Box #11

What we got:

Sweet Spanish onions
Green Top carrots
Amaranth
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Salad mix
Potatoes
Green/yellow beans
Zucchini/squash
Cucumbers
Chioggia beets
Fennel

What we did with it:

Pav Bhaji
(recipe from allrecipes.com)

We used garam masala instead of pav bhaji masala, so technically what we made is not Pav Bhaji. We also left out the tomatoes which I think would have been a good thing to include. It turned out okay. Not sure I would make it again. The buns, however, were divine.



1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped green chile peppers
1 cup chopped onions
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 cup chopped roma (plum) tomatoes
2 cups cauliflower, finely chopped
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 cup green peas
1 cup grated carrots
4 potatoes, boiled and mashed
3 tablespoons pav bhaji masala
salt to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice

8 (2 inch square) dinner rolls
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped green chile peppers
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Saute garlic and green chile for 30 seconds, then stir in onions and ginger. Cook until onions are brown. Add tomatoes, and cook until pasty. Stir in cauliflower, cabbage, peas, carrots and potatoes. Season with pav bhaji masala. Cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, and stir in lemon juice.

Toast the dinner rolls, and spread lightly with butter. Serve garnished with chopped onion, green chile and cilantro.


Greek Salad
(Secret Family Recipe - ha!)

It's a little strange, but Greek Salad is to me what Tater Tot Hot Dish is to a Minnesotan. I grew up eating Greek Salad all the time. What's up with that, Mom? Anyway... this time we roasted our own beets instead of using the canned variety. Yum!




Carrot Top Soup
(Recipe from HVF Newsletter)

Yes, I'm serious. We've been trying to eat our entire crop share this year, leaving little waste. That means eating all the greens - beet greens, carrot greens, etc. I wasn't very skeptical about eating carrot greens but this soup actually ended up being tasty. I think it has everything to do with the fennel and coconut milk and little to do with the carrot greens.



4 green top carrots with greens
2 bulbs fennel with fronds
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 Tbsp butter
1 bay leaf
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade
½ cup vegetable stock or water

Remove green tops from carrots and chop coarsely, set aside; cut carrots into small dice. Remove stalks and fronds from fennel bulbs. Coarsely chop the fronds and stalks, set aside with carrot tops. Cut fennel bulbs into small dice and add to carrots.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add scallions and sauté until softened. Add carrot tops and fennel fronds and stalks. Add vegetable stock, coconut milk, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and puree in a blender. Return the soup to the saucepan and bring back to a simmer. Add diced carrots and fennel and simmer until vegetables are tender. Immediately prior to serving, add basil and adjust seasoning. Serves 3-4.


Grilled Chicken with Grilled Summer Squash and Green Bean Salad
(Midsummer Bean Salad recipe from HVF Newsletter)



Midsummer Green Bean Salad, Adapted from Barbara Kafka’s Vegetable Love
(From HVF Newsletter)
Serves 6

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt (we used a lot less salt and it was still really salty)
2 pounds green beans, tipped and tailed
1 pound sliced cucumber or sliced and sautéed summer squash
½ cup fresh onions, sliced thin
½ cup olive oil
Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
½ lemon

Bring 3 quarts water plus the ¼ cup salt to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add the beans. Return water to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. While the beans cook, prepare a very cold ice water bath in a large bowl. Drain the beans and plunge into ice water. Stir and toss.

While the beans are chilling, combine the cucumbers/ summer squash with remaining 2 Tbsp salt and sliced onions in a bowl. Toss and allow to sit for 20 minutes.

Drain the beans and add to the squash/cucumber mixture. Add the olive oil and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Allow to sit until ready to serve, or up to 1 hours.

Before serving, toss in the dill and squeeze lemon over the top.


Home Fries

We take turns sleeping in on the weekends/Mike's days off and on my turn, I woke up to the heavenly smell of home fries. Mike served this up with a couple of runny eggs on top.