THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: leeks, cabbage, onions, winter squash, beets

The long cold spell continues, and many of our crops remain tucked under frost protection fabric.  We do have a number of crops started in the greenhouse (lettuce, arugula, bok choy, spinach, etc).  We’ve also seeded beds of radish, turnip, and carrots in hoop houses.  Now all we need is warmer days and nights for them to germinate.

The beets were harvested with an eye toward good greens, though many do have nice roots as well.  For the recipe below, the beet root can be supplemented with any celeriac (or other roots) you have waiting in the fridge.

BEET RISOTTO WITH GREENS AND FETA

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 ¼ c. chopped onion

1 ½ c. arborio rice

1 ½ Tbs. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. crumbled dried rosemary

½ c. red wine

3 ½ cups finely chopped peeled beets

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

3 c. water

3 ½ c. chopped greens

4 oz. feta cheese

½ c. chopped toasted walnuts

To toast nuts, heat in a dry skillet over medium heat until they barely start to brown.  Stir often to avoid scorching.  Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add onion and cook until translucent.  Add ginger, rosemary and rice, stir to coat and cook a minute or two.  Add wine and cook until wine is absorbed, stirring constantly.  Add beets, bouillon cubes and water.  Cover and reduce heat.  Simmer for 20 minutes or until beets are tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in greens and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.  Add cheese and stir until blended.  Sprinkle each serving with toasted walnuts.  Makes 8 servings.

We’ve found that the easiest way to make sure we use our winter squash is to roast it with a bit of olive oil and salt then (if we don’t nibble it all away like that) to incorporate it into soup or a recipe like the one below.

SQUASH CORNBREAD

¾ cup yellow cornmeal

¾ cup flour

4 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. allspice

½ tsp. salt

½ cup soft butter

¼ cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 ½ tsp. lemon juice

1 cup pureed cooked winter squash

¼ cup milk

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, spices and salt.  Cream the butter, add sugar and beat until light.  Add eggs, lemon juice, squash and milk.  Beat together, then gradually add dry ingredients until well combined.  Pour batter into a buttered, medium-sized loaf pan.  Bake in a pre-heated 350⁰ oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean.  Cool in pan for ten minutes, remove and cool on rack.  From The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.

CABBAGE AND SAUSAGE SKILLET

1 pound Hot Italian Sausage

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 cabbage, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

In a high sided sauté pan over medium high heat, brown the sausage until cooked through.  Remove from pan.

Reduce heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Once hot, add the onions and season with a little salt.   Cook for 5-10 minutes, until softened and golden.  Add the garlic and spices, cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Add cabbage to the pan. The pan will be very full at first, carefully mix the cabbage in and it will start to wilt and reduce in volume.  You may need to add it in a few batches.  Continue to stir, until everything is combined, and cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage back to the pan, stir to combine.  Cook for another minute or two, until sausage is warmed.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.  From foxandbriar.com

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