Monday: Kohlrabi-slaw

Kohlrabi-carrot slaw with baked tofu.

Since it consists of shredded carrots, kohlrabi, and vinegar, plus the flavors of anise seed and dill, this dish bears a resemblance to cole slaw. It's no coincidence that "kohl" sounds like "cole" - both those prefixes derive from the German word for cabbage. (The "slaw" part is derived from the word for "salad," which is itself actually derived from the word "salt" - making "cole slaw" "salty cabbage salad.")

As for kohlrabi, it's a cruciferous vegetable which grows a bulbous enlarged above-ground stem. The leaves are edible if you happen to find them in good shape, but they don't keep well. The kohlrabi "bulb" itself has a fibrous outer layer that varies in thickness, so it's not enough just to peel off the skin - you have to be sure to cut down deep enough to remove the portion with an unpleasant grain. The soft interior is greenish-white in color, and has a consistency similar to broccoli stems, with a fresh, slightly green, crisp taste.

Kohlrabi tastes pleasant raw and is a good fresh green vegetable in the winter months; it can also be braised or used in soups, where it reaches a softer, smooth consistency.

Sunday: Steamed squash

Steamed ambercup squash on spinach greens, with walnuts and sherry-honey-shoyu dressing.

Often the skin of winter squashes isn't eaten, but in this recipe you peel off half the skin (ideally in a pretty pattern - not as easy as it sounds) before steaming the squash slices. The remaining skin ended up tender and nice to eat.

Spinach has finally started to show up at the market! - this is the first time we've bought it this year. Before we started going to farmers' markets we didn't know spinach was really a winter vegetable. Here it's used raw as a bed for the squash, though it wilts a little from the squash's heat.

Farmer's Market Haul, 11/8/09

Law school obligations interfered with our Saturday marketing this week, so we visited the Morningside farmer's market again...

VEGGIES:
Brussels sprouts
Adirondack pink potatoes
red beets
purple kohlrabi
onions
(we still had some winter squashes waiting at home...)

FRUIT:
apples - several varietals including Suncrisp, Gala, Cameo, and Newtown Pippin

OTHER:
apple cider
milk from Milk Thistle Farm
duck prosciutto

Friday cat blogging, stereotype edition

Oscar wanted this ball of yarn. Verrrry original, Oscar.

Wednesday: Squash salad

Warm butternut squash and chickpea salad with pita.

Before this year we actually didn't cook much with butternut squash, despite it being the most common winter squash in grocery stores. At most, we'd make a Thanksgiving squash puree as a side dish. We're still exploring the higher culinary potential of the humble butternut, and this recipe was another nice addition to our repertoire. The only tricky part is trying to make homemade tahini by grinding toasted sesame seeds with some water.

Tuesday: Balsamic Brussels

Broiled haddock with brown rice and garlic-roasted Brussels sprouts.

These sprouts got an amazing treatment out of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: they were allowed to sit undisturbed in a little oil in a hot skillet for 10 minutes with several whole cloves of garlic, and then the whole skillet was transferred into a 450F oven for about 30 minutes. They were finished with a dash of balsamic vinegar. The sprouts end up deliciously singed and slightly crunchy.

If you haven't seen Brussels sprouts in their native habitat, you might be amazed by the below:



Yes, they really grow like that! The sprouts grow like little mini-cabbages along a thick, inedible stalk. The protruding stems once had big cruciferous-looking leaves; these are lopped off before the stalk is sold at market. It is extremely satisfying to snap the sprouts off. (Kind of like the feeling of popping bubble wrap.)

Sunday: Wintry comfort food

Classic leek and potato soup.

We make this at least once a year; it's one of Giselle's favorite winter comfort foods. Chopped-up leek and potato are simply sauteed in some oil; then broth is added and it all simmers for under a half hour. Serve with crusty bread.