Good Eats Newsletter - December 12th, 2012

Localvore Members  & Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN/TAN BAG   This week your bag will contain:   Spinach-Pac Choi-Kale Mix; Purple Potatoes; Rainbow Carrots, Chioggia Beets, Fennel; Mustard Mix; Leeks; Garlic   Localvore/Pantry Offerings Include: Elmore Mountain Multi-Grain Bread Blythedale Grana Pete's Greens Pesto         Small Veggie Only Members take a YELLOW BAG containing:   Spinach-Pac Choi-Kale Mix; Purple Potatoes; Rainbow Carrots, Baby Beets Mix, Bunched Kale; Leeks Holiday Delivery Schedule   We take one week off a year at the farm and it's coming right up!  Next week Dec 19/20 will be the last delivery for 2012.   We will NOT deliver Dec 26/27.   We WILL deliver January 2/3, 2013.   If you need to make changes to a delivery please email me.   Give the Gift of Good Eats for Christmas?   Got a special someone to shop for?  Treat them to some wholesome local goodness!  People often tell us Good Eats share is like Christmas every week.  There are 7 weeks of the share left Jan 2 - Feb 13th.  A great time period for someone to check out Good Eats.  Interested? Email me to arrange!   Storage and Use Tips   Spinach-Mustard-Kale Mix -  This blend contains not only spinach, but red pac choi and kales.  These are all mild flavored greens that will be great added to many dishes this week.    Chioggia Beets - An Italian variety, chioggias have alternating white and pink rings of color on the inside. The outside is lighter and more pinkish than traditional red beets. They are smooth and mild tasting. To prevent chioggias from bleeding their color, roast them whole then slice crosswise to show off the beautiful rings. Roasted this way, they make a stunning addition to a salad.  Roast and store cooked chioggia beets separately from your red beets to prevent the chioggias from being dyed red. Fennel - Fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet with the flavor of anise. It is delicious and slightly sweet served raw but is just as often served cooked on its own or in other dishes. Though most often associated with Italian cooking, it has an uncanny ability to blend with other flavors adding a light and fresh note. It is delightful in many dishes, and in soups and stews and sauces. Fennel is composed of a white or pale green bulb from which closely superimposed stalks are arranged. The stalks are topped with feathery green leaves near which flowers grow and produce fennel seeds. The bulb, stalk, leaves and seeds are all edible. To prepare, trim off the fronds and stalks and reserve them for garnish or seasoning. Cut off the hard bottom and slice vertically or into quarters. Or cut the bulb in half lengthwise, cut out the core, and cut into strips. Add it raw to salads or try some thinly sliced fennel on your sandwich. Top thinly sliced fennel with plain yogurt and mint leaves. Or braise, roast or saute' it. It is done when tender enough to pierce easily with a skewer.   Mustard Mix - Related to kale, cabbage, and collard greens, mustard greens are the peppery leafy greens of the mustard plant. This week everyone will receive either Green Wave or Green Frills.  Both greens are delicious in steamed or stir-fried dishes.   Veggie Storage and Use Tips are our website too, so please bookmark the recipe and storage tip section. I am sure you will find it useful.   Localvore Lore   We are making the Multigrain bread today as I had mentioned.  It is made from the multigrain mix, Milanaise Winter Blend, Rye, Butterworks Whole wheat, Quebec Flax, sourdough and sea salt.   Every year we grow lots of basil for pesto to send out with shares.  We have been fine tuning the recipe as we go along, and this year we made two versions.  This is the first you will receive, you can expect to see the other version later this share in Jan or Feb.  This pesto contains our own basil blended with olive oil, romano and parmesan cheese, sunflower seeds, garlic, lemon juice and salt.  It is tasty slathered on bread or added to pasta with grated cheese on top.  If you like yours garlicky - add some minced fresh garlic to your cooked pasta before mixing the pesto with the pasta.  The pesto will come to you frozen.  To use, simply thaw and eat as is or add to your dishes.  It will keep in your fridge a couple weeks, but if you won't use the entire tub right away, just throw it back in the freezer!  It keeps really well.         And to complement your pesto, we are sending a parmesan style grating cheese. Becky and Tom Loftus of Blythedale Farm in Corinth milk 30 of their own Jersey cows and use their milk to hand craft all of their cheeses. The Cookeville Grana is a fantastic grating and melting cheese. Use the cheese on pastas, pizzas and anything else you can dream up that might require a little something special. If you can keep from nibbling it when you begin slicing it.     What To Do If You Have a Problem at Pick Up Although we do our best to make sure that every delivery and pick-up goes smoothly, there are the occasional shortages and disappointments. Should you arrive at your pick-up site to find that your name (or share partner's name) is not on the list, one or more of your items are missing or that some of your produce is in unsatisfactory condition, please let us know right away!   Our goal is 100% satisfaction. If you email us (or call if you can't email) as soon as you discover the problem, we may be able to resolve it the same day or the following day. If you would like to receive an item that you missed at pick-up, you must contact us by Thursday morning. If we have not heard from anyone, by Friday our site hosts are instructed to donate leftover food, ensuring that they do not end up with bad food on their hands. If we can not resolve your issue right away, email us to arrange a replacement or substitution the following week.   Recipes     Braised Fennel and Potatoes In this dish the potatoes are perked up with fennel. The fennel becomes very tender and lends loads of moisture to the dish. Gourmet February 2006. 1 large fennel bulb with fronds 1 large onion, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (2 cups) 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 lb potatoes 1/2 cup water Quarter bulb lengthwise and core, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cook fennel, onion, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.Meanwhile, cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add potatoes and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to fennel mixture and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, 3 minutes. Add water and cook, covered, stirring once, until potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes more.       Fennel And Kale Pasta Sweet fennel and bitter greens work beautifully together. You can use your bag of spinach/kale mix for this or you could sub in some mustards. 1/2 c olive oil 1 onion, minced 1 medium fennel bulb fronds removed, halved and thinly sliced salt and pepper 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 lb spaghetti up to 3 lb kale or other cooking green washed and chopped 1 c grated parmesan Heat oil in a large braising pan or skillet with a cover. Add onion; saute over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in fennel; saute until golden, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until fennel is tender, about 8 minutes longer. Stir in vinegar; simmer to blend flavors, 1 minute longer. Adjust seasonings. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; return to boil. Add greens; continue to cook until pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain pasta and greens; toss with fennel mixture and cheese. Transfer portions to warm pasta bowls. Garnish with reserved minced fennel fronds. Serve immediately with more cheese passed separately.       Spinach, Mustard Green and Potato Soup This is a flexible recipe so use it as a base.  You could use your leeks here instead of onions, you could sub in other greens.  Although the recipe calls for using just water, you can make it richer by using veg broth or using some chicken broth 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups chopped onions 2 pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces 8 cups (or more) water (or veg broth or half water/half chicken broth) 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 bunch mustard greens, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped .5 lb fresh spinach, stems trimmed   Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add potatoes; sauté 3 minutes. Add 8 cups water and crushed red pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in another heavy large pot over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mustard greens and all but 1 cup spinach leaves; sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes.   Add sautéed greens to potato mixture. Working in batches, purée soup in blender until smooth. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate.) Return soup to pot. Bring to simmer, thinning with more water, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.   Cut remaining 1 cup spinach leaves into 1/3-inch-wide slices. Ladle soup into bowls. Add dollop of sour cream to each bowl. Garnish soup with sliced spinach leaves and serve.         Winter Tart with Potato, Leeks, and Mustard Greens Here's an easy tart you can throw together.  Leftovers make great lunches.   Prebaked pie crust 1 bag mustard greens, chopped (or any other winter green: kale, chard, spinach, etc.) 1 leek, sliced 4-8 slices of bacon cooked, cooked and chopped 1 potato, sliced thin 4 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp ground mustard or a tsp prepared 1 TB olive oil salt and pepper to taste goat cheese   Heat a skillet and add 1 TB olive oil once hot.  Add the sliced leeks and cook on medium, stirring, til leeks soften.  Add the mustard greens and cook just a couple of minutes til wilted and remove from heat. Layer in the cooked pie crust like so: sliced potato, greens & leek, bacon. Mix the eggs and milk together, and pour into the pie crust. You want the mixture to come almost to the top of the crust; if you don't have enough, add more egg/milk until it rises to that level. Cover with goat cheese crumbles. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the custard sets. Let cool a few minutes before serving.