Category: CSA box recipes

Here’s versatile sauce recipe that takes advantage of late summer bounty. It freezes well, and since it’s relatively fat-free, can be enriched later on with additions such as sausage or cream!
Takes just a few minutes of chopping, 1 hour to roast
Makes 3 cups to 1 quart of sauce.

You will need about 6-8 cups of assorted vegetables; here are suggestions:
5-6 tomatoes, depending on type & size, chopped (peeling and seeding optional)
1-2 onions peeled and quartered
2-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1-2 red bell peppers
1 carrot, scrubbed and cut into chunks
1 summer squash, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
a handful of your choice fresh herbs, rinsed and large stems removed

Heat the oven to 375°. Combine your vegetables in a baking pan – a glass 13 x 9 x 2 works well for this. Add the olive oil and salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for one hour until everything is nice and soft and starting to caramelize. Remove from the oven and cool. Scrape everything into a food processor, and pulse to puree. Add the herbs and whiz a bit longer to chop them. Taste and adjust seasoning. You could also do this by transferring the roasted vegetables a deep bowl and pureeing with an immersion blender. Chop the herbs and add them.

Takes 30 minutes not counting chilling
Makes 8-10 servings

Salad:
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3/4 cup frozen peas – or green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths and cooked till tender
1 bell pepper diced
1 carrot peeled and diced
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion or purple onion
3 tablespoons chopped parsley, or basil, or dill

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (recipe in the week 9 newsletter)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
A few shakes of hot pepper sauce, like Frank’s, or to taste

Boil the macaroni in salted water until it’s tender. Place the peas (if using) in your colander and pour the hot macaroni over to thaw. Rinse with cold water and allow to drain. Combine the green beans (if using), bell pepper, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Add the macaroni. Whisk together the dressing ingredients, pour over the salad and mix well. Taste for seasoning, and chill. You might need to add a bit more mayo before serving.

CSA box recipes summer 2021

Serves about 6
About 40 minutes to prepare, plus time to chill
Based on my grandma Mollie and Mollie Katzen, this is a meatless sweet sour soup that’s a beautiful color.

1 1/2 pounds of beets
3 cups of water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar or honey
2 cups buttermilk
Optional garnishes: chopped fresh dill; cucumber – peeled, seeded, and grated; chopped pickles; sour cream

Trim and peel the beets, and place them in medium sauce pan with the water and salt. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and lower the heat and simmer until the beets are tender – about 20-30 minutes. Remove the beets with a slotted spoon, and transfer the water to the container you plan to chill the soup in. Add the lemon juice and sugar to the water. When the beets are cool enough to handle, grate them and add them to the container. Cover and chill until very cold.

When you’re ready to serve, add the buttermilk, and taste for seasoning. Serve with the optional garnishes.

CSA Box Recipes Summer 2021

Serves 5-6
Takes about 45 minutes to assemble, not counting chilling the crust, and about 25-30 minutes to bake
This is my riff on a Smitten Kitchen recipe, with more corn, less squash, and a bit of cornmeal adding extra crunch to the crust.

Crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
a good pinch of kosher salt (or use salted butter)
1 stick of butter
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
3-4 tablespoons cold water

Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer – or in a large mixing bowl. Slice the butter and vegetable shorting into the bowl, and cut in the shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs using the paddle attachment for the mixer, or a pastry blender, or two knives or your fingers. Switch to a fork if mixing by hand. Drizzle in the water a tablespoon at a time, mixing, until the dough clumps. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic or wax paper, and chill while you’re making the filling. I use a pastry cloth for rolling out the dough and wrap it in that.

Filling:
about 2 tablespoons of olive oil
one large shallot or about 1/3 cup chopped sweet onion, white or purple
the kernals cut from 2-3 ears of corn
2 cups cherry tomatoes OR 2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced – if you want to save your cherry tomatoes for eating!)
big pinch of Kosher or coarse salt
salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup grated cheese of your choice (Swiss is tasty)
2-3 tablespoons basil pesto, store bought is perfectly OK
milk or half & half for brushing
2-3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Warm the olive oil in deep wide skillet, and add the shallot. Saute a few minutes until softened and then add the cherry tomatoes. Cover, and shake the pan to roll the tomatoes around and listen for them to burst. I find I have to uncover the pan and smush some for them with a spoon. When the cherry tomatoes are mostly burst, add the corn. If you are using diced tomatoes, add corn and tomatoes to the shallots, and then proceed as follows. Cover the pan and cook about 5 minutes until the corn is cooked. Uncover and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated – which might take a bit longer with juicier diced tomatoes. Transfer the filling to a large plate or metal pan and spread it out to cool – you can even stick it in the fridge – so that it won’t melt the crust when you assemble the galette.

Assemble the galette: Heat oven to 375°. On a floured surface – I like a pastry cloth – roll the dough out into a rough circle, as big as you can get it – I think mine was about 16 inches. Transfer the crust to a parchment-lined baking sheet; I used a 14-inch dark colored pizza pan – dark is good for a crisper crust. I fold the dough gently in half, without pressing down, just kind of flop it, then unfold it onto the baking pan. Spread the pesto on the crust, then top with the grated cheese, and the cooled filling. Fold the edges of the crust over the filling, brushing with milk as you go, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush the crust with more milk, and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Bake the galette 25-30 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

CSA recipes summer 2021

Photo by Deb Perelman/Smitten Kitchen

Perfect Vegetable Lasagna

From Smitten Kitchen by way of Splendid Table – the original version at Smitten has more step-by-step photos; Splendid Table’s reprint has fewer ads.
This recipe is perfect for using a lot of the vegetables from this weeks box: eggplant, fennel, kale, bell pepper, basil – you can even make a double batch, one to freeze

Takes about 30 minutes
Serves 6
Based on Yotam Ottolenghi’s Baby Spinach Salad With Dates and Almonds from Lottie and Doof

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
6-8 pitted Medjool dates, cut into slivers lengthwise
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 small pitas, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup/75g whole raw almonds, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons sumac (available at Penzey’s Spices)
good pinch red pepper flakes
1 bunch kale rinsed and spun dry and torn into pieces
2 tablespoons squeezed lemon juice
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Combine the vinegar, onion, and dates in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt, mix, and let marinate for about 20 minutes.

Melt the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add almonds and cook, stirring until they’re starting to smell toasty, about 5 minutes, and then add the pita and keep cooking and stirring until the pita is crunchy and browned. Remove from the heat and mix in the sumac, red pepper flakes, and another pinch of salt.

To serve the salad, place the kale in a large bowl and toss with the pita-almond mixture and the dates and red onion, the remaining tablespoon olive oil, and lemon juice. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Originally posted July 2021

Based on Serious Eats Sweet and Spicy Pickle Relish
Takes about 45 minutes
Makes one pint
This is a small batch of refrigerator pickle relish that you could make with vegetables in the July 15, 2021 box. If you want to make more, and can it, see Serious Eats for larger amounts and canning instructions.

If you use slicing cucumbers instead of pickles, I suggesting peeling them, and then if the seeds are really watery remove at least some!

one grated green pepper (about 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups grated cucumber (about 2 slicing cukes, 4-5 pickles)
1/2 cup minced or grated onion
1 cup apple cider vinegar, divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
generous pinch of red chili flakes

Combine the green pepper, cucumber, and onion in a non-reactive (not aluminum) pot that’s at least 6 quarts. Stir in 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have cooked down and the liquid is reduced by about 1/3, 20-30 minutes. Drain the vegetables, discard liquid, and return vegetables to the pot.

Add remaining vinegar, sugar and the spices. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Remove pot from heat, and transfer the relish to a clean one-pint jar. Chill overnight before eating. Keeps refrigerated for at least 6 months.

Originally posted July 2021

Serves 4-6
Takes about 30 minutes to prepare (a little longer if using brown rice) and 30 minutes to bake

This recipe uses my patented no-roux cheese sauce that I use for mac & cheese. I think leaving the butter out of the sauce makes the cheese taste more prominent. Plus, this dish is served on buttered rice and topped with buttered crumbs.

Ingredients:
1 cup of white or brown rice
2 tablespoons butter
a handful of chopped parsley or other herbs (optional)
2 large stalks of broccoli, about 1 1/2 pounds
1 pound sliced deli ham, or smoked turkey
2 1/2 cups milk, skim, 2%, or whole will all work here, warmed slightly
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
salt & freshly ground black pepper
a few grates of nutmeg, or 1/4 teaspoon ground
1 teaspoon dry mustard, or a heaping teaspoon prepared mustard
2 1/2 cups (about 1/2 pound) shredded cheese – sharp cheddar, or combos are good – some cheddar, some Swiss, etc.
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
about 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter

Heat the oven to 350°
Cook the rice in the recommended amount of water – about 1 1/2 cups for white, and closer to 2 cups for brown. When the rice is done, remove the cover and add the butter and parsley, if using. Recover and let stand for about 5 minutes, then toss with a fork to combine. Spread the rice in a buttered 2-quart casserole.

Cut the broccoli into trees, and either steam or blanch in boiling water until it’s partially cooked and gives easily when pierced with a fork, but still bright green. Drain, run some cold water over to stop the cooking, and drain again.

Roll up each broccoli tree in a ham slice and arrange in a single layer on top of the rice.

Make the cheese sauce: Place the flour in a heavy bottomed pot, and whisk in the warm milk. Cook over medium heat until the sauce bubbles and thickens, then add the salt & pepper, nutmeg, and mustard. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese, and half the Parmesan cheese, saving the rest for topping.

Melt the 1 tablespoon butter in the pot you used to cook the macaroni, and toss the bread crumbs in it.

Pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli rolls and rice (you may not need it all; it freezes well). Top with the buttered bread crumbs and remaining Parmesan cheese, and bake for abut 30 minutes until browned and bubbling.

Originally posted July 2021

Makes 2-3 pints of pickles
Takes about 30 minutes prep, marinate at least overnight before serving
These are refrigerator pickles, not intended for canning, and are similar in sweetness to a bread & butter pickle. Pat Mulvey of Local Thyme offers Sweet Zucchini Pickles which includes turmeric, to give the pickles the traditional bread & butter pickle yellow color.

Equipment: 2-3 pint jars, or one 2 quart jar
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, rinsed, ends trimmed, and sliced into rounds – you can d this fancy with a crinkle cutter
1 purple or white onion, peeled and halved and sliced into half moons
1-2 tablespoon mixed pickling spices (or make your own blend of mustard seeds, bay leaf, peppercorns, whole cloves or allspice, maybe a bit of cinnamon stick)
2-3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1-2 dried hot red pepper (optional)
sprigs of fresh dill
1 cup vinegar, white or cider
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
about 2 cups water

Divide the zucchini and onion slices into your jars, and add the pickling spices, garlic, and red pepper if using. Tuck in the sprigs of dill. Combine the vinegar, kosher salt, sugar, and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Pour over the vegetables while still hot. If you don’t have enough brine, add boiling water and a little more salt to fill the jars. Seal the jars with lids, and chill at least overnight before eating. Delicious on cheese sandwiches!

I’ve been making versions of these sandwiches for years; they are based on a recipe by Bryant Terry, Spicy Barbecue Tofu Triangles from Grub, a book he co-wrote with Anna Moore Lappe.
Tofu/chicken takes 30 minutes prep, and 30 minutes baking
Slaw takes 15 minutes prep, 1-3 hours wilting, 1 hour or more chilling

Tofu or chicken and sauce
Note: you can make this even quicker by skipping the sauce ingredients, and covering the tofu or chicken with about a cup of your favorite bottled barbecue sauce
one 16 oz. package of firm tofu (such as Bountiful Bean, made in WI) OR 16 oz. skinless boneless chicken breast
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
about 3 tablespoons flour for dredging
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 TBLS soy sauce
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 large chipotle chile in adobo (or more if you like heat; these also come in cans)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoon cumin
1 reaspoon dried oregano
pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
4 soft French rolls
mustard & coleslaw for serving

Coleslaw:
6 cups shredded cabbage
1 carrot grated
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise
juice of one large lemon or 3 tablespoons cider or rice vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
optional: 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Additional coleslaw variations, here and here.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Squeeze some of the water out of the block of tofu, halve the block, and cut the halves into slices – you should get 4 slices per half. Dredge the tofu in flour, heat about a tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet, and fry the tofu in batches turning once until it is browned on both sides, adding more oil as necessary.

If you are using chicken, cut each breast into 3 or 4 pieces, then pound with a meat mallet until flattened to about an inch thick. Dredge in flour and fry following the same directions as for the tofu.

For sauce, combine one tablespoon of the oil, the rice vinegar, soy sauce, tomato sauce, chipotle chile, maple syrup, molasses, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, chili powder, paprika, and salt & pepper to taste in a food processor or blender jar, and whir until smooth. Pour enough of this sauce to cover the bottom of a one to two quart baking dish, and transfer the tofu or chicken into the dish as it’s fried. When you get all the tofu or chicken into the dish, pour in the rest of the sauce from the blender.

Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake for about 30 minutes, until all the sauce is absorbed.

Warm the buns, spread with mustard if desired, and make sandwiches with the tofu or chicken, and top with coleslaw.

For the coleslaw: In a large bowl, toss the shredded cabbage & grated carrot with the sugar and kosher salt. Transfer the cabbage mix to a colander – it helps to do this in the sink! – and set the colander inside the bowl. Let the coleslaw wilt for at least 1 hour and up to three. Lift the cabbage and colander out of the bowl, discard the liquid, and rinse and dry the bowl. Put the cabbage mixture back into the bowl and add the mayo, lemon juice, black pepper and celery seed if using and mix well. Chill the coleslaw for an hour before serving.