Recipes
Ginger Miso Soba Noodle Soup
A very versatile and very QUICK soup to make on a drizzly day. Like today. And tomorrow.
1 carrot sliced thin (or zucchini, fennel or beets)
1 small onion diced (or leeks)
4 cups water
2 handfuls of fresh beet greens, kale, or Napa, sliced cross wise
2 inch piece of fresh ginger minced
100g soba noodles (rice noodles great too)
2 tablespoons miso (whisked in warm water, then added to soup)
2 scallions sliced thin (white and green parts) for garnish (or garlic scapes, or fennel fronds)
Heat
about a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
Add the onions, veggies and ginger (not greens yet). Saute for about
five minutes. Add the water not quite to a boil. Add your two handfuls
of greens. Stir until the greens begin to wilt. Next, add the noodles
and continue with heat until they have softened. Finally, in a small
bowl, whisk together the miso with about 1/4 cup of water, then add this
to the soup. Miso should never be boiled. Just mix the
soup well, Remove from heat. Serve. Reheat gently when you have it as a
leftover.
Chioggia Beet and Fennel Salad
A
delightful salad for this week pairing these two pretty veggies. I
like the citrus vinaigrette combo but another light sweet dressing works
great. In my house, maple balsamic vinaigrette
is ths staple dressing on hand, and I don't often have oranges and
lemons hanging around. But it you do, great, it will be lovely.
4 chioggia beets
1 head fennel
Juice of one orange
Juice of two lemons
Zest of one orange
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1/4 cup walnuts
4-6 cups mixed greens – lettuces, arugula
2-4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons minced chopped fennel fronds (or chives, parsley, or mint)
Cut
the greens off the top of the beets and reserve for later use. Peel the
beets with a vegetable peeler. Using a slicer or mandolin, thinly slice
the beets. Stacking a few slices, use a chef’s knife to cut the beets
into narrow strips. Or grate in a food processor. Place in a medium
bowl.
Remove the fennel fronds. Remove the tough outer layers and cut in half
lengthwise (from the top, where the fronds were, through the core end.)
Remove the triangular shaped core at the base. Using the slicer or
mandolin, thinly slice the fennel. Rinse the slices, dry with a paper
towel, and slice into narrow strips, just as with the beets. Add to the
bowl with the beet strips.
For the vinaigrette, place the orange juice, lemon juice, orange zest
and olive oil in a small, sealable container. Shake vigorously. Season
with salt.
Heat
a cast iron skillet on medium heat and add walnuts to skillet. Toast
until fragrant and starting to color, then remove from heat. Allow to
cool, and coarsely chop.
Place
the mixed greens in a large bowl with fennel and beets. Dress with
vinaigrette. Taste, season with salt if needed or more vinaigrette. Top
with the crumbled goat cheese, chopped walnuts, and minced fennel fronds
(or other herb choices).
Fennel and Kale Pasta
A
good solid recipe from Cooks Illustrated. This one is also yummy with a
bit os sundried tomato or even dried cranberries added in.
1 Fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds reserved
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch kale, parboiled, stems removed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp tarragon (skippable)
1 tsp garlic powder (I'd use 2-3 cloves garlic, but I can't help myself, it's probably too much)
1 cup white wine
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 Parmesan
1/4 cup walnuts
1lbs. fettuccine, boiled al dente
Cook fennel and onion in olive oil slowly over medium heat until tender and beginning to brown.
Add
white wine, walnuts and seasonings, cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in kale
and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Do not allow kale to becoming
overly wilted.
During final minute of cooking stir in balsamic vinegar and Parmesan. Remove from heat.
Stir in cooked, drained pasta and toss.
Serve with chopped fennel fronds, fresh ground black pepper, Parmesan and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Miso Baked Tofu
Mark
Bittman's method for baked tofu is below. Baked tofu is great for a
quick snack, it can be tossed in salads, stir frys, sandwiches, miso
soup etc. Served alongside beet greens and rice, this is simple
healthy, yummy meal.
tofu
miso
warm cooked rice
Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees F. Dry the tofu with paper towels - just blot
off the water. Mix 1 TB of miso with white wine, veg stock, or water
just to brushable consistency. Brush the tofu liberally with this
mixture. Place in a baking pan. Bake for about 1 hour undisturbed. It's
done when the crust is lightly browned and firm. Remove and use
immediately or cool, wrap, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Notes on Preparing Tofu
Freezing is the only way to store tofu for long periods. But even in
the short term it creates a darker, firmer, chewier, and meatier brick.
Freezing makes the water in tofu expand; when thawed, this water is
released, resulting in tofu with a dry and spongy texture that's perfect
for grilling, stir-fries, or braised dishes.
To freeze, drain the tofu and pay it dry; wrap it in plastic (or put in
a container) and freeze for several hours, or until you need it, up to
three months. For extra chew, cut the tofu into cubes, dry them well,
and freeze them in a freezer bag. Allow enough time to defrost tofu
before slicing and cooking.
Squeezing: Here you just press some of the liquid from a brick to give
it a drier and firmer texture that makes it denser and easier to handle
and cook. Cut the tofu in half through its equator and put the halves on
four sheets of paper towels, then cover with another four sheets. Cover
with a can of food, a heavy cutting board, or a similar weight so the
tofu bulges at the sides slightly but doesn't crack. Wait 20 to 30
minutes, or as time allows (even the few minutes it takes you to prepare
other ingredients will help); change the towels if they become
saturated. Of course, the longer you squeeze the tofu, the more liquid
it will release and the drier it will become. (Drier tofu absorbs more
flavors, which is especially important for marinating.)
Sesame Ginger Beet Greens
Serve this with Miso Baked Tofu on a bed of brown rice or pearled barley.
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
4 cups loosely packed beet greens
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp grated gingerroot
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil
In small skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds until golden, about 3 minutes; set aside.
Trim stems from small young beet greens or remove centre rib from larger mature beet greens.
In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beet greens,
garlic, ginger and salt. Cover and steam until greens are wilted, about
3 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil; sprinkle with reserved sesame
seeds.
| 
Fennel - (All Members) - 
Every other week we'll deliver eggs laid by "the girls" at Pa Pa Doodles Farm
in Albany, VT. Deb Rosewolf is one of our year round employees at
Pete's Greens and several years ago Pete talked Deb into taking the
farm's small flock over to her house. Deb now keeps 400 hens and
exclusively supplies us with eggs. Every day, Deb loads her truck up
with leftover veggie scraps that she feeds to her chickens and they free
range at her place too. As a result, Pa Pa Doodles eggs have rich
orange yolks and firm whites. Seven Days Eva Sollberger visited Deb and
the
hens for a Stuck in Vermont episode. 
Comments