Sunday, May 29, 2011

May 28 - June 3

In the box:
Arugula - M
Asian stir-fry mix (mizuna and tatsoi) - TH
Chiogga beets - W
Broccolini - T
Purple carrots - W
Orange carrots from last week - TH
Fava beans - M
Kale - F
Lettuce (romaine) - W
Fresh "green" onions (red or yellow) - T, F
Radishes - Make pickled radishes Monday for snacking
Spinach - M
Sugar snap peas - TH?
Strawberries - M

Menu

Saturday: SUSHI!!
Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Fava Bean and Strawberry Salad with Cheeseburgers (http://www.europesbest.ca/recipes/Tex-Mex-Turkey-Spinach-Burgers)
Tuesday: Shrimp Sauteed with Broccolini (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/shrimp-sauteed-with-broccolini-50400000109571/)
Wednesday: Beet-carrot-apple-raisin-walnut salad
Thursday: Asian Beef and Greens
Friday: Quinoa with Vegetables

Grocery List:
Milk
Burger Buns
Organic Olive Oil (Costco)
Organic Sugar (WinCo)
Mayo
Rice vinegar
Quinoa
Beef if on sale
Ground Turkey

Recipes (All from the Live Earth Farm Database with notes that are from the Editor, not me)

Fava Beans and Strawberry Salad with Pecorino
modified from a recipe I found online on the CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) website. Recipe is credited to Chris Cosentino of Incanto Restaurant and Bar [my notes and modifications are in square brackets – Debbie]
Serves 4

[This recipe calls for ‘rucola,’ which is an-other name for ‘arugula,’ a dark, spicy, leafy green we get in our shares several times a year. ]

2 C shelled fresh fava beans
2 C strawberries
Wild rucola [arugula]
Pecorino cheese [or similar hard cheese]
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ C balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt, to taste
Coarse ground black pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil, season with salt, blanch the shelled favas for about 1 minute then transfer to a seasoned ice bath so as not to over cook. Once cooled, re-move the skin* and discard. Place the favas in a mixing bowl, then set aside.

[*To remove the skin of fava beans, after they’re cooked, pinch a hole in the skin at one end of the bean and ‘squirt’ out the bright green inner bean.]

Wash the strawberries, then remove the green tops. Cut berries into quarters and add to the mixing bowl with the favas. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Add the rucola [arugula] [or torn up, bite-sized pieces of various lettuces], then dress with a splash of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil, toss to incorporate all the in-gredients then put on a platter or plate.

Using a peeler, peel curls of Pecorino [or Romano or Parmesan] on top and serve. [If you don’t have any of these cheeses, Feta cheese would be tasty too; just crumble on top instead of slicing.]

Pickled Radishes

Ingredients

1/4 cup Japanese rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Beet-carrot-apple-raisin-walnut salad

A few years ago in this newsletter, I expounded on the flexibility and fun of carrot-apple-raisin salad (8th Harvest Week 1999). But this year, in my never ending quest for new and different ways to use box veggies I serendipitously discovered that adding grated raw beet to the mix was a charmer! (Not to mention another great way to sneak those beets into your meals.) So try this: grate up a few carrots and a raw beet (scrubbed and peeled lightly with a vegetable peeler first). Add cut up apple, a handful of raisins, and some nuts (toasted if you have the time and inclination! A few mintues in the toaster oven does the trick). Stir in a dollop of mayo to incorporate everything and serve! You can enhance the mayo with a little lemon juice, honey and cinnamon for added yum.

Asian Beef and Greens (use carrots and snap peas too if not for another recipe)
(adapted from Traci Townsend's Classic Beef or chicken Veggie Stir-fry)

2 lbs. London Broil (or equivalent)
6 oz toasted sesame oil (divided)
1 oz white wine vinegar
2 oz soy sauce

Slice beef and cut into bite-sized pieces. Marinade several hours in 3 oz toasted sesame oil, the white wine vinegar, and the soy sauce.

Drain off marinade. Fry beef in 3 oz toasted sesame oil. Add in garlic, ginger (lots!), onions, and/or leeks and fry till tender.

Thinly slice lots of greens [We're getting lots of Asian greens this week, so timing is perfect!]. I've used Napa cabbage, turnip tops, beet tops, bok choy, kale, dandelion greens, mystery greens from the Asian market - just about anything (except spinach - too strong for this dish). I usually use about three or four bunches of whatever greens I have on hand. Add the rest of the marinade and the greens to the beef and fry until tender.

Garlic-Toasted Quinoa with Vegetables 
[Marie's variation] After browning the garlic, I added small pieces of chicken until cooked. Then I added the quinoa and cooked stirringly for about 3mins until lightly toasted but not completely brown, then I added water. I then added the diced potatoes while the quinoa was cooking. When the quinoa was almost cooked, I added green beans in lieu of asparagus. You can pretty much use any greens in this recipe, I have used mustard greens for example. I did not use shiitake mushrooms as I did not have any, and I used walnuts instead of almonds.

For later:

Lumdardy Pie
Member Piper McNulty who submitted this says, “This is an amazing recipe for plain red beets (does not work well with striped or yellow beets, must be solid red). It is a savory pie to be served as a side or main dish. It is from ‘The good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin,’ by John Partridge, 1594 - given to me by my cousin, who was a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism in college. It sounds crazy but it looks gorgeous and tastes amazing - (and I don't like red beets particularly). Slices are a beautiful hot pink and hold together firmly.”

1 1b. fresh red beets, finely grated (about 4 smallish beets)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. to 1 tbsp. bread crumbs (you can make your own from a bit of bread)
3/4 C sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 C currants
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger or 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
3 egg yolks (or you could try 2 whole eggs?)
4 tbsp. butter, melted

1 bottom crust in pie pan [if you want an easy pie crust recipe, see the crust in the “Debbie’s Apple Pie” recipe, which ran in the last newsletter, Winter Share week 3]

Mix all ingredients.
Fill pie crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.
Cool.

Debbie’s Kale with Bacon and Apple
serves 2

1 bunch kale
1 small apple
1 slice of *good* bacon (Niman Ranch nitrate-free is what I use. You should be able to find this in the grocery store. Just don’t look at the price.)
1 small handful of regular or golden raisins
1 small handful of walnuts, broken into pieces or coarsely chopped
splash of cider vinegar
salt

Wash kale, strip leaves from stems [hold stem in one hand and ‘strip’ greens off with other hand] and discard (or compost) stems. Tear or chop leaves into bite-size-ish pieces.

Put raisins in a small cup or dish, add boiling water just to cover and set aside to plump (or, add water to cover and put in a microwave for about 1 minute, then take out and set aside to plump).

Cut bacon crosswise into 1/4 inch strips (or dice).

Wash, quarter, core and dice apple (do not peel). [I slice apple quarters into 3 or 4 slices, then slice again crosswise to create ‘dice’]

Over medium-high heat, cook bacon in a large skillet (I use my nonstick wok/skillet) until fat starts to render. Add diced apple and walnuts, and continue to cook until bacon starts to crisp and apple and walnut pieces start to brown a little. [Note: I do NOT decant the bacon grease; the fat adds to the mouthfeel of the overall dish. That’s why I recommend using ‘good’ bacon, because fat is where the toxins accumulate, so you want good bacon without nitrates, chemicals, hormones, etc.]

Add kale; decant raisin soaking water into pan (to add moisture for steaming the kale), setting raisins aside for now. Stir/sauté/steam until leaves cook down to the desired tenderness (some people like their kale ‘chewier’ than others; if you cook it a little longer, the kale will not be as bright a green, but the texture will soften, given sufficient moisture).

When kale is cooked to sufficient doneness, add a splash or two of cider vinegar, to taste. Ditto with salt. Stir to incorporate, maybe sautéing for a minute more, then remove from heat and serve, or cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

Note: once you add the vinegar, the greens will for sure lose their lovely ‘green’ but, oh well. The flavor is delicious!

Chicken, Wild Rice And Pecan Salad In Romaine Spears adapted from Bon Apetit

3 Cups chicken broth
4 oz. wild rice
1 pound cooked chicken
1 bunch arugula -- chopped
1/4 cup green onions -- chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 cup walnuts or pecans -- toasted and chopped
1 large or 2 small heads romaine lettuce, or 3 cups baby lettuce greens

For chicken - roasted chicken, skinned, boned, meat cut into 1/-inch pieces Bring broth to a boil in medium saucepan. Add rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until just tender, about 50 minutes. Drain well.

Transfer the rice to a large bowl. Mix in chicken, arugula and green onions. Mix soy sauce, vinegar and oil in small bowl. Pour over salad and mix to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

Mix nuts into salad. Place salad in center of platter. Reserve outer romaine leaves for another use. Arrange inner leaves on platter around salad.

Broccoli, Beet and Feta Pasta
There are no real measured quantities here. This recipe is not that picky!

broccoli or broccolini, cut into bite-sized pieces
a few beets, topped, tailed, peeled, sliced, then cut crosswise into strips
penne pasta
onion, garlic, olive oil
toasted walnuts (optional)
feta cheese
salt and pepper

Cook beet strips in a saucepan of boiling salted water about 10 minutes or until tender. Boil your penne pasta according to package directions, adding the cut up broccoli for the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking time so it will be done when the pasta is done. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent or even longer, if you like them a little caramelized. When the pasta/broccoli is done, drain well then add to skillet and stir/toss to combine. Add crumbled feta cheese to mixture and stir/heat until feta melts and makes it all creamy. Add salt to taste, and I like to add a generous amount of fresh ground black pepper. Drain and add beets last, stirring just to mix (so the beets’ color doesn’t overpower it all). Stir in optional toasted walnuts and serve.

Variation: as I mentioned above, I made up this recipe in January, when fresh tomatoes were not in the pantry, but since we have lots of them now, I bet it would be good to add diced fresh tomato (or halved cherry tomatoes), or substitute tomatoes for the cooked beets if you don’t like beets.


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