Vicki's Vegetable Venture - Oct. 1

A different sort
It seems I try a different tack every week when I bring home my bags of goodies from the CSA pickup. Sometimes I diligently wash, sort and label everything. Sometimes I make a preliminary plan as to how I’ll use the various vegetables. And sometimes the produce ends up in the fridge bin higglety-pigglety, unwashed and unplanned.

This week, I found myself sorting everything by cuisine. In one pile went the cabbage, leeks, beets and dill – good for an earthy Eastern European dish, most likely with pork. In another pile went cilantro, jalapenos, red peppers and some tomatillos from last week – obviously for Mexican fare. And my Mediterranean pile teemed with salad mix, basil, radishes, tomatoes and broccoli. We’ll see how this sorting method works out.

Road trip
Recently we went to Santa Fe with my son and daughter-in-law and rented a little cottage with kitchen. Along for the ride came all the vegetables I had on hand: potatoes, green beans, eggplant, peppers. Upon arrival we strolled the Farmer’s Market, the aroma of roasting peppers wafting everywhere.
So when we got back to our adobe abode, we roasted eggplant and peppers, duplicating that intoxicating smell. Those little potato jewels made the ideal accompaniment for the meat: lamb chops (bought fresh from a shepherd at the Farmer’s Market) flavored with rosemary and grilled. Delish!

The miracle of mirepoix
Although our Chatfield celery tamed a bit as the season progressed, with not so hot a flavor, I still felt it would be best used in a cooked dish rather than raw as crudités with dip or cheese. Couple the wow-factor celery with several weeks of receiving carrots and onions, and following a recipe that began with mirepoix seemed the right thing to do.

Mirepoix is a French term referring to the mixture of aromatic vegetables – typically carrots, celery and onions – that flavor slow-cooked sauces, soups and braised meat dishes. In some cuisines the combination is called the Holy Trinity, so revered is its usage.

My particular mirepoix landed in an Irish stew. The aromatics were added to the broth after the meat simmered, rather than as a flavor foundation before the meat braised – so technically it wasn’t a mirepoix after all. Still, the carrots, celery and onions shined in this exquisite stew.
The recipe appeared on the Chicago Tribune website, adapted from a dish served in Ireland’s oldest pub. Called The Brazen Head, this Dublin pub has been around since 1198 and is just a short walk from the Guinness brewery.

So you can guess what liquid went into the broth!