December 7, 2011 CSA Delivery
Recipe Suggestions from Conne Ward Cameron
click here to see photos of the entire box for this week, from Marcia Killingsworth.
Collard Green-Olive Pesto
Rutabaga Home Fries
Sweet Potato and Chile Hash with a Fried Egg
Poached Chicken with Bok Choy
Apple, Chicken, and Smoked Gouda Salad
I know you’ve already heard it a half dozen times – only one more box after this one. It’ll be a long winter with no Wednesday box to look forward to.
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One of the ways many of us preserve a bounty of basil is by making pesto. How about adapting that idea for the collard greens in this week’s box so you can enjoy them for another few weeks? Stir it into pasta, add some to a batch of field peas, serve it as bruschetta at your next party.
It seems this is an idea that’s been around for a while. Here’s one version I found adapted from a recipe originally in Gourmet magazine in 2004. Now you can adapt it to suit your taste.
Collard Green-Olive Pesto
8 large collard greens leaves
7 pitted brine-cured green olives
1 garlic clove
3 tablespoons water
dash of balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt
Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut stems and center ribs from collard greens and discard. Stir collards into water in batches, then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer collards with tongs to a colander to drain, gently pressing on greens to extract excess water. Coarsely chop collards.
Blend olives and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add collards, water, vinegar, cayenne, and pepper and pulse until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil in a slow stream. Turn off motor, then add cheese and pulse to combine. Taste for seasoning.
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I found this recipe In Sheri Castle’s book “"The New Southern Garden Cookbook: Enjoying the Best from Homegrown Gardens, Farmers' Markets, Roadside Stands, and CSA Farm Boxes" (University of North Carolina Press, $35). This is a recipe she wrote for sweet potatoes – but could be adapted for parsnips, carrots, pumpkin or winter squash as well as for rutabagas. Rosemary is winter hardy and your rutabagas will keep, wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, so you can enjoy this dish later this month or perhaps even in January.
Rutabaga Home Fries
2 pounds rutabagas
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 to 4 tablespoons honey
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel rutabagas and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Toss cubes with olive oil to coat and spread in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet. (Line cookie sheet with foil if you want an easier clean up.) Roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Season cubes with salt, rosemary and honey to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Sweet Potato and Chile Hash with a Fried Egg
This recipe came from Fine Cooking magazine about a decade ago. You can whip up the mayonnaise any time and use it for all kinds of purposes. The recipe looks like it has a lot of ingredients, but adapt it to what’s in the pantry. Do you still have a few jalapenos hanging around? Perfect. No red pepper, leave it out. Cook the eggs anyway you like, although fried eggs would be traditional.
For the chile mayonnaise:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons adobo sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
For the hash:
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 tablespoons olive oil; more as needed
1 small onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 small fresh poblano or 4 Anaheim chiles, cored, seeded, and diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 to 2 jalapeños, cored, seeded, and minced
2 teaspoons coarse salt; more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs
Make the chile mayonnaise:
In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, adobo sauce, and lime juice; add the salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings; set aside.
Make the hash:
Cook the diced sweet potatoes in boiling salted water until firm-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well and set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Cook the onion, red pepper, and diced chiles, stirring frequently, until all are well softened and the onion is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in the garlic and jalapeños, cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Increase the heat to medium and heat the remaining 3 Tbs. oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, add the sweet potatoes and cook, tossing frequently, until the edges begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Return the onion and pepper mixture to the pan, cooking until warmed through. Stir in the salt, cilantro, oregano, and lime juice; season with pepper to taste. Transfer to a warmed plate or bowl; cover and keep warm. Add more oil to the pan if needed. When the oil is hot, crack the eggs into the pan (in batches, if necessary) and fry them sunny side up or over easy; the yolks should still be runny. Divide the hash among six plates, top each portion with a fried egg, a dollop of the chile mayo, and a cilantro sprig. Serve at once.
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This is a recipe we ran in the AJC last January. I thought it was absolutely delicious – a nice variation from more traditional chicken soups.
Poached Chicken with Bok Choy
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups water
1 bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped
6 ounces (about 2 cups) shitake mushrooms, caps sliced 1/4(quarter)-inch thick, stems reserved
1 cup sliced green onions
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
1 Thai chili, thinly sliced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 heads baby bok choy, quartered
Salt and pepper
In a large saucepan, combine stock, water, dill, mushroom stems, green onions, ginger and chili. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and add chicken breasts. Cook until chicken is just done, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove chicken breasts and set aside to cool. Strain stock and return to saucepan. Discard solids.
Add bok choy and mushrooms caps to stock and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add chicken to stock. Taste for seasoning. Heat through and serve.
Per serving: 301 calories (percent of calories from fat, 12), 44 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (trace saturated), 66 milligrams cholesterol, 167 milligrams sodium.
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One more recipe from my AJC archives ….
Even in winter I like dinner salads – especially those with cheese and nuts and fruit. This adaptation of a traditional Waldorf salad combines some of my favorite ingredients. The honey mustard dressing is a nice foil for the richness of smoked Gouda and the sweet crunch of the apples. Use all one variety of apple or mix them for contrasting flavors and colors. Substitute Swiss cheese for the Gouda if you’re not fond of smoked cheeses.
Apple, Chicken, and Smoked Gouda Salad
Hands on: 25 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6
10 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 large apples, cut into bite-size chunks
1 (6-ounce) package salad mix
1 1/2 (one and a half) cups (about 6 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda
1 1/2 (one and a half) cups (about 4 stalks) thinly sliced celery
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup salted roasted pecans
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
In a 1-pint screw-top jar, make dressing by combining honey, mustard and vinegar. Shake vigorously to emulsify. Set aside.
In large salad bowl, combine chicken, apples, salad mix, Gouda, celery, cranberries, pecans and onions. Add dressing and toss to combine.
Per serving: 513 calories (percent of calories from fat, 40), 32 grams protein, 47 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 24 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 92 milligrams cholesterol, 509 milligrams sodium.
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that’s it from me for this week. see you next week.
conne
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