First tomatoes

This week we saw our first grape tomatoes. Soon, we hope, to be followed by lots of heirlooms and slicing tomatoes, and sauce tomatoes in the field. This is the first week we haven't gotten lettuce - I guess the season is over, it will return again briefly in the fall.

• Basil
• Cabbage
• Chard
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Melon
• Onions
• Parsley
• Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Summer Squash
• Grape Tomatoes

Cold beet borscht

This is our favorite summer soup, and a reason we've been looking forward to beet season. It's hard to save any of the beets we get from the farm for anything else. This week we got less than half a pound, so only two large bowls came from them.

1 lb. beets
2 tsp. white vinegar, or to taste
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
¾ tsp. citric acid powder [I skip this]
½ cup plus 1 tbl. sugar
1½ tsp. kosher salt
½ cup sour cream
2/3 cup heavy cream
Ad-lib toppings: chopped onion, chopped cucumber, chopped fresh dill, lemon wedges, sour cream, heavy cream, reserved grated beets, chopped hard-boiled egg, coiled boiled very small waxy potato

In a small saucepan, bring the beets and water to cover by 2 inches to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the beets are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the size and age of the beets).

Drain the beets in a sieve lined with a damp cloth; reserve the cooking liquid. Run the beets under cold water to cool, then peel. In a food processor, grate the beets with the grating disc (this can also be done with a box grater).

Return half of the grated beets to the cooking liquid. Reserve the rest of the beets for topping or for another use. Season the soup with the vinegar, lemon juice, citric acid, sugar and salt and stir until everything is dissolved. Chill.

Just before serving, whisk in the sour cream and heavy cream. Pass small bowls of the ad lib toppings.

Makes 7 cups; serves 6 as a first course.

from Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka.

The veggies of summer

We missed a couple weeks of vegetables while on vacation, but they didn't go to waste, since we had friends pick them up. We picked up this week's bounty before heading to Michigan. I liked the food in Croatia, but it is meat heavy, and I am looking forward to the fresh vegetables.

• Basil
• Beets
• Cabbage
• Chard
• Cilantro
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Summer Squash

More and more

• Basil
• Cilantro
• Chard
• Chinese Cabbage
• Fennel
• Garlic Top
• Kale
• 3 Heads Lettuce
• Radicchio
• Scallions
• Summer Squash

This box felt heavier.

Rabbit food?

Using up the vegetables before we get more tomorrow:

• radicchio risotto
• kale braised in chicken stock with bacon
• lettuce, radicchio, dandelion green & carrot salad

Radicchio Risotto

about 6¼ cups vegetable stock
6 tbl. butter
1 onion, chopped
7 oz. radicchio, chopped [we used a whole head for a half recipe]
2 cups arborio rice
5 tbl. white wine
2 tbl. Parmesan, freshly grated
salt

Bring the stock to a boil. Meanwhile, melt half te butter in another pan, add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the radicchio, then stir in the rice and cook, stirring, until the grains are coated in butter. Pour in the wine and cook until it has evaporated. Add a ladleful of hot stock and cook,, stirring, until it has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, and stirring until each addition has been absorbed. This will take 18-20 minutes. When the rice is tender, season with salt to taste, stir in the remaining butter and the Parmesan and serve.

From The Silver Spoon.

Dutch Baby Bunny

This is easy, and good brunch food. I guess it's a dutch pannenkoeken. I often make one when I'm home for lunch and don't have handy leftovers. Either a full recipe or 1½ recipe go well in a 12" cast iron skillet. It's good with or without bacon, though you may want to add more salt if you make it with unsalted butter and no bacon. We don't usually have vanilla sugar, so I use granulated sugar and add a little vanilla extract to the liquid. They usually puff up higher than the one in this picture.

Dutch Baby Bunnies

½ cup flour
2 tbl. vanilla sugar
¼ tsp. salt
4 tbl. butter [I usually use 2-3 tbl.]
½ cup milk
2 eggs
3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Put the butter in the skillet and place a 10" cast iron skillet into the oven to melt the butter. Watch out--- don't let it burn.

Combine the dry ingredients (except the bacon), then the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, and mix the wet into the dry, then add the bacon.

Remove the skillet from the oven. Pour the batter into the skillet and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the bunny to a serving plate.

Sprinkle with more vanilla sugar and top with desired topping [usually maple syrup for me]. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

From I'm Just Here for More Food by Alton Brown

More greens

This week:

• Cilantro
• Garlic scapes
• scallions
• 3 summer squash
• 4 heads lettuce
• kale
• peas
• dandelion greens
• radiccio

Week #2

This week:

• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Collards
• Garlic Tops
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Peas
• Strawberries

We got through all but the lettuce last week. This week, only two new heads, but they are huge, and we also have several other greens.

General Tso's Chicken

Had big salad the last couple nights, and steamed the bok choy to go as a side dish with this.

I like this recipe, but we agreed that it could be more balanced, with less chili sauce and more sugar. This is based on a recipe I've had for a long time, but I don't know the original source.

1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 in. cubes
1 egg
1 tbl. cornstarch
1 tbl. soy sauce
1 tbl. minced ginger
1 crushed clove garlic
3 scallions
2 tbl. soy sauce
1½ tbl. chili paste
2 tbl. corn starch
1 tbl. rice wine vinegar
1 tbl. sherry
1 tbl. sugar
⅜ cup chicken stock
1 tsp. sesame oil

Coat the chicken with egg, cornstarch & soy mixture. Fry in batches in ½ inch of oil in wok. Set aside.

Heat a bit of oil in wok. Fry scallions, ginger, and garlic until scallions soften a bit, then add chicken and stir fry briefly. Add the sauce made from the rest of the ingredients combined and cook until thickened. Remove from heat, add sesame oil and stir.

Julienne of Five Lettuce Soup

Still looking for new and creative ways to eat lettuce, without a salad every night. This was OK. Made about a half recipe, with the varieties of lettuce we happened to have (3 different ones), and no chicory.

1 cup packed romaine lettuce leaves
1 cup packed Boston lettuce leaves
1 cup packed leaf lettuce
1 cup escarole leaves
½ cup packed escarole leaves
2 tbl. unsalted butter
5 cups chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
6 egg yolks
1½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Wash the lettuces and dry well. Cut into ⅛ inch strip: This is easiest to do if you stack several leaves at a time, roll into a tight wad and slice them accross. You can also use the medium slicing disk of a food processor.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the lettuces and toss with the butter. When the lettuces are wilted, add the chicken stock and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the toughest leaves are tender.

In a small bowl, mix the cream with the egg yolks. Gradually stir in a small amount of the hot soup into the cream mixture to slowly raise the temperature of the egg yolks. Keep adding soup until the mixture is warm. Whick the egg yolk mixture into the soup and cook, stirring constantly, without letting the soup boil, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Season with the salt and pepper.

Serves 6 to 8 as a first course
from Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka

Salmon Wrapped in Lettuce Leaves

Used up one head of lettuce with this. I could have used a few more leaves, but I can't imagine using 4 heads as in the recipe. I was skeptical after I wrapped the fish (I actually used steelhead, very similar to salmon) in lettuce and it was falling apart, but after steaming the lettuce stayed on well. This is nice with no added flavors, but might be improved with some ginger & lemon grass, and maybe a crunchy vegetable in the package with the fish. Variations have some potential.

4 medium heads Boston lettuce (about 8 oz. each)
1 lb. salmon fillet

Prepare the lettuce: Carefully separate the lettuce leaves. Cut each leaf in half, removing the center rib. Trim the heavy white sections from each half, leaving a circle of lettuce approximately 3 ½ inches in diameter. Set aside (do not blanch).

Cut the salmon into 1 x 1 x ½ inch pieces. Place a piece of salmon on each piece of lettuce leaf. Fold the edges of the leaf over the salmon. Place seam side down in the top of a two-part steamer, or in a bamboo steamer rack or on a plate in a bamboo steamer. Fill the bottom of the steamer pan or a pan large enogh to hold the bamboo or steaming rack with water; the water should not touch the rack. Bring to a boil. Place the salmon on top, cover and steam until the salmon is completely cooked, for about 10 minutes.

Makes about 48 pieces (can be divided easily).
from Vegetable Love, by Barbara Kafka

The vegetables begin

The new season of our CSA started today! It's the official start of lettuce season. The contents are:

4 heads of leattuce
1 head of bok choy
1 pint sugar snap peas
1 quart strawberries

So, mostly salads for this week. I think the other things will all be best done simply, steaming for the bok choy and peas, and straight or with yogurt for the strawberries. We can also get more peas & strawberries at the farm if we pick our own.

Yummy noodle dish

A good recipe from Epicurious. They are a bit fussy with the preperation, though it tastes good as described. To simplify, just make the sauce, and use it as a stir fry sauce with chicken & or vegies & or tofu...

ASIAN NOODLES WITH CHICKEN AND SCALLIONS
1 lb chicken tenders (not coated or cooked)
1 lb fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1 lb dried udon (thick wheat noodles)
1/2 cup premium oyster sauce (preferably Lee Kum Kee)
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (preferably Lee Kum Kee or Koon Chun)
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons Chinese chile garlic paste (preferably Lan Chi), or to taste
1/2 cup chopped scallions (from 1 bunch)
2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds (optional)

Cook chicken in a 6-quart pot of boiling unsalted water, covered, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.

Add broccoli to boiling water and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to a colander to drain, then transfer to another bowl. Return water to a boil and cook noodles until tender (check often; cooking time on package may not be accurate). Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain noodles in colander and rinse under hot water.

While noodles cook, tear chicken into chunks.

Add oyster and hoisin sauces, sesame oil, chile garlic paste, half of scallions, and 1/3 cup cooking water to chicken and stir to combine.

Divide noodles, broccoli, and chicken mixture among 4 bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds and remaining scallions. Serve immediately, stirring just before eating. If noodles become dry, moisten with some of cooking water.

No-knead Bread, Take 3

Another attempt at no-knead bread. I weighed the flour instead of measuring, using 300 g white flour and 130 g wheat flour. I doubled both the yeast and the salt. The total water is about 1 1/2 cups water. I'm getting better at working the wet dough (the only hard part is folding it before the final rise), and it's getting better. It still doesn't rise quite as high as I think it should, but it's very good, with an excellent crust. I'll keep making it.

Macaroni and cheese

This is good comfort food. I made this recipe for macaroni and cheese, which has a nice panko crust. I thought it might be too crust heavy, but it turned out not to be. The tang of the mustard and pepper flakes was perfect. We used an assortment of cheeses we had to use up, about 2 cups cheddar, 1½ cup gouda, and some parmesan which went into the topping. The sauce seemed watery before baking, but ended up perfect.

Sambal in the Style of Java

For Khyati, who liked this when we had it on Saturday night, and wanted the recipe (right after I said I wouldn't post it...). This is from Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys & Chowchows by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby--but Khyati and John might know Schlesinger by reputation, as owner of the East Coast Grill in Inman Square.

Sambal in the Style of Java

2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup peeled, shredded carrots
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup peanuts, toasted

Dressing
1 T. minced, fresh ginger
1 T. minced red or green chile pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. shrimp paste
2 T. coriander seeds, cracked
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup peanut oil
salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Combine main ingredients in large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients; process until very well blended. Pour over vegetables and mix well.

Notes on my copy of the recipe, which I always follow:
Alice and Craig say: use more chiles, less molasses. Jamie says: put peanuts on last, on top, after mixing in dressing. All three of us say: needs more stuff for the amount of sauce made.

On another note, the reason that we didn't have egregiously more dressing than stuff last Saturday, Khyati? Because I forgot the oil. And it was yummy anyway. Hmmm.

Lemongrass chicken over lemongrass coconut rice

The chicken I think of as a recipe from my friend Ryan, because we got so stuck on it that it seemed like we were making it almost weekly for a while. But in reality it's a recipe from Steven Raichlen, off of the website Star Chefs, which we modified just a tiny bit.

Lemongrass Chicken

• 1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 Tbs. honey
• 1 Tbs. fish sauce
• 2 to 3 stalks fresh lemongrass (at least 2 tablespoons minced)
• 1 1/2 Tbs. canola oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  
• 1 Tbs. soy sauce
• 3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Wash and dry the chicken and trim off any fat. Cut the chicken breast across the grain on the diagonal into 1/8-inch strips. Cut these strips into 2-inch pieces. Combine the chicken, honey, and fish sauce in a bowl and stir to mix. Let marinate for 5 to 10 minutes. Trim the green leaves and root end off the lemongrass stalk and strip off the outside leaves. Mince the core finely.

Just before serving, heat a wok (preferably nonstick) over high heat and swirl in the oil. Add the garlic and lemongrass and stir-fry until fragrant but not brown, about 15 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the pieces turn white, about 1 minute. Move the chicken to the sides of the wok and add the onion to the center. Stir-fry until the onion loses its rawness, about 1 minute. Mix the chicken back in the center of the wok, add the soy sauce, continue stir-frying until the chicken is cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Correct the seasoning, adding honey or fish sauce to taste. The dish should be a little sweet and salty. Sprinkle the chicken with the cilantro and serve at once.


We ate the chicken with lemongrass-scented coconut rice--yes, redundant, but good. We had the rice left over from dinner a couple of nights ago. It's from a new cookbook by James Oseland, Cradle of Flavor, about which we're pretty excited. We also had Sambal in the Style of Java, from Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys & Chowchows by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby both nights, but I won't reproduce that here.

Lemongrass-Scented Coconut Rice

2 cups jasmine rice
3 thick stalks lemongrass, tied into a knot
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp. kosher salt

Place the rice in a 2 quart saucepan and rinse four times with cold water. Add the lemongrass, cooking water, coconut milk and salt to the rinsed rice. Stir well to combine, making sure the lemongrass stalks are as fully submerged in the rice as possible. Place the pot over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring with a large spoon to prevent scorching or burning. Allow the rice to boil for 15 seconds, still stirring, then reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cover tightly with a lid. Continue cooking for 15 minutes. Without removing lid, remove the pot from the heat and allow to continue to steam for ten additional minutes, away from the heat. Discard lemongrass, gently fold and fluff rice, and serve.

Oseland includes optional daun salam leaves in cooking, and fried shallots for topping, but we just make it simply. This time we tried it in the rice cooker; it was a small bit browned on the bottom, but not burnt, and worked well.

Pasta with white beans, pesto, and sun dried tomatoes

We spent too much time gardening Sunday and then needed a quick dinner. So here's a spring thaw pasta to celebrate the bounties of last summer....quick, easy, yummy, and using things we made from our farm share produce and then froze last summer: oven dried grape tomatoes and pesto. We had this with the rest of Kelsey's no-knead bread, version 2, about which he'll maybe blog if he becomes satisfied with the result.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup pesto
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained

8 ounces gemelli pasta

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine and pesto; simmer over medium heat until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Add cannellini and stir until heated through.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water.

Add pasta and cheese to sauce; toss to coat. Mix in enough reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

From Epicurious.

Lentil's with Berebere Spice

A good use for the spice mix given below...

1 pound lentils
6 cups water or vegetable broth

6 cups mild green chiles roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped,
OR 1 bell pepper chopped + 14-oz can chopped green chiles

2 red onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced, or more
2 tablespoons Berbere Spice Mix
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring lentils and broth to boil and simmer 10 minutes.

2. Add chiles, onion, garlic, and Berebere spices. Cook covered for another 30 minutes, until most of liquid is absorbed.

3. Serve with ground black pepper to taste.

For a vegetarian meal, these lentils are good with a dollop of yogurt, brown rice and sliced tomatoes.

Berbere Spice mix & Lentil recipies

On of my new favorites, discovered by Zorana after we had something like it in a restaurant in LA. This spice mix seems very adaptable -- I would like to use it in a chicken dish soon, but I will have to invent that first. The lentil recipe is very good which follows this is a good way to use this. From www.cyber-kitchen.com

There is something with this same name in West Africa, but it is very different and also very good.... I shall try to track it down later.

Berbere Spice Mix

• 2 teaspoons cumin seed, or powder
• 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds (shell off husks), or powder
• 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice (or ground)
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seed (or powder)
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed (or powder)
• 8 whole cloves, or ground
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, or freshly ground
• 5 teaspoons red pepper flakes or crumbled dried red peppers
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh gingeroot (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sweet paprika (can use hot)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Toast all the seeds and whole cloves in a small frying pan for 2 minutes, stirring constantly (open window or turn on the stove vent--it can smoke). Grind the spices in a spice grinder. If you are using pre-ground spices, ignore and go on to the next step.

2. Mix all remaining ingredients. Place in a tightly covered container and refrigerate. This mixture can used with many combinations of legumes, rice or vegetables.