Midsummer Farm CSA Weekly Newsletter: Share Pick Up #2 Greetings!
We are planning to harvest Chard, Welsh Onions, Flat Leaf Parsley, Lettuces of Various Sorts, Celery, and Some Chicory and Radicchio...
RECIPE: Simple Dark Greens Saut� This is a great way to utilize almost any dark leafy green you may find in your baskets! Changing fresh herbs to match flavors - adding peppers, mushrooms, other veggies gives added dimension. 1-2 cups of various finely-chopped seasonal greens (parsley, dandelion, sorrel, lamb's quarters, clover, spinach, arugula, mustards, mints, oregano, etc.) 1 lb shrimp or sliced chicken breast or thigh (you can also use scallops, clams, or pork for different effects) 5-6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 5-6 tbsp Clam Juice, Chicken Broth, or White Wine A sprinkle red pepper flakes 4 bulbs garlic - chopped coarsely � onion - chopped fine salt and pepper to taste Optional: cooked pasta or rice can be added as well Seasonal: as the season progresses, you can add chopped summer squash, peppers, green beans to this saut�.
Heat Olive Oil in a saut� pan. Saut� onion, red pepper flakes, black pepper, garlic. Add meats and any large vegetable pieces. Get nice a sizzling going where the meat starts to brown and brown bits start to form on pan bottom, then add clam juice, chicken broth, or white wine and deglaze pan, scraping the bottom and stirring vigorously. Once everything is cooked through, you can add the optional pasta/rice and cook another minute. Take off the heat and add the chopped seasonal greens and serve.
RECIPE: "FAMOUS FRENCH" PAPRIKA DRESSING Here's my Family's Favorite Salad Dressing - it is basically a Traditional French Dressing: This dressing is hearty and makes a great accompaniment to tangy spring greens: 2/3 cup of Olive oil 1/3 cup of Apple Cider vinegar (Eden and Bragg both make a wonderful Apple Cider vinegar complete with 'mother' and enzymes.) 2 tbsp of organic sugar 2 overflowing globs of organic ketcup black pepper to taste 1 tsp of salt and at least 2 tbsp of Paprika - I've been using about � cup lately actually! Put all ingredients into a bowl or large measuring cup with room to whisk. Whisk all together well. And then pour over your salad and enjoy. We always enjoyed this dressing over slices of avocado and romaine lettuce.
I'm adding a another bunch of flat-leafed chives and a bunch of mint to your baskets this week - here's my hummus recipe, which is just such a great hot-summer-day food. The trick with a good hummus or bean dip or pesto for that matter, is a good foof processor. If you don't have one, it is a great and healthy investment to make for your kitchen. A not-so-great food processor can handle salad dressing, but you willfind that when you are making a bean dip or hummus or pesto, you will end up adding too much oil to the recipe to keep the blades moving smoothly. A good food processor should be able to evenly grind up the beans and herbs even before you add the oil...
RECIPE: Hummus 2 cups of cooked chick peas (or one can) 1 cup tahini paste 5 cloves of garlic 1/2 tsp sea salt 2 tbsp lemon juice 1/4 tsp or more ground black pepper 1/4 tsp cumin powder 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves plus save a sprig or two for garnish! Possible - Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil Put all ingredients together in a food processor and blend until smooth. If more liquid is needed, add dashes of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. Garnish with the mint sprig! Hummus always tastes best after the flavors mell for a day in the fridge.
Swiss Chard is one of the healthiest of foods - if you grow one green in your garden - make it chard! We grow traditional white stemmed Chard, Rainbow Chard, and a dark red stemmed chard called Rhubarb Chard, although it is not related in any way to Rhubarb. You'll see all three in your baskets through out the summer - they can all be prepared the same way. A rule of thumb with cooking chard and all other dark leafy greens with big tough stalks, is to strip the leaves from the stalks, chop and cook the stalks first, so they get tender, and then add the leaves right at the end of cooking time.
Here's a recipe for Frittata Verdura from my grandmother that I always loved as a child using tons of chard! As a child, calling this "Frittata Verdura" was a bit much for me and I was really into swamp wildlife, so I called this "Fenoke" instead of "Frittata" after the Oke-fenoke swamp! It does look like a swamp! RECIPE - Fenoke or Frittata Verdura 5 or 6 eggs 1 big bunch of Chard 1/4 cup of grated Romano cheese (or parmesan would work ok too.) 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper About 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano About 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil 1/4 - 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 2 tbsp olive oil Optional - dried seaweed flakes - I've been adding 1/4 cup dulce flakes. Wash swiss chard, remove heavy stems. Put wet leaves into a cover sauce pan until wilted. Pour into a strainer, and let cool. Chop heavy stems finely. Heat oil in a non-stock frying pan. Add stems and onions and a little salt. Saut� until onions and stems are tender, but not brown. Pour into a big bowl. Reserve oil in pan. After leaves are cool enough to handle, squeeze them in small bunches to remove excess water. Chop leaves. Add chopped leaves, herbs, black pepper, Romano cheese, salt, and eggs into the bowl with the onions. Stir and Beat until mixed thoroughly. Start to reheat the pan with the oil in it on low. Once warm, pour the mixture into the frying pan, cover pan, and cook until center is firm. To finish top side, you can either flip the frittata (which can be tricky), or you can also please it under the broiler for a moment or two. I like it both hot and cold. Cold slices make a great easy breakfast or lunch. I've used a cookie cutter to cut cute little bite-sized shapes of the cold frittata and served them as hors devours...
You'll find parsley in your basket a lot this summer - we are addicted to parsley ... It seems that almost every summer meal is better if you throw a big handful of chopped parsley in right at the end of cooking. Parsley is an intense super-food with a wonderful - and not ever overpowering flavor. It is so green - it literally brings sunlight right into your food. Don't be skimpy with adding it to meals - throw it in in heaps! I add it while something is cooking as well as at the end. You get different phyto-nutrients from the cooked and not-so-cooked parsley. And Parsley is great as a Pesto - basil season isn't quite upon us yet, but I am definitely in the mood for summer pestos. Here are two of my favorite Parsley Pesto recipes :
RECIPE: Parsley-Pumpkin Seed Pesto 2 cups parsley leaves 2 garlic cloves 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds 2 tbsp fresh lime juice 1/2 cup or less extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste. Combine all ingredients except Olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. With processor running, slowly add the olive oil until a good smooth consistency is reached. I almost never have to add the full amount of olive oil to a pesto recipe - I always pour it in very gradually and stop as soon as the pesto is of a spreadable consistency.
RECIPE: Parsley-Walnut Pesto 2 cups parsley leaves 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts (lightly toasting them brings out flavor) 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 2 garlic cloves 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup or less extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp of lemon juice 2 tsp of lemon zest Combine all ingredients except Olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Then, with motor running, slowly add the olive oil until a good smooth consistency is reached. I almost never have to add the full amount of olive oil to a pesto recipe - I always pour it in very gradually and stop as soon as the pesto is of a spreadable consistency.
Pestos can be frozen for several months. They are fun to freeze in ice-cube holders and then you can them to sauces in small amounts.... I also add lots of parsley to Salmon (or Tuna) Salad - just finely chop a big bunch and add to two cans of pink salmon. The canned salmon is wild-caught in Alaska and is safe and super healthy. It has only been heated lightly so the Omega 3 EPA/DHA oils are still intact. The soft bones are an excellent source of calcium and minerals. I usually remove the darker pieces of skin and larger bones and then mush it up to a nice consistency with a fork. Then add the chopped parsley and mix it thoroughly - it usually turns the whole salad green! Then I add a small dollop of mayo and maybe a dash of lemon juice and that's it! Makes a great lunch sandwich! Email: [email protected] Phone: 845-986-9699
Thanks very much and we look forward to seeing you each week! Here's to a Summer of vibrant health and energy!
~Barbara and Mark Midsummer Farm |