This week’s share:
Fennel
Purple potatoes!
Celery or celeriac
Spring mix
Kale
Parsnips
Carrots (white and in with parsnips, they’re the shorter ones)
Beets
Eggplant
Butternut squash
Raise your hand if you liked the celeriac! Here’s another one for you:
fennel. Fennel, remarkably, is related to carrots, parsnips, parsley,
and dill. Those frilly tops can be used to season any dish with a
unique licorice/anise flavor. The bulbs themselves can be sliced
thinly and spread a top a salad, grilled, or roasted with other root
vegetables. Fennel isn’t actually a root vegetable, but in my mind it
falls in the class along with kohlrabi, both of them having bulbous
heads that form just above the soil.
Speaking of roots and roasting, here’s an idea: It’s fall. October,
actually. The wind is blowing, the leaves are falling, the rain is
turning everything to muck. From that muck we have pulled beautiful
fall root vegetables, a cornucopia of underground delights of all
colors, shapes and sizes. It was at this time of season one year when
a customer at the farmers market asked me the best way to cook
parsnips. I replied: “Cut them into thin french fry like slices, place
them onto a baking sheet with edges, drizzle them with olive oil,
sprinkle them with salt, and roast in the oven at 400 for 40-60
minutes until brown on the edges.” They got excited. Then they asked
me the best way to eat carrots. I replied: “Cut them into thin french
fry like slices, place them onto a baking sheet with edges, drizzle
them with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt, and roast in the oven at
400 for 40-60 minutes until brown on the edges.” Then they asked me
the best way to eat beets. I replied: “Cut them into thin french fry
like slices, place them onto a baking sheet with edges, drizzle them
with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt, and roast in the oven at 400
for 40-60 minutes until brown on the edges.” I could keep going,
because I’m pretty sure that customer also asked me about potatoes,
brussels sprouts, and celeriac. You can guess my response. Well, by
that point they got the idea, too, and I didn’t really have to say
anything else. People: now is the time to roast your vegetables. The
root bake is the quintessential method of preparing fall food, and
it’s cool enough outside now that you will not be dripping sweat as
your oven raises your kitchen’s temperature by 10 degrees. In fact,
that might feel nice on a cool, wet, fall day like this one. Heck,
throw the fennel in there with the rest of the roots. Go crazy,
sprinkle some rosemary or sage over the top. Here’s an excellent
butternut squash recipe from smittenkitchen that also involves
roasting:
Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing
Adapted from
Orangette, who adapted it from Casa Moro
Yield: 4 servings
For salad:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds),
peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove,
minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (I skip this)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and
rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
For tahini dressing:
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch
of salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive
oil, and a few pinches of salt. Toss the squash pieces until evenly
coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft.
Remove from the oven and cool.
Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together
the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add
the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The
sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little
kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it
out.
To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and
cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing
to taste, and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the
dressing on the side. Serve immediately.
Do ahead: Molly says this salad, lightly dressed, keeps beautifully in
the fridge, that you should hold a little of the dressing on the side
and that it can be reheated in the microwave. I, for one, have never
had any leftovers.
