thoughtful consumption

It’s preseason!

Preseason is fun, but it’s strategically different from the peak of summer. The winter produce lasts longer, and you have two weeks to use it. Here’s what we got in our first Dinner for 2 preseason 2012 box.

Brussels sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, and sweet potatoes

I’ve never had Jerusalem artichokes. All the recipes I’m seeing seem to treat them like sort of like potatoes. You peel and boil them and then bake or sauté the slices. I’m thinking of making a tiny sliced sunchoke sauté to be topped with sour cream.

I never liked Brussels sprouts till I got them fresh and tasty. Most recipes call for removing the unfurled leaves before cooking sprouts. And you definitely should. Just don’t toss them. Keep them around for a fast stir-fry. For the sprouts, chop them in half and sauté them in some olive oil and butter with a little garlic and salt and a lot of pepper. Remove them before they get too mushy. Mushy sprouts are not yummy.

Tuscan kale, goat sour cream (sour goat cream?), roasted red pepper jelly, and some buttermilk whole wheat bread that I couldn’t resist taking a chunk out of

I had the sour cream before;  it’s good on everything. The jelly will be better with actual goat cheese, so I’m going to hold on to it until I can score some goat cheese.

The bread is dense, and tasty. In fact, here’s what we had for a late-night snack yesterday:

local bread, butter, and honey. Mmmmm…

hydroponic lettuce, frisee, and parsley

These will make yummy salads. Some of the frisee may join the unfurled Brussels sprouts leaves in a stir-fry. Along with broccoli leaves. (See below.)

Broccoli and yellow squash

Summer squash?! I know it’s been warm, but that’s kind of crazy. I guess somebody’s got an awfully cozy greenhouse. Stir-fried squash does sound nice and warm, though.

Apples and eggs

Both far superior to their conventional Kroger cousins.

I also made an online store order…

More beautiful Tuscan kale!

You simply can’t have too much. Especially when recovering from weeks of rich holiday fare.

2lbs of honey – at least a week’s supply 😉

Sausage, fava beans, and (prepped) baby butternut squash

The butternut squash were cute and tiny, but we were so excited to have Tuscan kale and butternut squash for supper that we started prepping right away. The squash just got peeled, cubed, tossed with olive oil, and roasted at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Add hearty herbs if you’ve got them before cooking, but I like to add salt and pepper better after cooking.

I really enjoyed the fava beans in a box from last season and wanted to try them again. I read somewhere that they store better out of their outer pods. And I can see why. The pods are so thickly insulated. Must be great when alive, but something of a moisture death trap after picking. Thankfully or irritatingly depending on how you feel about shelling peas, fava beans have an inner shell, too.

Fava beans: one casing down, one to go

When I’m ready to cook them, I’ll boil these guys for about a minute and then plunge them in ice water to stop the cooking. Then the shells come off easy, and the peas inside are bright green and look kind of like big butter beans. Even if the outer shells look a little past their prime, the inner beans are still okay.

Last time, I just sautéed the beans with garlic. Maybe I’ll try something more ambitious this time.

Nah. What could be better than olive oil and garlic?

Enjoy your food!