THE BEET: Volume 13, Issue 18

THE BEET : VOLUME 13, ISSUE 18

In this week’s BEET:

1. Did you loose your metro card?
2. This week's share
3. Recipes
4. Cooking classes from Purple Kale
5. Storage tips

CSA Pickup Today 5-7:30pm

PS 56 at Gates and Downing (enter on Downing)

Just a reminder  -  CHCSA Pot Luck Party! 

Thursday October 30th, during the CSA Pick up hours.

Sign up at pick up to bring a dish!

A Quick Announcement:  

Did anyone loose their metro card last week?  If so, we have it!  Just check in with Ruth when you come in. 

THIS WEEK'S SHARE

Most likely it will be some of the following:

• SWEET PEPPERS
• ACORN SQUASHES
• YELLOW ONIONS
• RED OR YELLOW POTATOES
• GREEN LEAF LETTUCE
• RED RUSSIAN KALE, OR BOK CHOY, OR SWISS CHARD
• EGGPLANTS
• CARROTS
• SWEET CORN
• TOMATOES
• PEPPERS
• FRUIT SHARE: YONDER FARMS PLUMS

RECIPES

Let's start with dessert!  I made this delicious plum pie a few days ago, and rest assured, if we get more plums this week, I'll be making it again.  I especially liked this recipe because it involves using a pre-made crust, which makes this pie totally do-able on a busy week night.

Purple Plum Pie

from Taste of Home 

For the Filling

• 4 cups thinly sliced plums (one carton)
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 1 Tsp lemon zest
• 1/3 cup sugar in the raw
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon or all spice
• Frozen Pie shell

For the Topping

• 1/3 cup sugar in the raw
• 1/2 cup instant oats (or more flour if you're out)
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmag
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3 TBS cold butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sprinkle plums with lemon juice. Combine the sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon. Add to plums; toss gently to coat. Pour into pie shell.
2. For topping, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over filling.
3. Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes or until filling is bubbly. Cover edges of crust during the last 20 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings.

And if we get more beets this week I am definitely making this:

All Natural Red Velvet Cupcakes

from Sophistimom

3/4 cup beet puree (directions follow) 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar 1 cup sugar 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), at room temperature 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (not bleached flour) 2 eggs 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon natural cocoa powder (not Dutch Process, or dark cocoa powder)

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. Empty the food processor of the beet puree (see below). Measure out 3/4 cup of beets and add it back to the food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment. Save any extra beet puree for another use. Add in vinegar and lemon juice (if you didn’t already add it when you were pureeing the beets), followed by the rest of the ingredients. Pulse the mixture a few times until the batter is smooth. Scoop mixture evenly into cupcake liners.

2. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the cupcakes in the center spring back up when touched. Remove cupcakes from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting (I used a large pastry bag and a large star tip—Wilton 1M).

roasted beets

2 medium beets, or 1 large beet, scrubbed and rinsed

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Fill a small roasting dish with 1/2 inch of water. Place beets in the water, and cover with a piece of parchment paper and a large piece of aluminum foil. Roast for 60-90 minutes, or until the beets are very tender to the point of a knife.

2. When beets are cooled completely, peel, and cut into large chunks. Place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for 2 minutes, or until extremely smooth. If the beets need a little moisture to help them along, you can add the lemon juice and the vinegar from the recipe above, and then just don’t add it later.

cream cheese frosting

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Beat all ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.

For me October = slow cooker time!   I love coming home from work to a ready made dinner, and a clean kitchen.  I made this yesterday for dinner, which turned out better than I could have hoped, filled up my freezer for future dinners, and filled up my 3 hungry house guests that I have this week.  I added half our acorn squash to this recipe too, just because :) 

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

Serves 8 - 10

Adapted from Cooking Light

1 teaspoon olive oil 1 large onion, diced 2 all-purpose potatoes, diced 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 tablespoon) 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 cups vegetable broth 2 (16-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 10-ounces baby spinach 1 cup coconut milk

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion with one teaspoon of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and another teaspoon of salt, and sauté until just translucent around the edges.
2. Stir in the curry, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and chili and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in 1/4 cup of broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Pour this onion-potato mixture into the bowl of your slow cooker.
3. To the slow-cooker, add the rest of the broth, chickpeas, bell pepper, cauliflower, tomatoes with their juices, the pepper, and the final teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine. The liquid should come half-way up the sides of the bowl; add more broth as necessary. Cover and cook for 4 hours on HIGH.
4. Stir in the spinach and coconut milk. Cover with lid for 1 minute to allow the spinach to wilt. Taste and adjust salt and other seasonings as needed.

Serve on its own or over cous cous, Israeli cous cous, or orzo pasta.

AROUND TOWN

Purple Kale's Cooking Workshop

Mise en Place to Plate:  Systems and Strategies for a New Kind of Cook

offering a $25 discount to all CSA members

Purple Kale Kitchenworks is a small brooklyn based cooking school offering classes for the average, busy New Yorker.  Mise en Place to Plate is  a 4-hour, food-and-wine filled Brooklyn cooking class that teaches an ingredient-driven, zero-waste, seasonal, and sustainable method for everyday improvisation.

Here is more about the workshop

Our next workshops are October 25 (The Vegetarian Plate) and October 26 (for Parents). We are booking for November and December classes, too.

ROOT VEGGIE STORAGE TIPS

Beets? cut the tops off to keep beets firm, (be sure to keep the greens!)by leaving any top on root vegetables draws moisture from the root, making them loose flavor and firmness. Beets should be washed and kept in and open container with a wet towel on top.

Carrots? cut the tops off to keep them fresh longer. Place them in closed container with plenty of moisture, either wrapped in a damp towel or dunk them in cold water every couple of days if they’re stored that long.

Eggplant? does fine left out in a cool room. Don’t wash it, eggplant doesn’t like any extra moisture around its leaves. For longer storage? place loose, in the crisper.

Onion? store in a cool, dark and dry, place? good air circulation is best, so don’t stack them.

Potatoes? (like garlic and onions) store in cool, dark and dry place, such as, a box in a dark corner of the pantry; a paper bag also works well.