cabbage

Midsummer Farm CSA 2014 - Pick Up #13    


Hello!! It seems like the summer hottie vegetables are coming to an end just as we start getting really hot days! Such an odd summer!

Anyway - I am sorry but in my last email I forgot to fill in the amount of tomatoes below (I went down to actually weigh them and got completely distracted)!  So here's the recipe again with the amount added ...

Simple, Fresh Tomato Sauce  
A basic, but awesome, Tomato Sauce Recipe

~Extra Virgin olive oil - to coat bottom of pot 
~one onion, coarsely chopped 
~black pepper and sea salt (to taste) 
~a sprinkle of red pepper flakes 
~a sprinkle of dried oregano 
~about 1.5 - 3 pounds of tomatoes, coarsely chopped  
~one head of garlic, coarsely chopped  
~1 can of organic tomato paste 
~A handful of fresh basil and parsley - torn up (optional) 
 
  Heat Olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onions, black pepper, red pepper, dried oregano. Cook until onions start getting translucent. Add tomatoes and garlic. Stir well and cook for about 1/2 an hour until they start to form a sauce. Turn heat to low. Add 1 small can of tomato paste. Stir in thoroughly and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Then at very end, add fresh herbs, and take off heat. Don't overcook this sauce - this isn't a "Sunday Meat Sauce" - overcooking will bring in bitterness and you'll find yourself wanting add sugar to try to doctor it up. This is a fresh, bright, tomato sauce.

 I plated this sauce over angel hair spaghetti and sprinkled more fresh raw parsley over each bowl along with freshly grated romano cheese. Absolutely delicious. The romano and parsley flavors were just superb. I then froze the rest of the sauce in individual meal-sized containers. 

And here's another great recipe from Rich Landau's new cookbook,
Vedge, which I just love! These recipes are intense and full of new and rich flavors. I just remembered I can put the link here!

Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small That Redefine Vegetable Cooking
by Rich Landau by The Experiment
Hardcover
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $9.99
Buy Now 


I find the below recipe works well with Chiogga Beets as well (the Chiogga beets are the ones that look lighter pink on the outside and are striped red and white on the inside.). The Chioggas and the Goldens are a bit less sweet than the red beets I grow and work well in this delectable recipe.  

Salt-Roasted Golden Beets with Dill, Avocado, Capers, and Red Onion 
Ingredients: 
* 2 cups coarse sea salt or kosher salt 
* 5 lb golden beets, greens removed 
* 2 tbsp olive oil 
* 1 tbsp sherry vinegar 
* 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
* 1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, chopped cucumber 
* 3/4 cup vegan mayo 
* 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh dill fronds 
* 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 
* 1/2 tsp salt 
* 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced 
* 1/4 cup capers, drained 
* 1/4 cup finely diced red onions

Step one 
Preheat the oven to 300° F.

Step two 
Pour the coarse salt onto a sheet pan, coating the entire bottom of the pan evenly in a thick layer. Arrange the beets in a single layer on the salt. Roast until fork-tender, about 2 hours. The skins will become very dark, looking nearly burnt.

Step three 
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the beets to cool on the salt bed. When cool to the touch, peel the beets by hand or by rubbing them with a towel. Slice them into rounds no more than 1/8 inch thick. A mandolin works best, or use a knife to slice them really thin.

Step four 
Toss the beet slices in a large bowl with the oil, sherry vinegar, and 1 tsp of the pepper. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than 24 hours.

Step five 
To prepare the sauce, combine the cucumber, vegan mayo, dill, mustard, salt, and remaining 1 tsp pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the cucumber has broken down into very small pieces and the sauce is thick and creamy.

Step six 
Fan the sliced beets on a large platter or on individual plates. Garnish with the avocado, capers, red onions, and a spoonful of the cucumber sauce.


Also this week, along with the beets and some tomatoes and peppers, you will find spaghetti squash in your basket! Spaghetti Squash can be eaten as an alternative to pasta! I just cut the squash in half lengthwise, and lay them cut side down on a baking sheet. Poke then with a fork a couple times to let steam escape.

Pop the squash in a preheated to 350 degrees oven until the outside starts to turn brown and a fork can poke into it relatively easily. Then take them out, and flip them over carefully as the steam is very hot. Let cool about 5-10 minutes, then with a fork scrap out the spaghetti like flesh. Serve with olive oil and salt and pepper or with a tomato sauce!

You will also find baby kale in bags in your share this week, as well as butterhead lettuces, baby carrot bunches, and an assortment of different colors of fingerling and baby potatoes.
I love to make fingerling potatoes with a compound butter. The compound butter is made by simply softening a stick of butter, then stirring chopped fresh herbs of any kind or multiple kinds into the butter with some black pepper. Then refrigerate the butter until you want to use it. It will last about 3-5 days.  To make the potatoes, simply wash and cut each potato in half lengthwise. Then boil until they are tender. Cool and arrange in a baking pan. And then add however much of the butter seems to work with the number of potatoes you made. Pop the baking dish into the oven uncovered until butter has melted in and potatoes are golden brown. Really delicious and can be reheated again if you don't finish them all.
 
Always feel free to email me with any questions you may have or if you find yourself needing some recipe inspiration!


Very best and thanks,
~Barbara
Midsummer Farm

Email: CSA@midsummerfarm.com
Phone: 845-986-9699
  

  

Midsummer Farm Contact Info:
Barbara and Mark Laino
Midsummer Farm
156 East Ridge Road
Warwick, NY 10990
845-986-9699
info@midsummerfarm.com

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