First CSA Summer Dinner

Thank you for making heroes of us all.  We had old friends for dinner last night and everything was beyond amazing due to the freshness and quality of our produce.  We had Portuguese kale soup, celeriac in balsamic vinaigrette in our salad and parsnips roasted with (MY) home grown onion.  Ohhh my, thanks again

Sauted Parsnips

Slice parsnips thinly.

saute in butter and salt til soft and alittle caramelized

they taste like fried plantains to me.

Rouladen (German braised stuffed meat rolls)

• 3 pounds top round steak, sliced 1/2 inch thick, pounded to 1/4 inch thick
• 6 tsp Dusseldorf-style prepared mustard, or other hot mustard
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
• 6 slices bacon, each about 8 inches long
• 3 dill pickles, rinsed in cold water and cut lengthwise into halves
• 3 tablespoons butter or shortening
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup sliced leeks, white part only
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsnip
• 3 parsley sprigs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons flour

Cut the steak into 6 rectangular pieces about 4 inches wide and 8 inches long.  Spread each with a tsp of mustard, 2 tsp of onion, and place a slice of bacon down the center.  Lay of strip of pickle across the narrow end of each piece and roll the meat around it, jelly roll fashion into a cylinder.  Tie the rolls at each end with kitchen string.

Melt butter over moderate heat and add the rolls, browning on all sides so they color quickly without burning.  Transfer to a platter, pour the water into the skillet and bring to a boil, meanwhile scraping in any brown particles clinging to the bottom and sides of the pan.  Add the celery, leeks, parsnip, parsley and salt and return the beef rolls to the skillet.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the meat shows no resistance when pierced with a fork.  Turn once or twice during cooking.  Transfer to a platter and keep warm while you make the sauce.

To make the sauce, strain the cooking liquid.  Measure the liquid and return to the skillet.  Boil until reduced to 2 cups.  Remove from heat.  Melt butter in a small pan over moderate heat and sprinkle in the flour.  Lower the heat and cook until the flour turns golden brown, stirring constantly.  Gradually add the reduced liquid, beating vigorously until the sauce is thick and smooth.  Add the Rouladen to the skillet and simmer over low heat long enough to heat the rolls through.  Eat with red cabbage and dumplings or boiled potatoes.

–submitted by Diana Bradham

Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

• 1 pound carrots
• 1 pound parsnips
• 1 lemon
• 1 orange
• 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Peel and slice the carrots and parsnips in thin strips.  Put in a large non-stick roasting pan and toss with the olive oil.  Slice the lemon and orange into thin slices and lay on top of the vegetables.  Sprinkle some kosher salt and freshly ground pepper on top of the vegetables.  Roast at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until crispy.  Turn once or twice during cooking time.

– adapted from Good Housekeeping 2001

Roasted Roots

ANY kind of winter root (potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips, rutabagas, garlic, celeriac)

Try roots that you don’t like otherwise – you may love them like this. My daughter will eat a whole plate of beets cooked this way.

 

Wash (I don’t peel) and then cut up roots. I like thin slices, other people like little chunks.  Oil or butter a big cookie tray and put the roots on the tray – pour on some more oil and some salt.  The roots shrink when they are baked, so put a lot on the tray. I usually do 2 trays worth at a time because they get eaten so fast!

 

Bake at 350 and turn the roots every once in a while to ensure even cooking and to spread the oil around.  They are done when they are soft, but I like to leave them in so that they caramelize a bit.