8/18/11

Summer Salad with Yogurt (or Buttermilk) Dressing


Small Share

4 Tomatoes
2 Summer Squash
1 Garlic
2 Onions
1 lb. Beets
1 bunch Radishes

Large Share

4 Tomatoes
2 Summer Squash
1 Garlic
2 Onions
1 lb. Beets
1 bunch Radishes
2 Cucumbers
1 Bunch Basil
1 Head Lettuce

It's pretty easy to make a summer salad composed on a plate, Northern European style. Peel and boil beets cut into bite size pieces until tender. Cover with cool water to bring to room temperature. Drain. Arrange on individual plates, then top with a variety of summer veggies: lettuce, sliced cucumber and tomato,  radishes and maybe a little sprouts and sweet corn, if you have some. Dress with a vinaigrette made with either cider or sherry vinegar to which you've stirred in a little yogurt or buttermilk, then seasoned with mustard, white pepper, chopped capers, a pinch of sugar and some chopped dill (or parsley). 

To make this a meal you could add a breaded chicken or veal cutlet. And as long as you're breading and frying why not consider doing up a few slices of the summer squash? A little fried food is hardly an indulgence against a mountain of salad.

8/12/11

Fritters!

Small Share
1 head Garlic
2 Onions
6 Tomatoes
4 Summer Squash
4Cucumbers

Large Share
1 head Garlic
2 Onions
6 Tomatoes
4 Summer Squash
4Cucumbers
1 lb. Beans (Mix of Provider(green), Royal Burgandy(purple), Gold
Rush(yellow), and Dragon's Langerie(yellow with purple stripes).)
1 bunch Kale
1 bunch Swiss Chard

I found a rich thing to do with the summer squash in this month's issue of Food and Wine magazine.  It's  an adaptation of a Mario Batali zucchini recipe.

Squash Fritters

2 summer squash, grated
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup ricotta (sheep is best)
2 eggs
salt and pepper
3/4 cup flour
olive oil for frying.

In a large bowl mix together all ingredients while heating a large pan with 1/4 inch of oil. When oil starts to shimmer it's ready to go. Add 2Tbs mounds of the mix to the oil, spreading to form 3 inch fritters.Fry over moderately high heat, turning once until browned and crisp. Let cool on paper towels to drain off excess oil.

These are rich, so I'd serve a simple salad of tomatoes dressed with olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.

8/4/11

Bonjour!

Small Share

1# Beets
1# Carrots
1 Head Garlic
2 Onions
Summer Squash or Cucumbers

Large Share

1# Beets
1# Carrots
1 Head Garlic
2 Onions
Summer Squash or Cucumbers
1 bunch Kale
1/3# Salad Mix
Beans


I’m feeling a little Frenchy this week, so here are two bistro classics:

Beet salad with goat cheese: Peel beets and cut into bite size chunks. Boil until tender, then cover with cold water to cool them. Place in a bowl, top with salad greens, toasted walnuts and some goat cheese. Dress with vinaigrette: olive oil and good vinegar in a 3:1 ratio whisked together with salt, pepper a little chopped garlic.

Soupe aux carottes: Beautiful carrots make beautiful soup. Saute a little chopped onion and garlic in butter in a heavy bottomed pot. Add sliced carrots with just a little more water than you need to cover them. Simmer until carrots are cooked. Turn off heat and puree with a hand mixer. Season with salt and pepper. If you’re feeling a little indulgent you can add a drizzle of cream and/or garnish with some crumbled bacon. Makes a nice start to a summer meal.

Bon appetit!


7/28/11

Thinking (Mostly) Greek

Yassou, readers! I’m JP Bowersock, and I’ll be taking this column over from Lauren. I hope you’ll find it as enjoyable as it was in her very capable hands. Here’s what we have this week:
Photo by Cynthia Lamb
Small Share
Cucumber
Garlic
2 Onions
Summer Squash
Zucchini
Tomatoes

Large Share

Cucumber
Garlic
2 Onions
Summer Squash
Zucchini
Tomatoes
2# Beans
1 Bunch Kale
1/3# Salad Mix

Looking at this week’s CSA preview the first thing I think is Greece. Vivid blue water lapping against perfect beaches, where you sit at outdoor tables sipping retsina while toying with an hortakia (Greek salad) as the heat of the day breaks. We’ve got cucumber, tomato and onion coming in; all you need is a little feta cheese and some olives and you’re set. Dress sliced tomato, cucumber and onion with a squeeze of lemon and a splash of olive oil, after arranging attractively on a plate. Just slice the onion very thin so it doesn’t overpower everything else. Top with feta cheese and olives. Throw in some bread and a glass of wine and you have a nice, light summer meal. For something even lighter go for a shepherd’s salad, replacing the feta with chopped parsley. Light is good in this heat.

We can stay on a Greek theme. The Greeks love their vegetables sautéed in generous amounts of olive oil and garlic, then simmered with crushed tomatoes. (Season with a pinch of salt and maybe a little oregano). This treatment would work for the summer squash. It would also work for the beans those with a large share will be getting. In fact, those with the beans can literally beef them up into a main dish by adding some browned ground beef (or lamb, if that‘s how you roll). That would make for a complete meal with some rice or bread.

For the kale in the large share I’d head across the Mediterranean to the Iberian Peninsula for a soup that would be equally at home in Spain or Portugal. Finely chop the kale and sauté in heavy bottomed pot with onion and garlic in olive oil with a pinch of salt. Add water or broth and a peeled potato cut in chunks. Simmer until potato is soft. Mash it all together with a potato masher. Taste and reason. If you share the Iberian love of cured pork you could add a little ham to the soup for extra flavor. (The Portuguese would use their chourico, a dry cured pork sausage).

Whatever you choose to do, enjoy your veggies!

-JP

7/19/11

A Table: Kohlrabi, Meet Kolache

My name is Lauren Cerand, and I'm delighted to be a core member and new recipe editor. Please visit every Wednesday morning for a recipe or two inspired by the preview list:




At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since. –– Salvador Dali


Small Share

Beans
Fresh Onions
Tomatoes
Napa Cabbage
Kohlrabi

Large Share

Beans
Fresh Onions
Tomatoes
Napa Cabbage
Kohlrabi
1 bunch Kale OR Dandelion Greens
Baby Kale
2 Summer Squash


Last year was my first year participating in community-supported agriculture, and I embraced the challenge. Kohlrabi was the revelation of the season for me. According to Local Harvest, "Kohlrabi belongs to the cabbage family... They were popular in Germany during the 16th century... Both the leaves and swollen underground stem are edible, specially the stem which can be green, white or purple... If young and tender they may be eaten raw, very thinly sliced." So, easy to put in salads, or munch on, while expecting a taste somewhere between a radish and a mild turnip. Or, intensify the experience with a main dish worthy focus, such as German-Style Stuffed Kohlrabi, from Gourmet (1992).


Today I spent my afternoon basically living a Wes Anderson movie, with details too numerous to mention so I will focus on the basics: I was part of a trio tasting several varieties of kolache, a Bohemian import that is something like a fruit danish, as a French chef tried to perfect them for a Nebraskan with memories of her grandmother's farmhouse table at lunch, "for twenty or thirty, and, of course, the biggest meal of the day," all to the tune of idle chit-chat about a young man who is looking after Ezra Pound's castle in Italy this summer, and Salvador Dali's romantic overtures to Gala, involving live lobsters. They were successful. "Of course," I replied. "One would imagine that when it came to Dali and seduction, you were either in or out." And, obviously, everyone was exquisitely dressed. I went with "sophisticated stowaway."


Image from the National Maritime Museum's 2007 exhibition, "Sailor Chic."


Here's a traditional recipe for Poppy Seed Kolaches, from St. Anthony Croatian Catholic Church:


3      c     Flour
1/2   c     Ground almonds
1 1/2 ts    Baking powder
1/4   ts     Salt
1/2   c      Sugar
1      c      Butter
1              Egg
1       tb    Lemon juice
1       t      Grated lemon peel
2       tb     Water

-----POPPY SEED FILLING-----
1      c        Poppy seed
1/2   c        Milk
1/4   c        Honey
1/3   c        Chopped dates
1/3   c        Chopped nuts
1      d        Cinnamon

Mix the first five ingredients and the lemon peel; cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly.  Combine the egg, lemon juice and water to add to the flour mixture.  Knead lightly into a ball; divide into 8 parts. Roll out each part on a floured board until it is 1/4 inch thick, then cut into 4 inch square. Spoon about 1 teaspoon Poppy Seed Filling (FILLING: combine all ingredients in a saucepan; cook over low heat until thick, stirring often; use when cool) into the center of each square. Bring two ends together to form a cylinder. Pinch together to seal.  Place on a greased baking sheet and brush with milk. Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm if possible.

7/12/11

A Table: Plates to Share with Friends


My name is Lauren Cerand, and I'm delighted to be a core member and new recipe editor. Please visit every Wednesday morning for a recipe or two inspired by the preview list:



Small Share

Tomatoes
1 bunch Beets
Beans
1 Zucchini
1 bunch Japanese turnips
1 bunch Cilantro OR Parsley

Large Share

1 bunch Arugula
1 bunch Beets
Tomatoes
1 Zucchini
1 bunch Japanese turnips
1 bunch Cilantro OR Parsley
1 Napa Cabbage
1 Bunch Kohlrabi
1 Cucumber
Beans

"This week we have partnered up with our neighbor Katchkie Farm to provide you with produce!  Lucky for us Farmer Bob had an excess of produce this week that will go bad if not harvested, and we have a severe lack of produce this week to give.  So it all works out.  Katchkie Farm is about 5-6 miles from us and is also certified organic."


The way I see it, this week's all about share plates, and brunch, the ideal meal for friends. Recipes are selected from The Best of Gourmet, 2006, which I won one night at a bar in Red Hook. Ah, the joys of youth.






Bubble and Squeak
(Fried Potatoes and Cabbage)
Serves 4


1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1 lb Cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper


Cover potatoes with cold salted water, by 1 inch and bring to a boil, then boil uncovered, until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 18 minutes. Drain in a colander. 


Heat butter in a 10-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute cabbage with salt and pepper, stirring frequently, until tender, about five minutes.


Add potatoes, mashing and stirring them into cabbage while leaving some lumps and pressing to form a cake. Cook, without stirring, until underside is crusty and golden, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately. 


Tomato Bread Pudding
Serves 6 to 8


5 cups (1-inch) cubes country-style bread (from 1 loaf), crusts discarded
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) whole tomatoes in juice, or equivalent fresh
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce such as tabasco


Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400F. Toss bread cubes with butter in a 13 by 9 inch baking dish until coated. Puree tomatoes in a blender five seconds, then transfer to a small sauce pan along with water, brown sugar, tomato paste, salt, and hot sauce. Bring mixture just to a simmer, then pour over bread cubes, stirring   to combine. Bake, uncovered, until edges are beginning to caramelize, 35 to 50 minutes.


Serve with Buck's Fizz, or Mimosas (fresh squeezed orange juice and a solid bubbly, like cava or prosecco), and some sublime bacon. I prefer Mosefund's Farms bacon, from Branchville, NJ, available at New Amsterdam Market.




Lest you not feel as though you have the proper table setting, remember, ingenuity is always close at hand...


Notes a profile of the Duchess of Devonshire in the Financial Times: The fashion designer Oscar de la Renta was a regular summer visitor to Chatsworth in the 1990s, and the Duchess of Devonshire, chatelaine of the great country house in Derbyshire, felt that the flower arrangements for the dining table were becoming a little predictable... A lifelong lover of chickens, she pressed some of her favourites into service. A Buff Cochin cockerel of steady temperament, specially washed for the occasion, took his place in a rectangular glass container at one end of the table, with a pair of his consorts in a similar container at the other... The pièce de résistance consisted of newly hatched chicks, snuggled into little china baskets, with hay to keep them warm. The hens were so beautiful,” says the duchess. “Oscar de la Renta entirely understands hens.”


We should all be lucky to have such friends.

7/5/11

A Table: Trendy Chips, Perfect Drinks & More

My name is Lauren Cerand, and I'm delighted to be a core member and new recipe editor. Please visit every Wednesday morning for a recipe or two inspired by the preview list.


Pictures from the farm... Can you see Comfrey? Me either. He must be drinking the milk.





Small Share 

1 bunch Basil 
1 bunch of Kale 
1 Head of Lettuce 
Sugar Snap Peas 
1 Summer Squash 
1 bunch Scallions 




Large Share 

1 bunch Basil 
1 Head of Lettuce 
Sugar Snap Peas 
1 Summer Squash 
1 bunch Scallions 
1 bunch Broccoli Raab 
1 Head Yukina Tatsoi 
1 bunch Dandelion Greens 
1 Cucumber 

Famous golfer and beverage name bestower Arnold Palmer (see also: Bangable Dudes in HistoryMy Daguerrotype Boyfriend, Time Machine Cougar)

This week's recipes focus on our spotlight vegetables, kale and squash. First, a recipe for the very trendy kale chips you may have heard about in the last couple of years, from Melissa d'Arabian's Ten Dollar Dinners at the Food Network:

1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes. Serve as finger food.

And second, Marinated Zucchini and Summer Squash, from Giada's Family Dinners:

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound zucchini (about 3 large), trimmed and sliced diagonally about 1/4-inch thick
1 pound yellow crookneck squash (about 3 large), trimmed and sliced diagonally about 1/4-inch thick

Whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the marinade into a small bowl. Cover and set aside. Add the zucchini and yellow squash to the remaining marinade in the large bowl and toss to coat. Transfer the mixture to a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Cover and marinate at room temperature at least 3 hours or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.

Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat. Grill the vegetables until they are crisp-tender and brown, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a platter. Drizzle with the reserved marinade and serve hot or at room temperature.

I don't know about you, but I spend most of my summer days trying to make nature's most exquisite Arnold Palmer, which is half lemonade and half iced tea and all perfection.

Here's Tyler Florence's Arnold Palmer:

4 English breakfast tea bags
1 tea kettle filled with boiling water
1 cup Simple Syrup, recipe follows
1 cup lemon juice
1 lemon, zest
2 cups ice cubes

Tie the tea bags together attach to the handle of a large pitcher. Pour the hot water over the tea bags and into the pitcher. Set aside to steep for 5 minutes.

To a blender, add the Simple Syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest and ice cubes and pulse to puree. Place the mixture into the freezer until the tea has finished steeping.

Add ice cubes to a large glass and top with the tea. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the lemonade into the glass.

Simple Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Add the sugar and water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.

The best thing I've read this week would have to be the
Food Issue of Creative Nonfiction, featuring Ruth Reichl on culture and criticism and much more... a must for thinking omnivores. Check it out.