glacier grist

Issue #22 • Thursday, March 19, 2009

25 March 2009 box contents

from Alaska’s Glacier Valley Farm and VanderWeele Farm:
Alaskan russet potatoes | Alaskan carrots | Alaskan green cabbage | Alaskan onions

from Outside:
certified organic cauliflower | certified organic spinach | certified organic white mushrooms | certified organic cilantro | certified organic Granny Smith apples | certified organic navel oranges | certified organic d’Anjou pears


BOX LIMITS
Because we have to pre-order our Outside produce ahead of time, each week we set a limit for the number of boxes available. We’re excited to grow with you, so if we hit our limit one week, we’ll set the limit higher the following week! But if we hit the limit for the boxes in a week, you won’t be able to order for that week—so try and get your orders in early!

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!
Please let us know if you aren’t happy with anything in your box, and we’ll make it up to you in your next box.

THE PLAN FOR APRIL
We are opening up ordering for April!  We are trying an experiment in the greenhouse this year and if it works we will have some early Alaska Grown veggies for the CSA boxes. We’re really excited about the possibilities, and we’ll keep you posted!

ALASKAN ONIONS
Despite our best efforts to tell the good from the bad, sometimes an onion turns up rotten in the CSA boxes. Why is this? Arthur explains: “Onions are one of the newer crops we are producing here in Alaska, and we still have a lot to learn. Growing them is easy; the hard part is perfecting the curing process: getting the outer layer of the onion dry enough to protect the inner onion. In warmer climates, onions are cured in the field before they are stored. Here in Alaska, farmers are trying to figure out how to cure onions indoors, without the benefit of a longer, hotter growing season. We donʼt have the process perfected but we are well on our way.”

So--should we quit putting Alaskan onions in the box because of the risk of a rotten one ending up in the boxes? We decided to put extra onions in your boxes, so in case you get a bad one, you’ll still have plenty. You’re part of the process of Alaskan farmers learning how to cure onions!

NEW PICKUP LOCATIONS!
We’re excited about our several new pickup locations since the new year. If you’re signed up to pick up your box at a different location, but would like to switch to any of these sites (keep in mind, the ConocoPhillips building is a secure building--so only employees of that building can sign up there), just send us an email at and we’ll change your selection.

PLEASE RETURN YOUR BOXES!

For more recipes, check out my Alison’s Lunch blog, or the South Anchorage Farmers Market website.  And check out our

new glacier grist recipe index!

Cheers! And happy cooking!  --Alison

recipes

for glacier grist Issue #22

Print Recipes

spicy roasted cauliflower with red peppers and cumin

This fabulous recipe is based on one in Peter Berley’s first cookbook: The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen. Although it has Indian spices in it, it’s so delicious that I find excuses to make it all the time. It’s great for dinner, just with rice alongside… or as an appetizer to a more elaborate dinner.

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 large or 2 medium cauliflower heads (about 2 pounds), cored and separated into florets
2 or 3 large red or yellow bell peppers, halved, seeded, and sliced into ½” strips

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, oil, salt, ground cumin, coriander, cumin seeds, and red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine.
3. Add the cauliflower and bell peppers and toss well.
4. Coat 2 baking sheets with non-stick spray or oil. (This makes clean-up a lot easier.) Spread the vegetables out on them in a single layer. Don’t overload the baking sheets—do this in two separate batches if you want to make a double batch, since the veggies will steam instead of roast if you crowd them on the sheets.
5. Roast the vegetables for 15-20 minutes or more, until they are starting to get dark brown in spots and they are nice and tender when poked with a paring knife. Stir after 10 minutes to ensure even browning.
6. Transfer the veggies to a serving dish. They are great hot or at room temperature, and make great leftovers.

hash browns, plain or fancy

This recipe is based on a recipe in the September 1998 issue of Cook’s Illustrated. Don’t try this recipe unless you have the proper potatoes—you really need to use russet or Idaho potatoes—a high-starch, non-waxy variety. Waxy potatoes (like Yukon Golds) burn before getting brown and crispy because of their higher sugar content.

Don’t bother grating the potatoes ahead of time, because they will discolor—it doesn’t take long to grate them, so just do them right before you’re ready to start frying them up. I love to make hash browns for dinner, not just breakfast! Even if you don’t serve them with my little garnish, they make a great dinner dish. Just serve wedges of hash browns with a big salad! 

1 pound high-starch potatoes (such as russets or Idahos), scrubbed and grated coarsely
¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or butter (I use olive oil)
optional fancy garnish
a few scoops of plain yogurt or sour cream
olive tapenade

1. To get rid of some of the extra water in the potatoes, place the grated potatoes in a dish towel, roll the towel up around the potatoes and, using two hands, twist the towel as tightly as you can, and watch the water pour out!
2. Toss the dried grated potatoes with salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
3. Heat half the oil or butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then scatter potatoes evenly over the entire pan bottom. Using a wide spatula, firmly press potatoes to flatten; reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until dark golden brown and crisp, 7 to 8 minutes. Check the underside after 3 or 4 minutes and turn down the heat if it looks like it’s browning too fast.
4. Slide hash browns, browned side down, onto a large plate. Cover with another plate and flip them over so the browned side is up. Add the remaining oil or butter to pan. Once the oil is hot, slide the hash browns back into pan. Continue to cook over medium heat until remaining side is dark golden brown and crispy, 5 to 6 minutes longer.
5. Slide the hash browns onto a plate or cutting board, cut into wedges and serve immediately, with or without garnish.
6. If you’re garnishing, stir the yogurt until smooth. Put a little dollop of yogurt on each wedge, then top with a spoonful of tapenade.

carrots with black-eyed pea hummus

This is a fun recipe based on one in Crescent Dragonwagon’s Passionate Vegetarian . She lives in the South, and calls her spread “Hillbilly Hummus,” since it contains black-eyed peas and peanut butter. I just love the combination of the slightly sweet black-eyes with the peanut butter. (Isn’t that clever—using peanut butter instead of tahini?) It’s quicker than regular hummus, because the black-eyes only take 30 or 40 minutes to cook. I make a really big batch when I do this, because it freezes so well. Just pack the hummus in small containers, label them and pull them out whenever you need a quick appetizer or snack.

2 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked for 4 hours or overnight
2 bay leaves
8 cloves garlic (4 for cooking the beans, 4 for the hummus)
¼ cup natural peanut butter, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon of cayenne, or to taste
2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt, plus more to taste

1. Drain and rinse the soaked peas. Cover the black-eyed peas with 2 inches of water in a large pot. Mince or press 4 of the whole garlic cloves and add them and the bay leaves to the pot, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and let simmer until the beans are completely tender (you can squish them between your tongue and roof of your mouth). This will probably take about 30 or 40 minutes, but keep testing. Let them cool a bit in their liquid. Don’t drain the beans yet—you’ll need some of the liquid to make the hummus.
2. This is probably the most important step of the whole recipe:  REMOVE THE BAY LEAVES from the peas. (It’s very important to find the bay leaves and get rid of them at this stage. Bay leaves do not puree well—they just turn into hundreds of tiny sharp shards.)
3. In a food processor, mince the remaining 4 cloves of garlic. Add the peanut butter, thyme, vinegar, cayenne and salt, and puree it until well-mixed. If your lemon juice or vinegar is cold, it’ll congeal the peanut butter into little curds—that’s totally fine. Scooping the peas out of the pot with a strainer or slotted spoon, add some of the beans to the food processor. (You might have to do this in batches, depending on the size if your food processor.) If you need to add bean-cooking liquid to make a smooth puree, do so.
4. Taste the puree and add more salt, more peanut butter, more cayenne, vinegar or lemon juice… whatever you think best! Scoop it up with celery sticks, carrots, or spread on crackers or toast! It tastes even better the next day. Taste for salt after it sits. 

country spinach with mushrooms

Here’s another recipe based on one from Passionate Vegetarian. This recipe is good with or without the dairy.

1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small package mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, minced, or 4-5 scallions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 bunches spinach, well washed
½ cup plain yogurt, drained in a fine sieve for 3-4 hours, or ¼ cup sour cream (optional)
3-4 tablespoons freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
freshly-grated nutmeg

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the onions/scallions and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir well.
2. Add as much spinach as the skillet will hold. Cover, steam to reduce the bulk of the spinach, and add more until all the spinach is wilted down. Uncover and sauté, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the spinach is greatly reduced by still very green—about 10 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and cheese, if using. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg. Serve immediately.

spicy indian cabbage & yellow split mung beans

This wonderful and interesting recipe is based on one from The Indian Vegetarian, by Neelam Batra. You never run out of things to make with your veggies (even if they are the same ones every week) when you add Indian food to your repertoire! I find split yellow mung beans (mung dal) at Sagaya. You could try this with red lentils instead (don’t soak them first) and let me know how it turns out. I think red lentils would turn into mush, though. But would probably taste just great!

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 cup sliced scallions (use minced onions in a pinch)
5 jalepeno peppers, skin puncture to prevent bursting
1 cup loosely packed finely chopped cilantro, soft stems included
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup finally chopped fresh or canned tomato
1 medium or 2 small cabbages (1 ½ to 2 pounds), quartered, cored, and finely sliced
½ cup dried split yellow mung beans, or dal (if you have time, soak them in cold water 4 hours or overnight)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat and cook the ginger and garlic, stirring, until golden, 1-2 minutes.
2. Add and cook the scallions, jalepenos, and cilantro for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and salt. Cook for a few seconds and add the tomato, cabbage, and mung beans.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the cabbage wilts, 3 to 4 minutes. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the dal is tender, 20 to 30 minutes or so. If you’ve soaked the dal first, you’ll probably only need 20 minutes, and you might not need to add extra water. The unsoaked dal, though, will likely need a little water added during this process to keep everything from sticking and to cook properly.  Just keep an eye on it when you uncover and stir.

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