Thayer in the Kitchen

This recipe is a vegan version of the soup joumou that Haitians devour on New Year’s Day.  This was a great soup to make because we got so many of the ingredients in our winter storage share.  It is a delicious soup! Ingredients 1# kabocha squash, seeded and cut into 8 pieces (I used a baby dumpling squash from our CSA farm) 1 can whole coconut milk (not lite) 2 quarts vegetable or chicken broth, divided 2 tbsp sunflower oil or olive oil 1 cup diced carrot 1 cup diced celery 1 cup diced yellow onion 3 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, divided (dry can be used if fresh is not available--use less) 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves) 1 tbsp sea salt, divided 2 cups shredded green cabbage (1/2#) 1 cup chopped leek or green onions 1 cup peeled and diced sweet potatoes 1 cup diced potatoes (2 potatoes) 1 cup diced turnips 2 tbsp garlic powder 2 tbsp onion powder 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes Pinch of cayenne pepper 1/4# small ...

This is a recipe that I tried for the first time last night.  Arthur really liked it.  I served it with mashed potatoes--one of his favorite foods.  We were lucky enough to get a Sweetheart Cabbage from our CSA farm--Driftless Organics.  I've never seen this variety of cabbage for sale in the grocery store.  You could probably find it at a farmers' market. Sweetheart, Pointed , hispi, hearted or  sweetheart cabbage  as it is sometimes known is a type of green  cabbage  with green leaves and a  pointed  head. The leaves are more open than those of a green  cabbage  and they have a softer texture and sweeter taste.  If unavailable I'm sure you could use standard cabbage instead.   We were only making dinner for 2 people so I didn't use as much as the recipe called for although Arthur said he wished we had had more cabbage! 1/2# of salmon--I used 2 pieces of Keta Salmon from our Sitka Salmon Share...

We recently had one of our gourmet club dinners.  The theme of this one was food from private eye novels.  All of the food turned out to be dishes eaten by Spenser in the 39 books written by Robert B. Parker.  Spenser eats spareribs, beans, coleslaw, watermelon, and extra corn bread at the East Coast Grill in the book, Thin Air.   I'm not sure it was this coleslaw but if not, I'm sure he would have enjoyed this version. Coleslaw 6 cups shredded cabbage 1 cup shredded carrot 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (optional) 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon celery seed 2 tablespoons sugar (more can be added if you prefer a sweeter dressing Salt and pepper In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots and onions. In a smaller bowl, make dressing by combining mayonnaise, vinegar, celery seed, sugar, salt and pepper. Toss dressing into cabbage mixture and let chill. Serve in a family style bowl. I chose this as one of the dish...

This was adapted from a recipe of Wolfgang Puck's that I found in the Chicago Tribune a number of years ago. Finding myself with a red cabbage from our CSA farm I decided to try the recipe.  Arthur really liked it a lot and said I should post it. He's probably hoping that I'll make it again next season with a red cabbage.  I divided the recipe in half and it still makes a lot.  2 tablespoons oil 1 small to medium red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 2 apples, preferably tart, peeled and thinly sliced 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 cup each red wine and orange juice 1 cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper 2 pounds red cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced.  I found this easy to do in food processor. Heat the oil and add the onion. Cook until translucent.  Sprinkle in the brown sugar; cook until it is melted and starts to caramelize.  Add the apples and stir to combine with the onio...

I'm working my way through a very large head of Savoy cabbage.  Arthur is not a fan of cabbage salad or coleslaw but voted this one to be delicious and worth making again as well as posting it. 2 cups of cooked chicken, chopped or shredded * 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon black pepper 1/2 cup very thinly sliced onion 1/4 cup fresh mint 1/4 cup cilantro 4 cups finely shredded green, savoy, or napa cabbage ¾ cup shredded carrots 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped roasted and salted peanuts (optional) *I often buy a whole roast chicken at Whole Foods or Willy Street Coop to use for recipes like this.  Whole Foods puts theirs on sale on Tuesday for $2.00 less than it usually is.  Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a medium bowl, and stir to dissolve the sugar and mix everything well. Add the onion and toss to coat. Set aside for 20 ...

Arthur is not a big fan of cabbage, but we have been getting quite a bit of cabbage in our boxes the last few weeks.  He told me I should post this recipe because "This is cabbage I like."  I liked it because it is very easy which is nice if you're making dinner after working all day. 1 cup thinly sliced onion 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 4 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced--I used 1/2 head of my good sized red cabbage.  I sliced mine using a food processor.  I watched a cooking class on using your CSA vegetables a couple of weeks ago at Willy Street Co-op West.  She used a Mandoline.  This article reviews and rates them http://www.consumersearch.com/mandolines .  The one she used didn't appear to have a safety guard and I thought with my luck I'd slice my fingers instead of the veggies. 1 teaspoon salt or to taste 1 pound (4 pieces) boneless skinless chicken thighs 1/2 cup white wine black pepper Chopped parsley Put...

Cabbage, Mushroom and Noodle Casserole This recipe turned out very well. My husband was only sorry I hadn't doubled it so that there were more leftovers. 2 tablespoons olive oil 6 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used cremini mushrooms) medium onion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon dried tarragon 1 1/2 cups chicken broth 4 cups shredded cabbage (about 1/2 of a medium head) I used the thin slicing disk of my food processor which made preparing the cabbage really easy 4 ounces broad egg noodles 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk (not essential) 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard 1 1/2 cups milk 1/3-1/2 cup grated cheese (I used mozzarella, Swiss or Gruyere would work well) Optional: 3 fully cooked chicken sausages, sliced 1/2 cup fresh or dry bread crumbs 1 tablespoon butter (optional) Saute the onions and mushrooms in the olive oil until the onions are tender. Put them in a large casserole and sprinkle with the tarragon. Put the broth in the skillet, add ...

This dish is sort of a comfort food kind of thing. 1 medium sized head napa cabbage 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1/4 flour 1 teaspoon Penzey's chicken soup base (or something similar) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 cups milk 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1-2 cups buttered bread soft bread crumbs Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut large leaves in half lengthwise and then shred coarsely. (There should be about 8 cups--a little more or less is OK.) Place in a buttered shallow 8 cup pan (9 X 9" square pan works well). Melt butter, stir in flour, chicken base, salt and pepper. Cook stirring constantly until just bubbling. Stir in milk a little at time. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens. Stir in parsley. Pour over cabbage. Make sure the sauce and cabbage are combined. Cover with foil. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes; uncover. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs on the top of the cabbage. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cabbage in crisply tender and crum...

This is a recipe that another member of Harmony Valley Farm and fellow blogger, The Green Adventures of a City Girl, posted on her site. I made a few changes to use ingredients that I had on hand. I recommend giving it a try. I think you can probably vary it quite a bit and still get good results. The picture is also from her website, but I wanted to give you an idea of what the finished dish looks like. Layered Parmesan Polenta Bake 1 c milk 2 c water 1 t salt 2 c polenta or coarse ground cornmeal 1 t fresh sage, chopped 1 t fresh rosemary, chopped 1 T olive oil 2-3 c sliced green cabbage (about 1/4 of a small head) 3 spring onions, chopped - bulb and stalk portions kept separate 2 garlic scapes, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped 2 zucchini or summer squash, sliced thin 3/4 - 1 c Parmesan cheese, finely grated (I used a mixture of Ricotta Salata and Parmesan) Preheat oven to 400. Combine milk, water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sage, rosemary and ...

I've brought this coleslaw to a number of different potlucks and its always been very popular. Super Slaw Ingredients for Dressing: 6 tablespoons rice vinegar 6 tablespoons vegetable oil 5 tablespoons peanut butter (doesn't matter whether it is crunchy or creamy) 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic Whisk above ingredients in small bowl or mix in a blender. (Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before continuing.) 8 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (some of it could be red cabbage if you happened to have any) 1 large red or yellow bell peppers, cut into matchstick-size strips 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (about 1 cup) 4 large green onions, sliced--use some of the green tops too 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/4-1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional) Combine salad ingredients in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coa...

We have quite a lot of cabbage from our farm share so I'm trying a number of different recipes with cabbage. This is a recipe that I converted from a British website. The author comments: "This is a lovely, robust winter dish, perfect for when you come in chilled from outside and need something a bit stodgy and warming." Pasta with Savoy Cabbage, Dolcelatte and Roasted Walnuts I researched and found that Dolcelatte was similar to blue cheese, so that is what I used. 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small Savoy cabbage, finely shredded (I used about 4 cups) 1 clove of garlic, crushed or finely chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper juice of half a lemon 2 teaspoons fennel seeds 5 oz rotini (or any available pasta--I used penne) 2 oz roasted walnut pieces 4 oz Dolcelatte cheese, roughly cubed (I substituted blue cheese and would suggest using about 2 ounces, you can always add more if you want to) 2-3 tablespoons cream fresh Parmesan, gr...

I'm still working on using up our winter storage vegetables. We only get one more shipment from our CSA farm and then I'll have to resort to the grocery store. Ugh! I can get a few vegetables at the winter farmers' market. The farmers' market runs year 'round here in Madison Wisconsin on Saturday mornings. I actually love the winter market. Its quite small but they serve a breakfast and I always run into someone I know. If you live in the Madison area I suggest signing up for the e-mail update. http://www.dcfm.org/newslet.asp It is sent out toward the end of the week and includes the vendors who will be at the market, a menu for the breakfast, a recipe or two and lovely food porn. Savoy Cabbage and Corn Chowder (adapted from Recipe Source) 4 cups Savoy cabbage -- shredded (plain cabbage would be OK) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/4 cup minced red onion (or whatever you have) I'm lucky enough to have beautiful little cippolini onions from HFV (Harmony Valley Farm)...

Russian Cabbage Borscht (adapted from Mollie Katzen's The New Moosewood Cookbook) 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced potatoes 1 cup thinly sliced beets 4 cups vegetable stock or water 2 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 cups chopped onions 1 teaspoon caraway seed 1-2 teaspoons salt 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 large carrot, sliced 3-4 cups coarsely shredded cabbage black pepper to taste 1 teaspoon fresh dill weed (or dry if fresh isn't available) 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1-2 tablespoon brown sugar or honey 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce sour cream, for topping Place sliced potatoes and beets in a medium saucepan over high heat; cover with stock, and boil until vegetables are tender. Remove potatoes and beets with a slotted spoon, and reserve stock. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, caraway seeds, and salt; cook until onions become soft and translucent. Then stir in celery, carrots, and cabbage. Mix in reserved stock; cook, covered, until all vegetables are tender, about...

Tonight I made a stir fry that helped to use a number of our vegetables including some daikon. We are not normally daikon fans but the ones that we got in our share from HVF farm were much smaller and milder than those that we've received in the past. In other words a big improvement. Gingered Vegetable Stir-Fry (adapted from Epicurious) 3 tablespoons chicken broth 2 tablespoons medium-dry Sherry 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 pound fresh shitake mushrooms, stems discarded 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 pound carrots (about 3 medium), cut into julienne strips 1/2 pound daikon (an Asian radish), cut into julienne strips (about 2 cups) 1/2 pound Napa or Savoy cabbage, sliced thin (about 4 cups) 2 large garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger root 1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil In a bowl stir together broth, Sherry, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until combined well. Cut mushroom caps into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Hea...