Sunday, October 17, 2010

Week 18: Green Tomato Soup

Last CSA pickup of the season, and what did we get? A bouquet of Swiss chard.


The chard was the best dish of the week, but you don't need a recipe for it. Just wash the chard, remove leaves from stems, chop the leaves, and saute them with garlic in a little olive oil, as you might do with spinach. Sprinkle salt on top before serving. Perfection.

The rest of the week's cooking seemed to revolve around just a few items:
  • Butternut squash -- in a stew with turkey meat; roasted with green tomatoes and onions; and roasted alone and mashed;
  • Green tomatoes -- roasted with the squash, as mentioned above; and in soup;
  • Red cabbage -- braised with apples and caraway; and turned into slaw;
  • Apples -- with cabbage; and in cake.
The soup was a quick solution to too many green tomatoes. I don't know why it took me all season to come across this idea.

Quick Green Tomato and Bean Soup
(Inspired by this Gourmet recipe)

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 scallions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 pounds green tomatoes, chopped
2 cups water
1 can (15.5 ounces) small white beans, with liquid
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika, or to taste

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Saute scallions and garlic in the oil for a couple of minutes; watch that they don’t burn. Add the tomatoes, water, canned beans and their liquid, and the spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 to 45 minutes or until the tomatoes break down to your liking. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve hot.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Week 17: Roasted Cauliflower With Capers

Caboodle vs. the Collard

I got what I needed this week: a couple of cool, wet days conducive to cooking. After a pot of soup and a big stir fry -- both cabbage based -- I'm close to clearing out the vegetables in the fridge.

My favorite meal of the week was our "C" food dinner: Cod with Crumbs, Cauliflower with Capers, and Collards with, um, more  Collards. The collard greens had enormous leaves, and the cauliflower weighed in at 3.5 pounds. I guess the drought/flood cycle has been good to some crops.

Roasted Cauliflower With Capers
(Adapted recipe. Variations of roasted cauliflower abound.)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Break a head of cauliflower into florets and toss with a bit of olive oil. Lay the florets in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, then flip the pieces with a large spatula and roast another 10 minutes or so, until the cauliflower is tender and a bit browned. Keep an eye on the cauliflower so it doesn't burn.

Transfer the cooked cauliflower to a serving bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon drained capers and 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped. Serve hot or warm.