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beets

Herbed Spring Salad with Egg and Walnuts

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iStock

Adapted from the recipe by David Tanis
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 1 hour

This bright, herby, fresh-tasting salad makes a very nice accompaniment to a seared pork chop. The components can be prepared in advance, but wait until the last minute before dressing and serving.

Ingredients:
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
● 2 tablespoons finely diced yellow onion*
● 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
● 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
● 3 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more to taste
● ½ teaspoon grated garlic* (from 2 small cloves)
● Kosher salt and black pepper
● ¼ cup walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil

FOR THE SALAD:
● 4 cups lightly packed watercress* or a mixture of salad greens*
● 3 medium beets*, cooked, peeled, and cut in wedges
● ½ cup thinly sliced radish* (6 to 8 medium radishes)
● ½ cup thinly sliced turnip* (or use small kohlrabi*)
● ½ cup thinly sliced cucumber*
● Kosher salt and black pepper
● 2 tablespoons roughly chopped dill*
● 2 tablespoons basil* leaves, torn
● 4 (7-minute) boiled eggs*
● 1 cup toasted walnut halves

Instructions
1. Make the vinaigrette: Put shallots in a small bowl. Add mustard, vinegar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and garlic. Stir together, and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the walnut oil. Set aside for a few minutes, then taste and adjust lemon juice and salt.
2. Wash and dry the salad greens. Tear large leaves into smaller pieces, if desired. Wrap in a clean towel and refrigerate if not serving immediately.
3. Just before serving salad, put beet wedges in the bottom of a wide salad bowl. Add the radish, turnip, and cucumber. Season with salt and pepper. Add dill, basil, and half of the vinaigrette. Toss gently to coat.
4. Add the salad greens and combine to distribute sliced vegetables evenly. Cut eggs in halves or quarters, and arrange over salad. Scatter walnuts over the top. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.

Comfort Foods for Christmas

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Prepping Roast Chicken, Adobe Stock

Short days, long nights, and frigid wind chills characterize our winter holidays, even without a pandemic. This kind of weather offers an excuse to forgo extensive meals and focus on what is elegantly simple: dishes that require few ingredients and few steps to prepare. With foods from our local farmers, elegance is easy.

Think roast chicken. Pick up a half or whole chicken at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, fresh or frozen. If frozen, thaw. If fresh, immediately wrap the breast and wing in aluminum foil and roast in an open pot at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven, cool the oven down to 325 degrees, unwrap the foil, put a lid on the pot, and continue cooking for an additional 15-17 minutes a pound, usually about 50 minutes for a three-pound chicken. You can add salt and pepper, lemon, herbs, or any other seasonings to the chicken beforehand. But farm-raised chicken is delicious as is.

While the chicken is cooking, consider adding mashed potatoes. Wash potatoes and scrub skins of debris. Boil until soft or cook in an instant pot. Then, melt butter or heat oil in a stovetop pot. Add potatoes, and mash until they’re of a consistency you like. Salt, pepper, herbs, and milk can enhance the flavor.

Pleasant Valley Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Carrots, turnips, and beets tossed in oil and seasoned with salt and pepper can roast nicely as your chicken cooks. Or try boiling these nutritious root vegetables on the stove until fork tender and tossing in a half or quarter head of cabbage toward the end.

Finally, try onion soup. Warm 5-6 cups of chicken stock (or any other meat stock or vegetable broth) in a soup pot. While the stock is simmering, thinly slice about five medium-sized onions. Cook with oil or butter in a skillet at medium-low heat until the onions have caramelized, about 25 minutes. The key is to get the onions soft but to stir often so they do not stick to the pan. Turn the heat down and add a tablespoon of flour. Toss well, then add to simmering stock, stirring gently to dissolve the flour. Serve with toasted bread and sliced cheese.

This week’s recipe: French Onion Soup

Spinach Salad with Peaches and Beets

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Photo by Pattie Garrett

Adapted from the recipe featured in Eating Well, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Total time: 1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 8

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1½ pounds small to medium beets*, preferably Chioggia*
● ½ cup water
● 1 cup whole milk plain yogurt*
● 1 Tablespoon honey*
● 1 teaspoon lemon juice
● ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
● 1 Tablespoon olive oil
● ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
● 4 cups fresh spinach* or Lacinato Kale (cut kale into ¼” ribbons)
● 4 ripe peaches*, cut into ½ inch wedges
● 2 Tablespoons small fresh mint leaves* or torn basil*
● ¼ cup chopped almonds or hazelnuts

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash beets and place in a small roasting pan. Pierce all over with a small paring knife. Add water to the pan and cover with foil. Roast until tender when pierced with a knife, 40 to 50 minutes.
3. Combine yogurt, honey, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
4. When beets are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut into ½ inch wedges. Transfer to a medium bowl and toss with oil, pepper, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
5. To assemble the salad, make a bed of spinach greens. Drizzle with half of dressing and top with beets and peaches. Tuck in mint or basil in between the beets and peaches. Drizzle remaining dressing on top and sprinkle with chopped almonds or hazelnuts.

Notes: The original recipe calls for adding 3 Tablespoons of hazelnuts to the dressing. Process in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Farm to Pantry: Making meals with ingredients on hand

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By Julia Howard

Pleasant Valley Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Our responsibility, by direction, is to stay at home and only head out for essentials when absolutely necessary. As we settle in safely for the weeks to come, many are looking to foods that store well, foods that are easy to prepare, and, most importantly, foods that are available right now.

While food bloggers hail smart and savvy ‘pantry meals’ that utilize canned goods, rice, and beans, the farmers’ market offers an expanded palette of foods that are easy to store and last longer than most produce found at grocery stores.

Vegetables like onions, garlic, potatoes, and carrots are often at the core of savory, hearty meals. They are durable and have a good shelf life, and these vegetables work well in diverse meals depending on preparation methods and seasonings. Please note that garlic is currently unavailable at market.

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Milk, butter, cheese, and eggs are staples that most of us keep in constant rotation in the refrigerator. These binding ingredients are often what pulls the meal together. Milk may be used to create a creamy finish to soups and sauces like a classic roux – which is made from butter, flour, and milk. Eggs can be used to create satisfying omelettes and frittatas with endless possibilities for fillings. Cheese is essential for homemade pizza, quesadillas, baked ziti, and numerous other dishes.

Saratoga Apple, photo by Pattie Garrett

Shelf-stable vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, and turnips can last for several weeks when kept in a cool, dry place. These vegetables can be the main stars of any meal, soup, or salad, and they are high in nutritional value. Even fruits like apples can keep for 2-3 weeks. Having a variety of these long-lasting fruits and vegetables inspires cooking that’s creative, comforting, and simple.

Meat and poultry are necessities for most, and they can be bought directly from farmers. Ground beef, whole chickens, and steaks and roasts can be kept frozen and thawed under refrigeration once you are ready to prepare them. Leftovers from a large roast or a whole roasted chicken may be used in a variety of dishes and soups as well.

While shopping at the farmers’ market, please remember to follow universal precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19. Please try to send one member of the household to shop and give 6’ space while shopping. Only touch products that you commit to buy and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after shopping.

If you plan to shop for something specific, please check our website and social media pages for updates. These are changeable times and we are working to keep you up to date with vendor and product availability each week.

 

This week’s recipe: Pantry Pot Pie

Pickled Beets

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Recipe by Sandy Arnold, owner of Pleasant Valley Farm
Makes 4 quarts




Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market
● 4 qts beets*, cooked and sliced
● 3 cups apple cider vinegar*
● 2 cups water
● 1 ½ to 2 ½ cups sugar
● 2 tsp whole allspice
● 3 inch cinnamon stick
● ½ tsp whole cloves
● 1 tsp salt
● Onions*, chopped (optional)

Instructions
Combine all ingredients except beets. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Add beets, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. Pack beets in hot sterilized canning jars. Pour syrup over beets and fill to within ½ inch of top. If there is not enough liquid, add a mix of boiling water and vinegar. Seal immediately and process 30 minutes in hot water bath canner. If you are not familiar with canning, you can refer to the Blue Book for instructions or you can place the pickled beets in the refrigerator for several days before eating. They will last several weeks in the refrigerator or several months if canned.

Stems add beauty and flavor to summer roots

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Carrots, turnips, and beets. These are the everyday root vegetables at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market that we eat year-round. However, at this time of year, as summer harvests hit their peak, they shine. They come to market fresh from our area’s farm fields, often with their stems attached. These stems are not only pretty to look at but are edible, too.

Farmers harvest root vegetables by pulling them from the stem. These stems add nutrition and flavor to summer meals, not to mention value to your market purchases. The leafy greens of beets, turnips, and carrots are all sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, and fiber. Here are a few tips for getting started:

Otrembiak Farm, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

● Carrot tops. Clip off the green feathery tops. Wash them well and rinse them a couple of times to remove excess dirt. Select the greenest and most tender tips of the bunch and add them to soups, stocks, or to vegetables you might be roasting or braising for the night’s meal. They taste somewhat like parsley but add a distinct carrot-y flavor.

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

● Turnip greens. The leafy greens that top Hakurei and other white summer turnips can make a pleasantly spiced appetizer when cooked by themselves. After removing the greens, wash them well and discard any yellowed or wilted leaves. To cook, chop the greens finely, and heat up a skillet. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, freshly chopped garlic, fennel seed, coriander, cumin and/or fenugreek. Toast the spices for a minute or so, then add the turnip greens. Toss them quickly in the hot pan with tongs or two wooden spoons so that they are mixed into the spices. Once the greens have wilted, serve them with a squeeze of lemon and your favorite beverage.

Owl Wood Farm, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

● Beet greens. These leaves along with their ruby-red stems have a rich flavor that is sometimes even more intense than the beets. After a good wash to remove grit, the younger leaves are delicious steamed or chopped finely for salads. Save the older leaves for stir-fries or saute them with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Other stems also can yield delicious dishes. Try, for instance, adding the stems of basil, parsley, or cilantro to soups or to stocks. Or save them and use in pesto.