2024 CSA Week 26 Recipes

Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Soup

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large stockpot. Dice 3 to 4 celery stems, all of the swiss chard stems diced, 3 carrots and 3 of the firm part of the green onions. Cook until fragrant. Add 1 Tbsp curry powder and 4 cloves garlic minced. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Add 8 cups chicken stock and all of the sweet potatoes skinned and diced. Cook until everything has softened for about 30 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp honey, and 1 sweet apple cubed and skinned with the seeds removed. Cook until everything is soft. Blend and return to heat. Add as much Swiss chard as you would like cut into ribbons, then crosswise. Add to the soup, take off of the heat and enjoy.

Creamy Tomato and Fennel Frond Soup

Core tomatoes, then cut into quarters. Mince 2 cloves of garlic. Finely chop 1/4 cup fennel fronds. Dice 1/2 white onion.

Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a stock pot over medium heat, then add diced onion, garlic, and fennel. Allow vegetables to become fragrant for about 1 minute, then stir and saute vegetables for 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add 1-2 cups chicken stock (depending on how thin you prefer your soup), and 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully add to a blender. Cover the blender with a towel, then blend soup. Return to the stock pot and stir in up to 1/4 cup heavy cream (if desired). Garnish with additional fennel fronds and enjoy!

Fennel & Apple Salad

Finely chop two fennel bulbs and 1/4 cup fennel fronds. Julienne 1 small or medium apple, preferably a tart variety. Thinly slice about 2 large stalks of celery, 1/2 cup. Combine fennel, fennel fronds, apple, celery, and 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 cup toasted, chopped walnuts. Add 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.

Spinach Risotto

Heat 5 cups of stock in a medium sized saucepan until steamy, lower the heat and keep warm while you make the risotto.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a wide saucepan on medium to medium high heat. Add 1 onion chopped and cook until translucent. Add the 2 cloves garlic minced,1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, and a tiny pinch of nutmeg and cook half a minute more.

Add 2 cups of rice and toss to coat with the butter and onions. Let cook until the grains are translucent around the edges and beginning to color, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup white wine and stir it into the rice. Simmer and stir until the wine is almost completely boiled away or absorbed by the rice.

Begin to add the broth, a ladleful (about 1/2 a cup) at a time. After each addition of broth, stir the rice and do not add another ladleful until the liquid in the pot has been almost all absorbed by the rice.

When you are getting close to using up your heated broth, taste the risotto and add more seasonings if needed. Note that you will be adding Parmesan in the next step which is salty, so you may want to wait before adding more salt.

Stir in 1 Tbsp butter, 3/4 cups Parmesan, 4 oz of spinach chopped, 1 tsp lemon zest and 1 tsp lemon juice.

The risotto is ready when it is al dente, cooked through but still a little chewy to the bite, not mushy. Add a little more broth to loosen the risotto. Taste for salt and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook and stir 1 lb ground beef until no longer pink; drain. Stir in 6 cups beef stock, 1 28 oz can tomato sauce, 3 cups diced tomatoes, 2 cups chopped green peppers, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper. bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until peppers are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add 2 cups cooked rice; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes longer. If desired, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.