This week your basket contains: Florence fennel, carrots, sweet peppers, potatoes, leeks, celery, eggplant, and savoy cabbage.

November is here which means Thanksgiving will be here before you know it!  It also means that we will be sending along a DOUBLE BASKET in the delivery just before the holiday.  This year your double will be on Friday, November 18^th.  We will then skip delivery on Nov. 25^th and be back to normal on December 2^nd.  Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

The eggplant and peppers in your basket this week represent the final “summer” harvest.  From here on out, we are into winter harvests and the wonderful dishes that they allow.  The recipe below is from the Moosewood Cookbook.  It is one of our favorite ways to use cabbage and potatoes together.  You can also use this recipe for a stovetop, one-pan version by simply topping the cabbage mix with the potatoes right in the pan you sautéed it in.

SOLYANKA

4 medium potatoes

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

3 Tbs butter

1/2 tsp caraway seed

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dill weed

black pepper

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

paprika

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup yogurt

2 Tbs cider vinegar

Scrub (don’t peel) the potatoes, cut into small pieces and boil until mashable.  Drain and mash, while still hot, with cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt.  Sauté onions in butter with 1/2-tsp salt.  After five minutes add caraway, cabbage, and remaining salt.  Sauté until cabbage is tender.  Combine with potato mixture, and add everything except 2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds and paprika.  Spread into a deep buttered casserole.  Top with paprika and remaining sunflower seeds.  Bake at 350 degrees uncovered 35-40 minutes.

The recipe below is another one of our favorites.  Substitute your celery for the celeriac and add or subtract veggies as you like.

POULTRY POT PIE WITH BISCUIT TOPPING

3 cups diced turkey or chicken

3 ½ cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

1 medium celeriac

2 Tbs butter

4 carrots

1 onion

1 leek

4 med. potatoes

stems and leaves of 1 celeriac, chopped fine

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 Tbs corn starch

¼ cup water

thyme and parsley (optional)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 Tbs baking powder

¾ tsp salt

¼ cup parsley

¼ lb butter, chilled

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup milk

Peel celeriac and dice along with carrots, onions and potatoes.  Sauté in butter in large skillet until brown.  Add chicken broth, salt and pepper.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch into the water leaving no lumps.  Gradually stir it into the simmering broth and stir until the broth thickens.  Add meat, chopped celeriac stems and leaves, thyme and parsley.  Remove from heat.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Prepare crust by sifting together 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir in parsley.  Cut butter into flour and work until mixture forms pea sized pieces.  Make a well in the center and pour the milk and eggs into it.  Using a fork, mix the liquid and flour just enough to make a soft dough.  Dust the work surface with flour and pat the dough into a 3 x 12 rectangle ½ inch thick.  Fold the dough into 3rds starting with the short side.  Pat the dough back to its original rectangle and fold into 3rds from the long side.  Repeat twice and end by forming a 9x 12 rectangle.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the filling to a 9 x 12 baking dish.  Pour in enough of the liquid remaining in the pan to cover the turkey and vegetables.  Top with the blanket of biscuit dough.  Bake until crust is browned and baked through (12-15 minutes). Adapted from Down to Earth by Georgeanne Brennan.