Category Archives: CSA / Veg Box Recipes

Pink Eyed Pea and Tomato Bruschetta

We feel lucky that a lot of the food we eat comes from farmers and producers that we know personally and have bought from for many years.

During this pandemic we have to tried to support them more than ever, especially as the bulk of their revenue comes from restaurants that have been closed or operating at limited capacity for some months.

The current situation also presents opportunities. A farmer emailed to say they had a glut of newly harvested pink eyed peas. The timing didn’t work out for them to include them in their weekly CSA box, and there simply wasn’t the demand from restaurant customers to shift them so we were offered a great deal on a 10lb bag of fresh pink eyed peas.

A 10lb bag of pink eyes peas is pretty big, but undaunted we managed to find good uses for every last one. Some we gave to friends, others we blanched, packed into 1lb bags and stuck in the freezer for winter, but we simply had to eat some of them while they were fresh. The fresh peas only took 7-8 minutes to cook in a pan of salted boiling water.

Tomatoes are also plentiful at the moment so it seemed obvious to combine the peas with a sauce made from fresh tomatoes and enjoy them piled onto freshly toasted homemade sourdough.

Pink Eyed Pea and Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

A generous pinch of chilli flakes

1.5lb fresh tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

12oz cooked pink eyes peas

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, salt, basil and oregano. Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the pink eyed peas and simmer until warmed through (about 10 minutes).

To serve as bruschetta, toast or grill slices of bread just before the peas and tomatoes have finished cooking. Rub the warm bread with a clove of garlic, then pile the peas and tomatoes on top, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Alternatively, you could serve the tomatoes and peas on generously buttered hot toast for more of a “beans on toast” vibe.

Beet Stalk Hummus

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In these uncertain times when many people are trying to deal with some form of lockdown it is more important than ever to make the most of all the food we buy and not waste any.

We are thankful that we are still able to buy from many of the farmers that we’ve built relationships with over the years. With hand washing and social distancing protocols in place at the farmers market and everyone wearing face masks it can be a surreal shopping experience, and we miss being able to chat with the vendors, browse the stalls and bump into friends but we love that we have the opportunity to still support local farmers and producers in these difficult times.

A lot of wet weather earlier in the year has delayed a lot of spring planting so the market offerings are still dominated by greens and root veg. Amongst other things we’ve been getting beautiful bunches of both golden and red beets with their greens still attached. The roots store longer than the greens so we invariably use the greens first. So it was that I ended up with a couple of bunches of beets with a couple of inches of stalk still attached. As I usually roast the beets I thought I could do something different with the stubby stalks and wondered if they would form the base of an interesting hummus.

Like much of my cooking at the moment I used whatever I had in the house. This is a recipe where you can play about with the ingredients you have on hand and invariably come up with something delicious. I added a couple of small roasted beets to add some colour but they could be left out. I used cumin and coriander but you can experiment with different spices, or maybe add some chillies to make it hotter. Other spices that work well with beets include caraway seeds, chives, dill, fennel and tarragon. I added pistachios for texture and flavour but walnuts, hazels or pecans would be a good substitute. The tahini could be omitted if you don’t have any. Just have fun.

BEET STALK HUMMUS

7oz beet stalks

2oz cooked beets

0.5 Tsp Ground Cumin

0.5 Tsp Ground Coriander

2oz Pistachios

1 clove garlic

1 Tbsp tahini

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook the beet stalks in salted boiling water until tender. Put in a food processor with the cooked beets, cumin and coriander, pistachios, garlic, tahini and olive oil.

Blend until well mixed but still relatively coarse in texture. Try and avoid ending up with a smooth puree. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If necessary you can add more olive oil to loosen the mixture a little.

Carrot Top and Arugula Pesto

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I’m a big fan of using every scrap of produce I can in the kitchen so when I recently picked up a bunch of multi-coloured carrots at my local farmers market I didn’t want the greens to go to waste once we’d eaten the carrots.

Carrot tops can be a little bitter and not to everyone’s taste but mixed up with other ingredients to balance them out you can still make use of them in the kitchen.

I opted for pesto, with some peppery arugula / rocket, raw cashews, grated parmesan and a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil. I was delighted with the result: bright and fresh with earthy, herby undertones this would be great with pasta or spread on a sandwich.

Carrot Top and Arugula Pesto

Greens from one bunch of carrots (about 2oz), washed, drained and coarsely chopped

3oz arugula (rocket) leaves, washed, drained and coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp sea salt

3oz raw cashews

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3oz grated parmesan

Place the carrots, arugula, garlic, salt and cashews in a food processor and process for around 30-45 seconds to mix well.

Add the cheese and the olive oil and process for another 30 seconds or so until smooth.

Collard Floret Gratin

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Spring is officially here and the local seasonal produce that is available is slowly transitioning away from the winter staples that we have enjoyed for the last few months.

Collard Floret Gratin from britinthesouth.com

One of the things I love to find at local farmers markets at this time of year is the fresh tender stalks of young kale, or collards or purple sprouting broccoli.

They are versatile, quick to cook and invariably delicious.

I particularly like to pair them with cheese; they are great dipped into a cheesy sauce but the collard florets I recently picked up made a great gratin.

Lightly steamed and then baked with a creamy cheddar sauce it was a satisfying dish to herald the dawn of spring.

Collard Floret Gratin

1 small bunch of young collard green florets (about 4oz)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup milk

5oz mature cheddar, grated

0.25 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Bring water to a boil in a steamer (if you don’t have one just put a colander above a pan of boiling water)

Rinse the florets and then steam for until tender (about 5 minutes). Drain thoroughly.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat then stir in the flour. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the milk and stir thoroughly to disperse any lumps. Cook over low heat, stirring regularly, until the sauce begins to thicken (5-10 minutes).

Add the grated cheddar and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring often, until you have a thick, smooth cheese sauce. Taste and season if necessary with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Arrange the collard florets in a oven proof dish, and then pour over the cheese sauce. Sprinkle the grated parmesan on top, then place in the oven and cook for around 20 minutes until golden on top.

Turnip and Blue Cheese Soup

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I am writing this in late February and the first signs of spring are appearing, with snowdrops and daffodils in bloom and the crazy climate in Georgia giving us the occasional unseasonably warm day when the patios fill up at local bars and folks break out their shorts and t-shirts for a day or two before it reverts back to being cold and damp.

At the local farmers markets the produce scene is still dominated by winter greens and root vegetables and will be like that for quite a few weeks more.

I’m not complaining. The vegetables on offer at the moment lend themselves to hearty soups and stews that are welcome when the temperature dips and the rain is falling.

The goodies on offer at the moment include snowy white hakurei turnips, which are smaller and more delicately flavoured than the larger, more commonly found purple topped turnips. Thinly sliced, Hakurei turnips can even be eaten raw in salads.

I find they make a good base for a soup, providing richness and thickness which you can then enhance with other seasonings and flavours. They work particularly well with fennel or thyme, and to dial up the richness a little more you can add cream or cheese. A couple of parmesan rinds thrown in to soften and melt as the soup simmers is also a good idea.

This time I opted for blue cheese, which added a nice salty tang and depth to the mild earthiness of the turnips.

Turnip & Blue Cheese Soup

1 medium onion, diced

2 tbs olive oil

1lb white turnips, cut into 1/2″ dice

6oz blue cheese, crumbled (Stilton is a good choice but other blues also work well)

32 fl.oz. (4 cups) vegetable stock

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and soften for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the turnips and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the vegetable stock, and increase the heat to medium high.

Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the turnips are tender, around 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and then blend to a creamy and smooth consistency in a blender or food processor, or using a stick blender.

Return to the pan and heat over medium heat, adding the crumbled blue cheese.

Cook until the blue cheese melts.

Check for seasoning and add salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

Vegetable Stock

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I love having vegetable stock readily available in my fridge or freezer. When I come back from the farmer’s market with a bag full of veg or when I’m opening up my CSA box to see what goodies I have, having stock on hand means I am one step closer to a delicious soup or risotto or sauce.

Of course, you can buy vegetable broth from the grocery store but I often find these too salty and too strong. I like to make light but flavourful stocks where I can control the seasoning and taste.

I don’t like waste in the kitchen so my stocks usually use some of the bits and pieces and trimmings that come from prepping vegetables. I particularly like to make use of the thick stems from collard greens or kale that so many recipes tell me to discard. When I’m prepping greens I wash the stalks and chop them into half inch lengths and throw them into a bag in the freezer, ready for when I want to make a batch of stock. Scraps of onions, trimmings from leeks and tired looking greens also make a good basis for stock.

I always start with an onion, softening it in a mix of olive oil and butter before adding other veg. Celery and carrots are great additions at this stage but it isn’t the end of the world if you have none on hand. I then add any greens that I have and saute them for a few minutes just to develop some flavour before adding water and seasonings. I then simmer it for a while, leave it to infuse for a bit and then strain to get a beautiful stock. It requires very little attention so is easy to do in the background whilst you’re cooking other things.

Vegetable Stock

This is a typical recipe, but it will vary depending on what vegetables I have on hand. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs unsalted butter

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped

1 celery stick, coarsely chopped

2 cups of green stalks, roughly chopped into half inch pieces (kale, collards, etc.)

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs of thyme

1 tsp salt

Warm the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes to soften.

Add the carrot, celery and greens and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add 12 cups of cold water, the bay leaves, thyme and salt.

Increase the temperature to medium high, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat, then leave to infuse for 30 minutes before straining to get rid of all the solids, leaving a bright golden stock.

Grits with Stilton and Kale

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Autumn is definitely on the way.

I’ve just returned from a few days in London, where this summer’s heatwave is now a memory and cooler temperatures and showers are the order of the day.

In Georgia it is still warm but the thermometer is gradually winding down. Next Monday is Labor Day, which is widely recognised as the unofficial end of Summer in the USA.

The change of the seasons is also apparent in the contents of my weekly CSA box.

We’ve seen the last watermelons. We’re still getting the odd tomato or two but that won’t last for too much longer. This week also saw the first apples and sweet potatoes of the year in our box.

Last week saw the welcome return of kale, so I celebrated with a simple and comforting dish to help with the transition from one season to another, combining the kale with creamy grits and blue Stilton cheese.

Grits with Stilton and Kale

Serves 2

8oz kale

8oz stone ground grits

6oz Blue Stilton, cut or crumbled into dice (or use another blue cheese of your choice: gorgonzola works well)

2 tablespoons Butter

First of all, cook your kale in salted boiling water until tender. For these leaves that took 5 to 6 minutes, but will depend on the type and age of your greens. When cooled slightly, squeeze out any excess water and coarsely chop.

Next, cook your grits. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil and then slowly whisk the grits into the water to avoid lumps. Once it has started to thicken turn the heat down to low. Stone ground grits can take 30 to 45 minutes to cook and require regular stirring. The traditional way of gauging if the grits are is done is when they come away from the side of the pan when stirring but you can also taste it to ensure it is cooked through and has a soft consistency.

Once the grits are ready, finishing and assembling the dish is pretty straightforward. Add the butter to the grits to add richness and glossiness. Stir in the Stilton and then add the kale and stir together. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If desired, finish with some extra Stilton on top.

CSA Cooking: Collard Green and Kale Stalk Pesto

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I’m a big believer in avoiding food waste, so try to use every last bit of the goodies in my CSA box as I possibly can.

So when I am faced with a big bunch of greens, I am keen to make use of the chunky, unpromising stalks, even though many recipes instruct me to discard the stems, especially when collards are concerned.

I’ll often use them to make vegetable stock. I start with some chopped onions, gently sauteed in a mix of olive oil and butter, then add the chopped stalks along with a diced potato if I have one, saute for a few minutes and then add water and season with salt and pepper. I usually just bring it to a boil and then turn it off to avoid overcooking. The result is a clean, golden vegetable stock that is perfect for soups and risottos.

Another use for those stalks is this delicious recipe from the wonderful book “An Everlasting Meal, Cooking with Economy and Grace” by Tamar Adler. This is not a recipe book as such but more of a personal manifesto on practical cooking and eating well, even with humble ingredients. The recipes it does contain are typically simple yet delicious, and a recurring theme is avoiding waste, so it has many ideas for using the leaves, stems and bones that might otherwise end up in the trash.

This is a versatile recipe, making use of the chopped up leaves, cores and stalks of green vegetables such as collards or kale, broccoli, chard or cabbage. The vegetable pieces are simply simmered in a mix of water and olive oil seasoned with salt and garlic. Once tender you can lightly mash or puree the veg mix and you have a rich, oily, garlicky pesto that is great with pasta and also works really well as a bruschetta topping or served beside a piece of fish.

Collard Green and Kale Stalk Pesto

Adapted from “An Everlasting Meal, Cooking with Economy and Grace” by Tamar Adler

2 cups chopped collard green and kale stalks (chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)

3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

0.5 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

Put the chopped vegetables into a saucepan along with the garlic, olive oil and salt.

Add enough water to cover everything, then bring to a simmer over medium heat and leave to cook until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. This can take a little while, sometimes up to 40 – 45 minutes, or even longer if you have particularly tough stalks.

You can leave it to gently bubble away just checking it regularly to give it a stir and check it isn’t burning or catching on the pan. If it is just add a little more water.

Once the vegetables are cooked put everything in a food processor and briefly whizz to produce a rough textured pesto.

Field Pea Puree with Wilted Kale

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This is a recipe with a Southern twist, inspired by a New York City restaurant dish that itself is based on a classic from Italy.

King is a bistro in the Soho area of Manhattan that serves simple comfort food influenced by the food of Italy and Southern France. Their recipe for “Chickpea Puree with Wilted Dandelion Greens” first appeared in the Wall Street Journal in February 2017.

A creamy warm puree of chickpeas topped with dandelion greens, which have been wilted and simply seasoned with salt, pepper and good olive oil, it is a comforting dish for the cold days of February. The New York restaurant version is based on a simple Italian dish known as “crema di ceci e cicoria”

Rather than chickpeas I turned in a Southern direction and tried a variation on the recipe with field peas. Field peas are plentiful and common in our corner of the south at the height of summer. Last year we saw plenty in our CSA box and cooked and froze a few bags ready to enjoy in the middle of winter.

Field peas thrive in the hot, humid Southern summers. They are a family of legumes that come in a variety of guises and go by a range of names from the well known black eye peas to crowder peas, cowpeas, pink eyed peas and lady cream peas.

Thawed from the freezer it didn’t take long to combine the field peas with some aromatics and turn them into a soft, warm puree which went perfectly with some simply cooked and seasoned greens. A truly comforting dish for a winter’s day.

Field Pea Puree with Wilted Kale

12oz cooked field peas (I thawed a bag that I had previously cooked and frozen)

1 sprig rosemary

8 small sage leaves

5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the side of a knife

1 small potato, peeled and diced

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch kale (or greens of your choice)

Put the peas in a heavy bottomed pan and add water to cover. Add the rosemary, sage, garlic, potato and 1/2 cup of the olive oil.

Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then turn down to a simmer and cook until the potato is tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

Remove the rosemary, sage leaves and garlic cloves.

In a food processor, puree the field peas and potato with the other 1/2 cup of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more oil or cooking water as desired to achieve a smooth consistency.

Meanwhile, take a bunch of greens (I used kale), and cook in salted water until tender. Once cooked, drain and then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Spoon the puree onto a plate, drizzle with a little more oil and serve with the greens on top.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Stilton Sauce

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As the name suggests, purple sprouting broccoli is a bright purple cousin of regular broccoli, producing small vivid violet florets.

It is rarely seen on this side of the Atlantic but holds a special place in the hearts of British vegetable lovers. It is a frost hardy plant that grows slowly through the winter, reaching its peak between February and April, thus providing a welcome burst of colour and flavour in the garden and on the plate when folks are starting to tire of winter but the delights of the spring vegetable garden still seem a long way away.

So imagine my delight to find some recently at one of my local farmers markets.

It is tender enough to nibble raw so doesn’t need a lot of cooking and whilst a versatile vegetable I find a relatively simple approach is best.

It takes just 2-3 minutes in a steamer to cook, maybe a minute or so longer if the stalks are on the thick or woody side.

It is glorious just dipped into a soft boiled egg but I also like to pair it with a simple blue cheese sauce. Just eat it with your fingers, licking off any stray sauce.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Stilton Sauce

1 bunch purple sprouting broccoli

6 fl.oz (0.75 cup) heavy whipping cream

3oz Stilton cheese

Bring water to a boil in a steamer (if you don’t have one just put a colander above a pan of boiling water)

To make the sauce simply warm the cream over medium heat and crumble in the cheese. Stir regularly until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth (8-10 minutes).

Trim any thick or woody pieces from the end of the broccoli stalks. Place in the steamer and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes.

Remove the broccoli from the steamer and serve immediately, drizzled with the cheese sauce.

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Brit In The South

A Blog from the Deep South with a British Twist

Category Archives: CSA / Veg Box Recipes

Pink Eyed Pea and Tomato Bruschetta

Beet Stalk Hummus

Carrot Top and Arugula Pesto

Collard Floret Gratin

Turnip and Blue Cheese Soup

Vegetable Stock

Grits with Stilton and Kale

CSA Cooking: Collard Green and Kale Stalk Pesto

Field Pea Puree with Wilted Kale

Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Stilton Sauce