November 9, 2011 CSA Delivery

Recipe Suggestions from Conne Ward Cameron

Ma Ethel’s Grits Bread
Collards with Maple Bacon Vinaigrette
Parsley’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Murphy’s Butternut Squash Soup with Candied Ginger
LeRoy’s Kohlrabi and Apple Slaw

What a day! Faithful photographer Marcia is laid up with a bad back and Riverview communications maven Suzanne has pneumonia. Wishing them both a speedy recovery. Looks like all you may get this week is a batch of recipes.

Did your box contain a beautiful cauliflower? Very exciting! Love cauliflower and I’m not going to give you any recipe ideas because surely you have been lusting after cauliflower all fall and have your own ideas on something wonderful to do with it. My plans may be just to eat it raw.

And so excited to see a bag of cornmeal. I have to admit, if the whole box were cornmeal one week that would be fine with me. And more popcorn! And that beautiful head of red lettuce (or at least mine was red). I still have three tomatoes from some past box …. we just may have a very traditional salad tomorrow night.

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I thought this week I’d share a batch of recipes I’ve been collecting from Atlanta chefs and various chef demos at farmers markets this year. Just extending the “eating local” theme.

Our first “chef” is Annie Peterle. Annie does a wonderful thing – she bakes every week and brings her treats to the Riverview pickup spot on a Grant Park porch. Pick up your box and sample one of Annie’s home baked surprises. This recipe uses the grits you got in last week’s box.

One of the great things about grits is that they’re good freshly cooked, but any leftovers can be used in many different ways. Of course you can just reheat them, but you can add eggs and bake them. Voila – spoonbread! Or take your leftover grits and try them in this recipe. This is the recipe as it appears in “101 Things To Do With Grits” by Harris Cottingham. Annie said it makes a pretty wet batter so she’s been known to add more flour to make the dough kneadable.

Ma Ethel's Mixed Bread

1 envelope yeast
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups cooked grits
4 cups all-purpose flour

In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add shortening, sugar, salt and cooked grits. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff batter. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Knead with hands and divide into 2 well-greased loaf pans. Let rise until doubled in size. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake about 50 minutes. Makes 6 - 8 servings.

If you haven’t already cooked your grits, the cookbook offers this recipe:

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup grits
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Combine the broth and grits and bring to boil. Cook 3 minutes, then reduce hea t to medium-low, add butter and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add cream in small amounts, stirring each time and allowing grits to absorb cream before adding more – sort of like making risotto. It should take 45 minutes to an hour to finish the grits. Season to taste.

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This next recipe amuses me. It’s from Lynne Sawicki of Sawicki’s Meat Seafood & More in Decatur and it calls for 1 part bacon to 3 parts raw collard greens. Now we all know that both bacon and collards cook down – but the proportion seems to favor the bacon, and I guess that’s appropriate for the owner of a meat shop.

Lynne Sawicki’s Collards with Maple Bacon Vinaigrette

3 pounds collards (add in your kohlrabi greens to make up the difference if you need to), washed,
chopped, ribs removed
2 cups chicken stock
1 pounds bacon, diced
2 shallots, diced
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Salt and pepper

In a large saucepan, combine collards and chicken stock. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, render bacon in a large skillet. When pieces are crispy, remove from fat and keep warm. Reserve bacon fat.

In a small bowl, combine shallots, vinegar and maple syrup. Using a fine strainer, pour hot bacon fat over shallot mixture. Stir vigorously until combined. Stir into the pot of collards and serve, topping each serving with the reserved bacon pieces.

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Have you ever made gnocchi? It’s actually pretty easy and lots of fun. It takes a little time, but that’s what the slow food movement is all about. This recipe is from Marc Summers. Parsley’s Catering is based in Kennesaw.

Parsley’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Alfredo Sauce

1 large sweet potato
3 baking potatoes
1 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
Salt and pepper
1 stick butter
1 cup flour
8 cups milk
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 cups blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated Asiago

Bake sweet potato until soft. Cool and scoop out the flesh.

While sweet potato is baking, boil potatoes in salted water until tender. In a large bowl, mash or rice the potatoes and mix with sweet potato flesh.

Add 1 cup flour to potato mixture, then stir in egg, salt and pepper. Lightly knead together, adding more flour as needed. You want a soft dough, just a little bit sticky.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces. On a floured work surface, roll each piece into a log. Divide the log into 1-inch pieces and roll each off the tines of a fork to make ridges. Set aside.

Make sauce by melting butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and cook until roux is brown and smells nutty. Slowly add milk and stir vigorously to eliminate nuts. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat and add cheeses slowly so each melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add gnocchi. Do not crowd pot. Simmer gnocchi until they float, then remove with a slotted spoon. Toss with sauce and serve.

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African squash is a Kubota-type squash that looks something like a butternut. It’s a uniquely local product as the seed was brought back from Zaire by Bobby Burns, a gardener at Koinonia Farm in Americus back in the 1990s. It’s become a favorite of local chefs and Murphy’s Restaurant serves this soup made with African squash. The recipe works just as well with our butternut squash. I like the interesting combination of seasonings.

Murphy’s Butternut Squash Soup with Candied Ginger

1 large squash, cut in half and seeds removed
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Pinch cayenne or dash hot pepper sauce or harissa
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, sliced
4 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4 pieces candied ginger, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Season squash with 3 tablespoons olive oil, cayenne or hot pepper sauce and salt and pepper. Arrange on baking sheet, cut side down and bake until completely soft. Scoop out flesh and reserve.

In a large saucepan, sauté onions and garlic in remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. When translucent, add squash flesh and vegetable stock. Bring to a quick boil and cook 5 minutes. Puree in a blender or with an immersion blender. Whisk in rice wine vinegar and candied ginger; taste for seasoning and serve hot. Garnish with toasted squash seeds if you like.

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The last recipe for today is from Julia LeRoy who just closed her restaurant, LeRoy’s Fried Chicken. I’m taking liberties with her recipe which was originally for turnips. It’s similar to a recipe Suzanne posted 2 weeks ago for kohlrabi slaw. I made this slaw, adding a little homemade horseradish mustard. Yum! I may never eat kohlrabi any other way. Of course if you have any turnips lurking in the refrigerator, add them to the kohlrabi here.

LeRoy’s Kohlrabi and Apple Slaw

5 kohlrabi
1 apple
1 carrot
1/2 jalapeno, optional
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Pinch granulated sugar
3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper

Grate the kohlrabi, apple and carrot into a bowl. Finely dice jalapeno and add that. Stir in mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Season to taste and refrigerate before serving.

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that’s it from me. see you over next week’s box.conne

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