Tagine Machine.
We told our friend Christine Liu (food guru, Family Dinner member, collaborator, and all around swell person) that we were thinking of firing up the Tagine (pictured) to greet Tad's Chicken this week. A tagine is an earthenware casserole type dish used in North African cuisine (a Dutch oven will stand in perfectly). We asked Christine to give us some ideas for this week's prized birds from Tad. She shares that and some fun facts on the History of Carrots, below:
Howdy. They call me Stew.
Soup is a healing force—a cozy sweater, exuding comforting warmth. Stew, on the other hand, is like taking a steep hike where the sunrise view is waiting at the summit. Stew invigorates while it soothes, and things can get a little rugged out there. But that’s where the adventure begins.
As New England dips into the colder temperatures, the hearty proteins and root vegetables we’re receiving are ideal foundations for a rib-sticking roast, soup, or (yup) stew. Get in on a smoky gumbo. Toot your horn at a tagine. Corral your strength with chankonabe. Your one-pot wonder is out there. Share it with us @sharefamilydinner!
Did you know? The “traditional” carrot color is 🥕(orange), but did you know at one point carrots were commonly yellow, white, or purple instead? This food peculiarity (like almost always) has to do with politics and power—particularly with the Dutch House of Orange.
WHAT'S IN THE BAG?
HALF SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Half Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Eggs (from Brookford Farm, Feather Brook Farms or Cider Hill Farms)
Pescatarian Protein - Swordfish from Red's Best; Eggs (from Brookford Farm, Feather Brook Farms or Cider Hill Farms)
Vegetarian Protein - Whole Dozen Eggs; Honey from Northwoods Apiaries
Paleo Proteins - Half Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Eggs (from Brookford Farm, Feather Brook Farms or Cider Hill Farms)
Fruits and Veggies - Salad Mix; Rainbow Carrots and Parsnips from Busa Farm; Japanese Sweet Potatoes from Brookford Farm
Grain - Focaccia from Forge Baking Co
Special Treat - Oatmeal Choco Chip Cookies from Forge Baking Co
WHOLE SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Whole Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Eggs (from Brookford Farm, Feather Brook Farms or Cider Hill Farms); Honey from Northwoods Apiaries
Pescatarian Protein - Swordfish and Haddock from Red's Best; Eggs (from Brookford Farm, Feather Brook Farms or Cider Hill Farms); Honey from Northwoods Apiaries
Vegetarian Protein - Whole Dozen Eggs; Honey from Northwoods Apiaries; Pierogi from Jaju Pierogi
Fruits and Veggies - Garlic, Spinach, Salad Mix; Rainbow Carrots and Parsnips from Busa Farm; Japanese Sweet Potatoes from Brookford Farm
Grain - Focaccia from Forge Baking Co
Special Treat - Oatmeal Choco Chip Cookies from Forge Baking Co
DOUBLE SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Whole Chicken and Beef from Feather Brook Farms; Eggs (from Brookford Farm, Feather Brook Farms or Cider Hill Farms); Honey from Northwoods Apiaries
Vegetarian Protein - Whole Dozen Eggs; Honey from Northwoods Apiaries; Pierogi from Jaju Pierogi; Tempeh
Fruits and Veggies - Sunchokes from Pete's Greens, Apples,Garlic, Spinach, Salad Mix; Rainbow Carrots and Parsnips from Busa Farm; Japanese Sweet Potatoes from Brookford Farm
Grain - Spinach Gemelli from Lord of Pasta
Special Treat - Oatmeal Choco Chip Cookies from Forge Baking Co
RECIPES
Lemony Chicken with Root Vegetables: Put your precious bird front and center with Cooking Light’s elegantly straightforward roast chicken (salt it the night before for tender meat and crisp skin). As for the vegetables, they’re cooked underneath the meat, relishing a sizzling bath in fatty chicken juices. Can be used in a tagine or in a Dutch Oven.
Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes with Scallion Butter: This recipe from Gourmet is worth its weight alone for the easy compound butter. Studded with scallions and the wallop of umami that white miso paste brings to the table, the spread’s a high-octane secret weapon you can slather on anything. Like potatoes, for starters.
Fish Tagine: Yes, we really are in love with this pot, okay? But this Moroccan Fish dish really makes it shine.
Sliced Sunchokes: Sunchokes are a part of the Tuber Family. Which is my favorite family of veggies to say and eat. You can roast them per this recipe and keep it easy. They also make a delightful puree. More on treating sunchokes, below.
TIP
Sunchoke Love, from Chef Ian Alvarez:
"Sunchokes become your new best friend when you realize you don't have to peel them, versus your mortal enemy if you think you do. When you roast them you get a nutty, sweet, roasted vegetable; you eat one and it's really hard to stop eating more.
"Run cold water over them to get the dirt off, then cut them into finger-sized pieces, sometimes in half lengthwise, sometimes in thirds or quarters. Bring a big pot of heavily salted water to a boil, then blanch them for four minutes and strain them. Then toss them in olive oil and throw them in a 450 degree oven until they're soft and gooey on the inside and roasted crisp on the outside. That little trick of cooking them in water first allows them to soak up the olive oil and get really crispy, and leaving the skin on them makes them look really fun and rustic."