This month we have some very beautiful, colorful vegetables including golden beets, and rainbow carrots. The best of our local citrus is here too, kumquats, mandarins, and a true taste treat, Gold Nugget Tangerines.
Tarsadia Organic Farm
Gold Nugget Tangerines
Kumquats
Fox Farm
Mandarins
Elephant Garlic (Rudy)
Huerta del Valle
Turnips
Gaytan Family Farm
Rainbow Carrots
Golden Beets
Brussel Sprouts
Spinach
Asparagus
Blueberries
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If you have the willpower to save your mandarins and tangerines, try making this special cake for Easter, just one week away.
Tangerine Sesame Cake
From Sunset Magazine. Serves 9.
Ingredients
Cake
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
1 ½ cups flour, plus more for the pan
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. each kosher salt, baking soda, and ground cardamom
6 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds, divided
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. finely shredded tangerine zest
½ cup tangerine juice
Topping
¾ cup granulated sugar
5 medium tangerines (10 oz.), thinly sliced crosswise, including peel, (ends and seeds discarded)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Powdered sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Brush an 8” square pan with oil and dust with flour. In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1 ½ cups flour, the baking powder, salt, baking soda, cardamom and 3 Tbsp. sesame seeds.
In a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed, beat remaining ½ cup oil with the granulated sugar until well blended., 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs and beat until slightly bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Incorporate tangerine zest and juice on low speed until batter is smooth, scraping inside of bowl as needed, about 1 minute more. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Set aside1 tsp. sesame seeds. Sprinkle remaining sesame seeds over batter.
Bake cake until golden and toothpick comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cake cool on a rack 10 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan and invert onto rack. Invert cake, sesame side up, onto another rack and let cool completely.
Meanwhile, make Topping: In 1½ to 2 quart saucepan, bring granulated sugar and ¾ cup water to a boil over medium high heat. Add tangerines and any juice and bring to simmer. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until skin is translucent and tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely. (you can set pan in ice water to speed up cooling)
Chop 2 Tbsp. candied tangerines and put into bowl with cream. Beat with mixer on medium speed until cream holds a soft peak. Cut cake horizontally with a serrated knife. Set bottom half on a platter and spoon cream on top. Set cake top on cream and sift some powdered sugar. Toss remaining candied fruit with remaining 1 tsp. sesame seeds and arrange over cake.
The topping can be made up to a week ahead.
This dish uses all three colorful veggies together, with a spicy harissa dressing. Wow!
Moroccan-Style Roasted Beets, Carrots & Turnips
From food 52. Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 bunch medium beets
2 branches thyme
3 unpeeled cloves of garlic
3 pods cardamom
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch medium white turnips
Salt and pepper, for seasoning
1 lime
¼ cup fresh lime juice (roughly, the juice of 1 lime)
1 tablespoon harissa
¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the whole beets in a roasting pan with the thyme sprigs, garlic cloves, cardamom, and peppercorns. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the beets and add 1/3 cup of water to the pan. Cover with tin foil and roast in the oven until tender and the skins slip easily off the beets, approximately 1 hour.
While the beets are cooking, cut the turnips into quarters and slice the carrots into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces. Toss the vegetables with 3 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil and salt and pepper.
When the beets are done, remove them from the oven, and turn up the heat: You want a temp in the 450° to 500° F range. Place the carrots and turnips in the hot oven on a roasting pan (go ahead and use the beet pan if you don’t want to wash too many pans). Meanwhile, peel the beets and cut into quarters.
Whisk the rest of the olive oil with the lime juice and harissa. When the carrots and turnips are roasted and browned (about 20 to 30 minutes), toss with the beets. Dress with the harissa-lime juice mixture, toss with the cilantro, and taste and adjust for salt. Serve immediately or let cool to room temperature.
Or try pairing raw turnips with carrots in this slaw. Your rainbow carrots will make this a pretty side dish.
Turnip Carrot Slaw
From Food 52. Serves 8 to 10.
Ingredients
2 pounds turnips (about 2 large ones)
4 medium carrots
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
Cut any roots or rough ends off of the turnips and carrots. Slice into smaller chunks and grate by hand or in a food processor. Spoon the turnips and carrots into a large serving bowl. Add the green onions, mint leaves and parsley and gently toss.
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk the garlic, vinegar, mustard and poppy seeds together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the dressing over the slaw and gently toss. Taste for salt and pepper. Leave the slaw to sit for about an hour before serving to let the flavors mix. Serve chilled or room temperature.
I like kumquats to eat out of hand, but these candied ones are a great accompaniment to chicken.
Quick Candied Kumquats
From Food 52. Makes 2 cups.
Ingredients
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup water
1 pint kumquats
Directions
In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water until sugar dissolves and mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, slice kumquats crosswise into thin circles, removing their seeds as you work. (A few seeds remaining is just fine.) Place rounds into a large, clean glass jar or several small jars. Pour simple syrup overtop to cover. Let cool before covering and refrigerating. They'll keep at least a month in the fridge.
Golden Beet and Orange Salad
From Food 52. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Shallot & White Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 medium shallots
2 teaspoons light honey
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup canola oil
Golden Beets & Oranges
2-4 medium or small golden beets
2 navel oranges
1 bunch spinach, large stems removed
Directions
To make the vinaigrette, whiz the shallot, salt, pepper and honey in a food processor. Add the vinegar and process, then add the canola oil.
Roast the beets, wrapped in foil, in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes until easily pierced. Let cool just long enough to handle, when you can slip off their skins and reveal the gold inside. Slice into segments.
Supreme the oranges. Using a sharp knife peel off the skin, then slice each segment out and away from pith.
Toss cooled beets and supremed oranges with the vinaigrette. This will keep, refrigerated, 3 days. When serving, toss a little vinaigrette with the spinach and mound the beets and oranges on top. Grind pepper on top. Optional: sprinkle with toasted and chopped hazelnuts and crumbled goat cheese for a heartier salad.
Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Capers and Almonds
From Food 52. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Canola oil
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 dozen Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
Kosher salt, to taste
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons caper juice
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
Pepper, to taste
Directions
Coat the bottom of a 10-inch stainless steel pan with a thin layer of oil. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, and heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot.
Place the Brussels sprouts cut-side down in a single layer in the pan and season with a small pinch of salt. Let the sprouts cook without moving until the bottoms are dark brown, 3 minutes.
Add the shallots to the pan and toss the Brussels sprouts. Let cook until the sprouts brown further on different sides, 3 to 5 more minutes.
Add the capers and caper juice to the pan, scraping the bottom to deglaze any browned bits. Cook for another 3-5 minutes (taste to check for done-ness), until the sprouts are cooked through.
Toss in the slivered almonds and cook until warmed, 1-2 minutes.
Season with pepper and additional salt (if desired). Serve warm.
If you are roasting veggies, be sure to add some garlic to roast. You can spread on bread or crackers, mash into salad dressings, hummus, baba Ganoush or other spreads, and use in place of raw garlic in soups, casseroles, and sauces. The flavor is milder, and slightly sweeter.
Roasted Elephant Garlic
Cut top 1/4 inch off heads of garlic to expose cloves.
Place in a piece of foil and drizzle olive oil inside the head of garlic until it is completely filled and just starting to run down the side. Wrap tightly with foil and place on a cookie sheet and bake until tender and fragrant, roughly 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.