Recipes
Mesclun Greens Salad with Goat Cheese
This salad, or something similar to it, will be on my table all week.
Mesclun Greens & Arugula (and/or head lettuce leaves)
Beet Slivers (either roasted or boiled and sliced up)
Peeled and shredded carrots
Toasted walnuts or pecans
Goat Cheese
Add the above to a bowl in whatever amounts appeal to you, toss with the dressing below, crumble the goat cheese on top and serve.
Mesclun Salad with Veggies, Goat Cheese and Crispy Garlic
Go crazy with this salad- everything is interchangeable!
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 large shallots, minced
Juice of 1 large lemon
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup pine nuts
About 10 cups mesclun
1 large orange bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 cooked beets, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
1/8 teaspoon dried onion flakes
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
In a small sauté pan over moderate heat, melt the butter until it begins to bubble slightly. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and slightly crisp, about 2 minutes. Pour the garlic and butter into a small bowl and let cool. Do not clean the pan.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the shallots, lemon juice, olive oil, and Dijon mustard. Whisk to combine then season to taste with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Return the small sauté pan to the stove over low heat and toast the pine nuts, stirring occasionally, until aromatic and light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
In a large bowl, layer the mesclun, pepper, beets, tomatoes, cranberries, and pine nuts. Add the dill, dried onion flakes, and fried garlic, including the butter from the bowl. Shake the dressing thoroughly then drizzle it over the salad and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, crumble goat cheese over top, and serve.
Fennel And Kale Pasta
Sweet fennel and bitter greens work beautifully together.
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.
Fennel Orange Salad
I tried fennel for the first time in this salad last night. It only took about 10 minutes to make, was very tasty, and looked down right gourmet!
4-5 large seedless oranges (about 3 pounds)
1 fennel bulb
1/4 medium red onion, very thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup large black olives, cut in half
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped (about 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tbsp olive oil
fennel fronds, minced for garnis
Use a sharp knife to peel the oranges, removing all white pulp and the membrane on the outside of the orange sections. With your fingers, separate the sections and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl.
Remove the fronds from the fennel and reserve a few for garnish. Cut the ends off the fennel bulb, and slice it very thinly, crosswise. Add the fennel, onion, olives, and mint to the oranges. Gently combine.
In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, paprika, cayenne, coriander, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the oil in a slow drizzle, whisking continuously. Pour the dressing over the oranges and toss gently to blend. Let the flavors meld for about an hour before serving. Taste, adjust seasonings, then top with minced fennel fronds.
Maple Cream Salad Dressing
This is a great way to dress up a salad.
1/4 c rice vinegar
2 Tbs apple cider
4 Tbs maple cream
1 Tbs red onion, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c heavy cream (to taste)
Put vinegar, apple cider, maple cream, onion, sea salt and pepper into a small blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and cream until smooth and emulsified.
Goat Cheese Pizza
Here's a fresh spin on pizza. Feel free to improvise by adding any veggies - I think some olives would be fantastic!
2 1/2 cups green or red grapes, halved
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound store-bought pizza dough
8 ounces soft goat cheese
Balsamic Vinegar
Preheat oven to 450° F. Toss together the grapes, rosemary, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; set aside.
Prepare pizza dough as described above. Place the dough in the oven until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Distribute the grapes, spoonfuls of the goat cheese, and the remaining olive oil on the pizzas. Cook until the cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Baked Kale Chips
Kale chips are a low calorie nutritious snack. Like potato chips, you cannot stop at just eating one. Play around with the spices to change the flavor- cayenne, cumin, garlic, even parmesan cheese are great on the chips.
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
Optional - add a splash of lemon juice too!
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner or the old towel spin. Drizzle kale with olive oil, and rub with fingers to spread oil all over the surfaces of the torn kale. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.
Simplest Zucchini Saute
Zucchini is such a great vegetable! Here's a basic saute recipe to enjoy this gem.
1 zucchini
butter
olive oil
Turn on a burner to warm a saute pan, cast iron great. Slice zucchini into rounds. Add olive oil and a 1/2 TB of butter to the pan, and coat. Add the zucchini rounds in one layer.When they are beginning to brown on side A, flip them and allow side B to brown a bit. Then remove from pan and put on a plate. Salt if you wish but no need. They are nutty, tender and delicious!
Carrots with Curry and Cilantro
Here's a cilantro and curry based recipe for this week's share. This one's a four star from Bon Appetit.
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons apricot preserves (OK, you might not have these, how about a half of an apple, diced?)
1 pound medium carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 3 cups)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic and curry; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in broth and preserves. Add carrots; cover and simmer until carrots are crisp-tender and coated with sauce, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in cilantro.
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The picking for the weekly share begins on Monday and the packing of shares is finished late Tuesday afternoon in order to give you extremely fresh produce. Although we try to get the newsletter out just as early as we can, we do like to wait until the share is packed up and finalized. Sometimes there are last minute changes to the contents and we want to make sure that you have the right information to accompany your pick-up.
If there are changes to the share
Picking Up Your Share
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. Save the fronds and use them to flavor soups, stews, or salads. The stalks can be chopped up and used in place of celery!
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