August 22, 2012 CSA Delivery
Recipe Suggestions from Conne Ward-Cameron
Curried Pickled Zucchini and/or Okra
Chinese-style Steamed Eggplant
Four Seasons Lemon-Zucchini Loaf
Apple and Cheddar Muffins
Roasted Okra, Tomatoes and Field Peas
I can’t remember in four years of being part of the Riverview CSA that we’ve ever had a box that sported both cantaloupe and apples. Talk about bridging the seasons! Can delicata squash be far behind?
And were you as tickled as I was with finding a half dozen Gregg’s eggs? And pink-eyed peas? (Or are they black-eyed peas?) Eggplants, peppers, more potatoes! And I have to say – what I’ve loved about these later season potatoes is that they sport these little stems (no doubt NOT the correct botanical term!) that show you where they were connected to the mother plant. The potatoes you buy at the grocery are all so groomed that it’s hard to tell they were once underground and you certainly never see what almost looks like a little piece of umbilical cord. (Is that too weird an analogy?) As I’ve scrubbed these late potatoes, I’ve really appreciated the work that goes into growing these beautiful vegetables and then the work to bring these buried treasures to our dinner tables.
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Curried Pickled Zucchini and/or Okra
Love this idea for a differently flavored pickle. Make it with the rounds of zucchini or the tiny little okra in today’s box, or both! The original idea came from seriouseats.com.
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons pickling salt
1 tablespoon madras curry powder
1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 1/2 pounds zucchini or okra or both (zucchini cut into 1/2-inch slices, baby okra left whole or cut in half)
In a large pot, combine apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, salt, curry powder, mustard seeds and turmeric, and bring to a boil. Add vegetables. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the liquid returns to a boil and the vegetables start to turn yellow.
Pack vegetables into prepared pint jars and cover with liquid. Use a chopstick to ensure there aren't any air bubbles trapped between the vegetables. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. When time is up, remove jars from canner and place on a folded kitchen towel to cool.
When jars have returned to room temperature, test seals. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to one year. If any jars did not seal, place in refrigerator and use promptly. Let pickles remain in jars for at least 48 hours before opening.
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Chinese-style Steamed Eggplant
Another recipe from SeriousEats.com.
1 large globe eggplant, or 2 long Chinese or Japanese eggplants
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 to 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 minced clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
2 to 3 teaspoons chili oil (optional)
Finely chopped scallions or cilantro
Toasted sesame seeds
Halve eggplants and place in a steamer. Steam until flesh feels soft and saturated with moisture, about 20 minutes. Remove from steamer and let cool. When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh in long segments, leaving out as best you can the pockets of seeds in the eggplant.
Meanwhile, whisk together olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, tahini and chili oil. Toss the eggplant in the dressing, then taste add more salt, sugar or vinegar as desired. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and/or toasted sesame seeds.
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Four Seasons Lemon-Zucchini Loaf
Once zucchini season gets into full gear, one of the most requested recipes is zucchini bread. Chef Robert Robert Gerstenecker demonstrated this particularly delicious version at the Morningside Farmers Market this year.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and sugar. Add buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Fold in zucchini and stir well. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then move loaf to a wire rack to cool completely. While load is cooling, make lemon glaze.
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice of one lemon
Whisk sugar and lemon together. Sppon glaze over cooled loaf. Let it set and then serve.
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Apple and Cheddar Muffins
The cool nights we’ve been having recently and the beautiful apples in today’s box have inspired me to do some baking. So here’s a recipe for apple muffins that are more savory than sweet. Wish I could remember where I found this recipe originally ….. It called for Irish cheddar ….. maybe it was some research I did for a St. Patrick’s Day story?
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
3/4 cup medium-dice cheddar cheese
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted
1 1/2 cups grated apples (about 2 medium)
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sage together in a large bowl until aerated and any large lumps are broken up. Add the diced and shredded cheese and toss until the pieces are separated and evenly coated with the flour mixture; set aside.
Place the eggs, milk and melted butter in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the apples and stir until combined. Add the egg mixture to the flour-cheese mixture and stir until the flour is just incorporated, being careful not to overmix (a few streaks of flour are OK). The batter will be very thick.
Using a rubber spatula, divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (test several spots because you may hit a pocket of cheese), about 20 minutes.
Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.
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Roasted Okra, Tomatoes and Field Peas
Is there any chance you still have a tomato or two left over from last week’s box? This recipe is from Scott Peacock.
1/2 pound okra
1/2 cup sliced red onion
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup field peas or string beans
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Rinse the okra in cold water and drain well. Trim the stems from the okra tops, but don’t remove the caps. Slice the okra lengthwise and put in a mixing bowl. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, peas or beans and mint leaves. Drizzle the olive oil over and season well with salt and pepper. Toss to mix and transfer to a Silpat-lined baking sheet or oiled pan.
Roast in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, giving the vegetables a toss if needed. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
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That’s it for me for this week.
conne
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