This week your basket contains: parsnips, potatoes, beets, onions, cabbage, and collards (full shares) or kale (half shares).

We hope you all enjoyed a Thanksgiving that was as restful, fun, and delicious as was ours.  Deliveries in December will be a bit odd as both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Friday this year. We will be giving larger baskets on December 11^th and 18^th.  We will then skip delivery on 12/25 & 1/1.  We will then get back to normal deliveries on 1/08/21.  Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

SPICED PARSNIP SOUP

1 1/2 lb parsnips, peeled and cubed
2 onions, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic cloves, chopped
2 to 3 tablespoon oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cumin

1 /2 to 1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 to 1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 to teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 to 5 cups vegetable or chicken stock

In a skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil. Add the cumin, cardamom, coriander, turmeric and ginger and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the parsnips and stock and simmer gently until tender, about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Puree the soup in batches (or use your immersion blender) and serve hot. Serves 6 to 8.

While this recipe calls for golden beets, we’ve made it with regular beets and it is just fine.  I like to serve this with fish (salmon or tuna).

BEET AND ORANGE SALSA

1 medium golden beetroot (100g in total)

1 medium orange

1 small lemon, halved width ways

30g pitted Kalamata olives, quartered lengthways

½ small red onion, finely chopped (40g in total)

15g chopped flat-leaf parsley

½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed

¾ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed

½ tsp sweet paprika

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp hazelnut or walnut oil

Salt

Boil the beetroot in plenty of water for about 20 minutes (they may take much longer, depending on the variety), until a skewer goes in smoothly. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel, then cut into 5mm dice and place in a bowl.  Peel the orange and one lemon half, making sure you remove all the outer pith, then cut them into quarters.  Remove the middle pith and any seeds, and cut the flesh into 5mm dice. Add to the beetroot bowl, along with the olives, red onion and parsley. In a separate bowl, mix the spices, the juice of the remaining lemon half and the nut oil. Pour this on to the beetroot and orange mix, stir and season with salt to taste. It’s best to let the salsa to stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes, to allow the flavours to mingle.  From Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi

CABBAGE AND POTATO GRATIN

Salt

1 large savoy or green cabbage

1 pound potatoes, such as russets, sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 cups milk

½ cup crème fraîche

Ground black pepper

4 ounces Gruyère, grated

1/4 cup grated Parmesan,

2 teaspoons chopped sage

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add quartered cabbage and potato slices. Reduce heat to medium-high and boil gently for 5 minutes. Drain and use tongs to transfer cabbage quarters to a colander set over a bowl or in the sink. Allow cabbage to cool in colander until you can handle the wedges. Core the wedges, then cut them in half lengthwise. Finally, slice crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide ribbons. Return to colander and drain for another 5 minutes. Place in a large bowl with the potatoes. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart baking dish or gratin. Cut one of the garlic cloves in half and rub the dish with the cut surface. Then slice up all the garlic and toss with cabbage and potatoes. In a bowl, whisk together milk, crème fraîche, about 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Pour into bowl with cabbage and potatoes, add cheeses and sage, and gently toss together. Scrape into baking dish. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until top is golden brown. During the first 45 minutes, press the vegetables down into the liquid in the baking dish every 10 to 15 minutes, using the back of a large spoon. The gratin will still be bubbling when you remove it from the oven, and you will see liquid in the baking dish. Wait 10 to 15 minutes before serving, until liquid is reabsorbed. If liquid remains in dish, serve with a slotted spoon.  Adapted from The New York Times