Main Menu

Become a Fan on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterRSS Feed

Ingredients

Cuisines

Recipe Types

Seasons

Themes

Share |

Kitchen Garden Journal

Newsletter - 6/9/09

Details
Published on Sunday, June 07, 2009, 02:37
Written by Caroline Pam

Contents

broccoli rabeKitchen Notes

Now that we're starting to harvest from the fields in earnest we're getting inspired in the kitchen. This issue of the newsletter is especially recipe-driven and we hope that you'll try some of our favorite dishes. If you create a memorable meal with Kitchen Garden ingredients feel free to share your recipe in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

But first, a few brief notes about some of the more uncommon vegetables we're picking right now.

Japanese Hakurei turnips are milder and sweeter than standard turnips and can be eaten raw in salads - kind of like radishes but without that spicy bite. They're also delicious steamed with butter or stir-fried. Whatever you do, don't toss the tops because they're one of the best tasting greens around. Try them along with spinach in our recipe for saag paneer, or sauteed on their own with ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Garlic scapes are the flower buds of the garlic plant. They unfurl from the center of the stalk in early June and offer a curly, juicy, sticky garlicky taste of spring. We snap them off to redirect the plant's energy into the developing bulbs. Use them just as you would spring garlic, in eggs, pasta or pesto.

One final note: We have several recipes for dressings and vinaigrettes to enliven your summer salads on the Vegetable Pages under Baby Mixed Greens.

cherry belle radishesThis Week's C.S.A. Share

spinachFeatured Vegetable of the Week: Spinach

Spinach has the goods and she knows it.  She plays hard to get.  She is very particular about her needs: cool temperatures, lots of moisture, and abundant fertility.  Without just the right combination she simply sits there and pouts, goes to bed early, or doesn't even bother to show up. 

That's why spring is the ideal time to savor the unique gifts of spinach: the earthy succulence of its leaves in salads; its melting tenderness when sauteed; the chalky taste it leaves in your mouth; its natural marriage to tangy feta and smooth milky ricotta, not to mention good old heavy cream.  Now is the time to roll up your sleeves, roll out some fresh pasta, and elevate spinach to its highest potential: lasagna, manicotti, ravioli.

It's also time to put some away for later, because spinach doesn't stick around long.  It's here just for a brief time in the spring and again in the fall.  Freezing spinach couldn't be simpler.  Just dip it in boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. 

Drain it and form the leaves into baseball-sized balls, squeezing all the moisture out.  Here's the trick: when you put the balls in the freezer, make sure they aren't touching one another.  That way you can easily retrieve as many portion-sized balls as your recipe requires, and not be left trying to saw apart a massive block.

friseeShop Talk: Growing Frisee

Frisee is a member of the endive/chicory family with finely curled leaves and a slightly bitter flavor.  It is extremely popular in France, and truly one of the most elegant of the salad vegetables.  Growing frisee, however, poses challenges that few growers this side of the Atlantic care to bother with.

Frisee starts its life in the greenhouse with the other head lettuces.  When the plants are 4 weeks old, they are transplanted to the field with other head lettuces.  Here the similarities end.  Lettuce grows fast, sending its tender, brittle leaves rapidly skyward.  Frisee slowly spreads out along the ground, amassing a thick blanket of horizontal leaves.

Just as the plant reaches full size, these leaves are gathered up and tightly bound with an elastic band, excluding sunlight to its newly forming inner leaves.  This makes the frisee more tender and less bitter, and gives it its singular two-tone appearance.  However, this process needs to be done when the leaves are totally dry and temperatures are cool, because otherwise the plants rapidly succumb to a fungus infection called tip burn that causes the heart to rot.  We grow frisee only in the spring and fall for that reason.

Frisee is best served raw with a sharply acid dressing to offset the bitterness. It is used in the classic salade lyonnaise with poached eggs and bacon in a mustard vinaigrette, or with garlic croutons and a lemon-anchovy dressing.  One market customer told me that her mother used it in a warm potato salad with bacon, similar to the one on our arugula page.

This Week's Recipes

Saag Paneer

  • For the paneer:
  • 1/2 gallon whole milk
    2 tsp salt
    1/4 cup lemon juice
    Canola oil for frying

  • For the saag:
  • 1 lb spinach
    1 lb mustard greens, turnip greens, or broccoli rabe
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
    1-3 fresh green chilies, chopped
    3 Tbsp canola oil
    1 Tbsp cumin seeds
    1 cup water
    1-2 tsp salt, to taste
    1/2 stick butter (optional)
    1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
    1 tsp garam masala

Indian food always seems like a mystery.  You try cooking it at home and it never seems to taste like it does at the restaurant.  Many home cooks just assume that Indian food is inherently too complex to even try, but the methods can actually be pretty simple, as in this recipe (apart from the home cheese-making, that is).

Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, taking care not to let it come violently to a boil and make a mess of your stovetop.  Just as it comes to a boil, add the salt and lemon juice and stir gently until the curds separate from the whey, about 30 seconds. 

Drain the curds in a colander lined with cheese cloth.  Gather up the cloth and squeeze out the remaining whey.  Put the curd ball, still in the cloth, on a plate and weigh it down with another plate and a heavy object such as The Joy of Cooking.  Leave for a half hour or so, pouring off the liquid that accumulates from time to time. 

When the paneer is fairly dry, heat 2 -3 Tbsp of canola oil in a non-stick skillet.  Cut the paneer into cubes and fry them in the hot oil, turning gently, until brown on 2 or 3 sides.  They brown pretty fast, so watch out. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Wash the greens and chop them. For the best flavor, you need spinach AND another type of green.  Heat the oil in a capacious skillet or wok over high heat.  Add the cumin seeds and stir until the pop and become aromatic.  Add the garlic, ginger, and chilies and fry for a few minutes, until the garlic becomes sticky and golden.  Add the greens, salt and water and cook over low heat, covered, for 30-45 minutes.  Add the paneer, butter and cream (if you want it to taste like it does at an Indian restaurant), and simmer for 5 more minutes to infuse the flavors.  Remove from the heat and stir in garam masala.  Serve with basmati rice and other Indian dishes.

Korean Sesame Spinach

  • 1 lb spinach
    1 garlic clove, minced
    1 scallion, white part only, minced
    2 Tbsp soy sauce
    1 Tbsp Sesame oil
    1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Boil the spinach in salted water for 30 seconds.  Drain and rinse in cold water.  Form into a ball and squeeze out all the water.  Chop the ball roughly a few times.  Combine the other ingredients in a bowl and toss.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve at room temperature as a side dish with rice.  There's a good video of this on YouTube.

Spinach-Ricotta Manicotti

  • Fresh egg pasta:
    3 cups all purpose flour
    5 eggs

Pour out the flour directly on your countertop or a very large pastry board, making a well in the center like a volcano.  Crack the eggs into the center of this well and begin to beat with a fork.  Little by little, incorporate flour from the walls of the volcano.  Try not to let the egg mixture break through the walls and go spilling everywhere.  Patience is the secret to fresh pasta: beat it with the fork until you can't bear it anymore. When the dough ball is ready to be worked by hand, relinquish the fork.  If you proceed to hand kneading too soon, though, you will make a sticky, eggy mess of your hands.  Knead the dough by hand, incorporating as much of the remaining flour as possible.  Next, the dough needs to rest.  Wrap your precious golden ball in plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 30 minutes.

After the dough rests, it's time to roll.  (If you don't have a pasta rolling machine, now would be too late to go buy one.)  Have some extra flour ready.  Cut off about a quarter of the dough ball and roll it out using the machine.  My method is to make a round disc by hand, coat it with flour, and roll it through stage 1.  Dust again, fold the piece in half, and send it though 1 again.  Now dust, proceed to 3, dust again, and proceed to 5.  I usually stop at the second to last stage because if you go all the way, the dough gets really thin and tears easily. You will find, through practice, your own method that works in your kitchen. 

  • Spinach-Ricotta filling:
  • 1 lb spinach, blanched, cooled, squeezed, and chopped
    1 quart ricotta
    2 eggs
    1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
    salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until incorporated.

  • Simple tomato sauce:
    Olive oil
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1 can whole peeled tomatoes
    salt and pepper to taste 

Saute the garlic in the oil until just beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes and their juice and simmer until reduced, about 15 minutes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon along the way.  Season with the salt and pepper and toss in a few basil leaves if you have them.

Manicotti are the simplest type of filled pasta.  Just cut your pasta sheets into large rectangles, boil them until they float, and then drain.  Roll them with the filling, slather with sauce and some additional parmesan cheese, and bake for 25 minutes at 350.  Buonissimo!

Classic Frisee Salad with Poached Egg and Bacon

  • 1 head frisee
  • 4 slices thick cut bacon, cut into small squares
  • 4 fresh farm eggs

Wash the frisee in cold water, discarding the tough outer leaves. Soak the washed leaves in ice water for 10 minutes. (This causes the leaves to become extra crisp.)  Drain and dry the leaves, and place in a salad bowl.  Meanwhile, fry the bacon cubes in a hot skillet until crispy and drain on paper towels.  Poach the eggs in very gently simmering boiling water until set but still liquid, about 4-5 minutes.  It helps to break each egg into a tea cup and gently slide it in. It also helps to add a shot of vinegar to the water to help them stay cohesive.

  • Mustard Vinaigrette dressing:
  • 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
    1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
    1 Tbsp finely sliced shallot (optional)
    Salt & pepper to taste
    ¼ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

Mix together all ingredients except oil in a small bowl.  Whisk in olive oil until an emulsion forms. Toss the frisee, bacon, and dressing together until well-coated, and serve in 4 seperate bowls, garnished with a poached egg and a sprinkle of fresh pepper.  Note: many versioins of this recipe call for croutons.  See following recipe for crouton criteria.

Frisee with Garlic Croutons and Lemon-Anchovy Dressing

  • Croutons:
    4-5 slices stale bread
    1 clove garlic
    olive oil
    salt & pepper

  • Salad:
    1 head Frisee
    juice of 1 lemon
    2 flat ancovy fillets
    1 clove garlic
    1/4 cup olive oil

Wash the frisee in cold water, discarding the tough outer leaves. Soak the washed leaves in ice water for 10 minutes. (This causes the leaves to become extra crisp.)  Drain and dry the leaves, and place in a salad bowl.  Meanwhile, to make the croutons, toast the bread in the toaster oven. (You can also dehydrate fresh bread for 20 minutes at 250 degrees if you don’t have stale.) When the bread is crisp, rub each side with the clove of garlic, and then chop or break the slices into cubes. Transfer them to a small mixing bowl and coat lightly with the oil, salt & pepper. Return them to the oven and continue to bake until the oil makes them crispy. Make the dressing by combining the lemon juice, anchovy, garlic, and oil in the food processor and blending until smooth and emulsified.

Check out this blog for a similar provencal version of this recipe.

Asparagus & Goat Cheese Quiche

  • Pastry Shell
    2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    1/2 tsp kosher salt
    2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed
    1 egg yolk
    1/2 cup heavy cream

Combine flour and salt in the Cuisinart bowl fitted with a blade. Pulse to combine and start adding cubes of butter, pulsing, until the lumps are pea-sized. Mix cream and yolk together and pour the mixture into the bowl while processing, just until the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of saran wrap and form into a disc. Chill for an hour before rolling out and fitting into a 9-10" tart pan.

  • Filling
    3 eggs
    1 1/2 cup heavy cream
    1 tsp salt
    dash of pepper
    dash of nutmeg
    1 bunch asparagus
    4 oz. goat chevre, crumbled

Trim any tough ends from the asparagus and toss with ample olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the spears on a cookie sheet at 450 for 15-20 minutes until blistering but still slightly firm. Chop into bite size pieces and allow to cool.

Turn oven down to 375. Roll out pastry dough and fit into the tart pan. Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork, fit with foil and fill with pie weights (dry beans, pennies, marbles, etc.) Bake for 8 minutes until pastry is set, remove foil and weights and continue baking 7 minutes until the shell is dried out and very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool before filling.

Combine eggs, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg with a fork or whisk, being careful not to incorporate too much air. Stir in asparagus and chevre. Pour filling into cooled shells and bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set and lightly browned. Cool before serving.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

  • Crisp Topping
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups oats
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, then work in butter with your hands until combined. Chill.

  • Filling
  • 1/2 lb rhubarb, cut in 1/2" pieces
  • 1 quart strawberries, stems removed and sliced in half
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp corn starch or other thickener

Gently combine strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and corn starch and allow to macerate for at least 30 minutes. Stir once more and pour into baking pan. Cover with crisp topping and bake at 375 for at least 30 minutes, or until bubbling and golden brown.

blog comments powered by Disqus