Garden – Page 2 – Grow. Cook. Eat.

November 14, 2008

Native Cantabrigian Mesclun

When I tell people my lettuce crop is in full swing in November, they are usually surprised. Most people think of lettuces as a summer crop (maybe spring?). In fact, lettuces prefer the cooler weather. In the summer, they get bitter and bolt – the stalks spring up woody and the plant starts to flower and go to seed. In the cool weather they are sweet and a little spicy. The plants can survive a frost and even a light dusting of snow.

These lettuces fall into the “cut and come again” category. If you harvest properly, about 2 – 3 inches above the root, they will keep growing all season. While I don’t typically pick the lettuce in advance, sometimes I will harvest over a few days so that I have enough for a larger gathering. Each day, I pick only the biggest leaves, and the others keep growing. Unlike store-bought lettuces, my backyard lettuce lasts an impressive 10 days in the refrigerator – no need to worry about picking lettuces a few days in advance. Even better, they can last over night after they've already been dressed. This comes in handy if you pre-make sandwiches for lunch or dress too much salad for a dinner and want to eat it the next day.

I’m growing three types of lettuce for my Mesclun mix:

Tatsoi….

Mizuna…

Arugula….

Portobello and Mesclun Salad

3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 shallot, diced
2 sprigs of thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 pound mesclun
2 tablespoons truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
freshly grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

1. Put portobellos on a baking sheet, fins up. Sprinkle garlic, shallots and thyme on top. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinergar on them and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until they are tender. Remove from oven and let cool.

2. When mushrooms are cooled, slice them. Toss lettuce first with truffle oil. Then season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Top with mushrooms and parmesan cheese.

July 31, 2008

Garden to Table: Eggplant

I harvested my first eggplant today! It’s especially exciting since I’ve tried growing this purple vegetable before with little success. My previous attempts yielded a total of one eggplant. When I tried grilling it, it was so small that it fell through the grates and instantly burst into flames.

This year, I’m already ahead of the game. The eggplant I harvested today was large enough for two people to share, and I have several more coming in on its heels. No doubt my success this year can be attributed to the fact that I did not crowd the plants. Each plant had a solid 18 inches of growing room in any direction.

The fresh eggplant had no traces of bitterness, even without salting. It cooked more quickly than the conventional variety, and the flavor was sweeter with a creamy texture.

This recipe is an adaptation from Eileen Yin-Fei Lo’s Chinese Kitchen.

2 Italian Eggplants
2 ½ tablespoons tapioca flour
2 tablespoons plain oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped
3 scallions, cut into rings

Sauce:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons gin
¾ cup chicken stock
1 – 2 teaspoon chili paste or sriracha – depending on taste

1. Combine ingredients for sauce.

2. Cut eggplant into 1 inch cubes and toss in tapioca starch

3. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the oil. When oil is hot, add eggplant in a single layer.

4. Cook eggplant until it starts to brown, and toss. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant.

5. Stir in sauce and scallions and cook until the sauce thickens.

6. Serve over rice.

Garden to Table: 20 minutes<

July 27, 2008

Garden Updates: Emerging Sun

After a week of torrential downpours, capped off by overnight showers… you can imagine my delight when I peered out the window this morning to notice a sunflower standing bright.

In other joyful, garden news, I will likely harvest this week:

Eggplant,

Kohlrabi

Tomatoes (I can see the first blush of ripeness, can’t you??),

and cauliflower

And to season, lots of basil, scallions and tarragon.

May 20, 2008

Sage Gone Wild

Up until this year, my sage plants have hobbled through the seasons. Each of the 4 plants would grow anemically, with just enough leaves each week to add sparkle to maybe one dish. Every once in a while, I’d be cooking an especially sage-y meal and I would decapitate a plant. If patience prevailed and the weather gods favored me, the plant would grow back. Otherwise, I’d buy another plant and try again the next year.

We’re only a few weeks into spring, and already my sage plants have grown so large they’ve begun to flower. I pruned the bushes, donating the leaves to a friend’s kitchen. Still, if I don’t do something quick they may shade the celery plants which are also vying for sun. <

Sage is a tricky herb – added fresh to a dish, a little (just a tablespoon fresh chopped) goes a long way. But if you fry the leaves and sprinkle with a little salt, they entice you like potato chips.

Here's one of my favorite dishes that requires copious amounts of sage…

Pasta with Fried Sage and Parmesan

1 pound pasta of choice
1 bunch sage, leaves picked
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup parmesan
2 – 4 tbs. butter (depending on taste)
1/2 cup chicken broth or cream
salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium high heat in a sauté pan. Add sage leaves. Cook until they begin to look translucent. Add garlic slices. Continue cooking until garlic is lightly browned. Remove from heat

3. When pasta is done, drain. Toss with sage and butter mixture. Add chicken stock and parmesan. Stir to coat pasta. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Chicken Saltimbocca

4 chicken breast cutlets
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 slice proscuitto
1 bunch sage, leaves picked
3 cloves garlic, sliced.
3 tbs. plain oil
1 shallot, diced
1/2 cup sherry
2 tbs. butter (or more to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in sauté pan. Add sage leaves. Fry for 2 minutes, or until they begin to get crispy. Add garlic, and continue frying for 1 minute or until garlic begins to turn brown. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Over the center of each chicken breast, layer mozzarella, prosciutto and 1/8 of sage-garlic mixture. Fold over to seal in filling.

3. Heat large sauté pan over high heat. Add remaining oil. Sauté chicken for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on outside, and cooked through (or you can bake chicken at 350 for 10 minutes).

4. When chicken is finished cooking, keep warm in oven. Add shallots and sherry to chicken pan. Bring wine to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and swirl in whole butter. Season pan juices to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

5. Slice chicken into medallions, and serve with pan juices. Garnish with remaining fried sage and garlic.