Napa Farmers Market: Holiday feasts, starring farm-fresh vegetables

Be sure to pick up fresh ingredients on Tuesdays through Dec. 28.d The market will be closed Saturday, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, before kicking off the year-round Saturday season on Jan. 8.

Vegetables are so much more versatile than our standard meats. Don’t get me wrong – meat, poultry, and seafood are all great, but they don’t always need to hog the center stage. There are plenty of different vegetables with varying colors, textures, and flavors, and an incredible range of cooking methods you can apply to them.

This is part of why Napa Farmers Market teamed up with OLE Health to create "What’s Cooking," a new video series that teaches you to prepare fresh, healthy recipes using seasonal ingredients. Below is the recipe from our inaugural video along with the link, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yLSYuZOZdY

Taking inspiration from Pavo a lo Criollo, a traditional holiday turkey preparation, this vegetarian dish could be your holiday showstopper. Just for fun, I also created a rye galette.

Galettes can be savory or sweet, and this rye crust can certainly handle both. For this recipe, I was inspired by the winter season’s savory bounty from some of my favorite farmers at the market. These galettes are perfect for lunch with a simple salad, a side for an elaborate dinner, or as a brunch plate with a soft poached egg on top.

Have happy and healthy holidays!

Cauliflower 'a lo Criollo'

with Chipotle Smashed Carrots and Garlicky Greens

Serves 4 as an entrée or 8 as a side dish

Cauliflower:

2 cups beer (lager or pilsner are good choices)

¼ cup olive or vegetable oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon peppercorns, whole

1 tablespoon achiote powder

1 bay leaf

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ cup kosher salt

1 large head cauliflower, leaves removed

Carrots:

2 lb. carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, divided

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 ea. chipotle in adobo, minced to a paste

1 teaspoon. ground cumin

¼ teaspoon. ground canela (Mexican cinnamon)

½ teaspoon. kosher salt, or to taste

Greens

Olive or vegetable oil, as needed

1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced

2 bunch kale, chard, or hearty leafy green of your choice, ribs removed, leaves roughly chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes (optional)

Annatto oil*, as needed

¼ cup pepitas, toasted

¼ cup pomegranate seeds

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

To cook the cauliflower, bring beer, oil, lime juice, spices, bay leaf, garlic, sugar, and 6 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, carefully add salt, stirring to dissolve and avoid boil-over. (You can lower the heat briefly if necessary.) Add cauliflower, reduce heat and simmer, turning occasionally, until a knife easily inserts into center, 15-20 minutes.

Using two slotted spoons, carefully transfer the cauliflower to a baking sheet. Drain well.

Meanwhile, toss carrots in 2 tablespoons of oil to coat. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast until browned and tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the carrots from the oven and coarsely mash with a fork or potato masher. Stir in the remaining oil, lime juice, chipotle, and spices. Season with salt, set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 475°F. Place cauliflower into the hot oven, roast, rotating halfway through, until brown all over, 30-40 minutes.

Add enough oil to coat the bottom of a large sauté pan. Add garlic slices to the pan, heat to medium-low. Cook garlic, slowly until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add greens to the pan, season with salt and pepper, sauté over medium-high heat until greens are tender, tossing to cook evenly.

To serve: Spread the smashed carrots on a platter. Transfer the cauliflower to the platter and brush with some annatto oil (if using). Arrange the greens around or to the side of the carrots and cauliflower, sprinkle the dish with pepitas and pomegranate seeds, if desired. cut wedges of the cauliflower and serve with the carrots and greens.

*To make annatto oil: In a small pot add ½ cup vegetable or olive oil and 2 tablespoons annatto seeds (1 oz package). Heat, until it begins to simmer, cook on low for 2 minutes, turn off heat and let sit until it reaches room temperature. Strain and discard seeds.

Rye Winter Vegetable Galette

Serves 4 as an entrée or 8 as a side dish

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1/3 cup rye flour (I recommend “Dark Rye” from Capay Mills)

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced and held cold

½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

¼ cup iced-water, or as needed

Filling:

1 head garlic, whole/unpeeled, top 1/4th cut off to expose tops of cloves

1 large shallot, unpeeled, cut to expose top of shallot

1 medium sweet potato, orange or purple-fleshed, scrubbed

1 medium russet potato, scrubbed

1 Fuyu persimmon

½ cup Fromage blanc (Achadinha’s is delicious.)

1 tablespoon thyme leaves, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

1 lemon

Assembly

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 egg, beaten

Coarse sea salt, as needed

Sauerkraut, as needed (I recommend Golden State Pickle Works' Cabbage with Caraway. The tartness makes this dish sing, and the caraway dances beautifully with the rye crust.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Combine dry crust ingredients with a fork. Add the cold butter, cutting it into the flour, using a pastry blender or food processor, until pea-sized pieces form.

Add vinegar and a tablespoon or two of the iced water over the flour mixture. Fold mixture until a loose, shaggy mass forms with some dry flour remaining. (Do not overwork). Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, if necessary, just until it holds shape when you press a handful together.

Press the dough into a ball, flatten into an even disk, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set one aside. Drizzle garlic and shallot with a little oil, wrap individually with foil, and place on one of the sheets. Roast for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the sweet potatoes and potatoes into ¼-inch thick slices and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper.

After the garlic and shallot have roasted for 25 minutes, pull out the baking sheet and add the sliced veggies to the hot pan in a single layer, leaving some space between them. Place sheet back in the oven and continue to roast for 15 minutes or until the veggies are golden brown; set aside to cool.

While veggies are roasting, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out to a 12-inch circle, dusting your rolling pin as you go. Trim edges to form a rough circle.

Gently lift the dough onto the second baking sheet, lightly cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Thinly slice the persimmon (about 1/8-inch thick), and toss with olive oil to coat, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

When the garlic and shallot are cool enough to handle, squeeze them from their papery skins, finely chop and add to a mixing bowl. Add the Fromage blanc and chopped thyme. Zest one lemon directly over the bowl. Stir to combine the cheese mixture, season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Set aside.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and spread the cheese mixture evenly over the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Arrange the veggies and persimmon slices in concentric circles over the cheese mixture. Drizzle 1/3 of the lemon-maple syrup over the veggies. Fold the edges of the dough over the vegetables, pleating as you go around. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Sprinkle galette with sea salt.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Halfway through, brush more lemon-maple syrup over the exposed veggies, so they don’t dry out. Rotate the pan, and continue baking. Once browned, remove and brush with more lemon-maple syrup, if desired. Cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Serve with sauerkraut.