Harvest Produce Box: 3 Comforting Meals
Pacific Coast Fruit Company has curated another colorful line-up! Starting with deliveries on November 1, here's what's inside:
Varietal squash
Vibrant and flavorful, winter squash varieties will brighten up your cold-weather dishes.
Russet potatoes
Low in moisture and high in starch, Russets are perfect for baking and, of course, frying.
Organic Opal apples
Beautifully bright with a distinctively crunchy texture and sweet, tangy flavor.
Organic parsnips
This winter root veggie has a lovely starchy texture that works beautifully when roasted or added to soups and stews.
Navel oranges
Sweet and juicy, these “winter oranges” are seedless, peel easily, and an excellent source of vitamin C.
Yellow onions
This all-purpose onion is crunchy with a pungent flavor when raw, but develops a nutty, mild flavor with sweet undertones when cooked. Its ability to hold up to heat makes it great for caramelizing and roasting.
Leeks
Meet onion’s stalky cousin. Mild with a slight sweetness, this allium adds depth to soups, stews, and roasts.
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Creamy Leek & Potato Soup
A few simple ingredients come together to create this warm and comforting soup.
What You'll Need...
- 3 tbsp. Alpenrose Dairy Unsalted Butter
- 3 to 4 leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and chopped (dark green parts removed)
- Heavy pinch of salt
- 3 to 4 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces.
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup Alpenrose Dairy Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 cup Alpenrose Dairy Buttermilk
- ½ tsp. black pepper
Optional for serving:
- Chives
- Bacon bits
How to Prepare...
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the leeks to the pot, along with a heavy pinch of salt. Stir for a few minutes while they begin to cook down and soften. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender and most of the moisture has cooked out. (Tip: The leeks should be very soft, almost paste-like.)
Add the potatoes and vegetable broth. Adjust the heat to medium-high and bring just to a boil and then back down to a simmer. Cover and gently cook until the potatoes are tender, about 35 to 45 minutes.
Turn off the heat. With an immersion blender, blend on low for one minute before slowly increasing the speed to smoothly puree the potatoes. It should take about three to four minutes.
Stir in the heavy cream and buttermilk. Add black pepper. Turn the heat back on and warm to a serving temperature. Taste for seasoning.
Ladle in a bowl and finish with a sprinkling of chives and bacon bits.
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Honey-Glazed Parsnips & Carrots
Roasting brings out the sweetness in these winter root veggies.
What You'll Need...
- 2 to 3 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
- 2 to 3 parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthwise
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- Fresh rosemary, for garnish
- A pinch of salt
How to Prepare...
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a small bowl, whisk together honey, olive oil, and thyme.
Place the parsnips and carrots evenly spaced on a sheet pan. Brush the veggies with the honey-olive oil mixture. Season with salt.
Roast for about 45 minutes, tossing occasionally, until they are tender.
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Hasselback Potatoes
You’ll first recognize Hasselback potatoes by their unique appearance. Sliced with horizontal cuts across the top, but leaving the bottom intact, they crisp up wonderfully on the outside with a nice and fluffy interior.
What You Need...
- 4 tbsp. Alpenrose Dairy Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-1/2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
- ½ tsp. salt, plus more to taste
- 4 medium Russet potatoes, scrubbed
How to Prepare...
Preheat oven to 425F.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter, rosemary, and seasoning over medium-low heat.
Place a potato between the handles of two wooden spoons or chopsticks. Make a series of deep slices 1/8 in. apart, cutting almost all the way through. (The spoons will prevent the knife from cutting too far.) Repeat with the remaining potatoes and transfer to a baking sheet.
Brush the potatoes with the butter-herb mixture, making sure to get in between the slices.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes until tender and crisp. Pour any leftover mixture over the potatoes and season with salt.
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Recipes adapted from Alton Brown, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and Food Network.