Stuffed and Baked Sweet Onions

Walla Walla onions

Walla Walla onions, oh so sweet!

2 green bell peppers
2 medium sweet onions
6 small tomatoes or 1 large, chopped
1 Tbsp. capers
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil, or 1 tsp. dried
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
Thyme sprigs for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place bell peppers on foil-lined baking sheet and, with oven door partially open, broil 5 inches from heat, turning, for 5 minutes until skins blister. Remove and let cool. Place in paper bag, close it, and let stand 10 minutes to loosen skins. Peel, seed, and chop. Set aside.

Cut thin slice from bottom of each onion, forming a base. Cut about 1/3 off top, remove centers, leaving 1/2″ thick shells. Reserve top and centers for other dishes.

Stir together peppers, tomatoes, capers, basil, thyme, vinegar, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into onion shells. Place in baking dish and bake, covered, for 50 minutes, until onion is quite soft but not collapsing. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.

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English Bacon, Leek, and Potato Soup

leeks

Leeks add wonderful flavor to soup.

2 Tbsp. butter or ghee
2 medium leeks, white and light-green parts, sliced thin
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 lb. English-style bacon, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces
1½ quarts chicken bone broth
2 Tbsp. chopped chives

Melt the butter in a heavy stock pot over medium. When it foams and froths, toss in the sliced leeks (save the rest of the leeks for flavoring stock) and fry them in the butter until they soften and become translucent. Stir in thyme and bacon, and continue cooking until the bacon renders its fat and is cooked through, about 6 minutes.

Dump the carrots and potatoes into the pot, stir in the broth and simmer, covered, until the vegetables become tender in the heat of the soup, about 40 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls, top with chopped chives and serve.

We thank nourishedkitchen.com for this recipe.

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French-Style Ratatouille

basil in a basket

Imagine the scent of fresh basil.

1 large eggplant
1 medium yellow onion
2 small bell peppers
3 medium zucchini
2 large tomatoes
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 whole sprigs thyme
1/4 cup loosely packed basil, sliced into ribbons
Extra basil for garnishing
Salt and pepper

Chop eggplant into bite-sized cubes. Transfer to a strainer set over a bowl and toss with teaspoon salt. Let sit awhile.

Dice onions and roughly chop peppers, zucchinis, and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Mince garlic. Vegetables will be cooked in batches, so keep each in a separate bowl.

Warm a teaspoon olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and generous pinch salt. Sauté until onions have softened and are beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add peppers and continue cooking until soft, another 5 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl.

Add another teaspoon of oil to pot and sauté zucchini with generous pinch of salt until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add to onions and peppers.

Rinse eggplant under running water and squeeze cubes gently to remove as much moisture as possible. Warm two teaspoons oil in pan and sauté until softened and beginning to turn translucent, about 10 minutes. Add to other vegetables.

During cooking, a brown glaze will gradually build in the pan. Dissolve glaze between batches by pouring 1/4 cup water or red wine into pan and scraping up glaze. Pour deglazing liquid into veggie bowl.

Warm another teaspoon olive oil and sauté garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme. As tomato juices begin to bubble, scrape up brown glaze.

Add all vegetables back into pan and stir until evenly mixed. Bring to a simmer, then turn down to low. Stir occasionally for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 1/2 hours. Longer cooking time will break vegetables down into a silky stew.

Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs and stir in basil. Sprinkle extra basil and a glug of good olive oil over each bowl as you serve.

Ratatouille is often better the second day, and it can be eaten cold, room temperature, or warm.

We thank thekitchn.com for this recipe.

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Peter Rabbit’s Birthday Soup

Bulk carrots

What does Peter Rabbit like best in the whole wide world?

Serves 8 to 10

2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken or veggie stock or water (or a combination)
1½ tsp. salt
1 medium potato, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 to 2 small cloves garlic, crushed
⅓ cup chopped cashews
3 to 4 Tbsp. (about ½ stick) butter
¾ cup sour cream
½ to 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
Toasted nuts and extra sour cream (optional)

In a large saucepan, bring the carrots, chicken stock, salt, and potato to a boil. Cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft. Let cool. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, sauté the onion, garlic, and cashews in the butter until the onions turn translucent.

Puree everything together in a blender until the soup is smooth. Return the puree to a pan or double boiler, and whisk in the sour cream. Heat very slowly and season with the thyme. Garnish with the toasted nuts and more sour cream, if desired.

Our thanks to Maureen Cooney, The Bluff Country Co-op Cookbook, as it appears in Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook, by Mi Ae Lipe.

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Sauteed Asparagus with Spinach

Bunches of spinach in a Nash box

Green things are on their way back! It’s spinach time!

1 tbsp olive oil or Nash’s camelina oil
1 bunch asparagus, ends removed and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp. water
3 cups packed spinach
1/8 tsp. marjoram
1/8 tsp. thyme
1/4 of a lemon, juiced
Salt
Pepper

In a medium skilled over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add asparagus and top with a little salt. Mix well to evenly coat asparagus with oil. Add water, spinach, and remaining ingredients, mix well. Cover and steam for 2-3 minutes.

Remove lid, mix and re-cover. Cook the sautéed asparagus with spinach another 3-5 minutes, or until asparagus is to your liking (firm or soft). Once done, remove from heat, plate and serve hot.

We thank lemonandolives.com for this recipe.

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Walnut Beet Patties

Sliced beets1 1/2 cups quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
2 medium onions, finely diced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice)
4 teaspoons dried oregano*
4 teaspoons dried basil*
4 teaspoons dried thyme*
2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 pound carrots (about 3 medium), grated
1 1/4 pounds (about 3-4 medium) beets, grated
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
3/4 pounds walnuts, chopped in food processor
Extra virgin coconut oil for frying

Rinse quinoa and place it in a small pot with the broth. Cover and bring to a boil; let simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for another 20 minutes. Allow to cool.

Sauté onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and herbs and sauté another 5 minutes. Grate the beets and carrots.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Form into 15 to 20 patties. Over medium heat, fry the patties in a little coconut oil until lightly brown, about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking tray and continue cooking in the oven for another 15 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm or let them cool. Got extra patties? They freeze well!

*If fresh herbs are available, you only need 1 1/2 teaspoons of the fresh herb.

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Kia’s Crock Pot Favas & Chicken

fava beans

Fava beans are fun and delicious!

Slow-cooked favas are tender and pair effortlessly with anything else you want to toss in the pot. Skip the meat and add extra veggies and lots of herbs for a vegetarian meal.

1-2 cups shucked fava beans
Approx. 2 pounds chicken thighs/drumsticks/breast, or other meat
2 cups fresh or canned salsa
4 cups chopped celery, onions, peppers, zukes, carrots, potatoes, etc.
Approx. two cups water
Salt and pepper
Fresh or dried oregano, thyme, basil, cilantro, rosemary, etc.

Put all ingredients in crock pot with salt/pepper/herbs as desired. Cover and cook on medium heat overnight or 6-8 hours. Add a fresh bunch of roughly chopped spinach/kale/chard the last 30 min of cooking, as desired. Serve hot over rice/quinoa/pasta/shredded cabbage etc.

Fava Tip: Approx 1 pound fresh favas = 1 cup shucked beans.

We thank Nash’s own Kia for this recipe.

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Rustic Garlic Soup

Two Garlic Bulbs

Making something out of nothing can really be something.

A certain rough-hewn elegance is apparent here: the garlic is mellow and sweet, the broth enriched with egg yolks. This classic peasant soup works as a first course as well as a Sunday night supper around the kitchen table. In Italy, it’s called aquacotta, or “cooked water.” Making something out of nothing can really be something.

5 cups water
2 large heads of garlic separated into cloves, smashed, and peeled
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 Turkish or California bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 large egg yolks
3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 loaf country-style bread (Nash’s Miche from Pane D’Amore is a great possibility)

Special Equipment: an instant-read thermometer

Combine water, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

Discard thyme and bay leaf. Force mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then return to saucepan. Whisk together yolks, cheese, and 2 tablespoons oil in same bowl until well combined. Add 1/2 cup hot garlic broth in a slow stream, whisking, then add yolk mixture to remaining hot garlic broth, whisking.

Cook soup over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until it is slightly thickened and registers 170F on thermometer, about 5 minutes; do not let boil. Stir in pepper to taste.
Tear bread into bite-sized pieces and divide among four soup bowls. Ladle soup over bread and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

We thank The Gourmet Cookbook for this recipe.

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Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Two Garlic Bulbs

There will be zero vampires anywhere near your zip code after you make this delicious dish.

Serves 4
Active Time: 15 minutes
Start to finish: 1 hour

In this family-style dish, long, slow cooking transforms its pungency into a sweet, mellow mash, perfect for smearing on a piece of crusty bread. Follow that with greedy forkfuls of the bird, and use a remnant of bread to sop up the luxurious juices.

1 four-pound chicken, rinsed and patted dry (Organic whole birds for sale at Nash’s Farm Store)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 scant cup olive oil
2 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 fresh sage sprig
1 Turkish or California bay leaf
1 celery rib
40 cloves garlic, peeled (3-5 heads)
Accompaniment: toasted baguette slices

Special equipment: kitchen string; an instant-read thermometer

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350F.

Sprinkle chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen string and fold wings under chicken. Heat oil in a 6- to 8-quart wide heavy ovenproof pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and sear, turning it carefully, until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Tie herbs and celery together with string to make a bouquet garni and add to pot. Scatter garlic over bottom of pot and put chicken breast side up on top of garlic. Cover tightly, transfer to oven, and bake, basting twice, until thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (without touching bone) registers 170F, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes; reserve pan juices.

Spread roasted garlic on toasts and cut chicken into serving pieces. Serve chicken drizzled with some of pan juices.

We thank The Gourmet Cookbook for this recipe.

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Diana Fava Bean Soup

diana fava beans

This simple soup is delicious. Serve alongside Nash’s roasted root vegetables for a nourishing winter meal.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion or 2 small leeks, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, pulled from stem and chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups cooked Nash’s diana fava beans
1 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, divided
Freshly ground black pepper

Cover 1 3/4 cups dried favas with water and soak overnight. Drain, rinse, cover with water and cook for 45 minutes or until tender.

Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onion, rosemary and thyme and sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, beans and salt. Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano and then puree soup with a hand immersion blender or pour into a blender and puree (ensure the soup is cool enough and puree in small batches to avoid splatter). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

We thank Virginia Newman for this recipe.

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