This Week’s Share
In addition to potatoes, carrots, garlic, cabbage, squash, cucumbers and lettuce; you’ll also receive a bunch of parsley (approximately 1 cup chopped) and a couple ounces of basil. Not quite enough basil for pesto (yet), but a nice amount to add to a salad, sandwich or pizza. Beans are still making the rounds and you will see them in the next week or two. And stay tuned for corn and tomatoes.
The variety of garlic you’ll receive this week is Killarney, a hard neck variety. The cloves are easy to peel and have a strong flavor and reddish-brown skin. We’ve been saving and planting our own Killarney for over seven years. The garlic is planted in the fall to grow a decent sized bulb. This week we finished pulling all the garlic out of the field and now it’s stacked up in the barn curing. You’ll be enjoying a bulb of garlic each week, we have numerous varieties planted, so let us know if there is a variety you prefer.
Recipes (compiled by Heidi Noordijk)
My father is from the Netherland and whenever we had carrots and potatoes in the house he’d always make hutspot. It’s definitely a comfort food for me and I’d like to pass on the recipe. Before my vegetarian days my dad would add smoked sausage to this dish. Now he makes it sans meat. This recipe is adapted from Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert.
HUTSPOT
6 large potatoes
6 carrots
1 cup onion
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Chop these ingredients and boil in water for about 30 minutes. Drain and mash vegetables together. Gradually beat milk into vegetables. Add butter and pepper and beat vigorously until light and fluffy.
POTATO SOUP WITH CABBAGE AND PROSCIUTTO
Adapted from Fresh from the Farmers’ Market by Janet Fletcher
You may get a red cabbage or a green cabbage in your share; feel free to try this recipe with either.
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 ounces prosciutto di Parma, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 pounds potatoes, peeled, in 1/2 cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups broth
3/4 pound cabbage finely sliced
Melt butter in a large pot over moderate heat. Add onion, garlic, prosciutto, sage and rosemary. Sauté until onion is soft and sweet, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, season with salt and pepper and stir to coat seasonings. Sauté about 3 minutes, add broth and 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer, cover and adjust heat to maintain a gentle summer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Using a potato masher, mash potatoes until most of them break down and begin to thicken soup; it’s nice to leave a few slightly rough pieces to give the soup a more interesting texture. Stir in cabbage and simmer gently until it is just tender, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
GRATED CARROT SALAD
Adapted from Fresh from the Farmers’ Market Janet Fletcher
1/2 pound carrots
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
Salt
Peel carrots; grate with a large-holed grater. Transfer to a bowl and stir in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, chives and salt to taste. Taste and adjust seasoning.
ROASTED GARLIC AND POTATO PURÉE
Adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables Alice Waters
1 head garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound potatoes
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/8 cup milk, warmed
Preheat oven to 375˚ Break apart the heads or garlic into single cloves. Leave them unpeeled and crowd them into a baking dish. Drizzle generously with the olive oil, add 1/4 inch of water, and roast for 30 to 45 minutes. The garlic is done when a clove squeezed between thumb and forefinger expresses a soft purée. Do not over cook, or the garlic will dry out and burn, resulting in a very unpleasant taste. Extract the purée by squeezing the cloves by hand or passing them through a food mill.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into big chunks. Boil in salted water until they start falling apart. Drain them in a colander and put it in the oven for 5 minutes, to dry out the potatoes a little. Pass the potatoes through a food mill and whisk in the melted butter, the garlic purée, and enough of the warm milk to obtain the right consistency. Season with salt and pepper and finish with a little bit of spicy, fruity olive oil.
Zucchini and Basil Pasta
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
This would be a great light lunch using your summer squash and basil
Prepare 1/4 pound of thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta. Warm olive oil in a skillet and add a clove of finely chopped garlic. Cut the zucchini into 1/2 inch chunks and add to skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook gently over medium heat until squash is soft and browned in places. Add 3 tablespoons of half-and-half or milk and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring more frequently. Drain the pasta and toss with zucchini, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a handful of basil leaves torn into small pieces.
PARSLEY SALAD WITH OIL AND LEMON
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
1 cup parsley leaves- pluck the leaves from the stem, then wash and dry well.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Toss parsley leaves with oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and freshly milled pepper.