butternut squash, tomatoes, radishes w greens, cabbage, hakurei turnips w greens, apples, sweet potatoes
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Do you know Collective Harvest in Athens? Part farmstand, part CSA, part retail operation, they sell a wide range of things predominantly from Athens-area farmers and producers. I loved their note earlier this week, “Have greens that are starting to wilt? Consider using them in one of these dishes:
- Frittata or quiche
- Stuffed chicken
- Sautéed greens
- Pasta
- Pizza or flatbread
- Pesto
- Soup
So if you have wilting greens, you are not alone. There were only turnip greens in this week’s box (and radish greens) but maybe like me you found yourself with greens that were starting to wilt left from a previous box. I discovered a Napa cabbage that must have been 3 weeks old – which I tucked away in a spare refrigerator (yes, we have the luxury of a spare refrigerator) with some purpose in mind and then forgot. I chopped it up and cooked it in my wok with pork sausage, garlic and soy sauce and now I have filling for egg rolls. My husband is a fan of anything he can just pick up and eat and egg rolls meet that criteria – like a sandwich but he doesn’t have to do any assembly. Anyway, one Napa cabbage dispatched.
Last week we had turnip greens (without the turnips) and I juiced them. I juiced apples. And I made Eve’s Pot Liquor, a cocktail from Keyatta Mincey-Parker that I found in an old issue of Atlanta magazine. Recipe is down below. Have you tried aloe liqueur? I had to buy it for a recipe for the AJC. Lightly sweet, yummy, glad to find another use for it. And loved putting turnip greens into a cocktail.
I forget that when we have a bounty of something, we can always juice it. Especially all the apples we’ve been receiving. When I’m not ready to bake, and I am not ready to just munch down on another apple, make juice! Delicious.
I am saving the ideas from Collective Harvest and will need them the next time we have a box full of greens.
But this week we got turnips with our greens. I remind you, as always, that there are a bounty of turnip recipes at grassfedcow.com. The Shaved Turnip and Radish Salad is truly yummy and you can add some sliced apple. It calls for daikon but your red radishes will do just fine. Turnips and radishes have a natural affinity and you’ll find a recipe for Pan Roasted Turnips and Radishes there as well.
And finally, a cauliflower! This is a recipe I’ve been wanting to try, from “Greenfeast: Spring, Summer” by Nigel Slater.
Cauliflower, Pumpkin Seeds, Breadcrumbs
2 cups vegetable stock
Cauliflower
Olive oil
2/3 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
1/2 cup chopped parsley
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon horseradish
Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Trim the cauliflower, then cut into “steaks” about 3/4-inch thick. Lower these into the boiling stock, then decrease the heat so that the stock simmers. Partially cover the pan with a lid and let cook till the cauliflower is soft enough to pierce effortlessly with a skewer — a matter of fifteen minutes or so.
While the cauliflower cooks, warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow pan, then add the breadcrumbs and cook till golden, constantly stirring and tossing so they color evenly. Roughly chop the parsley and pumpkin seeds, and fold into the breadcrumbs with the horseradish. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Blend half the cauliflower steaks to a smooth cream in a blender or food processor with approximately half the hot stock, seasoning as you go.
War a glug or two of olive oil in a frying pan, lower in the reserved, cooked cauliflower slices, carefully drained, and fry till golden. Gently turn and cook the other side till lightly crisp around the edges. They may fall apart a little, no matter. Divide the cauliflower purée between two plates, slip the fried cauliflower on top, then season with the crumbs and seeds.
Tips and tricks:
Keeping the slices of cauliflower on the thick side will help the slices hold together. The pieces that stand proud in the stock and cook in the steam are the ones to fry. Those that cook under the liquid are the ones to purée. They will absorb some of the flavors of your stock.
Snippets of crisp bacon, pancetta, or pork crackling could be introduced to the breadcrumb and parsley crumble. A trickle of cream and a handful of grated Pecorino would be a worthwhile addition to the cauliflower purée. The sauce, topped with a little grated Parmesan, could be spooned over the cauliflower and broiled, to create a toasted crust.
Eve’s Pot Liquor
1 1/2 parts gin
1/2 part Chareau aloe liqueur
3/4 part lemon juice
3/4 part simple syrup
1 part green apple juice
1/2 part collard green juice (I used turnip greens)
2 drops saline solution (1:4 ratio salt to water)
Put the gin, Chareau, lemon juice, simple syrup, apple juice, collard juice and saline solution in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and the strain into a coupe.