June 1, 2011 CSA Delivery
Recipe Suggestions from Conne Ward-Cameron

Beets this week! I hope you’re not one of those people who turns up your nose at beets. Really, can there be many of those beet-haters left in the world? Surely all the luscious roasted beet salads at every Atlanta restaurant have changed your tune?

Below is the recipe for the beet salad at Kevin Rathbun Steak. (You get a bonus recipe for their candied pecans as well.) Beet salads are really versatile. I had dinner at Serpas last night in Old Fourth Ward and enjoyed their roasted beet salad that included house-smoked salmon, thinly sliced radishes and instead of the usual goat cheese, a pureed mixture of goat cheese and brie. Delicious. Lovely sweet roasted beets go with everything!

Of course you don’t have to roast your beets. Shaved thin or grated, they’re a great addition to a salad. Marinate the raw beets in a citrus vinaigrette for another variation.

There are a few other ideas for beets in the recipe archive at www.grassfedcow.com/recipes.html. While you’re there, look around for recipes that feature greens. You’ll find lots of ideas, and the beet greens can be substituted in most any of them.

And what about that kohlrabi? I talked to Charlotte earlier this year about kohlrabi. She told me puts it in our boxes, and then waits for the reaction. “It’s definitely a conversation starter for our members. I love to watch their faces when they pull the kohlrabi out of their box and wonder what in the world it is. We grow two 1,000 foot rows and that provides a few weeks of kohlrabi for the members of our CSA,” she said.

This week my box had one small kohlrabi. Charlotte would suggest you slice it thinly and add it to your next salad (along with those big heads of romaine). If you need another idea or two, check out the recipe archive.

Kevin Rathbun Steak Beet Salad
Hands on: 15 minutes, Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Serves: 8

2 pounds beets, washed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 pound soft mild goat cheese
Candied pecans, for garnish, see recipe
Baby greens, for garnish

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl, toss beets with 1/4 cup olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap beets in aluminum foil, place on cookie sheet. Bake until beets can be easily pierced with a knife, an hour to an hour-and-a-half. Allow beets to cool. Skins will peel off easily with your fingers. Can be baked and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.

When ready to serve, slice beets into a medium bowl. Toss with lemon juice, remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 (one quarter) teaspoon pepper. Divide beets between eight cool plates. Divide goat cheese between plates and garnish with candied pecans and baby greens.

Per serving, with pecans: 446 calories (percent of calories from fat, 72), 8 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 37 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 15 milligrams cholesterol, 309 milligrams sodium.

Candied Pecans
Hands on: 5 minutes, Total time: 20 minutes
Makes 2 cups candied pecans

2 cups whole pecans
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Grease lightly. In a heatproof one quart measuring cup, add pecans and fill with water to cover. Heat in microwave at full power for 4 to 5 minutes or until pecans are tender. Drain. In a small bowl, combine pecans and sugar. Toss well to coat. Spread pecans on prepared cookie sheet and bake until crispy, about 10 minutes. May be made up to 2 weeks ahead of time. Per 1/4-cup (quarter) serving: 228 calories (percent of calories from fat, 68), 2 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 18 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, trace sodium.

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Another real treat in this week’s box was the pint container of sugar snaps, an edible-podded pea with sweet thick shells and tiny peas.

Sugar snaps were the creation of Calvin Lamborn, a plant breeder and virologist, who spent many years in the process of breeding them. He was introduced to a pea with a thick walled pod and crossed it with a snow pea, hoping to solve some problems with snow pea production. The result instead was what we now call the sugar snap, awarded a gold medal by the All-America Selections in 1979.

His pea was such a sensation that he was featured in the April 16, 1979 issue of People magazine. The author Tim Woodward wrote, “Now, thanks to Lamborn, who became a practicing botanist, there's something new under the harvest sun: sugar snap peas, which can be eaten—raw or cooked—pod and all. Further, Lamborn's variety is fatter and sweeter than the snow pea and yields up to three times the crop of the common pea. To gourmet James Beard, sugar snaps are ‘nothing short of sensational...a breakthrough for all of us who love crispy, crunchy vegetables.’”

You can just sit down and eat your box of sugar snaps, and I recommend that you consume at least some of them this way since they’re going to beat, hands down, any sugar snap you buy at a grocery store. But here’s my favorite new way to prepare sugar snaps. The heat of the couscous softens the peas just slightly and the contrasting flavors and textures are wonderful. The recipe came originally from Bon Appétit magazine.

Pearl Couscous with Sugar Snaps
Hands on: 10 minutes, Total time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Pearl couscous is small, round, toasted pasta with grains about the size of peppercorns. You’ll generally find it next to rice and rice mixes in your grocery store. This side dish lends itself to all kinds of dressing up. Add chicken, shrimp or tofu, or stir in some Parmesan or your other favorite cheese.

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 (10.72 ounce) container whole wheat pearl couscous
1/4 (quarter) teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups (one and three quarter) vegetable broth, more if needed
1/2 (half) pound sugar snap peas, washed, trimmed
1/4 (quarter) cup chopped fresh chives


In a small screw-top jar, make dressing by combining 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice and garlic. Shake vigorously and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add couscous, sprinkle with salt and sauté 1 minute or until oil coats each grain. Add broth, increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 10 minutes, adding more broth if necessary.

Put sugar snaps in bottom of a large bowl. Top with cooked couscous. Drizzle on dressing. Let salad sit 5 minutes, then toss and taste for seasoning. Garnish with chives. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Per serving: 503 calories (percent of calories from fat, 28), 14 grams protein, 76 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber, 16 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 1 milligram cholesterol, 455 milligrams sodium.

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See you over next week’s box.

conne

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