We didn’t have enough of any one kind of Winter Squash this week to fill all of the boxes, so it’s luck of the draw as to which type members will receive. In any case, store dry and cool, but not cold – squash should last a couple of weeks even if you just keep them on your kitchen counter, longer if you put them in an unheated spare bedroom.
An unheated spare bedroom also makes a great storage space for Red and Yellow Onions. The varieties we have around now were selected for long storage, and we’ve often had usable onions into May when we stored them in our very cold extra bedroom in the old farmhouse; don’t put them in the refrigerator until you’ve cut into them. In general, red onions are milder than their yellow siblings, and better suited to raw or minimally-cooked use. But we also like them in long-cooked dishes, such as baked onions.
Baked Onions with Rosemary Butter
2 large onions, peeled
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp fresh rosemary
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cut a cavity in the root end of each onion, about 1/2-inch deep. Arrange onions in a baking dish, cavity up. Place 1 Tbsp butter in each cavity, then sprinkle each onion with rosemary leaves, 1 Tbsp parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/4-inch water to the baking dish and bake the onions, covered, until tender when pierced with a fork— about 55 minutes. Transfer onions to a serving dish. Place the baking dish on the stove and reduce liquid over high heat; spoon the sauce over the onions and serve.
We picked more Brussels sprouts from their stored stalks this week. The visual quality isn’t great, but we have found the eating to be excellent.
Carrots have made a comeback this week, the last of our very short storage crop for 2007. We look forward to big crops of big carrots in 2008!
Again, big Red Beets harvested in the fall don’t get the same woodiness to them that they do when they get large in the summer. As biennials, beets grow a large root in the summer to have energy the following year to throw up flowers early in the season. Woody beets have generally started this process too early, but beets are smart enough not to flower as the days are growing shorter and the nights are growing colder. Although they take longer to cook if you leave them whole, you certainly get more bang for your buck when it comes to peeling big beets! Remember that julienne beets (or grated on a coarse grater) make a great salad with nut oil and balsamic vinegar, or mixed with crème fraîche.
You can tell Purple Top Turnips from Beauty Heart Radishes because the turnips have – you guessed it – purple tops. The Beauty Heart radishes have green shoulders, and you can usually see just a touch of pink on their tails. Sliced thinly, the Beauty Heart’s taste great, mostly sweet with a little bit of heat in the skin.
Turnip Red Onion Sauté
3 -4 medium turnips cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3 medium red onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter
dash nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Boil turnips until fork tender about 7 minutes. Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until foamy. Add onions, and cook until soft and starting to brown. Drain turnips and add to onions. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper; cook until golden brown.
I used to think of Red Cabbage as poverty food, but I’ve come to appreciate its bold flavor and wintertime crunch. Store whole cabbage loosely wrapped in your crisper drawer, and if you store half a cabbage, wrap it tightly.
Kim’s Winter Coleslaw
1 small cabbage, sliced thin
2 carrots, grated
1-2 T cider vinegar
1-2 T honey
pinch of celery seed
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup minced onion
Optional stuff
1 T poppy seeds
1/4 cup almonds, toasted
some raisins
garlic
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Chill and serve.
Spicy Cabbage with Carrots
1/3 cup carrots chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup onion, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups shredded cabbage
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
dash or two of ginger juice or some thinly slice ginger
Cook the onions lightly in the olive oil, add the carrots, cabbage, sesame seeds, and hot pepper. Cook until the cabbage is tender about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the ginger, toss and serve.
Knobby and ugly, Celeriac has come to symbolize winter eating at our house, where it serves as a staple ingredient in soups and stews. We substitute it liberally for cooked celery, since it has the same basic flavor compounds with a slightly earthy note.
Kim’s Winter Vegetable Soup
1 cup Celeriac – cubed
1-1/2 cup Turnip – cubed
1/4 cup Carrot – sliced
2-3 medium Potatoes – cubed
1 onion – minced
some garlic – minced
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sage
2 cups broth
salt and pepper to taste
Lightly sauté the onion and garlic in butter. When the onion is transparent, add all of the vegetables and continue to sauté for ten more minutes. Stir in order to avoid burning. Add broth or water, sage, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and simmer until vegetables are soft. I puree half the soup and add it back to the pot for flavor and texture. Chicken makes an excellent addition to this soup.
