radishes Archives -

October 1, 2015

Roasted Delicata Squash with Baby Kale and Balsamic Molasses Vinaigrette

Our most recent weekend was filled with visits to the cider mill and apple orchard and the apple pie and crisp baking has begun. It feels good to be settling into these cooler autumn days. Now that squash season is upon us, the number of squash from our CSA have been piling up on our kitchen island and yesterday I decided it was finally time to start doing something with them. I began with the delicata squash– oblong, beautiful, and especially wonderful because you can keep the skin on for eating. It’s roasted to draw out the sweetness, along with some red onions, then tossed together with some tender baby kale, crispy radishes, toasty pepitas, and tossed with a balsamic molasses vinaigrette. Happy fall, my friends!

August 12, 2015

Fava Bean Puree with Lemon and Garlic

Although fresh fava beans are generally considered a spring vegetable, they are available well into the summer months at farmers markets here in Michigan. It’s true that they can be a bit tedious to shell and peel, but having kids around during the summer helps with that. (Oh, you’ve got nothing to do? No problem, I can fix that. Here’s a big pile of favas to shell, if you’d please.) In all seriousness though, I love when the kids join me in the kitchen. It’s quality time spent together and my hope is that it will deepen their appreciation for our meals together.

July 15, 2015

Kale Radish Kimchi

Fermentation is a process that I found intriguing but intimidating, and it took several months before I gathered enough courage to begin trying it for myself. First I read Michael Pollen’s Cooked, next was Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions, and then I dug even deeper in Sandor Katz’s The Art of Fermentation. Still, the idea of leaving food out at room temperature for days, even weeks, seemed frightening to me. Finally one of my best friends got me motivated to give it a try. She has four kids and homeschools but has somehow managed to incorporate fermentation into her regular kitchen routine. After having tried several batches of ferments myself now, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover the relative simplicity and ease of the whole process. Since our CSA share has exploded lately with all kinds of fresh produce, fermenting seems to be the perfect solution when there’s a bit more than needed for the week. So far our favorite ferment has been kimchi, usually made with napa cabbage, but this time I used kale and radishes from our CSA share. Turns out kale and radishes make a wonderful kimchi as well. Like a good sriracha sauce, kimchi seems to go with everything and makes great a condiment to accompany a wide variety of dishes.

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