Midsummer Farm CSA  

Weekly Newsletter:  

Share Pick Up #9

Well the "hotties" are finally coming in waves now!!  (I call the heat-loving vegetables of summer "hotties." )As healthy and important and delicious as greens are, you can't beat the colors of the nightshades of midsummer!  

In this week's basket, there will be more squash and cucumbers and eggplants including sunshine patty pans or scallop squash. And there will also be green peppers, cherry-size and plum size tomatoes and possibly a big colored heirloom of some sort.  I've been complaining about the hot weather, but now I have to appreciate it considering how well the "hotties" do in heat!  

And I'm going to put a bunch of Swiss Chard in each basket so you'll still get your healthy greens. Chop them up and throw them into a squash saute!  

More Summer Squash Ideas: 

Summer Squash have tender skin - I grow all tender-skinned varieties as I don't have to worry about them getting damaged in shipping! So don't peel them. Also, leave the seeds in - they are good for you. You may have to rub some spiky-hairs off the outside of the squash as you wash them.

You can build a great one-pot healthy meal using squash and greens:

~First, heat some extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add chopped onions of any sort - green, red, golden, etc.

~Second, as the onions start to sizzle, add some meat - shrimp, chopped chicken breast or thigh meat, scallops, etc. Add some fresh garlic, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes.

~Third, once the meat is browned on all sides, add the chopped summer squash. Don't over cook the squash -

~Then, just as the squash starts to get tender and a bit golden in color, add a huge handful of chopped dark greens like chard, kale, collards, parsley, etc. You can also add chopped fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, basil, chives, sorrel, etc. at this point.

~Serve just as the greens start to wilt...   

Tip: if you are using a mixture of tougher greens and more tender greens like Kale and Parsley, add the Kale first and let it cook a bit before adding the parsley, which is usually better almost raw.    

Shaved or Grated Vegetables

A delicious and child-appreciated way to eat raw veggies is to grate them or use a mandoline to get very fine, match-stick size or spaghetti-like strips of vegetable. Then just pour a nice dressing over the pile. This works beautifully with summer squash, beets, radish, turnips, cabbage, carrots, or even burdock root. Mandolines can be very expensive, but you can buy a cheap one for slicing squash. Very delicate things like tomatoes, and very thick things like potatoes and yams, could be problematic with a cheap mandoline, but I find that my favorite items to slice thin are things that are easily done with a cheap one!

You can also cook the match-stick sliced squash - it gets creamy and savory:

Heat a little olive oil in a nonstick pan, add squash and some minced fresh garlic and black pepper and a dash of sea salt. Toss gently over medium heat until the zucchini just softens but isn't mushy. You could also add a sprinkle of grated cheese, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how creamy it is just by itself.

Broccolini  

I was also able to harvest the broccolini (in Europe this is called Asparation!) It is obviously in the broccoli or cruciferus / brassica family - and it is delicious!  

Broccolini is very versatile and can be used in any situation in which one might use broccoli. In addition, broccolini tastes delicious grilled with olive oil and salt and sprinkled in lemon, and it can be served whole on the plate as an interesting visual accompaniment to a meal. The whole plant is really edible, and the stems are so tender that they do not require peeling.

When cooking broccolini, less is more. The plant is perfectly good raw, and therefore needs a very minimal cooking time, with just enough heat to blanch the vegetable. When steaming broccolini, make sure to rinse it in cold water afterwards to prevent it from cooking any further. When adding to sautés and roasted vegetable dishes, toss it in at the very end to prevent loss of flavor, texture, and nutrients.

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RECIPE: Rachel Ray's Garlicky Broccolini

1 1/2 lbs Broccolini

coarse salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Trim broccolini of ends. Place 4-5" long thin stalks into a skillet and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Add salt and reduce heat. Simmer broccolini 4-5 minutes, until tender and bright green. Drain the broccolini and return skillet to stove over medium heat. Add garlic. Cook garlic 2-3 minutes. Add broccolini to pan and coat in garlic and oil, serve

RECIPE: Simple Broccolini Sauté     

1 bunch Broccolini    

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil     

4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped  

 Trim broccolini of ends. Place 4-5" long thin stalks into a skillet and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Add salt and reduce heat. Simmer broccolini 6-7 minutes, until tender and bright green. Drain the broccolini and return skillet to stove over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan, then garlic. Cook garlic 2-3 minutes. Add broccolini to pan and coat in garlic and oil, then serve.    

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RECIPE:  Three-Cheese Broccolini Turnovers    

From Every Day with Rachael Ray December-January 2008                

2 bunches Broccolini, finely chopped                     

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing                     

1 large onion, finely chopped                     

1 cup ricotta cheese                     

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese                               

1 large egg                     

Salt and pepper                     

1/2 pound unsalted mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes                     

16 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed                     

1 cup marinara sauce, warmed                      

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the Broccolini and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water; set aside.Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Stir in the ricotta, parmesan, egg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in the Broccolini and mozzarella.Lay 1 phyllo sheet on a work surface and brush with olive oil. Repeat with 3 more sheets. Halve the phyllo stack lengthwise. Spoon 3/4 cup Broccolini mixture onto 1 stack, near a short end. Fold the right corner diagonally over the filling to make a triangle; continue folding diagonally until you reach the other end. Place the turnover on the baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Repeat with the remaining phyllo and filling to make 8 turnovers.Bake the turnovers until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with the marinara sauce.         

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RECIPE: Lemon Caper Calamari Steaks With Broccolini   

From: http://www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/gourmet/recipes|  October 2006    

1/4 cup olive oil   

3 garlic cloves, crushed in a garlic press   

1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes    

1 lb Broccolini, trimmed    

1/3 cup water    

1/4 teaspoon salt    

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour    

1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano    

1/4 teaspoon black pepper    

1 large egg    

1 tablespoon water    

4 frozen calamari steaks (1 lb total), thawed    

2 tablespoons unsalted butter   

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice    

1 tablespoon bottled capers in brine, rinsed and drained       

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic and red-pepper flakes, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add Broccolini and cook, turning with tongs, until coated with oil, then add water and salt and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter with tongs and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.  Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. While oil heats, stir together flour, cheese, and pepper in a wide shallow bowl, then lightly beat egg with water in another wide shallow bowl. Dredge 1 calamari steak in flour mixture, shaking off excess, then dip in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, and transfer to a plate. Dredge another steak in flour and dip in egg in same manner, then sauté coated steaks over moderately high heat, turning over once, until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes total. Transfer to platter with Broccolini and keep warm, loosely covered. Dredge, dip, and sauté remaining 2 steaks in same manner, transferring to platter.   Pour off fat from skillet, then add butter, lemon juice (to taste), and capers to skillet and cook over moderate heat just until butter melts, about 45 seconds. Pour lemon caper sauce over calamari steaks and serve immediately.

~Barbara and Mark
Midsummer Farm