RECIPE: Roasted Beets with Cumin and Mint

From Gourmet, May 2007

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium beets (1 1/4 pound total without greens), trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
1/3 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped

Procedure:
1. Stir together lemon juice, cumin seeds, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in oil and let stand while roasting beets.

2. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

3. Tightly wrap beets in a double layer of foil and roast on a baking sheet until tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool to warm in foil package, about 20 minutes.

4. When beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, discarding stems and root ends, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges.

5. Toss warm beets with dressing. Stir in mint just before serving.

Submitted by Vicki Burr

RECIPE: Mashed Potatoes with Sauteed Leeks

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound new potatoes, cut in half

¼ cup milk, warmed

2 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper to taste

3 medium leeks, white and light green parts

Procedure:

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy, medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring frequently until tender and beginning to color, 8-10 minutes.

3. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Mash. Mix in warmed milk. Stir in leek mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Contributed by Laura Grund

RECIPE: Vegetable Potage

From Patricia Wells at Home in Provence

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 leek, white part only, trimmed, scrubbed, andchopped

Sea salt to taste

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

2 turnips, peeled and chopped

2 zucchini, peeled and chopped

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

A handful of minced cabbage

½ head of lettuce (such as romaine), washed, dried, and coarsely chopped

1 quart Chicken Stock

One 2-ounce chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Procedure:

1. In a large, heavy-duty stockpot, combine the oil, leeks, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the carrots, turnips, zucchini, and potatoes in small batches, cooking each vegetable for several minutes before adding the next one. Once all the vegetables are lightly browned, add the cabbage and lettuce, and stir vigorously until wilted. There should be almost no liquid left at this point. Add hot water just to cover the vegetables and simmer, covered, until the carrots and turnips are soft, about 25 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add the stock and simmer gently, covered, for 30 minutes more. Taste for seasoning.

2. While the soup simmers, prepare the cheese. Using a vegetable peeler, shave long, thick strips of the cheese into a bowl. Set aside.

3. Remove the stockpot from the heat. Using an immersion mixer, puree the soup directly in the stockpot. (Alternatively, use a blender. Return it to the stockpot.) Taste for seasoning.

4. To serve, lade the hot soup into warmed soup bowls and place the cheese shavings on top of the soup.

Contributed by Lisa Bretherick

RECIPE: Slow-Roasted Garlic Chicken

From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (5 pound) chicken
• 4 heads garlic, top 1-inch cut off
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium lemon, halved
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Procedure:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.

2. Mix together salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Pat chicken dry and rub all over with 1 of the garlic heads. Rub all over (under skin too) with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place 1 garlic head and 1 lemon half in the chicken cavity.

3. Arrange remaining garlic, lemon, and onion on the bottom of a 3 to 4-quart baking dish to create a bed. Place chicken on top, add broth to baking dish, and cover tightly with foil. Roast until chicken reaches 135 to 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour.

4. Remove foil, brush chicken with pan juices, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Roast, basting occasionally, until temperature of chicken on inner thigh is 165 degrees F, skin is golden brown, and juices run clear, about 30 to 40 minutes more.

5. Let rest 10 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, pour pan juices into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 7 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired. Carve chicken and serve each portion with 1 head of garlic and pan sauce.

Submited by Ann Tilley

RECIPE: Rosemary Red Soup

Ingredients:

3 medium carrots

beets

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

large onion, diced

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried

1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

1 cup dried red lentils

bay leaves

6 cups water or stock

2 to 3 tablespoons light miso

Procedure:

Scrub and chop carrots and beets. Heat oil in a soup pot; add onion and sauté until soft. Add carrots and beets; sauté a few minutes more. Finely chop rosemary and oregano leaves, if using fresh herbs. Wash and drain lentils. Add herbs, lentils, bay leaves, and water or stock to sautéed vegetables; bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer 40 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Puree soup in blender or processor. Dissolve miso in ½ cup warm water and add to soup. Gently reheat before serving.

Submitted by Laura Grund

RECIPE: Chard Roll-ups

Ingredients:

1 bunch chard

fresh mozzarella cheese or goat cheese

1 to 2 fresh tomatoes

fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Procedure:

Take the whole chard leaf and chop of the stem (you can save the stem for future stir-fries or sautéed veggies!). Steam the chard leave until remaining center stem in the leaf is tender. Layer your preferred fresh cheese, fresh basil, and fresh tomato in the leaf. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roll up the leaf and transfer to a serving dish. Once all the leaves are rolled, drizzle the rolls with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

Submitted by Laura Grund

RECIPE: Delicata Squash Stuffed with Curried Wild Rice

From Vegetarian Times, November 2003

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

3 delicata squash, halved and seeded

2 Tbs. butter or margarine

½ cup minced onion

2 tsp. curry powder

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped cashews

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and minced

1 cup cooked wild rice

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup mango chutney

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350o F.

2. Place squash halves cut side down on baking sheet. Bake about 20 minutes, just until squash is not quite cooked through. Remove from oven, and set aside until second baking.

3. Heat butter in large saucepan over medium heat, and add onions. Sauté onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add curry, cayenne, black pepper and cinnamon, and toss well. Add raisins, cashews and apples, and continue cooking until apples are soft. Add rice, yogurt and chutney, and toss well.

4. Divide curried vegetables equally between squash halves. Bake squash 25 minutes, or until squash is tender and stuffing is heated through.

NOTE: To serve 4, make the full amount of curried rice; to serve 2,

halve the curried rice ingredients. Any type of rice works – a wild rice

blend such as Lundberg’s is especially good. Any extra rice can be

served on its own as a side dish. Pecans or walnuts can be used in

place of cashews.

Submitted by Lisa Bretherick

FARM NEWS 9.12.10

Although it isn't officially fall until next week, I'd say it is time to get out the stew recipes. This week we'll be giving out the first of the winter squash, so it must be fall. It was so nice to have one last blast of summer at the beach last week. The cool weather that is here now along with the first week of school for Bea will see us settling in for a nice fall. Things are looking so different on the farm now with a lot of the old crops mowed down. The dry weather has also taken away the lushness of the summer. Plants are starting to die back - potatoes, tomatoes, winter squash. That being said there are still lots of young and tender fall greens coming up - beautiful salad, golden chard, spinach, mustard greens, arugula. The cool weather is just what these greens like. All they need now is some rain!

Attached is a photo of Cody harvesting Kale before sunrise.

Here's the harvest:

scallions, onions, delicata winter squash, sweet peppers, salad, arugula, chard, kale, "new" fall carrots, beets, tomatoes?, eggplant?...

FARM NEWS 9.5.10

This week at the farm: Vacation Time! While Labor Day is not a holiday here on the farm,( we will be laboring away) come Tuesday we'll be on our way to the beach. We can't quite believe it, leaving the farm during the growing season. We can't even remember when the last time this happened. We did go to a wedding a couple of years ago at the end of September, but the fact that we might actually get to the beach while it is warm enough to swim is a little mind blowing. Of course we have a great crew that will hold down the fort. We'll be leaving after Tuesday harvest and apprentices Biz and Renee will be managing the Friday harvest. They'll also be responsible for the animals - piglets, chickens and of course the cows and milking. We're sure we're leaving the farm in capable hands. We make sure that the apprentices get their vacation sometime in August. It can be a long season and we know without a break one can tend to get run down and burned out. So hopefully everyone will head back to work in September refreshed by a break and ready for a wonderful fall.

Here's the harvest:
onions, leeks, lettuce, kale, chard, cukes, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, peppers, hopefully tomatoes...

RECIPE: Spicy Pickled Green Beans

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

Coarse salt

1 pound green beans, trimmed

1.5 cups distilled white vinegar

2 garlic cloves

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Procedure:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil; add salt. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Cook beans until just tender, about 3 minutes. Immediately transfer with tongs to the ice-water bath. Drain well, and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Bring 1.5 cups water, the vinegar, 1.5 tablespoons salt, the garlic, and the cayenne to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer 4 minutes. Pour brine over beans. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Transfer to airtight containers; refrigerate at least 1 week (pickles will keep 3 weeks more).

Submitted by Ann Tilley

RECIPE: Watermelon and Roasted Beet Salad with Fennel and Feta

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For dressing:

1 cup fresh tangerine or orange juice

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 small shallot, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

6 sprigs cilantro, stemmed and chopped

4 large fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

For salad:

1 large or 3 small golden beets( 9 0z. total), trimmed but not peeled

1 large or 3 small red beets, trimmed but not peeled

2 cups arugula, stemmed

3 cups watermelon cubes(about 1 lb. watermelon)

1/2 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced

2 to 3 ounces sharp feta cheese

Procedure:

1. Roast beets until tender. Cool the beets and peel. Cut small beets in half; large beets into cubes.

2. Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Toss cooled beets in 1/4 of the dressing and set aside for at least 10 min.

3. Set a few arugula leaves on each plate. Top with watermelon and beet chunks. Scatter the fennel and crumble the feta over the top. Serve with additional dressing.

Submitted by Seth Burroughs

RECIPE: Charred Zucchini Soup with Yogurt and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

3 lbs. slender green zucchini

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste

2 medium size red onions

7 cups homemade vegetable broth

3 tablespoons arborio rice

1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves, chopped

2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups Greek-style yogurt

Fruity green olive oil

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Wash and trim zucchini and cut into spears, then toss with a tablespoon of oil and a teaspoon of salt. Spread on large baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice. You want the zucchini to be soft, shrunker, and blackened in spots.

2. Peel onions, cut them in half crosswise, then into 1/2 inch wedges. Cook onions in a skillet with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle of salt over medium heat, stirring often, until onions are soft and dark brown in places, approx. 1/2 hour.

3. In a large soup pot, combine the broth and rice. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Chop the zucchini and add it to the broth, along with the onion and mint. Simmer for another 15 minutes.

4. Add lemon juice until the soup has a faintly tart edge. Add black pepper, and additional salt to taste. Gently bring the soup back to a simmer. To serve, put a rounded tablespoon of drained yogurt in the center of each bowl. then ladle the soup over it. Drizzle olive oil over each serving and scatter pine nuts on top.

Submitted by Seth Burroughs

RECIPE: Indonesian Corn Fritters

• From The New York Times Diner's Journal
• Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients:

• For the dipping sauce:
• 1/3 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
• 1/3 cup Bango or other kecap manis (sweet soy sauce, available at Asian markets)
• 
  
• For the fritters:
• 4 ears of corn, kernels cut from cob, or one 15.25 ounce can of corn, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon red bell pepper, julienned into pieces 1/2 inch long, and 1/8 inch wide
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 tablespoons rice flour
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• Salt
• Vegetable oil

Procedure:

• 1. For the sauce: In a small bowl, combine sweet chili sauce and kecap manis. Mix and set aside.
• 2. For the fritters: In a large bowl, combine half the corn kernels, garlic, red bell pepper, nutmeg, ground pepper and egg. Mix well. Place in blender and process at medium speed until pureed. (Variations: For a smooth fritter, add all the corn to the blender; for a very crunchy fritter, reserve all of the corn for step no. 3.)
• 3. Transfer back to bowl; add corn starch, rice flour, shallot and reserved whole corn kernels. Mix well, and season with salt to taste.
• 4. In a wok or a deep frying pan over high heat, add vegetable oil to a depth of 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Heat to 350 degrees. Working in batches, scoop up corn mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, and add to hot oil; be careful not to crowd pan. Fry until golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes a side; fresh corn may take slightly longer to brown than canned. Drain and place on paper towels. Serve with dipping sauce.
• Submitted by Ann Tilley

RECIPE: Rustic Potato and Cabbage Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of salt
1/2 pound potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 can white beans or chickpeas, precooked or canned (drained & rinsed well)
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
more good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Procedure:

Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and cook for about 5 minutes until they start to color. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until the potatoes are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 5 minutes - it's o.k. to uncover to stir a couple times. They will stick a bit to the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and bring the pot to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit. Then add the beans. Now adjust the seasoning- you will probably need more salt and pepper than you think - getting the seasoning right is important or your soup will taste flat and uninteresting.

Serve drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a generous dusting of parmesan cheese.

Submitted by Phyllis Jo Kubey