From CSA member Maya Binyam and Evan
Marinated Beet Salad with Pistachios and Dill (Maya)
For an autumnal meal that gets better as it sits in the fridge, I make marinated beets. After scrubbing and trimming the beets, I wrap them in aluminum foil, and bake them in a 375-degree oven until they’re tender (but haven’t yet turned to mush). Once they’ve cooled off a bit, I remove the skin, and crush them with the flat side of a knife, rip them into irregular bite-sized pieces, and place them in a large, heat-proof glass tupperware. In a small skillet, I fry fennel seeds in a few tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot and the seeds are toasted, I pour both over the beets, and mix in a few splashes of aged sherry vinegar, as well as a big pinch of salt. I let the beets sit at room temperature for a few hours, and then either move them to the fridge, or prepare them for a salad. When I’m ready to eat, I mix them with chopped pistachios and dill. If I have citrus around, I’ll sometimes segment an orange or grapefruit and mix that in, too.
Pearl Cous Cous with Roasted Cabbage (Evan)
Cabbage is the best vegetable. It’s crunchy, it’s sweet, it’s big and round. What more could anyone want from a vegetable? In this simple recipe I roast my cabbage until slightly charred, and then finish in a skillet, to eventually serve over pearl cous cous. Slice the whole head cabbage in wedges (usually in eighths, but this can depend on the size of the cabbage) so that it is in chunks, with several leaves attached at a corner point. Dress the cabbage in olive oil, salt, sumac, aleppo pepper, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses, and roast in the oven at 450 degrees. While the cabbage is roasting, prepare your cous cous. Cook minced onion and garlic in hot oil for a few minutes. Add a cup of cous cous, salt, and sumac, and fry until the cous cous starts to toast a bit. Add 1.5 cups chicken or veggie (or even miso) stock, and cover. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed. In a frying pan melt butter. Once melted add sliced onion and cook. Remove the cabbage from the oven when is it is soft and starting to char around the edges. When the onions begin to caramelize, add the cabbage wedges and all of their liquids. Toss to combine in the pan, and add lemon juice and chopped dill. Serve the cous cous on a platter with the cabbage and onion mixture spread on top. Zest a lemon and sprinkle some dill over the top.
