This week’s box included: carrots, potatoes, three bunches of greens (either kale, collards, turnip, or mustard greens), butternut squash, broccoli, apples, peppers, radishes and…. either a head of cauliflower, Napa cabbage, or yet more broccoli. You can see a photo that can help with identification on our Facebook page or check out our weekly video on Instagram.
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How are you spending this election evening? I am avoiding all social media — and the news — and I’m cooking. Or at least I was until I started writing this note.
I won’t know anything about the results until tomorrow, but then, those of you keeping up with the vote minute-by-minute might not either.
And so, I’m cooking. I find that cooking is always a good idea.
The first thing I did when I got the contents of my box home was to clean two of those bunches of greens (we got mustard greens, turnip greens and kale – I hear others may have collards) and start them cooking. I just tested a stewed collard recipe from the newest cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen — “When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70 Women Writers.” It starts off the way these recipes usually do with some sort of fat in a Dutch oven, a sauteed onion and a ham hock, and the stirring in and wilting of the greens. But then you move the pot to the oven and cook the greens, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. No stirring. No worrying about keeping the greens from scorching on the bottom of the pot. Brilliant.
And then I tackled the head of broccoli which is one of my favorite things to see in a Riverview box. As long as I have the oven going, I am making Suzanne Welander’s Parmesan Roasted Broccoli. Maybe you got two heads of broccoli? Lucky you. I’d be steaming one and making this Broccoli Salad with Spicy Vinaigrette. And if you got a head of cauliflower, even luckier you! We got Napa cabbage. A good thing it stores so well since I still have some of the last Napa cabbage we received. Tomorrow I’m going to make the Stir-Fried Dumplings below so tonight I’m prepping that older cabbage (and one of the new carrots) so tomorrow dinner will go together quickly.
Our box had a bag of carrots which was a big surprise as I can’t remember (and I’ve been known to be wrong) carrots appearing in several boxes in a row in past years. The carrots I still had from last week went into a big pot of vegetable soup which is currently on the stove. I’ll divide the pot in half and put diced peppers in one portion. Like some families who cook separate dishes for different members of the family, I have to be very judicious about adding peppers to anything I plan to serve my husband. But I love them.
Hope it was a good evening for you.
Stir-Fried Dumplings with Napa Cabbage
From the Washington Post
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
1 pound frozen vegan pot stickers, not defrosted
1 large carrot, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds Napa cabbage, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, thicker and thinner parts separated
2 tablespoons water
One (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 tablespoons chili crisp or oil
2 tablespoons black vinegar, such as Chinkiang
2 tablespoons untoasted sesame oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
Heat a wok or 12-inch (or wider) skillet over medium-high heat until nearly smoking. Add the oil, followed by the dumplings, and gently stir-fry until slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the carrots, thicker parts of the Napa cabbage and water, cover (you can use a sheet pan) and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
Uncover, and add the ginger, garlic and salt and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the thinner parts of the Napa cabbage, along with the chili crisp or oil, vinegar, and sesame oil, and toss until the greens have just wilted, about 2 minutes. (If your skillet is too small to accommodate all of the cabbage, add it in batches, tossing to coat and wilt it as you go.)
Divide the dumplings and stir-fry among shallow bowls, top with the scallions and sesame seeds, and serve.