Wednesday, July 6, 2016

July 6 or 9

Box contents this week:  1 bunch of golden beets, 1 bunch of cipollini onions, 1 head of savoy cabbage, 1 pint of baby eggplant, 1/2 # tomatoes, 1 japanese cucumber, 1 # of green beans.

Storage:  everything in the refrigerator except the tomatoes. The beets will store best with  the greens removed and kept in a separate bag with the air squeezed out.  The onions will store best with the greens removed. Tomatoes can be kept on the counter.

Cipollini onions are on the sweet side for onions. Which makes them incredible for roasting or caramelizing.  Roasted whole in the oven or cooked in a little butter on the stove top, cipollinis become soft and practically melt in your mouth.  Those residual sugars caramelize and concentrate, leaving behind none of the astringent raw onion flavor.
 Try steamed green beans with roasted cipollinis and thyme.  To roast the onions:
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 325°F. Melt butter in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to oven and roast, tossing occasionally, until deeply caramelized and tender, about 30 minutes.
To steam the beans:
Wash and de-stem the beans.  Cover the bottom of a skillet with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and add beans.  Add a sprig or 2 of thyme.  Cover the skillet.  Let steam until desired tenderness.  You may have to add more water.  When beans are done, take lid off and let any remaining water evaporate.  Salt and pepper to taste and stir in the roasted cipollinis.  Some toasted nuts would be good on this too.

Golden beet Salad recipe
I changed a little of the recipe.  I used the beet greens and stems instead of spinach.  I tossed them with the  beets while the beets were still hot, to wilt them a little bit.

We got a much needed rain shower yesterday afternoon.  We all breathed a sigh of relief.  A break from the heat and some good old-fashioned water from above make our job pleasant.  We hope you have a good week!

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