In The box for week of August 22nd - 24th

This week!

Sweet Peppers

Tomatoes

Steve's Mystery: romanesco, berries, or?

Spinach

Red Beets with great greens

Leeks

Cutting Celery also called smallage: a note on cutting celery: it is related to celery and is often called wild celery. In our kitchen we mostly use it like parsley. It gives vegetable soup, minestrone, potato salad, tuna salad, etc a nice herbal celery flavor. The photo above is of German holding a bunch of herbal celery.

Here are a couple of recipes I found today for the newsletter. I'm enjoying this cookbook from the library: From the Cook's Garden: Recipes for Cooks Who Like to Garden, Gardeners Who Like to Cook, and Everyone Who Wishes They Had a Garden.

Multi Pepper Salad with Fontina
adapted from From the Cook's Garden by Ellen Ogden

1.5 pounds Sweet peppers, roasted and cut into 1/4 inch strips
12 black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and coarsely chopped
6 ounces Fontina cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 1.5 cups)
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon finely chopped cutting celery OR tarragon OR parsley
1/4 cup best extra virgin olive oil
S & P to taste

Combine the peppers, olives, and cheese. Mix the cream, lemon juice, mustard, and herb in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season with the S & P. Pour over the peppers and mix. Serve immediately.
Creamy Beet Soup with Pistachio Mousse
adapted from From the Cook's Garden by Ellen Ogden

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch beets, peeled and cubed
1 small onion or leek, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 cups white wine
2 cups apple cider or juice
dash of ground allspice
1 stick of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 pint sour cream or yogurt
S & P to taste

Pistachio Mousse

1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped pistachio nuts, slightly toasted
8 sprigs fresh chervil or 4 sprigs fresh tarragon
4 fresh mint leaves
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne pepper

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the beets and onions and cook, stirring often, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the apple juice, spices, and return to the boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook until the beets are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Stir in the sourcream or yogurt.

Transfer to a bowl and cool. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile make the pistachio mousse. Process all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve the soup cold, seasoning with the salt and pepper and garnishing each bowl with a spoonful of the mousse.