Recipes from CSA Subscriber Cheryl Torsney

Thanks Cheryl!
***********************************

Borscht (Russian Beet Soup)

What to do with beets and cabbage? Can't beat the national soup of Russia. (I grew up on it.)

Start with a beef broth: can be from a can or using beef bones so you have some nice leftovers for the canine children. (Remove the marrow after boiling and before giving them to the pups; otherwise, the bones are way too rich for their digestive systems.)

Add 1 chopped onion. A cup or so of shredded cabbage. Four cooked beets, julienned. (You can probably throw in chopped beet greens, too, but I'd already used mine in a stir-fry.) A tsp. or so of lemon juice. (I also added grated lemon zest.) A tsp. of sugar. Bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes. Adjust seasonings by adding salt and pepper.

Beet and cabbage borscht may be eaten hot or cold. I recommend the latter, especially on a summer day, served with a dollop of sour cream. (In winter, you can add some previously cooked stew beef.)

As you can see, my recipes aren't very exact. Folks should adjust for their own tastes.


Pesto
Pesto is a summer wonder, to be eaten on pasta, as a spread on a hearty bread (sourdough, wheat, French country -- that kind of thing). You can also put it in an omelet. Use your imagination..

Take a few handfuls of clean basil. (Pull the leafs off the woody stems.) Put 'em into a food processor and process. Add cloves of garlic to your taste. (We like garlic. I add four.) You can also add chopped garlic scapes at this point if you've got 'em fresh. Add olive oil as the basil and garlic are processing. (Sorry, I don't measure very well. It might be a third of a cup or a bit more.) Then I add two handfuls of shelled pumpkin seeds (1/2-3/4 of a cup?) sometimes called pepitos (available at natural food stores). They're WAY less expensive than pine nuts, which is what traditional pesto recipes call for. At this point I might add more olive oil, depending on the consistency. Process until mixed well. Then grate fresh parmegiano-regiano and romano-pecorino. About a 1/2 c. each. Add to the basil-garlic-oil-pumpkin seed mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you're low on basil, you can add some parsley.

We serve it over pasta, either alone or with a red sauce.

This mixture freezes well. In the depths of winter, it becomes a memory of summers past and a promise of summer to come.