My CSA Journal IV

WEEK #7

Red kuri squash
Golden beets
Red beets
Carrots
Turnips
Potatoes
Parsley root
Black salsify

I've been lazy and have not been taking pictures of the beautiful vegetables we've gotten from the Full Plate Farm Collective. This week, there are some exotic new additions to the grocery list, so I thought I'd better show them. The parsley root is at the top of the picture next to the squash, and the black salsify is at the bottom. The turnips are in the center, and right below them are the golden beets. As in the past, I'll be updating this post throughout the week with recipes du jour.

Pozole/Gulash: I bought a can of hominy yesterday, thinking I would make a Mexican-style stew. In the end, though, what I got was a cross between pozole and gulash. And I used chicken dogs instead of pork or beef because that's what was in the fridge.

1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
4 chicken dogs, diced
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground fennel
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup red wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
5 large button mushrooms, sliced
2 large carrots, diced
1 large parsnip, diced
2 cups cooked pinto beans
1 29-oz. can hominy, drained
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup almonds, toasted and finely ground
½ cup tomato paste
1 cup chopped cilantro

Fry onions and garlic until translucent, add chicken dogs and brown. Add dry spices to oil, stir a few times, and then pour in the liquids. Bring to a boil, and add the mushrooms, carrots, and parsnip. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the beans, hominy, and salt, and return to a boil. Thicken the sauce with the almonds and tomato paste, and cook for another few minutes. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro.

Root vegetable bake: I followed an excellent yogurt-based recipe for turnip-potato bake, with the addition of carrots and parsley root. You can see my comments on the recipe at the above link. Parsley roots may look a lot like parsnips, but when raw, they are more tender in texture and their taste is much milder with a distinct undertone of parsley herb. After cooking, however, the parsley-ness disappeared, and I would have been hard-pressed to tell it apart from parsnips. Next time, I think I'll use the parsley root raw and shredded in a salad.