Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
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Let's just jump right into some recipes, shall we? Happy Holidays everyone - see you next year! ;-) Oh, wait - before I forget! The green tops of both the kohlrabi and the rutabagas can be saved and used as a cooking green, so don't discard them! - Debbie

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Here's a recipe a member sent me way back in 2006 - a hearty, warming, winter stew:

Squash, Kale and White Bean Stew
from Maureen Dwyer Porras

1 lb. dry cannellinl beans
6 C water
8 C water
1/4 C olive oil
1 head garlic, stem and roots removed
1 bay leaf
1 C chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tbsp. minced fresh sage
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper      
3-4 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1.5 inch pieces
7 C vegetable broth (4 14-oz cans, if using canned)
12-14 oz kale, stems removed, leaves torn
salt and ground black pepper
 
Rinse beans.  In a very large bowl combine beans and 6 cups water; cover and let stand overnight.  Drain.  In an 8 quart dutch oven combine drained beans, 8 cups water, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the head of garlic, and bay leaf.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 to 2 1/2 hours (cooking times for beans vary; see bean package). Drain. Discard garlic and bay leaf.

In same dutch oven heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add onion; cook until tender.  Add slices garlic, sage, cumin, and crushed red pepper; cook 1 minute.  Add squash, broth, kale, and drained beans. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered 15 to 20 minutes or until squash is tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note from Debbie: if you are getting any of Amy's beans through the webstore, I bet this would be good with either the Eye of Goat or Hidatsa Shield beans... but since they will be much fresher than dried beans you'd get from the store, they won't require nearly the cooking time described above. Soak overnight, as described, but then in the cooking step with the garlic and bay leaf, I would bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then reduce to a bare simmer and then check after 10 to 15 minutes. As she says, cooking times for beans vary -- the longer they've sat dried, the longer they take to cook. Amy's beans were harvested and dried just this fall, so they are very fresh!


This will be pretty made with the Romanesco cauliflower and red onions:

Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart
from Bon Appetit, March 2007
serves 8

1 small head of cauliflower (about 1 pound), cored, cut into 1-inch florets
2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 tbsp. truffle oil [nice if you have it, but not a tragedy if you leave it out]
1 refrigerated pie crust [or your favorite recipe - here's mine : scroll down to "Debbie's Stir-n-roll Crust]
1 lg. onion, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced [or a few smaller red ones!]
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 lg. eggs
1 (7- to 8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese (Italian cream cheese) [or a soft cream cheese such as Neufchatel]
1/2 C whipping cream
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 C grated Gruyre cheese
3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°F. Toss cauliflower with 1 tablespoon olive oil in large bowl. Spread on large rimmed baking sheet, spacing apart. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes; turn florets over. Continue roasting until tender, about 25 minutes longer. Cool cauliflower, then thinly slice. Drizzle with truffle oil [if you have it; you could alternatively use minimal salt when roasting, then sprinkle with truffle salt in this step]; toss. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Press pie crust onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Line pie crust with foil; fill with pie weights. Bake crust 20 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights; bake until crust is golden, about 5 minutes, pressing crust with back of fork if bubbles form. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store crust at room temperature. Cover and chill cauliflower and onion separately.

Brush bottom and sides of crust with mustard. Spread onion in crust. Arrange cauliflower evenly over. Set tart on rimmed baking sheet. Whisk eggs and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in Gruyère. Pour mixture over filling in tart pan; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until tart is golden and center is set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool 15 minutes before serving.


Split Pea Soup with Smoked Sausage and Greens
another Bon Appetit recipe, from Sept of this year, modified slightly
Serves 4

1 16-oz. bag dried green split peas (2 1/3 C)
12 oz. fully cooked smoked pork linguica or andouille sausages
8 C (or more) chicken broth or stock
5 bay leaves
3 to 4 C coarsely chopped kale

Combine split peas, whole sausages, 8 cups broth, and bay leaves in heavy large pot. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until peas are tender, stirring occasionally, 30 to 35 minutes.

Transfer sausages to cutting board. Cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick half-rounds.

Puree soup (including bay leaves) 1 cup at a time in blender until smooth; return to same pot. Add sausages and greens. Thin with more broth if necessary. Simmer soup until greens soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

[including bay leaves -- wow, I've never seen that before... interesting!]


Stir-fried Bok Choi and Mushroom
from "Vegetables and Vegetarian Dishes", modified slightly

4 dried black Chinese mushrooms
1 tbsp. vegetable or sunflower oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 lb. bok choi pak choi, mei qing choi or other Chinese vegetable, cut into bite sized pieces [including leaves]
2 oz. oyster mushrooms, rinsed, stems discarded
2 oz. shitake mushrooms, rinsed, stems discarded
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
[If you don't have all the different kinds of mushrooms, use ordinary white or brown mushrooms and saute them a little with the garlic... it'll still taste good!]

Rinse dried mushrooms thoroughly then soak them in half a cup of boiling water or enough to completely cover the mushrooms. Let them stand for 30 minutes. Squeeze any excess water out of the mushrooms, then cut them in half and set the soaking liquid aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or skillet and stir fry the garlic until light brown, about 2 minutes.

Add the bok choi and fry for 1 minute, then add the oyster and shitake mushrooms, and fry for 2 minutes more.

Stir in the soaking liquid and oyster sauce, toss quickly and serve.


Got carrots? How about this to use some of 'em up?

Moroccan Carrot Salad
Bon Appetit, Nov 2010
Recipe adapted from "Taste", a restaurant at the Seattle Art Museum

1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
1/3 C olive oil
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
1/4 C fresh orange juice
3 tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1 pound carrots, peeled, coarsely grated
4 C mixed baby greens [no need to get baby greens from the store - just tear up and use the lettuce from your share, or, mix all the rest of the salad ingredients and serve on a bed of lettuce]
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced [use the red onion - it'll be lovely!]

Whisk first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk in oil, lemon juice, orange juice, and mint. Add carrots and baby greens; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Top with onion and serve.


Lastly, here's a broccoli classic - very easy to make:

Roman-style Broccoli
from an old, un-dated San Jose Merc newspaper clipping, modified slightly
Serves 4

1 head of broccoli
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 oz. good quality olive oil
Sea salt
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Grated Parmesan cheese, if desired

Cut broccoli florets from stalks and slice. Trim bottom from and peel broccoli stems, then slice as well (half-inch slices, approx). Place prepared broccoli in a high-sided, thick-bottomed pot. Slice cloves of garlic as thinly as possible and add to pot. Add olive oil to the pot, throw in a healthy pinch of sea salt and a splash of water. Put on a low flame. You want the broccoli to slowly stew until soft.

Shake pot gently to prevent sticking and burning. Add pinch of red pepper flakes after 10 minutes of cooking. If it starts to sizzle, add another tablespoon or two of water. You want the contents to go soft and melt together. Do not worry if the broccoli loses its bright green color. The flavor will be complex and delicious.

When soft, adjust seasoning with some more salt if required, turn over into a serving platter, and grate some fresh cheese on top. Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 when tossed with some cooked dried wheat pasta for an entree.

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