Potato Parsnip Latkes

It's that time of year again, I even remembered with days to spare!

This year my farm box doesn't have leeks yet, but I do have parsnips for the first time. I've never cooked a parsnip before, but assumed they'd go great in latkes. While the flavor was fantastic, they turn a bit creamier than I'd like in a crispy latke; good enough I recommend trying it. Maybe someone has advice on how to keep the crispiness?

• 2 medium parsnips (2 cups worth once julienned)
  
• a few handfuls worth of potato, I used 4-5 small ones (also 2 cups julienned)
• 1 carrot, shredded
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp barley flour (use all AP if you don't have barley)
  
• 2 Tbsp AP flour
• peanut or other high-heat oil

1. Thoroughly scrub parsnips and potatoes
2. Peel parsnips. I almost never peel my potatoes, but that's a personal choice.
3. Julienne parsnips and potatoes and toss them in a large bowl together
4. Lightly salt the vegetables to release moisture, then press it from them with a dish or paper towel (you don't want lint in the latkes!)
5. Mix in shredded carrot, it's mostly there for color.
   
6. Toss flours with the vegetables. Barley flour enhances the sweet earthiness of the parsnip with nuttiness, but using all AP would be fine
7. whisk eggs and lemon zest, stir into julienned vegetables
8. preheat oven to 375 degrees
9. heat oil in large cast iron skillet to high
10. when oil is quite hot drop mixture into oil one heaping teaspoon at a time, careful not to crowd skillet
11. brown latke on each side, approximately 1-2 minutes per side, then remove to foil lined baking sheets
12. when baking sheets are full, move to oven and bake 20-25 minutes
13. remove and serve immediately with plain yogurt and apple sauce
    

As a side I served spinach salad with a dressing made of 1 Tbsp red bell pepper and ancho chili
jam, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Potato Leek Soup

Lazy cook's note: instead of writing these instructions twice, I'm posting my contribution to a recipe exchange email, all pictures are from a lemon coconut curry version of the soup

Hello,

Lately my no-time go-to recipe has been potato-leek soup. I've been
getting pounds and pounds of potatoes and leeks in the farm box, and the bigger the batch I'm willing to make the more of them I can get rid of; this soup cooks up with just about no attention needed, and freezes well .



you'll need:

1) leeks; washed, dried and sliced
2) potatoes; scrubbed clean and roughly chopped (I leave skin on)
3) broth
4) fat, like oil or butter

There are no strict leek to potato ratio rules, just keep in mind that more leeks make a lighter soup, and more potatoes make a thicker soup.



1) Heat a little fat in large stock pot
2) Add leeks to pot and saute until they are tender, stirring enough
so they don't stick/burn
3) Add potatoes and enough broth so leeks and potatoes float
relatively freely, like a load of laundry
4) Simmer until potatoes are quite tender, then let cool a bit
5) Use immersion blender and blend as little or much as you prefer
6) Salt & pepper to taste



I like this loose recipe because you can change the soup very easily:
bacon fat, chicken broth and a little cream at the end for a heartier
version; olive oil and veggie broth for a vegan soup; add in garlic
and onions with the leeks and beef broth for a richer french-onion like soup; use sweet
potatoes, curry, lemon, and finish with coconut milk for something completely
different.



But I ramble- hopefully you like potatoes and leeks.

Potato Escarole Soup

heartier version

Normally I consider myself pretty brave when it comes to food. I'll try almost anything.
I eat food cooked with small amounts of shrimp, crab, lobster and abalone, all of which I'm allergic to (I'm still finding the fine line of how much I can eat without getting violently ill.)
I've embarked on a mission to find the enjoyment in foods I couldn't stand; mayonnaise, horse-radish, tomatoes, blue cheese, raw onion, and I love them all now- next up I brave sardines.

But when it comes to raw escarole I am a complete wimp, the stuff is just too... something; spicy, bitter, pungent? And this from the woman that likes straight vinegar.

Lately my wonderful farm box has been coming with a huge bag of escarole, so I needed to find a way to eat it. It turns out escarole is fantastic if you cook the hell out of it.


so much escarole

As fall really sets in and the weather turns cold I find myself craving soup and missing greens. As luck would have it the strong flavor of escarole (and the whole needing to be cooked to death thing) works perfect in soup, so I present Potato Escarole Soup:


You will need:

• 6 cups escarole, give or take
• 4 cups broth, I used chicken
• 1 cup soy or real milk
• 1 medium onion, sliced or diced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (optional)
  
• 2 cloves garlic (optional)
• 3 cups potatoes, cut into slightly larger than bite-size

potatoes

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot and add the onions. Cook them over low-medium heat until they begin to caramelize. This might take up to 15 minute, but a good pot means you can pretty much wander around chasing shiny objects and neglecting the soup.



I love this pot


2. Add bell pepper and garlic, cooking until fragrant and slightly browned.
3. dump in the escarole, turning the pile frequently as it wilts.



versions one and two

4. Once the escarole is fairly wilted (it will reduce by about %300) add the broth.
5. Take your hand immersion blender and blend away. If you don't have an immersion blender, go through the process of blending the soup in small batches, careful not to let it get too hot and not to burn yourself.
   



more and less blended


6. Add the potatoes and simmer soup until the potatoes are cooked. Or, if you're me, add potatoes then forget you were making soup. Wander into the kitchen every so often and wonder aloud what that tasty smell is. Realize over an hour later that you were still making soup. Lament it no longer has a beautiful emerald color, but rejoice it still tastes fine.
7. Serve garnished with red pepper flakes, a pinch kosher salt, and a few drips red wine vinegar.
   

This recipe made enough for 6 bowls of soup. I put half in the fridge to eat that week, and froze the other half for later.


ready to freeze

I used chicken broth, but I like recipes that can easily be made vegetarian or even vegan. Alternately, I made a second heartier anti-vegan batch later with these variations.

• Use some bacon fat or cook a chopped up strip of bacon before caramelizing the onion
  
• Leave out the garlic, add some chopped tomatoes in with the escarole.
• Don't blend the soup quite as much, leaving it chunkier.
  
• Use 1/2 & 1/2 or cream instead of soy milk, (I forgot to put it in before taking the picture)
  
• It just occurred to me, but adding sauteed mushrooms (after blending) would add great flavor
  

Enjoy!