Good evening Norwood CSA members!

Found the perfect recipe for those who still have some of the bounty from last week. It's a shaved vegetable salad that includes green beans, fennel, cucumber, zucchini, and radish. Only the green beans are cooked (very briefly) and the rest of the veggies are sliced as thin as you can get them, so they absorb the marinade well. As with the recipe last week, I put this in a sealed container and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least a few hours before serving.  I used a very sharp paring knife, but you could prepare with a mandoline or food processor.   This can be a nice hot-weather side dish, or toss it with pasta, garlic and tomato sauce (see picture).  I found the recipe in the Sonoma Diet Cookbook, as the base for a slice of grilled salmon.  You could top it with chicken, as well.

Sweet Piccalilli Relish—A Favorite of Many Cultures

This is a version of what some call “bread-and-butter” pickles. My grandmother, the daughter of Slovak immigrants, used to “put up” Mason jars of this kind of sweet relish made from garden-fresh cucumbers—for a taste of the garden all winter long!  I recently learned that immigrants from Scandinavian countries have their dill-spiced versions, and those from the Caribbean islands add many of their unique traditional spices to a similar concoction.  The British have used the term “piccalilli” for eons, but I think it’s a different type of relish derived from hot Indian peppers.

Here at the Norwood CSA, cucumbers and peppers should be plentiful through the fall.  Since you can only eat so many of them sliced up in salads, this is a way to expand your cucumber repertoire! The relish is a great topping for turkey burgers and chicken or veggie patties.  After putting it together, leave it in the refrigerator for a day so the flavors intensify.  It keeps well for at least a week in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator. 

Fresh Vegetable Ingredients

• 16 oz small cucumbers, sliced thin in food processor. Don’t peel. Just trim off the ends.  It’s easiest if you use those that are small enough to fit in the feed tube of  the machine.
• 1 large red bell pepper, shredded in food processor. 
• 1 medium white onion, quartered and sliced thin in food processor (or use peeled tiny white onions).
• large clove of garlic, peeled and smashed, and a handful of small cauliflower heads
• 2 T kosher salt

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 c. white or cider vinegar
• 1 c. white or brown sugar (you can substitute stevia or reduce sugar, if desired)
• ½ T mustard seed
• ½ t celery seed
• ½ t turmeric
• handful of whole cloves (remove before serving), or a pinch of ground cloves 

Preparation:

Put sliced/shredded veggies in big bowl and cover with a tray of ice cubes and a cup of water.  Sprinkle with 2T kosher salt.  Cover with lid or plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator.  After 3 hours, remove veggies, and drain out water and ice. You can rinse in cold water if you want to remove the salt, as well. 

You can make the dressing either in the microwave or on the stovetop. 

Microwave:  Put all the dressing ingredients in a large, microwave-safe dish and cook uncovered for 6 minutes.  Stir. Add veggies, cover, and cook for 12 minutes more.

Stovetop:  Put all the dressing ingredients in a medium-sized pot, bring to a boil, then boil for 5 minutes.  Add veggies, stir, and re-heat the pot to just below boiling. 

Stir the heated veggies and dressing well, then chill for several hours before serving.