When I first started this website, one of the goals I had in mind was helping people get excited about trying new vegetables. Especially seasonal & local ones if possible. This year I’m going to introduce a new segment called “Vegetable of the Month” AKA VOTM. We may have missed January, but February is a great time to start I think.

I often post about Community Supported Agriculture and frankly I’m extremely fortunate to live in San Francisco where we the most amazing range of fresh produce all year round. I’ve joined a new CSA for 2008 but it doesn’t officially begin until March. As I wait – impatiently – I purchase their Mystery Boxes every other week to tide me over. To this day opening a box full of fresh vegetables grown nearby delights me! What will be in the box? What is in season? What new item will appear that I haven’t seen in its true form since a year ago? Those are some of the elements of opening a vegetable gift box each week that I love!

To get back on topic though, in my recent mystery boxes I have had some of the most lovely parsnips. Parsnips are very closely related to carrots and in many cases can sub in for each other in a time of need. The taste can be very similar to a carrot, but may be a bit stronger and in some cases a touch sweeter. They have a slightly yellowed appearance until you peel them when they are bright white (as shown in the photo). You can also see in the photos that parsnips are bit more wild than the carrot – having extra root pieces appearing wherever they desire. These are edible and just different looking, nothing to fear!

The sad parsnip fact is that often the ones I find in grocery stores wilt away to a soggy lump within a day of purchasing. Or when I cut into them I find a woody center which has to be tediously removed to ensure it won’t interfere with the sweet, soft flavor of the parsnip. The parsnips I’ve received fresh in my Mystery Box though suffer none of these unfortunate qualities. They are crisp and bright, having a lovely sturdiness to the root that doesn’t slump over at a sideways glance. And they are tasty!

While parsnips can be used in any number of dishes where they are starring role, they combine with most any other winter root veggies the utmost aplomb! And that is the dish I would like to feature today. Full of vegetables that are in season and perfect for these chillier final days of winter, the parsnip lends its swee, heartiness to the other vegetables to combine into a most perfect roasted vegetable melange.

To prepare a parsnip, just peel off the skin after washing. Often times the extra root pieces will come off on their own during the peeling. If it is large enough to use, feel free to peel that piece then add it back into the mix. Cut into the size and shape you desire and you are set. Its a very approachable and easy to use veggie, so have no parsnip-phobia please!

Winter Roasted Vegetables: I was lucky enough to have some unusual vegetables to add to this dish, but don’t hesitate if you only have “normal” carrots, they will look and taste beautiful in this dish! Roasting winter roots is a perfect way to use what you have without concern – their flavors are very melodious and tend to accentuate each other perfectly!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 large celery root, peeled and cubed
• 1 bunch of baby carrots, washed or lightly peeled but left whole
• 3-4 purple carrots, peeled and cut into rounds (feel free to use any color of carrot you have!)
• 1-2 fennel bulbs (depending on their size), cut into chunks
• 3-4 sticks of fresh thyme (or rosemary)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. While chopping the vegetables, try to keep them in similar sizes and shapes. This will help them cook evenly.
3. Place all the veggies on a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Drizzle with clarified butter (or olive oil), salt and pepper. Add the leaves of a few sticks of rosemary or thyme if you have them. Mix well to coat the veggies evenly.
4. Roast the oven at 400 for about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally, about every 10-15 minutes. Depending on the size you cut the veggies into, they may take more or less time. When they are finished all the veggies will have a nice softness to them but not be mushy. They should still retain the basic shape you cut them into but also take on a nice deep toasty color.
5. Serve hot and enjoy!

Note: the baby carrots used in this dish are truly babies, not the cut up versions you can find in a grocery. Those are actually just the carrots with a less desirable shape, machine processed to become “regular” in size and form. More agreeable to American. Bunches of teensy carrots are a delicacy to enjoy if you are lucky enough to spot them.

2nd Note: Clarified butter is real accent to these vegetables. If you prefer to use olive oil they will still be tasty and delicious. However if you take the 5 minutes to place a stick of butter in a pan over low heat, let the solids rise to the top then promptly remove from the heat when it has fully melted, keeping only the liquid (no solids) and storing for a month or so in the fridge, you will be well rewarded.

I had a lone sugar pumpkin that has been serving as decoration on tables all over our house this fall. I love little sugar pumpkins – they are small and cute, but gloriously orange and fall like! Plus like all great winter squash, they store very easily for a long time, so you can buy one when you feel the urge then cook it when you feel the urge – no rush! A sugar pumpkin is the best pumpkin variety for cooking – it sweet & rich in flavor. Plus it is smaller & more manageable than the pumpkins we typically carve for Halloween. If you can, buy a few of these small sugar pumpkins when you can. I often get them for less than $1/lb. and they keep for weeks if not months.

During this past week I needed a bit of vegetable stock for a sauce I was making. Since I only needed a small amount, I had about 2 qts. left over. Veggie stock + a sugar pumpkin + a few friendly apples were all lurking in my kitchen, so soup night frequented us again. Its a good thing Brad loves soup! The sweetness and depth of the sugar pumpkin melded beautifully with the apples. No sweetener was used but there was a mellow sugary sense to the soup. I paired my soup with blue cheese toasts – to me, the pungency of the blue cheese with the gently sweet soup was perfect! Even though I love the pumpkin, butternut squash or sweet potatoes would work beautifully here too.

Ingredients:

• 1 sugar pumpkin, about 3 pounds
• 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 apples, chopped (I used Pink Ladies but whatever you like will work)
• 1 t fresh thyme
• pinch of cinnamon
• 2 qts. of vegetable stock

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds and strings. Rub with olive oil and place face down on a baking sheet. Tuck the garlic cloves into the pumpkin cavities. Roast in oven 45 minutes to an hour, until the pumpkin skin is soft to the touch.
3. Set aside to cool then scoop out pumpkin flesh when able. Press the garlic cloves to separate the roasted flesh from the skins.
4. In a soup pot, warm a few teaspoons of olive oil (or half olive oil & half butter) over medium heat. When melted, add the onions. Sprinkle with salt & pepper then cook for several minutes until onions begin to soften. Add the apples, garlic, thyme, and cinnamon. Continue to cook until apples & onions are softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the pumpkin flesh to the soup pot, then add the stock. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once the soup boils, lower to a simmer and partially cover. Cook for 25 minutes, until apples are nicely softened.
6. In batches, us a ladle to transfer the soup to a blender. Blend until smooth. Once all the soup is blended, return to the pot and simmer for a few minutes to combine.
7. Serve hot!

I’ve made no secret that I love vegetable stock! Its quick, tasty, super easy, and healthy. What’s not to like???

To help kick off 2008, here is a fresh version where I roasted the vegetables before making the stock. The results were a richer flavored and more deeply colored stock! This recipe does take an additional 30-60 minutes to roast the veggies though, so plan ahead if you want to make soup the same evening.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 onions, quartered but no need to peel
• 4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped (~1″ chunks)
• 4 celery stalks, roughly chopped (~1″ chunks)
• 1-2 potatoes, scrubbed and roughly chopped (~1″ chunks)
• 6 cloves of garlic or 3 shallots, unpeeled
• 1/4 c. dried shitakes (optional)
• 10 sprigs parsley
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 10 peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Combine onion, carrots, celery, potato, and shallots or garlic in a roasting pan. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper, then mix to coat. Roast for about 45 minutes or until veggies have developed a brown color. Mix several times while cooking.
3. Meanwhile add 1-2 c. of boiling water to the mushrooms to soften them.
4. Transfer the vegetables to a stock pot. Add all remaining ingredients (including mushrooms and their liquid) and 2 qts of water. Bring to a boil.
5. Add 2 c. of water to the roasting pan and place over high heat on the stove. Bring to a boil and scrape up all the bits of veggies that stuck to the pan. Add up to 2 more cups of water as needed. Add the total of 4 c. water and the veggie scrapings to the stock pot as well.
6. Once the stock begins to boil, partially cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes until veggies are soft.
7. Strain and discard all vegetables and herbs. Use immediately or allow to cool then refrigerate.

I was babysitting my friend’s adorable infant son the other night and brought a few veggies from my fridge I needed to use. Once the baby was asleep I set to chopping (and raiding the cabinets for spices!) and by the time my friend was home, hot soup was waiting.

Play with the portions of celery root (celeriac) & parsnip as desired. This is a great way to use up left over vegetable extras. A bit of potato would also be nice in this soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 t. celery seeds
• 1/4 t. ground ginger
• 1/2 t. dried thyme
• 2 c. parsnip, sliced into 1/4″ pieces
• 2 c. celery root (or celeriac), well peeled and sliced into 1/4″ slices
• 6-8 c. vegetable stock

1. Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add a bit of olive oil then saute the onions & garlic for a few minutes. As they begin to soften, season with salt & pepper, and also add the celery seeds, ginger, and dried thyme. Continue cooking until onion takes on a bit of color, about 5-10 minutes total.
2. Add the parsnip & celery root to the pot. Sauté for a moment then add the broth. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer until the root vegetables have softened, about 30 minutes.
3. Use an immersion blender and puree the soup. Continue to heat for a few more minutes and add more broth or water if needed to thin the soup. Serve hot!

Soups just seem appropriate for winter!  They are quick, easy, and tasty.  Plus they help you fill up on lighter vegetables which is always helpful when surrounded by heavy winter food.  Plus the warmth is perfect for any winter lunch or dinner.  So on that note, welcome to Soup Week, round 2.  A new set of recipes to keep you warm.

Another wonderfully easy vegetable soup.  This comes together in minutes if you already have vegetable stock, if not that only takes 30 minutes to whip up! You may wonder why the cauliflower soup is yellow?  The tumeric!  And one other note, add the hot pepper flakes to your liking – my soup was very spicy! 

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 t. tumeric
• 1 t. ground coriander
• 1 t. ground cumin
• big pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 5-6 c. vegetable stock

1. In a soup pot over medium, warm some olive oil then add the onion and carrot.  Sauté several minutes until vegetables soften.  Add the spices, along with salt & pepper and continue to cook several more minutes.
2. Once fragrant, add the cauliflower and soup stock and raise the heat to high.  Bring the mixture to a boil, the partially cover and lower the heat to a simmer.  Simmer about 20 minutes until cauliflower is soft and mashable.
3. Transfer soup carefully to a blender (you may have to do this in several batches).  Remove the clear stopper from the lid and cover with a towel to let the steam escape while blending.  Blend well until mixture is thicker and nicely combined.  Serve hot!

Ingredients:

• 12 oz fresh cranberries (about 1 bag) (or if frozen just don’t defrost before using)
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. ruby Port
• 3-4 strips of tangerine zest
• juice from 2 tangerines

1. In a small sauce pan, bring all ingredients to a simmer over medium heat. Stir until all sugar is dissolved.
2. Continue cooking until cranberries burst and the mixture looks well melded, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Lest you think I’m only full of beans, I’d like to be sure you know I’m full of lentils too! I had a few other recipes I want to post but it seems there is a preponderance of white bean recipes in my repetoire right now. I tend to eat other beans as is. Well, so be it.

Lentils are a type of bean, but they are fast cooking and do not require soaking. This makes them perfect for any weeknight meal, no matter how last minute. On the other hand, they are so colorful and flavorful, you can make them for special meals and enjoy them just as much! Lentils come in nearly every color: red, green, brown, black, yellow, pink – who knows what other colors might be out there! There are more varieties of lentils in the world that we are likely to find in the US.

For this basic lentil dish, I use brown, green, or black lentils. These tend to be firmer and hold their cute little round shape through cooking. I love the yellows, pinks, and reds, but I like those more in creamy & smooth lentil dishes because they tend to melt themselves together on their own.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. brown, green, or black lentils (sorted to remove rocks and rinsed)
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed with peels removed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery rib, finely diced
• salt & pepper
• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil (opt.)
• red wine vinegar (opt.)
• chopped parsley (opt.)

1. Put the lentils in a soup pot, cover with 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.
2. When boiling add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, carrot, celery, and 1 1/2 t. of salt.
3. Lower the heat and simmer until tender but retaining their shape, about 25 minutes (though this may vary based on the type of lentils you use).
4. Strain and reserve the broth for another use (soup stock, rice, etc.). Remove the onion, bay leaves, and garlic (these can be removed when eating too if you don’t mind). Season with salt & pepper and enjoy!
5. If desired season with olive oil, a few drops of red wine vinegar, and parsley. I typically forgo this but it can make for a nice presentation.

Original source: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

I can barely say enough good things about this bean spread. It is amazing! The flavors are full and rich, but the spread is creamy and beautiful. Though it is lovely on a table full of appetizers, it would make an equally excellent side dish in lieu of mashed potatoes – people will wonder what you did to the potatoes! This recipe varies slightly from the general guidelines given in Beans 101, but I think you will find the results well worth the modifications.

This dip is fantastic with veggies such as celery & fennel, but is also delicious on warmed flat breads.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. dried navy beans or cannellini (white beans), soaked 4 hours (or overnight) and drained
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed & peeled
• 10 sage leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 whole head of garlic with outermost papery skin removed
• salt & pepper
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 T. chopped thyme

1. Bring the beans to a boil in a large pot with water covering the beans by at least 2 inches. Boil for 10 minutes.
2. Lower the heat and add the 5 cloves of garlic, sage leaves, bay leaves, and 2 T. of olive oil. Simmer, covered, until beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and drain, reserving broth.
3. While the beans are cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the whole head of garlic with a bit of olive oil. Place it in a small baking dish, add about 1/3 c. water, cover and bake until soft and lightly caramelized, about 45 minutes. Cool the head of garlic then squeeze out the softened garlic.
4. Add the beans, caramelized garlic, the remaining 1 T. olive oil, and 1 t. salt, to a food processor. Add enough bean broth to give the beans a soft, spreadable consistency. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Stir in thyme leaves then serve.

Original source: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

BEEN WEEK, DAY 2

Let’s pretend that you don’t always want beans fresh out of the pot. Come on, I said PRETEND! Making a simple dressing for the beans – basically any beans – will make them Oscar Award ready. Really – could I make this up?!

The first step is to make a fresh pot of beans as described yesterday in Beans 101. Then you are set to fancifie your beans as follows, enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe of Beans 101
• 1 large shallot finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T. chopped parsley
• salt & pepper
• lemon wedges

1. Place the warm beans (beans only, not broth) in a bowl. Add the shallot, garlic, olive oil, and parsley. Turn gently with a rubber spatula so as not to break the beans. Taste for seasoning and serve with lemon wedges if desired.

See that wasn’t too hard was it!?

BEEN WEEK, DAY 1

It might sound strange to admit, but I am a certified BA. That does not indicate that I have my Bachelor of Arts (which I do, in Mathematics) but rather that I am a BEAN ADDICT. It is true. Ever since discovering the wonders of Rancho Gordo* at the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer’s Market, there has been no turning back. They focus on heirloom varieties of beans, and every pound you purchase is *perfect* – no stones, whole, beautiful beans! After exploring several of their varieties, I’ve also begun expanding my horizons and picking up beans at my local and favorite grocery. My bean collection is actually a bit larger than shown above – I suppose I need a few more jars!

The first varietal I tried from them is the Vaquero Bean. They are just amazing looking with their black and white markings. They hold these markings after cooking, though admittedly they do get a bit gray-ish as the bean broth turns black. Oddly they are not in the photo above, but I think that is because I ate them all. They continue to be one of my all time favorites! This picture to the right is courtesy Rancho Gordo but it is better than any I could locate in my archives. These beans have a very full flavor and let’s be honest, they just look cool!

Moving on, another all time favorite of mine is the Yellow Indian Woman Bean which people constantly question me about. Hey folks, I didn’t name them! They are shown here with a butternut squash farro dish and grilled okra -oh the joy of grilled okra, but that is a whole other post! These Yellow Indian Woman beans have the most luxurious flavor and can match up with nearly any veggie extremely well.

Here is a beautiful white bean dish I made in the past. This cannot be replicated with canned beans. Believe me though – it is worth the effort. Actually I think you will find that all dried beans are worth the effort once you try them. The flavors are so full and amazing. We often eat meals with the beans as the main – as shown with the Yellow Indian Woman Beans. When you have beans that full of flavor – you don’t need the meat, I promise!

Hopefully by now I’ve at least tempted you with the joy of dried & heirloom beans! If so, then you are ready for the basic cooking method I follow with nearly all dried beans. You cannot go wrong with this incredibly simple recipe! Though you do need to plan ahead, the beans cook themselves. You just need to soak the beans first – that is the planning step. Here are a few key “tricks” to cooking beans:

1. Soak the beans for about 4-8 hours (or overnight), until beans are about double in volume. Soaking will help dried beans cook more quickly, but it is also rumored to help digestion (because it removes a portion of the complex sugars that cause indigestion). When you are ready to cook, skim off any floating beans (indicating they are immature) then drain and cook in fresh water. (If you are short on time you can “quick soak” the beans. Place them in a pot, cover with a few inches of water then bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the pot and allow the beans to soak for 1-2 hours. Drain and proceed as usual.)
2. Never add salt to the pot of beans or aromatics until the beans are nearly finished cooking. Adding salt at the beginning or cooking beans in salted water can toughen them. Who wants tough beans!?
3. Always sort through your beans before soaking to remove any stones or dirt. Simply place them on a baking sheet before soaking to sort them.

All right, ready to cook some beans!? Let’s go!

Ingredients:

• 1 c. of beans, cleaned, sorted, and soaked as above
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 small onion, finely diced, or can be quartered if you prefer to remove after cooking
• 1/2 – 1 carrot, finely diced (optional – and can be left in larger chunks if you prefer to remove)
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced (optional – and can be left in larger chunks if you prefer to remove)
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed with peel removed (optional)
• 1 t. olive oil

1. In a medium pot sauté the onion over medium until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic if using and continue to cook until the onion develops nice brown color, about 5 more minutes.
2. Drain the beans, add to the pot, then cover with 6c. fresh water. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes then lower heat to a simmer. You can partially cover while they simmer. The slower & lower they cook, the nicer your beans will typically be – more whole beans with no broken skins!
3. Depending on the type of bean you are using, they will cook between 30 minutes and an hour. Start tasting them around 30 minutes, cooking until they are tender. Add about 1 1/2 t. of salt when your beans are just nearly finished – usually about 5 minutes before removing from the heat.
4. Serve beans and enjoy! See – that was fun wasn’t it?!

*Note: you can also order online from Rancho Gordo, but sorry friends, it is US only right now.