This week’s box included: Carrots, sweet peppers, apples, radishes with tops, purple sweet potatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, turnip greens, collard greens, spaghetti squash.
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So pleased to have carrots in this week’s box and a pretty bunch of radishes. What roots you looking forward to next? Daikon radish? Hakurei turnips? Beets!
Loved getting so many purple sweet potatoes. Down below is a no-recipe recipe to dress them up. I don’t know why but topping baked sweet potatoes with beans just never occurred to me, even though I love putting cubed sweet potatoes in my chili (which I make with beans – so very similar!). And there’s a recipe for an amazing carrot salad recommended by one of Riverview’s fellow farmers at the Morningside Farmers Market.
And finally, if you’re looking for another use for our bounty of apples. How about pickled apples?
Need more ideas? There are thousands (at least!) of recipes at grassfedcow.com. Apples, carrots, collards, mustard greens, peppers and spaghetti squash.
Grated Carrot Salad
Diamond Hill Farm sells at the Morningside Farmers Market and they suggested this salad “Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables” by Joshua McFadden’s cookbook. You could substitute pecans for the walnuts, of course, and I’m going to buy all the Georgia pecans I can find this year to help support those farmers who lost so many pecan trees in this crazy hurricane season.
2 bunches scallions (about 16), trimmed
3/4 pound carrots
1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped so that some are quite fine and some are still chunky
2 anchovy filets, finely chopped
1/2 cup very lightly packed roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 ball burrata or very fresh mozzarella
Heat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat (or heat a grill). Cut the scallions into lengths that will fit into the skillet, or leave them whole if you are grilling them. Char or grill the scallions – dry, no oil – turning them frequently, until they are blackened on the outer layer and very soft and collapsed and juicy inside, 8 to 10 minutes. Chop the scallions into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.
As the scallions are cooking, prep the carrots by grating them on the large holes of a box grater or shredding them using a mandolin or other appliance. You can also cut them into julienne by hand, but the finer, the better, because the seasonings will penetrate more deeply into carrots cut into a finer gauge.
Put the carrots in a bowl and add the scallions, walnuts, anchovies, parsley, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and about 20 twists of black pepper. Toss well and let the salad sit for a few minutes so the seasonings can marry and the salt can draw out a bit of the carrot juices. Toss again, taste, and dial in the flavors so they are really lively by adding more of any of them. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil and toss. Taste again, then distribute on your plates or a platter.
Pull the burrata or mozzarella into shreds or little blobs and distribute over the salad. Drizzle on a bit more oil to finish and serve.
Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Cheddar
I saw this idea in the New York Times and can’t wait to make it with those purple sweet potatoes.
2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
1 cup cooked black beans (if canned, rinsed and drained)
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
Black pepper
Heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Halve sweet potatoes lengthwise, then brush all over with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt. Place cut side down on prepared sheet and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Take sweet potatoes out of the oven, turn them over and let cool slightly. Use a fork to rough up the flesh and slightly flatten the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide half the cheese among the potato halves. Spoon the black beans over them, then cover with the remaining cheese. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the beans have warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Pickled Apples
From Local Palate – and perfect for Thanksgiving or gifts.
2 apples, peeled and finely diced
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon mustard seed
1 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
Place apples, red pepper chili flakes and mustard seed in medium non-reactive container. Bring vinegar and water to boil in saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and dissolve. Pour hot brine over apples and spices. Refrigerate overnight. Keeps 30 days refrigerated.