Crate Cooking is partnered with Local Roots NYC, a small, mission-driven business here to serve fellow New Yorkers and regional growers. Local Roots NYC inspires a new home cooking culture through local food and community. Markets are a vibrant meeting place every week that pops up in neighborhood bars, cafes, or your place of work.
Below are recipes created using the fresh, seasonal ingredients featured in my recent Local Roots NYC CSA.
Mushroom and Steel Cut Oats Gratin
on November 27, 2018
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a mushroom and wild rice casserole by cookbook author and blogger Heidi Swanson. I didn’t have most of the ingredients for her recipe (actually, except for mushrooms I had almost none of the ingredients), the most obvious being the rice. Since I *try* to follow a gluten-free diet most of the time (sigh, self-control has never been my forte) I always have a lots of oats in my pantry. I keep rolled oats, groats and steel cut on hand and generally end up boiling all three different varieties in some way for breakfast. With no rice in the kitchen I thought I’d try making a savory gratin with a tin of Irish steel cut oats instead. A hearty grain with a nice bite to them, I thought surely they’d be just as good as rice!
Savoy Cabbage Pizza with Bacon and Smoked Mozzarella
on November 7, 2018
I easily fall into a rut when cooking cabbage. I make slaw or some other slaw. Inspiration came way of cabbage’s cousin, Brussels sprouts. Who doesn’t love Brussels sprouts and bacon! Why not cabbage and bacon? Add some carbs – how about a pizza? Top with cheese? Yes, please! No tomato sauce required or pizza stone required, this pizza cooks fairly quickly in a hot oven on a sheet pan.
Carrot and Cheddar Fritters
on October 19, 2018
Most of the time I try to follow a gluten-free diet. Unless it’s a special occasion. Or pizza night. Or I’m traveling. OK, some of the time I follow a gluten-free diet. Rather than buying gluten-free substitute foods (gf boxed cookie and cake mixes, bread, pasta, etc.) I like to eat foods that naturally don’t contain any gluten. But fritters are tricky to make gluten-free. They usually contain a little all-purpose flour to help bind together a batter. In this recipe I use cheddar cheese to work as a binder. As the fritters cook the cheese melts and crisps under the grated carrots.
Beef and Honeynut Squash Stew with Gremolata
on October 16, 2018
Recently, honeynut squash appeared in my CSA share for this fall. Honeynuts are truly adorable little squash that are smaller than butternuts in size and more golden in color. They look like they belong in a garden you’d see in The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. A fairly new breed of squash, honeynuts have popped up more in local farmers markets in the last couple of years. And if you haven’t already guessed, it’s flavor is much like its name – nutty and sweet.
Roasted Beet and Carrot Soup with Greens
on October 13, 2018
It has been hot and and humid (STILL) in New York City but the autumn produce has arrived! Multicolored beets are carrots are on the market scene. The beauty of this soup is you can use a variety of colors for the beets and carrots. In these photos I used chioggia beets and white carrots. Red beets and purple carrots would make for a gorgeous, deep red soup while yellow beets and orange carrots would be a pretty golden hue. And don’t throw away the beet greens! Sauté the stems and greens and serve with a splash of vinegar. Along with some toasted bread the soup and greens make a complete meal.
Mac and Cheese with Caramelized Shallots
on September 19, 2018
Adding caramelized onions or shallots to a dish is like adding an exclamation point to the flavor. My quick-caramelizing method delivers beautifully golden shallots that don’t require an hour on the stove. Their sweetness is perfect over rich, cheesy pasta!
Hakurei Turnips with Garlic Scapes
on June 20, 2018
Hakurei turnips first pop up in the spring and early summer and are a Japanese variety sometimes called Tokyo turnips. They are small and white with bright, tasty greens and a bunch of these guys will make you want to eat an entire plate of small and perfect spring vegetables. For today’s What I Made with My CSA I’m sautéing my turnips with garlic scapes. This recipe would also be delicious grilled, just toss the raw turnips with the oil and garlic scapes and cook on a hot grill until tender and golden.
Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon and Chipotle Peppers
on June 8, 2018
This is a bit of a kitchen sink salad – potatoes base, throw in some bacon, radishes, why not chipotles? Top with some chives and obviously finish it with soft-boiled eggs. The sweetness of the potatoes is a perfect match for smokey bacon and chipotle peppers. The radishes add crunch while the cider vinegar adds the perfect tang to balance the creamy eggs.
Smoked Bluefish Salad with Cherry Belle Radishes
on June 7, 2018
I didn’t discover radishes until I turned 30 and now I have a bunch in my refrigerator every week. They are great roasted with chicken, on an appetizer board with cheese and sautéed in butter. For my 3rd post on What I Made with My CSA I’m sharing my favorite way to enjoy radishes – plain and simple in a salad. Lately I’ve been buying smoked bluefish from PE & DD Seafood at the Abingdon Square Greenmarket and use it to make Smitten Kitchen’s Smoked Whitefish Dip with Horseradish. Rather than serve it as a dip with crackers, I plate it up with my gorgeous cherry belle radishes and some bibb lettuce leaves for an afternoon salad. No cooking required!
Fruit and Spinach Smoothie
on June 6, 2018
Here’s my second post for this week’s What I Made with My CSA and it’s proof you don’t need a labor-intense recipe to enjoy seasonal food. Smoothies are great for breakfast especially when you’re short on time and want something cold. And this recipe is an easy way to get raw greens into a meal. My favorite combination of frozen fruit is strawberries and mangoes, but use whatever you have on hand. It is also delicious with bananas and any variety of berries. I like to use frozen fruit because it keeps the smoothie cold and thick.
Tuscan Kale with Green Garlic and Rosé
on June 5, 2018
Kicking off my first week of What I Made with My CSA with a simple recipe for my favorite way to cook greens – with wine! I’m using two of my CSA goodies – kale and green garlic. Tuscan kale, also called lacinato, black or even dinosaur kale, is a flat variety of the green that’s darker in color that its curly cousin. I love it because it’s tender and cooks quickly compared to other hearty greens. Green garlic is young garlic and is available at markets in the late spring and early summer. It’s milder than the mature garlic heads you can get year round at the grocery store.
Pea, Radish and Toasted Pecan Salad with Burrata and Speck
on April 26, 2018
I like salads that go on platters rather than bowls. This salad does look a bit like an appetizer at first glance, maybe that’s why I enjoy it so much! I love to put ingredients together on a plate and pick at them, whether its for a salad for lunch, an early evening appetizer, or a side dish for an al fresco dinner. And that’s how this springy platter can work – in any of those settings.
Roast Bone-In Leg of Lamb
on March 23, 2018
In general I prefer to cook meat on the bone. Whether I’m braising, roasting or grilling, the bone contributes rich flavor and also helps to keep the meat from drying out. For lamb I roast the shank end of half a leg, about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds to serve 4 to 6 people.
Orecchiette with Sausage and Cabbage
On February 15, 2018
This is total winter comfort food. I love to make slaws with fresh cabbage during the summer but am never quite sure what to do with it in the winter. With a little sausage and some pasta, the sautéed cabbage and shallots round out this perfect cold-weather meal.
Shaved Carrot and Daikon Salad
on January 23, 2018
When winter hits it’s easy to fall into a repetitive cooking cycle. I generally roast plenty of root vegetables for dinner side dishes and salads, then mix it up by occasionally puréeing those veggies for soup. This week I wanted something different, food that felt like summer but still incorporated my seasonal winter vegetables.
Mashed Potatoes and Greens
on December 14, 2017
Here’s a way to ease any guilt you may feel over indulging in mashed potatoes – add greens! Use your favorite greens in this recipe, keeping in mind that cooking times can vary for all varieties. Sauté greens until they are very tender and any liquid has evaporated.
Sweet Potato Hash with Turkey and Fried Eggs
on November 23, 2017
Enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers beyond a turkey sandwich or cold side dishes. Delicious with white or dark meat, I find this hash as the perfect use for the meat on the wings. Grab an extra onion and pound of sweet potatoes while you do your Thanksgiving grocery shopping and you’ll have everything else on hand. The buttery sweet potatoes combined with fresh thyme taste delicious with the leftover turkey!
Roasted Winter Squash with Candied Maple Pecans
on December 17, 2017
You can use any type of winter squash for this dish, even a combination of your favorites. I peel squash with thick skin like butternut, but leave the peel on other varieties like delicata or acorn. It’s a matter of preference! This is a perfect dish for the holidays as it serves a crowd and you can make the candied pecans up to 3 days in advance.