Braised Romano Beans by Jonathan Lessuck

Braised Romano Beans

by Jonathan Lessuck 

When I saw that we were getting Romano beans, I searched for a recipe. This one caught my eye because it brought together the beans with grape tomatos. It is a spicy sauce, so adjust it to your families tolerance for heat.

Braised Romano beans, photo by author.

Braised Romano Beans with Spicy Cherry Tomato Sauce & Lemony Ground Walnuts

(Original recipe from The First Mess).

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium shallot, small dice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
½ - 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes or ground chillies (I used Diaspora Co.'s ground Guntur Sannam Chillies)
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon capers, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup water
¾ lb green Romano beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
¼ cup walnut halves
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon tamari soy sauce
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
chilli oil for garnish (optional)

Instructions
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add the shallot and thyme to the pan and stir. Cook until the shallots are translucent and soft, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes. If the shallots are browning on the edges, lower the heat.
Add the chili and smoked paprika to the pan and stir for about 30 seconds. Then, add the capers and minced garlic. Keep stirring until the garlic is very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste to the pan and break it up with the back of your spoon. Keep stirring and mashing the bits of tomato paste until it has darkened a shade or two. Again, if you’re experiencing rapid browning/drying of the pan here, just lower the heat.
Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Once the cherry tomatoes let off some juices and start bubbling, keep the heat at this level. Simmer the cherry tomato sauce base for 5 minutes. Then, add the water to the pan and stir. Let the sauce simmer another 5 minutes. The sauce should be slightly thick but still fluid enough to move around the pan easily.
Add the cut green Romano beans to the pan along with some extra salt and pepper. Stir to coat the beans in the sauce. Bring the sauce and beans to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the beans and continue to simmer until they are tender and the sauce has thickened around the beans, about 15-18 minutes. I like to lift the lid and check in on the beans here and there, giving it a stir each time.
While the beans are simmering, finely chop the walnuts and mix them together in a small bowl with the lemon zest and a pinch of salt. You could also grind this mixture up in a mini food processor if you like.
Once the Romano beans are done simmering, stir in the ½ teaspoon of tamari soy sauce. Check the dish for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve the braised Romano beans warm with the lemony walnut mixture and parsley sprinkled on top. Garnish with chili oil if you like.

Recipe Notes
You could definitely make this with regular green beans, but the experience will be a bit different. The Romano beans have a meaty quality that works so nicely here. That said, regular green beans would still be tasty! I’d simply leave them whole rather than cutting them. They will likely need less simmering time--I’d start checking at the 8 minute mark.
This cherry tomato sauce is seriously incredible with pasta. Use a bit of the starchy pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce rather than the plain water that I call for here.
If you would like to make this nut-free, you can substitute toasted sunflower seeds for the walnuts.
To make this soy-free, use 1 teaspoon coconut aminos in place of the tamari.
These braised Romano beans with spicy cherry tomato sauce are a simple and incredibly flavorful side dish.

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html

Swiss Chard & Potatoes - a Delicious Italian Side Dish by Wendy Myers-Jennings

Swiss Chard & Potatoes - a Delicious Italian Side Dish

by Wendy Myers-Jennings

We are so excited to be back in CSA season! Swiss chard is a frequent component of our box early on, and this year was no exception. A few years ago I found a simple side dish recipe that incorporates swiss chard and have stuck with it ever since! Simply peel, chop and boil some potatoes, blanch the chard at the end, and then drain the potatoes and chard. Saute the vegetables with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and top it off with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe from: https://www.shelovesbiscotti.com/swiss-chard-recipe/

Enjoy!

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html

My Take on Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic by Jordan Moss

My Take on Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic

By Jordan Moss 

 

We often make Brussels sprouts for the holidays. But this, what I tried out the other night, is the first time I've found it both delicious and incredibly simple. 

Roasted Brussels sprouts on a baking pan. Photo by author.

Here's the recipe by Mark Bittman from New York Times:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

• 1pint brussels sprouts (about a pound)
• 4 to 6tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to coat bottom of pan
• 5cloves garlic, peeled
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 
  
• Preparation

1. Step 1

   Heat oven to 400 degrees. Trim bottom of brussels sprouts, and slice each in half top to bottom. Heat oil in cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers; put sprouts cut side down in one layer in pan. Put in garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2.  Step 2

   Cook, undisturbed, until sprouts begin to brown on bottom, and transfer to oven. Roast, shaking pan every 5 minutes, until sprouts are quite brown and tender, about 10 to 20 minutes.

3. Step 3

   Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in balsamic vinegar, and serve hot or warm.

 

I'm an artist and I can't help putting colorful fruit and vegetables in various order and shapes, before I cook them,  to see what the colors and shapes can create. It's rather endless. Here are a couple of photos of carrots from recent CSA carrots. 

 

Three purple carrots on a bed of yellow carrot slices.  Photo by author.

Orange, purple, and yellow carrot slices. Photo by author.

Enjoy Thanksgiving everyone!

Peace, 

Jordan

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html

Jazz Up Your Salsa by Wendy Myers-Jennings

 Jazz Up Your Salsa

by Wendy Myers-Jennings

Mixed vegetable salsa in a white bowl on a white tablecloth.  Photo by author.

 

One of the veggies we only get in our farm share is husk cherries. Biting into these always provides a confusing sensory experience: is it sweet? Savory? Do I like it??

In the past we’ve made baked goods with these cute little tomato/tomatillo cousins, but this year we mixed it up and made a delicious salsa! They’re a great addition to a salsa because they give mango salsa vibes but with less sweetness. We paired the husk cherries with our CSA cherry tomatoes, along with some red onion, black beans, cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Yum!

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html

Kohlrabi by Jolene Halzen

 Kohlrabi 

by Jolene Halzen

I first participated in Norwood CSA in summer 2021. I was delighted that Nick’s weekly emails included a list of the vegetables we were likely to receive, so that when I unpacked my box, I could cross reference and work out the identity of any vegetables that were unfamiliar to me!

 

One of those unfamiliar-to-me vegetables was kohlrabi.

 

Four kohrabi on a table.

 

Now, kohlrabi is a welcome gift.

 

I’ve learned to trim the leaves from the bulb immediately as I arrange the veggies in my fridge. I’ve learned you can use the leaves as you would other greens.

 

The kohlrabi blub is fresh and reminds me of radish, though a bit sweeter. I most enjoy the kohlrabi bulb cut up, served raw, with ranch dressing or dip. I put it on a plate next to carrot sticks and chopped red pepper for a colorful veggie plate.

 

●      Remove the leaves

●      Use a peeler to peel the outer layer

●      Cut in half

●      Chop it into thick matchsticks

●      Serve with other raw veggies and dip

●      Enjoy

 

Last week, I did a quick pickle on my kohlrabi blub sticks, which I loved. Two tablespoons of salt with a cup of vinegar in a bowl. Put the kohlrabi sticks in, and wait for 20-30 minutes. Serve as a side with dinner. Fancier version below.

 

Another thing I love: if I don't use the kohlrabi bulb right away, it keeps for a few weeks in the fridge.

 

Links for continued enjoyment of kohlrabi from The Spruce Eats:

 

How to Prepare and Cook Kohlrabi Deliciously - https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-prepare-kohlrabi-1447265

 

Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe - https://www.thespruceeats.com/pickled-kohlrabi-5187731

 

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html

 

Snap Beans – More Vitamin C than Oranges? by Patrice Hall

 Snap Beans – More Vitamin C than Oranges?

By Patrice Hall 

I am on a search for foods which contain Vitamin C. I had a cold last week and the fall season is almost here.  Which means that I have to get my vitamins and mineral supplements stocked up in my kitchen, along with the usual herbs such as echinacea, reishi mushroom and astragalus.  However, I was also looking for foods to stock up on besides the usual oranges and lemons.  

So, I was looking through the Just Food Vegetable Tipsheets and found that snap beans are a good source of vitamin C, which is great because we usually get them in our boxes. 

We can preserve them by pickling. You can find the recipe here: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/pickle/vegetable-pickles/dilled-beans/ .  

Here is the nutritional information: https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/green-snap-beans.

If you want to compare the vitamin C content of different foods, here is the information https://www.eatingwell.com/article/2052728/6-foods-with-more-vitamin-c-than-an-orange/.  So, oranges contain much more vitamin C than snap beans.  You will have to eat about a pound of snap beans, which will make a great dinner, and you will be getting other nutrients such as Vitamin A, K, folate and fiber.  You can find a great recipe here: https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/slow-cooker-green-bean-casserole ..

I think that my search for a veggie with a vitamin C punch will lead me to broccoli, kale, mustard greens or brussels sprouts.  It is great to experiment with different foods, especially since we have so much access to them in our weekly boxes. Enjoy!

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html