glacier grist

Issue #52 • Thursday, December 24, 2009

DID YOU KNOW?
The South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Cookbook is now available on the Glacier Valley CSA website.  Written by Alison Arians it is filled with 100 pages of delicious, healthy recipes that showcase our flavorful, fresh local Alaskan produce. Mostly vegetarian and vegetable recipes, the cookbook focuses on recipes that have fantastic flavor and top-notch nutritional value.

COMING SOON GIRDWOOD AND KENAI PENINSULA DELIVERIES!
We are so happy that we will be delivering to Girdwood and the Kenai Peninsula.  Please tell your friends to register on our website so they will receive our e-mail reminders.  This way they will be sure to get our message as to when this will exactly begin (soon, very soon!) and where the pick up locations will be.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
LOOK FOR YOUR NAME ON THE LABEL!
Look for your box label with YOUR name on it.  If you should happen to take someone’s box, please call customer service at 529.7630.
ALWAYS REMEMBER that if you are not happy with something in your box, please let us know right away.  We are dealing with Mother Nature and sometimes she throws us a curve. We will make it up to you in your next box. 

recipes

for glacier grist Issue #52

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cabbage & carrots on pasta with toasted walnuts

(contributed by Alison)
I love this recipe! Here’s another of my pasta recipes that has loads of vegetables and not so much pasta. Healthy, healthy, healthy! You can make this recipe with regular green cabbage or Savoy cabbage. The combination of sweet, browned onions, sweet Alaskan carrot slices, and the salty, toasted walnuts… it’s fantastically flavorful Fall food! It’s inspired by a recipe in rebar modern food.

One nice thing about this recipe is that you don’t need to put any cheese on it, because of the salty, roasty-toasty walnuts. Try it with just the nuts before you heap Parmesan on it!

½ pound whole wheat pasta, or buckwheat soba
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion (or 2 medium onions), diced
sea salt or kosher salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon red chile flakes
1 tablespoon dried sage (or ¼ cup fresh sage, minced)
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves)
1 medium head green cabbage, halved, cored, and cut into ¼-inch thick ribbons
½ to 1 cup vegetable stock, bean broth, or water
3 medium carrots, cut into thin half-moon slices
1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (optional)
freshly ground pepper
½ cup walnuts, toasted for 15 minutes in a 350- degree oven
1-2 tablespoons toasted walnut oil (optional—but I love to use Loriva oil)
½ bunch parsley, leaves chopped finely

1.  Bring a large pot of water to boil to cook the pasta.
2.  Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onions with ½ teaspoon salt until golden. Add carrots and sauté for another couple of minutes, then add the garlic, chiles, and herbs for several more minutes.
3.  Stir in the cabbage with another ½ teaspoon salt and the stock or water, and add enough stock to keep the cabbage from sticking in the pan. Continue to sauté the vegetables until the cabbage is tender.
4.  Meanwhile, add a couple of tablespoons of salt to the boiling water and cook the pasta until tender.
5.  Chop the walnuts coarsely and toss them in a small bowl with the toasted walnut oil (if using) and a generous pinch of salt.
6.  Just before serving, taste the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar to taste, but don’t overdo it—you want to be able to taste the flavors of the vegetables and the toasted walnuts.
7.  To serve, put a small mound of pasta on each plate, and mound a big pile of vegetables on top. Sprinkle with toasted, salted walnuts and chopped parsley.

spaghetti squash with different options

(contributed by Nancy)
Spaghetti squash gets its name because after you cook the squash you tenderly coax the flesh of the squash out with a fork.  It does look a lot like spaghetti! 

If you would like to bake it, and treat it with your favorite way of doing squash, here are the basics:

baked spaghetti squash
1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.  Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place in baking dish with about 1 inch of water, cut side up. Dab butter on edges and in squash. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until fork inserts easily. 
3.  You can then add your favorite ingredients to dress it up: butter, olive oil, grated parmesan cheese, herbs, garlic-well, you get the idea!

roasted spaghetti squash with herbs

This recipe is from Whole Foods Market. It cooks a little faster because the squash is also being steamed, so if you are pressed for time you might want to try this. The herbs infuse into the squash and it tastes like you put in a lot of time and effort.

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 large sprigs rosemary
2 large sprigs sage
1 (3- to 5-pound) spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F.
2.  Pour broth into a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Bruise rosemary and sage sprigs with the back of a knife and toss into broth.
3.  Arrange squash in dish, hollow sides down, and roast until rind gives easily when pressed and flesh is just tender, 35 to 45 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook squash since it will become too soft and soggy.)
4.  Transfer squash to a large plate, hollow sides up, and set aside until cool enough to handle.
5.  Using a fork, scrape squash out of rinds and transfer to a large bowl. Add butter, parsley, salt and pepper and toss gently. Serve immediately.

beet-fennel-ginger soup

(contributed by Nancy)
I have had this soup cold or hot and love it either way. It has a very complex and balanced flavor.  From the Culinary Institute of America Book of Soups.

4 beets, peeled and chopped (about 2 ½ cups)
4 cups chopped cabbage
1 fennel bulb, core removed, chopped (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger root
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 ½ quarts vegetable broth
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 ½ tablespoons fennel sprigs, optional

1.  Combine the beets, cabbage, fennel, ginger, garlic, and broth in a soup pot.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.
2.  Strain the soup, reserving the liquid.  Puree the solids with a small amount of liquid in a blender until smooth.  Combine the puree with enough of the remaining liquid to achieve the desired consistency. 
3.  Season with salt and pepper.
4.  Serve garnished with a dollop of yogurt and a fennel sprig. 

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comments

We made this soup last night YUM you could feel the beets