Seared Fish with Beets and Broccoli

The second 40 pound vegetable box from the winter share is now officially gone – I’ll be happy not to see another beet until next year’s winter share. It’s good, because we will have CSA vegetables in 11 days (but who’s counting). Our CSA is delayed by a week, the farm had a terrible thunder/hail storm and some early crops were destroyed. Very sad. In other more upbeat and adventurous news I will have a full share this year. I’m hoping to store many things and write about methods and ideas for filling the freezer and pantry shelves.

Thursday Menu – Seared Fish with Beets and Broccoli
Farm Share Produce - Beets

Seared Fish with Beets and Broccoli
http://www.marthastewart.com/335096/seared-fish-with-beets-and-broccoli

My review would be, it’s a dish with beets. It was actually an okay beet dish. I didn’t change anything, but be sure and follow the link to see a beautiful purple representation of the dish.

Braised Rutabaga with Beets and Spinach

My friend walked me through how she prepared Rutabaga a couple of weeks ago when her house smelled so good. I took her basic method and created this recipe.

Meatless Monday Menu - Braised Rutabaga, Rice Pilaf
Farm Share Produce – Beets, Rutabaga

Braised Rutabaga with Beets and Spinach

2 T olive oil
1 t cumin seeds
6 cardamom pods
½ t cayenne
1 t dried thyme
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 T garlic minced
1 T ginger minced
1 6oz. can tomato paste
1 cup broth (vegetable, chicken)
2-3 small beets, peeled and shredded
2 cups rutabaga, 1 inch cubes
1 cup spinach (any green, the bitter the better with rutabaga)
½ cup cream
Water, as needed

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Crack open the cardamom pods with a mortar and pestle or under a knife.
When the oil is hot add the cumin, cardamom, cayenne, thyme, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Cook 1-2 minutes until cumin seeds begin to pop. Add garlic and ginger, cook 1 more minute. Add tomato paste and cook until the seasoned paste begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, 5-7 minutes.
Add the broth, and deglaze the pan. Add the beets and rutabaga, stir to combine and bring to a boil. When boiling turn down to simmer and cover. Check every 20 minutes. Add water if the mixture is becoming too thick. You want it to coat the rutabaga like thick gravy. Cook a total of 50-60 minutes.
Add spinach and cream. Cook a few minutes more until spinach wilts and cream heats through.
Serve with rice or flat bread.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

I used to pick savory or salty over a sweet treat. Nowadays, I’m very excited to eat dessert. AND, Red Velvet made from beets I simply adore!!!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Created by combining my Red Velvet Cake http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/08/red-velvet-cupcakes-secret-beets.html and Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/red-velvet-sandwich-cookies-recipe/index.html

3-5 beets
1 ½ cup flour
½ cup cocoa
1 t baking powder
¼ t baking soda
½ t salt
½ cup oil
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 T milk
½ Balsamic vinegar
1 t yogurt (plain or vanilla)

Ahead of time, place beets trimmed at each end in an aluminum foil pouch . Roast in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool and peel off skin. Can be stored in the refrigerator till ready to make pies. When ready to bake, roughly chop beets and purée with immersion blender or blender. Set aside purée.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside

Mix together oil and sugar, almost like creaming butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly. Then add milk, vinegar, yogurt, and beet purée, mix until thoroughly combined. Add1/3 of the dry ingredient mixture at a time. Mix thoroughly each time.

Onto a parchment lined baking sheet drop batter, about 1 – ½ T per cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes. Check for doneness like you would a cake. Batter will be very wet and cookies will be more like a cake. Cool slightly on baking sheet when you remove from the oven and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

When completely cool generously spread cream cheese frosting between cookies and serve.

This cream cheese frosting recipe halved is a good amount for the number of cookies made by this recipe.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-Cheese-Frosting-II-2/Detail.aspx

Two Potato and Beet Hash with Poached Egg and Greens

This was a great fall meal, especially the week after Thanksgiving. It had the flavors of fall – sweet potato, beet, and sage, but wasn’t a heavy meal (we had enough of those last week). If you are getting the same items I did in my CSA this week, it’s also a great meal. It used some of the beets, some of the sweet potatoes, some of the onion (you get the idea), but still left some for other recipes. This one is a keeper.

Tuesday Menu: Two Potato and Beet Hash with Poached Egg and Greens
Farm Share Produce: Onion, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Beets

Two Potato and Beet Hash with Poached Egg and Greens
Adapted from http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000002012800

2 T olive oil, divided
1 cup finely chopped onion
¾ pound cubed, peeled potato
¾ pound cubed, peeled sweet potato
1 T chopped fresh sage, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup broth, chicken or vegetable
½ pound cubed, peeled beets (roast at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or boil while making hash)
Salt and pepper to taste
5 t red wine vinegar, divided
4 large eggs
½ t Dijon mustard
6 cups salad greens

Heat 1 T of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan and sauté until tender, 5 minutes. Add potatoes, sweet potatoes, 2 t sage, garlic, and broth to the pan. Cover and cook about 25 minutes until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Add beets and salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes to evaporate liquid and continue cooking the potatoes and beets.

To prepare poached egg fill a skillet 2/3 full of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar. Break each egg into a custard cup, and pour gently into pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

In the 3 minutes the eggs are cooking prepare plates with the hash. Remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon, allow to drain over the pan. Place egg on top of hash and sprinkle with remaining sage.

To prepare greens combine remaining 1 T olive oil, 2 t red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and mustard in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Toss with salad greens. Add greens to plate with hash and eggs.

NOTE: It is worthwhile to check out the original recipe. The greens suggested are frisee. It calls for a nonstick pan (which I don’t have), this would allow the broth to be eliminated. It also gives some short cuts for the beets.
If you roast the beets wrap them in foil.

Beet, Radish, and Turnip Stir Fry

I used the Beets, Radishes, and Turnips I got from the market to make a version of the Stir Fry I mentioned earlier this week. It was colorful and enjoyable. I have found I like to steam the vegetables a little bit before letting them fry and get a little bit of color. I added them all at the same time. Next time I would put the beets in to steam for a few minutes, then the turnips, and finally the radishes. The beets were still a little hard, but the radishes just melted in your mouth. I would have liked all the veggies to have the same texture. As with all stir fries this is a great recipe to add any vegetables you have on hand, like last night I also added grated carrots. Here is the recipe for last night’s stir fry.

Beet, Radish, and Turnip Stir Fry
(revised from Stir-Fried Noodles with Eggplant and Basil – from Everyday Food Jan./Feb. 2010)


8 oz. lo mein noodles
2 T soy sauce
1 T toasted sesame oil
1 tsp light-brown sugar
4 tsp vegetable oil
2 small beets cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup turnips cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bunch of radishes, quartered
2 small carrots, grated
5 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fresh basil, torn for serving

Cook noodles according to package instruction; drain noodles and rinse with cold water. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.

Heat a large skillet or wok over high until hot. Add 3 tsp vegetable oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add beets, cover and steam for 3 minutes. Add turnips, cover and steam for 3 minutes. Add radishes, cover and steam for 5 minutes. Uncover and let vegetables brown, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes.

Add additional oil carrots, scallion whites, and garlic. Cook 1 or 2 minutes.

Serve topped with scallion greens and basil.

NOTE: you could also chop up the radish greens, or any other greens you have on hand, and add them at the same step you add the carrots.