January 28th, 2012

Now that we’ve been creating recipes for over a year, I have been looking back at what we were cooking last January with interest, comparing what was growing then, to what is growing now (Earthtrine had Fava beans this time last year, but so far none appearing on the market this year, for example!) Whilst going through these mealplans, I was admiring Shaheda’s recipes (she wrote her first mealplan about 1 year ago to the day!), and thought a round-up of some of last year’s favorites was in order. Enjoy.

“SHAHEDA FAVORITES BOX” | JANUARY 28TH, 2012 Roots Vegetables Fruit • Yellow Onions (Givens Farm) • Baby White Potatoes (Mike Dixon) • Carrots (Givens) • Garlic (Gama Farms)

• Broccoli (Givens) • Cauliflower (Givens) • Fennel (Underwood Farm) • Chanterelle Mushrooms (LA Funghi) • Bok Choy (Vang Farm)*

• Tangerines (Somers) • Grapefruit (Flying Disc) • Lemons (Rancho SC) • Blood Oranges (Goodland

Organics) • Blueberries (Forbidden Fruit) • Avocados (Ranch Creek)

Leafy Greens Extra Fruit ** Meat & Eggs • Lettuce (Givens) • Stir Fry Greens Mix (Kenter Canyon)

• Extra Oranges, avocados, and Blueberries • Pink Lady and Fuji Apples – Ha’s Apples • Asian Pears – Ha’s • Kiwis – Etheridge Farms

• Chicken Legs (Dey Deys) • Sweet Italian Sausage (Jimenez) • Top Sirloin (Dey Deys) • 1 dozen Eggs (Dare to Dream)*

Herbs Dairy Regional Specialty • Cilantro, Thyme * (Kenter Canyon)

• Butter (Organic Valley) • Dry Vella Jack (C’est Cheese)

• Lovebirds Honey

Juice Grain/ Pulse Nuts, Seeds or Dried Fruit

• Orange Juice – Friends Ranch • Sprouted Lentils (Bolanos Family Sprouts)

• Walnut Butter

Fair Trade Catch of the Week ** New Customer/ Referral Gift Coffee (Green Star) • Salmon (Janae’s Fillets)

Dressing (Om Sweet Mama)

* Not included in the Couple’s Box ** This category is an ‘Add-on’ option. Please go to www.outoftheboxcollective.com if you are interested

THIS WEEK’S RECIPES! DRY BRAISED CHICKEN LEGS WITH CHANTERELLES AND ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SEARED TOP SIRLOIN STEAK, ROASTED CARROTS, SALAD YOUR WAY SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE SERVED OVER MASHED POTATOES WITH CARROT, ORANGE AND FENNEL SOUP. STEWED SPROUTED LENTILS TOPPED WITH YOUR FAVORITE RUNNY YOLK EGG OVER A BED OF JASMINE RICE. STIR FRY NIGHT SALMON WITH GRAPEFRUIT AND AVOCADO SALAD

DRY BRAISED CHICKEN LEGS WITH CHANTERELLES AND ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Braised Chicken:

• olive oil • chicken legs and thighs • a little Flour for dusting • Fresh chanterelle mushrooms, brushed clean, sliced • 4 cloves Fresh garlic, minced & smashed • Salt and pepper • Several sprigs of fresh thyme • 1/2 Cup Dry white wine • 1/2 Cup Chicken stock • 2 Tbl Butter, cold

Roasted Cauliflower:

• Cauliflower, florets • Olive oil • Lemon zest and a big squeeze of juice

Preheat oven to 350F. If you read this ahead of time and feel like doing it, brining your chicken is very hepful. Just rub it in some salt and place it in the fridge in a ziplock bag overnight. If not, no problem, it will still be delicious! Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Season both sides of the chicken with sea salt & pepper Dust both sides of the chicken with flour (seasoned with salt and pepper). Place the chicken skin side down in the hot oil and saute until the skin is crisp and golden brown. Turn the chicken and saute for a couple of minutes to sear the meat side. Remove chicken from the pan and set on a plate in a single layer (don’t want to lose that crisp skin). Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat and oil from the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced chanterelles to the pan and season with the salt, pepper and thyme. Add the white wine, chicken stock and any drippings from the plate with the chicken. Return the chicken to the pan on top of the mushrooms, wine and stock. Put the pan into the oven uncovered. After 25 minutes, remove the chicken from the pan and reduce the mushroom mixture on the stovetop at high heat until saucy. Remove from heat, remove thyme. Slowly stir in cold butter to thicken the sauce. Serve chicken with mushroom sauce. Sprinkle the top with some fresh thyme. Roasted cauliflower is really an amazing thing, and I generally do not care for cauliflower. Toss the florets with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a hot open until browned all over, about 35 minutes at 350-400F. Sprinkle with zest and lemon juice while hot and serve. Crispy, creamy amazing! Chicken, mushrooms, roasted cauliflower and let’s just do a simple mixed green salad with this. Enjoy!

TOP SIRLOIN, ROASTED CARROTS, SALAD Ingredients:

• Steak • Garlic • Carrots • Olive oil • Salt & Pepper • Lettuce • Salad extras (see suggestions below)

For the carrots, preheat your oven to 400F. Take your carrots, sliced lengthwise and toss them with a little olive oil & salt. Place them in one layer in a pan. Roast for about 35 minutes, or until the edges look crisp. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar for the last 5 minutes of roasting and you are in for a caramelized amazing treat! I hated carrots before I started to roast them; it really releases their lovely natural sugars. Beautiful, pastured beef does not need much to make it delicious. Heat up a heavy bottomed skillet or grill pan. Season the beef with salt & pepper. Rub with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. When the pan is hot place the steak in and back up. Let it stay on the heat for a few minutes, until it naturally pulls away and is relatively easy to turn over. Same on the other side. This steak will be good medium rare. Once the other side has been seared, remove and cover with foil. Your meat needs rest. While the steak rests, prepare the salad: start with greens, then add highlights: Some ideas I like are citrus segments & avocado, dried fruit or nuts, cheese, the list goes on! Dress with your favorite vinaigrette using a ratio of 3:1, oil: vinegar. Slice your steak into thin slices to serve, with the roasted carrots and salad. Couscous, rice or farro would be lovely accompaniment.

SAUSAGES OVER SMASHED POTATOES. SERVED WITH ANNE SMITH’S CARROT,

ORANGE AND FENNEL SOUP Ingredients: For the Sausage:

• Sweet Italian sausage • Onions- sliced into rounds • Garlic • Cilantro • Potatoes

For the Soup: • 1 medium fennel bulb, stalks trimmed flush with bulb, and bulb sliced thin crosswise • 1 pat of unsalted butter • 1 lb carrots, sliced thin • 1 green garlic stalk, minced

Other Ingredients: • 3 cups highest quality vegetable stock • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice plus 1teaspoon orange zest • crème fraiche or cream or a little yoghurt. • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions: Before we get to the sausages, let’s get the potatoes boiling. Quarter your potatoes and place them in salted water. Once they come to a boil, simmer until fork tender or a little underdone. Now, onto these beautiful artisanal sausages. Get a large skillet nice and hot. Add a pat of butter, followed by the garlic and onions. Season with salt and sauté until golden. Slice the sausages into thick coins. Move the onions to one side of the pan (or remove to a plate) and brown the bratwurst coins. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Using the back of a ladle, smash the potatoes and stir in a little butter and olive oil. Add some milk or yoghurt or crème fraiche if you have it. Taste and add salt if needed. Stir in the freshly chopped cilantro and place smashed potatoes onto a platter. Top with sausage coins and caramelized onion mixture. Sprinkle with more fresh cilantro if desired. Carrot, Fennel and Orange Soup, by Anne Smith, New School of Cooking In a soup pot, cook fennel in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until softened and beginning to turn golden. Add carrots and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add stock and salt, and simmer, covered, 20 minutes or until carrots are very tender. In a blender, puree mixture in batches with orange juice, zest, a little crème fraiche, and salt and pepper to taste until smooth, transferring back to the soup pot. Heat through and serve.

STIR FRY NIGHT

Ingredients: • For the stir--fry: • Broccoli-- florets & stems cut in small pieces • Onions -- chopped • Garlic cloves-- sliced thin • Bok Choy-- stems cut & leaves left whole (opt) • Carrots-- chopped • Stir Fry Mix

Other optional Ingredients:

• Leftover chicken • Any other vegetables you want to use up! • Ginger-- grated • Soy sauce • Cilantro • Red chili flakes • Sesame oil • Rice noodles or steamed rice to serve.

Citrus Salad:

• Various citrus-- segmented • Lettuce • Avocado optional

Directions: With Stir Fry meals it is very important to make sure all of your prep is ready to go before you ever turn the heat on. Chop all of your vegetables the same size. The bok choy leaves and stir fry mix can be left whole. Make sure all the veggies are in separate piles. Place the garlic, ginger & chili flakes in a small bowl. Time to stir fry! Heat a small amount of oil in a wok or skillet. Use an oil with a high smoke point, like canola or grapeseed. Add in 1⁄2 of the garlic, ginger, red pepper and stir around quickly. Add in the vegetables and cook one by one, starting with the hardest first. Add about 1⁄4 cup of water or broth to help them soften. Do not add the bok choy or stir-fry leaves until later. If you are using tofu or leftover chicken, add that too. Everything should be cooked until tender--crisp and bright in color. Add some soy sauce and cilantro. Stir around. Turn off the heat, add the bok choy and stir fry greens. Cover for a couple minutes. Serve with a drizzle of sesame oil over rice or noodles. Citrus Salad: This is a refreshing simple salad meant to showcase all the lovely flavorful winter citrus. Simply top your favorite greens with various types of citrus. Add avocado. Drizzle with some oil, vinegar and a sprinkling of salt.

STEWED SPROUTED LENTILS TOPPED WITH YOUR FAVORITE RUNNY YOLK EGG OVER A BED OF

JASMINE RICE.

Everything is better with a runny-yolk egg on top, right? I definitely believe this to be true. Better tasting and much more complete in terms of the protein content.

Ingredients:

• garlic, minced

• Onion, about 1 cup diced

• Sprouted lentils

• 1/2 can chopped tomatoes

• Cilantro, chopped

• Jasmine rice

• Pat of butter

• Squeeze of lemon

• Cauliflower, florets

• eggs

Other ingredients: • Salt, pepper • Olive oil • Ginger root, optional • cumin • Water or broth

Directions:

Roasted Cauliflower Preheat oven to 375F. Roasted cauliflower is really an amazing thing, and I generally do not care for cauliflower. Toss the florets with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a hot oven until browned all over, about 35 minutes. Toss with cumin (if you are feeling fancy) and a squeeze of lemon while hot and serve. Crispy, creamy amazing!

Stewed lentils While the cauliflower is working its magic in the hot hot oven, warm up a little oil in a skillet. Add the chopped garlic, onions and sauté for a few minutes. Season with salt, pepper and cumin, if using. Allow the onion to start to caramelize (but not burn!). Once the onions have some color, add in the tomatoes, grated ginger (if using) and the lentils. If it looks really dry add in some broth, about a cup. These will need to stew for about 20 minutes. When they look beautiful and melded

together, squeeze some lemon over the top and sprinkle with loads of fresh cilantro. Oh! As always, check for salt and pepper.

Other things you’ll need to do Prepare a pot of rice. If you are feeling like you deserve a treat, stir a little butter into the hot rice. I really wish I had a foolproof way to teach you how to poach an egg, but let me tell you, it really is just practice and some vinegar in the water. That was the only way I got it when I first started doing it. Over and over, poached eggs on everything! This is a technique that sums it up very nicely. Alton Brown is a genius. If this intrigues you, give it a shot; they are perfect on this meal. If not, you can always just serve a sunny side up or over easy egg on these lentils. I would avoid trying to hard boil this egg, because that works best with older eggs and your eggs are fresh! Fresh eggs are great for all things except hard boiling.

To serve Find a nice deep bowl, like one you would use for udon noodles or something. Place a scoop of hot jasmine rice on the bottom. Cover it with stewed lentils and gently place your poached egg(s) on top. Sprinkle your egg with a little course salt, more fresh cilantro and dig in. Serve the roasted cauliflower family style and pass around the oranges afterwards.

SALMON W/GRAPEFRUIT AND AVOCADO SALAD

Salmon, especially the one in your box, does not require much. Let’s pat it dry and season it with salt and pepper to start. To me, there is nothing like a simply seared piece of fresh fish, paired with something citrusy. And since we have grapefruit, let’s use that. Heat a little oil in a heavy bottomed skillet. Sear your salmon fillet for about 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Make a quick salad with the grapefruit slices, avocado and cilantro. Serve the fish with this salad on top.