November recipes

Arugula

Supposedly it’s divisive, but I really like arugula. It was one of the vegetables I was most excited to grow when I started to dip my toes into farming and could only only find it at the farmers’ market (the best place to get it anyway). It’s peppery and tender, with way more character than it’s good friend lettuce. Always satisfying as a salad, tossed in tabbouli, layered on a grilled cheese sandwich, or thrown onto a pizza during the last few minutes in the oven.

Arugula pesto with walnuts– easy, affordable, and stores for a week in the fridge (or longer in the freezer). A treat in the depths of winter.
Grilled steak salad with beets, scallions, & arugula
Olive oil, lemon & parmesan salad– Simple and satisfying. You could also go the other direction and do balsamic & bleu cheese.

Storage information:

lightly rinse in a clean sink of cold water or in a salad spinner
dry, either with a kitchen towel or in a salad spinner (if you use a kitchen towel try not to crush those little leaves too much)
store in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge or just leave it in the salad spinner in the fridge

Brussels sprouts

I can only assume that all of those jokes made about the offensiveness of brussels sprouts have come from people who have never eaten them! These little cabbage cousins are such a treat when they are fresh and have been sweetened by frost in the field. I love to cook them any way that will create a nice brown, crispy, caramelized exterior. Roasting or sauteeing both do the trick. And the leaves of brussels greens are SO sweet and flavorful, they rival the garlic scape in the fanaticism I feel for this ephemeral delicacy.

Sauteed brussels– I admit, this was the very first recipe I looked at. But the photo was just so enticing- exactly the level of caramelization that I like on my sprouts. And it is a good reminder that you can cook these quickly, without even turning on the oven.
Brussels and smoked gouda quiche– Brussels sprouts and flaky pastry go hand-in-hand. Some other quiche recipes call for a tangier cheese like gruyere and fresh bacon.
Brussels and black bean tacos– We discovered this a bit by accident, but there is no turning back. We eat a lot of tacos in our house. And we try to keep up with our leftovers too. One night we tossed a container of roasted brussels and cabbage into our black beans for tacos. And it was delicious. The best beans we’ve ever made. Every flavor and texture sang. $1 to the best name for this champion taco.

Storage information:

if they’re still on the stalk, pick off the sprouts and toss the stalk in the compost/wood chipper
store brussels sprouts or leaves in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge

Collards

Collard greens always make me think of North Carolina where they were loved by everyone, especially in the winter. They hold up well to stir frying and sauteeing, are an excellent accompaniment to roasted squash and potatoes, and even make a great wrap for spring rolls. Come spring we would harvest the tender unopened flower stalks, which were sweeter and subtler than broccoli, and use them for stir frying or throwing on a sheet pan and roasting.

Collard green spring rolls
Jambalaya with black eyed peas and collards
“Creamed” collards with peanut butter and chili
Collard salad with roasted sweet potatoes & cashews– I’m glad to see a recipe for raw collard greens. Most recipes call for them cooked, and often for a long time. I really enjoy the smooth and crisp texture of raw collards, plus the pleasant green sweetness of the leaves. De-stem if they’re too thick, though the stems are often also the sweetest part, so crunch on a few before sending them to compost.

Storage information:

make a fresh cut at the base of the stems
put them in a cup of water in your fridge with a plastic bag over their greens, or
store them in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge

Frisee

So frizzy, frisee. Also called curly endive, this chicory shines in the wintertime. The sweet yellow centers can melt in your mouth when paired with a rich broth, vegetables, or pan drippings from a roasted chicken.

Frisee salad with apples, goat cheese & maple vinaigrette– the maple & mustard vinaigrette perfectly balances the tartness of the apples and light bitterness of the frisee. The pumpkin seeds are a choice option for some extra crunch.
Frisee with wild mushrooms & poached egg– Traditional frisee salad has pancetta or lardon (cubed bacon), but this is a great way to do it vegetariano. And truthfully, you can’t go wrong either way.
Crispy mustard chicken & frisee– Don’t be deterred. This recipe is actually fast and easy. The chicken legs are tossed in a vinaigrette of dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, & olive oil and sprinkled with panko bread crumbs before going in the oven. The potatoes can go in at the same time and temp, tossed with olive oil and salt. Then just serve both on a bed of frisee. Done!
Roasted chicken & frisee- I just like a simple roast chicken, rubbed with butter or olive oil & salt, roasted at 425F for 1hr30min, and then served hot over a bed of frisee with some of the pan drippings added to it.

Storage information:

Store in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge, or
Store in a salad spinner in the fridge after washing the leaves

Mizuna

Mizuna is as delicious as it is beautiful. They are the most delicate of mustard greens, translated as “water greens” for how crisp and succulent they are. We love them in salads, thrown into a hot soup at the last minute, or tossed with roasted vegetables.

Mizuna, new potatoes, & lemon vinaigrette– Easy peasy. Boil the potatoes until fork tender, toss with vinaigrette, and serve on mizuna with a little extra vinaigrette as needed. We make almost all of our vinaigrettes in a mason jar with a lid so that we can shake it up easily and store the leftovers in the fridge.
Green garlic risotto with mizuna– This is light and bright tasting. For a super creamy risotto try adding grated gruyere cheese.
Vegan hot pot with mizuna– A savory base of kombu (kelp) & white miso, throw the mizuna in when serving.
Mizuna salad with chives & peanuts– A simple peanut dressing (peanut oil, white vinegar, tamari) topped with minced chives and chopped peanuts.

Storage information: store in the fridge for 7-10 days

submerge in a bowl of cold water if wilted
store in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge

Radicchio

It’s just radiculous how good and unique these chicories can be. You might recognize the bright red leaves from specialty salad mixes. There are so many types of radicchio it might take the rest of our farming lives to try even 1% of them. Each is named after the region in Italy where it was grown and developed. Bitter greens, like radicchio, are great for health and digestion. They are considered a digestive aid because they stimulate the production of bile which helps to break down the rest of your meal. And they are high in folate, vitamins C, E, and K.

Balsamic roasted radicchio– Sweet and simple.
Radicchio with capers, olives, and anchovies– No cooking required. Just chop the leaves and toss with all of these savory ingredients.
Honeynut squash with radicchio & miso– Butternut squash is a great substitute for the honeynut (a smaller, sweeter version of the butternut bred by Row 7 seeds).
Pasta, spicy sauage, radicchio, & sundried tomatoes

Storage information: keeps 2-3 weeks in a plastic bag in the fridge

store in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge
remove outer leaves that may have dried out in storage

Spigariello

Spigariello-ello-ello! An Italian leaf broccoli, some have gone so far as to say spigariello is the next kale. I think it is a bit sweeter and more tender than kale, but just as versatile. There are very few recipes on the internet for spigarello, so it may be a while longer before we see this star on the red carpet. Seeds of Italy reports that in Naples it is traditionally used on pizza with olives and chilis. I’d also recommend sauteed with garlic and served with roasted butternut squash on some slices of crusty bread.

Simple saute– pine nuts really class up this easy-to-make saute. I’d be happy with chopped walnuts and lots of red pepper flakes.
Tuscan white bean soup– sub that kale for spigarello! This recipe also makes use of some stale ciabatta, making it technically a ribollita– vegetable soup thickened with old bread.
Spig with pasta– yup, just treat it like kale

Storage information:

make a fresh cut at the base of the stems
put them in a cup of water in your fridge with a plastic bag over their greens, or
store them in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge

Watermelon Radish

Watermelon radish is not quite like a regular salad radish. They are a bit drier, more sweet, mild, and much larger. I must admit, we are not very creative when it comes to watermelon radish. We usually shave them real thin and top a salad, quick pickle, or roast them. I am sure there are more creative or interesting ways to use watermelon radish, but these recipes are so good an easy that we really haven’t strayed too far from them.

Roasted watermelon radish– you can also use olive oil or any oil. I often also put crushed roasted nuts on the top and a little yogurt on the side.
Pickled watermelon radish– you can either pickle these proper or fridge pickle them. We do both. They make beautiful gifts and the fridge pickle is easy to add to anything- toast, sandwiches, stir fries, breakfast potatoes. You can also add them to deviled eggs, chicken salad, or pasta salad for a bright zing.
Watermelon radish and carrot salad– these two belong together!

Storage information:

store in the fridge in a perforated bag for up to a month
you do not have to eat the radish once you cut it. It will store just fine if you only use half.