Week #1 2024

Posted on April 13, 2024 by Lyn Jacobs
  • Chard
  • Kale
  • Radishes
  • Leeks
  • Parsley or Thyme
  • Purple sprouting broccoli 
  • Cauliflower while it lasts
  • Bok Choy
  • Lettuce

Spring is here and we are enjoying the cool mornings and warm afternoons. The greenhouses are mostly planted. We have sugar snap peas, lettuce, spinach, carrots and more on the way. The first two beds of tomatoes are planted as well as the first zucchini and basil. Outside we have cabbage, fennel, spinach and more sugar snap peas. We are far ahead of last year and we have to put the breaks on before we run out of space. I keep filling every space with flowers.

We are looking forward to a fun potluck on Sunday afternoon from 2-6 p.m.. I have made 15 recipes of dough with my new( to me)sourdough starter. We will have sauce, cheese, pepperoni and sausage plus red onions and red peppers. Bring a dish to pass, a favorite pizza topping if we have not listed one you enjoy. Please bring dishes and forks for your family as well as cups. This is our effort to keep the trash and waste to a minimum. We have some subscribers who will play music and sing Jed, Mark, Christina and maybe more. We have the PSU Mariachis – “Mariachi Rosas del Sol” playing around 3:30 and if we are lucky a husband and wife duo will sing and play guitar.

Come and tour the farm, feed the baby goats and see where your vegetables are grown. We will have t-shirts and totes for sale. A fresh kiln load of ceramics, eggs, flowers and more to add on to your share this week.

We need Egg cartons (only dozen and no plastic or styrofoam please)

We need brown paper bags with handles.

Flower subscriptions special for this week only: Sign up now! 28 weeks $$260, 14 week subscription $120. Flowers can be purchased weekly for $12/ bouquet. I am also happy to make bouquets for special occasions, just text or reach out by email.

It is time to plant your home garden. I work with my friend Polly from Pumpkin Ridge Gardens to grow over 55 varieties of vegetables and flowers for your home garden. Please consider ordering from us. Our veggie starts are grown in organic potting soil, with organic practices and never have pesticides or herbicides. We grow only GMO free seeds and plant varieties that have the best flavor. Curated by farmers who know!

Here is the link to our website to order plant seedlings: https://pumpkinridgegardens.square.site/s/shop?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=name&sort_order=asc&item_status=in_stock

You can pick them up from the farm the following week.

Here are a ton of great recipes to try this week. Sue Kass has been at it again!

ROASTED RADISHES & GREENS

1bunch large radishes (about ¾ pound), tails removed, greens trimmed and reserved (if available), and bulbs halved stem to tail

  • 1 to 1½tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Honey (optional)
  • Heat the oven to 400 degrees. If your radishes have fresh-looking greens, wash and dry them well. On a sheet pan, toss the radishes and greens with the oil (1 ½ tablespoons if using greens; 1 tablespoon if not). Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the radishes cut side down. (It’s OK if the greens are crowded. Roast until the radishes are crisp-tender and translucent, the cut sides are golden in spots and the greens are crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle with honey, if desired.

Greens and ChickPeas with Tahini Dressing

For the tahini soy dressing
80z tahini
3 tbsp water
4 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp lemon juice

For the greens and chickpeas
200g spring greens, stems removed
3½ tbsp olive oil
1 tin (400g) chickpeas, drained (240g drained weight)
1 red chili, thinly sliced at an angle, deseeded if you prefer less heat
1½ tbsp soy sauce
9 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed (40g)
3 baby pak choi, halved lengthways (120g)
5 spring onions, trimmed (70g)
125g fine asparagus, trimmed
1½ tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp black and white (or just white) sesame seeds, toasted
Salt

First make the tahini soy dressing. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Cover and set aside to thicken slightly.

Fill a large, high-sided saute pan with 1½ litres of water and bring to the boil on high heat. Once boiling, add a tablespoon of salt and reduce the heat to medium-high. Have a large bowl of iced water at hand. Blanch all the spring greens for 30 seconds, making sure that they are fully submerged. Using tongs, remove the greens from the pan and plunge into the iced water for five to 10 minutes, until completely cold. Drain in a colander and pat dry. Discard the blanching water, rinse and wipe the pan dry.

Return to a medium-high heat, and add a tablespoon of oil, the chickpeas, chilli and a quarter-teaspoon of salt to the pan. Cook for three to five minutes, stirring frequently, until the chickpeas start to pop and split. Stir in one and a half teaspoons of the soy sauce, remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.

To make the garlic oil, wipe the same pan clean and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add two tablespoons of oil and the garlic, and cook for two-three minutes, until fragrant and softened. Transfer the garlic oil to a small bowl and put the pan back on a high heat.

Once hot, put the pak choi cut side down and cook for two to three minutes, until nicely charred and slightly softened. Set aside on a tray.

Add the remaining one and a half teaspoons of oil to the pan and, once smoking hot, add the spring onions and asparagus. Cook for one to two minutes, until lightly charred and softened, then transfer to the pak choi tray.

Turn down the heat to medium-high and add the reserved garlic oil to the pan, together with the spring greens and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and cook for a minute, until glossy. Stir in the asparagus, spring onions, pak choi, the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, mix well and cook for another minute to warm through, then remove from the heat.

To serve, spoon half the chickpeas on to a large serving platter. Arrange the greens on top and spoon over the lemon juice. Spoon over the remaining chickpeas, followed by the sesame seeds, then drizzle with half the tahini dressing. Serve warm with the remaining dressing in a bowl alongside.

I often do this but don’t cook the greens—I just chop them finely and “massage” until soft.  This is delicious and filling  with farro or brown rice

Kale and Purple Sprouting Broccoli Gratin

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Remove the tough stems from the kale, then boil it in lightly salted water for 3-5 mins. Drain and press out the excess water.

  • STEP 2

Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the kale and garlic. Cook over a low-to-medium heat for a few mins. Season well and add some nutmeg.

  • STEP 3

Trim the broccoli and halve any thick stalks lengthways. Steam for 3-4 mins or until only just tender. Blot with a tea towel to get rid of the moisture on the surface.

  • STEP 4

Tip the kale into the base of a gratin or casserole dish and place
the broccoli on top. Season well and grate over some nutmeg. Pour the
cream over, then add both cheeses. Bake in the oven for 30-35 mins or until golden and bubbling.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli & Leek Tart

·        STEP 1

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat a frying pan with a lid over a medium heat and add the oil. Cook the leeks, with the lid on, stirring occasionally until just tender – about 5 mins. Set aside.

·        STEP 2

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and cut out a rough 26cm circle – use a big dinner plate as a template. Cover a baking tray with baking parchment, sprinkle the polenta or semolina over it, and place the pastry circle on top. Score a circle about 2cm from the edge. Spread the leeks out evenly inside the scored circle, then bake for 10 mins until the edges have puffed up. Remove from the oven and turn heat down to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bring a medium pan of water to the boil.

·        STEP 3

Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water for 1 min, then drain and cool under running water. Drain again and arrange on top of the leeks. Mix together the crème fraîche, Parmesan, egg yolks and some seasoning, then pour evenly over the veg. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake the tart for 15-20 mins until golden. Serve warm or cold.

Tofu with Purple Sprouting Broccoli and chili sauce (Ottolenghi)

Doubanjiang is a fermented chili bean sauce from Sichuan. It’s super-salty, savory and spicy, as well as brilliant at dialing the flavor all the way up to 10. Make more chili peanut oil than you need for this: it’s great to have around to spoon over all sorts of roast veg, meat and fish, or even just on a couple of fried eggs. This works well on its own or with rice on the side.

Serving size

2 PEOPLE

3 garlic cloves, peeled, 1 finely crushed, and the other 2 bashed with the flat of a large knife
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp doubanjiang
25g skin-on raw peanuts, lightly crushed in a mortar
90ml olive oil
250g purple sprouting broccoli, or Tenderstem, cut into 5cm-long pieces and thick stalks cut in half lengthways
Fine sea salt and black pepper
60g kale, tough stems removed and discarded, the rest roughly chopped
½ onion, peeled and finely chopped (140g)
¼ tsp ground turmeric
280g extra-firm tofu, broken into roughly 3-4 cm pieces
2 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp toasted sesame oil

METHOD

1. Put the crushed garlic, cumin and doubanjiang in a small heatproof bowl. Put the peanuts and 60ml of the oil in a small pan on a medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant. Pour the oil and nuts into the doubanjiang mixture, stir to combine, then set aside.

2. Put the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan on a high heat and, once it’s hot, add the broccoli and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, and stir-fry for four minutes, until the broccoli is nicely charred and almost tender. Add the two lightly bashed garlic cloves, stir-fry for 30 seconds, just until lightly charred, then add the kale and three tablespoons of water, and cook, stirring constantly, over a high heat until the kale wilts and softens. Tip into a bowl, return the pan to the stove and turn down the heat to medium-high.

3. Put two tablespoons of the oil from the peanut chilli oil bowl into the pan, add the chopped onion, turmeric and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring often, for five minutes, until the onion starts to soften. Turn the heat back up to high, add the tofu, soy sauce and sesame oil, and cook, stirring constantly, for three minutes more, until the tofu has heated through and absorbed the seasoning.

4. Return the kale and broccoli mixture to the pan and fry, stirring, for another minute, just to heat through. Transfer to a large platter, spoon the peanut chilli oil over the top and serve at once.

Spinach and chermoula pie

Servies: 4 to 6. Total time: 2 hrs, plus cooling and chilling

Ingredients

For the chermoula paste:
 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
30g roughly chopped fresh coriander
½ fresh mild red chilli (about 10g), roughly chopped, seeds and all
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed using a mortar and pestle
1 tsp sweet paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp/60ml olive oil

For the pie:
 4 tbsp/60ml olive oil
1 large yellow onion (about 360g, halved and thinly sliced)
350g frozen spinach, thawed, then squeezed to remove excess water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
15g roughly chopped fresh dill
1½ tbsp fresh lemon zest, plus 1½ tbsp lemon juice
Plain flour, for dusting
1 sheet frozen all-butter puff pastry, at least 24cm wide, thawed
130g roughly crumbled Greek feta
1 baking potato (about 250g), skin-on, scrubbed clean

Method

1. Prepare the chermoula paste: Add the garlic, cilantro, chile, cumin, paprika, ½ tsp salt, a good grind of pepper and 3 tbsp oil to a food processor. Pulse into a coarse paste and set aside.

2. Prepare the pie: Add 3 tbsp oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and well browned, about 12 minutes. Add half the chermoula paste (reserve the rest), the spinach, 1 tsp salt and a good grind of pepper, and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat, then add the dill and lemon zest. Set aside to cool, about 20 minutes.

3. Line a 24cm pie or tart tin with a removable base with a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the base and a little bit over the sides. (The excess will help you lift the tart when it’s baked.) On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry with a floured rolling pin to a 30cm square. Lay the puff pastry on the parchment, pressing in the pastry to fit the base and sides of the pan and cutting away any excess so it overhangs by about 2 cm.

4. Poke the base all over with a fork (about 10 times), then spread the cooled spinach mixture over the base evenly. Sprinkle the feta on top, then fold and scrunch the sides over the filling to create a rim. (Don’t worry if it’s not perfect.) Refrigerate the pie for at least 20 minutes, or up to overnight, covered.

5.Preheat oven to 400

6. Trim and discard the ends of the potato and use a mandolin or very sharp knife to cut the potato into paper-thin slices. Toss together in a bowl with 1 tbsp oil, plus ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Fan out the slices on top of the spinach and feta in a circular pattern, overlapping slightly, to cover the filling but not the pastry rim.

7. Place the chilled pie on a baking sheet and bake until cooked through and nicely coloured, about 50 minutes. Set aside to cool, about 15 minutes, before gently transferring to a wooden board or serving plate.

8. When ready to serve, stir the lemon juice and remaining 1 tbsp of oil into the reserved chermoula. Spoon half of the chermoula all over the pie and serve the remaining in a bowl alongside. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Greens with Farro and Tahini Sauce

·        1.5 cups par-cooked farro, see notes above

·        kosher salt to taste

·        3 to 5 ounces greens, such as kale, Swiss chard, arugula

·        1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

·        fresh cracked pepper

·        1 lemon, halved, plus more to taste

·        1/4 cup well-stirred tahini paste

·        1 teaspoon maple syrup

·        1 clove garlic, minced, optional, see notes above

·        1/2 cup pine nuts

1. Place a large pot of water over high heat. Bring to a boil. Add the farro and a big pinch of salt (I add 1 tablespoon). Cook according to package instructions but taste before draining — my 10-minute Trader Joe’s farro consistently takes 15 minutes. Drain. Place in a large bowl.

2. Meanwhile, remove the greens from the stems (if using kale or chard), then slice very finely — you can chiffonade the leaves (stack leaves on top of each other, roll them into a tight coil, then cut down to make long thin strips) but consider cutting the thin strips into smaller pieces as well. You want small pieces of greens here. Place the greens in the bowl with the farro, add ¼ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and fresh-cracked pepper to taste. Squeeze half of the lemon into the bowl catching the seeds with your hand. Toss, taste, and adjust with more salt or pepper to taste—I usually add another quarter teaspoon of salt and sometimes more. The farro and greens should taste slightly lemony and nicely seasoned, but nothing spectacular—remember that the magic happens when the grains and greens meet the tahini sauce. At this point, you can chill the farro and greens until you are ready to serve. 

3. Make the tahini sauce: Stir together the tahini, remaining ¼ cup olive oil, juice of remaining half lemon, ¼ teaspoon salt, maple syrup, garlic, if using, and 2 tablespoons water. Add more water by the tablespoon. Dressing should be pourable—I typically add another 2 tablespoons of water. Taste and adjust with more salt, lemon, or maple syrup to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl or set directly on the table. 

4. In a medium skillet over medium (or higher) heat, stir the pine nuts until golden all around. Do not walk away from the skillet—if you stand there the entire time, you can get away with using higher heat for a shorter period of time. 

5. When ready to serve, spoon the greens and grains into bowls, drizzle the tahini sauce over top, and sprinkle pine nuts over top as well. Pass more sauce and pine nuts on the side. 

:

Roasted Chickpeas with Greens and Tahini

FOR THE CHICKPEAS:

·        2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, well drained, or 4 cups cooked chickpeas

·        ¾ to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

·        2 garlic cloves, minced

·        2 teaspoons ground cumin, or 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground coriander

·        1 teaspoon sweet paprika

·         Salt and pepper

FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE:

·        ⅓ cup tahini

·         Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste

·        1 garlic clove, minced

·         Warm water, as needed

TO FINISH:

·         Olive oil, for cooking

·         About 10 ounces kale, chard or spinach, well washed and thick stems removed

·        3 cups store-bought or homemade pita chips (see Tip)

·         Handful of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

·         Handful of roughly chopped mint

·        1 large or 2 small cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

·         Lemon, cut into wedges

1.     Make the chickpeas: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour the chickpeas into a small baking dish, about 6 inches by 8 inches. The chickpeas should be crowded together in a thick layer, not spread out. Pour in olive oil just until chickpeas are covered. (This will look like a lot, but don’t worry: It forms part of the dressing.)

2.     Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and 2 big pinches each of salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Bake until oil is bubbling around the chickpeas and they are turning reddish-brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3.     Meanwhile, make tahini sauce: Pour tahini into a bowl and whisk in lemon juice and garlic. The tahini will thicken and clump. Slowly whisk in warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce becomes smooth, creamy and pourable. Taste and season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. Set aside.

4.     Cook the greens: Place a large frying pan over medium heat and drizzle lightly with olive oil. When hot, add the greens in batches, along with a big pinch of salt. Stir until wilted and tender and set aside.

5.     When ready to serve, in a large bowl, gently mix chickpeas and their cooking oil with the cooked greens, half the pita chips, and the chopped herbs. Mound chickpea mixture in 4 shallow bowls. Divide cucumber slices around chickpeas. Drizzle thickly with half the tahini sauce and scatter remaining pita chips on top. Place a lemon wedge on the side and serve, passing extra tahini sauce at the table.

Food&Drink Club

One Pot COCONUT RICE WITH TUMERIC AND GREENS

·        2 cups long-grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati

·        ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

·        1 tablespoon white or black sesame seeds

·        2 tablespoons coconut oil

·        1 scallion, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated

·        1 teaspoon ground turmeric

·        ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed

·        1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk

·         Pinch of saffron (optional)

·         Kosher salt

·        1 medium bunch kale, spinach or Swiss chard

·        1 lime

o    

PREPARATION

1.     Rinse rice until water runs clear. Drain and set aside.

2.     In a medium pot or Dutch oven, toast the coconut and sesame seeds over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to prevent burning.) Transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out the pot.

3.     In the same pot, melt the coconut oil over medium-low. Add the scallion whites, turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cook, stirring, until aromatic and lightly toasted, 3 to 5 minutes.

4.     Add the rice, coconut milk, saffron (if using), and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Fill the empty can of coconut milk with water and add it to the pot. Give the mixture a good stir to separate any lumps and bring to a boil over medium-high.

5.     Once boiling, cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

6.     As rice cooks, remove and discard the tough stems of the leafy greens, if needed, and cut or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. When the rice has cooked for 10 minutes, arrange the greens on top of the rice in an even layer and season well with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook until the rice is tender, 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 5 minutes.

7.     As rice rests, zest the lime and cut it into 4 wedges. Add 1/2 teaspoon zest to the coconut-sesame mixture, along with the scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

8.     Gently stir the greens into the rice using a spatula or fork, season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls. Sprinkle the coconut mixture on top and serve with a lime wedge for squeezing over.

Fresh Spinach Risotto

·        8 ounces cold taleggio (fontina works as substitute)

·        10 ounces/8 packed cups spinach, any thick stems removed

·        6 tablespoons unsalted butter

·        1 medium red onion, finely diced

·        3 cups finely diced celery

·        2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced

·        1 ½ cup Arborio rice

·        1 teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed

·        ¾ cup dry white wine

·        3 ½ cups good vegetable or chicken stock

o    

PREPARATION

1.     Cut the rind off the taleggio and discard. Dice the cheese into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside at room temperature as you prepare the rice.

2.     Line a colander with a clean dish towel and place spinach inside. Heat about 8 cups of water until boiling, then pour over spinach; the spinach will wilt. Let spinach sit until cool enough to handle, then use the dish towel to squeeze out with 1 tablespoon butter until smooth. (You’ll end up with the water. Transfer spinach to a food processor and blend about 1 cup of purée.) Reserve.

3.     Melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, celery and garlic; cook until translucent, about 7 minutes. Stir in rice and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until toasted and golden, about 5 minutes.

4.     Stir in wine and cook until it’s absorbed, about 3 minutes. Stir in stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring often but not necessarily continuously, until the stock is finished and the rice is cooked through but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes.

5.     Stir in spinach purée, then taste and add more salt, if needed. Add taleggio and stir to melt. Serve immediately.

Ave Gene’s Kale Salad

  • 1-2 large bunches large bunches lacinato kale about 6 cups chopped
  • 4 ounces good quality french bread about 1/3 baguette
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 lemon juiced and zested
  • 1 ounce freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
  • kosher salt
  • fresh ground Pepper

Instructions

1.               Break the bread up into chunks and put in a food processor. Pulse until crumbs are coarse.

2.               Toast in a skillet over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, until golden, about 5 minutes. Season with kosher salt.

3.               Drain on a paper towel until ready to use.

4.               Remove the rib of the kale and slice the kale into thin strips.

5.               In a large bowl, add kale, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.

6.               Toss together, and massage the dressing into the kale for 5 minutes.

7.               To serve, spread the kale in a thin layer on a large plate or serving dish. Grate the cheese over the kale in an even layer. Spread the bread crumbs over the cheese and serve.

This entry was posted in Weekly Newsletter. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.