Good Eats Newsletter - November 9th, 2011

This Week's Vegetable Share Contains: Mesclun/Shoots Mix; Red Giant or Golden Frills Mustard Greens; Green Cabbage; Leeks; Mixed Potatoes; Purple Top Turnips; Garlic; Anaheim Peppers; Acorn Winter Squash and.... 1 Panisse Head Lettuce 1 Bag Frozen Green Beans Localvore Offerings Include: Pete's Pantry Tomato Sauce Elmore Mountain Bread Pizza Dough Bonnieview Mossend Blue Cheese Thanksgiving Bulk Produce & Localvore Orders We will soon start offering bulk orders so that you can stock up on veggies and your favorite localvore items. You will be able to do much of your Thanksgiving meal shopping through the farm, and have your order delivered to your CSA site! We are very close to launching our web store! Thanksgiving week delivery will be Tuesday November 22nd for all sites! Because we know that many of you will travel for the holidays and are anxious to get your food gathered together in preparation for your feast, we will deliver on Tuesday November 22nd. Newport members your delivery will also be on Tuesday for this one week only. To help you with menu planning, in next week's newsletter we will let you know what will be in the Thanksgiving week share. Looking ahead, we will deliver on Wednesday December 21st, the week before Christmas as normal (Thursday for Newport). But there will be NO delivery the week afterward on Dec 28th. Changes to Your Delivery? If you will be away some upcoming week, and need to make changes to your share delivery, let me know at least 1 week before the change. You can have your share donated to the Food Pantry, or I can stop your share delivery and you will retain a credit on your account toward the purchase of your next share. Storage & Use Tips Mustard Greens - Related to kale, cabbage, and collard greens, mustard greens are the peppery leafy greens of the mustard plant. Full size greens have a very sharp spicy flavor but once cooked it resides to a mild flavored tender green similar to chard with thick mid-ribs. It is delightful in stir-frys, braised, steamed or added to many dishes calling for greens. Eating winter hardy greens like mustards is an excellent way to provide essential vitamins throughout the winter months when there is little green to eat. Store wrapped in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer for 3-5 days. Purple Top Turnips - This heirloom turnip dates back to 1880 and is still widely eaten today. These are round white globes with a bit of purple color near the top where the sun hits them in the field. The white fine-grained flesh is mild and sweet tasting. They are great in soups and stews, roasted or mashed with potatoes, or sliced in match sticks and added to a stir-fry. Store loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer. Many people confuse the turnip with the rutabaga because they looks so much alike but in fact the rutabaga is a much newer crop created in the mere 19th century by crossing a turnip with a cabbage. Turnips have a crisper, white flesh and tend to be smaller in size and are often interchanged in recipes with the rutabaga without much notice. Leeks - Leeks were once called the poor person's asparagus, but today are cherished for their culinary qualities right along side asparagus. Leeks tend to collect dirt in between the tops of their long leaves. It is important to wash between leaf folds to remove dirt or soak in a water bath and let dirt sink to bottom. Store wrapped in plastic in the fridge. Although the best quality is within the first few days, they can be stored for an extended amount of time in the fridge. Peel outer leaves if damaged and use tender inner stalks. Frozen Green Beans - A little taste of summer all bagged up. Our frozen green beans come right out of the field and into the kitchen to be trimmed, blanched and bagged then straight into the freezer. No only is their fresh flavor preserved but also all the nutrients available in summer beans. You can easily thaw and warm the entire bag in hot water on top of the stove, steam or sautee for some flavorful "Speed Beans". Store in freezer and thaw before use. Using Your Frozen Veggies - I have been using our frozen veggies for a couple years now and I love having access to great organically grown local vegetables in winter. I have kids and often I do not need a whole bag of vegetables. Recently my mother in law was in the kitchen watching me as I prepared dinner. I took a bag of frozen corn out of the freezer, grabbed a serrated bread knife, and sawed myself off a hunk of frozen corn and tossed it into the waiting pot of boiling water for a quick warm up. Then I twist tied the remaining veggies into their bag and tossed them back into the freezer. It was something that I thought everyone would obviously do but she was surprised at the utilitarian approach. I use a lot of our frozen vegetables in the same way beans, corn, broccoli, red peppers etc. I throw sawed off hunks in pasta sauces, saute pans, etc. It may be a bit of a crude method, but it's a time saver and a great option if you don't need a whole bag. Localvore Lore This week's Pizza Dough is made by Blair and Andrew at Elmore Mountain Bread. It is made from Milanaise Winter Blend Flour, Gleason's Snake River Flour, Quebec Sunflower Oil, Butternut Mountain Honey, Sea Salt, and Yeast. For those of you who have been part of Good Eats for a while, this is not the same pizza dough that we have had in the share for the last year or so. Instructions from Blair... Thaw the pizza dough in the fridge and use it within one day or thaw it on the counter and use it when it has become soft. Allow the dough to expand to 1 1/2 times its size at room temperature. Make sure hands and surfaces are well floured when you begin to work with the dough. Divide the dough in half for two thin pizzas or gently pat it into a small circle for one big pizza. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then stretch or roll it out on a floured surface. Transfer to a baking sheet or pizza peel, top and bake immediately. Pete's Pantry Tomato Sauce is made right here on the farm with fresh organic tomatoes. It is a basic sauce made with tomatoes, onions, fennel, garlic oregano, thyme, basil, salt, black pepper and lemon juice. It is great for pizza, pastas or dipping. This week's Mossend Blue comes from Bonnieview. The farm is a 470 acre sheep dairy and creamery located right down the road in Craftsbury. The farm is now owned and operated by Neil and Kristin Urie and has been farmed by the Urie family for four generations, bought first by Neil’s great-grandfather in 1890. Mossend being the name of Neil's ancestral farm in Scotland. Bonnieview is home to 170 milking ewes who rotationally graze on lush green pastures from May to October. It is the delicious rich and creamy milk from these ladies that produce the award winning Mossend Blue; a washed-rind blue with a rich, creamy texture. It's a beautiful blue in color, with earthy and barnyardy notes and a lingering finish. A great cheese that can stand alone on a cheese plate or an be used to accent flavors in salads and dishes. Bonnieview Sheep Recipes Anaheim Peppers and Mustard Greens Pizza This pizza can be topped with a number of cheeses to accentuate the peppers and greens. I recommend a mixture of semi-hard cheeses like mozzarella and Monterrey Jack, maybe a little cheddar. Goat cheese also comes to mind with some black olives and possibly anchovies if you are an anchovy person. 1 pizza dough tomato sauce 1 Anaheim pepper, thinly sliced 1 c chopped greens, raw 1/4 c onions, thinly sliced Cheese Thaw the pizza dough in the fridge and use it within one day or thaw it on the counter and use it when it has become soft. Allow the dough to expand to 1 1/2 times its size at room temperature. Divide the dough in half for two thin pizzas or gently pat it into a small circle for one big pizza. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then stretch or roll it out on a floured surface. Transfer to a baking sheet or pizza peel. Spread a thin layer of sauce on top of crust, add layer of raw greens, then cheese mixture and onions and peppers on top. Bake immediately for 10-12 minutes, remove when cheese starts to bubble. Turnip Hash This recipe is a basic recipe that can be used with turnips, rutabagas or potatoes. The stock adds flavor while cooking and softening the starch. Feel free to add any kind of breakfast meat, Anaheim peppers, greens or other veggies for a turnip hash "surprise". Serve along side eggs for a hearty breakfast or a "silly supper". 6 Tbs olive oil 1 onion, dice d small 2 c turnips, dice d small 2 c hot chicken or veggie stock 2 Tbs butter 1/2 c Parmesan or another hard Italian cheese 1/2 c parsley, rough chop Salt and pepper, to taste Warm the chicken stock in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium. Toss in the onion and cook until translucent. Add the turnips and cook for 2 minutes. Ladle in some of the hot chicken stock and cook until absorbed. Continue until all of the stock has been added, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the butter and grated cheese off the heat. Garnish with parsley. Asian Speedy Beans This is a quick and easy way to cook your frozen beans while adding some gourmet flavors. The recipe is intended to be an alternative method to steaming the beans, and can be made with just cooking oil, salt and pepper or any kind of seasoning you like. Use a chili seasoning for Mexican beans or curry for curried beans. The options are limitless. 1 lb bag of frozen green beans 1 tbs cooking oil 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 1 Tbs ginger root, grated 2 cloves garlic, pressed and minced salt and pepper to taste Heat the cooking oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. When the oil begins to pop, about 3 minutes, add the frozen beans. Cook the beans, stirring every 30 seconds, until all of the ice has melted and most of the water in the pan has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger root, garlic and salt. Continue to saute in sauce for another 3-5 minutes, until about half the beans begin to brown. Remove the pan from heat and serve. Sweet and Spicy Squash Soup A soup to warm you up on these chilly fall days. The sweetness from the apple, the nuttiness of the squash with the spiciness of the pepper offer a great combination in this recipe. Other flavors you may like to add to this recipe are tarragon, curry, nutmeg or cinnamon. I like to take a small cup aside and experiment till I get it just the way I like it and then add to the batch. 1 acorn squash, halved, seeds removed 3 Tbs olive oil 2 carrots, chopped 2 apples, cored and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 Anaheim Pepper 1 clove garlic 1/4 tsp ginger 1/8 tsp allspice 4 c chicken or vegetable stock cayenne pepper (optional) salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven 400F. On a baking sheet, roast the acorn squash, cut side down, until soft, about 45 minutes. Scoop out the squash flesh and set aside. In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Saute carrot, apple, onion, garlic and pepper until soft. Season with ginger, allspice, salt and pepper. Add cayenne pepper for extra spice if desired. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender. Potato Canapes with Leek Confit and Blue Cheese Topping This is my version of a fusion recipe... that is if you consider borrowing a recipe from one blog and then adding it to a recipe from another blog and tweaking them with your own personal twist to create a whole new recipe fusion, otherwise it is good old fashioned recipe swap. I was really intrigued with the idea of potato canapes and then came across a few variations of the recipe for the topping over crostini. Here I took the best of both using ingredients from this weeks share. This is a great appetizer at home or use to impress your friends with its colorful display using mixed colored potatoes. Potatoes, sliced 1/4-1/2" thick (based on how crunchy you want them) salt 3 medium size leeks, cut lengthwise and then cut 1/4" thick slices 2 Tbs butter 1 tsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing toasts coarse salt and ground black pepper 2 oz blue cheese, crumbled (a soft or crumbly goat cheese would also work) Few drops of lemon juice (optional) Fill a large bowl with cold water. Add leeks and use your hands to pump them up and down in the water a bit, separating the rings and letting the dirt and grit fall to the bottom. Transfer to a dish or plate for a minute; no need to dry them. Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy skillet over medium. Once hot, add butter and olive oil and once they are fully melted and a bit sizzly, add the leek slices, still wet. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and cook leeks for 25 minutes, stirring them occasionally. While leeks are simmering,preheat your oven to 425F. Place the sliced potatoes on a cookie sheet. You don’t need to oil them, but can sprinkle them lightly with salt. Place the potatoes in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Sliced at 1/2", they will be cooked through but not crispy. If you prefer, you can cut them thinner and cook them until crispy. Once the potatoes are cooked they are ready to be topped. Adjust seasoning to taste and add lemon juice to leeks if desired. Mix in blue cheese with leek mixture and top on warm potato canapes. Other Suggested Toppings • leeks, thinly sliced and roasted with a tarragon sour cream topping • turnip hash (see recipe above) topped with parsley • acorn squash, mashed with a honey drizzle and cilantro Chicken, Turnip & Leek Potpie This recipe is adapted from Andrea Chessman's Serving Up the Harvest cookbook. I stuck pretty true to the recipe except that I assumed you were starting with cooked chicken (leftovers from last week?) and had broth on hand. You can sub in other vegetables of course - a carrot, rutabaga, potato, etc or make vegetarian style omitting the chicken and using veggie stock. around 3 cups of cooked chicken (or turkey) 3 cups chicken broth 1 medium turnip, peeled and diced 6 TB extra virgin olive oil 6 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, sliced 6 Tbs unbleached all-purpose flour 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 1 Tbs chopped fresh dill salt and pepper Biscuit topping 3 c unbleached flour 2 Tbs baking powder 1.5 tsp salt 2/3 c butter 1 c buttermilk Cover the turnip with salted water and boil under tender, 5 -8 minutes. Drain. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the leeks in the oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until all the flour is absorbed into the oil. Whisk in the 3 cups of broth and stir until thickened and smooth. Stir in the chicken, turnip, garlic and dill. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Keep hot (but not boiling) while you prepare the biscuits. Preheat the oven to 450F and set out a 13 x 9 ungreased baking pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse 5-7 times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pea sized butter chunks are fine. Pour in the buttermilk and pulse until just combined. Dump out onto a floured board and knead just a few times to pull dough and all dry pieces together. Pat dough out to around 1/2". Shape into a rectangle and cut 12 squares; or cut 3" rounds, gathering up scraps and pressing out and cutting again to get 12 rounds. Pour chicken mixture into a baking pan. Place the biscuits on top. Bake for about 18 minutes until biscuits are golden and chicken mixture bubbly. Let stand a few minutes before serving.