Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click here to go to the recipe database.

To tie in with the story on the Healthy Cooking Class (above), I asked Karen Haralson if she would send me her mineral broth recipe, so I could share it with you all. Although a portion of the ingredients are not in our farm shares (we don't grow sweet potato, for example), many are, and this is a nice recipe to have around on general principle. Thanks for sharing it Karen! The rest of this week's recipes are either from my clippings file or a little online research. Oh, and by the way, for anyone new to my recipe section, I use square brackets [like this] when I interject my own thoughts or comments into other peoples' recipes. ;-) - Debbie
 
Mineral Broth
adapted by Karen Haralson from the Bauman College Cookbook [Debbie's two cents in square brackets]

Wash and cut into 1 inch chunks:
1 C sweet potatoes
1 medium potato
1 C carrots
2 C celery
1 C mixed seasonal vegetables, such a butternut squash, zucchini, leek, cabbage, etc. [we have leeks, and some of us still have cabbage...]

Slice into strips:
1 C collard greens [or maybe kale or chard?]
1 C onions

Coarsely chop:
2 cloves garlic [or a stalk of green garlic]
1/8 C fresh parsley

Place ingredients in large pot with a lid.  Cover with filtered water, just to the level of the vegetables and add:

6 slices fresh ginger root
¼ C or more seaweed (dulse, nori, wakame, hijiki, kombu)
Additional seasonal greens (kale, chard, spinach, or mustard)

Bring water to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover.  The broth is best when simmered for 3-5 hours.


The Fava Beans are Maturing...
(excerpted from last year's newsletter) I've already talked to you about using your young fava pods, but of course over time the pods will get bigger, as will the beans inside, so you'll want some sort of gauge for when to eat them pods and all, and when to switch to shucking the pods and only eating the beans inside. A rule of thumb (finger?) is that, when they are still roughly the diameter of your finger and bright, vibrant green, definitely eat them pods and all. As they get bigger, if the pods are still bright and the beans within fairly small still, you can kind of go either way. Once the pods and inner beans get big, the pods are tough. It's best at this point to shuck them and only use the beans. Some weeks you'll get bags with a mix of big and small pods inside; just sort them and use them accordingly.
 
Now there's another optional step when working with the beans inside: removing the pale green skin. This is easily done, although it can be somewhat labor intensive. Simply drop the beans into boiling water for a minute or so, then lift them out with a slotted spoon (or drain them); the skin will have loosened. Now just pinch the skin on one end of the bean, and give it a squeeze on the other. The bean will squirt out through the pinched opening (have a bowl handy to receive!).

There's no requirement to peel the inner bean though (unless your making a mash or spread with them); taste them both ways and see. If you don't mind the skins, just leave 'em on!

My favorite thing to do with the beans right after they're peeled and still warm, is to simply salt them and eat them like edamame, but there are also several ways to cook with them at this point (see recipe database). They will be in our boxes for a few weeks yet so I'll have more recipes accordingly.


We're getting tatsoi and mizuna again this week, so here are some interesting recipes I found on the web:

Tatsoi and mushrooms with Indian spices
from 'The Kitchen Garden Cookbook'
Serves 3-4

2 big bunches tatsoi, bok choy or other mustardy/cabbagey greens, chopped, stalks even more finely chopped so they cook evenly
~ 10 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp. peanut oil [or other veggie oil good for sauteing]
2 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. cumin seeds (ground cumin would be acceptable, but the seeds really pop nicely in your mouth)
5 cloves garlic, minced [2 or 3 stalks of green garlic]
1 onion, sliced thinly

Heat oil in wok or large frying pan. Add garlic and stir, one minute [longer if using chopped green garlic; saute with the onions, if using]. Add onions and spices and cook, stirring, another 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms and tatsoi and stir well to wilt, then cover and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Serve over rice. Try to fish out the bay leaves before serving as they are rather stiff and pointy. Leftovers are fantastic the next day.


Wok Sauteed Mizuna with Minced Chicken
from the Whole Foods Market Cookbook
serves 4 - 6

The mizuna leaves are added last and barely cooked. If substituting kale, add it a bit earlier in the recipe, with the carrot and onion, so it will be tender. Any way you decide to prepare this dish, serve it with basmati rice or short grain brown rice.

1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped [or... you guessed it! use green garlic!!]
1 pound very finely chopped chicken meat
2 tsps canola or peanut oil
1/3 C finely chopped carrot
1/3 C finely chopped onion
1/4 C finely chopped water chestnuts
1/2 tsp. chile paste with garlic
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 lb. mizuna, trimmed
1/4 C finely chopped green onions [you can use the lower stalk of the fresh farm onions just like green onions]

In a medium bowl, mix egg white with 1/2 teaspoon of the tamari, garlic and chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat 1 tsp. of oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add chicken mixture and cook, stirring constantly, 4 to 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and appears opaque. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside. Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in same wok; add carrots, onions and water chestnuts and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add remaining 1 tsp. tamari, chile paste, lime juice and mizuna and cook, stirring often, until slightly wilted. Return chicken to wok and toss well. Garnish with green onions and serve.


Here's one that would be great with some of TLC Ranch's pastured pork (and of course the farm's leeks!):

Pork Chops with Leeks in Mustard Sauce
from an undated Bon Appetit clipping (modified slightly)
serves 4

4 1½- to 2-inch-thick bone-in pork rib chops
2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
Olive oil (optional)
4 C thinly sliced leeks (white and light green parts only; about 3 large)
3 garlic cloves, minced [1 or 2 stalks of green garlic, white and light green parts, just like the leeks, finely chopped]
¼ C brandy
1 C chicken stock
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/3 C sour cream or creme fraiche [or the thickened yogurt you have left after making whey for beet kvass!]

Pat chops dry with paper towels. Combine salt, thyme, rosemary, and pepper and sprinkle on all sides of chops. Let stand at room temperature 1 to 2 hours, or wrap and refrigerate up to a day.

Heat a heavy large skillet [I prefer cast iron] over medium heat. Add bacon and saute until crisp and lightly browned. Transfer bacon out of pan and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high and add chops to skillet. Sear until brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove chops from pan and set aside.

Pour off all but 3 tbsps. of drippings from skillet (or add olive oil to make 3 tbsp). Add leeks and saute until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute [if using green garlic, add it same time as the leeks and cook them together]. Add brandy, then broth and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits. Return bacon to skillet; add sage and stir to blend.

Nestle chops down into the leeks in skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer 3 minutes. Turn chops over. Cover; simmer until thermometer inserted into thickest part of chop registers 140 to 145 degrees F, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chops to platter. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm.

Spoon off any fat from cooking liquid in skillet [or not, if the meat is from pasture-raised pork]. Boil until all liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Whisk in mustard, then creme fraiche (do not boil). Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chops.


12 ways with broccoli
from an undated SJ Mercury News clipping

Dress steamed stalks with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes.

Stir-fry florets and thinly sliced stalks with ginger, scallions and a little toasted sesame oil.

Puree cooked stems in a food processor with butter and kosher salt.

Bake steamed florets under a blanket of cheese sauce until bubbly.

Microwave, covered, with a tablespoon of water for each cup of florets, til tender, then drizzle with vinaigrette.

Saute steamed florets and stalks with onion, red bell pepper, raisins, pine nuts and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Boil florets with orcchiette for the last few minutes of the pasta's  cooking time; drain and toss with tomato sauce and parmesan.

Sauce steamed florets with a mixture of yogurt, parsley, a pinch of dry mustard and minced garlic and fresh chile to taste.

Stir finely chopped, cooked broccoli into the custard base for a quiche or souffle.

Whirl thoroughly cooked florets and stalks in food processor with vegetable stock and a little olive oil, then toss with fettuccine and toasted pine nuts.

Slowly cook florets and sliced stems, covered, for 15-20 minutes with a small amount of water and garlic that has been sauteed in olive oil.

Simmer a bunch of broccoli and a peeled and quartered potato in a quart of chicken broth, until soft; puree in a blender and reheat with milk or cream to taste.


Double-dutch mac and cheese with chard
from another undated Bon Appetit clipping
serves 5 - 6

3 tbsp. butter
½ C chopped onion
1 garlic clove [yeah, you know the routine now...]
2 tbsp. flour
1 ½ C milk
1 C (packed) coarsely grated gouda cheese
¼ C finely grated gouda cheese
1 C (packed) coarsely grated Edam cheese, divided
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
dash ground nutmeg
1 large bunch chard, stems and center ribs removed
6 oz. elbow macaroni
½ C fresh breadcrumbs from sourdough bread
½ tsp. cumin seeds (optional)

Melt half the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion; saute until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic [again, if using green garlic, saute it together with the onion], then flour; stir constantly 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture begins to boil, a couple more minutes. Add the cup of coarsely grated Gouda and half the Edam. Stir until cheeses melt, 1-2 minutes. Stir in cayenne and nutmeg. Season sauce with salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 or 9-inch square glass baking dish. Cook chard in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 1 minute. Remove chard with a slotted spoon or tongs and set aside to cool; reserving cooking water. Squeeze water from chard and chop finely.

Return water in pot to boil. Add macaroni; cook until tender but still form to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Stir macaroni int owarm cheese sauce. Place half of macaroni in dish; smooth top. Top with remaining Edam cheese, then chard. Top with remaining macaroni mixture; spread evenly.

Melt rest of butter. Place breadcrumbs in a bowl, drizzle butter over; toss. [Why not just add the breadcrumbs to the butter in the pan and toss it there? One less dirty dish?] Add the finely grated gouda, sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over mac and cheese. Sprinkle cumin seeds over, if desired.

Bake mac and cheese until breadcrumbs are golden and edges are bubbling, 30 - 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Lastly, since we're all getting plenty of strawberries this week (though rumor has it they're seriously diminished through snacking on the way home), here's a strawberry recipe. A little on the fancy side, but even if you don't make it, it's still fun sometimes just to read!

Fresh Strawberry Gelato
from La Divina Gelateria in New Orleans

¾ C sugar (preferably organic)
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 C whole milk
¾ C heavy whipping cream [avoid 'ultra-pasteurized'; it's bad stuff!]
2 ¼ C sliced hulled strawberries
2 tbsp. pomegranate juice

Stir sugar and cornstarch in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk in milk and cream.  Whisk over medium heat until gelato base thickens and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Pour into bowl. Cool over ice, stirring occasionally.

Puree strawberries in processor. Strain into gelato base. Mix in pomegranate juice. Chill 3 hours. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to container. Cover; freeze until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This email was sent to deb@writerguy.com by farmers@cruzio.com.

Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.

Email Marketing by