Sunday, July 19, 2009

week seven

This week everyone received: beets, carrots, peppers, pattypan squash, cilantro, three kinds of beans, a cucumber, nasturtium (edible flowers) and half a dozen organic pastured eggs from Green Circle Farm.

Don't panic about your eggs not being refrigerated! I learned a lot from chatting with Erika at Green Circle... first of all, the U.S. is the only country that requires eggs be refrigerated. Temperature fluctuation isn't good (if you bought them cold, keep them that way) but if eggs have never been chilled they can last at room temperature for weeks. And if you have a cool basement, they can keep for about 6 weeks without ever being in the refrigerator.

Treat the pattypan squash just like you would a zucchini or any other summer squash (recipe suggestion below). More cucumbers and pattypans will be rolling in soon, but I hope you enjoy this first little sample. The bean varieties are Provider (green), Carson (yellow) and Royal Burgundy (purple - a Farmers Market favorite).

If you haven't tried the carrot recipe from last week, I highly recommend it (see my comment with a doctored version of the recipe). Another suggestion is below.

carrots: shred/peel carrots (I throw mine in the Cuisinart for insta-shredding) saute cubed tofu (or chicken) in oil until browned. Add shredded carrots, green onions, a bit of soy sauce and and a few tablespoons of peanut butter. Off the heat drizzle some honey on top and combine. Serve cold or at room temp.

beets: Don't toss the green tops - these are actually my husband's favorite green. Not as tough as chard and sweeter than kale, they cook down nicely. Roast or boil the beets and slice, set aside. Chop the greens (I also add spinach or another green, you could use the kale from last week) and cook in oil with some lemon juice, onion, and garlic. Serve with the beets and some cheese sprinkled on top (feta is perfect for this).

pattypan: Chop and saute in butter with onions, garlic, and any herbs you have on hand. Serve over pasta.

nasturtium: They have a very peppery taste and are great (and impressive) on a salad. You can also make them with the beans - toss a thinly sliced shallot (or small onion) in vinegar with a couple tablespoons of tarragon and some salt, let it sit for about 30 minutes. Snap off the ends of the beans, cut into halves or thirds, and boil with a bit of salt for no more than 4 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly, dab dry. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the dressing mixture, season with salt and pepper, add nasturtium and mix with the beans.
Or, you can just make nasturtium butter - add the coarsely chopped flowers to softened butter with a dash of salt and lemon juice. Form into logs or patties.

1 comment:

Rachel K. said...

My first roated beets turned out well (see below for how I prepared them). I'm new to the beet world. Roasted, they taste like a cross between potato and cauliflower (or is that just me?). I'm thoroughly enjoying trying out these "new" foods. Growing up, my parents' idea of nutrition was veggies from a can, SPAM, and all the junk food you could stuff into the kitchen cabinets--imagine my suprise to find that unadulterated food from the ground can be just as colorful as foods filled with dyes and preservatives! ;)

Cube beets, yam/sweet potato, and onion, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until tender (my oven: 375 for about 35 minutes). I added some cut-up chicken cooked in a pan with lemon juice and pepper (very tender!). Top with grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Here is a no-cook beet recipe I found, but it has not been tested:

Shaved Beets with Orange

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest, 2 tbsp. fresh orange juice, 2 tsp. white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, and 1/2 tsp. sugar; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Add 1 pound beets, very thinly sliced on a mandoline or with a vegetable peeler, and toss. Serves 4.