This green and white pizza is definitely not your traditional pizza. The roasted cauliflower provides a nutty aroma. Delicious served with Butternut Squash Soup. (*Indicates CSA vegetable.)
2 tbsp pesto (I used pesto I had made a few months earlier that I had frozen in my freezer, but you can also use a high quality bottled pesto)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Using a pressure cooker, cook potatoes (add 1 1/2 cup water to the bottom of a pressure cooker, add the grate, then add the quartered potatoes, with skins; close pressure cooker according to your pressure cooker’s directions; bring to pressure over high heat, and cook for 3 minutes). Remove potatoes, let cool, remove skins, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
Sauté onion in EVOO over medium heat, until translucent (about 8 minutes). Add chopped bok choy and tatsoi. Cook over medium heat until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
Roll out pizza dough onto a ROOM TEMPERATURE pizza stone coated with cornmeal. Roll pizza dough slightly over the edges of the stone. Take the dough over the edges and slightly roll it under, to lift it off the edges and to form a crust.
Bake the rolled out pizza dough on pizza stone in the oven for 5 minutes.
Spread pesto evenly over pre-cooked pizza dough. Top with Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic, sauteed bok choy and onions, and three different types of cheese.
Bake at 475 for 8-12 minutes, until cheese and pizza crust begins to brown.
This is a tasty indian curry recipe, with lots of flavor and variety of texture. It can be made with a variety of vegetables. I’ve made it with the following combination of vegetables: eggplant, potatoes & green beans; cauliflower, sweet potato, and bok choy; and cauliflower and potato. Recipe adapted from From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian Spice Trail by Madhur Jaffrey. (*Indicates CSA vegetable.)
2 medium to large boiling potatoes, diced into small 1/4″ pieces (boiled, cooled and peeled)*
5 cups of cauliflower florets*
A generous pinch of ground asafetida
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground tumeric
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes blended, or 3-6 small-medium tomatoes blended
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
3-4 fresh hot green chilies (such as jalapeno), whole but with small slits cut in each*
2 medium bunches of bok choy or swiss chard*
DIRECTIONS
Put the onion, ginger, garlic and 4 tbsp water in a blender, and blend until smooth.
Pour the oil into a large, preferably nonstick, lidded pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the potatoes and cauliflower. Fry, stirring until they are lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Off the heat, remove all but 3 tbsp of oil from pan, then return the pan to the heat. Add asafetida and then cumin seeds. A few seconds after, add onion mixture from blender. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Then add coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Stir for a minute, then add tomatoes and cook, continuing to stir for another 2 min.
Add cauliflower and potatoes, 1/2 cup water, salt and the chilies. Stir, bring to simmer, cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. Add greens, cook for another 10-15 min. or until cauliflower is tender.
This is a variation of Polish Barszcz and Russian Cabbage Borscht soup. For a soup, half the potato and cabbage. Recipe adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook.
*Indicates a CSA vegetable.
INGREDIENTS
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced*
2-3 medium beets, peeled and diced*
3 cups water
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp caraway seeds
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced*
1/2 head cabbage, chopped (about 3-4 cups)*
1/4 cup or more chopped dill
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 to 2 tbsp brown sugar
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes pureed in a blender
Kosher salt
Pepper
DIRECTIONS
Place potatoes, beets, water, and stock in a medium-sized saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender (20-30 minutes).
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large stock pot over medium. Add onion, caraway seeds. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent (8-10 min.).
Add celery, carrots and cabbage, plus 2 cups of the cooking liquid from the potatoes and beets. Cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender (another 8-10 min.).
Add the remaining ingredients (including all the potato and beet liquid), cover and simmer for a least 15 min. more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
This is an extremely versatile vegetable pot pie recipe adapted from a wonderful cookbook that my sister bought for me a few years ago: Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates – Festival Meals for Holidays and Special Occasions. Don’t be fooled by the title of this cookbook – I use it for every day occasions, not just holidays and special occasions. The recipes are creative and unique. Definitely a must have in my kitchen.
Back to the recipe…I’ve made this several times with a variety of different vegetables. It’s a fabulous recipe for using those odds and ends from your CSA share. The recipe below includes what I used this time, but I’ve also used butternut squash instead of the sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, green beans, kale and collard greens, and leeks. If you’re going to do some substituting, I recommend following the havarti cheese sauce and pastry recipes, but improvising on the other ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
Filling
1 tbsp EVOO
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 bunch of radishes (about 5-8 medium), washed well and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 tsp kosher salt
1-2 cups vegetable stock
3 small to medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 large head of broccoli, separated into small heads (about 1/2 inch wide)
2 1/2 cups mushrooms, washed and sliced (about 1 small container)
In a large soup pot, warm the oil. Add the onions, bay leaves and radishes and saute for about 10 minutes on medium heat, until the onions are soft. Stir in the potatoes, sweet potatoes, salt and cup of vegetable stock. Cover and bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the broccoli and continue to simmer for 5 minutes more. Stir in the mushrooms, parsley, and dill and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften the mushrooms and until all the vegetables are just barely tender.
Remove and discard the bay leaves. Cover the vegetables, remove from heat, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Whisk in the stock and cook on medium heat, whisking often, until the sauce thickens and simmers gently. Whisk in the cheese until melted and stir the sauce into the pot of cooked vegetables. Add salt and ground pepper to taste. Pour the filling into a 9x13x2 inch baking pan or a 10 inch round deep-dish pie plate and set aside.
Prepare the pastry. Mix together the flour and rosemary in a large bowl. Rapidly work the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingers until it resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture a tablespoon at a time, and lightly mix in. Push the dampened dough into the center of the bowl and form a ball.
On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to fit your baking dish. Completely cover the top or arrange cut-out designs on top of the filling. If you totally cover the pie with pastry, cut a few slits in the top. That way steam can escape during baking for a crisper crust. Gaps between cut-out designs will make good “vents” too.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling bubbly. Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
The weather is finally cooling down, the days are getting shorter, and we got some beautiful potatoes during weeks 1 and 2. Since I blocked off an entire day of prep on Saturday, I decided to try a time consuming favorite – potato and cheddar pierogies. As with most traditional recipes, every familyhasafavoriterecipe.
This recipe was passed on from my grandmother (we call her Baba) to my sister. Of course, Baba never measures – the recipe is in her bones – but this is the result of my experimentation with her directions.
As children, we couldn’t wait for a visit from Baba because it meant “pierogi day.” She kept a large wooden board at our house solely for the purpose of making them during her yearly visit. The night before pierogi day, she’d boil a large pot of potatoes and make the filling. That morning, she’d take a pound of butter and melt it in a pot, then slow cook chopped onions in the clarified yellow liquid for the entire day, until they became translucent and sweet. Next, she’d make the dough, then sit down at the kitchen table and really get to work. We’d sit and talk and watch, and pretty soon there would be sheet trays full of pierogi on the kitchen table. And the dining room table. And the coffee table…
That night, we’d all sit down for a pierogi dinner. I preferred mine boiled, while my brother liked his browned and crisped in a pan. Baba knew exactly how we liked them and would make them to order. After we all had our fill, the rest would go into the freezer for a later date (most likely later that night, or the next day for lunch. You literally had to fight for them in our house).
Cooking this recipe brought back so many good memories, and Baba will be happy that I learned how to make them. I had enough left to freeze some, and I’m going to try to save them until my sister comes to visit!
INGREDIENTS
Filling:
4 medium potatoes
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese
Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Dough:
3 cups flour, plus extra
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
DIRECTIONS
Several hours before you’re ready to stuff the pierogies, make the filling. Peel and quarter potatoes, and boil until soft.
Drain potatoes and return to a bowl. While still hot, add cubed cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper to the bowl. When the cheese melts, mash the potatoes.
After mixture comes to room temperature, place the bowl in the fridge. Chill for several hours.
To make the dough, heat the milk and butter together on the stove until the milk is warm and the butter is melted.
Sift salt and flour into a large bowl. Make a well and add the egg, slightly scrambled.
Begin stirring the egg into the flour, while slowly pour the milk mixture into the bowl. Stop adding milk when the wet and dry ingredients form a slightly sticky dough. You may need more or less wet ingredients depending on the moisture in your kitchen.
Allow the dough to rest, covered, until it cools down.
Sprinkle more flour into the bowl and knead. Continue working flour into the dough until it no longer sticks, but but springs back at the touch.
Divide the dough into tennis ball size portions. Cover the remaining dough.
Roll the dough out on a clean surface, and cut into 2 x 2 inch squares (you can also cut circles with a cookie cutter or drinking glass).
Take approximately one tablespoon of filling and put it in the center of the square. Pinch two opposite corners together, above the filling, then pinch down each side until a triangle is formed. Ensure that the dough is sealed, or the pierogies will leak during boiling.
Line the completed dumplings on a cookie sheet. You can freeze them at this point for boiling at a later time.
To cook, drop the pierogies into boiling water, and cook until they rise to the top of the pot.
Serve with clarified butter and onions or sour cream.
This is a scrumptious, hearty and medium spicy stew and a great way to use a lot of winter greens, jalapenos, and random autumn vegetables. Use french lentils instead of regular, because they hold their shape better and have a nice firm texture. Served with buttered cornbread, drizzled with honey.
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp EVOO
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
3 fresh jalapenos, seeded, and minced
1 long red fresh hot pepper, seeded and minced
2 small, fresh very dark jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 medium bunch red swiss chard, rinsed and chopped
1 large bunch mustard greens, rinsed and chopped
tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Heat EVOO in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, and other hot peppers. Saute 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown.
Stir in cumin, coriander, and minced garlice. Cook for another 1 minute.
Add broth, water, lentils, parsley, cilantro, potatoes, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, brown sliced sausage in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add to stew. Pour about ½ cup stew liquid into sausage pan and stir, until browned bits have been removed. Add this liquid back to the stew.
When 20 minutes is up, add swiss chard and mustard greens to stew. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes until potatoes and lentils are tender.
Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
1 bunch greens (used mixture of collard greens and bok choy)
1 quart container of green/purple beans, eat bean cut in thirds
1 cup chopped red bell peppers (about 1-2 bell peppers)
1 medium golden zucchini, sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice (high quality, such as Lakewood or Santa Cruz Organic)
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated parmesan (optional)
DIRECTIONS
In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme; then cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If necessary to prevent sticking, add 1/4 cup water or stock.) Add Old Bay Seasoning and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, butternut squash, potatoes, water and vegetable stock. Increase heat to boil. Stir in collard greens and green beans. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook until green beans are just tender (about 5-10 minutes). Add the bok choy, bell peppers, and zucchini. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the soy sauce and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove and discard bay leaves.
Cultivating Sustainability 