Farm Direct Coop Recipesor. . . what you can do with your share!

Week 1 yielded: turnips, bok choy, red and green leaf lettuce, komatsuna, strawberries, basil and dill (both were potted herbs).

What I Made:

Komatsuna Salad with Strawberries and Blue Cheese

Komatsuna are japanese mustard greens, and like spinach, can be cooked or eaten raw. They’re pretty neutral in taste (no sharp bite like arugula, but not as mild as butter lettuce). Pair this salad with whatever you like as a green.

1 bunch komatsuna

about 10 strawberries, sliced

cucumber, in half moons

crumbled blue cheese, to taste

walnuts (optional)

salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Place washed leaves in salad bowl. Add strawberries and cucumber. Top with blue cheese, walnuts, salt and pepper. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and EVOO (or grapeseed oil or whatever you like) on top. Mix up and mangia. (Made 2 servings.)

Coconut and Strawberry Museli

Ahhh museli. It’s like a religion in our house. I have made about 876 variations of it, and we eat it every day. I soak it overnight in milk, and the results are nothing short of heavenly. Sometimes I use unsweetened dried apples and pie spices, other times dried blueberries and cinnamon. But then, these lovely strawberries were starting to turn, so best to make quick use of them in a museli: coconut strawberry it was.

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 wheat germ

2 tbsp walnuts or almonds

2 tbsp dried unsweetened coconut

cinnamon to taste (I have no idea how much. I shake it on until it looks pretty and smells fragrant.)

Mix and divide into 2 bowls. Add milk to each to cover. Soak overnight. In the morning add fresh fruit and serve. (Made 2 servings.)

Roasted Turnips

Right. So it’s paired with quiche here. Have we discussed my love for quiche? I really just can’t stop making it. It’s the perfect food. I don’t like it with cream and I do admit to making it with a combo of eggs and egg whites for more protein. I add milk, veggies and whatever cheese I feel like plunking on top. A little goes a long way! I usually take this to lunch over a bed of greens. (Ask my mother – I’ve had a lifelong obsession with eggs.)

Onto the turnips! I was pretty tired and this was the best I managed. My only excuse is that I was baking right before this.

7 turnips, diced into even pieces

EVOO

Sea salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Dice up the turnips, and place in roasting pan. Drizzle on EVOO, grind some pepper and salt over them. Mine took about 30 minutes. I like to garnish with a bit more salt when they’re done. (Made 2 servings with a little leftover.)

Bok Choy with Tortellini

I know, right? I went all Italian on the poor bok choy. We had a long run the next day, and I wanted to get in a little carbs. I’m not really a carb loading fan, but sometimes a little boost to the glycogen stores is helpful.

1/2 small onion, sliced into half moons

2 stalks celery, diced

1 red or yellow pepper, cut into strips (I used a bit of each here)

2 heads of bok choy, cut into ribbons

1 small can diced tomatoes, no salt added, drained

2 skinless chicken sausage

1 cup tortellini (I used tricolor)

salt, pepper, EVOO, grated cheese

In one pot, boil up the tortellini. In a saute pan, add a little EVOO, then onions, peppers and celery. Cook until wilted. Add the salt and pepper to the veggies. Add the boy choy, and simmer on low, covered, until wilted down. Add the diced tomatoes. Add the chicken sausage. (Note: I buy organic, fully cooked chicken sausage. Really quick for cooking with, but use whatever you want.) Adjust spices for taste. Serve over the cooked tortellini. Top with grated cheese. We like pecorino romano. (Like everything else I make, this made 2 servings.)

I hope you enjoy! We sure did.

Honey Glazed Turnips

submitted by Terri Lee Smith  (July 28, 2005 newsletter)

“Lately I have been inspired by Moroccan cusine which combines a variety of spices with some very simple ingredients and the results are extrordinary.  I’ve done some tagines, which are generally vegetarian or chicken or lamb based stews served in the traditional Moroccan tagine, a shallow pot with a tall conical lid.  The distinctive lid traps the steam rising from the stew cooked in the bottom and prevents the stew from drying out during the lengthy cooking time.  Le Creuset makes a heavy enameled cast iron tagine available from good kitchen shops.  It is always a conversation piece at parties and is doubly fun as the food basically cooks itself.  Other traditional flavors from Northern Africa include flower waters, couscous, and olives.  One of my favorite recipes combines products we receive at the depot.  It is from The Moroccan Collection  by Hilaire Walden, Reed Consumer Books Limited, 1998.  These Moroccan turnips are perfect using the lovely baby turnips we get,  this recipe works well with carrots too!”

• 1 1/2 lbs baby turnips
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 heaping Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp toasted sliced almonds
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1. Cook the turnips in boiling, salted water for about 10 minutes, or until tender but still firm to the bite.

2. Melt the butter with the honey in a frying pan.  Add the turnip and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes, or until glossy.

3. Stir in the almonds, then pile the turnips into a warm serving dish.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the pan juices over the turnips and sprinkle with the cilantro.

Serves 4-6.

Curried Turnips

This recipe was found in Fork & Knife , the online newsletter for the Fertile Crescent Farms Community Supported Agriculture, www.fertilecrescentfarms.com .

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 3 Hakurei turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tart apple (such as Granny Smith), cored and chopped.
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• lemon wedges

1. Cook the onion, stirring in the oil, for 5 minutes over medium heat until the onion starts to brown.
2. Stir in the turnips and cook 5 minutes more.
3. Add the apple, curry powder and salt, and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Squeeze a fresh lemon wedge over the dish before serving.  Serve with hot addition lemon wedges.