Recipes for 4/16/09

Organic White Cauliflower – Coke Farm, CA
Mark Twain once said that the cauliflower was nothing but a cabbage with a college education and boy was he wrong!  More than just part of a crudite platter, or simply slathered with “cheese sauce,” it makes one hell of a delicious curried puree, au gratin and it easily is the vegan’s answer to couscous.  Gone are the days of boring old cauliflower!  I am more than happy to show you colorful, intriguing, yet easy ways to prepare this “mundane” vegetable!

Organic Dill – Coke Farm, CA
An essential accompaniment to cured and smoked salmon!  And definitely not limited to our scaly fish friends alone, it’s a welcome addition to warm German potato salad, a crucial ingredient in dill pickles and makes a wonderful marinade alongside fresh lemon juice for scallops or dressing blanched haricots vert.  Just make a simple lemon vinaigrette as you usually wound, then add chopped dill to taste and enjoy!  Yes, it really is as simple as that.

Organic Red Sunchokes – Coke Farm, CA
Generally sweeter in flavor when compared to the regular sunchoke, it can be somewhat compared to jicama as far as the raw crunchy state is concerned, but its flavor is all its own.  It is a root vegetable commonly suggested to diabetics as it helps to control blood sugar control.  When tossed with olive oil and roasted, the flavor becomes richer, sweeter and more pronounced. 

Organic Rainbow Chard – Coke Farm, CA
This majestic leafy green needs no introduction.  From the tender stems to the velvety leaves, the whole leaf can be used, they just need to be cooked at different times after you’ve prepared them by separating the leaf from the stem and cutting to your desired length.  The stems will need to be cooked first until tender, then the leaves can be added to the pot and cooked until wilted, since they don’t need a very long time to be cooked.  Whether you add them to soups, stews, or saute with a little garlic and red pepper flakes, you can’t have enough!  Not just because it’s super delicious, but because it’s incredibly good for you with its bevy of vitamins and minerals.

Organic Gold Turnips – Coke Farm, CA
Golden turnips have a slightly sweet and smooth flavor with a slight almond aftertaste.  Sound exotic enough for ya?  Whether you eat it raw and shred it with cabbage and carrots dressed with a sharp mustard vinaigrette, used as a substitute for radishes, or steamed or boiled and served with butter or cream, you are in for a treat.  A little trick if you plan on boiling them...add a little sugar to the water to improve their flavor!  And lastly, these sweet globes pair incredibly well with carrots!

Organic Cilantro – Coke Farm, CA
Tangy, highly aromatic, with a lingering flavor.  It’s a salsa must and a welcome addition to just about any Mexican or Southwest recipe you dream up or find while perusing online sites such as Epicurious or Food and Wine.  With the weather taking a turn for the best, it’s never too early to think light, fresh and flavorful! 

Organic Purple Kohlrabi – Coke Farm, CA
Delicate and buttery, it is one of the most underestimated vegetables out there today.  Don’t let its foreign looks intimidate you!  It’s very versatile and can be eaten raw or cooked.  In its raw state, it’s delicious as part of a crudite platter served alongside a creamy dip.  And in its cooked state, some would compare its fluffy texture to that of a potato.  Don’t hold back on that butter or sour cream.  You know you don’t want to!

Conventional Pee Wee Russian Banana Fingerlings – Weiser Farm, CA
These pint sized Russian bananas may be small, but they sure do pack quite the punch when it comes to flavor.  Waxy, sweet and nutty, they are fun to eat and because they are so small, will cook even quicker making those weeknight dinners a snap to dish up!  So give them a good scrub and roast or saute them whole skins and all, with a good dousing of olive oil, fresh garlic, thyme or rosemary, salt and pepper!  Yum!

Organic Valenica Oranges - CA
Sweet, juicy, and delicious (our last-minute substitution for the missing Lollo Rosso Lettuce).

The Vegetarian Basket also includes: Nature’s Indulgence Vanilla Nut Granola, Ogden, UT

The Omnivore Basket also includes: Nature’s Indulgence Vanilla Nut Granola, Ogden, UT, and Taylor Made Pork, Fresh Ground Pork, Emery, UT

Customers who opted for additional fruit will also receive: Organic Pixie Mandarins, Powey, CA

~Organic certification is provided by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). CCOF has been helping to create and maintain extremely high standards in organic farming since 1973.~

Cauliflower Couscous Salad
This makes a wonderful side salad to any lunch or light dinner.  And since it’s dressed with a light vinaigrette, the longer it sits, the more delicious it will become because time allows all the flavors to meld.

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, coarsely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons fresh dill, coarsely chopped
3 oz kalamata olives (pitted and coarsely chopped)

1.  Run the florets through a grater disk of your food processor of if you are sans processor like I am, chop by hand until it resembles a couscous like texture, or with a multi-sided cheese grater, grate using the small grates.  At this point, you can either leave it raw for a nice crunch, or quickly blanch it in boiling, salted water for no more than 30 seconds.  If you plan on blanching, place your cauliflower couscous in a large strainer with fine mesh and carefully hold it in place while it blanches for a few seconds before plunging it into a bowl of ice water.
2.  Place the cauliflower into a large bowl and gently mix in the chopped herbs and olives.  Quickly whisk the olive oil into the lemon juice in a separate bowl, and pour over the salad.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Curried Cauliflower Puree
This makes a wonderful accompaniment to grilled fish or chicken and can be done in about 15 minutes!  The charred flavor is accented by the earthy-sweetness of the curry!

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon curry powder (or use 2T. curry sauce from last week’s SFF Newsletter recipe!)
3 tablespoons cream

1.  In a medium pot of boiling, salted water, blanch the cauliflower florets until fork tender, about 2-3 minutes.  Transfer immediately to a blender or food processor and add the remaining ingredients.  Use as much or as little curry as you like!  Don’t feel bound to the amounts I’ve listed here.
2.  Blend all the ingredients until smooth, passing through a fine strainer if you desire super-smooth, velvety puree.  Serve immediately!

Shaved sunchoke salad with lollo rosso lettuce and Berkswell cheese
The sweetness of the sunchoke plays off the nutty-tanginess of the Berkswell, and because it is a hard sheep’s cheese, it is easily digestable for those that are intolerant to cow cheeses.

1lb sunchokes, scrubbed clean but skins left on*
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1 medium head lollo rosso lettuce, hand torn into bite size pieces
¾ cup berkswell shavings (about 2 ounces)

1.  Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, thinly slice the sunchokes into a large bowl.  Toss together wth the lollo rosso lettuce.
2.  In a small bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar and lemon juice, then quickly whisk in the olive oil.  Once combined, gently mix in the parsley.

3.  Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Sprinkle the berkswell shavings over the salad and enjoy immediately!

*Most of the nutrients of the sunchoke can be found on the skin, much like a potato.  So leave the skins on and give your body all those good-for-you nutrients!

Golden turnips with honey-mustard dressing
How sweet it is!  Easy to make with phenomenal results, the honey mustard dressing is a wonderful accent to the turnip’s earthy-sweet goodness.

½ lb turnips, trimmed
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon shredded fresh mint

1.  Place the turnips in a saucepan, cover generously with water and add a little salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat under the pan and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the turnips are just tender.
2.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the vinegar, honey and mustard powder, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Whisk briefly until smooth and set aside.

3.  Drain the turnips thoroughly in a colander. In a small frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the turnips and turn them in the oil for a few minutes until beginning to turn light golden. Add the vinegar-honey mixture and stir until the turnips are well coated and the glaze begins to bubble in the pan. Add the fresh herbs, stir to distribute them evenly, then turn the turnips and glaze onto a serving dish and serve immediately.

Shopping list...

Cauliflower Couscous Salad
-1 head cauliflower (included in SFF- ½ head in half shares)
-2-4 lemons for fresh juice
-1 bottle Liberty Heights Fresh label Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2007 Harvest
-1 bunch fresh parsley
-1 package fresh mint
-1 bunch fresh dill (included in SFF- ½ bunch in half shares)
-3 oz kalamata olives

Curried Cauliflower Puree
-1 head cauliflower (included in SFF- ½ head in half shares)
-1 package Plugra Unsalted Butter
-1 container Morton & Bassett Curry Powder
-1 container Organic Valley or Winder Farms heavy Cream

Shaved sunchoke salad with lollo rosso lettuce and Berkswell cheese
-1lb sunchokes (included in SFF- ½ lb in half shares)
-1 bottle Liberty Heights Fresh label Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2007 Harvest
-1 lemon for fresh juice
-1 bottle Origen Chardonnay Wine Vinegar
-1 small shallot
-1 bunch fresh parsley
-1 head lollo rosso lettuce (included in SFF)
-1 small wedge Berkswell cheese

Golden turnips with honey-mustard dressing
- ½lb gold turnips (included in SFF)
-1 bottle Origen Chardonnay Wine Vinegar
-1 small jar Clifford Family Farm Honey
-1 bottle Edmond Fallot Dijon Mustard
-1 bottle Liberty Heights Fresh label Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2007 Harvest
-1 bunch fresh parsley
-1 package fresh mint