Delivery 11/16/22
ITEMS
Carrots
Gold Beets
Pie Pumpkin
Lettuce
Chickpeas
Bacon / Butter
PRODUCERS
Terra Greens Produce - Manhattan
Amaltheia Organic Produce - Belgrade
Three Hearts Farm - Bozeman
Local Bounty - Hamilton
Timeless Natural Foods -Ulm
Amaltheia Organic Pork - Belgrade / Lifeline Farm - Victor
Roasting Pumpkins & Beets for Future Use
There are many delicious recipes you can use these items in, and often the first step is roasting them. This initial time requirement is a hurdle when you want to get dinner made ASAP. I suggest getting this step out of the way as soon as possible - while you're watching tv, cleaning up dinner, or working in your home-office - so that it's done and you're one step closer to a future meal.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Rinse both the pie pumpkin and the beets well, scrubbing the beets if dirty. Remove the tops and tails of the beets, if you like. If the pumpkin stem comes off easily, remove that, too.
Poke 6-10 holes in the pumpkin with a pairing knife or other sharp knife and set on a baking tray. Wrap the beets in foil and set on the same tray if there's room, or on the oven rack directly, or put them unwrapped in a separate baking pan with a bit of water and cover pan with foil.
Roast until both beets and pumpkin are soft and easily pierced with a knife, at least 45 min. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and refrigerate until you're ready to use them. You can prep the pumpkin further by separating the peel and seeds from the flesh and discarding them, or you can do that later.
Salad with Marinated Gold Beets & Goat Cheese
up to 2 lbs gold beets, roasted and diced to bite-size
2 Tbs minced shallot or onion
3 Tbs olive oil, plus more to taste
2 Tbs balsamic or sherry vinegar
Salt and black pepper
1/4 C shelled nuts, like pistachios, walnuts, or pecans, lightly toasted and salted (optional)
2 C salad greens, or a mixture of greens and fresh herbs
Soft goat cheese, like the plain chèvre from last week
In a bowl, combine shallots, oil, vinegar and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed. Add the diced beets, stir, and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 min.
In a bowl or serving platter, spoon beets over the greens, reserving the vinaigrette. Dollop with chèvre and sprinkle with nuts. Dress with remaining vinaigrette to taste.
Pasta e Ceci (Pasta & Chickpeas)
I liken this recipe to homemade Spaghetti-O's, but better. It's a hearty, comforting stew. Adapted from America's Test Kitchen. Serves 4-6. Soak the chickpeas for a minimum 4 hrs, maximum 24 hrs.
1 1/2 C dried chickpeas [Pro tip: just cook all of them and refrigerate or freeze the excess]
2 oz bacon (omit for a vegetarian version)
1 small carrot, cut into 1/2-in pieces
1 small celery rib, cut into 1/2-in pieces
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, halved and cut into 1-in pieces
1 (14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained (diced is fine if that's what you have)
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 anchovy fillet, rinsed, patted dry, and minced - sub 1/2 tsp anchovy paste, or ~1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced - or use a whole sprig and remove it later, or sub ~1/2 tsp ground
4 C chickpea cooking liquid (augment what you have with extra water if needed)
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 C uncooked ditalini or other very small pasta shape (~8oz)
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste - sub white wine if needed
1 Tbs fresh parsley or basil, chopped (optional)
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated (~1 oz), or more to taste
The morning of or the night before: Rinse the chickpeas in a colander, then add them to a 4-quart saucepan (or bigger) and cover with water by a few inches. Add a big pinch of salt and set aside to soak for 4-24 hrs.
The soaked chickpeas should plump up considerably. Add more water to the pot to again cover by a few inches and add another pinch of salt. Set the pot over med-high heat and bring to a simmer. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't foam over. Maintain a gentle simmer until chickpeas are tender throughout, stirring every 15 min or so, and checking for doneness after 30 min.
While chickpeas are simmering, put the bacon in a food processor until ground to paste, ~30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add carrot, celery, and garlic and pulse until finely chopped, 8-10 pulses. Add onion and pulse until onion is cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch pieces, 8-10 pulses. Transfer mixture to a large Dutch oven. Pulse tomatoes in now-empty food processor until coarsely chopped, 8-10 pulses. Set aside. [Or, chop everything by hand - the smaller the better.]
When the chickpeas are tender, add the oil to mixture in Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until a fond begins to form on bottom of pot, ~5 min. Add anchovy, pepper flakes, and rosemary and cook until fragrant, ~1 min. Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, liquid, and 1 tsp salt and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 min. Add pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 10-12 min. Stir in lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a heap of grated Parm on top.
Additional Recipe Suggestions
Beet, Fennel, and Orange Salad - so fresh and bright! There's a yummy balsamic roasted beet salad recipe here, too.
Homemade Falafel Patties are a fun way to use dried chickpeas
Top the falafel (or any winter salad) with quick pickled beets