butternut squash, tomato, cherry tomatoes, radishes w greens, cabbage, turnip greens, apples, broccoli, cauliflower
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Ok. I’m tempted to go on and on AGAIN about enormous vegetables …. but that cabbage! That head of broccoli!
And how exciting to have another cauliflower, which just makes my heart sing because I pivoted last week to cauliflower roasted with a quartered red onion (yes, I still have two from earlier boxes although they are getting wilted and needed to be used) and some garlic.
But THIS cauliflower will get the treatment I posted last week – Cauliflower, Pumpkin Seeds, Breadcrumbs.
What to do with the broccoli? It’s big enough for two recipes and this Broccoli, Peanut and Fruit Salad is a favorite around here, so half will go into that, and the other half will get steamed and served with Bully Boy’s Teriyaki Sauce which goes with almost literally anything. As the note on that recipe says, “Eat your broccoli now!” even though it will keep for quite a few days.
We also got radishes and a quart of grape tomatoes plus a slicer (is that because the weather continues to be so warm?), two butternut squash, a handful of apples, and what I think are mustard greens. I haven’t decided yet what to do with those although I’m tempted to do a frittata or quiche with the greens and grape tomatoes. We shall see.
For a couple of new recipes (assuming we get any cold weather!) how about the Cabbage and Farro Soup below (wish I remembered the provenance of that recipe). It’s only going to use part of that enormous cabbage but I like that it uses the core as well as the leaves.
And because butternut and sage are such great friends, there’s also a recipe for Sage Butternut Squash Sauce from the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans. It’s from Liz Williams, founder of the museum and she says, “Sometimes you want pasta and not tomato sauce. This is especially in true in winter … when there is an abundance of butternut squash. Of course, the quick solution is to make pasta with garlic, olive oil and cheese. There’s nothing wrong with that. But when you want a richer sauce, butternut squash is perfect.” (There’s already a recipe for Butternut Squash Steaks with Brown Butter-Sage Sauce in the recipe listings.)
Cabbage and Farro Soup
1 pound cabbage
Olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 sprig of rosemary or thyme (optional)
1 tablespoon red wine or white wine vinegar
2/3 cup uncooked farro
About 4 cups homemade or storebought chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Shaved parmesan, to finish
Cut out the cabbage core and finely chop it. Cut the leaves into fine shreds or about 1/8-inch ribbons. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cabbage core, some salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion starts to soften but is not yet browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 3 to 5 minutes, until the garlic softens too. Add the shredded cabbage leaves and herb sprig, if using. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot and let it steam a bit to soften the leaves, then toss the cabbage to stir it well with the other ingredients in the pot. Cook, covered, until the cabbage is very sweet and tender, which the book says will take 30 minutes but I find 15 to 20 minutes usually does the trick. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat a glug of olive oil over medium and add the uncooked farro. Toast it, stirring, for a few minutes, until half a shade darker.
When the cabbage is ready, stir in the vinegar. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. Add toasted farro and broth. Bring mixture to a lazy simmer and cook for 25 to 35 minutes, until farro is tender and all the flavors are married. The soup will be very thick, but if you’d prefer more liquid, add another 1/2 cup broth or water. Taste and adjust seasoning again. Stir in lemon juice.
Ladle into bowls and finish each with a drizzle of olive oil and a shower of parmesan, with more parmesan passed at the table.
Sage Butternut Squash Sauce for Pasta
1 medium butternut
3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for oiling the squash
5 minced garlic cloves
1 cup white wine, or as needed
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
Salt and pepper
Hot cooked pasta
Grated Parmesan, for serving
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and oil the cut sides of the squash. Place them cut side down on a sheet pan. Bake until tender, about an hour. Remove and scoop out pulp.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and add the squash pulp and garlic. Stir, adding wine as needed to loosen the sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, 20 minutes. Add sage and season to taste. Toss the sauce with hot pasta and pass with grated Parmesan.