I decided to supplement the box a little bit but keep to the spirit of seasonally appropriate foods. So I added a bag of red potatoes, heads of garlic and two dozen eggs to the two boxes of produce from Tomato Mountain. I was so glad I did as these few simple ingredients seemed to really get the creative juices going when adding to what was in the box – frozen raspberries, jars of tomato sauce, turnips, onions and some really lovely carrots.
By the end of a very hot cooking session – we had the oven going full blast the whole time AND a pan of hot oil on the stove (more on that below) – we had cooked a really interesting table load of food:
- Raspberry soup (yes, soup!)
- Carrot salad in a curry vinaigrette
- Onions Eggs and Potatoes
- Quick roasted garlicky smashed potatoes
- Thrice cooked Chinese style egg crepes
- Brie and raspberry pie
- Fried rice
- Mashed root vegetables
- Pizza
How’s that for a lunch spread?
So here are some of the details:
Raspberry soup (inspired by Polish apple soup)
- Frozen raspberries
- Sugar to taste
- A little salt
- 3 or more cinnamon sticks
- Mix a little cornstarch (or flour) into some sour cream (1/2cup ) mix and add a little broth to thin and add to soup to thicken it.
S says she usually makes it with apples (peeled and sliced) and adds spatzle noodles for the last 10 minutes. Great hot or cold.
Curry Vinaigrette dressing
- Coriander, cumin, cardamom seeds, black pepper – crush the whole spices in a grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
- Mix with turmeric powder and salt and whisk into olive oil and rice vinegar.
R made this and it was the first time she had mixed spices to come up with a curry flavor rather than using something out of a jar labeled “Curry”. She was amazed by how good the freshly crushed spices smelled.
Onions Eggs and Potatoes
- Peel, halve and slice a couple of medium onions
- Scrub clean and cut two large potatoes into half inch cubes (no need to peel)
- Heat some oil and cook the onions and potatoes together over high heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are quite brown, the potatoes are slightly crispy on the outside and are cooked enough to eat. La often adds a dried red chili pepper into the hot oil because she likes spicy food but it’s totally optional.
- Once the potatoes are done break three eggs into the pan, add a good sprinkle of salt and some freshly grated pepper. Stir vigorously until the eggs are fully broken up, yolks and whites mingled together and the vegetables liberally coated with cooked eggs. Eat and enjoy!
This preparation come from La’s childhood in India and is a dish she still makes when there is nothing much in the fridge. It’s perfect for when you come back from vacation and want something hot and quick.
Q made the thrice-cooked egg crepes and the process blew everyone away. She explained she learned how to make these from her mother in law who is from Northern China. She first made several very, very thin omelets, like crepes but with no flour, just eggs and water. Then she cut these into squares and fried them in batches in hot oil. Then she started over and fried them again! Finally, she made a caramel sauce and poured them over the puffy, crunchy egg squares. It was delicious but SO much work! Amazing!
Our hostess Li made two large pizzas using one of the jars of tomato sauce in the farm box. She declared it tasted better than any she had ever made because the tomatoes were so good. We agree it was delicious.
Li also made an amazing raspberry and brie pie – a flavor combination that really worked well together.
These raspberries were wonderful – by freezing them in the summer and putting them in the winter boxes, Tomato Mountain allowed us to eat out of season food without guilt and, even in the snowy, cold Midwest, keep eating locally in the depths of winter.
We are looking forward to cooking again at the end of the month and we hope there are more frozen raspberries in the box. If there are, L has promised us sweet tamales!
You can see more photos on our Facebook album and learn more about Eating Locally, Acting Globally.
