Candied Tangerine Peel

pictured left - sapote fruit, and below that, celery root/celeriac at pickup today.

Citrus is abundantly in season right now as evidenced by the weekly inclusion of tangerines and oranges in our CSA box. The fruit and juice are delicious. But don't throw away those peels. You can make wonderful candy from them.

Candied orange peel is probably most common, but I like to candy tangerine and grapefruit peel, too. The technique is the same; and it's so simple. It's a fun thing to do on a rainy afternoon.

Most recipes call for the fruit to be cut into quarters, the flesh removed, and the peel (pith attached) cut into strips. This is a fine way to prepare your fruit. However, I like to peel the fruit by hand, pulling off odd-shaped pieces. I also like to remove some of the pith with a sharp knife. Whatever you decide to do, you can't go wrong.

Candied citrus peel is delicious all by itself. It can chopped and added to fruit salad, yogurt, breakfast cereal, or your favorite muffin recipe. It can be used decoratively on cakes and other baked goods. Dip the candied peel in tempered chocolate and let it harden for an elegant treat.

It takes a day or two for the peel to fully dry. Wait until the peel is dry to dip in chocolate.

Start with about 1-2 C of peel. Place in a medium saucepan. Add water to the pan to cover peels completely and have about an inch of water on top. Bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes. Drain. Rinse well and drain again.

Then bring 3 C of granulated suagr and 3 C of water to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the peel. Return to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the peel is very soft, about 45 minutes.

Remove pan from the heat. Drain the peel and toss in 1 C granulated sugar until peel is well-coated. Separate any pieces that stick together and place candied peel on a cooling rack set inside (or over) a cookie sheet. The rack allows for air circulation so the peel will dry on all sides. Let stand for 1-2 days until the peel drys.

This weeks harvest included:

From Underwood: celery root, 1 bunch purple kale, 1 bunch golden beets, 1# tangerines, 1 bunch tatsoi, 1 Napa cabbage, 1 bunch spinach, and 1 butter lettuce, 1 Pinkerton avocado

From Rancho Santa Cecilia: 1 Bacon avocado, and 1# sapote fruit.

From Weiser Family Farms: 1# Russian banana potatoes.

From Silver Lake Farms: radish, arugula and mustard microgreens.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Full Moon Chicken Salad

I've been making this chicken salad since graduate school. My roommate loved this recipe and insisted I make it at least once a month - sometimes more often. She dubbed it Full Moon Chicken Salad and the name stuck. Even though the full moon is nearly two weeks away, you can enjoy it now or during phase of the moon.

It's a great blueprint recipe. You can add or omit ingredients. Vegetarians can replace the chicken with grilled tofu, or skip it altogether. I use avocado and tangerine, especially in winter when they're in season. In summer, I add thinly sliced red bell pepper. Feel free to be creative. Thin, julienned pickled ginger gives the salad a nice tang. Thinly sliced or shredded red cabbage is another attractive addition.

Here's the basic recipe:

5-6 C finely sliced Napa Cabbage
2 C grated carrots
1 C thinly sliced green onion
1/2 C loosely packed cilantro leaves
1/2 coarsely chopped roasted peanuts
1 C tangerine segments (or supremes with the membranes removed)
1 large avocado, not overly ripe, diced**
2 C chopped or sliced grilled chicken breast
1 finely sliced serrano chili, or less to taste (optional)

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Then make the dressing.

**To dice an avocado: Cut it in half lengthwise. Remove (and compost) the pit. Holding one half in your hand peel side down, score the flesh lengthwise and crosswise being careful to cut to the peel, but not through the peel. Then scoop out the flesh and separate the dice. Compost the skin. Repeat with the other half.

Dressing:
1/2 C rice vinegar
2-4 T sesame oil (or half sesame oil and half canola oil)
2 T soy sauce
1-2 T honey or agave syrup
1 T fresh finely grated ginger
1/2 t black pepper
2-3 T sesame seeds

Whisk together all the ingredients (except sesame seeds) until well combined. Pour over the salad and toss until well coated. Season with a little salt if desired. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and toss to mix in.

This week's CSA box included: iceberg lettuce, turnips, green kale, green or purple cauliflower, leeks, broccoli, arugula, mizuna, beets, Meyer lemons, avocados and tangerines.

Here's a bonus recipe from Rachel at Silver Lake Farms. She shared this with me when I picked up my veggies this afternoon. It sounds delicious.

Rachel's Kale and Cauliflower Salad

Wash and dry the cauliflower. Remove (and compost) the leaves. Break into florets and thinly slice the florets with a mandoline.

Wash and dry the kale. Remove (and compost) the tough stems. Chop finely.

Toss the cauliflower and kale together with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

Rachel didn't give me the proportions, but you can probably figure them out. Just use whatever amounts seem good to you.

Enjoy!

Shelley