Good Eats Newsletter - March 19, 2014

Localvore Members  & Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN BAG This week your bag will contain: Shoots mix; Potatoes; Carrots; Turnips; Cabbage; Shallots And OUT of the bag: Frozen Squash Puree Frozen Jalapeno Peppers Localvore / Pantry Offerings Include: Pete's Kitchen Pizza Dough Pete's Kitchen Pizza Sauce Pete's Kitchen Tomatillo Salsa Tangletown Farm Eggs Half Veggie Only Members take a YELLOW BAG containing: Shoots mix; Potatoes; Carrots; Turnips; Cabbage And OUT of the bag: Frozen Squash Puree

Keep the shoots recipes coming! We are accepting recipes for the shoots recipe contest until this Friday, March 21st. Send me your favorite shoots recipes and ideas and you could win a Pete's Greens t-shirt! We are beginning deliveries to the 2 new Montpelier sites this week! If you have emailed me about switching to either site you are all set to pick up at your new site tomorrow. Let me know if you would like to switch to either of these new sites.

Scenes from around the farm My favorite part of each day at the farm is going into the greenhouse to check out the seedlings.  It's really cool to come in week after week to check on the progress of everything.  It's also a nice place to visit because it's like walking into the tropics and it always warms me up! Top: these greens will soon be gracing your plates! Middle: greenhouse full of seedlings Bottom: Emilie with this week's cabbage Changes to Your Delivery? If you will be away some upcoming week, and need to make changes to your share delivery, let us know at least 1 week before the change. You can have your share donated to the Food Pantry, or you can skip your share delivery and you will retain a credit on your account toward the purchase of your next share. Storage and Use Tips This week our shoots mix is a mixture of our sunflower, pea and radish shoots.  There are lots of options for these shoots - add to a salad, a slaw, on top of a bowl of soup, in a sandwich or scrambled into some eggs.  Large share members will get either adirondack red or red gold potatoes.  Both potatoes are low in starch, high in sugar and moisture.  They're a great choice for roasting, sautéing and boiling, as their low starch content helps them maintain their shape after they’re cooked. Half share members will get baby red norland potatoes.  These cute little potatoes are great for roasting whole or making into potato salad.  This week have orange carrots for you.  The high vitamin A content, for which carrots are best known, comes from beta carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in your liver.Carrots also contain potassium, vitamin B6, copper, folic acid, thiamine and magnesium. When eaten as part of an overall healthy diet, the nutrients in carrots may provide you with protection against heart disease and stroke while helping you to build strong bones and a healthy nervous system. Gilfeather turnips have a distinctive flavor. They were first developed in Vermont by John Gilfeather, a farmer who kept his prized variety carefully guarded. He would actually chop the top and root off each of his turnips before sale, so no one could regrow the plant. Thankfully a few seeds snuck out, and many farmers are now able to keep this special type going. It looks more like a rutabaga than a turnip, but the flesh is white and makes a beautiful sweet-flavored puree. We ran out of our own green cabbage so this is from the Intervale Community Farm in Burlington.  Cabbage can be used in a variety of ways- shredded and added to coleslaw or on top of a salad, sauteed, roasted, or grilled.  Refrigerate cabbage in a hydrator drawer. Do not remove the outer leaves before storage. Once the cabbage has been cut store in a plastic bag. Shallots are a member of the alium family being similar to both garlic and onions. They grow in cloves similar to garlic and have a sweet, mild flavor like a sweet or Spanish onion. They are well known for their ability to be caramelized or cooked down to where the sugars are reduced or concentrated. When eaten raw, they are much sweeter and milder than even sweet onions. You can slice them thin and saute them in recipes that benefit from a sweet, mild onion flavor. When minced, they are fantastic in homemade vinaigrette and pan sauces. Store them in a cool, dark place. After picking up your frozen squash puree, you can either continue to thaw  in your refrigerator or re-freeze in the freezer. To quickly thaw to use the night you pick up your share, hold bags in warm water bath for 10-15 minutes replenishing hot water as needed, remove from bag to cook. Store thawed in the fridge for 4-5 days. This week's frozen jalapenos should warm you up a little. To use your peppers thaw in the fridge overnight, remove from package and rinse. Or if you just need a pepper to spice up a dish, just take a single frozen pepper from the bag and chop it while just off frozen and add in to whatever you are making. The seeds and the inner ribs where the seed attaches are the hottest part of the pepper. For a rich and earthy jalapeno flavor without intense heat simply cut peppers open and remove inner ribs and seeds with a pairing knife. This may still give you a bit of spice but not nearly as much as before. Veggie Storage and Use Tips are on our website too, so please bookmark the recipe and storage tip section.  I am sure you will find it useful. Localvore Lore It's a pizza week!  We made the pizza dough at the farm and froze it for delivery.  This pizza dough is made with Milanaise organic flour, Gleason Grain Snake Mountain Sifted whole wheat flour, local Sunflower Oil, salt and yeast. Use within four to five hours of thawing (ready to go the night you pick up share or store in freezer for later use). Here's Amy's favorite way of cooking the dough: coat a smooth surface with flour and cornmeal (just flour is ok) so that the dough does not stick to the surface. Form dough into ball and flatten with heels of palms. Stretch dough with hands or use a rolling pin to form shape of baking pan (I use a cookie sheet so I form it into a square). Once dough is slightly stretched on surface you can stretch dough in the air with hands by making two fists held together with dough on top. Move each hand up, down and out turning the dough clockwise. Each dough can be stretched to a 16" round, for thicker crust make smaller. If you like light fluffy crust I put my baking sheet on the top of my oven while preheating and let rise. Otherwise set aside in neutral area till oven is ready at 425F. Cook 12-14 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese bubbles. We also made pizza sauce to go along with the share using our organic tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt, sugar, oregano, thyme, basil, & black pepper.  It's coming to you frozen for easy delivery.  You can defrost and put on your pizza right away or freeze it for later use.  You can of course use this on pasta too. Our  tomatillo salsa comes straight from our kitchen.  We made it using our freshly harvested tomatillos, onions, roasted jalapenos, plus cider vinegar, lime juice, garlic, cilantro and salt.  It has good flavor and some nice zip.  This salsa is wonderful with chips or as a sauce for meats, steamed veggies, or beans.  It will come to you frozen so you can thaw it out and enjoy right away (it's good for one week) or stick back in the freezer for up to a year. This week we have more eggs from Tangletown Farm.  They are fed much left over veggie scraps from neighboring vegetable farms, which adds even more quality, flavor and color to the eggs.  I was in touch recently with Lila, the owner, because I was curious about how many chickens they have.  They currently have 600 laying hens, another 300 that hatched on February 5th, and another 300 that just arrived at the farm.  That's a lot of chickens! Recipes Carrot "Souffle" One of our shareholders sent in this recipe a while ago.  Her version below is more of a pudding than a souffle, sweet and delicious with maple, butter, cinnamon and vanilla. You could also make this much more savory. See the substitutions at the bottom of the recipe to make an Indian-inspired version. Serves 4-6. 2 lbs. carrots, peeled if you like, sliced, and steamed until very tender, then cooled somewhat 1/4 c maple syrup or maple sugar 1/2 t cinnamon 1t vanilla 3 T melted butter 3 eggs, lightly beaten 2 T whole-wheat pastry flour 1 1/2 t baking powder Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Place carrots in blender with sugar or syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and melted butter. Puree until smooth. Pour into medium bowl and beat in eggs, flour, and baking powder. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake about 1 hour or until top is golden brown and souffle has puffed slightly. To make a savory version, cut the maple back to 2 tablespoons; add 1/2 tsp of ground ginger; replace the butter with sunflower or olive oil; get rid of the vanilla; and replace the 1/2 tsp cinnamon with 1 tsp garam masala (an Indian spice mixture available in most good spice sections, or make your own following a recipe.)   Gilfeather Turnip Puree This recipe comes from a  CSA farm in Massachusetts, Red Fire Farm. Gilfeather Turnips (or rutabaga) peeled and chopped in large pieces 1-3 tbs Olive Oil Salt and Pepper to taste Optional: serve with some salty caramelized onions, chopped apples, fried celeriac strings, or any fun garnish ideas you have! In a large sauce pot, just cover the chopped Gilfeather turnips with water, and boil until soft to the tines of a fork. With a slotted spoon, take out the turnip chunks, and transfer to a food processor (if you don't have one you can mash them). Add the olive oil, salt and pepper, and puree just until all the chunks are pureed. Taste and add salt as desired. I like to put a little thyme in there. Serve it up hot solo or with any garnishes you like.   Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette This vinaigrette is summery and bright. If the dressing is too acidic for your taste add more olive oil. I like to go light on the oil to keep the flavors intense. 3 limes, juiced 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 clove garlic, minced 1 jalapeno, minced 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro 1/4 cup olive oil Salt and pepper to taste In a small jar or cup with a lid, combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients. Shake to thoroughly mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ginger-Glazed Grilled Carrot and Shoot Salad Have you grilled carrots before?  I usually chop them up and grill in a foil packet, but this recipe sounded interesting especially if your carrots are big enough.  Be careful not to lose them between the grill slats! 1 lb carrots, peeled, halved and chopped to 1-2″ pieces about 3 cups fresh shoots 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger juice of 1 lime 2 tablespoons light brown sugar dash of salt and pepper 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Combine the carrot pieces with the garlic, ginger, juice of half the lime, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper in a bowl and toss well (or combine in a plastic bag and shake). Let marinade for 30 minutes or up to overnight. Heat a grill to a high flame. Place carrots on the rack split-side down. Cover grill and let cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove cover, and flip carefully once. Cook another 2-4 minutes or until the largest chunks have charred on both sides (removing smaller pieces that have charred first). Let cool a few minutes. Meanwhile, toss the shoots with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and juice of half the lime. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss in the carrots and serve immediately. Squash Cookies How can you go wrong with a cookie featuring squash?  Feel free to add some chocolate chips or icing on the top. 1/2 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups mashed, cooked butternut squash 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 cup raisins 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and squash. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices; add to mixture, stirring until well blended. Stir in raisins and nuts. Spoon onto cookie sheets spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges are golden. Scalloped Turnips We realize that not everyone loves turnips as much as we do. But even if you aren’t the biggest fan of that radishy root, this recipe might just turn you around. Not surprisingly, cream, butter and onions bring out the savory best in turnips. 4 Tbsp butter 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions 4 cups peeled, thinly sliced turnips 2 Tbsp flour 1 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup milk 1/3 cup cream Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 1-quart casserole. Melt 1 Tbsp butter and lightly sauté onions until just wilted. Layer a third of the sliced turnips in the casserole dish; top with a third of the onion; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of flour, 1/3 teaspoon of salt, and one grind of pepper; pat with dollops from 1 tablespoon of butter. Repeat this layering twice. Mix milk and cream together and pour over the turnips. Cover and bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes, then remove cover and bake for another 30-45 minutes, or until tender and bubbly. Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash  This recipe came from another Good Eats member.  She said her kids approved it and there were many other solid reviews on line. Adapted slightly from MarthaStewart.com About 3 cups of pureed butternut squash (from 1 small Butternut squash) 1 cup chicken stock, skimmed of fat 1 1/2 cups milk (non fat just fine here) Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg Pinch of cayenne pepper (more for more punch) 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 pound elbow macaroni 4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup) 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 ounce) 2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs 1 teaspoon olive oil Olive-oil 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese or cottage cheese Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles; cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl. While the water is boiling mix the squash puree with nutmeg, cayenne, and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine.  Taste to adjust seasonings. Stir the squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan into the bowl of cooked elbow noodles. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish (4 inches deep) with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture. Cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top, 30 to 40 minutes more. Serve immediately.   Spanish Tortilla with Potatoes and Greens This is like a frittata, but with a potato base. This makes this quick dish for supper and with great leftovers for breakfast. Serve it with fresh minced cilantro and salsa and add some jalapenos if you want some extra heat. Serves 6. 1 lb. potatoes, cut into 1/4 slices 1/4 cup olive oil 1 onion or 4 scallions, chopped 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 lb. greens 5 eggs 1 cup milk grated cheese minced fresh cilantro Butter or oil a deep dish pie plate. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook potatoes in a couple of batches until nearly tender and browning, using more oil as needed. Layer into to pie plate. Heat remaining oil and saute onion. Add greens and briefly saute, seasoned with a bit of salt. Spread on top of potatoes. Beat the eggs with milk, season with salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes and greens. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Bake until just set in the center, about 30 minutes. Alternately, you can cook this on top of the stove by cooking the greens first and removing. Then cook the potatoes, top with the greens and pour in the eggs. Reduce heat and cover. When nearly set, run it under the broiler until golden and eggs are cooked through. Lemon Roasted Cabbage This is my favorite way to cook cabbage, so much so, since I have discovered roasting cabbage I have probably increased my consumption of these giant green heads a thousand fold. The lemon in this recipe can be switched up with any kind of vinegar, sherry or even salad dressing right out of the bottle. I even throw some bits of salt pork, panchetta or ham on top for flavor too! 1 head cabbage, cut into wedges and core removed 2 Tbs cooking oil, I like sunflower oil for a nutty flavor 2-3 Tbs lemon juice (sub vinegar if preferred) Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper Preheat oven to 450F. Arrange wedges in a single layer on the roasting pan (leaving space around each wedge). Whisk together the oil and lemon juice. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the top sides of each cabbage wedge with the mixture and season generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Turn cabbage wedges carefully and repeat. Roast cabbage for about 30-40 minutes turning wedges over half way through when the side touching the pan is nicely browned. Cabbage is done when it is nicely browned and cooked through with a bit of chewiness remaining. Serve hot, with additional lemon slices to squeeze lemon juice on at the table if desired.   Quick Braised Cabbage Here's another easy way to prepare your cabbage that tastes amazing! 1 large head cabbage, quartered, cored, shredded 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil 1/2 bunch chives or green onions, chopped finely Pinch crushed red pepper and garlic powder Kosher salt and black pepper Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the cabbage and vinegar and boil until the cabbage is wilted, 3-4 minutes. Drain and return to the pot off the heat.  Toss with the butter (or oil), chives, red pepper, and garlic powder.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm. Cook’s Note: Make sure not to overcook the cabbage, it should still have some crunch.  This is also very nice with a little vinegar sprinkled in it after cooking.  Enjoy! Caramelized Shallots What to do with all the shallots besides tossing them into a stir fry?  Make these caramelized shallots!  This recipe, from the Smitten Kitchen, is a great way to maximize the sweetness of the shallots. 6 tbs unsalted butter 2 pounds fresh shallots, peeled, with roots intact 3 tbs sugar 3 tbs good red wine vinegar 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 2 tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley   Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Melt the butter in a 12" oven-proof saute pan, add the shallots and sugar, and toss to coat.  Cook over medium heat for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shallots start to brown.  Add the vinegar, salt and pepper and toss well. Place the saute pan in the oven and roast for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the shallots, until they are tender.  Season, to taste, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot. Jalapeno Popper Pizza This tastes just like one of those insanely addictive jalapeno poppers, but it’s on a pizza. 1 whole pizza dough, shaped into your desired circumference and thickness 6 ounces, weight cream cheese, room temperature ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 2 whole jalapeño peppers, roasted, skins peeled and discarded, sliced Preheat oven to 500F.  Follow directions above to prepare dough.  Smear the cream cheese over the top of the crust, leaving about an inch border. Top with the cheddar cheese and the mozzarella cheese, then arrange the sliced jalapeño peppers over the top. Place it into the oven for an additional 15 minutes or until the crust is nice and golden and the cheese is fully melted. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes before slicing into it, then dig in. When you first bite into it, you get that surprise from the cream cheese base, and it has that richness to it. But when you get that paired with the roasted jalapeño peppers, well, then it all comes together. Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza I've been thinking about this pizza ever since I had corned beef for St Patty's Day yesterday.  Someday I am make to find a rye based crust to make it a true rueben pizza, but for now this will do just fine. 1 pizza dough 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan 3 cups sliced green cabbage Kosher salt 1 teaspoon pickling spices, tied securely in cheesecloth 1 large potato, peeled and thinly sliced Freshly ground pepper 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 6 ounces sliced corned beef Follow directions above to prep your dough.  Then prepare the toppings: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, season with salt and cook until just soft, about 5 minutes. Add the pickling spices and just enough water to cover. Simmer over low heat, covered, until the cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the cabbage and set aside (discard spices). Place a pizza stone in the oven, if you have one, and preheat to 500 degrees. Toss the potato with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a single layer on a baking sheet until golden, about 15 minutes.   Place the round on a floured pizza peel (if baking on a stone) or a large oiled pizza pan; drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Scatter half of each of the cheeses, corned beef, cabbage and potatoes on top. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully slip the pizza onto the hot stone, if using, or place the pan in the oven. Cook until golden and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.