Lettuce
Radicchio (please remember to remove outermost leaves, soak radicchio leaves in ice water for at least 15 minutes to remove bitterness and then you will enjoy it as a salad green)
Fennel
Spaghetti squash
Eggplant
Cucumbers or zucchini
Herb (basil or parsley or thyme)
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Hot peppers
Green peppers
Leeks
Daikon radish
The harvest party was a great success. We made 60 pizzas and countless jars of cider. Help from members and friends of La Finquita make it possible. Members played music that brought the farm alive. And Mother Nature did her part and provided us with the perfect weather.
As the season winds down we take stock. We are continuing to turn over summer beds in the hoop houses to provide winter produce. The over wintering onions are in the ground and will be harvested at the end of May. Most of the cucumbers are out of the ground and will be replaced by spinach, green onions, and radishes for the winter.
We are excited to be nearing the end of the regular season with one more harvest after today. The last harvest is October 25th for Sunday subscribers and October 28th for the Wednesday group. We have just 3 more slots for the winter share. If you had wanted to join but did not find time to let us know, reach out by email. We will see what we can do. Winter share starts on November 1st (no rest for the weary) and will follow this schedule to the best of our ability: November 1, 15, December 13, 20 and January 24, February 21, March 7 and 21.
Sign up for Thanksgiving harvest will come out this week. Watch your email.
Veggies for your Thanksgiving meal!
Here are some recipes to enjoy this week:
Caramelized Fennel Pasta:
Puttanesca Tomato Salad
Yield:4 to 6 servings
· 1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes of any size, cut into 1- or 2-bite pieces
· 3 cups cooked, rinsed chickpeas, white beans or a mix (homemade or from two 15-ounce cans)
· ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves and stems
· 1 ½ ounces Parmesan, coarsely chopped or crumbled (about ⅓ cup)
· ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
· ¼ cup kalamata olives, torn in half and pitted
· 3 tablespoons drained capers
· 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
· 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
· Kosher salt
· Step 1
In a large bowl, stir together the tomatoes, chickpeas, parsley, Parmesan, olive oil, olives, capers, lemon juice and garlic. Season lightly with salt and stir once more. Let sit for 10 minutes or up to 2 hours at room temperature.
· Step 2
Before serving, taste and add more salt and lemon juice until it tastes bright. The balance is largely dependent on your tomatoes. (This salad keeps for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
Tomatillo Enchilda Sauce
· 1 pound tomatillos (husks removed, rinsed, and cut in half crosswise)
· 1 large poblano pepper (or 2 medium)
· 1 jalapeño pepper
· 1/2 onion (peeled and cut into chunks)
· 3 cloves garlic (leave in skins if roasting)
· 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (loosely packed)
· 1 lime (juiced)
· salt (to taste)
Instructions
1. Preheat the broiler on your oven and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Place the tomatillos on the baking sheet, cut side down. Add the poblano pepper, jalapeño pepper, onion, and garlic (still in the skin) on the same baking sheet.
3. Broil until the tomatillos are softened and starting to char and the poblano pepper skin chars, about 8-10 minutes, turning everything halfway.
4. Remove the poblano peppers from the sheet pan and place in a paper bag or cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow everything time to cool.
5. Once the poblano peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the skin and the stem then cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and cut into 1-inch pieces.
6. Cut the stem off of the jalapeño pepper and chop into 2-3 pieces. If you want a mild sauce, cut the jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane.
7. Remove the skin from the garlic.
8. Add the tomatillos, poblano pepper, jalapeño pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro and lime to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. The sauce will still have a fine texture to it.
9. Add additional lime juice and salt to taste.
INDIAN SPICED TOMATO AND EGG CASSEROLE
Yield:6 servings
· 1 ½ pounds fingerling potatoes
· Kosher salt
· ¼ cup vegetable oil
· 1 yellow onion, diced
· 1 poblano pepper, seeded if desired, finely chopped
· 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded if desired, finely chopped
· 2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger
· 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
· 1 teaspoon ground cumin
· 1 teaspoon ground garam masala
· ½ teaspoon ground coriander
· 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
· ¼ cup chopped fresh mint, more for garnish
· 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or basil, more for garnish
· 6 eggs
· Step 1
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with generously salted water. Bring to a boil; cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. When just cool enough to handle, slice into ½-inch-thick rounds.
· Step 2
While potatoes cook, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until almost tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, cumin, garam masala and coriander; cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt. Simmer over medium-low heat, breaking up tomatoes with a fork, 15 minutes. Stir in mint and cilantro or basil. Taste and adjust seasonings.
· Step 3
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place potatoes in a single layer in a 9-inch-square baking dish. Pour the hot tomato sauce over potatoes. Transfer pan to oven and bake for 20 minutes.
· Step 4
Make six wells in the tomato mixture. Crack eggs into wells and season with salt and pepper. Bake until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny, 8 to 13 minutes, depending on how much the potatoes and sauce cooled before baking. Serve garnished with herbs.
Ottolenghi’s simple tomato sauce
Yield:4 servings
2 heads of garlic
2 pounds tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch slices (or halved if using cherry tomatoes)
A few sprigs of hardy fresh herbs (such as oregano, thyme or rosemary, or a combination)
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
½ to 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Fine sea salt and black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
¾ cup fragrant soft herbs (such as basil, mint or tarragon), roughly torn
12 ounces fusilli lunghi (or other long pasta), cooked until al dente
Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)
Step 1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Step 2
Using a large sharp knife, cut the top ½ inch off the garlic heads, exposing the cloves. Put the garlic, tomatoes, hardy herbs, oil, sugar (if using), 1 ¾ teaspoons of salt and lots of pepper in a roasting pan or rimmed sheet pan. Spread the tomatoes out into a single layer and roast for 45 to 55 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and lightly charred. Remove from the oven, add the vinegar and let cool a bit.
Step 3
Once slightly cooled, remove and discard the hardy herbs (or at least the stalks). Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their papery skin and use a fork to mash them into the oil, then add the soft herbs and give everything a good mix to incorporate.
Step 4
Toss through the pasta, followed by a generous sprinkle of Parmesan (if using), and serve.
Zucchini Tzatziki
1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces)Salt and black pepper
2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 medium lemon, zested and juiced (about 1 tablespoon zest and 3 tablespoons juice)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
Step 1
Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Place in a colander, sprinkle lightly with salt and toss with your hands; set colander in sink to drain for 10 minutes. Transfer the zucchini to a clean, cotton dish towel or cheesecloth and wrap tightly, then squeeze a few times over the sink to remove excess water.
Step 2
In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, yogurt, basil, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. The tzatziki can be made a few hours ahead and will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Drizzle with more olive oil before serving.
Sheet Pan Broccoli with Tomatoes and Roasted Feta
1 bunch broccolini, ends trimmed, thick stalks split lengthwise, or broccoli, stalks trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces (can use broccoli or cauliflower)1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (about 2 cups)
1 small red onion, peeled, quartered and cut into 2-inch wedges
1 lemon, ½ cut into thin rounds and the remaining ½ left intact, for serving
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 (6- to 8-ounce) blocks feta, cut into 1-inch slices
Cooked orzo or farro, for serving
½ cup fresh basil or cilantro leaves and fine stems, roughly chopped (optional)
Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack set in the lower third. On a sheet pan, combine the broccolini, tomatoes, onion and lemon slices with the olive oil and toss. Add cumin and red-pepper flakes, season with salt and pepper, and toss again until evenly coated. Nestle the feta slices into the vegetables. (It’s OK if they break apart a little.)
Step 2
Roast 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through but leaving the feta in place, until the broccolini is charred at the tips, the stems are easily pierced with a fork and the tomato skins start to blister and break down.
Step 3
Serve over orzo or farro. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with the remaining lemon half for squeezing. Top with fresh herbs, if using.
Radicchio, Fennel, Citrus Salad:
Shashuka
▢ 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
▢ 1 large yellow onion chopped
▢ 2 green peppers chopped
▢ 2 garlic cloves, chopped
▢ 1 teaspoon ground coriander
▢ 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
▢ pinch red pepper flakes optional
▢ kosher salt
▢ black pepper
▢ 6 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 6 cups chopped tomatoes)
▢ 1/2 cup tomato sauce
▢ 6 large eggs
▢ 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
▢ 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions, green peppers, garlic, spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
Finish the sauce. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook a bit longer to allow the mixture to reduce and thicken. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Add the eggs. Using a wooden spoon, make 6 indentations, or "wells," in the tomato mixture. Make sure the indentations are spaced out. Gently crack an egg into each indentation.
Finish the eggs. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and cook on low until the egg whites are set.
Garnish and serve. Uncover and add the fresh parsley and mint. You can add more black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, if you like. Serve with warm pita, challah, or crusty bread of your choice.
Japanese style pickled daikon: https://allwaysdelicious.com/japanese-pickled-daikon-radish/
Korean Daikon salad
https://mykoreankitchen.com/daikon-radish-salad/