Sunchoke Soup
Sunchoke Soup
recipe courtesy of our dear neighbor Phyllis Bleiweis
Sunchokes are in their prime right now! We have been digging lots these little sweet starchy nuggets. They become sugary with cold weather and taste great in warm soups for this season.
Here’s Phyllis’ version of a creamy sunchoke soup:
8 oz sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes), peeled and boiled for 12 to 15 minutes
1/4 tsp prepared mustard
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
3 Tablespoons flour
3 Tablespoons butter
2 cups hot vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup milk or light cream
Puree first 5 ingredients. Make roux with butter and flour. After cooking for a few minutes, slowly add 2 cups broth, stirring until smooth. Cook 10 minutes. Stir into puree, thin with milk or cream. Correct seasonings and heat through.
Rutabaga, Apple, and Onion Puree
Rutabaga, Apple and Onion Puree
courtesy of Marie Nygren (www.serenbefarmhouse.com)
Marie concocted this dish for one of our cooking demos at the market this fall. It was absolutely delicious! Sweet and savory and a perfect texture. This recipe is a winner!
3 rutabagas (med-large size), peeled and chopped
1 Granny Smith Apple, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon Apple Jack Brandy
Kosher Salt and Tabasco
Unsalted Butter
Bring 6 cups water to boil. Put 2 tablespoons salt in. Put chopped vegetables in water and cook until vegetables tender. Drain, reserving broth.
In a food processor, place 2 cups vegetables at a time and puree. May need to add reserved cooking liquid to help with the puree but do not want it too mushy.
Place first batch in a bowl and proceed with next. Add 1-2 tablespoons
of butter to puree to melt. Continue until all vegetables pureed. Add salt to taste. Then 1 tablespoon apple brandy and 2 or more dashes Tabasco. May add more of salt, brandy, Tabasco and butter to taste.
This can be made ahead and reheated in a 350 oven.
Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes) with Ketchup
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Espinacas a la Catalana (Catalan Spinach)
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Rutabaga Purée with Cardamom and Thyme

yield: Makes 12 servings
ingredients
- 6 pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 24 whole green cardamom pods
- 1/2 cup créme fraîche=
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- Freshly ground white pepper
Place rutabagas in large pot with enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Add salt and cardamom pods; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer until rutabagas are tender, about 25 minutes.
Drain rutabagas; discard cardamom. Working in batches, puree rutabagas in processor. Return puree to pot. Cook over medium heat until dry, stirring, about 5 minutes. Mix in créme fraîche and thyme. Season with salt and white pepper.
Hot Cucumber Soup
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Recipe: Vegetable Tempura
I got the idea for this recipe from Chef Hilary at The Hil. She had tempura fried bok choi on her vegetable plate and it was delicious. I looked up a tempura batter recipe and realized it was quite easy. I served the vegetables over brown rice with miso soup. Delicious.
Tempura Batter
from the Joy of Cooking
Whisk together in a medium bowl until blended:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together until blended:
1 egg
1 cup cold water
Combine them and mix with a fork just until blended. The batter will be lumpy. Use immediately. Fry in 3 inches vegetable oil.
Roasted Okra, Tomatoes, Garlic, and Mint
Recipe: Roasted okra, heirloom tomatoes, garlic and mint
Here’s a great seasonal recipe forwarded to me by Diana, one of our CSA members.
This recipe is by great Southern chef Scott Peacock.
Ingredients
1/2 pound okra
1/2 cup sliced red onion
2 cloves garlic, germ removed and thinly sliced
1 cup cherry or heirloom tomatoes, or a mixture of both (cherries can be halved or left whole, depending on their size; heirlooms should be cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)
1/2 cup field peas or string beans (optional)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Rinse the okra in cold water and drain well. Trim the stems from the okra tops, but don’t remove the caps. Slice the okra lengthwise and put in a mixing bowl. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, peas or beans and mint leaves. Drizzle the olive oil over and season well with salt and pepper. Toss to mix and transfer to a Silpat-lined baking sheet or oiled pan.
Roast in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, giving the vegetables a toss if needed.
Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
Serving Size
Serves 6
Chinese Cabbage Salad
At the farm we’ve been making variations of this recipe for years. It’s a nutritionally packed recipe with refreshing flavor.
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp ginger
1 apple, or canned fruit like mandarin oranges
1 medium head chinese cabbage
1/3 cup golden raisins
minced onion
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or other herb
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds or sliced almonds
sliced radishes
Method:
Combine vinegar, sugar, oil and ginger in large bowl; stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in fruit.
Add cabbage, raisins, onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds; gently stir until well combined.
This is also a great make-ahead dish: cover, refrigerate overnight, and the cabbage softens slightly and the tangy flavors blend even more.
Be creative and try variations.
Recipe: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos
We just harvested our first bed of sweet potatoes this week. Here is a great recipe to try if you don’t want to do the usual casserole with marshmallows on top. I also made cilantro-lime rice to go with this dish. This makes a LOT of food, so feel free to scale back.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos
from: www.littlebirdeats.wordpress.com
5 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3½ diced onions
4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon minced fresh green chile
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground coriander
4½ cups cooked black beans, (2 cans)
2/3 cup lightly packed coriander leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Another pinch of salt
8 eight-inch flour tortillas
1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with a pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender – about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm the oil in a medium frying pan/skillet and add the onions, garlic and chile. Cover and cook on a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are tender, about 7 minutes.
4. Add the cumin and coriander to the onion mixture, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. In a large bowl, combine the black beans, coriander leaves, lemon juice, salt and cooked sweet potatoes. Then use a potato masher to smash together. Combine with onion mixture.
6. Lightly oil a large baking dish. Spoon about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of the filling in the centre of each tortilla, roll it up and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish.
7. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until piping hot.



