Anna's Impossibly Good Chocolate Beet Cake

Beets add moisture and an earthy hint to this chocolate cake. This recipe is for intermediate bakers, as it doesn’t involve fancy equipment but there is the extra step of cooking and pureeing the beets, plus baking in a water bath.

18 oz beets, roasted or boiled

4 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp brandy (or substitute another Tbsp of vanilla)

2 ½ cup sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, melted & cooled

1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup dark cocoa powder

Pinch salt

4 tsp baking soda

¼ cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a 10” round or 8” square cake pan by greasing and lining the bottom with parchment paper cut to fit, then set inside a larger baking vessel like a casserole/lasagna pan. Peel, chop and puree beets as smooth as you can in a blender or food processor (don’t worry if it’s not perfectly smooth, it will disappear into the cake soon). In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and brandy, then gradually whisk in the sugar, followed by the butter. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa and salt, then gently whisk into the batter in three additions. Whisk in beet puree in two additions. Place baking soda in a small heatproof container and add the boiling water, stir to dissolve, then add to the batter and whisk in well. Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Place both pans into oven and pour up to an inch of hot water into the larger outer pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out with no streaks of batter on it. Remove both pans from oven and allow water to cool to warm, then remove cake pan to a rack to finish cooling. Once cake is cool, flip onto a plate and gently peel parchment off. Chill before frosting or glazing, or serve as is.

Rutabaga Noodles with Brown Butter and Sage

Rutabaga’s relative starchiness and affinity for brown butter and other rich flavors make it a fun option for winter vegetable noodles.

1 large or 2 small rutabaga
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp chiffonade sage, divided
2 Tbsp heavy cream
Pinch nutmeg or mace
Parmesan & cracked peppercorns, to garnish

Peel the rutabaga and trim so it will fit in a spiralizer, or cut into long quarters and shave with a mandolin or Y peeler, then slice resulting sheets into ¾” wide noodles and set aside. In a medium frying pan, cook the butter, salt and 2 tsp of the sage over medium heat, stirring often, until the butter browns and the sage crisps. Remove from heat and rest to cool briefly, then whisk in the cream. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the rutabaga noodles, let simmer and stirring a few times. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until just tender and the “turnip funk” cooks off. Strain and toss in pan with sauce and nutmeg/mace, then pile on plates and shower with parmesan cheese, the reserved sage and pepper. Serves 4.

Potato Radish Soup

1 small yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1½ lb red potatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
6 oz white wine, dry cider or ale
3½ cup stock of your choice
2” chunk parmesan rind
½ lb radish, sliced thin

In a soup pot, sweat the onion in the oil until translucent, then add potato and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until slightly softened. Add garlic and quickly cook until fragrant, then deglaze with wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid cooks off. Add stock, rind and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cover, turning heat low to simmer until potatoes are as soft as you'd like them. Add radish and simmer 5 minutes or until softened and translucent.

Farmer Ben's Roasted Pepper Soup

Here’s a great soup to warm you in the winter! It uses our frozen roasted peppers and tomato puree. We like to serve it with cornbread or crostini, and salad with homemade buttermilk ranch :)

Ingredients

1 package of Whatley Farm Hot or Sweet Italian Peppers

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 medium potato, chopped

1x 24 oz jar of Whatley Farm Tomato Puree

Bit of butter and olive oil

Dashes of herbs and spices like basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme

1 generous splash cream or half and half (optional)

1. Do ahead: thaw the peppers.

2. Once thawed, remove the stem and seeds and chop the peppers. Set aside ⅓ of the peppers to add at the end.

3. Sweat onion, carrot, and celery in a bit of butter and olive oil, using a saucepan on medium heat. Add salt and any herbs/spices you’ve chosen.

4. Add one chopped potato and cook until they soften.

5. Add the tomato puree and bring to a high simmer. 

6. Add ⅔ of the chopped peppers and let soup simmer for 20 mins or so.

7. Blend the soup with an immersion blender. Back on the stove, add the remaining ⅓ of the peppers. 

8. Optional: add a splash of cream or half and half just before serving.

Jenn's Honey-Pickled Red Onions

Delicious on a spinach salad or a panini sandwich!

From Jenn Legnini of Turtle Rock Farm

Ingredients

2 pounds Red Onions, sliced ¼” thick
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ cups red wine vinegar
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsps black peppercorns
1 tsp salt

Recipe

1. Bring water, vinegar, honey, peppercorns and salt to a boil.

2. Pour over sliced onions.

3. Refrigerate overnight.

Option: Can in pint or half-pint jars, leaving ½” headroom. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.