Shakshuka

Our CSA provides the perfect veggies for shakshuka: a middle eastern dish that makes for a great brunch or dinner. Though it calls for canned tomatoes, it tastes even better with fresh ones (just chop them up and add to the pan as instructed).

Shakshuka with Feta by Melissa Clark, New York Times

Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1-2 bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced3garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1teaspoon ground cumin

1teaspoon sweet paprika⅛teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste

1(28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped

¾teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

¼teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed

5ounces feta, crumbled (about 1¼ cups) - optional

4-6large eggs

Chopped cilantro or parsley, for serving

Instructions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.

Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce. Good with a fresh piece of bread or pita!

Herby Potato Salad

Another way to use all the potatoes and chilies!

Herby Potato Salad using ingredients from the CSA

For those looking for a tangy, herby alternative to a mayo-based potato salad, this might be your jam. This potato side is nice slightly warm, at room temperature, or cold right out of the fridge.

Ingredients

• CSA potatoes

• Herb Sauce (all to taste): Any tender herbs you have on hand (parsley, cilantro, dill)

• Red wine vinegar

• Olive oil

• A squeeze of lemon juice

• Red chili

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tbs Dijon mustard

Recipe:

• In a large pot, cover your (gorgeous) CSA potatoes with water, season with salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.

• Reduce heat to medium and cook potatoes until you can easily pierce them with a fork (about 25 minutes).

• Remove potatoes from the pot, and transfer them to a large bowl to cool.

• While potatoes cook, prep your green sauce. This herby, chimichurri-like green sauce can basically be a mix of whatever you have on hand. In a blender, I usually whir up parsley and cilantro, a splash of red wine vinegar, 2ish tbs of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, s&p, and either red pepper flakes or a fresh chili. Sometimes I add fresh garlic, or any other fancy vinegar I might have on hand — it’s up to you!

• When potatoes are cool enough to touch, break them into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Add dijon mustard and a few dollops of your herb sauce to the bowl of potatoes, and mix. Sprinkle with a handful of fresh herbs and freshly ground pepper.

(Vegan) Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps

A recipe from CSA member Madi!

Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps

(Vegan) Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps
I am a huge fan of butterhead lettuce, and so I was stoked to receive a head of it in our last share. I made these delicious vegan lettuce wraps — you could, of course, opt for ground pork/chicken/beef, however, I had some Impossible Beef on hand at home and figured I’d give it a whirl. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 lb ground meat, or vegan meat
-1 small white onion, diced
-3-5 cloves garlic, minced
-1-2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced (I went heavy on the ginger)
-Bunch of green onions***, sliced
-1 head of butterhead lettuce***
-1 lime
-1 tbs neutral oil
-Tender herbs (basil, mint, cilantro) to top
-For the sauce: Soy sauce, sriracha, hoisin, rice wine vinegar (all to taste - find your perfect sweet/spicy balance)

Recipe:
1. Heat skillet at medium heat. Crumble vegan meat into a skillet, and brown for 5-8 minutes. Remove meat from the pan once browned to your liking, and set aside in a small bowl.
2. Add diced onions and minced garlic to the skillet, with a bit of neutral oil, and cook until fragrant.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine a few splashes of soy sauce, sriracha, sweet chili paste or hoisin, and rice wine vinegar.
4. Add sauce and ginger to the onions in the skillet, and mix to combine.
5. Toss sliced green onions, your crumbled meat, sesame seeds, and the squeeze of 1 juicy lime into the skillet, and warm all together for a minute or two.
6. Spoon mixture onto your butterhead pieces, drizzle with more hot sauce, and top w/ either basil or cilantro, if desired!

Zucchini Noodles with Chicken and Mushrooms in Alfredo Sauce

Image and Recipe from CSA member Arielle Burlett

Ingredients:

1-2 medium chicken breasts (optional)

3-4 zucchinis from your CSA!, julienned or spiralized

¾ cup fresh white mushrooms, sliced

1-2 cloves garlic from your CSA

¼ cup unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups of freshly grated parmesan cheese (more or less to your liking)

1 ½ cups of heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of oregano, basil, thyme (optional)

Olive oil

Instructions:

Slice chicken into strips and marinate in a mixture of olive oil, salt, black pepper, basil, oregano, and thyme for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Saute chicken and when almost done, add in sliced mushrooms. 

Separately, start your alfredo sauce by melting butter and heavy cream to simmer.  Add in basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper to taste and let simmer for an extra minute. Slowly add in shredded parmesan about ½ cup at a time and stir continuously to avoid clumping. 

Drizzle spiralized zucchini noodles in a little olive oil and saute for 1-2 minutes in medium-hot heat.  Do not overcook them because they will become soggy (key is to slightly cook them to get them warm and bring out the flavor!)

Toss everything together and plate your dish!

Anything Goes Risotto

Member Shannon Abbot brings us a flexible & forgiving risotto method, perfect “anything goes” recipe for anything that might show-up in the CSA box!   Requires less work than a traditional risotto, but is just as delicious. There’e even an option at the end for stuffing peppers with risotto, a perfect idea as we transition from late summer vegetables into cooler fall weather!

Late Summer Harvest, No-Fuss Risotto

Vegetarian (Vegan option), Side Dish or Entrée

*Adapted from the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook, by Audrey Alsterberg and Wands Urbanowicz.

Ingredients

·       3 tbsp Olive Oil

·       1 Large Onion, diced

·       6 garlic cloves

·       ½ tsp red chili flakes (or more, if you like it hot)

·       2 tsp salt (optional)

·       1 tbsp chili powder (optional)

·       2-4 tbsp dried herbs of choice (paprika, thyme and oregano are nice options)

·       2 large peppers, diced

·       1 chili pepper or jalapeño, diced (optional)

·       4 medium tomatoes or 8-10 small tomatoes, roughly chopped

·       1 ¼ cup arborio rice

·       3 cups vegetable stock, warmed

·       ½ lb. green beans, trimmed and cut in 1-inch lengths

·       1 bunch fresh herbs and/or spinach

·       1 cup aged Parmesan cheese (easily omitted for vegan option)

Instructions

1.     Heat olive oil in large pot or skillet, sauté onion until translucent.  Add garlic, chili flakes, garlic and salt, and sauté until soft but not browned.

2.     Add spices, herbs, peppers and tomatoes.  Cover and reduce heat to low, 10 min.  Stir in the arborio rice and stir well.

3.     Add the warmed stock to pan, cover and cook on low for 30 min., until all the liquid has been absorbed.

4.     Meanwhile, steam or blanch the green beans.  (HINT – you can also throw in asparagus, broccoli, etc.  Just give a quick blanch first).

5.     Stir blanched veggies and fresh herbs into the rice mixture.  Season with salt and pepper, stir in cheese if using.  Serve along side your favorite protein, or with a big green leafy salad, or just straight out of the pot.

Go all Out

The Rebar Cookbook recommends stuffing the completed risotto into hollowed-out sweet peppers, top with more cheese (e.g., feta), and baking until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and serve with corn on the cob and chili-lime butter.