Red Wagon Farm

Roasted Cauliflower

Posted on October 5, 2021 by mo

Cauliflower is kind of like tofu and eggplant in the sense it is almost a blank slate. It soaks up any sauces or seasonings you add to it. You can blanch it or steam it (I love it steamed) or make it into a luscious creamy sauce. Because it is really low in fiber it almost disappears when baked in a gratin or sauce.

Roasted cauliflower should be barely browned with subtle crispy edges. It gets a slightly sweet-nutty flavor when it is roasted and is more firm than when it is steamed or braised in a sauce. Roasted Cauliflower makes a simple versatile side dish as is and is good either hot or room temperature.

Let’s roast some cauliflower. Start by preheating your oven to 400F. If you don’t preheat the oven your cauliflower will steam and won’t brown so make sure your oven is all the way preheated.

All you need is a cauliflower and some oil and salt.

Wash your cauliflower and take off the dark green leaves.

Turn it over and cut off the stem.

Then cut out the core. Stick a paring knife on the side of the core at an angle and cut in a circle and the core will come right out.

Now you can roast it whole. This makes a nice presentation for a fancy meal. Just put it on a sheet pan, (I like to use a baking mat or parchment paper so it doesn’t stick) in a preheated 400F oven and rub olive oil and salt on it and bake for 30-35 minutes until brown. This photo is showing it if I was going to roast it whole.

Or you can break it into large chunks and roast it the same temperature and time. Try to keep the size of the chunks even to they cook evenly. I like to serve large chunks of roasted cauliflower like I would a roasted potato or with a rich sauce like hollandaise or Romesco.

Here I’ve broken the cauliflower into small florets and rubbed with salt and oil. Leave some room for air flow so the florets can brown. Small florets are nice in salads, a simple side dish, served with dips or my new favorite cauliflower tacos!

Here it is done, about 35 minutes later.

Simple and delicious.

Have a great week. See you at pickup.

Posted in 2021, Cauliflower, Recipes | Comments Off

Potato Leek Soup

Posted on September 28, 2021 by mo

This is an update of a very old post. Potato leek soup is one of my favorite Fall and Winter meals. It is simple to make and completely adaptable to add any vegetables, cheeses, herbs or proteins you have or fancy. I’ll list some of my favorites in the recipe as ‘optional add-in’. But use what you like and what you have.

This is the basic recipe you want to start with.

3 medium leeks washed and cut into circles. See how prepare your leeks here.
1 1/2 to 2 pounds of potatoes chopped
2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil to sauté the vegetables, I used a little of both
4 cups of liquid, you can use vegetable or chicken stock, or water or milk-dairy or plant based. I used 1/2 water and 1/2 dairy milk
Salt, pepper and any herbs you like. I tie up my herbs bunches so I can easily remove them if I am using woody herbs like thyme and oregano. If I am using soft herbs like parsley or cilantro, I just throw them in.
Optional additions; any vegetables like carrots, celery, turnips, parsnips you will want to add in the beginning with the potatoes and leeks.
Optional additions to finish the soup; any cheese. I like to use up odds and ends in my cheese drawer, cream cheese and cheddar or gouda are really nice. Bacon! Roasted green chilies are so good in this soup. Broccoli or any greens are good too. Pretty much look in your refrigerator and see what needs using up and it will probably be a delicious addition. More herb like chives or more parsley or cilantro are a nice finish to this soup.

Cut up the leeks and start to sauté them in the oil and or butter and salt and pepper. Wash and cut up the potatoes while the leeks start cooking.

Add the potatoes and whatever liquid and herbs you are using, you might need more liquid but start with 4 cups.

Let that gently simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are really soft and the leeks are melty.

It’s kind of hard to tell from a picture, but this is about done. The potatoes are completely tender and the leeks are collapsed.

Taste it and decide if it needs more salt or pepper. You also need to decide if you want to blend this or keep it chunky.

I used my immersion and left some chucks. I added some cheese, cilantro and a few red pepper flakes.

Mix that up and taste it and decide if you want some milk or broth to thin the soup.

Humble simple delicious every time.

Have a great week.

Posted in 2021, Onions and Leeks, Potatoes, Recipes | Comments Off

How to Clean and Prepare Leeks

Posted on September 28, 2021 by mo

I love leeks. I always grow lots of leeks, scallions and chives because I prefer them to white or yellow onions. You will have leeks as a choice this week in your CSA share. I hope you try them.

Onions and leeks are completely interchangeable in uses. Leeks are always sweet, never hot or spicy like some onions can be, and have a distinct oniony flavor that doesn’t get lost in dishes. Texture wise, when you cook them they almost melt into the background of a dish. Many leek recipes will say; ‘cook leeks until meltingly soft’ that is one thing that makes them special.

Behold the leek. They sort of look like scallions but the leek stems are flat and scallion and onion stems are round and hollow.

They take a little more effort to wash and prepare compared to a humble onion, not much more, and with leeks you don’t have to deal with onion paper flying all over your kitchen. One thing is for sure, leeks are dirty. They are either dirty or very dirty. They catch dirt and sand in the layers in their stems.

First thing you want to do is cut off the tough dark stems and leave all of the white bulb.

You can save the stem for stock or compost it. If I have room in my freezer I throw them in the freezer and make stock when I have enough other vegetables.

Next you want to cut off the little ‘root beards’ and decide if you want to keep your leeks whole or cut them into rounds. Usually if you are braising them you will keep them whole and cut a slit down the middle, if you are using them in a soup base or sauteed you will make them round.

Fill a bowl with water and either swish your whole leeks in the bowl to wash the sand out.

Or throw your rounds in the water and swoosh them around to let the sand sink to the bottom.

Fish them out of the water and-TaDa! Your leeks are ready use!

Use these in any dish like you would onions and I think you will really like the pronounced sweet onion flavor and texture leeks have.

Posted in 2021, Onions and Leeks, Recipes, Storage and Preparation | Comments Off

Easy Fresh Corn Polenta

Posted on September 21, 2021 by mo

First things first, join me in wishing Mazel Tov to Kai and Joel! They got married this weekend! Much love and happiness to you both.

OK, back to business; Fresh polenta. This is a really easy dish to make. Unlike polenta made with dry ground corn, fresh corn polenta is unbelievably sweet, fresh and light tasting. I like to eat it with roasted mushrooms and vegetables and a runny egg, or pan seared shrimp or fish. Cheese is a great topping for this dish. Like I said the polenta is sweet and the cheese, especially hard cheeses like parmesan or feta are good, but so is a soft goat cheese, it balances the sweetness. I love to freeze this dish and trot it out for a special side dish on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

It does take some time in the kitchen, mostly hands off time letting the pureed corn cook down. Here is the method.

6 ears of corn
about 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegan or dairy butter
Optional but delicious-crumbled feta or any hard sharp cheese, 1 fresh herbs

Shuck the corn and slice the kernels off the cob into a large pan. I save the cobs and make corn stock.

Add just enough water to the pot to cover the kernels. Add the salt. Place over high heat until a gentle boil starts. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Strain the corn, (I save the cooking liquid and make soup or rice, taste it, it’s too good to throw out) and set the pot to the side. Add the corn to a food processor and process until smooth.

Return the corn to the pot, (I did this in the sink to minimize the mess) and lower the burner to simmer cook until you like the consistency.

I cooked mine for about 20 more minutes. The longer you let it go the creamier it gets. See how in the picture below it is holding it’s shape and mounding almost like loose mashed potatoes. When you are happy with the consistency add the butter and taste for more salt and pepper.

I’m going to freeze this batch and bring it out for a holiday meal. Oh! I just remembered, fresh polenta is great with some cheddar cheese and chopped roasted chilies mixed in. Yum. I love roasted chilies at Thanksgiving. Maybe I’ll do that!

Only a few more weeks of regular CSA season left. Enjoy the Fall bounty.

Posted in 2021, Corn, Recipes | Comments Off

“Creamed Greens”

Posted on September 13, 2021 by mo

This is a super easy, elegant satisfying plant based dish that is better than creamed spinach you would get at an old school steak house. These greens will complement any grilled, steamed or roasted vegetable, meat or fish or you could even serve it with noodles or rice.

The base (sauce) of the sauce is tofu not heavy whipping cream and the result is so much better than original dairy base dish. I saw the recipe here. I have made this twice and changed just a few things but basically followed the recipe. You can use any greens you have. I used a bunch of kale, but chard, spinach or collards would be just as delicious. I used mushrooms but if you don’t like mushrooms-use onions or eggplant. Don’t have greens? Use the sauce with roasted peppers or winter squash. Don’t want an Asian profile? Sub nutritional yeast and any nut or oat milk for the Asian seasonings like I did in the second photo. Here is what I used the two times I have made this.

If you don’t care about being plant based you could use parmesan and regular milk. Here is what you need.

Creamed Greens.

8 ounces tofu I used firm tofu
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
4 ounces mushrooms
1 bunch of greens I used kale
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Put the tofu, soy sauce, mirin, and vinegar in a blender and blend on high until smooth, 1-2 minutes until it is really smooth. If you want it thinner add water or milk (plant or animal) That’s it. you just made a delicious ‘cream’ sauce yum.

Honestly, you can stop right here and put this on anything.

If you are making the greens heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and then salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and most of it has evaporated. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until just wilted.

Stir in half the tofu mixture (save the rest for another batch or to use with other veggies) and cook until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with more salt to taste and serve warm.

I’ll be playing with different seasonings for this dish. I hope you try making this. I think it’s a winner.

Fall is in the air. I’m ready for cooler weather. Have a great week.

Posted in Greens, Mo's Favorites, Recipes | Comments Off

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