Celeriac Potato Puree with Sunchoke Croutons

2 medium celery roots (celeriac) peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 fresh bay leaf
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
8 ounces sunchokes, scrubbed
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (for garnish)

Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large pot. Add enough water to cover. Sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer with lid slightly ajar until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Stir over medium heat to dry vegetables. Using potato masher, mash vegetables until coarsely pureed. Mash in 3 1/2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper. This can be done ahead.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut sunchokes into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in medium bowl; add oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Dot with remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet; roast until tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes.
Place celery root and potato puree in serving bowl. Sprinkle with roasted sunchokes and chopped thyme.

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Posted on February 28, 2014

Six Nettle Recipes

Young nettles are easily blanched and frozen to enjoy year round. They are easy to dry as well for healthy herbal teas.

Farmer’s Nettle Frittata
Saute red onions, mushrooms in season, grated carrot, finely sliced broccoli spears and minced chickweed together in olive oil until wilted. Add a handful of minced young nettle stalk and leaves on top, cover and let steam until nettles wilt. Meanwhile, prepare a mixture of eggs, minced parsley and dried basil. Stir well and pour it over the steaming veggies. Place a cover on the pan, wait until eggs set, then flip until done. Delicious as is or with salsa or chickweed pesto.

Leek, Chickweed and Nettle Soup
Saute chopped leeks, celery and crushed garlic cloves in olive oil until soft; add diced potatoes (I use russets or Yukon golds). Add minced chickweed, nettles, parsley, dried basil, turmeric, salt and perhaps a bit more oil or butter. Saute a few minutes more, mixing all the ingredients well to blend the flavors. Cover with stock or water and simmer until everything is tender. Other veggies can be added, such as tomatoes, grated carrots, or perhaps a tin of salmon added at the end for even more variety. Unlike most leek and potato soup recipes, I do not use milk or cream as an ingredient, nor do I find a need to puree if the ingredients are diced small enough, as everything seems to meld together just fine.

Nettle Lasagna
Any spinach lasagna recipe will do for nettle lasagna with the obvious substitution of sauteed or steamed young nettles. If you make your own noodles, toss a spoonful of dried nettle powder into your flour mixture for added nutrition or into your homemade tomato sauce.

Nettle Quiche
Again, there are countless recipes for making quiches. My favorite is from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen. Since I make my own crusts, sometimes I’ll throw in a tablespoon of dried nettle powder with my flours. For the filling, I use a large handful of chopped and steamed nettles, along with sauteed onions, mushrooms in season, chopped broccoli, and an assortment of fresh and dried herbs laid on a bed of feta and shredded raw cheddar cheeses. Over that goes an egg-and-milk mixture to which I might mix in an additional tablespoon of flour depending on how moist my ingredients are.

Nettle Greens Medley
Saute slivers of red onion and garlic in olive oil or coconut oil until translucent. Add equal amounts of chopped Swiss chard and nettle tops. Pour in a small quantity of water, cover with lid and steam until wilted and tender. Mix gently to blend the veggies and oil, sprinkle on some sea salt and serve.

Sesanelp
A seasoning mixture of sesame seeds, nettle seed and nettle herb plus kelp and Celtic salt. Tasty! Roast 1/2 cup sesame seed in a frying pan to your liking. Cool. To a blender add cooled sesame seeds, 2/3 cup of nettle seed, 2 tablespoons dried nettle herb, 2 tablespoons kelp granules and 1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt. Blend till fine. Store in a glass jar. Goes great with a wide variety of foods. My morning toast is sprouted grain bread with a dribble of olive oil topped with this mixture and nutritional yeast. Yum!

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Posted on February 20, 2014

Potato and Sweet Potato Torte

These Alaska Bloom potatoes would love to become potato torte!

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, trimmed, washed (see tip) and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 small), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1 pound all-purpose potatoes, preferably Yukon gold (2-4 medium), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

Position oven rack at the lowest level; preheat to 450°F. Coat a 9 1/2-inch, deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper or foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and thyme; cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. (If necessary, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to prevent scorching.) Season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Arrange half the sweet potato slices, slightly overlapping, in the prepared pie pan and season with a little of the remaining salt and pepper. Spread one-third of the leeks over the top. Arrange half the potato slices over the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Top with another third of the leeks. Layer the remaining sweet potatoes, leeks and potatoes in the same manner. Cover the pan tightly with foil.

Bake the torte until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the torte to loosen it. Invert onto a serving plate. Remove paper or foil and serve.

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Posted on February 19, 2014

Purple Potato Pie

Purple potatoes are purple all the way through. This will be one very purple pie!

Filling
12 little purple potatoes (boiled and peeled)
3 cups organic powdered sugar
5 tablespoons lemon juice
3 eggs
1 small container organic cream cheese
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Crust
5 tablespoons organic butter, melted
1 cup Nash’s freshly ground wheat flour
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon organic peanut butter

In a bowl, mash the potatoes. Add sugar and stir. Put all filling ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Mix crust ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir lightly—crust should be crumbly. Press into a greased pie pan and pour filling on top. Bake at 350 degrees F until firm, about 50 minutes.

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Posted on February 19, 2014

Raab & White Bean Soup

Eliza, produce manager of our farm store, shows off a bunch of tender cabbage raab, perfect for this soup.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
3/4 cup diced carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cup veggie or chicken broth
2 cup water
1 cup white wine
3 potatoes, diced
1 turnip or parsnip, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 16-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cup finely chopped raab
1 small red chili pepper, seeded and chopped
Ground black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir in the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrot and garlic and cook 5 minutes more.

Pour in the broth, water & wine; stir in the potatoes and parsnip, rosemary, sage and thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the beans, raab, chili pepper and black pepper and simmer, covered for 30 minutes more.

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Posted on February 19, 2014

Traditional Potato and Leek Soup

It’s winter — eat your soup!

1 large leek, cut lengthwise, cleaned, chopped. Use most of the leek, except
very top part.
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
1 pound potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
Dash marjoram
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme
Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan, cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Check often. Do not brown leeks! Browning will give leeks a burnt taste.

Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan.

Add marjoram, parsley, and thyme, plus a few dashes of chili sauce to taste. Add some freshly ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste.

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Posted on February 18, 2014

Creamy Potato and Leek Soup

Leeks and potatoes go together like soup goes with cold winter days.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 whole leek, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and sweat the leeks, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add potatoes, chicken broth and cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce immediately to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree. Season with salt and pepper.

We thank Annie McHale for this recipe.

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Posted on February 18, 2014

Pork, Apple and Potato Cakes

1/2 pound ground raw pork
1 pound potatoes
4 ounces cooking apples, finely chopped or grated
2 ounces onion, finely chopped or grated
1 tablespoon fresh sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 dessert apples
8 sage leaves for garnish

Peel the potatoes and cut into even-sized pieces. Steam or cook in boiling salted water for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain thoroughly and mash well. Add the ground pork.

Add the apple and onion to the potato. Chop the sage, add to the mixture and season generously. Work the mixture together until evenly combined. With lightly floured hands, shape the mixture into 8 cakes.

Heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan on a medium heat, and cook the cakes for 12 – 15 minutes, turning them occasionally until golden-brown on both sides.

To check that the mixture is cooked, insert a skewer into the center of one cake and leave it there for 10 seconds. Draw the skewer out and touch it. If it feels hot then the mixture is cooked.

While the cakes are cooking, core and cut the dessert apples into quarters. Fry the apple and sage leaves in a small amount of hot oil until the apples are cooked through and the sage leaves are crisp. Serve the cakes with an apple quarter and a sage leaf on top of each one.

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Posted on February 14, 2014

Parsnip and Apple Cider Soup

Let roots and soups warm you this winter.

1 large boiling potato
2 parsnips (about 1/2 pound), peeled and chopped fine
3 shallots, chopped fine (about 1/4 cup)
1 leek, trimmed, washed well, and chopped fine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup apple cider or juice
1/2 cup heavy cream

Peel potato and cut into 1/4-inch dice. In a heavy kettle cook potato, parsnips, shallots, leek and parsley in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until leek is softened, about 12 minutes. Add broth and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft. In a blender purée mixture in batches and transfer to a large saucepan. Stir in cider or juice, cream, and salt and pepper to taste and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until heated.

In a heavy saucepan heat 1″ oil to 360°F on a deep-fat thermometer and fry a parsnip that has been cut into thin strips in batches until golden brown, transferring with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Season with salt. Serve soup topped with fried parsnip.

We thank epicurious.com for this recipe.

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Posted on January 16, 2014

How to Use Nash’s Root Medley

Keep your eyes out for our Root Medley bags — 5 pounds of beets, potatoes, sunchokes, parsnips and carrots, all just the right size for roasting or cooking in any of these tasty ways!

Braised
Saute oil briefly, then add broth and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. A mix of veggies, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces, can be especially tasty. Add fresh herbs, like rosemary, thyme and parsley, at the end.

Grilled
This makes the veggies caramelize and get a little crusty on the outside. Brush them with oil, sprinkle with salt, and cook about 10 minutes per side.

Steamed and Mashed
Steam or boil about 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and put through a ricer or mash with a large fork or masher. Add some milk, butter, salt and pepper if you like.

Roasted
Cut into even-sized pieces and toss with oil, salt and pepper., and some spices like curry or cayenne to taste. Make one layer on a baking sheet and roast in a hot oven (375-425 F) for about 20 minutes. Turn pieces over and roast another 10 minutes. You can also add the raw veggies to a chicken or roast meat about 30 minutes before it’s done.

Baked into Chips
Slice the veggies very thin, rinse and pat dry. Heat oil to about 375 F. Fry chips in small batches until crispy on the edges. Let drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

Deep-Fried
No need to peel! Cut into sticks and soak in cold water for half an hour. Pat dry. Fry in a deep-fryer, let drain and sprinkle with salt.

Au Gratin
Thinly slice, layer in a buttered baking dish with cheese, a little salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Pour in a cup of broth, cream or milk. Top with shredded cheese, chopped nuts or bread crumbs. Bake at 375 F about 45 minutes.

Shredded and Cooked into Hash BrownsShred in a large-hole grater, soak in cold water, drain and dry on paper towels. Heat oil in a frying pan and add shredded veggies in one large handful and sprinkle with salt. Reduce to low and cook until well browned. Flip and cook until tender.

Sliced/Shredded into raw salads, or roasted/boiled and tossed with vinaigrette.

Added to Soups and Stews.

Pickled
Cut into bit-sized pieces, place in a jar with several garlic cloves and cover with apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt, plus some dill or other favorite herbs.

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Posted on December 21, 2013