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!

Greek-style kohlrabi pie with dill and feta

Greek-style kohlrabi pie with dill and feta

From Martha Rose Shulman, NYT Cooking

NYT

This was one of our favorite ways to use the ever-challenging kohlrabi. It takes a bit of assembly, but was well worth the effort.

2 pounds kohlrabi, with greens if possible. If not, you can add some handfuls of spinach or other mild greens, but it's not necessary.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium or large onion, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

⅓ cup chopped fresh dill

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

3 large eggs, beaten

5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

12 sheets phyllo dough (½ pound)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (optional)

Step 1 If the kohlrabi still has greens attached, stem and wash the greens and blanch in a pot of salted boiling water for 1 minute, or steam. Refresh with cold water, squeeze out excess water and chop coarsely. Set aside. Peel the kohlrabi, making sure to remove the fibrous layer right under the skin, and grate using a food processor fitted with the grater attachment. You can grate with a cheese grater if needed but it will take some effort.

Step 2 Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it is tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, stir together, and stir in the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and stir in the kohlrabi. Add another tablespoon of olive oil if necessary. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is very tender and beginning to color, about 10 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan from the kohlrabi, turn up the heat and cook, stirring, until it boils off. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the kohlrabi greens, dill and parsley, and set aside.

Step 3 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 10-inch tart pan, cake pan, or baking dish with olive oil. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and beat in the crumbled feta. Stir in the kohlrabi mixture and combine well.

Step 4 Line the pan with 7 pieces of phyllo, brushing each piece with olive oil, or a combination of olive oil and melted butter, and turning the dish after each addition so that the edges of the phyllo drape evenly over the pan. Fill with the kohlrabi mixture. Fold the draped edges in over the filling, then layer the remaining 5 pieces on top, brushing each piece with olive oil. Tuck the edges into the sides of the pan. Make a few slashes in the top crust so that steam can escape as the pie bakes. N

Step 5 Bake the pie for 50 minutes, until the crust is crisp and dark golden brown. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Fagioli del Papa and Vegetable Sauté

Original recipe from Anna Stable

Serves 2 as a main course

• Ingredients
  E.V.O.O.

• 2 cups cooked Christmas beans (about 1 cup uncooked beans)

• 3 shallots thinly sliced

• 1-2 garlic cloves finely chopped

• 1 large zucchini, sliced

• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced

• 2 tomatoes, cut into sections lengthwise

• ¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped

• Salt and pepper

If starting with uncooked beans, soak beans overnight. The next day, add to a pot with water, making sure the beans are covered by about 2 inches of water. Add generous salt, olive oil, a couple bay leaves, half an onion, and a couple cloves of garlic. Bring to a boil for about a minute, then lower heat to a minimal simmer. Cook uncovered until the beans are cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on the freshness of the beans.

Directions
1. Heat 3-4 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan, and add the shallots and garlic.

2. Sauté for 2-3 minutes; add the zucchini and peppers, continue cooking another minute

3. Add the cooked beans and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

4. Toss in the tomatoes, and allow to soften slightly, about 1 minute.

5. Season with salt and pepper, and toss in the chopped parsley. Plate and garnish with extra fresh parsley and drizzle with some extra virgin oil and balsamic reduction

Roasted Peppers & Sardines Sandwich

Makes about 2 or 3 open-face sandwiches

Original recipe

Ingredients

• A couple thick slices of good bread (Loaves from Winner have the perfect structure for sandwiches)

• 4 bell peppers, preferably a mix of warm colors

• 1 clove garlic, diced

• Juice and zest of ½ a lemon

• Splash of sherry vinegar

• Salt to taste

• Generous amount of good E.V.O.O.

• ¼ cup chopped parsley

• Tinned boneless skinless sardines

• ¼ cup whole parsley leaves, dressed in lemon juice, E.V.O.O. & salt

Directions

1. Generously drizzle olive oil on the bread, and toast to desired toastiness. Optional - rub a clove of garlic on it after toasted

2. Roast peppers directly on the burner over an open flame. The flame should kiss the peppers. Use metal-tipped tongs to rotate as you go. They should turn black, which is good because this will be easier to peel later. The whole pepper should roast within 10 minutes.

3. Place the roasted peppers on a bowl, and cover them to steam. Once they're cooled, peel, de-seed, and chop them.

4. Add garlic, lemon juice & zest, splash of vinegar, salt, olive oil, and chopped parsley to the peppers.

5. Spoon onto the toasted bread, add sardines, black pepper, lemon zest, and dressed parsley leaves.

Briam

Thanks Tiffany for sharing this recipe!

Makes an 11-in skillet or larger au gratin dish, depending on how tightly layers are arranged.
Original recipe here (doesn't include eggplant):

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini, sliced into rounds about ¼-inch thick

• 2 eggplant (ideally close to the same diameter of the zucchini), sliced into rounds about ¼-inch thick

• 3 or 4 smallish medium-sized potatoes (ideally, close to the diameter of the zucchini), peeled and sliced into rounds about ⅛-inch thick

• 2 smaller red onions, thinly sliced into rounds (if too large, cut in half)

• Salt and pepper

• 2 tsp dried oregano

• scant 1 tsp dried rosemary

• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1 2 8-oz canned unsalted diced tomatoes with juice

  Directions

• 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rack in the middle.
  2. Place sliced potatoes and zucchini in a large mixing bowl. Season with kosher salt, pepper, oregano, and rosemary. Add fresh parsley, garlic, and a generous drizzle extra virgin olive oil. Toss to make sure the vegetables are well coated with the EVOO and spices.
  3. Grab a large round pan on skillet (An 11-inch oven safe pan, a skillet, or an au gratin dish) Pour ½ of the canned diced tomatoes in and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper
  4. Arrange the seasoned eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, and sliced onions in the pan in rows (simply going around the shape of the pan and alternating.)
  5. If you have any of the extra virgin olive oil and garlic mixture left in the mixing bowl, pour that all over the veggies, then top with the remaining diced tomatoes from your can.
  6. Cover the pan with foil (tent foil a bit so it is not touching the veggies). Bake in 400 degrees F heated-oven for 45 minutes. Take pan out briefly to carefully remove foil, then place back in oven, uncovered, and roast for another 30-40 minutes or until the veggies are soft and charred and most of the liquid has evaporated. (ovens do vary, so pay attention and check as needed.)
  7. Remove from oven. Serve warm or at room temperature with an added generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. This dish goes great with feta, olives, pita, and/or rice.