Week #3
- Salad Mix – enjoy this tender salad mix of buttery lettuce. Wash her well as tiny slugs like to hide between the leaves
- Shallots – use as you would onions, or if you find them building up week to week, peel them and cut them in half and roast them with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes and they become like caramel!
- Spinach – the intimidating large leaves cook down to a manageable size. Enjoy spinach simple steamed, sautéed or in soup (check out the recipe below.
- Dill or Cilantro or Thyme – enjoy any herb with a sautéed chicken or over your other greens
- Radishes or Turnips
- Kale – there are so many ways to enjoy this healthy green
- Beet greens or raab
We had a beautiful day on Friday! Juvencio was able to till until 8:30 p.m. and get beds ready for planting. We planted the remainder of the broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. We planted the outdoor sugar snap peas. We finished getting the tomatoes into the hoop house and we dared to put the summer squash out in the field. In comparing with years past, we are still several weeks behind as I look at the daunting task of transplanting 20 flats of alliums (onion, shallot, leek).
We hope to get the peppers into the hoop houses and much more this week. There is so much to do politically that has to be squeezed in as well.
We have some veggies starts we will put out today. If you want specific items please do fill out the form I sent last week and I will gather them for you for pick up in May. I can seed special items for you but I need some lead time. I am off to harvest now, see you around the farm.
Bittman curry creamed spinach w/potato crust. (4-6 svgs)
3 Lbs spinach or other greens, trimmed
2 tbs butter
2 tsp garam masala or curry powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 c coconut milk
1/2 c yogurt
(1 brick extra firm tofu cut into 1/2″ cubes- I didn’t do this)
1 large russet potato, thinly sliced
2 tbs olive oil
Salt, pepper
1. Preheat oven to 425. blanch greens by dropping in salted boiling water x 1 minute, then plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, drain and squeeze out excess moisture. roughly chop.
2.melt butter and garam masalas and nutmeg in large skillet until fragrant, then add coconut milk, yogurt, spinach, tofu, and tsp salt. Bring to a oil, stirring at times until bulk of the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to oven proof dish.
3. Toss the potato slices with oil, salt, pepper, then lay over the spinach in a single layer. Bake until the potatoes are golden and crisp.
White House No-Cream Creamed Spinach
Published May 25, 2010
Makes 6 servings
This side dish is one of Michelle Obama’s favorites because it has a creamy texture without a lot of calories and fat. One person who’s not a fan, however, is Sasha Obama, who is turned off by the bright green color — a shade of the vegetable rainbow she has yet to embrace.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 shallots, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Wash and clean the spinach. Place a large bowl of water near the sink, and put several handfuls of ice cubes in it. Place a colander in the sink.
Fill a medium-sized pot with water, and sprinkle in some salt. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Carefully add 8 ounces of the spinach (about a quarter of the leaves) and let it boil for just 30 seconds.
Carefully pour the spinach and water into the colander to drain the spinach. Then, using tongs or a fork to handle the hot spinach, immediately “shock” the spinach by putting it into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Let the spinach sit in the cold water for a minute, then drain it again in the colander. Squeeze the spinach with your hands or press the spinach against the colander with the back of a spoon to remove excess water.
Place the cooked spinach in a blender and purée. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots turn translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the rest of the spinach leaves, tossing with a spoon and sautéing until the leaves are wilted. Add the puréed spinach and stir. Season with salt and pepper.
Adapted from White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford
Spinach and Lentils
The Asian Cook Book
Serves 4
Generous 1 cup yellow split lentils, rinsed ¼ tsp ground asafetida (?)
5 cups water ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin
9 oz. fresh spinach leaves, thick stems removed, sliced and rinsed
4 scallions
To garnish:
3 tbsp vegetable oil or peanut oil
1tsp mustard seeds
2 fresh chilies, split length wise
½ inch piece fresh gingerroot, very finely chopped
Put the lentils and water in a large pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and skim the surface as necessary.
When the foam stops rising, stir in the ground coriander, cumin, asafetida, and turmeric. Half-cover the pan and let the lentils simmer for 40 minutes or until they are very tender and only a thin layer of liquid is left on top.
Stir the spinach and scallions into the lentils and continue simmering for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the spinach is wilted. If the water evaporates before the spinach is cooked, stir in al little extra. Add salt to taste. Transfer the lentils to a serving dish.
To make the garnish, heat the oil in a small pan over high heat. Add the mustard seeds, chilies gingerroot and stir until the mustard seeds begin to pop and the chilies sizzle. Pour the oil and spices over the lentils and serve.
Cook’s tip: The exact amount of water needed depends primarily on how old the lentils are, but also on the size of the pan. The older the lentils are, the longer simmering they will require to become tender. Unfortunately, there isn’t any way to determine the age when you buy lentils, so be prepared to add extra water and increase the cooking time. Also, remember, the wider the pan the quicker the water will evaporate.
Kale Omelet
By the Armard Family
INGREDIENTS
– as much kale as you could get with two hands together (as a bunch) after it has been chopped (aprox. 2 cups)
– Olive oil (2-3 tablespoons)
– One small well-chopped clove of garlic
– 1 teaspoon of salt
– 1/4 cup of feta or chevre cheese (small pieces)
– 1 small-medium ripened tomato or 4-5 cherry tomatoes (chopped)
– Fresh black pepper
– 3 eggs
– Finely chopped basil or parsley
PROCEDURES
– Stir the eggs very well with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper in a bowl. Set aside
– Heat the olive oil at medium-high and when hot add the kale and the chopped garlic. Cook until kale is soft stirring constantly. Don’t overcook. Then take out
– Reduce the fire to low-medium (let the pan cool down a little first), re-stir the eggs and poor them on the pan (use more olive oil if needed before adding the eggs)
– Immediately add the cooked kale/garlic, the chopped tomatoes, the cheese and the remaining salt
– Cover for about a minute with a lid
– Fold or whatever you prefer or can do (frittata Vs. Omelets)
– Take out and add some chopped parsley or basil on top
STIR-FRIED CHINESE BROCCOLI
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 lb Chinese broccoli (sometimes known as Chinese kale), ends of stems trimmed and broccoli cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup Thai chicken stock or canned chicken broth
2 tablespoons Thai yellow bean sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
Special equipment: a large (6-qt) wok
Heat oil in wok over high heat until hot but not smoking, then stir-fry garlic until pale golden, 10 to 15 seconds. Add broccoli and stock and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add bean sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar and stir-fry until broccoli is crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
Cooks’ note:
Broccoli can be trimmed and cut 6 hours ahead and chilled in a sealed plastic bag.
Gourmet
May 2004
Roasted Beets and Braised Beet tops with Canellini Beans(serves 4)
2 bunches medium beets with tops
1 medium red onion, cut into thin (1/4 – inch) wedges
water
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t dried oregano or 2 t fresh oregano leaves, minced
½ t Kosher salt
½ t minced garlic
Freshly ground pepper
1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut green tops from beets, leaving about ½ inch of stem attached. Set greens aside to be used fro Braising Beet tops.
Wash beets and dry. Wrap each bet tightly in a square of foil and rasp until tender when pierced with a skewer, about 1 hour or more, depending on size. Cool, unwrap foil and rub off outside skin. Trim and discard stems and ends, and cut beets into ½ inch wedges. Set aside separately until ready to serve. Strain any juices left in foil into a small bowl and reserve.
Place onion wedges in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Add a handful of ice cubes and let stand until ready to use. To make Braised Beet Tops, wash beet tops in several changes of water, trim stems and coarsely chop leaves into 2 inch pieces. There should be about 8 cups, or 1 pound, lightly packed. Heat 2 cups water to boiling in a large, broad saucepan. Stir in beet greens and cook until wilted and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, cool and then press lightly on greens with back of spoon to remove excess moisture.
In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, reserved beet juices, oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste until well blended. Measure out 1 Tablespoon and add it to the beet wedges. Toss to combine.
Remove ice cubes and drain water from onion. Add onion to dressing along with cooked beet greens and beans. Toss gently to blend. Spoon into a serving bowl and arrange beet wedges around edges and on top. Serve warm or at room temperature