This week’s box included: apples, hot peppers (in the plastic bag: thai, jalepeno, habanero), sweet peppers (cubanelle, banana), cucumbers (salad & Kirby), white sweet potatoe(s), okra, summer squash, radishes, turnip greens, butternut squash. You can see a photo that can help with identification on our Facebook page or check out our weekly video on Instagram.
Need storage instructions? Visit our fruit & veggie home pages. Click on the pic and a new page opens with storage instructions and a list of recipes curated by Conne over the years.
————————————–
I have a busy, crazy, stressful week and headed out of town Thursday. I imagine many of you have busy, crazy, stressful weeks on occasion as well.
Tomorrow night I’m going to make the pork chop recipe below because I deserve a nice dinner. And it will use up a number of things from the box. I’m not sure what I will do with those cucumbers. I truly feel as if I am cucumber-ed up this year and I love cucumbers. I’ll probably share with my neighbors. The apples will keep, the okra will get pan-fried to go with the pork chops, and the peppers will go into the refrigerator to come out when I return. My husband is a huge fan of pimento cheese, he may get a big batch next week.
I love the white sweet potato – and would bake it to enjoy all by itself if I didn’t want it for the aforementioned pork chop recipe.
But I can never seem to walk away from the box without just one more recipe from the New York Times, there’s another option below for using up those greens. I’ll probably make it next week! I just bought new sheet pans after using mine for more than 20 years. I deserved some shiny new kitchen equipment. The old ones won’t get tossed aside, but the shiny new ones are what I thought I needed for all these sheet pan dishes that are a thing these days.
Fennel Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple, Kale and Sweet Potato
From Ellie Krieger. Television hos of Healthy Appetite on Food Network and Ellie’s Real Good Food on PBS.
The recipe calls for kale, but I’m going to make this with what I think is our bunch of turnip greens. And substitute our big white sweet potato for the two medium ones called for here.
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
4 boneless loin pork chops (about 1-inch thick, about 1 pound total)
2 medium sweet potatoes (9-10 ounces each), cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 medium onion, cut thinly into half moons
1 medium apple, unpeeled, sliced into 1/4-inch thick wedges
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 cups, lightly packed, coarsely chopped kale leaves (1 small bunch)
Place the fennel seeds and black peppercorns into a small sealable plastic bag, then use a mallet or rolling pin to hammer the seeds until they are coarsely ground. (Alternatively you can pulse them briefly in a spice or coffee grinder.) Season the pork on both sides with fennel and pepper and sprinkle both sides with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large high-sided skillet (one that has a lid) over a medium heat. Add the potatoes to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are fork tender, 10 minutes. Season them with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt then transfer them to a plate.
Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the skillet and heat to over a medium-high heat. Add the pork to the skillet, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning once, until the meat is nicely browned on the outside and slightly blush inside, 2 -3 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a plate and tent it with foil.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet, then add the onion and cook until it has softened, about 2 minutes. Add the apple slices to the pan and cook for 1 minute more. Add the broth to the pan then stir in the mustard and return the potatoes to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cooker until the apple has softened slightly and the liquid has reduced a bit, 1-2 minutes. Add the kale and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender but retains its shape and color, about 1 minute. Add any accumulated juices from the plate of pork to the pan. Serve the pork with the vegetable mixture alongside, drizzle with the pan sauce. The dish will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Sheet-Pan Roast Chicken With Tangy Greens
The New York Times
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus for drizzling
6 garlic cloves
1 1/2tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for finishing
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters (2½ to 3 pounds)
10 ounces chopped fresh kale leaves or other braising greens (about 6 packed cups)
1/2 cup pitted or unpitted green olives (optional)
2 tablespoons bread-and-butter pickle brine or apple cider vinegar
Heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl or heavy-duty resealable plastic bag, combine 3 tablespoons olive oil with the garlic, curry powder, salt, pepper and red-pepper flakes. Add chicken and toss well to coat. (If time allows, you can refrigerate the chicken in the marinade overnight, for deeper flavor.) Add one more tablespoon of oil if the chicken is lean or on the small side.
Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, laying the chicken legs skin-side up and scattering the garlic among them. Roast until golden brown and just cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes, turning the pan front to back once about halfway through cooking for even browning. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees.)
Transfer the chicken to a platter or four plates to rest. Add the greens, olives (if using) and brine to the baking sheet; toss to coat in the cooking juices, then roast until wilted, bright green and slightly crispy on some of the edges, 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
Serve the greens with the chicken, scraping any excess juices from the pan to drizzle over the top.