ADAPTABLE RATATOUILLE
ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD WITH SNAP
PEAS AND BOK CHOY
BABY BITTER GREENS: TIPS, AND FUN
FACTS
BABY TURNIPS: HOW DO I EAT THESE?
BASIC SIMMERED CHARD
BOK CHOI SOUP
CHICKEN SOUP WITH LOADS OF VEGETABLES
CHOCO-ZUCCHINI CUPCAKES
CURRY SQUASH
DILL-ICIOUS(!) CUCUMBER SALAD
FREEZING RAW TOMATOES
GARLIC SCAPE PESTO
GREEN TOMATO/TOMATILLO SALSA
LOCALLY GROWN BREAKFAST SANDWICH
LOCALLY GROWN GROUND BEEF AND VEGGIE THING
KOHLRABI & APPLE SLAW with CREAMY
COLESLAW DRESSING
KOHLRABI DYMYSTIFIED
MAPLE SQUASH
ONION RINGS
POP’S PEPPERS AND EGGS
POTATO PARSNIP PUREE
QUICK BRAISED TURNIPS WITH BUTTER
ROASTED KOHLRABI
ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP
SAMAINA
SAUTEED
KALE
SQUASH
WITH HERB CIDER GLAZE
STIR FRIED BOK CHOI
TOMATILLO CHICKEN
TOMATO AND PARMESAN STRATA
TOMATO RISOTTO
ADAPTABLE RATATOUILLE
By Cecilia Deferrari
Sweet peppers
Summer Squash e.g. zucchini &/or pattypan
Onion
Garlic (optional)
Tomatoes (optional)
Carrots (optional)
Eggplant
Sweet Corn (optional)
Olive oil (a splash)
Tamari or sea salt(optional)
Chop ingredients and place in a pot with just a little water
over a medium flame.
Cook to taste.
The eggplant will take from 20 minutes to a half hour to cook.
If it seems a little watery, just drain it a bit! Or have
it as soup! Add a spash of oil AFTER having cooked the dish.
You may want to add a dash of tamari, for flavor or sea salt.
It tastes even better if you let it sit for a day or two and
also freezes nicely. You can serve this with brown rice, or
millet (which absorbs flavors like a sponge ) and yogurt sauce.
You can also eat this with browned, ground meat or roasted
chicken or lamb. This dish can be eaten hot or cold.
ASIAN
CHICKEN SALAD WITH SNAP PEAS AND BOK CHOY
from the kitchen of Gilian Shallcross
Makes 4 servings
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
5 fresh cilantro sprigs plus 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 whole scallion plus 2 chopped scallions
1 pound sugar snap peas
3 bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise
1 English hothouse cucumber, quartered lengthwise, thinly
sliced crosswise
1 red jalapeño chile, thinly sliced
2 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
Fill medium skillet with salted water; bring to boil. Add
chicken breasts, cilantro sprigs, and whole green scallion;
reduce heat to medium and poach chicken until just cooked
through, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to
plate; cool. Add snap peas to same skillet; increase heat
to high and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute.
Drain; rinse snap peas under cold water to cool. Discard whole
scallion and cilantro sprigs. Coarsely shred chicken. Toss
chicken, chopped cilantro, chopped scallions, snap peas, and
next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk vinegar, oil, and
ginger in small bowl. Add dressing to salad; toss to coat.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
BABY
BITTER GREENS: TIPS, AND FUN FACTS
Farm Girl Farm provides these fabulous greens often throughout
the season—a mixture of various spicy greens, as opposed
to a traditional lettuce-y salad mix. You can use them as
a spicy salad—try a contrasting sweet dressing. Also
try them cooked--sauté them in olive oil with a little
cut up onion or garlic green (see below). Or throw several
handfuls at the last minute into any stir-fry you are making.
Or any soup. They reduce dramatically, so you get not only
great taste but a big nutritional addition to what you are
cooking. The important thing is to cook them for a VERY short
time, just stirring them until they wilt. Ever wonder what’s
in that little bag? Ready? Your bag of baby bitter greens
might include two types of beet and chard greens, red mustard,
orach, tatsoi, mizuna, Tokyo bekana, hong
vit, komatsuna, kale, purple radish and dandelion
greens, red and green mustard greens, and endive.
BABY
TURNIPS: HOW DO I EAT THESE?
You can eat these small Japanese turnips raw—some people
eat them like apples. You can slice them thin in a salad,
or make larger pieces for a stir fry. You can also strir fry
the greens. Some people roast turnips, as well, with olive
oil and garlic.
BASIC
SIMMERED CHARD
1 pound Swiss chard, washed and trimmed (remove woody center
stem), roughly chopped
Bring large pot of water to boil, salt it. Cook stems until
almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped leaves. Continue
to cook until both stems and leaves are tender, another couple
of minutes.
Drain and serve hot chard with butter, extra-virgin olive
oil, and/or vinegar. Or, drain, drop in bowl of ice water
to stop the cooking, drain again, place in covered container
and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
BOK
CHOI SOUP
From Ruth Ballenzweig, FGF staff
Sautee one onion and several radishes (optional). Add water
and bring to a boil. Add udon or soba noodles. When noodles
are cooked, add miso. Remove small amount of hot water and
add miso paste, stir until dissolved, add to larger pot, taste
and add more miso to taste (caution, miso is very salty—add
slowly).
Slice one bok choi into thin slices, throw into soup to point
of wilting (do not boil or overcook bok choi OR miso).
Add fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Note: noodles will absorb more liquid over time so if serving
soup later, add noodles separately.CRUNCHY FALL SALAD
This recipe is based on something a friend of mine introduced
me to while we were on vacation in Puerto Rico last year…none
of the vegetables were local or fresh, but hey, it was a delicious
salad, and recently as I looked over the array of veggies
on my countertop, I remembered…Salad
One bunch FGF baby celery, minced (set leaves aside in freezer
bag for soup stock!)
2 carrots, minced
1 onion, minced
1 head crispy lettuce—preferrably romaine, chopped (one
could certainly use cabbage here instead of lettuce, but lettuce
is what we’ve got right now)
optional: several baby turnips or radishes
Dressing
sesame oil
tamari or braggs
lemon juice
1 clove garlic
chives or scallions
fresh ginger
salt & fresh ground pepper
optional: sesame seeds
1)
Mince and chop vegetables and place in large bowl.
2) In mason jar or other widemouth jar with lid, add in a
2 to 1 ratio the sesame oil, tamari and lemon juice (i.e.
add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1 each tamari and braggs.
Adjust this ratio to taste if dressing seems too oily/heavy
by adding more tamari or lemon juice).
3) Peel ginger (I use a spoon) and grate into the jar, to
taste. Press garlic clove into the jar. Finely chop chives
or scallions and add these, along with salt and freshly ground
pepper, to taste, to the dressing. Some people enjoy adding
a bit of honey or other sweetener to the dressing, as well.
4) Put lid on the jar and shake vigorously. Pour dressing
over salad and toss well. The salad is delicious immediately
and even better the next day (although this is where the cabbage
version would probably be better than the lettuce version).
Variations include adding minced chicken or tofu cubes.Chicken
Soup with Rice or Noodles
Makes 4 servings, takes 30 minutes to prepare.
5 to 6 c. chicken stock
1/2 cup long-grain rice or pasta
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 celery stalk, minced
1 onion, minced (this is my addition-LM)
1 c. raw or cooked chopped boneless skinless chicken* (or
more)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Minced fresh parsley for garnish
1) Place stock in a large deep saucepan or casserole and turn
the heat to medium-high. When it is just about boiling, turn
the heat down to medium so that it bubbles but not too vigorously.
Stir in the rice, carrot, and celery, onion, and cook, stirring
occasionally, unitl they are all tender, about 20 minutes.
2) Stir in the chicken. If it is raw, cook another 5 to 8
minutes, unitl it is cooked. If it is cooked, cook 2 or 3
minutes, until it is hot. Season with salt, pepper and parsley,
and serve.
Note: use orzo or other small pasta, angel hair or other thin
noodles or cooked grains in place or rice. For a thicker version
of this soup, increase pasta to 1 cup, use 2 carrots and 2
celery stalks. If you plan to store this soup, cook the rice
separately andstir it in during the last stage of coking or
it will absorb too m uch liquid durng storage.We’ve
had a lot of recipes for how to prepare kale and the other
bunched greens in, but here is another, heartier take on this
operation from our very own Mike Ballon’s Castle Street
Café Cookbook. Call me a heathen but I’d use
this recipe for collards, too.
CHICKEN
SOUP WITH LOADS OF VEGETABLES
[This recipe demonstrates another great way to incorporate
lots of veggies at once—not all of the below are in
season now but simple substitutions can be made with what
is…and, frankly, I think you can always chop up kale
and drop it into soup at the last moment and get a few extra
vitamins in! --LM]
4 quarts water
1 large cut-up chicken, preferably stewing or large roaster
bunch of scallions, whole
4 parsnips, peeled and left whole
1/2 cup chopped celery leaves plus 2 stalks celery and their
leaves
1 rutabaga, peeled and quartered
1 large turnip, peeled and quartered
1 kohlrabi, quartered
6 carrots, peeled and left whole
6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 tablespoons snipped dill
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 zucchini
Put the water and the chicken in a large pot and bring the
water to a boil. Skim off the froth.
Add the marrow bones, scallions, parsnips, celery, 3/4 of
the rutabaga, turnip, kohlrabi, 4 of the carrots, the parsley,
4 tablespoons of the dill, and the salt and pepper. Cover
and simmer of 2 1/2 hours, adjusting the seasoning to taste.
Strain, remove the chicken, discard the vegetables and refrigerate
the liquid to solidify. Remove the skin and bones from the
chicken and cut the meat into bite-size chunks. Refrigerate.
Remove the fat from the soup.
Just before serving, reheat the soup. Bring to a boil. Cut
the zucchini and the remaining 2 carrots into thin strips
and add to the soup along with the remaining rutabaga cut
into thin strips as well as a few pieces of chicken. Simmer
about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked, but still
firm. Serve with the remaining snipped dill.
CHOCO-ZUCCHINI
CUPCAKES
Original recipe by Judith Janowski
2 cups shredded zucchini (8oz.)
3 eggs
2 cups granular sugar
1 cup cooking oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips
1 recipe Peanut Butter Frosting
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line muffin cups with paper bake
cups or lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl stir together zucchini, eggs, granulated
sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda,
salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips; stir until combined.
Spoon batter into prepared cups, filling about half full.
Bake about 25 minutes (about 15 minutes for mini-cupcakes)
or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out
clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from
cups. Cool completely. Frost with Peanut Butter Frosting.
Peanut Butter Frosting:
Beat 1 cup peanut butter, 1/3 cup softened butter, 1 tablespoon
milk, and 1teaspoon vanilla with electric mixer on medium
speed until smooth. Gradually add 1 _ cups powdered sugar,
beating until combined. If necessary, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons
additional milk until desired consistency.
CURRY
SQUASH
From Ryan Carey, FGF CSA member
Sautee one large onion in olive oil. When it starts to get
soft, throw in two cloves chopped garlic. Add 3 T. curry powder,
1 T chile powder. Sautee all together for approx 1 minute.
Add cubed winter squash, toss to coat with oil, onions, etc.
Add enough vegetable stock and cream to cover your squash
(1 part stock to 2 parts heavy cream. If using coconut milk
instead of cream, use 3 parts).
Cook until squash is tender. Serve over grain of your choosing
(cous cous, rice, etc).
DILL-ICIOUS(!)
CUCUMBER SALAD
From the kitchen of Ruth Ballenzweig, Farm Girl Farm Girl
2-3 cucumbers
juice of 1/4-1/2 of a lemon
approx. 1 cup plain yogurt
small bunch of dill
salt and pepper to taste
Rinse and peel 2-3 cucumbers (I like to leave on some of the
skin)
Thinly slice cucumbers into a bowl
Remove thick stems and loosely chop dill
Add yogurt, lemon, juice, and salt and pepper to taste
Stir and enjoy!
This a light, cooling summer salad. Double or triple quantities
for a great potluck dish!
FREEZING
RAW TOMATOES
It is possible to quickly freeze raw tomatoes without blanching
them first. Frozen tomatoes are best used in cooked foods
such as soups, sauces and stews as they become mushy when
they're thawed. Tomatoes should be washed (just with water)
and dried before cutting. After washing, cut away the stem
scar and surrounding area. Place the tomatoes on cookie sheets
and freeze. Once frozen, transfer the tomatoes into freezer
bags or other containers. Seal tightly.
GARLIC
SCAPE PESTO
a la Nichole Calero, FGF CSA member
Not so much a recipe as a formula…make up your own proportions,
to taste.
Garlic Scapes
Olive Oil
Walnuts
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Cut the scapes into inch long sections. You can use most of
the scape, I threw away just the end. Put the scapes in the
food processor. Throw in a couple of handfuls of walnuts,
about 1/4 as much parmesan as walnuts, and add olive oil.
Process for a very long time. You can add some salt and fresh
ground black pepper if you like. Throw in some fresh spinach
too, towards the end, or some fresh basil. This freezes well
for a month.
GREEN
TOMATO/TOMATILLO SALSA
From Merrill Sanderson, Farm Girl Farm CSA member and
power weeder
2
lbs tomatillos, husked and cut in half
3 green tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 mild chile peppers, chopped (substitute some jalapenos if
you want more zip!)
1 shallot, chopped
5 sprigs cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup garlic powder to taste
1 teaspoon salt
Put the tomatillos, tomatoes, oil, chili peppers, shallots,
cilantro, vinegar, garlic powder and salt in a large saucepan
over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to
medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the tomatillos
have softened. Pour into a blender, puree until smooth. Chill
and serve with chips.
LOCALLY
GROWN BREAKFAST SANDWICH
Eggs (preferable from Sean at North Plain Farm, when available)
Bacon (also from North Plain Farm, and optional, of course)
Sliced bread from Berkshire Mountain Bakery
Slicing tomato
Onion
Cucumber
Baby greens—either salad greens or bitter green mix
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
I put the bread in the toaster and meanwhile make two slices
of bacon and a fried egg (the toast takes awhile because I
do it twice—I like it crunchy!). I put the fried egg
on top of one slice of toast, add the bacon (cut in half so
they’ll fit on the sandwich), a thick slice of tomato,
cucumber and onion. Then I add the salt and pepper, and finally,
with one hand, put a pile of greens on top of the egg/veggies
while with the other hand I quickly press the second piece
of toast down before the whole thing topples over. This is
the dish that keeps on giving.
LOCALLY
GROWN GROUND BEEF AND VEGGIE THING
When leaving the farm late in the evening and feeling too
exhausted to go into town but knowing that there isn’t
much in the fridge at home, I buy a package of ground beef
from the freezer and grab whatever vegetables are within arm’s
reach.
I begin browning the beef with minced garlic and a bit of
salt.
Meanwhile, I chop up onions, carrots, peppers, squash, swiss
chard or kale, and tomatoes. As the beef browns, I throw the
veggies into the pot in the order of how long they need to
be cooked. I throw in a few pinches of salt and pepper, maybe
a couple dashes of Braggs or tamari. I put the tomatoes in
second to last—don’t want to overcook them. After
I turn off the burner, I throw in whatever greens I have and
cover the pot and let them steam into the mix. After about
10 minutes I lift the cover, stir, and hoist a giant helping
into my bowl. This dish makes a ton of food—tastes great
even if you are too tired to make a grain to go with, but
lasts even longer with some rice or quinuoa or couscous, and
is good cold the next day for lunch.
KOHLRABI
& APPLE SLAW with CREAMY COLESLAW DRESSING
Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 25 minutes
Makes 4 cups, easily adapted for less
DRESSING
1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon good mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt & pepper to taste - go easy here
Fresh mint, chopped
1 pound fresh kohlrabi, trimmed, peeled, grated or cut into
batons with a Benriner
2 apples, peeled, grated to cut into batons (try to keep equivalent
volumes of kohlrabi:apple)
Whisk cream into light pillows - this takes a minute or so,
no need to get out a mixer. Stir in remaining dressing ingredients,
the kohlrabi and apple. Serve immediately.
KOHLRABI
DYMYSTIFIED
Tender, fresh kohlrabi has a radishy-turnipy taste. It can
be peeled and sliced thinly into salads, like you would prepare
radishes or, later in the season, celeriac.
Chef Jeremy Stanton reminds us that you can also cook kohlrabi—peel,
slice thinly and warm lightly with butter, salt and pepper.
Mmmmm!! I would go so far as to say you might try the above
turnip recipe with your kohlrabi. And stop in the herb garden
for some of those seasonings—we’re starting to
have them.
POP’S
PEPPERS AND EGGS
From Angela Theil-St. Fairsted, in One United Harvest
2-3 garden-fresh medium bell peppers.
6 eggs, scrambled
1 T. olive oil
Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and heat to medium.
De-seed peppers and slice, rinse in cold water, do not pat
dry. Add peppers to the skillet and cover. Saute the peppers
for approximately 15 mintues or until tender. Add scrambled
ages and enjoy sandwiched between warm French bread.
MAPLE
SQUASH
From Sara Schlosser, Sandlewood Farm, Wolcott, Vermont,
in Julie Sochacki’s One United Harvest
1 winter squash
2 T Vermont (or Mass) maple syrup
1 T. butter
salt and pepper, to taste
Wash squash and cut in half. Clean out seeds and pulp. Steam
until soft and the skin easily peels off. Run under cold water
until cool enough to handle. Add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
and 1 tablespoon butter for each medium squash as well as
salt and pepper to taste. Mash or puree and enjoy! Alternatively,
when squash is in half and cleaned, add 2 tablespoons of maple
syrup and butter to each half. Bake at 375 degrees for 45
minutes or until soft. Enjoy! Serves 2 to 3.
ONION
RINGS
From Danielle and Lauren, FGF staff and fried vegetable
enthusiasts
Ingredients:
Several large onions, sliced in thick rings
1 12 oz. beer of your preference – we like Wolaver’s
organic brown ale*
1.5 c. flour
cooking oil
1 tsp. baking powder
salt
seasonings
*cold club soda or anything carbonated could be substituted
for the beer
Mix the flour with salt, baking powder, and your favorite
seasonings – we like mustard powder, ground black pepper,
and a touch of cayenne. Pour the cold beer into the flour
mixture, and stir. It should be the consistency of pancake
batter – you can add more flour if needed.
Heat a half inch of oil in a pan. Dip onion slices into batter,
and immediately drop into pan. Cook a few minutes on each
side, until golden brown
POTATO
PARSNIP PUREE
This side dish makes a nice change from mashed potatoes.
It is delicious but rich—a little goes a long way. Can
be made 1 day ahead and chilled in a baking dish, covered.
Bring to room temperature and reheat, covered, in a preheated
450°F oven until hot, about 20 minutes, or in a microwave.
2 lbs parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 lbs russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch
pieces
1 T plus 1/2 t. salt (you could cut this down)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 t. black pepper
Cover parsnips and potatoes with cold water by 1 inch in a
6- to 8-quart pot, then add 1 T salt and bring to a boil,
partially covered. Reduce heat and simmer vegetables, partially
covered, until very tender but not falling apart, 30 to 40
minutes. Meanwhile, bring cream, butter, pepper, and remaining
1/2 t. salt to a simmer in 4-quart heavy pot over moderate
heat. Drain vegetables in a colander. Force warm vegetables
through ricer into cream mixture, then stir to combine well.
QUICK
BRAISED TURNIPS WITH BUTTER
Contributed by Gilian Shallcross
1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 T butter
1/4 cup water
1 t. sugar or 1 T maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
mince fresh parsley, mint, or cilantro for garnish
Place turnips, butter, water, sugar, salt and pepper in medium
saucepan over high heat; bring to boil and cover. Turn heat
to medium-low and cook for 5 min.
Uncover and raise the heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until
the liquid has evaporated and the carrots are cooking in butter
or oil. Lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally,
until tender, a few more minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, garnish, serve.
ROASTED
KOHLRABI
Adapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink
so much)
1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin
sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (optional, to my taste)
Salt
Good vinegar
Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil,
garlic and salt in a bowl. (This can be done on the pan but
you'll likely use more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking
sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and
roast for 30 - 34 minutes, stirring every five minutes started
after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably
at the table so the kohlrabi don't get squishy).
ROASTED
RED PEPPER SOUP
From Ruth Ballenzweig, my Right Hand Farm Girl. Ruth says,
of this recipe, “yum! very creamy with no dairy! peppers
don't have to be red, just not green.”
3-5 ripe sweet peppers
1-2 onions
garlic to taste (i like lots)
1 mid-sized boiling potato
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 cups broth
hot peppers and/or parsley for garnish
preheat broiler
halve and deseed 4 pepps.
place face down on greased pan and broil until skins are blackened.
remove pepps from oven and put in closed paper bag. remove
skins. cut peppers into 1-inch pieces.
sautee chopped onion, a bunch of chopped garlic, 1 mid-sized
potato, peppers, in a big soup pot.
add broth and bring to a boil. lower heat and simmer until
potato is tender.
process with an immersion blender (or regular blender or food
processor) until smooth.
add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with finely chopped
parsely or thin (de-seeded) slices of hot pepper.
SAMAINA
A great vegetarian recipe. Serves 10.
2 T. olive oil
3 cups coarsely chopped onion
5 cups cubed, peeled eggplant (about a pound)
2 cups cubed zucchini (about a pound)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2-3 cups chopped, seeded, peeled tomato
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. chopped fresh thyme
1 t. salt
1 t. sweet paprika
1/2 t. black pepper
Heat oil in nonstick skillet. Add onion and cook until tender,
stirring occasionally. Stir in eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper,
and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in tomato,
parsley, and thyme.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Uncover and simmer
10 minutes more, until vegetables are tender and liquid evaporates.
Stir in salt, pepper, paprika and cook 1 minute.
STIR
FRIED BOK CHOI
Bok choy (“white vegetable”) has been cultivated
in China since ancient times. It is light and sweet, with
a crisp texture and high nutritional value. Boy choy is enormously
versatile and may be used in soups, stir-fries, appetizers,
and main dishes. It was introduced into Europe in the 1800s,
but it is still most popular in Chinese, Filipino, Korean,
and Thai cooking.
4 bunches of baby bok choy
2 slices of peeled ginger
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Few drops of sesame oil
1 t. olive oil for stir-frying
Wash the bok choy well and drain. Separate the stalks and
leaves. Cut the stalks diagonally and cut the leaves across.
Heat wok or skillet and add oil, then ginger. Stir fry for
about 30 seconds, until the ginger is aromatic. Add the bok
choy, stalks first and then leaves. Stir in the soy sauce,
sugar, and salt and stir-fry on high heat for one minute.
Add the broth, cover, and simmer for about two minutes. Stir
in the sesame oil and serve. Makes four servings.
SAUTEED
KALE
1 large bunch kale (or collards!)
1/4 pound slab bacon, cut into cubes*
1 onion, sliced
1/2 teaspooon minced garlic
1) Trim off the bottom stems of the kale and cut the bunch
in half
2) 2In large skilled, brown the bacon until it releases some
fat inot the skillet, then add the onion. Cook until lightly
browned.
3) Add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan, place lid on top
of the skillet and allow to cook for between 5-10 minutes
over moderate heat.
4) Remove cover, stir well, serve with roasted or grilled
meat.
SQUASH
WITH HERB CIDER GLAZE
Recipe tested and approved with two thumbs up by Ryan
Carey, FGF CSA member
Ingredients
2 medium delicata squash (about 2 pounds) or other firm winter
squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup very coarsely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
*Note, any herbs will work!
1 1/2 cups fresh unfiltered apple cider or juice
1 cup water
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
1. Squash. If using delicata squash, peel it with a vegetable
peeler, cut it lengthwise in half, and scrape out the seeds
with a spoon. Cut each piece lengthwise in half again, then
crosswise into 1/2-inch -thick slices. Other types of squash
should be peeled with a chef's knife, seeded, cut into 1-inch
wedges, then sliced 1/2-inch thick.
2. Herb Butter. Melt the butter in a large pan over low heat.
Add the herbs and cook, stirring, until the butter just begins
to turn golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not brown the herbs.
Cooking the herbs in butter mellows their flavor and improves
their texture.
3. Cooking the squash. Add the squash to the skillet, then
the apple cider, water, vinegar, and salt. Cook, stirring
occasionally, over medium heat at an even boil until the cider
has boiled down to a glaze and the squash is tender, 20 to
30 minutes. Taste and season with pepper, and additional salt
if needed.
TOMATILLO
CHICKEN
This has been a Farm Girl Farm favorite for a few seasons
now…
By Catherine J. Harley, Four Springs Farm, in Julie Sochacki,
One United Harvest
6 free-range chicken skinless, boneless breast halves
4 c. chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 hot peppers
1 bay leaf
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pound whole tomatillos, husked
1/3 c, chopped fresh cilantro
1 t. sugar (optional)
salt, to taste
sour cream, garnish
In a covered large Dutch oven, simmer chicken in broth with
onion, peppers, garlic, and bay leaf for 15 minutes after
reaching a boil. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes.
Remove chicken from pot and set aside until cool enough to
handle. Meanwhile, add tomatillos to the pot, bring to a boil
over medium-high heat and boil the tomatillos, uncovered for
10 minutes or until soft. With a slotted spoon, transfer the
tomatillos and peppers to a blender, add the cilantro and
puree. Pour the mixture back into the stock and mix well.
Season to taste. Pull chicken breasts apart into large chunks,
add back to the tomatillo mixture, and simmer until sauce
thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Serve hot with tortilla
chips, guacamole or avocado slices. Garnish with a dollop
of sour cream.
TOMATO
AND PARMESAN STRATA
2 slices of whole-wheat bread, cut into one-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups spinach leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
3 large egg whites
1 large egg
1 cup chopped, seeded tomato
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375. Place bread cubes in 1_ quart baking
dish coated with cooking spray.
Heat a nonstick skillet and coat it with cooking spray. Add
onion and sauté 3 minutes. Add spinach and garlic and
sauté 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Combine thyme, salt,
pepper, egg whites, and egg in a bowl. Stir with a whisk and
stir in spinach mixture and tomato. Pour this mixture over
bread cubes land sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes and let stand 5 minutes. Two servings.
TOMATO
RISOTTO
The quality and ripeness of the tomatoes is important
so use what are are getting from Farm Girl Farm. This recipe
takes awhile, but it is worth it.
Serves 6
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
Scant 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium fennel bulb, fronds chopped and reserved for garnish,
stalks discarded, and bulb finely chopped (2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Core tomatoes and cut a shallow X in bottom of each, then
blanch tomatoes in boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with
a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking.
Peel tomatoes using tip of a small paring knife, then halve
tomatoes crosswise. Squeeze juice from tomato halves through
a sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding seeds.
Finely dice tomato flesh.
Bring stock, water, saffron, and tomato liquid to a simmer
in a medium saucepan and keep at a bare simmer.
Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a heavy medium saucepan
over medium heat until foam subsides, then add fennel and
onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and
beginning to turn golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns opaque,
about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, then add wine
and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Continue simmering and
adding hot tomato-saffron stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring
frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding
the next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still
al dente, 18 to 25 minutes total (you will have some stock
left over).
Stir in diced tomatoes, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
Thin with stock if desired. |
