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

While I was pondering the possibilities for a bulk order from FDC, I remembered this wonderful recipe from The $64 Tomato. (You might find yourself looking for something to do with all those wonderful potatoes and apples, even if you don’t order them by the bushel). It makes a nice side dish but also works as a main course when you serve it with a salad.

Potato Apple Thyme Gratin

• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 large apples, cored
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leave (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth (or water, or broth)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

1.  Peel and slice the potatoes, apples and onion into thin slices – 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick.

2.  Heat 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium frying pan and gently sauté the onion and thyme with a generous dash of salt and a few twists of pepper until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Do not brown the onions.

3.  Add white wine, turn the heat up, and cook down for a couple of minutes until the wine is reduced by half. Add water, sugar, and another 3 tablespoons of butter. Cook, stirring, until the butter is melted and set aside.

4.  Alternate layers of potatoes and apples in a buttered gratin dish, adding some of the onion mixture between layers, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Bake, covered with foil, for 45 to 55 minutes at 375 degrees until the potatoes are tender.

5.  Remove foil and sprinkle the top with freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese. Return to oven for another 15 minutes or so until cheese begins to brown. Let sit 5 or 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4. 

At today’s pickup, there seemed to be quite a few people who weren’t familiar with Delicata squash. I found this recipe by Amy and it looks delicious – and as a bonus, it uses more greens! Visit Eggs on Sunday for more information about how this recipe was developed (scroll down to the bottom) and to see some beautiful photos of its preparation.

Roasted Delicata Squash Stuffed with White Beans, Garlic and Sage

• 2 delicata squash, halved and seeds scooped out
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 15-ounce can small white beans (such as navy beans), drained and rinsed
• about 4 large handfuls of greens – baby spinach, chopped chard, chopped collards, etc – washed and spun dry
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash halves (cut side up) on a sheet pan or in a baking dish. Drizzle the surface with some olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and set aside.

2.  While squash bakes, make the filling: heat 1-2 tablespoons olive opil in a saute pan over medium heat, then add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the greens and saute until wilted. Add the drained, rinsed beans and cook until the beans are heated through. Stir in the sage, seson to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside to cool slightly.

3. Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. Mix the breadcrumbs and grated parmesan in a small bowl. Stir half of this mixture into the beans-and-greens filling. Divide the filling evenly between the cooked squash halves.

4. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumb mixture over the top of the filled squash halves. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping is golden, about another 15 minutes or so (check after 10 minutes so the topping doesn’t burn).

Makes 4 servings.

By Salem Depot Member Sandi Peaslee

Here is a recipe I found in the 7/29/09 Boston Globe. I tried it and it was delicious.

• 1 bunch beets, stem ends cut short and leaves removed.
• 1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise. (I used vegan mayo and it tasted just fine)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon white or white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon capers (I added these to the recipe, so it’s optional)

1. Combine beets in large saucepan with water to cover and large pinch of salt and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size of beets. Test for doneness with a fork.
2. In large bowl that will hold all of the beets, combine the next five ingredients. When beets are done, drain off water and add cold water to the pan. Let beets sit until they are cool enough to slip off the skins with your fingers.

3. Cut the beets into ½-inch wedges and add them to the dressing. Toss well and taste for seasoning. I found they didn’t really need any more salt but I added pepper. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Serve cool or at room temperature. I served them on salad plates on a bed of lettuce.

By Manager Julie Pottier-Brown

When I had an impromptu cook-out on Sunday with two other families, I found I had all these ingredients from the last two weeks of the FDC. I was able to throw together a beautiful salad:

• 1 can red kidney beans (Trader Joe’s)
• 3 small white turnips – chopped
• 1 red radish – chopped
• 1 carrot – chopped
• about a 1/3 of a bunch parsley – chopped
• 1/2 a fresh onion – chopped
• 1/2 small cucumber – chopped

Toss, add dressing, enjoy!  I usually use a Dijon mustard/lime or lemon juice/vinegar/cumin dressing that I concoct on the spot, so it is different each time. I added a few potatoes for the grill, beets and green beans as well.  With what my friends provided, we had quite a feast.

By Karen Yates, Melrose Depot Member

Adapted from “The Complete Book of Soups and Stews,” by Bernard Clayton Jr.

I never knew how much flavor was lurking inside a corn cob until I tried this recipe. Cutting the kernels off of a corn cob can be a bit tricky, so try this: leave the stem on the corn after you shuck it. Holding the cob by the stem end, place the other end against the bottom of a deep bowl. Use a small, sharp knife to slice the down the cob, rotating as you go. Then turn the knife over and use the flat side to scrape the bits of remaining corn kernels and “milk” into the bowl.

• 5 ears corn
• 1 onion, cut in half
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3 medium or 2 large potatoes (red-skinned or Yukon Gold), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 16-ounce can tomatoes or 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups milk or light cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped fresh parsley or green onions to garnish

1.  Cut the kernels off of the corn cobs. There should be about 3 cups.
2.  Break the corn cobs in half and place them in a large pot. Add 1 of the onion halves, bay leaf, and enough water to just cover the cobs. Boil for about 20 minutes, then strain the broth. Measure and add water, if needed, to make 3 cups.
3.  Chop the other half of the onion into small pieces (~1/4″). Puree ~2 cups of the corn in a food processor or blender (add a little water if needed to make a rough puree).
4.  Melt the butter in a 3-4 quart pot and add the chopped onion. Cook until softened, then stir in the garlic. Add the corn cob stock, potatoes, tomatoes, and baking soda. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are almost tender – about 10 minutes.
5.  Add the pureed and whole-kernel corn and simmer another 10 minutes. Add the milk and heat gently until steam rises from the surface – do not boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley or green onions.

By Allison Boomer, Globe Correspondent  |  January 7, 2009

You can take any old-fashioned dish and add a healthy spin. This baked green rice casserole is adapted from a 1967 edition of “The Joy of Cooking.” Instead of the original white rice called for, use brown. In place of parsley, add plenty of fresh spinach. Frozen, thawed spinach works just as well; in either case, thoroughly dry the spinach before using it (a salad spinner for fresh spinach and a sieve for thawed). With brown rice, there are few shortcuts. It takes 40 minutes to cook it until tender, and after you add spinach, eggs, milk, and cheese, the casserole bakes for up to an hour, so plan accordingly. If you have leftover rice on hand, you can use that too. The recipe is flexible in other ways; sharp cheese can be substituted for the Parmesan, and squares of extra rice reheat nicely in the microwave.

• Olive oil (for the pan)
• 4 1/4 cups water
• Salt, to taste
• 2 cups long-grain brown rice, rinsed
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 bunch (1 pound) fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed, and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup grated Parmesan

1. Set the oven at 325 degrees. Oil an 8-by-12-inch baking dish or another dish with a 1 1/2-quart capacity.

2. In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt. Pour in the rice, lower the heat, and cover the pan. Simmer, without stirring, for 40 minutes. The rice is done when all water has been absorbed and the grains are tender. Use 2 forks to fluff the rice.

3. In large bowl beat the eggs. Add the milk, spinach, garlic, onion, rice, and all but 3 tablespoons of the cheese. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons cheese.

4. Bake the dish for 45 to 60 minutes or until the custard is set and the top is brown.