17 | November | 2010 | The Roving Locavore

Archive for November 17th, 2010

sugar cane

Posted in Sweet Things on November 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Whoa! This week, along with all of these rich greens, we got a long stalk of sugar cane in the CSA haul.

I don’t know what to do with it! I immediately googled it, and here’s one piece of advice I found on the endlessly entertaining internet:

“To eat it you have to chew it like gum or like a cowboy (straw).” [Wikihow.]

My friend Chantel, whose family we share the CSA with, exclaimed “guarapo!” a Cuban pure sugar drink made by grinding and pressing the sugar cane. Well… sounds good, but I don’t have one of those grinders handy.

You can use sticks of it as skewers for kabobs, for pork or shrimp. But that seems like a waste.

Kheer, which requires sugar cane juice. But how to juice it?

This guy made some interesting discoveries.

But I’m still not sure what I’ll do with it. It makes an interesting accessory…

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Red Root green bounty

Posted in Beans, Drinks, Sweet Things, Vegetables on November 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »

We’re deep into our CSA season with Red Root Farm, in Banks, Alabama, and we’re knee deep in big leafy greens: kale, collards, mustard, cabbage. The first three I’ve cooked many times before, and know that with some pancetta, garlic, or walnuts tossed into the saute pan, you can’t go wrong. But I’m not big on cabbage. Cole slaw stayed behind in my childhood. Braised cabbage has appeared infrequently on my table. What to do with a beauty like this?

(Cinnamon bear is looking on dumbstruck, as you can see.)

So, since the red ones are my lentils of choice lately, I was pleased to find this yummy recipe on Smitten Kitchen, under the heading “recipes from a cumin junkie.” Love it.

Another veggie that I’ve… um… rediscovered is the humble turnip. The other night I made a hot pan of braised and glazed turnips and carrots to go along with the chicken I’d roasted while my family was visiting.

But I’m also a sinner when it comes to foodie pleasures. Total locavore, I am not. As you know, I take great pleasure in my Bialetti, and am even a bit fanatical about it. The new one I have, the Brikka, makes an actual crema through the use of a pressure valve. Check it out: