Each week on the farm we create seconds vegetables as we wash and sort vegetables for the weeks CSA shares and wholesale orders.  These seconds go to the food shelf in great numbers, but we are always striving to find uses for them.  This year we are trying to make a perfect roasting root vegetable medley, making it easier for our members to prepare a quick dinner.  Our roasting root medley contains various potato varieties, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, and kohlrabi.  These come to you raw, ready to be tossed into your roasting pan. Store in your fridge for up to three days. 

To use, simply preheat oven to 400°F.  Place vegetables on a cookie sheet or roasting pan, and then drizzle with sunflower oil, olive oil, or canola.  You can sprinkle with rosemary, thyme or another herb that compliments the rest of your meal menu or just leave them plain.  You can salt and pepper now, or later to taste.  Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You can add chopped garlic to the pan now if you wish, or just continue roasting.  Veggies are done when they are browned on edges, and easily pierced with a fork.

Butternut Squash-Parsnip Soup with Thyme

In case you still have parsnips in your veggie drawer leftover from last week (I know I didn't offer up a recipe last week).... This one is from Bon Appetit October 1997.

2 tablespoons butter
1 2-pound butternut squash, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, cut into 8 pieces
1 pound parsnips, peeled, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, thick end pieces cut lengthwise in half
1/4 cup water
1 onion, halved, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried
4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup half and half

In a pot of boiling water, simmer parsnips til tender. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and thyme; sauté until onion is tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Puree onion mixture and parsnips until smooth using a food processor or a potato masher if you don't mind some lumps in your soup. Mix in broth and squash puree.

Transfer mixture to heavy large saucepan. Whisk in half and half (you can substitute whole or even low fat milk here if you lke). Bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)

Herbed New Potatoes

The best way to honor new potatoes is to cook them in a way that highlights their creamy goodness.

2 lbs new potatoes, scrubbed
3 TB butter, melted
2-3 TB fresh herbs (parsley, chives, oregano, dill, tarragon ...)

Add water to a sauce pot and bring to a boil. Put scrubbed potatoes in a basket steamer and cover, steaming for 25 to 35 minutes until potatoes are tender. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with melted butter, sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper and toss gently to coat.

Topping

1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk with 1 tsp lemon juice)

For Filling:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix sugar, flour and cloves in large bowl. Add strawberries and rhubarb and toss to coat with sugar mixture. Transfer filling to 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish.

For Topping:
Mix flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form (do not overmix). Spoon topping evenly over filling.

Bake until topping is golden brown and filling is tender, about 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Topping
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
4 small potatoes*
3 medium carrots*
1 medium turnip*
3 small to medium beets*
1 tsp crumbled dry thyme leaves or rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
black pepper to taste
2 TB sunflower or olive oil, plus more for drizzling
8 oz chevre or blue cheese

For the crust, combine all of the dry ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to combine. In a large measuring cup, stir together 1 cup warm water, honey and oil. With the food processor running, slowly pour the liquids through the chute. If needed, add the rest of the water a bit at a time, until the dough all holds together nicely. It should be slightly sticky. Process for a total of 2 minutes. Form the dough into two tight balls, rub with oil and cover with plastic wrap or a dish towels. Leave in a warm place to rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Don't be worried if the dough doesn't double.

Preheat oven to 500F.

While the dough is rising, cut all of your root vegetables into a 1/2 dice. Combine the roots with the garlic, onion, herbs, oil, salt and pepper on a large baking sheet. Toss to coat. Roast in a 500 degree oven for 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and the edges begin to brown. Remove from the oven, cool slightly and toss with the cheese.

Roasted Vegetable and Barley Stew

The sweetness of the parsnips and cabbage really come out with roasting. Soaking the barley for at least 6 hours is crucial to having it cook faster. As this is a hearty stew, you may want to make it later in the week when the weather turns cold and rainy again. Serves 4-6.

4 slices of bacon
1 small onion, sliced thin
1/2 head of savoy cabbage, roughly chopped into 1 pieces w/leaves separated
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 3/4 cubes
1 1/2 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut into 3/4 pieces
1 TB olive oil
1 cup pearled barley, rinsed, soaked over night and drained
4 cups vegetable stock
2 TB balsamic vinegar
2 TB maple syrup
2 TB chopped fresh basil or parsley, -or- 1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450F. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, cook bacon over medium heat. When bacon is finished cooking, remove, cool, crumble and reserve. Increase heat to medium-high. Add sliced onion to hot bacon fat and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add half of the cabbage pieces, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the cabbage begins to wilt (3-5 minutes). Add remaining cabbage, sprinkle with remaining salt and toss with already warmed cabbage. Once the new cabbage begins to wilt, add potatoes and parsnips and toss to coat. Pour mixture onto large cookie sheet or sheet pan. Roast in hot oven for approximately 30 minutes, tossing veggies every 10 minutes. 15 minutes into the cooking time, sprinkle veggies with vinegar and maple syrup and toss to coat. Continue roasting.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in clean heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add drained barley and cook, stirring frequently, for about a minute. Add broth, bring to boil, cover and simmer until barley is al dente, about 30 minutes. Add roasted vegetables and reserved crumbled bacon to the cooked barley. Add dried or fresh herbs and stir to combine. Season to taste. Serve warm with crusty bread.

Potato and Arugula Pizza

1 recipe of pizza dough (below)
1 recipe fried potatoes and fennel (above)
1/4 cup arugula pesto
1 tomato, cut into thin wedges or small chunks
grated cheese of your choice

Divide the dough into 2 portions and form into pizzas. Par-bake briefly to set, then spread with arugula pesto. Top with potatoes, fennel, tomatoes and grated cheese. Grill or bake until toasty, bubbly and melted.

Moroccan Winter Root Stew with Barley

Inspired from a recipe at Epicurious.com. As this recipe calls for beets, it will have a deep purplish-hue. If you don't think you'll like the color, use turnips, rutabaga, golden beets or winter squash instead. Serves 6-8.

Stew
2 TB sunflower oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of saffron
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 TB fresh lemon juice
1 cup 3/4-inch cubes peeled beets
2 cups 1-inch cubes peeled potatoes
2 cups 3/4-inch cubes peeled carrots

Barley
1 cup barley
1 TB butter
1 TB sunflower oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups stock or water
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint, divided
1/2 cup sprouted beans
Moroccan Winter Root Stew with Barley
Moroccan Winter Root Stew with Barley
Moroccan Winter Root Stew with Barley
Moroccan Winter Root Stew with Barley
Moroccan Winter Root Stew with Barley
Moroccan Winter Root Stew with Barley
Moroccan Winter Root Stew with Barley

Jamaican Veggie Patties

I adapted this recipe from 101cookbooks.com, who got the recipe from Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine by Bryant Terry. I have unveganized the recipe by using butter instead of coconut oil and brushing the pastry with an egg wash. According to Heidi Swanson, You can certainly experiment with different sizes here, but don't go much smaller than a 4-inch cookie cutter. Also, be sure to roll the pastry dough thinly - a true 1/8-inch. Makes six big patties, or up to 2 dozen smaller ones.

1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1/2 cup 1/4-inch-diced yellow onion
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Coarse sea salt
2 larges cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup 1/4-inch-diced carrots
1/4 cup 1/4-inch-diced yellow potatoes
1/2 cup frozen corn (or used some small diced celeriac and toss in with the carrots & potatoes)
1/2 cup sprouted beans
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Pastry:
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour 1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup chilled butter
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water
egg wash made with 1 egg and warm water

For the filling: In a medium-size saute pan over medium-low heat, combine the sunflower oil, the onion cinnamon, allspice, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, carrots, and potatoes, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the sprouted beans, cabbage, thyme, and lemon juice, cover, and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with additional salt and the white pepper (or to taste) and set aside to allow the flavors to marry.

For the pastry: Combine the white flour with the whole-wheat flour, turmeric, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set the remaining 1/4 cup white flour aside. Add the butter to the flour mixture and rub with your fingertip until the mixture resembles fine sand, about 10 minutes (Heidi has also made this dough by pulsing ingredients in a food processor with good results).

Combine the vinegar and water and mix well. Then, without overworking the dough, add the vinegar mixture by the tablespoon, while stirring, just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and begins to coalesce. Squeeze into a tight ball, flatten, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties

Pizza!

I took a look at what was coming from the fields this week combined with the localvore items and have been dreaming of pizza combination non-stop. Since I was dying to put braised greens on my pizza I have provided a braised greens recipe below using the balsamic. After braising, you could top dress a pizza with some of the combos below (with or without tomato sauce and other cheeses). You might want to squeeze out the greens a bit if they seem very juicy for the pizza. Other tips... Freezing the goat cheese first makes it nice and crumbly for the pizza (and for salads). I like to put my basil just on top of the crust with other stuff on top so that it doesn't get dried out and so that it keeps its aromatics. Or I top dress with chopped basil after the pizza is cooked. If making a pizza without tomato sauce I do like to brush the crust with olive oil first for the added flavor and moisture. If you bake the crust for up to 10 minutes (depending on dough thickness) after brushing and before adding other ingredients, it seals the crust a bit and makes it lovely and crisp.

Braised Greens, Goat Cheese, Basil Pizza (w/ or without tomato and mozz)
Braised Greens, Goat Cheese, Potato (sliced very, very thin) and Rosemary
Arugula, Goat Cheese, Tomato and Basil

Scallion Pesto

Try making some scallion pesto and using it with different dishes this week. It could be used as a pasta sauce (blend in some tasty hard crumbled cheese), but would also be nice on fish, or mixed with mayo for a sandwich spread. Using less oil will result in a thicker pesto, one that can be formed as a garnish. Using more oil will result in a more sauce like pesto. I had some this week mixed with blue cheese on pasta. It was pretty darn good.

One big bunch of scallions – trimmed to remove the white bottoms (you only want the less assertive greens here)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
juice of 1-2 limes
1 clove of garlic
1/4 - 1 cup of sunflower oil (or any mild tasting oil)
Salt to taste

Chop the green onions roughly and toss into the blender along with the nuts, the garlic and the lime juice. Turn on the motor and drizzle in the oil until the desired consistency is reached. Season to taste with salt

Variations
try it with olive oil and lemon
try it with different nuts
mix it with sour cream for veggie dip
toss it on hot pasta
keep it thick and spread on toasted crusty bread sandwiches
toss it with simply steamed new potatoes
use it for a 10 minute dinner as a coating for simply broiled white fish fillets