Oatmeal Apple Crisp

In honor of Cleveland’s ongoing heat wave, I decided it was time to bake.

Last week’s shares included TART baking apples. I’m really glad we were warned that these were for baking and not eating straight. They weren’t kidding! Even after baking, these apples were still VERY TART. But that worked out great to contrast with the sweet & crunchy oatmeal topping on this apple crisp recipe. This was such a hit in my house that we polished it off the same day it was baked. In any other home, it should be at least 8 servings.

For the filling,

8 tart baking apples, peeled and chunked
1/2 c white sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Mix and place in the bottom of a buttered casserole dish.

For the topping, combine

5 Tbsp melted butter
1 c dry oats
1/3 c flour
½ c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Crumble the topping over the apples. (This is a LOT of topping, but all that sugar still balances out with the tartness of the apples.) Here it is, ready for the oven.



Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes until the apples are soft and the topping is browned slightly. Here's an "official-sized" serving of the baked apple crisp.

City Fresh Ratatouille

Here's an idea of what to do with all the wonderful veggies you got at the stop this week. I searched the internet for ideas for Ratatouille to use the eggplant, zucs, onions, garlic, and peppers. I didn't find anything that I really fell in love with, so I created my own from a number of sources. I figured that Ratatouille is a peasant dish, so I could do what I wanted with it in the spirit of cooking from what you have on hand. The only veggie that I bought was Roma tomatoes. I didn't think that the one slicing tomato would be enough. I used the yellow hot pepper instead of the more traditional green and red pepper for 2 reasons; I don't like bell peppers (weird I know) and I am a single share holder and didn't have any, anyway! The herbs I chose based on the recipes that I read on line and what I had growing fresh in the garden. Here is what I did;

Olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic sliced
1 green zucchini, cubed
1 yellow squash, cubed
2 Japanese eggplant, cubed
2 yellow medium hot peppers, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large slicing tomato, peeled and chopped
thyme
basil
oregano
lavender (just a bit for the taste of Provence)
pepper
salt
2 TBSP butter (optional)
breadcrumbs (optional)
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Put in the onions and the garlic. Saute until the onions become clear. Add in the zucs (both colors) and the eggplant, cook until the veggies become soft and start to caramelize on the bottom. Don't stir too much. Add in the tomatoes and the spices of your choice. I listed the ones I used. Turn off the heat. Dump the whole thing in an over safe dish. Melt the butter in a small saute pan. Add enough breadcrumbs to absorb the butter. Toast the bread crumbs until golden brown. Sprinkle over the veggies in the dish. Sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese is browned and toasty and the juice is bubbling on the sides. I served it in bowls with crusty French bread.


Here is the dish ready for the oven.

Produce Taking Over?

At today's pickup, I heard more than one person mention they're finding it hard to keep up with all the produce. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment myself. So I'm looking for ways to preserve some of this for the winter since by January I'll need a reminder that the sun will one day return to Ohio.

One of the methods that I've used successfully is blanching and freezing for beans. It's straightforward and relatively low effort. If you want to try this method, you'll need

well-washed beans with the ends snapped off
a big pot of boiling water
a bowl of ice water
a colander, and
a zip-type freezer bag.

You'll want to have everything set up at the beginning, since once you're underway, things happen pretty fast. The idea with blanching is not to cook the beans, but just to break down the outer layer so it freezes at the same rate as the insides and doesn't get tough.

Bring the pot of water to a full, rolling boil. Shut off the heat, and dump in the beans.



Stir gently and watch for the beans to start to turn a brighter green. This happens fast - only about 45 seconds in my kitchen. (It's better to under-blanch than overcook if you're not sure.) See the color change?

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Drain the beans through the colander and transfer as quickly as possible into the ice water to stop the cooking process.

The beans will quickly be cool enough to handle comfortably. Drain through the colander once more. Pack in a labeled zipper bag, remove as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn, and stick in the freezer. TADA!! Your own frozen veggies are now ready for winter.

The blanch and freeze method works well to preserve lots of vegetable options. The only difference is the length of time to blanch. The peas from early in this season were pretty delicate, so those blanched for me in about 10 seconds - almost as fast as I could get them in and out of the boiling water. Basically, the sturdier the veg, the longer it will take, but most everything will take only a couple of minutes max.

Happy preserving!

Share Contents for 7/26

Single
Hot pepper x2
Eggplant
Yellow squash x2
Cukes
Pickles
Garlic
Tomato
Onion
Green beans
Zucchini
Lettuce
Dill

Family
Hot pepper x4
Eggplant x2
Yellow squash x2
Blackberries
Cukes
Pickles
Garlic
Tomato
Onionx2
Green beans
Zucinix2
Lettuce
Dill
Patty pan
Mellon
Green pepper
Okra
Basil

gojee

My roommate from college, a Yosemite park-ranger extraordinaire, who wrangles bears and gives a mighty-fine tram tour, just shared a new foodie website with me: www.gojee.com.

The site allows you to input items you "crave," items you "have," and items you "dislike." Then it hand-picks recipes "from food writers who know what they're doing." My roommate has a wicked peanut allergy, so her favorite thing about gojee is being able to search for nut-free dishes. I've only begun exploring the site, but am falling in love with the beautiful images that accompany each recipe. I was a little sad to discover that they didn't have any ideas for "patty pan," but the selection of cucumber recipes was pretty amazing . . .

Share Contents for 7/19

In the shares for July 19th...

Single

Onion 1
Cabbage 1
Lettuce 1 head
Green Beans 1/2 lb
Yellow Squash 2
Patty Pan Squash 1
Pickling Cukes 1
Zucchini 1
Kohlrabi 1
Garlic 1 bulb
Eggplant 1
Lodi (Tart) Apples 4

Family

Onion 1
Cabbage 1
Lettuce 1
Green Beans 1 lb
Yellow Squash 2
Patty Pan Squash 1
Pickling Cukes 1
Zucchini 2
Kohlrabi 2
Garlic 1 bulb
Eggplant 1
Beets 1
Grape Tomatoes 1
Kale 1
Lodi (Tart) Apples 8

Kohlrabi: Part 2

The kohlrabi dish I created this week was inspired by my sister-in-law's mantra: "everything tastes better if you add butter and cheese." My husband loves eating kohlrabi raw, but I've discovered that folding it into a creamy cheese sauce with lots of pasta is pretty good too!

Kohlrabi "Mac and Cheese"

5 Tbsp of Butter

1 cup of Onions, diced

1 cup of Celery, diced

1 clove of Garlic, crushed

3 Tbsp of Flour

3 cups of Milk, warmed

2 cups of Cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 pound of Penne, slightly undercooked

1 Kohlrabi bulb, diced

1 Zucchini, diced

1 cup of Breadcrumbs

In a large saucepan, melt 3 Tbsp butter on medium heat. Saute onions and celery for 5 minutes, until onions become translucent; add garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add flour and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Slowly incorporate milk, whisking continuously. Raise heat to high, continue stirring, and bring to a boil. Allow to bubble for 1-2 minutes, stirring all the while, and then remove from heat. Fold in almost all of the cheese, reserving about 1/4 cup; add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the penne, kohlrabi, and zucchini to the cheese sauce. Pour into a large, buttered, oven-proof dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, and combine with the dried breadcrumbs and the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.

After the penne has baked for 30 minutes, uncover and stir gently. Sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture and continue baking uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the kohlrabi is tender and the topping has turned a nice golden brown. Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Additional Notes:

This is a variation on my favorite mac and cheese recipe, which calls for four kinds of cheese: 1 cup of cheddar, 1/2 cup of gruyere, 1/4 cup of blue, and 1/4 cup of parmesan. The recipe is very forgiving, and as long as the total amount of cheese remains roughly consistent, substituting different varieties--asiago, colby jack, smoked cheddar--opens up countless tasty possibilities. Since the only cheese I had in the fridge this past week was a giant block of pecorino romano, I broke from my typical cheese-blending routine. The romano paired nicely with the kohlrabi and the zucchini.

Zucchini gives off quite a bit of water during the baking process, and this changes the consistency of the sauce. I "corrected" this by stirring at the 30 minute mark before adding the breadcrumbs. A more exacting cook would probably salt and drain before incorporating the zucchini to the recipe, in order to remove the excess water . . .

I baked my kohlrabi mac in a pie-pan and several individual serving-size ramekins. More trouble to cover with foil, but who doesn't love their very own baked dish of mac and cheese?

Share Contents 7/12

In the shares for July 12th

Single
kohlrabi x2
cabbage
cucumbers
pickles
beans
onion
garlic
lettuce
yellow squash x2
tomato
zucchini


Family
cabbage
kohlrabi x3
berry x2
pickles
hyssop
yellow squash x2
cucumbers
beets
lettuce
garlic bulbs
zucchini x2
tomato
onion
patty pan
basil

Kohlrabi

One of my favorite things about City Fresh is the way it forces me out of my produce comfort zone and gets me to try new things I've never (knowingly!) eaten before. So I was very pleased when I discovered that kohlrabi was part of this week's share. Since the bulb and the leaves are both edible, I decided to make "kohlrabi two ways." For the first preparation, I diced up the white flesh of the bulb to create a kohlrabified version of one of my favorite Indian dishes, Saag Aloo, Spinach with Potatoes. For the second, the kohlrabi leaves and my City Fresh zucchini were combined with an array of spices to make a tasty vegetarian curry.

The recipe for the second prep needs a little more work, but for now, here's what I did to make a kohlrabi-saag:

Indian Spinach and Kohlrabi

1/2 tsp Whole YellowMustard Seeds

1 tsp of Ground Cumin, Ground Coriander, and Garam Masala

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1/4 tsp Cayenne

1 Tbsp of Oil

1 tsp of Garlic and Ginger Paste

1 cup of Kohlrabi, in smallish chunks

1 cup of Onion, diced

1 lb of Frozen Spinach, defrosted

Salt and Pepper

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil on medium-high heat until it glistens. Add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to pop, add the garlic, ginger, and spices. Stir for about one minute, until the mixture becomes pungently fragrant. Trust your nose--you'll know when it happens!

Add kohlrabi chunks, diced onion, and spinach to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat, covered, for 20 minutes. Check the kohlrabi, and continue cooking until it reaches desired tenderness.

Share Contents for 7/5

In the shares for July 5th...

Single
1 Kohlrabi
1 Bag Pickling Cukes
1 Pt Raspberries
1 Onion
1 Cucumber
1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Squash
1 Bulb Garlic

Family
2 Kohlrabi
2 Bags Pickling Cukes
1 Pt Raspberries
1 Onion
1 Cucumber
2 Zucchini
2 Yellow Squash
1 Bunch Beets
1 Bag Green Beans
1 Bunch Carrots
1 Bag Peas
1 Head Lettuce
1 Bunch Chives
1 Bunch Basil

Pickling Cucumbers

This past week's share included some pickling cucumbers, a.k.a. "pickles" or just plain "cucumbers." Compared to the typical cucumber you can find year-round in the produce section of your local grocery store, "pickling cucumbers" have thinner skins that make them ideal for soaking up the briny goodness of a basic pickling liquid. They are much shorter and smaller than their English cousins, and also sport numerous bumps or "warts" on their outer skin. But don't let their appearance or their name fool you: pickling cucumbers may be used just like regular cucumbers. You can slice them into salads, grate them for a killer tzatziki, or eat them au naturel.

Today, I decided to use my pickling cucumbers to make a classic Korean side dish that dresses cucumber slices in a sweet, tangy vinaigrette made with sesame oil and rice vinegar. This cucumber salad is the perfect compliment to a bowl of rice topped with bulgogi, Korean BBQ Beef. But I'll be serving my cucumbers alongside the burgers that my husband is grilling for our Fourth of July cookout....

Korean Cucumber Salad

- 4 Pickling Cucumbers, thinly sliced

- 1/2 tsp of Salt

- 1 Tbsp of Rice Vinegar

- 1 tsp of Sesame Oil

- 1 tsp of Sugar

- 1 tsp of Sesame Seeds

- 1/8 tsp of Minced Garlic

In a bowl, mix the cucumber slices and salt; let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds and minced garlic.

Rinse cucumber slices in cold water. Next, remove excess water by placing the slices in a clean dishtowel, and squeezing gently, but with purpose. Now, add the cucumbers to the rice vinegar mixture. Allow to set for at least 5 minutes, so the flavors have time to meld.

Additional Notes:

I usually buy my rice vinegar at an Asian market, but if you don't want to make a special trip to China Town, you should be able to find it in the "Asian" section of any well-stocked grocery store. It's one of the few specialty ingredients that I would strongly advocate making room for in your pantry, because it's a mild, sweet vinegar that's tasty, versatile, and can be used to make sushi rice.

In most versions I've seen, the classic Korean cucumber salad, oi muchim, is made spicy through the addition of gochugaru, Korean red pepper flakes. Gochugaru is tricky to find in Cleveland, but if any Coventry Fresh Stop members want to try some, I'm happy to share a few teaspoons from the ridiculously large bag I picked up the last time I went home to Los Angeles! A little goes a long way.

Spectrum Sesame Oil is incredibly bland. Although I grew up in a household that used Kadoya brand, I had a weak moment a few months back at Whole Foods, and was seduced by the word "organic" and the pretty rainbow on the label. Big mistake. Once this bottle of Spectrum has been used up, I'm getting a bottle of Kadoya, and never looking back.