CSA – Grow. Cook. Eat.

December 22, 2010

Flattery (Recipe: Quinoa with Brussels Sprouts)

Charles Caleb Colton said “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” If you ask me, receiving a call from an old client requesting more work is far better.

And so it happened, last week I received an email from Sauchuk Farm requesting that I create a new cookbook for their 2011 growing season.

Last year, I started ghost-writing cookbooks for farms looking for a new way to connect with their customers. For the CSA farms especially, these cookbooks were especially helpful. Each week the subscribers would receive a boxful of produce – sometimes with familiar items but not always. And often, the customer would get a glut of greens one week or tomatoes another. The cookbooks offered a way for the consumers to learn about the produce they were getting every week, with descriptions of how to handle the food, storage tips and recipes – which proved particularly useful when the customers were up to their eyeballs in Swiss chard.

The second volume for Sauchuk Farm will be a bit more challenging as I’ve used up my larder of recipes for the particularly difficult vegetables. Sure, I can write recipes for tomatoes until the cows come home, but recipes for kohlrabi, kale, Brussels sprouts and chard will be a bit more difficult.

As luck would have it, just after I received the order for new cookbooks, I went out for dinner at Union Bar and Grille and had a wonderful side dish of quinoa and Brussels sprouts.

The next night, I replicated the dish. And then two nights later I made it again, but with bacon. It’s really simple, but very satisfying in a light way.

Quinoa with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
It’s very important to rinse quinoa before cooking as the grains have a bitter reside on them that comes from processing.

½ cup quinoa
½ pound brussels sprouts
2 tbs. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin or chopped
½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1.    Rinse quinoa under cold water. Put in a small saucepot, and cover with water. Add 1 tsp. salt. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until quinoa has popped and is cooked through.
2.    Cut Brussels sprouts in half and then slice thin.
3.    Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil, and let heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until aromatic. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring regularly, until they are bright green and soft. Remove from heat.
4.    When quinoa is cooked, drain excess water. Toss with Brussels. Add juice from ½ lemon and season to taste with salt and pepper.

July 21, 2010

The Mystery Continues (Recipe: Sicilian Crumbs)

As I sussed out the ingredients in Matthew’s CSA box, one thing briefly stymied me. A leafy green that had red streaks like a red leaf lettuce but a more compact head. Was this an heirloom variety of lettuce I had not seen before? I nibbled on a small piece and spit it out. Sure enough, it was radicchio, and it was incredibly bitter to my taste.

Most lettuce gets bitter from hot, summer sun. If you don’t like bitter greens, as I don’t, you can tame their flavor by cooking them on the grill. Radicchio (and romaine) has a sturdy texture that stands up to the intense cooking.

To grill lettuce: Cut the head of lettuce in half through the root. The root will hold the leaves together as you cook it. After you cut it in half, cut each half into 3rds – again, take care to leave the leaves attached to the root.

Toss the leaves with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. They cook quickly on a hot grill, so turn them often. When they are cooked, drizzle balsamic vinegar on top.

I served the radicchio with grilled swordfish, and topped the whole thing with “Sicilian Crumbs”: toasted bread crumbs mixed with pine nuts, currants and lemon zest. The sweetness of the currants and the richness of the pine nuts further calmed the bitterness of the radicchio.

Sicilian Crumbs

2 tbs. butter
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tbs. pine nuts
2 tbs. currants or raisins
1 cup bread crumbs (preferably home-made)
1 lemon – zest and juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and let cook for two mintues until it begins to soft. Add the currants and toss to coat in the butter. They should plump up quickly.

When the currants are plump, add the pine nuts and breadcrumbs. Continue cooking, stirring regularly, until the crumbs are lightly toasted.

Add the lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Radicchio Photo Credit: SpiceTart

July 19, 2010

Mystery Basket (Recipe: Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad)

As I opened up the grocery bag of full of vegetables, I had flashbacks to culinary school – visions of my first practical exam. We were given a medley of ingredients and told to create an entrée in one hour. This was not unlike the show “Chopped” on the Food Network (though the ingredients were more user-friendly)

Matthew’s roommate was out of town and he was left alone to contend with the weekly CSA box of produce. He called me in a panic, “Can you do something with this?”

“Of course,” I calmly replied. “What do you have?”

“A bunch of green stuff, spring onions, summer squash and what not.”

What not? Could he be less specific? Now, I was in a panic.

Nonetheless, I agreed to cook dinner for him and his partner. I picked up a piece of swordfish, armed myself with "Even Star Farm CSA Cookbook” and prayed that the ingredients he brought would somehow come together into a cohesive meal.

I unpacked the bag to discover the “green stuff”: kale, basil, cilantro, lettuce and radicchio. There were plenty of spring onions – the bulbous, young onions as well as the more traditional-looking scallions. And the “what-not”: A kousa and yellow squash, 2 tomatoes, a tiny fennel bulb, a bunch of carrots, cucumber and a yellow bell pepper.

As an additional challenge, I didn’t want to supplement with anything beyond the fish and what I had on hand. I also didn’t want to use any vegetables that weren’t in the CSA box or in my garden.

This is what I came up with:

Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup
From the CSA Box: carrots, kale, onions. From my garden: garlic, celery, thyme

Summer Squash Sautéed with Garlic Scapes
From the CSA Box: squash and basil. From the garden: scapes

Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad
From the CSA Box: pepper, tomato and basil

Carrot and Fennel Slaw
From the CSA Box: carrot and fennel

Salad with the lettuce, cucumber and carrot
all from the CSA box, though I could have added cucumbers and lettuce from my garden

Quinoa with Kale and Tomato, seasoned with Soy and Lemon
Kale and Tomato from the CSA Box

Alas, I couldn’t figure out how to work cilantro into this, otherwise, European meal. That will get used later in the week.

Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad
I only had one pepper and one tomato to use, but for a more generous serving, I'd recommend using at least 2 peppers (and maybe even two tomatoes)

2 bell peppers — red or yellow
2 ripe tomatoes
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs. fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Blacken the skin of the pepper over a gas burner (or under a broiler) until blackened on all sides. Put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stem for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes.

3. When peppers are cool, peel away blackened skin. Cut in half; remove and discard the stem and seeds.

4. Cut the peppers into 1/2" wide strips. Mix with the tomatoes. Coarsely chop the basil and add to the peppers. Add the balsamic and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

May 14, 2010

The Tremont Street CSA

Lettuce production has kicked into full gear. Every other day, I harvest about 1 gallon of leaves – far more arugula, mizuna and tat soi than I can eat on my own. I’m thinking about starting a CSA for my neighbors as a way to share the wealth.

In the meantime, I’m giving away bags of lettuces as gifts when visiting friends or meeting with clients.

I’ve become a bit more resourceful in how I use arugula. It’s not just for salads. Lettuces can be substituted for spinach in a recipe that calls for cooking greens. The peppery flavor adds sparkle to any dish. You can also use arugula in place of basil for pesto.

Yesterday, I sautéed a fistful in a little olive oil to use as a filling for an omelet. I topped it with homemade ketchup from last summer.

April 5, 2010

Road-Tripping (Recipe: Sesame-Ginger Fusion Cabbage)

Along the main roads of rural Massachusetts, it’s not unusual to drive past a farm-stand with fresh produce grown just a few meters away. In the summer time, I become quite discerning about where I stop. In the winter and early spring, I’m down-right grateful that someone is growing *anything* local and I’ll snatch up whatever I can just to support the farmer's efforts.

The selection is often limited, and on a recent stop, this particular farmer only had potatoes (which had been in storage) and cabbage. I didn’t mind… The potatoes made their way into latkes and tater tots. The green cabbage required a bit more thought as I rarely cook with it.

My friend Brett has a recipe for “Ginger Sesame Greens” which I included in The Sauchuk Farm cookbook. It’s an easy recipe that would be great as a side for teriyaki chicken or salmon. Even more simple, you could throw in leftover roast chicken and serve the cabbage over brown rice.

Ginger Sesame Fusion Cabbage
This recipe also works well with Swiss Chard

(serves 4-6)
1 small head green cabbage
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoon dark roasted sesame oil (such as Kadoya brand)
2 tablespoons mild soy sauce or 1 tablespoon double dark soy sauce
¼ teaspoon (or more depending on taste) black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup sake or white wine

Cut cabbage in half. Cut out core, and coarsely chop. Rinse thoroughly.

In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, sauté for 2 minutes, or until garlic just begins to soften. Add cabbage and pepper.

Cover the cabbage and steam for 1 minute. Add sake or white wine and soy sauce.

When cabbage just soft (about 3 minutes), add butter. Shake pan to incorporate.

Adjust seasoning with salt and lemon juice if necessary.

April 2, 2010

Celery (Recipe: Spicy Shrimp and Cashew Stir-Fry)

Along the lines of garlic and onions, I think of celery more as an aromatic than a vegetable. I rarely cook it on its own, but its distinctive flavor enhances French, Chinese and southern cooking. Its crunchy texture makes it a staple in egg, chicken or tuna salad.

Because of how I use celery – one stalk at a time – it becomes a regular crop in my vegetable garden. I can harvest the single stalk, leaving the remainder of the plant in the ground to continue growing. Unlike purchasing a whole head at the market – where the remainder will go limp in my crisper drawer before I have a chance to use it up.

I was working on a cookbook for Sauchuk Farm in Plympton MA for their summer CSA. His subscribers will get an incredibly diverse assortment of vegetables, including celery. The celery will keep for up to 3 weeks when stored properly (Coldest part of fridge. Leaves like to be dry in a bag. Stems like to be loose in a bag). You’d still need to use almost a stalk a day to consume it all before it goes flaccid. That creates a menu planning challenge. For that reason, I wanted to make sure I included a few recipes in his cookbook that called for copious amounts of celery.

Last summer, I made a celery Caesar salad which was quite lovely, but decided to go a different route for his book. I opted, instead, for a Chinese stir-fry – a variation of kung pao chicken that I learned at a cooking class in Beijing China. I used cashews instead of peanuts, and shrimp instead of chicken.

Spicy Shrimp, Celery and Cashew Stir-Fry
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and cleaned
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 egg white
3 scallions cut into rounds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbs. ginger, peeled and finely minced
3 celery stalks, sliced
¾ cup roasted, salted cashews
2 tbs. plain or peanut oil

Sauce
½ tsp. salt
1 tbs. sugar
2 tbs. black vinegar or balsamic
2 tsp. shaio xing wine or sherry
2 tbs. water or chicken broth
1 tsp. corn starch
1 – 2 tsp or more chile paste (like sriracha)

In a small bowl, marinade the shrimp with ¼ tsp. salt, soy sauce and egg whites. In a separate bowl, combine all sauce ingredients.

Heat a large over high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, ginger, garlic and ½ the scallions. Let cook for 1 minute and then add the celery and cashews. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and stir-fry until the celery turns jade green, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

Return the skillet to high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and shrimp and stir-fry until shrimp turn pink and curl up, about 2 minutes. Return the celery and cashews to the pan and the sauce, and stir over the heat for about 1 minute to mix together evenly and blend flavors. Transfer the stir-fry to a platter and garnish with the remaining scallions.

Serve with steamed white or brown rice.

July 10, 2009

Bumper Crops (Recipe: Goma Spinach)

Last week, I visited Waltham Fields Community Farm for a reading by Lisa M. Hamilton, author of Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness. They asked me to prepare a few salads with their produce to serve the attendees.

With all this rain and cool weather, they had a glut of spinach. So much that they could not keep up with the harvest and the leaves were rather large by the time they did. They gave me 11 pounds for the event.

Such spinach is ideal for cooking, less so for a salad, because cooking reduces its mass considerably. My crate cooked down to about ¾ gallon in volume. I snagged a little off the top to eat with my own dinner the night before the event, and reheated it in garlic and olive oil. If I had more, I would have frozen it. The remainder I served with a Japanese style sesame dressing.

Chilled Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing
(Goma Spinach)

1 pound fresh spinach, washed
8 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
2 tbs. sake
2 tsp sugar
2 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. rice vinegar
¼ cup water or dashi

Heat a large skillet over high flame. Add spinach (no oil, just the residual water from washing). Cook the spinach just until it wilts, turning occasionally.

Chill spinach in refrigerator.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the remaining ingredients together. Blend until smooth.

Squeeze out excess water from spinach. Drizzle dressing on top just before serving.

June 9, 2009

CSA Cookbooks (Recipe: Pesto Pasta with Seared Scallops)

Many CSAs are starting up this week with their first deliveries. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It’s a concept that has increased in popularity over the past few years as more consumers become concerned about their food sources.

So what is a CSA? Farmers sell subscriptions or shares of their farms crop to the public. In exchange, the consumer gets a weekly box (bag, basket) of farm-fresh produce throughout the growing season. By purchasing a share, the farmer gets paid in front of the growing season when cash-flow is tight. He also knows that he has a committed marketplace to bring his produce. The consumer gets the freshest produce possible and supports the local economy and farmers. The added benefit for the consumer is getting in touch with where their food comes from. Typical CSA subscriptions run for 15 weeks throughout the summer and cost around $400 for a share. The produce in the box varies from week to week, depending on what the farm is harvesting. In New England, early weeks’ boxes include leafy greens, peas, strawberries and radishes. Later in the summer come zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers and corn. Subscribers can expect 6-8 different vegetables each week. Some farms offer winter subscriptions, too. Here in New England, we have meat CSAs and fish CSAs too.

For all the great benefits of CSAs, there’s one inherent drawback that most advocates gloss over…the consumer often gets vegetables they have no idea how to cook (kohlrabi, anyone?) or too much of something they know how to cook only one or two ways (Swiss Chard). The farmer is too busy harvesting (and truthfully, doesn’t particularly like the regular communications with the subscribers) to share new recipes or cooking tips. To alleviate this challenge, my dear friend Brett and I started a venture to create custom cookbooks for small farms. The farmer sends us a list of the crops he’s growing for the season and in return gets a cookbook full of recipes written especially for his crops, as well as storage and cooking tips. We recommend that the farmer build the cost of the cookbook into the price of the CSA and give to the subscribers as part of the package.

Throughout the season, I will be featuring recipes from the book we wrote for Even’ Star Organic Farm. If you have challenges coming up with recipes for your CSA subscription, email me at julia [at] CSAcookbooks [dot] com, and I will post recipes just for you.

And if you belong to a CSA, tell your farmer about CSA Cookbooks. For more information about CSAs or to find a CSA in your area, visit LocalHarvest.

Basil Pesto
First of the season basil is lighter and softer in flavor than the later cuttings. Pesto is a great way to use up vast quantities of basil, and freezes superbly. Tossed with pasta and served with seared scallops, it’s a great summer dinner.

¼ c olive oil
8 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
½ t salt
¼ t black pepper
¼ c white wine
¼ c almonds or pine nuts, toasted and then cooled
about 4 c basil leaves (Genoa type)
at least ½ c more olive oil or vegetable oil
¼ c grated Romano cheese
more salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the garlic in the ¼ c olive oil until soft but not very brown. Immediately add the next three ingredients and simmer until the wine volume has reduced by one half. Let cool.

Process all this in a Cuisinart until the garlic is fully pureed. Add the nuts and process until nearly smooth. Add the basil and PLENTY OF OLIVE OR VEG. OIL. Process further, until the basil is just barely smooth (no leaf pieces bigger than 1/8”), always adding more oil if the surface of the basil appears exposed to air. Add the cheese and process 15 seconds more. Taste for salt and pepper.

Place in a Tupperware or a glass jar and immediately be sure that there is at least ¼” oil floating over the basil.

Keeps 6 weeks in the ‘fridge or 2 years in a freezer.

August 16, 2008

Farm Share Thursday

My neighbors were on vacation this week, and they offered me their weekly CSA subscription box. The vegetables come from Parker Farm. I knew Steve Parker back when he used to deliver to restaurants. He also used to be a fixture at the Central Square Farmer’s Market, but this year he’s only at the Saturday’s Market in Union Square, Somerville. I especially like to support the farmers I know.

In the spirit of Farm Share Tuesday, I invited a few friends over to enjoy a dinner in the garden eating farm fresh food.In my box this week: yellow carrots, cucumbers, corn, sweet onions, radishes and arugula. To add to the bounty, I still had a few things left from my visit to the farm: Cherokee purple and turtle gold tomatoes, eggs and new potatoes. And to round out the offerings: fresh herbs and celery in the garden.

With Dina in the house, I had to make my now famous Smoked Chicken Salad¸ tossed with celery, carrots, and onion tops, mixed with mayonnaise. I canned peachy mamas at the farm, which made a lovely hors d’œuvre to accompany the chicken, served with crackers. Or if someone has celiac disease, you can use cucumber slices instead of crackers.

The main meal, which coincidentally was gluten-free, manifested itself into: Arugula, Tomatoes and Cucumber, Simply Dressed with Basil, Lemon and Olive Oil

Creamed Corn – the surprise hit of the night

Tortilla Espangola with Smoked Tomato Ketchup

Vietnamese Crepes

(Makes 16 8” crepes)

1/2 Pound Rice Flour
2 Ounces Corn Starch
2 Eggs
1 ½ Cups Coconut Milk
1 Cup Water
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Teaspoons Turmeric
4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1 Pound Carrots, Peel, Julienned Or Shredded
6 Red Radishes, Julienned Or Shredded
½ Cup Mint Leaves, Julienned
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Cup Vinegar
1 Cup Sugar
Pinch Chili Flakes
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce

Combine corn starch, rice flour, salt and turmeric in a bowl. Stir in eggs, coconut milk and water. Add more water if the batter is too thick, more rice flour if too thin.
Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high flame. Add 1 tbs. of oil, or enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add 1/3 cup batter to pan, swirl around to create a thin layer.
Cook crepe until crepe is crispy and brown on the bottom. Fold crepe in half. Repeat process with remaining batter.
Mix carrots and radish with salt and let rest for ½ hour, or until carrots are soft. Add mint.
Combine remaining ingredients for sauce in a stainless steel sauce pot. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Combine carrots/radish with sauce.
Serve crepes with salad.