Week #20 2019
- Sweet Peppers
- Hot peppers
- Spaghetti squash
- Tomatoes heirloom
- Cucumbers
- Leeks
- Onions
- Basil
- Parsley
- Apples
- Tomatillos, either pineapple (eaten raw, small and best when bright orange) or green ones that are best cooked
- Stuffing peppers (chili poblanos)
- Eggplant
- Zucchini
- Potatoes
- Cherry tomatoes
The crops have shifted, in part due to the weather and time of year and part due to the canning party. Mary Kay has been instrumental in getting the canning party organized. We have a whole line up of recipes (pickling will be limited unfortunately as my pickling cukes peeked and were not attended to, sadly they are gone. Radishes seeded in July were inundated with weeds and did not germinate well, alas, we will deal with fruit as it is abundant. We will start at 0900 and hope to finish by 4 or 5. We have people signed up who are unable to make it, so if you wanted to get in on the fun, gather your jars and come on over to La Finquita today.
Juvencio and I harvested a good portion of this week’s share last night before the canning party his morning. We have the first heirloom tomatoes, NO BLOSSOM end rot, hurray, but fairly bland flavor, go figure. I need to check the water, maybe it did not get shut off on the magical August 1st deadline. Hopefully they will improve in flavor. We are just starting in on the abundant, but not amazing winter squash. The nice thing about it is it lasts for months and just gets better. We use the spaghetti squash as the “pasta” for our favorite tomato and sausage sauce that uses all the veg of the week. We add eggplant, carrot, zucchini, basil, parsley, yum. We simply cut the spaghetti squash in half, roast it cut side down for 45 minutes, scoop out the squash and add the sauce.
We are hosting the first annual PACSAC farm to table dinner on September 22. It should be fun, with local chefs preparing a meal of fresh local produce and meat. We are hoping to draw in people new to CSA but we would love to have any of you who want to join the fun, invite a neighbor or co-worker and show off the farm. Somehow, I don’t have a great link to get you signed up, but will send it out soon.
Here are dates to remember:
September 22 – Farm to table dinner at La Finquita
September 27 – “Prospera” fundraiser for Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, please join me: https://virginiagarcia.org/2019prospera/
October 6 – Harvest Festival 2019 at La Finquita 2-6 come one and all!!
Please do sign up to help harvest. We are giving less (tomatoes, fruit etc.) because we do not have enough hands to help us harvest . . .
OK, I just got lost for 30 minutes (more like 60 minutes, once I start looking at politics and the burning Amazon, the concentration camps at the border and more sad sad news) looking up amazing recipes to share with you. I have eggplant galore, prune plums, apples and goat cheese recipes, it is going to be a good week.
BRAISED CHICKEN BREASTS ON CREAMY LEEKS
2 lb medium leeks (white and pale green parts only)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 lb total)
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
Halve leeks lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces.
Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil and 1/2 tablespoon butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown chicken on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
Add wine to skillet and deglaze by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 1 to 2 minutes. Add leeks and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and salt and pepper to taste, then simmer over moderately low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until leeks are wilted, about 10 minutes. Stir in broth. Top leeks with chicken breasts and juices from plate, then gently simmer over low heat, covered, until leeks are tender and chicken is just cooked through, about 8 minutes .
Transfer chicken breasts to a plate. Add cream to skillet and boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve chicken on top of leeks.
Thanks Helen for this recipe:
Roasted Italian Prune Plums and Rosemary
From: Alice Waters – The Art of Simple Food II
Preheat the oven to 400 F
Ingredients:
12-16 Italian prune plums, cut in ½ and pit removed
2 Tbsp to 1/3 cup honey or brown sugar (use less sugar if serving with savory dish)
1 sprig rosemary
½ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds (optional)
¼ cup red wine
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil or melted butter
Toss the plums with the honey (or sugar), rosemary, and fennel seeds (if using).
Place the plums cut-side down in baking dish or oven-proof pan in a single layer.
Drizzle the red wine, red wine vinegar, and olive oil (or melted butter) over the top. Sprinkle with black pepper.
Roast for 12 minutes. Turn over the plums and spoon some of the juices over the top. Roast another 5 minutes or until the plums are soft and juicy. If the plums are too dry, sprinkle 1-2 spoonfuls of water over the top. Your kitchen will smell AMAZING!
Serving Suggestions:
Savory: Serve as a compote with roasted, grilled, or braised pork or lamb
Sweet: Spoon over or layer with ice cream or crème anglaise or with whipped cream
Great use of gently bruised apples, thanks Sue Kass for the link!
Cianfotta Lucana (Eggplant, tomato, pepper and potato stew)
From the San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook
Great accompaniment to fish or meat. Or a sauce for pasta. Can add
capers or fresh ginger.
2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
3 tomatoes
½ C extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into walnut sized cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 C warm water
3 Japanese eggplants, cut into ¾ inch cubes
Roast bell peppers over a gas burner, under the broiler or on
a grill until the skins blister and char. Place in a plastic bag, seal
and set aside for 15 minutes to steam. Then peel, stem, seed and
derib. Cut the peppers into strips. Set aside.
Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Blanch the
tomatoes by plunging them into the boiling water for 15 seconds, then
into ice water. Drain, then peel, seed and dice. Set aside.
Heat 1 Tble of the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add
the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add the warm water and
simmer slowly for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes
and simmer for 5 minutes longer.
Heat 2 Tbles of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium
high heat. Add the pepper strips and sauté until softened, then add
them to the potato mixture.
Add the remaining oil to the skillet and, when hot, add the
eggplant cubes and fry until golden brown. Add the eggplant to the
potato mixture and cook for a few minutes longer, or until the
potatoes and eggplant are soft, the liquid has been absorbed and the
flavors are well blended. Serves 6
Try this party drink:
The Green Lantern
1 cup packed parsley sprigs
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 (10-ounce) bottle club soda
Purée all ingredients except club soda in a blender 1 minute. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large glass measure. Serve over ice and top off drinks with club soda.
Maryanne’s Tian of Basil
· 2 medium- small zucchini, thinly sliced
· 4 bunches basil, 4 cups loosely packed fresh basil, stemmed and coarsely chopped
· 3-4 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
· ¾ cup or less shredded kasseri, gruyere or Swiss cheese,
· ¼ cup or less fruity extra virgin olive oil
· Salt and pepper to taste.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a shallow (about 2 inches deep) ovenproof serving dish. Place the zucchini slices over the bottom and press chopped basil leaves firmly over the zucchini (the basil will cook down the way spinach does).
2. Arrange the tomato slices over the basil. Then scatter the cheese evenly over the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and back about 35 minutes, until hot through and cheeses are melted
EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE SANDWICHES
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 12-inch-long piece baguette, cut horizontally in half
1 small eggplant, cut lengthwise into six 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 medium tomatoes, cut into 10 slices total
3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet)
12 fresh basil leaves
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Combine oil and garlic in small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.
Brush cut sides of baguette and both sides of eggplant slices and tomato slices with garlic oil. Grill cut sides of baguette until toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer baguette, cut side up, to plates. Season eggplant and tomatoes with salt and pepper. Grill eggplant until cooked through, about 6 minutes per side; transfer to plate. Grill tomatoes until warmed through, about 1 minute per side; transfer to plate.
Spread goat cheese on bread, dividing equally. Overlap eggplant slices, then tomato slices on baguette halves, covering completely. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Cut each sandwich diagonally into 4 sections and serve.
This is the dish I am making for the canning party!! Using all that eggplant!