THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: potatoes, collards, carrots, leeks, January King cabbage, and celeriac

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  We are rested and ready for the challenges of the coming year. Our seeds for the coming year are already arriving and we are starting to plan the crop rotations for all our gardens.  We’re also putting in time on some of the infrastructure projects that go by the wayside in the craziness of summer. 

We often hear from subscribers that cabbage can be a challenge.  The recipes below give you a couple of creative ways to make use of your cabbage. The first 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.

In the recipe below, try substituting leeks (the white and light green portions) for the spring onions.

VEGETARIAN OKONOMIYAKI

4 eggs

80 g plain flour (~ 1/2 cup)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp pureed ginger

Black pepper

120 g finely shredded green cabbage (~ 2 cups)

1 small carrot, grated

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp oil

To serve:

Mayonnaise or salad cream

Sriracha

Chopped spring onions

Sesame seeds

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl, and add the plain flour. Whisk together to form the pancake batter. Add the soy sauce, pureed ginger, and plenty of black pepper, then add the finely shredded cabbage, carrot and spring onions. Mix well to combine. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan, and spoon in 1/4 of the pancake mixture. Cook over a medium-low heat for a few minutes, until the underside is golden brown, then carefully flip the pancake with a spatula, and cook for another couple of minutes, until fully cooked. Repeat with the remaining pancake mixture, to create four pancakes in total. Serve the vegetarian okonomiyaki with with salad cream (or mayonnaise), sriracha, sliced spring onions and sesame seeds.  From EasyCheesyVegetarian.com

CREAMY CELERY ROOT AND BARLEY SOUP

1/4 cup pearl Barley

1 large celeriac

4 cups water

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup half-and-half

2 Tbs butter

1/2 cup milk

1 leek or onion

Cook barley with 3 cups of water and salt until tender.  Drain and set aside.  Peel celeriac and dice into 1-inch cubes.  Mince leek including tender portion of greens.  Melt butter in heavy saucepan, add leek and celeriac.  Sauté until color changes slightly (3-4 min.).  Add broth and remaining cup of water, bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered until celeriac is tender (15-20 min.).  Remove from heat.   Roughly puree half of the celeriac/leek mixture, return it to the pot.  Add the barley, milk and half-and-half, stir well and heat to serving temperature. Do not allow the soup to boil.