purple top tunips w greens, bell & cubanelle peppers, green tomatoes, radishes, Napa cabbage, turnip greens, cornmeal (in the bag, it’s gluten free), apples, sweet potatoes
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This week’s box has the first daikon radish I’ve seen this season (but I’ve been gone a week here and a week there so I could have missed an earlier appearance). I think it’s one of the vegetables that most people are not quite sure what to do with. We have notes and recipes on Riverview’s daikon radish page. My recommendation is the daikon radish fries – a good alternative for the household where people say, “What is that??” But I love quick daikon pickles and there are a few ideas for those on that page.
And then there are the traditional purple top turnips. Yay! And with greens. Hope by now you have cut off those greens and saved them separately since when you keep the roots and leaves together, the leaves tend to wilt quickly. Again there are lots of recipes on Riverview’s turnip page, including Aluma Farms veggie pickles which are good for any crisp vegetable. But I’m recommending the Shaved Turnip and Radish Salad which will use both those vegetables. I love the honey-mustard dressing.
I was very excited that mustard greens appeared in our box because I am anxious to try the recipe below for black-eyed pea and mustard green soup from the Washington Post. It calls for dried peas, but I have a quart of cooked field peas in the freezer so that’s what I’m going to use.
And I’ve added two apple recipes below in case you have apples piling up.
Finally – what to do with another huge Napa cabbage? It’s such a mild, sweet cabbage that I hope you aren’t daunted by the size. Chop it for salads, slice it thinly and put it in any soup (we are crazy about Stella Dillard’s broths from this story in the AJC and are making quarts and quarts of broth to enjoy as hot beverages, or to turn into quick, informal soups. And there are lots of recipes on the Napa cabbage page. You could also chop up the leaves and use them in the apple salad recipe below instead of lettuce. Up to you!
Apple Orchard Muffins
From Red Truck Bakery cookbook.
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted (or not)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sorghum syrup, honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups chopped (1/2-inch) apples
1 cup golden raisins, optional
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin tin with nonstick spray and line it with paper liners (you may need two tins). Lightly spray the liners as well.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, sorghum (or maple) syrup, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add the buttermilk and mix well with a whisk or spatula. Add the flour mixture and stir just until flour disappears. Fold in the apples and raisins, if using. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Generously sprinkle turbinado sugar over each muffin. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan, then transfer the muffins to a raised wire rack to finish cooling.
Black-Eyed Pea and Mustard Green Soup
From the Washington Post
8 ounces dried field peas, such as lady peas, crowder peas or black-eyed peas, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, scrubbed and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 bunch mustard greens, stemmed and chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 6 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to turn golden, 8 to 9 minutes.
Add the soaked peas and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid is at a simmer, cover and cook until the peas are just beginning to soften, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the greens, vinegar, rosemary, salt and red pepper flakes, re-cover, and cook until the peas and greens are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Taste, and season with more vinegar, salt and/or red pepper flakes as needed. Divide among serving bowls and serve hot.
Fall Salad with Apples, Cheddar and Crispy Sage
From the New York Times
1/4 cup olive oil
25 medium to large sage leaves
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and pepper
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 pound apples
6 ounces aged white Cheddar, chopped or sliced into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 small or medium heads butter lettuce, leaves torn (about 6 loosely packed cups)
Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan or pot over medium until the oil is hot enough to make a sample sage leave sizzle immediately, about 3 minutes. Working in batches, place the sage leaves in the hot oil, moving them with a fork or spoon to help them fry evenly, and cook until the oil stops bubbling and leaves crisp up, about 1 minute. Transfer the sage leaves to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt and pepper; repeat with remaining sage leaves.
Remove the saucepan from the heat then stir in the honey and Dijon mustard until combined; set aside to cool.
Mix the lemon juice and shallot together in a large bowl. Slice the apples into 1/4-inch wedges, toss with the shallot and lemon juice and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the Cheddar and parsley and toss to coat.
Once the sage-honey oil has cooled until just warm, pour into the bowl with the apples and Cheddar, toss well to coat. Gently fold in the lettuce. The Cheddar and apples will be pesky and fall to the bottom of the bowl, but scoop as much as you can to arrange them on top of the lettuce. Top with whole or crushed sage leaves and serve immediately.