Recipes to go with this Week's Grocery Bag: 12/8
We’re trying something new where we archive the weekly recipes we curate with our grocery bags.
This week’s recipes:
SALAD IDEAS 🥗
Radicchio livens up any salad with its bright color and sharp bite. If you still have fennel from a few weeks ago (mine's still in good shape!) you should try this Radicchio, Fennel & Apple salad. If you don't, then try this one with Radicchio, Toasted Hazelnut & Capers. (FYI We now carry capers in our bodega! Capers are so usually pricey and come in tiny jars, but not ours. Caper lovers need to pounce on this deal!)
The Persian Cucumbers are seedless and have a thin edible skin, perfect for salads. So you can just dice this joint with some tomatoes & red onions from last week's bag, rough chop a ton of parsley, and add a few avo slices. That's a salad! To make this go even further, I'd grab a bag of farfalle pasta and turn the whole shebang into a pasta salad with balsamic vinaigrette.
SLOW & EASY COOKIN' ON WEEKDAYS
If you're WFH, you've got all the time in the world to dump something in the pot or oven and let it ride for a few. Here's a few ideas we'll work on this week:
Anytime I get beets in a bunch, my mind goes to risotto. This recipe makes good use of the beet roots as well as the greens, which remind me of Swiss chard (but way better because buying Swiss chard and watching it cook into nothing always makes me feel ripped off...) We have the arborio rice & grated Parm you'll need in our add-ons! This recipe would go so well alongside some roasted chicken from Deep Roots Farm... just an idea!
I've been craving meatballs. I tend to wing my meatballs at home based on what I have on hand, but it always involves sautéed onions & garlic plus breadcrumbs in the mix to stretch the meat and create a uniform texture throughout. This week, I'll be trying this recipe for Meatballs with Romesco Sauce with some tweaks. I'll be using ground beef from Deep Roots Farm instead of lamb, adding roasted eggplant to the mix (sneaky veggies!) and kicking up the romesco with a dab of our housemade hot harissa. (BTW our housemade harissa changed my life. Let us know how you like it!)
Flageolet beans are dreamy & creamy and easy to cook from dried; all you need is time. This recipe from the Barefoot Contessa for Flageolet beans with bacon reminds me of cassoulet a bit. Eat it with some crusty bread and roasted sausages or chicken legs!
The purple cauliflower & potatoes are a dynamic duo. Roast them, mash them, or soup them (my top reco). With creamy soups, I enjoy a crispy garnish for textural contrast -- how about frying some crispy shallots/onion strings or making parsnip chips if you still got them from last week?
WHAT'S FOR DESSERT?
Maybe some of y'all are drowning in bananas as I respond to others' requests for more hand fruit. If you've got too many on hand, how about freezing them and making "nice cream"? This caramelized banana nice cream sounds super nice, and if you don't have almond butter, you can try it with regular ol' PB.