. 

1 box refrigerated pie crust dough (2 crusts)

4 apples

3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 c granulated sugar

1 egg

1. Leave your pie crusts on the counter while you are working on making the apple filling.
2. Peel 4 apples, core and dice them.
3. Add diced apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar to the pot and combine. Let simmer on medium/low heat for about 10 minutes until apples are soft. Stir occasionally.
4. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
5. Unroll you room temperature pie crust dough. Cut out 4 circles from each pie crust (8 in total). Gather dough cuttings, and re-roll the dough flat and cut out as many more as you can with the remaining dough. If you don’t have a rolling pin, like me, a wine bottle works beautifully as a substitute.
6. Using a slotted spoon, place a few tablespoons of you apple filling onto half of your dough circles. Drain the scoop of filling well before placing onto the dough. But save the drained liquid, it makes for a wonderful syrup over ice cream.
7. Combine one egg with about a tablespoon of water, whisking well. Using a pastry brush, dab the egg wash around the perimeter of the dough, around the filling.
8. Take your remaining dough circles and place on top of the filling. Press or pleat edges of the dough together with your fingers or a form. Make sure each pie is well-sealed so the filling doesn’t leak during baking. 
9. Moved each pie to a greased baking sheet once completely sealed. Then cut three slits in the top of the center of each hand pie.
10. Using your pastry brush, brush the entire top of each pie with a thin coating of the egg wash. Sprinkle the tops of each pie with as much granulated sugar as you desire. When it cooks the sugar coating  makes for a nice crisp top crust.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and the dough is cooked through.
12. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of the syrup left over from your pie filling. Enjoy!
 

Creamy Baba Ganoush

This recipe comes from CSA member Devin who was inspired by the three eggplants in the share this week! It is adapted from the website Little Spice Jar

Ingredients:

3 small eggplants (or 2 medium)

2 pinches of salt

1 lemon juiced

3 TBS Tahini

2 large garlic cloves

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1 dash of chili powder

3 TBS greek yogurt

2 TBS olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzle

1 tsp chopped parsley (garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Poke a few holes in your eggplants with a knife and place on a baking sheet. Bake for one hour (to 1hr 30min depending on eggplant size), flipping eggplants once half way through. You will know they are done when the are wrinkly and mushy when pierced with a knife.
2. Once your eggplants are done put them in a bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Place in fridge for 20 minutes. This allows them to cool down, but also steam a bit which makes taking the skin off easier.
3. Remove the skin from the eggplants. Remove most of the seeds using your hands, they can have a bitter flavor. It’s fine if you can’t get them all, just most. Sprinkle salt over the eggplant and let it rest in a bowl for about 10 minutes. The salt will help draw some of the water out. After 10 minutes place the eggplant in a colander and press to remove as much of the water as you can.
4. In a food processor add your lemon juice, tahini, and the garlic cloves. Pulse until combined and the garlic is chopped well.
5. Add the eggplant, cumin, chili powder, olive oil, and greek yogurt. Pulse until combine.
6. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and your chopped parsley. Add a sprinkle of paprika for color if you wish, as I did. Serve with pita bread or your favorite veggies from your CSA pick up (goes great with sweet peppers, cucumbers, and carrots!).

Sweet Corn and Cilantro Soup

Sweet corn and Cilantro soup from CSA member Claudia!

This recipe is vegan and gluten free. 

• Sweet Corn soup with Cilantro 
• 2 Tbs olive oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 c fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, squeezed and chopped
• 2 c unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• juice of 1 lime 
• black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp agave or maple syrup
• 1/2 c water
• 1 c cilantro leaves, loosely packed

• Heat the oil on low in a large nonstick cooking pot. Add the chili powder, red pepper flakes and cumin and let it cook about 5 minutes. While that's happening, chop the onion.
• Raise the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Chop the garlic as the onion cooks.
• Add the garlic and saute 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat if the garlic starts to burn.
• Add the corn and saute 5 minutes. If you're using frozen corn, add it frozen. Chop the poblano and tomatoes while the corn cooks.
• Remove about a cup of the mixture to a food processor, or blender on low 
• Add the poblano and tomatoes to the cooking pot. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir occasionally.
• Process the corn mixture in the food processor about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the almond milk and process until smooth. Add it to the cooking pot.
• Stir in the other cup of milk, salt, lime juice, pepper, sweetener and water. Simmer 5-10 minutes to heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
• Stir in the cilantro leaves just before serving.

Lazy Apple Cake

This is the same basic cake as the Peach Breakfast Cake posted last month, with some autumn updates. Every apple cake seems to involve a lot of ingredients (walnuts, sour cream, caramel glaze) that I didn't have or didn't feel like making, so I invented this one last night. Forgot to take a photo until it was already half eaten :)

I used three apples to make this very simple, super moist one bowl cake. Serve it with ice cream and it's dessert. Eat it off a napkin in the morning and it's breakfast. 

• Ingredients: 
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• a quarter teaspoon each allspice and nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 peeled and cored apples. two-and-a-half are sliced to go on the top. half of one is chopped up for the batter

Butter a round springform pan. Arrange the apple slices on the bottom of your pan. You will invert the cake when it comes out of the oven and this will be the "top." If you prefer not to do it like that or don't have a springform pan, save the slices and put them on the top of the batter once it's already in the pan. 

Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then add flour and baking powder. Once mixed a little, stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and chopped apple pieces. Pour the batter over the sliced apples pre-arranged in the bottom of the pan.

Bake for 45 min at 325 degrees in an 8" springform /metal pan or 35 minutes at 350 degrees in a glass baking dish. Invert onto a dish. 

Deconstructed salad and dip

CSA member Andrea (@tinyturnipskitchen) teaches kids to eat their veggies with easy recipes. She created a deconstructed salad featuring this week's CSA veggies with dippable dressing that kids prefer to a traditional salad. 

1 tablespoons dijon mustard, 1/4 cup chives/basil/dill, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 juice of lemon, salt and pepper to taste, 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds. Blend until creamy!

Carrot Ginger Soup

CSA Member Pooja cooked up a storm last week, making vegetable gyoza, spinach salad and tofu. She was kind enough to share a recipe for a super healthy soup that uses tons of CSA veggies:

This soup contains carrot, ginger and I added bell peppers & tomato from last week...all measurements are approximates

INGREDIENTS:

Carrots chopped up, 1 1/2 bunches

Bell peppers sliced up (cored & seeded), 2 large orange

Tomatoes diced, 1 large

About 1 and a half onions diced, i used both red & white

Garlic minced, 2 pods

Ginger minced, tablespoon

Lemon zest, 1.5 tsp

Lemon juice, 1/2 half lemon

Vegetable broth (entire box - 6 cups?)

EVOO

Salt & Pepper

Soaked cashews - I have no idea how many - maybe about 1.5 cups? (usually I do overnight, but in a pinch, I soak in hot water w/ a dash of lemon juice)

DIRECTIONS:

Medium heat

Sautee onions in a dutch oven w/ the olive oil for about 5 min

Add garlic and ginger, another min or two

Then add the veggies, another min or two 

Add broth

Simmer covered for about 20 min until all veggies are cooked through

Add the lemon zest about halfway through cooking

In a blender (I have a vitamix), blend up the soft cashews with some of the soak water until it's a creamy consistency, add to pot

Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. 

Once cooled down, use an immersion blender and blend until smooth. 
Add salt & pepper to taste.

Top w/ finely chopped ginger and scallions

Note: I have tried adding soaked cashews directly to the pot, but they never seem to get smooth enough, so I prefer to blend them up separately.

GINGER + VEGGIE RICE BOWLS

This week's recipe comes from CSA member Max:

When I saw the beautiful ginger in this week's share, I knew exactly what to make: delicious Japanese cuisine inspired rice bowls with fresh vegetables and quick pickled ginger. Hope you enjoy this simple, healthy recipe ! And feel free to make any substitutions depending on what veggies you have.

Ingredients:

Ginger root, grated

Spinach (or bok choy or similar green veggie)

Carrots, grated

Mustard greens (or any sprout or similar green), chopped

Tofu, cubed

Rice

Seasoned rice vinegar

Soy sauce and / or ponzu sauce

Vegetable oil

1. Cook the rice.

2. While rice is cooking, prep the veggies.

3. Submerge the ginger in a shallow bowl till it is fully covered in rice vinegar. Salt the mixture and set aside till meal is ready.

4. Make the sauce by mixing soy sauce and / or ponzu sauce. Add a tablespoon or so of oil. Salt mixture.

5. Put cooked rice in bowl and top with various veggies and ginger. Pour sauce over to taste. Enjoy!

Ina Garten's Italian Plum Tart

I was so excited when I saw the Italian plums we got this week. The small, dark purple plums are often grown for prune production, but who wants prunes when you can have cake? Ina Garten's recipe for Italian Prune Plum Tart is easy and fantastic. Note that the below calls for creme de cassis liqueur, which was new to me when I baked this last year. Creme de cassis is a blackberry liquor that can be found in most liquor stores, you can also sub blackberry or currant syrup or raspberry liquor. 

INGREDIENTS 

• 3/4 pound Italian prune plums, quartered and pitted
• 2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
• 2 tablespoons creme de cassis liqueur
• 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a sheet pan. Place the plums, tapioca, creme de cassis, and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and remaining 1 cup of sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until it forms small, dry crumbs. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water and continue to beat for about 30 seconds, until the mixture forms large, moist crumbs.

Set aside 3/4 cup of the crumb mixture and pour the rest into the springform pan. With floured hands, lightly pat the dough evenly in the bottom of the pan and 1 inch up the sides. Arrange the plums in concentric circles on the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly on top. Bake for 1 hour, until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden.

Cool for 15 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan and serve warm or at room temperature.

Avocado, corn, & tomato salad with cilantro vinaigrette

This week's recipe is from CSA Member Jeremy:

Here's a recipe I got from my friend's mom - she made this for us at a barbecue and we loved it so much that we knew we had to be with it forever. She says she thinks it was a Martha Stewart recipe from the 80's but we copied (took an iPhone pic) from her cookbook.

This quickly became a go-to side dish. Pairs super well with barbecue chicken.

2 cups tomatoes (either halved grapes, or cubed)

1 ripe avocado, diced

2 ears corn

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

For the dressing- whisk together:

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp evoo

1 tbsp honey

s+p to taste

I prefer to do the corn on the grill, husk on. Once cooked, shuck and cut the kernels off the cob into a large mixing bowl. Scrape the cobs with a spoon to get all the juices.

Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and avocado, and dressing, and mix delicately with a wooden spoon or spatula. You don't want to break the avocado up too much. Once everything's mixed I'll usually add some more lime juice and salt and pepper till it reaches my desired level of tanginess. 

If you want to prepare ahead of time, best to wait till you're ready to serve to add the avocado. 

Peach Breakfast Cake

This week we received both peaches and apples in the fruit share - a pretty clear signal that we will be transitioning into autumn before too long. 

I used two large peaches to make a very simple one bowl cake. Serve it with ice cream and it's dessert. Eat it off a napkin in the morning and it's breakfast. 

• Ingredients: 
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large peaches, sliced (can substitute any fruit here really)

Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then add flour and baking powder. Once mixed a little, add in the vanilla. Pour the batter into the pan and arrange fruit on top. Fruit can also be swirled into the batter if you prefer. 

Bake for 45 min at 325 degrees in an 8" springform /metal pan or 35 minutes at 350 degrees in a glass baking dish. 

Shio-Zuke Pickles (Japanese Quick Salt-Pickled Vegetables)

This recipe is courtesy of CSA member Jay Chen.

You can make Japanese shio-zuke pickles with many types of firm vegetables, but I'm partial to cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.  Sprinkled with salt and pressed, they lose moisture, intensifying their natural flavor and providing an irresistibly squeaky, crunchy texture.  My husband and I eat these straight out of a bowl as finger food, but they're also excellent as a palette cleanser for for oily fish--sort of like ginger for sushi.

The batch in my fridge currently contains carrots and cauliflower from the 7/22 pickup:

•3 medium carrots
•1.5 - 2 cups of cauliflower
•2 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
•1 4" piece of dried kombu (if you have it)

Scrub or peel the carrots, and slice them into diagonal coins with a knife or mandoline. Cut the cauliflower into small florets of approximately equal size. Place all the veggies into a Ziploc bag with the kombu (if you have it), and sprinkle the salt over them.  Seal the bag, and shake to distribute the salt.

After the vegetables are well-salted, open the bag slightly and remove as much air as possible from it.  Put the bag of veggies into a bowl or pot, put another bowl or pot on top of it, and weigh it down with whatever you have on hand; I put a cast-iron pan on top of my second bowl, with some canned food on top as extra.  What you're trying to do is help the salt penetrate the vegetables better, via the added pressure.  Leave your precarious tower of pots on a counter for at least an hour.

The longer you leave the pickles, the saltier they'll get.  Some people are good after an hour; others like to go for multiple days.  I'm happy with mine after about 2-3 hours; I'll periodically take apart the tower to taste test.  Once I'm happy with the flavor, I drain all of the pickling liquid from the bag, and move it into the fridge.  (Note: if your pickles are too salty, you can rinse them a little--but if you rinse too much, the flavor and texture will end up watery instead of crisp.)

Elote (Grilled Corn)

This recipe was provided by CSA member Jay Chen.

I'm meh on corn, but I love elotes.  They have so many layers and textures and flavors--sweet corn kernels, mostly juicy with some burnt rows, creamy mayo and cotija cheese, a hit of spice from the ancho chile powder, a splash of acid from the lime... So good. I could easily and happily make a meal out of them.

Most elote recipes tell you to grill the corn, but I find that it's too finicky: I either always under- or over-grill them, so that they're either alternating strips of raw and cooked, or dried-out. So, instead, I parcook the corn and finish it on the grill for the char.

• 4 ears of corn, shucked
• 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 lime
• Ancho chile powder (to taste)
• Kosher or sea salt (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• .5 cup crumbled cotija cheese (feta could work, but come on, we live in Brooklyn, they sell cotija everywhere)
• .25 cup cilantro

Head over to the NY Times site for the instructions!

Onion and Herb Frittata

When eggs are as fresh and delicious as the ones we get from Hearty Roots Farm, they should get a chance to shine! This recipe was suggested and photographed by CSA Member Susan Merriam. It's also a great use for the onions we got in the share last week.

Click on over to Epicurious for the full recipe.