(Mass Appeal) – As the colder weather approaches, let’s talk about vegetables available in winter. Maybe your favorite is a summer staple, then how do you enjoy it and still eat fresh foods? Connie Adams of Yellow Stonehouse Farms in Westfield explains the difference between cold storage, cool storage, and freezing.
Brussel Sprout Leaf Salad – Here’s a new way to prepare these tiny cabbages. It’s a pretty dish, perfect for a holiday dinner & holds up well-dressed, so you can make it in advance! Serves 8.
Ingredients
| 1-quart Brussel sprouts | 1 TBL raw honey |
| 3 cups coarsely chopped cored cabbage | 1 tsp Dijon mustard |
| ½ cup toasted sliced almonds | ½ cup best quality olive oil |
| ½ cup dried cranberries | Salt & pepper to taste |
| 1 tsp lemon zest | 2 tsp chopped shallots |
| 2 TBL lemon juice1 tsp minced garlic | ½ cup shaved Monterey jack cheese |
Preparation
- Wash, core & separate the leaves from the Brussels sprouts.
- Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Set a large salted pot of water to boil. Blanche Brussel sprout leaves and cabbage for two minutes or until they are bright green and just tender. Drain and then submerge in ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and dry in a salad spinner.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest & juice, honey, mustard, shallots, garlic, and salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in oil whisking briskly to emulsify.
- Toss brussel Sprout leaves & cabbage, cranberries, and almonds with the vinaigrette, and sprinkle with the cheese. Enjoy!
Roasted root vegetables – This is a basic recipe for oven roasted root vegetables – you can substitute your favorites like parsnips or beets. The trick is to make sure all the vegetables are cut into the right size so they cook thoroughly in the time allotted. Carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and turnips cook faster so cut them into larger sticks & quarters. If you use beets or rutabagas cut them smaller into a large dice, as they take longer to cook. You’ll want about 4.5 total cups of vegetables to serve 8.
Ingredients
| 6-8 carrots, peeled and cut into 2×1/2inch sticks | |||
| 2-4 medium turnips, peeled and cut into wedges | |||
| Optional: ½ to 1 lb. parsnips, peeled & cut into 2 ½ inch sticks, | |||
| 1 cup coarsely chopped onion | 1-2 diced shallots | ||
| 3-4 cloves chopped garlic | ¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg | ||
| 1 TBL Herbs de Provence | 3 small bay leaves | ||
| 2 ½ TBL. melted unsalted butter | 1 ½ TBL olive oil | ||
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste | |||
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Dump the vegetables into a large, roasting pan or a heavy, rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.
- Toss in the herbs and drizzle on the butter and oil. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and tarragon. Toss to coat t1/2he vegetables evenly.
- Roast, tossing with a spatula a few times, until the vegetables are very tender and browned in spots, about 50 min Discard the bay leaves. Serve warm.
