Am I ever glad that fall has arrived! I know that’s a little controversial, but hear me out. First – cooler weather. Maybe not such a big deal to you gestationally normal out there, but, for me as a pregnant lady, it’s huge. Second – food!!! We’re awash in peppers, pears, corn, tomatoes, grapes, even an early pumpkin or two. Third (or maybe second-and-a-half) – cooking is fun again. This one’s obviously linked to . . . → Read More: Early Fall Roasted Chicken]]>

Am I ever glad that fall has arrived! I know that’s a little controversial, but hear me out. First – cooler weather. Maybe not such a big deal to you gestationally normal out there, but, for me as a pregnant lady, it’s huge. Second – food!!! We’re awash in peppers, pears, corn, tomatoes, grapes, even an early pumpkin or two. Third (or maybe second-and-a-half) – cooking is fun again. This one’s obviously linked to points One and Two, but there’s something about the changing seasons that reinvigorates me in the kitchen. So, whether or not you agree, hurray for fall!!

The recipe below does not actually involve any seasonal produce, but it is tasty and certainly easy. I’m not usually a huge fan of chicken dishes. I generally find them a little blah and would rather spend my budget (financial and caloric) on more satisfying fare – like duck or eggplant. However, I was watching the Cooking Channel and caught this show about a woman who has a tiny restaurant in her Parisian kitchen. She made this lavender-lemon roasted chicken and made it seem so effortless and delicious. Maybe it was the British accent and perfect red lipstick…maybe it’s a weird pregnancy craving like the cucumber ice cream, but I opened up my Amazon app in a flash and ordered her cookbook. We’ve since made quite a few recipes out of this book and have been delighted each time.

If you start with a cut-up chicken, it’s definitely a weeknight meal, but the complex tart-sweet-herbaceous flavor is truly dinner party worthy.

Sorry for the lack of photos! Totally forgot.

Lavender-Lemon Roasted Chicken

Makes about 6 servings, but it depends on the size of your chicken and your appetite

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients except for the chicken and salt in a small bowl and whisk to blend.




2. Arrange the chicken pieces in a container in a (mostly) single layer. Pour the marinade over the top and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 4 hours.




3. Once the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.




4. Dump the chicken and marinade into a baking dish and sprinkle with the salt. Bake (uncovered) for 45 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the temperature at the thickest point is 165 degrees (or the juices run clear when you slice into the thickest part).

This was so tasty, I’d lick my plate, but I don’t have my licker license. I love you and miss you already, Grandpa!

This meal was not really local at all, but instead of hiding our non-local . . . → Read More: The Doldrums]]> If local food folks call winter the “Dark Days”, I’m going to call spring the “Doldrums”. Stagnation, indeed! Watch out, strawberries and lettuce! I’m going to snap you up in a couple of weeks. For now, I’m thankful to have several places to by fresh, quality food, and for the skills and time to cook, so I won’t complain too much.

This meal was not really local at all, but instead of hiding our non-local eating and then forgetting to post this recipe later, I’m just going to post it now. I hope you forgive me once you try it. It’s easy peasy and delish, combining several of my favorite things – greens, soft-cooked eggs, yogurt, and butter. Mmmmmmmm! It does take a little more time than your usual egg dish (roughly 30 minutes), because the eggs bake in the oven, but you can just set a timer and then go on with your business.

Look at those yolks!! We only took one photo, because the yogurt and butter totally covered the eggs and greens making for a pretty unappetizing picture. Yummy yummy in my tummy, though!

This recipe is minimally adapted from Plenty to use ingredients we generally have on hand.

Baked Eggs with Arugula and Yogurt

Makes 2 servings

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. I used our 12-inch cast iron skillet. Add the arugula (and maybe spinach) and a pinch of salt and saute for 5-10 minutes or until the greens wilt and there’s a puddle of liquid in the pan.
3. Transfer the greens to a small oven-proof dish using tongs to squeeze some of the water out. Leave that puddle of liquid behind on the pan. Create 2-4 divots in the greens and crack an egg into each. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the whites are white (not clear). The baking time will depend on the size of your eggs.
4. While the eggs are baking, mix the yogurt and finely minced garlic together with a pinch of salt. Although I don’t love my garlic press, this is a good time to bring it out, so that there aren’t any large pieces of garlic. A good knife job will work just as well, though.
5. After the yogurt is mixed up, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the dried chiles, sweet paprika, sage (which I cut with a kitchen scissor right into the pan), and a pinch of salt. Let it all fry for a minute or two, then turn off the heat.
6. Once the eggs are cooked to your liking, remove them from the oven and divide among two plates or bowls. Top with the yogurt and drizzle with the butter sauce. Dig in with a spoon, fork, or generous slice of crusty bread.

Smoothies are an easy way to cram more veggies into your day. A little fruit covers . . . → Read More: How to Make a Winter Smoothie with Local Ingredients]]> In the winter, I usually crave hot breakfasts. Oatmeal with applesauce and peanut butter, eggs of all sorts, or pancakes. Recently, I haven’t been eating particularly well, so I’ve been trying to get a little “insurance” at breakfast to make up for the Pad Thai at lunch and burger, fries, and a shake at dinner. Yep. That was yesterday.

Smoothies are an easy way to cram more veggies into your day. A little fruit covers up the healthy taste and if the green color bothers you, just avert your eyes. This has become my go-to recipe, but you can make some tweaks if it’s not sweet enough for you. Add a tablespoon of maple syrup or use a whole peach/banana instead of half.

We don’t have a fancy blender…although I really really really want one, I can’t justify the crazy price. There’s an easy technique for making a good smoothie with a normal blender. Check out this video from Good Eats – the technique info starts at about 4:22.

My blender has four speeds. I run it on the first until the vortex starts, then each higher speed for one minute. If a bubble forms, I turn off the blender, give it a little shake to encourage the “burp”, then turn the speed back up. It takes about 4 minutes of blending, but that’s enough time to put away the ingredients and make a cup of tea.

If you want to get crazy, add half an avocado to the mix. We ordered a box of them from California Avocados Direct, a responsible family farm, and were blown away.

Local Winter Smoothie

Makes 1 large smoothie

Directions

1. If you are organized and want to be like Alton Brown, prep your smoothie the night before. Put everything except the ice cubes into the blender (in order) and stash it in the fridge. In the morning, add the ice and blend, following the directions above. Make sure all the spinach/kale blends in. Sometimes a leaf or two will stick to the side. This is a great way to have a nice smoothie even on a busy morning.
2. If you, like me, are usually not that with it at bedtime, make your smoothie when you’re ready to eat it. Add all the ingredients to the blender (in order) and blend, following the directions above. It might take a little longer for the vortex to form, because the fruit is still frozen, but you can get it going by stopping the blender and smushing the spinach/kale down toward the blades. When you start up the blender again, the smoothie should start moving. It might take a couple of tries. If it’s really giving you trouble, add a little more water/juice/milk. It’ll thin out your smoothie, but usually does the trick.

But now it’s . . . → Read More: Mujaddarah (or How the Heck is This so Delicious?)]]> Happy Monday! Except for the fact that Erik stayed in NYC, this weekend was fantastic. The kind of fantastic that involves watching bad movies with a pint of ice cream and playing card games with friends over strawberry-vodka slushies. The kind of fantastic that alternates staying up too late with avoiding the gym at all costs. The kind of fantastic that ends with perma-heartburn and a squishy-squashy tummy that makes unhappy noises.

But now it’s Monday – the favorite day of resolution-makers – so I need to get back on track before I have to buy a whole new wardrobe. However, as I’ve mentioned before, I struggle with healthy eating when Erik’s gone. It’s got to be super tasty, easy to cook, require minimal clean-up, and reheat well or I just won’t do it. Luckily, I ordered delivery from a Middle Eastern restaurant last week and remembered how awesome mujaddarah is – a delicious, simple, two-pot, perfect-for-leftovers rice and lentils dish. You won’t believe me until you try it, but the final meal is so much more than the ingredients imply. Somehow, sauteing thin onion slices in a pool of olive oil until they’re brown and crispy adds an incredible amount of flavor to rice and lentils. It’s earthy and satisfying and totally not guilt-inducing.

This makes a great lunch or dinner – add a salad or sauteed greens if you want some veggies. My FAVORITE way to eat this, though, is topped with scrambled eggs and a drizzle of sriracha or plop of yogurt. Yum yum yum!!

[Please excuse the iPhone photos!]

Mujaddarah

Makes about 5 cups (4-6 servings)
From Simply Armenian

Directions

1. Pick through the lentils to remove debris. Sometimes little rocks and sticks hide, which aren’t fun to chew on. Rinse them well.
2. Add the lentils and 3 cups of water to a pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat so that the water simmers gently for 20 minutes.
3. Rinse the rice well and let it drain while the lentils cook.
4. While the lentils are cooking, slice the onions into thin rings. Heat the olive oil in a skillet (not non-stick) over medium heat and add the onions. Stir them every now and then until they’re dark brown. It should take about as long as the rice and lentils.
5. After the lentils have cooked for 20 minutes, add the rice and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice and lentils are tender
6. Add the cooked onions and salt to the lentils and rice. Pour in any oil that’s left in the skillet, because it’s tasty. Mix well and serve hot, warm, or cold.

This year we wound up accidentally stockpiling certain root vegetables from our winter CSA. Rutabagas. Parsnips. Turnips. The good news is that they last a log time. The bad news is, that takes away any imperative to use them up. The next thing you know, you crisper or root cellar (or wherever you keep them) is about to burst. We found this recipe in an attempt to use them up in volume to take . . . → Read More: How to Use Up Your Winter CSA / Rutabagas / Parsnips / Turnips and Make a Great Winter Vegetable Casserole]]>

This year we wound up accidentally stockpiling certain root vegetables from our winter CSA. Rutabagas. Parsnips. Turnips. The good news is that they last a log time. The bad news is, that takes away any imperative to use them up. The next thing you know, you crisper or root cellar (or wherever you keep them) is about to burst. We found this recipe in an attempt to use them up in volume to take care of the issue.

This recipe can be used with any winter root vegetables that you might have. Don’t limit it to the ones listed above. As you can see, I accidentally included some radishes that I though were turnips until I chopped them (watermelon radishes are green on the outside and they’re huge – tricksters!). As long as you get to three total cups, it works with any mix or ratio. However, I would suggest keeping it at least 75% “mild” ones (i.e., not radishes).

In order to use up as many of these vegetables as possible, we actually doubled this recipe and made two casseroles in separate casserole dishes (which, Lindsay informs me, are just called casseroles, but I reject that terminology). It wasn’t much more work than just making one (no more actually, outside of the peeling and cutting, but that is the bulk of the effort). We froze the second, right in the dish (covered with foil) and ate it a few weeks later when we didn’t feel like cooking dinner. This recipe stores and reheats well from the freezer as well as the fridge. (Please allow it some time to thaw!)

It’s easy, versatile, scalable, and stores well, including freezing. That’s the recipe for a go-to…recipe.

Now that I’ve made this (doubled) recipe a few times, I don’t bother to measure the chopped vegetables. Measuring cups of 1-inch cubes is a pain. I just keep going until the pot is as full as pictured. Keep in mind, though, that the pictures are of a doubled recipe.

Winter Root Vegetable Casserole

Makes 1 Casseroles / 4-6 servings

Directions

1. Chop the three cups of root vegetables into cubes of equal size (1 inch). Chop the carrots smaller (about a quarter-inch dice). Put them in a large pot, add 2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce it to a simmer and leave it until everything is tender enough to mash (12-15 minutes). Drain off the water

   

2. Once the vegetables are coming to a boil, turn the oven on to 375 degrees.
3. While the vegetables simmer, chop the onions and melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Saute the onions and set aside.
4. Measure out the nutmeg, salt and pepper in to one bowl. Measure out the breadcrumbs into a second bowl. Beat the egg into a third bowl. Have all three ready to go when the vegetables finish.

   

5. Once the vegetables are done and thoroughly drained, add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the pot. Mash! My trusty masher tool makes pretty quick work of it all. The carrots will probably not fully mash and incorporate but everything else will, which makes for a nice textural difference. Also, don’t over mash. You’re not making whipped potatoes; accept the lumps. If you push the boundary you might wind up with something more resembling paste.

   

6. Add the onion, eggs, and breadcrumbs and mix until gently fully incorporated and even. (See how much more yellow it is now?)

   

7. Grease a casserole dish or something similar (whatever you prefer – butter, canola oil spray, etc.) Fill the casserole dish with the mixture. Once the oven is at temperature (if it’s not already, put it in, uncovered, and bake for 35 minutes.

   

8. After 35 minutes, remove the dish, sprinkle on the grated cheese, and put it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until it’s the way you like it.

   The photo on the left shows the dish after the 35 minutes (notice the nice dark crusting around the edges – a sign you’re almost done. The one one the right is done, after cheese +10 minutes.

   

Enjoy!

My brother was in a band in high school called The Unmundane. They were pretty good and had a nice little following. I have a couple of their CDs and a t-shirt I wear running. I also have the word “unmundane” in my vocabulary now. It snuck in there at a time in my life when I used either “random” or “sketchy” to describe just about everything.

I probably also used “wicked” a . . . → Read More: Unmundane Lentil Soup]]>

My brother was in a band in high school called The Unmundane. They were pretty good and had a nice little following. I have a couple of their CDs and a t-shirt I wear running. I also have the word “unmundane” in my vocabulary now. It snuck in there at a time in my life when I used either “random” or “sketchy” to describe just about everything.

I probably also used “wicked” a little too much, as in “lentil soup is wicked boring”. Because of that narrow mindset, I almost didn’t make this one from Art of the Slow Cooker, probably because the combination of spices seemed random. But, I was trying to eat less meat and this seemed to fit the bill. I was prepared to choke down a bowl in the name of self-righteous healthiness, but I was surprised on the first bite by its unmundaneness. It wasn’t common, ordinary, banal, OR unimaginative. Instead, it was thick and full of spices and lemon.

Now that we’re definitely entering winter in Boston, it’s time to pull out the slow cooker and some tasty soup recipes. I think the smell of soup cooking all day warms up the house. Can a smell make you feel warmer? Why not? So this afternoon, I’m sitting on the couch covered with a blanket recuperating from a cold and watching The Usual Suspects, smelling the onions browning, because my awesome husband is making dinner for me. I’m counting the hours until I can dig in with a spoon and a big piece of crusty bread. It’s supposed to warm up on Sunday, which is good, because we’ll be out of soup by then.

Unmundane Lentil Soup

Makes 6 servings

Directions

1. If you want to get fancy, use whole coriander and cumin seeds. Toast them in a hot skillet for a couple of minutes, until slightly browned and fragrant, then grind. I don’t usually get fancy and the soup is still great.
2. Chop the onions.
3. Heat the sunflower oil in a large skillet and cook the onions over medium-high heat until starting to brown. This is the foundation for your soup, so take a little time, maybe 5-8 minutes.
4. In another pot, heat the broth until boiling.
5. While the onions are browning, measure out and combine all the spices except for the red pepper flakes.
6. Add the garlic and spices (except for the red pepper flakes) to the onions and cook until you can smell the garlic.
7. Add the tomatoes and juice to the onion mixture. Break up the tomatoes and cook until the juices boil.
8. Once the onions and broth are boiling, dump both into the slow cooker. Heating the ingredients to boiling speeds the cooking time and keeps the food away from the Danger Zone, e.g. the temperature range in which nasties thrive. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10.
9. When you’re ready to serve the soup, stir in the red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Top with a dollop of yogurt, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Regarding the amount of stock: Red lentils disintegrate and really thicken the soup, so if you use a full two cups of red lentils, you’ll want to use 7 or 8 cups of broth. More broth = soupier soup. Less broth = stewier soup. If you use red lentils and another type of lentils, you can use 6-7 cups of broth.

To make this work on a week day, I cook the onions, garlic and spices the night before, letting them cool down before covering and storing them in the refrigerator. In the morning, I add the tomatoes to the onions and bring them and the broth to a boil while I’m eating breakfast and getting ready for work. Pour everything in the slow cooker, plug it in, leave the dishes in the sink, and run out the door.

The two most difficult things about having a CSA are the lack of control over what you get, and the use it or lose it nature of produce. We have our biggest problem with winter storage vegetables, as they slowly pile up in our fridge and basement.

When we recently had a bag of potatoes that we hadn’t used, we made a very nice curry out of it. Last night we were staring at . . . → Read More: How to Make Parsnip-Cashew Curry]]>

The two most difficult things about having a CSA are the lack of control over what you get, and the use it or lose it nature of produce. We have our biggest problem with winter storage vegetables, as they slowly pile up in our fridge and basement.

When we recently had a bag of potatoes that we hadn’t used, we made a very nice curry out of it. Last night we were staring at a bunch of unused parsnips (about 10!), so we figured, why not see if the same trick will work twice? Instead of potato-peanut curry we made a parsnip-cashew curry. Great success!

I often find curries to be intimidating because it always seems like they have 1,000 ingredients. In reality, they’re actually pretty simple to make, once you figure out how best to wrangle the ingredient list. Recipes often require the same ingredient in two places but only list it once in the ingredient list, which drives me mad. In an effort to make things easier I’ve deconstructed the timing of this recipe and put each ingredient into a group according to the timing (I had to toss our usual “where we got it” column to make room).

A lot of the work can be done a day or two in advance (making it a good Monday or Tuesday night dinner). Anything that includes an asterisk in the “Timing” column can be prepped or at least measured out in advance.

Parsnip-Cashew Curry Serves 4

Directions

1. Soak the chickpeas or beans overnight in cold water.
2. Drain the chickpeas / beans. Place them in a pot and add enough cold water to cover them. Bring it to a boil and let it boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to a low boil and cook for 60 – 90 minutes or until the beans are tender. Drain and set aside. This can be done a number of days in advance.

   We usually opt for cooking a larger amount of beans in a crock pot on low for 6 hours, which we’ll use over the course of a week or two. That saves us a lot of time and effort on this step, including not having to keep an eye on a boiling pot.

3. Set the oven to 400 degrees. Measure out 0.5 cup of raw cashews plus one extra handful, and toast for 5-10 minutes (you can tell by the aroma when they are done). Set aside the handful for garnish. Put the rest into the food processor and pulse until they are finely ground. This can all be done well in advance.
4. The next step is to make the garlic-ginger paste. If you have a powerful enough food processor, you can just throw everything from “The Paste” together without pre-chopping. If your food processor is closer to our old model, you may want to pre-chop the ingredients into smaller pieces. Don’t worry if you have some cashew dust residue from the prior step; no need to clean now. Because we keep our ginger frozen, we took out a frozen two-inch piece and grated it directly into the work bowl of the food processor using a microplane.

   If you are using fresh chilis and wish to limit the hear, you should cut them open, remove the seeds with a spoon, and chop them up first. If you are using dried chilis (like we did) and want to limit the heat, you will want to crumble the chilis into a work bowl and them fish out the flesh, leaving some (or all) of the seeds behind). Only use half of the chilis at this point and set the rest aside for later.

   Add all the ingredients for “The Paste” to the food processes (including the 5 TBsp water) and pulse until it’s smooth. This can be done up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator, although fresher is better because it will lose intensity over time.

   

5. Measure out the “Initial Spices” into a small bowl and set aside. This can also be done ahead of time.
6. Chop the parsnips and the tomatoes. We removed the woody center of the parsnips through careful knife work (if you cut one in half you can see it), but it’s not an absolute necessity. Our tomatoes, canned last summer, already had the skins removed, but if you are using fresh, you should remove the skins, although again, that’s not an absolute necessity.

   

7. In a large frying pan (we used a cast iron skillet), heat the oil on medium-high. Although we often cut down on the amount of oil in recipes, in this one it’s important not to skimp, even though it seems like a lot. Once the oil is hot, add the “Initial Spices” and the ground cashews. Mix and let it sit for 20 – 30 seconds. Add the garlic-ginger paste and tomatoes and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes.

   

8. Add the chickpeas / beans and parsnips, as well as the rest of the water (0.75 pint or just shy of 2 cups). Add salt and pepper (to taste, but err on the side of “a lot”). Turn the heat up to high and bring to a very strong rolling boil. Look for big bubbles around the edge of the pan. Stir every so often. Once you’ve got it to a strong boil, turn the heat down so that it’s at a strong simmer (continuous little bubbles) and let it simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. Parsnips are tough, especially if you leave the core in, so you want to make sure that the boil and simmer are strong.

   

9. If the parsnips are tender and edible while there is still a good amount of liquid left in the pan, bring it all back up to a strong boil and let it go until enough water evaporates to thicken the sauce. We didn’t find that to be necessary (ours was plenty thick), but results will vary. Add the “Finishing Ingredients” as well as the second half of the chilis and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.

   

10. Plate with the leftover (whole) toasted cashew pieces, cilantro or parsley leaves, and yogurt. Service with naan, rice, or bread.

    

]]> http://eatlocal365.com/2012/04/30/how-to-make-parsnip-cashew-curry/feed/ 1 http://eatlocal365.com/2012/04/14/gilfeather-turnip-casserole/ http://eatlocal365.com/2012/04/14/gilfeather-turnip-casserole/#comments Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:12:47 +0000 Lindsay http://eatlocal365.com/?p=5282

Here’s one more root vegetable recipe before we switch over to asparagus and salad greens. I clipped this out of a New York Magazine while we still lived in NYC, because we occasionally shopped at Windfall Farms. I also don’t really have any good rutabaga recipes, other than our standard roast-everything-in-a-pan method. “Hold on there, Lindsay”, you might say, “The title of this post says ‘turnip’ not ‘rutabaga’.” Yes, observant reader, it is actually . . . → Read More: Gilfeather Turnip Casserole]]>

Here’s one more root vegetable recipe before we switch over to asparagus and salad greens. I clipped this out of a New York Magazine while we still lived in NYC, because we occasionally shopped at Windfall Farms. I also don’t really have any good rutabaga recipes, other than our standard roast-everything-in-a-pan method. “Hold on there, Lindsay”, you might say, “The title of this post says ‘turnip’ not ‘rutabaga’.” Yes, observant reader, it is actually a rutabaga, but Mr. John Gilfeather thought it was a turnip. Also, Jerusalem artichokes are neither Israeli nor artichokes. What can I say? Vegetable identity crisis.

The Gilfeather turnip is a Slow Food Ark of Taste product, which makes it worth seeking out. The Ark of Taste program finds and protects endangered flavors – those beloved by old-timers, but threatened by industrial agriculture. Just for fun, here are some other Ark of Taste products from the Northeast.

• Bay scallops
• Boiled cider (used as a sweetener)
• “Old-Type” Rhode Island Red chicken
• Shrub (okay, not technically a Northeast thing, but a new favorite of mine)
• True Red Cranberry bean

Kind of makes me want to make an Ark of Taste bingo game…

Back the to rutabaga! It looks like a big white turnip, but is a little milder with less of a bite. Originating in southern Vermont, it’s even more local to us now that we’ve moved to Boston, so I was delighted to find one in one of our last CSA pick-ups.

This would make a great light lunch, but we cooked up some sausages to make a more substantial meal. It was nice and fluffy, like mashed potatoes, but with a more complex flavor – just enough peppery-ness.

Gilfeather Turnip Casserole

Serves 4 as a side or 2 as an entrée

Amount	Ingredient	Preparation	Where we bought it (SWM = Somerville Winter Market)
2 to 2 1/2 pounds	Gilfeather turnips	You can use regular rutabagas if you can’t find Gilfeathers.	Red Fire Farm
2	Eggs		Red Fire Farm
1/2 cup	Milk		Shaw Farm (SWM)
1/2 tsp	Salt
1/2 tsp	Nutmeg	Freshly grated, if you can
Dash	Ground allspice
3 TBsp	All purpose flour		Wild Hive Farm
1 TBsp	Butter		Shaw Farm (SWM)
2 TBsp	Bread crumbs

Directions

1. Peel the rutabagas and chop them into cubes. Try to make the chunks close in size, so that they all cook in the same amount of time.
2. In a medium pot, add the rutabagas, a pinch of salt, and enough water to cover. Boil until the rutabagas are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Once the rutabagas are soft, drain them and allow them to cool for a few minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Put the rutabagas, eggs, milk, salt, spices, and flour into a food processor and process until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash everything by hand, but I’d recommend mashing the rutabagas until they’re smooth first, then the eggs (one at a time), then the rest. This will help you get all the chunks out.
6. Rub just a little of the butter on the bottom and sides of a 1-quart soufflé dish. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.
7. Use a fork to mash the remaining butter into the bread crumbs and sprinkle it over the top of the rutabaga mash.
8. Bake for an hour or until the buttery crumbs are nicely browned.



Looking at that photo, I think that it would be a really pretty side for dinner guests if it were baked in individual ramekins. It’s not terribly attractive sunk down in that big soufflé dish (we don’t have a 1-quart one, so I used what we had).

]]> http://eatlocal365.com/2012/04/14/gilfeather-turnip-casserole/feed/ 5 http://eatlocal365.com/2012/04/06/working-through-the-potato-bags-potato-peanut-curry/ http://eatlocal365.com/2012/04/06/working-through-the-potato-bags-potato-peanut-curry/#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:52:58 +0000 Lindsay http://eatlocal365.com/?p=5240

Our winter CSA gave us SO many potatoes this winter. All sorts of varieties and colors, too. I’m not sure why, but potatoes are never top of mind when I’m meal planning. I’ll be better prepared next winter, but I let too many of them spoil this year. Does anyone have a good method for storing them? We’ve tried lots of things, but without success.

Anyway…we had two paper sacks of potatoes (some purple . . . → Read More: Working Through the Potato Bags: Potato Peanut Curry]]>

Our winter CSA gave us SO many potatoes this winter. All sorts of varieties and colors, too. I’m not sure why, but potatoes are never top of mind when I’m meal planning. I’ll be better prepared next winter, but I let too many of them spoil this year. Does anyone have a good method for storing them? We’ve tried lots of things, but without success.

Anyway…we had two paper sacks of potatoes (some purple and some white) and a couple of random sweet potatoes. The purple ones were starting to sprout and the sweet potatoes were drying out. Never fear! Curry is here! Super delicious, super easy curry, that is.



This recipe is from Wildly Affordable Organic by Linda Watson, the genius behind Cook for Good. Erik and I tried to take the Cook for Good Challenge a couple of years ago, but had to bail due to some unexpected business travel. We got some great recipes out of it, though. This is one of them and I’d definitely recommend it for the night you get home late from work and are tempted by the takeout menu. It only takes about 25 minutes and is made from ingredients you probably have already.

This is filling enough that I don’t think rice is necessary, but put some on before you start the curry if you want it.

Potato Peanut Curry
From the book Wildly Affordable Organic by Linda Watson. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2011. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com

Serves 4 (or 3 if you’re really hungry)

Amount	Ingredient	Preparation	Where we bought it (SWM = Somerville Winter Market)
1 pound	Potatoes	Feel free to use different types. Peel them if they’re not organic or if the peels feel tough. Cut out any eyes or bad spots.	Red Fire Farm
14 ounces	Canned tomatoes	We used half a quart jar of home-canned tomatoes instead.	Home-canned
1 cup	Water	We used some of the liquid in the tomato jar and topped it off with enough water to make 1 cup.	Somerville Public Works
2 TBsp	Vegetable or olive oil		Stolor Organics
1/4 tsp	Salt
2 TBsp	Tahini	Give it a good stir to distribute the oil.
2 TBsp	Peanut butter		Teddie (made close by!)
1 tsp	Cayenne pepper
4 cloves	Garlic		Red Fire Farm CSA
1/2 tsp	Turmeric	Optional
2 TBsp (or so)	Fresh parsley	Chopped or torn up	NorthStar Farm

Directions

1. Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.
2. In a medium pot, add the potatoes, tomatoes, water (or water/tomato juice mixture), and salt.
3. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, turn down the heat so that it simmers gently.

   

4. While the potatoes are cooking, chop the garlic finely. You could also put it through a garlic press, but I prefer to mince it with a knife, since I already have the cutting board out.
5. Put the garlic, vegetable oil, tahini, peanut butter, and cayenne pepper into a microwave-safe bowl. (Note: I accidentally put the turmeric in, too, which I wasn’t supposed to do. It turned out great.) Microwave on medium-high (80%) for two minutes.

   

6. Add the turmeric to the tahini-garlic mixture, if you didn’t already, and stir it into the cooking potatoes.
7. Let the curry continue to simmer until the potatoes are tender. This will take about 15 minutes, if you made the tahini-garlic sauce at an average speed, or 5 minutes, if you, like me, had to run to the store for tahini you though you had, but didn’t.
8. Garnish with a little sprinkle of parsley. I think this would be good with a dollop of yogurt, too.

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