Here’s what I made for dinner last night: Coq au vin. None of the ingredients came from my CSA delivery, or from my Saturday sojourn to the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market in Rochester, Minn. (more on that later), but Sunday’s cool, wet weather put me in the mood for something hearty. Besides, I was feeling lazy and didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

That’s what I like about this recipe: it’s about 20 minutes of chopping/stirring/browning time, and then a low simmer does the rest. Even clean-up is easy; it’s a two-pot deal.

I started making this particular formula after my friend RD pointed it out to me, from the December 2006 issue of Cooks Illustrated magazine. Here’s my deal with CI: Sometimes I’m crazy about its recipes, other times I have to stifle a yawn (don’t ask me about a recent apple cake, one of the dullest things I’ve ever baked). This is one that lands squarely in the former category. It’s not complicated, and for a 90 minute dish, it’s pretty darn amazing. It always yields leftovers, and yeah, it’s even better when reheated as leftovers. I usually serve it with rice or egg noodles.

MODERN COQ AU VIN
Serves 4 to 6.
Note: From Cooks Illustrated magazine. “Avoid bold, heavily oaled red wine varietals like Cabernet and light-bodied wines like Beaujolais.

1 bottle red wine (a pinot noir or other medium-bodied, fruity wine), divided
2 c. low-sodium chicken stock
10 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley plus 2 tbsp. freshly minced parsley leaves, divided
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
4 oz. thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut in half crosswise
Table salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
24 frozen pearl onions, thawed, drained and patted dry (about 1 c.)
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, halved if small and quartered if large
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tsp.)
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. flour

Directions
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all but 1 tablespoon wine (reserved for later use), chicken broth, parsley sprigs, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook until liquid is reduced to 3 cups, about 25 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid and discarding herbs. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon, until browned, stirring occasionally, about 7 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat in a small bowl and discard remaining fat. Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper. Return Dutch oven to medium-high heat and warm 1 tablespoon bacon fat until just smoking. Add half of chicken in single layer and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining bacon fat and chicken, transferring chicken to plate. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven. When foaming subsides, add onions and mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and flour and cook, stirring until well-coated, about 1 minute. Add reduced wine mixture, scraping bottom of pot with a wooden spoon to loosen brown bits. Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Return chicken (and any accumulated juices) and reserved bacon to pot and increase heat to high to bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer until chicken is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a large bowl and tent with aluminum foil. Increase heat to high and simmer sauce until thick and glossy and measures approximately 3 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon reserved wine. Season with salt to taste. Return chicken to pot, top with minced parsley and serve.

I’ve been negligent in sharing the news from Burning River Farm. I didn’t have time to post details from delivery No. 14, and I was away for No. 15 (my share-mate Jim Buchta got that box entirely to himself, lucky guy).

Here’s the weekly report [it’s written by farm worker Adrienne, not farmer Mike Noreen].

“Fall is coming right along, easing us into winter. Hope everyone is adjusting well! This being my first year farming, I had to run out in mini-crisis mode and buy some wool and polar fleece that I wouldn’t mind getting dirty. Mind you, I was well-adjusted to summer. . .

“I hope this experience has been as fulfilling for you as for myself. I’ve enjoyed every aspect: getting up before sunrise, the company (Mike, Juli, Elizabeth and volunteers), the fabulous lunches we took turns cooking up, the harvesting, weeding and tractoring. My favorites to harvest are: Hakurai turnips, carrots, beets, fresh herbs (I put in a request that we have more next year), cabbage and summer squash. I could go into much more detail, because I think if you’re out in the country (normally a city girl), in the field all day, you’d better enjoy it or you’ll go insane! If you ever have an interest in volunteering on a farm you might just find it’s what you needed. Plus, a farmer would be that much happier . . .

“There was a complaint last week from CSA member Mary that her children wouldn’t eat store-bought carrots any more, only Mike’s carrot’s will do. They’re hooked! Uh-oh, what has he done? Hopefully, for your sanity through winter, a similar complaint has been averted. Be sure to crave them come next year, though. . .

“Just finished packing up week No. 16. The squash is the deciding factor of whether we’ll get to the 19th week as we’re still in the process of harvesting it. As I sit here to write to ya’ll, my peripheral vision caught something black but more agile than Benny the farm dog (a.k.a. Beazley Bear Fox). It was my first black bear sighting ever! Very amazing creature right outside the window. Wow. It must have been exciting to the car that was driving by, because they backed up to see it and it ran away incredibly fast.”

Adrienne also included a recipe, and it sounds like a keeper.

KALE AND POTATO SOUP
Serves 6.
Note: From Burning River Farm

5 potatoes, cut into quarters
2 cloves garlic
5 c. chicken stock
3 c. roughly chopped kale leaves
1 tsp. freshly chopped marjoram
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine potatoes, garlic and 3 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine remaining 2 cups chicken stock, kale, marjoram and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until kale is tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer potato mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (soup will be thick). Add pureed potato mixture to kale mixture, remove bay leaf, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

You should be so lucky to have one of these land at your door every Thursday morning.

There are so many benefits to CSA membership. The produce is ultra-fresh. There’s tons of variety. Purchasing a share boosts the local economy and does good things for the local environment, and don’t forget all the warm-and-fuzzy feelings that come from supporting the hard work of family owned farms. Hopefully I’ve touched on some of these attributes in the past few months.

But here’s another reason, and for many it’s a pay-attention dealmaker: With CSA membership comes tremendous value.

At least that’s been my experience. For the past few deliveries I’ve carefully weighed the contents and then played Phantom Shopper, bringing my CSA list to a natural foods co-op (which emphasis the local/sustainable/organic equation) or a supermarket and do a little math.

For my Sept. 18th delivery, my calculator and I dropped in on the Wedge Co-op; had I bought everything that was in my CSA box, I would have spent $45.60 (had I used my member discount it could have been a few dollars less, but I played the Everyman card and shopped like a non-member). The following week (Sept. 25th), I went to my neighborhood Lunds, where the tab hit $50.73, and it wasn’t entirely even-Steven, since I had to resort to several conventionally raised equivalents (which aren’t exactly equal to BRV-raised produce) because the store didn’t stock a comparable organically raised alternative; buying all-organic would surely have boosted that number by a few bucks. Yesterday I took my little economics experiment to the Seward Co-op, where the total would have set me back $36.69.

Those mid-September deliveries probably skewed a little high because they both featured costly tomatoes, so I’m going to lowball it and average out the value of each delivery from Burning River Farm at $35 per week. The farm’s growing season stretches to 18 weeks, meaning the value of my summer share would be $630. The cost of a full share is $495. That’s the equivalent of a $135 bonus in gorgeous, great-tasting vegetables. Farmer Mike Noreen is toying with the idea of a 19th delivery, increasing that bonus to $170.

Yes, I paid an additional $75 to get it delivered directly to my office, a feature many CSA farms do not offer, so that nudges the value in a southerly direction a bit, but that’s still a $60 bonus on 18 deliveries and a $95 bonus on 19 deliveries. For argument’s sake, I’d also like to say that I’m lowballing that estimate; I’d say it might be more in the $38 range, which would add another $54 to that proverbial cream at the top of the milk bottle.

I wasn’t surprised to learn that Mike’s top revenue-producers by weight are his exceptional greens. The farm’s spinach and arugula could both earn $11 to $13 per pound on the retail market, and the salad greens - truly, the best I’ve run across in these parts - also occupy a top-dollar berth. Little did I realize that our house has been enjoying superb salads all summer long at discount prices. How cool is that?

Sure, there have been a few downsides. I’ll admit that I was hoping for more exotic surprises. Not that I’m complaining, because a number of deliveries contained vegetables that certainly land in the outer limits of my produce comfort zone (for example, I can’t push the cart faster past broccoli and turnips, so confronting them in the box did me some good). Oh, and I would have liked to have seen more herbs, and a melon or two (and who knows, I just might, since the farm has a few more deliveries to go). But those are the only complaints I can muster, and you know what? For a whiner like me, that’s pretty great.

Bottom line: Would I go the CSA route again? In a heartbeat.

At a family party last weekend, my aunt Carolyn gave me an enchanting piece of the past: A recipe card that her sister Pat had sent to her in 1965. The card (which was embossed with the words, “A Pet Recipe From Pat”) was part of a gift for a wedding shower for Carolyn’s upcoming marriage to Philip. Here’s the message that aunt Pat wrote on the back of that 3×5-inch recipe card:

“Carolyn, I’ve never tried this but I know Phil is a ‘turnip lover.’ Have you ever seen Julia Childs [sic]? She has that marvelous show on N.E.T. [the precursor to PBS] and makes everything she demonstrates sound absolutely delicious. She’s written a book, ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking.’ I bet it’s great!”

“The French Chef” was great. The greatest.

The timing seemed fortuitous, because the next morning I spotted great-looking turnips at the St. Paul Farmers Market. A sign, right? So, without further adieu, I give you what Auntie Pat called, yes, “Turnip Something or Other” [I’m re-writing the recipe in our format, and taking a few liberties for clarity’s sake]. It sounds delicious. Given a short notation on the card, I’m guessing the recipe’s origin is “The French Chef,” Child’s groundbreaking television series.

P.S. Both aunts are terrific cooks, just in case they’re reading.

TURNIP SOMETHING OR OTHER
Serves 4 as a side dish.
Note: From Auntie Pat, probably gleaned from “The French Chef.” “Dice the onions and cook them in fat (bacon fat or something),” she wrote. So heart healthy! I imagine olive oil or butter will also do the trick.

1 large turnip, peeled and diced
3 tbsp. olive oil (or bacon fat)
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. freshly chopped sage
2/3 c. beef stock

Directions
In a large saucepan over high heat, bring salted water to a boil. Add turnips and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and reserve. In a large pan over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add onions and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour and sage and cook for 2 minutes. Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add turnips, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Transfer turnips to a bowl or platter and serve.

If Fugaise isn’t on your dining-out radar, it should be, because chef Don Saunders is a gifted practitioner. His multi-course “tour of the menu” - counted out in five, seven and nine courses - is a genuine pleasure. Here are his takes on . . .

Red bell peppers: “Bell peppers are one of those ingredients that I’m not particularly fond of raw but love to cook with. They’re great charred, roasted, sauteed. In this case, they are nice “stewed” with ingredients that are classic in Spanish/Basquaise cooking: garlic, onion, tomato, paprika; the longer it takes to cook, the better. This sauce goes well with anything but I think it’s very nice with a bolder seafood flavor like shrimp.”

A favorite dish on his current menu: “We base our menus at Fugaise around seasonal items, especially vegetables. Therefore, when you suggested peppers as a feature ingredient for late summer/early fall, it was easy, [because] we have four dishes that feature some sort of pepper, including this dish [poached blue shrimp with Basquaise tart and prosciutto, below]. Anaheim, bell and serrano peppers are all being used on our current menu. Right now is an interesting transition of seasons . . . you have heirloom tomatoes right alongside butternut squash on the menu!”

POACHED BLUE SHRIMP WITH BASQUAISE TART AND PROSCIUTTO
Serves 4.
Note: From Don Saunders of Fugaise in Minneapolis.

1 sheet prepared puff pastry
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, diced
3 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into large dices, divided
Pinch smoked paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
2 tomatoes, peeled
2 oz. prosciutto, thinly julienned
2 c. olive oil, plus extra for pan
12 large blue shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 c. frisee or baby arugula
1 lemon, cut in half

Directions
To prepare tarts: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Roll out puff pastry and cut four rounds with 4-inch diameters. Place cut pastry between 2 baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reserve.
To prepare sauce: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add garlic, onion and all but 4 tablespoons red bell pepper and saute lightly. Stir in paprika, cayenne and salt to taste. Reduce heat to low, add tomatoes and cook until most moisture has evaporated and mixture is thick. Remove from heat and reserve.
To assemble tarts: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread a little sauce over tarts and top each tart with prosciutto. Transfer tarts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until warm, about 2 minutes. Finely mince remaining 4 tablespoons red bell pepper and reserve.
To prepare shrimp: Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm olive oil until a candy thermometer reads 140 degrees. Reduce heat to a gentle flame. Add shrimp and poach until they just turn pink. Remove shrimp and arrange them on tarts. Garnish with minced peppers and frisee (or baby arugula). Transfer tarts to a serving dish, squeeze a fresh lemon over dish and serve.

I’m on vacation this week, but I’ll do my best to post a casserole recipe every day. In reference to the following recipe, what can I say? I saw “Miracle Whip” and I knew that I had to try this, it sounded so much like something my mother would have made in the 1970s and my siblings and I would have lapped up with a spoon.

CREAMY HAM AND BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
Serves 8.
Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. From “The Good-to-Go Cookbook” by Kathleen Cannata Hanna (Storey Publishing, $16.95).

Butter for baking pan
1 lb. ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 c. chopped broccoli
2 c. grated sharped cheddar cheese (about 8 oz.)
1 6-oz. package seasoned croutons
4 eggs
2 c. milk
1 c. whipped salad dressing, such as Miracle Whip
2 tbsp. flour
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. dried basil

Directions
Butter bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan. Layer ham, broccoli and cheese in prepared pan and top with croutons. In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add milk, salad dressing, flour, mustard and basil and whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture over croutons. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake casserole, uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack, cool for 10 minutes and serve.