This Week’s Share

• Basil
• Beans, Green and/or Yellow
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant, Orient Express
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Onions, Torpedo
• Summer Squash

Share Notes:

• Cucumbers: In addition the standard green slicing cucumbers and lemon cucumbers SIO traditionally grows, we are also trying out another lemon cucumber variety called Boothby. It is more elongated than the the spherical lemons cucumber you may be used to. You will see all these types of cucumbers in your share throughout their season.

• Eggplant: We grow two varieties of eggplant, a classic bell-shaped eggplant named Nadia and a long, slender, Asian-style eggplant named Orient Express. With this first distribution you will see the Japanese eggplant, with several distributions of both types in your share from now until the fall.

Come Join Us

The Annual SIO Potato Harvest Work Party and French Fry Feast is this Saturday, August 14th from 10am-2pm. Take a look at the schedule below and come join us for all or part of the day, even if it’s just for lunch.

This is a very kid friendly event, just make sure to wear farm field appropriate shoes and be ready to get dirty.  Please bring a potluck dish to share, we’ll provide the fresh french fries.

Schedule of Events

• 10-12:30 spuds harvest
• 12:30-1pm farm tour
• 1pm-2pm potluck lunch

If you’re not quite sure about coming, check out video from the 2008 Potato Harvest Party and you’ll surely won’t be able to resist.

Recipes

Basil Recipe

Basil Pesto
Recipe from Francesca Benedetti (CSA Coordinator at SIO)

2 cups basil, large stems removed
3-4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, or pecans
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil (how much depends on your preferred pesto consistency)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Put basil and garlic in a blender or food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the toasted nuts and pulse a few more times. Now pour the olive oil in relatively slow with the blender processor going until a paste is formed. Add the Parmesan cheese and continue adding oil (up to 1/2 cup) until your desired pesto consistency is achieved. Add alt and pepper to taste. You may also add in 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice near then end for a more tangy flavor Makes approximately 1 cup. Great on pasta, sandwiches, vegetable dishes, corn on the cob, toast, and many more things.

Cucumber Recipe

Jicama and Cucumbers with Chile and Lime
From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

Note: Originally native to Mexico, Jicama is a large tuber covered with a papery tan skin. Its appearance doesn’t even hint at its bright white flesh, which is crisp, juicy and sweet.

½ small jicama (about 8 ounces)
2 cucumbers
Grated zest and juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely diced
Salt

Peel the jicama and cut into bite-sized cubes. Peel the cucumber if that is your preference; otherwise score the skins with a fork, then quarter them lengthwise and dice into cubes. If they’re very mature, scrape out and discard the seeds first. Toss everything together and taste for salt and lime. Refrigerate until very cold, or serve right away on little plates with toothpick or small forks. Serves 4 to 6.

Eggplant Recipe

Roasted Summer Vegetables
From Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman Wert

Note: This is a versatile summer recipe that can be used as a side dish, main dish, or salad. Be sure to make enough for leftovers to put on pizza. Try a variety of vegetables through out the summer, including almost anything from your share this week or potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, corn, etc.

8 to 10 cups fresh vegetables (try summer squash, eggplant, onions, beans, and carrots from this week’s share)

Cut all vegetables into bite sized pieces for even cooking time (i.e. thinly slice carrots, but chop summer squash into larger chunks). Toss with one of the seasoning options below. Then spread seasoned vegetables in a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven at 425˚F for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

For a Main Dish: Serve over cooked penne pasta, wild rice, or couscous and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

For a Salad: Cool vegetables (or use the leftovers) and add 2 cups diced tomatoes, 3 ounces feta cheese, and additional vinaigrette dressing.

Kabab Variation: Soak wooden skewers, if using, at least 30 minutes in water to prevent scorching. Thread a variety of season vegetables on each skewer, keeping mushrooms separate as they will cook faster; carrot chunks and small whole potatoes should be boiled a few in advance. Grill over medium heat until vegetables are tender.

Seasoning One:

3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1½ tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

Seasoning Two:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon thyme
1/8 teapsoon pepper

Seasoning Three:

¾ cup Italian dressing or vinaigrette dressing

Seasoning Four:

4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons each fresh thyme, oregano, and basil, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Chef’s Corner: August

In addition to the crops SIO grows for our CSA program, we also grown and sell produce to 30-40 Portland area restaurants and kitchens, and this season at SIO we are partnering with some of those restaurants for some culinary inspiration. We have been picking the brains of some of the areas most talented chefs and restaurant owners, and have asked them to provide us with recipes and general cooking techniques based on the crops that you receive in your shares. Out at the farm we crop plan separately for both our CSA program and restaurant sales, so you don’t have to worry that part of your share may be going the restaurant down the street. For the month of August our featured restaurant is Wildwood, located in Portland’s beautiful Northwest neighborhood, near Forest Park’s 17-mile long Wildwood Trail.

Paul Kasten, Sous Chef at Wildwood Restaurant & Bar

Founded in 1994, Wildwood is an American restaurant and bar bringing you the best the Pacific Northwest has to offer.  Our menus are inspired by the fresh seasonal produce that we are so fortunate to have throughout the region.  The complexity of our dishes comes from the depth of flavor in the ingredients, most which are found within miles of the restaurant.

Local ingredients keep us firmly rooted in our rich Oregon soil.  Wildwood supports local farms which practice environmentally sound agriculture and sustainable farming, and market driven menus always showcase our local farms and purveyors.  We have been working with Sauvie Island Organics for many years now, and they remain one of our favorite farms.  It is always a privilege to work with whatever fantastic produce they have to offer.

I have assembled a menu for a summer barbecue highlighting some of my favorite products available this month from Sauvie Island Organics.  These four dishes are meant to be served family style and will make a satisfying meal for six to eight people.

The cured salmon should be started about five days in advance to allow additional curing time if needed.  It will hold well in the refrigerator for several days after it is finished.

The chicken should be brined the day before.

The chickpeas should be soaked two days before and cooked the day prior to the barbecue.

The focaccia croutons for the bread salad can be toasted the day before and stored in a sealed container until needed.

As far as the actual grilling goes, this is arranged so that you can cook three dishes on your grill with one firing, making it convenient for those using charcoal.  The carrots and eggplant will require high heat, while the chicken, which cooks last, will need to grill longer over lower heat.

HOME CURED OREGON CHINOOK SALMON GRAVLAX
shaved torpedo onion, cucumber, lime yogurt, chile and arugula

gravlax:

1 lb very fresh local Chinook salmon fillet
4T granulated sugar
3T kosher salt
1 bunch dill, large stems removed

Remove any pin bones from the salmon.  Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.  Evenly coat the fish with a mixture of the salt and sugar.  Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap with half of the dill spread out on it.  Lay the salmon on top.  Cover salmon with the remaining dill and wrap tightly.  Lay flat in a Tupperware container or baking dish and refrigerate for three days.  At this point the salmon should be uniformly firmer from the cure.  If some spots still feel like raw, fresh fish, apply the same amount of salt and sugar again and cure for another day or two.  When the fish is fully cured, rinse it, pat it dry, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until needed.  Thinly cut two or three slices per person.  Lay them out on a platter and top with the following ingredients in the order listed:

lime yogurt
½ c thinly shaved torpedo onion
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, sliced thinly
1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced
1 handful arugula leaves

lime yogurt:

Whisk together ¼ c good quality store bought or home made yogurt, juice and zest of one lime, and 1T good extra virgin olive oil.

MARINATED GRILLED EGGPLANT

2 lb Japanese eggplant, sliced lengthwise ¼” thick
1c good olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
¼c parsley leaves, torn
1 lemon, quartered

Brush eggplant with a light coat of olive oil and season lightly with kosher salt.  Prepare a very hot grill.  Lay the eggplant on the grill and place a baking sheet on top.  Cook until nicely charred on one side and almost cooked through.  Remove and place in a bowl.  Combine remaining olive oil, garlic and parsley.  Coat grilled eggplant with oil mixture and allow to marinate at room temperature while you cook the carrots and chicken.  To serve, remove eggplant from marinade, squeeze the lemon over it and season liberally with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

GRILLED CARROT AND CHICKPEA SALAD
pine nuts, shaved torpedo onion, cilantro, feta and lemon vinaigrette

1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
½c dried chickpeas
3 bay leaves
½c torpedo onion, thinly shaved
½c cilantro, coarsely chopped
½c crumbled feta cheese
¼c pine nuts, toasted
¼c lemon juice
Zest of two lemons
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼c good olive oil

Vinaigrette:

Whisk together lemon juice, zest, garlic and olive oil.  Add kosher salt to taste.

Chickpeas:

Soak chickpeas in cold water in the refrigerator overnight.  Put them in a saucepan with one quart of water and the bay leaves.  Bring to a simmer and cook until chickpeas are tender.  Remove from heat, stir in 2T kosher salt, and let stand in the salted water overnight in the fridge.  The day of the barbecue, drain and rinse the chickpeas and let them come to room temperature.

Salad:

Brush carrots lightly with olive oil and season with kosher salt.  Place on a hot grill with a baking sheet on top.  Cook until carrots are nicely charred on one side and cooked but not soft.  Remove and cut carrots into bite sized pieces.  Leave out at room temperature until ready to serve.  Toss with chickpeas, onion, cilantro, feta, pine nuts and vinaigrette.  Season with kosher salt to taste.

GRILLED WHOLE CHICKEN AND PANZANELLA

chicken/brine:

½ gallon water
6 oz kosher salt
4 oz granulated sugar
1 bulb garlic, unpeeled, cloves smashed with the side of a knife
2T fennel seed, toasted
1T chile flake
4 lb ice
1 3½ lb. pasture raised chicken, butterflied (spine removed with knife or shears)

Combine water, salt, sugar, garlic and spices.  Bring to a simmer for two minutes and whisk to dissolve salt and sugar.  Pour over ice in a container large enough to accommodate the chicken.  Brine overnight in the refrigerator.  Remove from brine, pat dry and rest chicken at room temperature for one hour before grilling.  After grilling the eggplant and carrots, allow the grill to cool to medium-hot, brush the grates and the chicken with olive oil, lay the chicken flat on the grill, skin side up and put the lid on.  After roughly twenty-five minutes, flip the chicken to brown the skin side.  Remove when a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees.  At this point the breast should be at about 160 degrees.  Remove from grill and tent with foil for ten minutes before serving on a platter on top of the panzanella.

Panzanella (bread salad):

1 loaf focaccia, approximately 6″x8″
½ lb. tomatoes, peeled, seeded and grated on a box grater
½ lb. tomatoes, diced
¼c zinfandel or other good red wine vinegar
1c good olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼c shallot, minced
Juice of one lemon
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1c basil leaves, torn into large pieces

Vinaigrette:

Whisk together grated tomato, vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, garlic, shallot and lemon juice.  Add kosher salt to taste.

Salad:

Cut focaccia into 1″ cubes. Toss with remaining ½ cup olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt.  Toast on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven until crisp outside, but still soft on the inside.  Toss with vinaigrette about five minutes before serving to allow the bread to soak in some of the moisture.  When ready to serve, toss with the remaining ingredients.

This Week’s Share

• Cabbage, Smooth Green
• Carrots
• Chard
• Dill
• Garlic
• Lettuce, Romaine
• Potatoes, Yukon Gold
• Scallions

Share Notes

• Carrots: This week in your share you will receive three pounds of beautiful carrots. We are at the point in the season where the cool weather and heavy rains of the late spring and early summer have slowed the summer squash and beans down by a week or so…they are looking great in the field and will be on on the way in abundance soon.

Recipes

Carrot Recipes

Pickled Carrot Spears with Dill
Recipe adapted from EdiblePortland, by Lucy Norris

Note: This recipe can is easily doubled to make 4 pints.

1 lb large carrots (peeled and cut into spears), or whole small carrots
2 garlic cloves (peeled)
2 whole small chili peppers
2 sprigs dill
1 tsp celery seed (1/2 tsp per jar)
1 1/4 cups white distilled vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
1/8 cup coarse salt (Kosher or pickling)
2 clean pint jars, with lids and lid rings

1. Into each clean pint jar, place one clove of garlic, one chili, one sprig of dill, and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed. Then pack carrots vertically into jars (be careful not to handle mouth of jar).

2. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour hot liquid over vegetables, leaving at least a 1/4-inch head-space. Remove air bubbles.

3. Place lid over mouth of jar, screw on cap, and then process jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (longer for elevations over 1,000 ft).

4. Allow jars to cool, and store in a dark cupboard for at least three weeks before tasting. Once opened, store in refrigerator for up to six months (only using clean utensils when handling).

Makes 2 pints

Romaine Lettuce Recipe

Caesar Salad
From Shannon Raider, a former SIO Farmer

Note: If you like a little less intensity you can adjust the taste, just put in less garlic and anchovy.

1-2 head(s) romaine lettuce, washed and torn into salad-size pieces
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus ¾ cup olive oil
½ tin of whole anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2-6 shakes of Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons Worcester sauce
1 raw egg yolk or 1 coddled egg yolk*
¼ cup lime juice
¼-½ cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

In the bottom of the bowl that you will serve your salad into, work 3 cloves of garlic into a paste with 2 tablespoons olive oil and pinch of salt using two forks. Next, add half a tin (or one of those tiny jars) of whole anchovy fillets into the garlic paste in the same fashion. Adjust anchovy amount to your liking. Then add 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 2-6 shakes of Tabasco sauce and 2 tablespoons Worcester sauce.
 Whisk in the raw egg yolk or coddled egg yolk*. Whisk in 3/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup lime juice.
 Stir in grated Parmesan Cheese (at least a 1/4 cup, but I like a lot of cheese).
 Add salt and generous amounts of ground black pepper to taste.
 Pour dressing into a jar and toss salad in the well seasoned bowl, toss with as much dressing as you like.
 Extra dressing can be stored for up to one week in the refrigerator.

*Coddling causes the egg white to cook and leaves the yolk liquid. This sterilizes the egg of any bacteria that could contaminate. Bring egg to room temperature. Place the egg in a small bowl or mug and pour boiling water around the egg until it is covered. Let stand for exactly 1 minute. Immediately run cold water into the bowl.

Potato Recipe

Herbed Potato Salad
From Francesca Benedetti, CSA Coordinator at SIO

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes
2 tablespoon chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Juice of ½ a lemon
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

No need to peel these beautiful new potatoes, just wash and cut them into bite-size pieces. Boil them in lightly salted water until fork tender, this should take 8 to 10 minutes max. Keep an eye on them, you don’t want to over-cook them. When tender, remove potatoes from heat, drain, and set aside.

In a large bowl combine oil with white wine vinegar. Squeeze in the lemon juice, pour in the chicken broth (vegetable broth for the vegetarians among you), Dijon mustard and whisk away. The vinaigrette will become thicker. Add garlic and dill to the large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk dressing until very well combined. Add potatoes to the dressing while they’re still warm, that way they’ll take on the flavors even more. Sprinkle the chopped spring onions in there and let the potato salad cool off. Serve the potato salad at room-temperature or cold.

Chef’s Corner: July

In addition to the crops SIO grows for our CSA program, we also grown and sell produce to 30-40 Portland area restaurants and kitchens, and this season at SIO we are partnering with some of those restaurants for some culinary inspiration. We have been picking the brains of some of the areas most talented chefs and restaurant owners, and have asked them to provide us with recipes and general cooking techniques based on the crops that you receive in your shares. Out at the farm we crop plan separately for both our CSA program and restaurant sales, so you don’t have to worry that part of your share may be going the restaurant down the street. For the month of July our featured restaurant is clarklewis, located in the close-in Southeast Industrial neighborhood along the Willamette River.

Dolan Lane, Chef at clarklewis

Since 2003 clarklewis has been the standard-bearer for the farm-to-table food movement in Portland. The philosophy has been rigorously maintained by Bruce Carey and Chef Dolan Lane since they took over the operation in 2007. We create delicious hand-crafted Northwest cuisine with Italian and French influences, and proudly support our local farmers.

Each year I look forward not only to what each changing season brings but building new relationships with farmers, cheese makers, ranchers and all who contribute to making Oregon the great food region it has become. This has been my first year using SIO’s produce, and to be honest they have yet to disappoint. From the flavorful and bright greens to the tender broccoli, I look forward to see what they bring this growing season and many to come.

Recipes

Roasted Beet Salad with an Oregon Blue Cheese Terrine, Arugula and Red Port Vinaigrette

Serves 4

For the beets:

3-4 med sized red beets
1 Tbl olive oil
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375. Wash beets and toss in a bowl with the olive oil and season.
Place in a roasting pan lined with foil and cover with foil. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour or until wood skewer slides thru the beats easily. Let cool to touch and peel off skin. Cut each beet into 6-8 wedges and reserve.

For the terrine:

6 ounces Rogue River Oregon blue cheese (room temp)
3 ounces softened butter
1 tablespoon brandy
10 sprigs thyme picked and rough chopped
½ cup hazelnuts roasted, peeled and rough chopped (reserve half for finish)
Salt and pepper

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients and season to taste. Line small container with plastic wrap with excess hanging over sides. Place cheese mixture inside and fold extra plastic over to shape small rectangle. Place in fridge and set up for at least 6 hours.

For the Port Vinaigrette:

¼ cup red wine vinegar
¾ cup olive oil
½ cup red port
1 tablespoon balsamic
1 shallot minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Sauté shallot until opaque, add port and balsamic and reduce by ¾. Remove from heat and cool to room temp and whisk in remaining ingredients.

To serve:

Lightly dress roasted beets with port vinaigrette and dived onto 4 plates. Add arugula to bowl and coat with remaining vinaigrette that is left in bowl also coating lightly. Season and place on top of beets. Slice 4 pieces of terrine about 2 oz each and place on arugula.

Grilled bread can be served with or toasted walnuts.

Poached New Potatoes with Astoria Boquerones

This is simple but a great hors d’ouevre for the summer.
Astoria boquerones are a new local producer of these Spanish delights.

12 new potatoes
12 Astoria boquerones
Olive oil, for drizzling
Fleur de sel, to taste

Place 12 each new potatoes in cold salted water. Put on med heat and cook until almost tender and turn off heat a let slowly finish cooking in the warm water. Once potatoes are completely cooked remove from water and let cool.

Cut potatoes in half. Divide 12 boquerones in half length wise and place on potato, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Serve and enjoy.

Chilled Carrot Soup with Cilantro
Yield 2 Quarts

1 ½ pounds carrots, sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro chiffonade
1 onion, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 teaspoons toasted coriander ground
4 tablespoons crème fraiche (may substitute sour cream)
2 quarts vegetables stock
Salt and pepper

Sweat onions in olive oil until translucent; add celery, carrots, coriander
and continue to sweat for 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth, bring to simmer, and cook until vegetable are tender. Puree until smooth in blender. If necessary thin soup with more vegetable broth and season to taste. Chill soup. Serve in cold bowls with a dollop of crème fraiche and chiffonade cilantro.

This Week’s Share

• Arugula
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Dill
• Lettuce
• Garlic Scapes
• Napa (Chinese) Cabbage
• Turnips, Hakurei

Share Notes:

• Broccoli: Broccoli is bountiful this week. If you find yourself with more than you can use this week try freezing some. For best freezing results cut into equal sized pieces, blanch in hot water for 1-2 minutes or until broccoli develops a bright green color. Cool under running water and put it in a plastic freezer bag.

• Garlic Scapes: In the life cycle of garlic its attempt at flowering and producing seed creates what we know and enjoy as the “scape”. This long green scallion like shoot has a relatively short season, so enjoy them now  while they last. The entire scape is edible and delicious, from tip to stalk. They are great added fresh to salads, and can also be used as you would garlic cloves in almost any cooked dish.

• Napa (Chinese) Cabbage: This Chinese type cabbage is exceptionally light, aromatic and sweet in flavor. The creamy white blanched interior is great cooked or raw.

• Turnips, Hakurei: It’s the year of the turnip! This week we planned radishes for your share, but due to the persistent and heavy spring rains the radishes developed splits in the field. While the radishes struggle the Hakurei turnips have been thriving, and they are taking their place of radishes this week. Of course there are more turnip recipe ideas in the blog for those of you wondering what to do with all those turnips.

Recipes

Broccoli Recipe

Ginger Broccoli (and Napa Cabbage)
Adapted from Eating Well in Season by Jesse Price

Note: Originally this recipe calls for just broccoli, but Napa (Chinese) cabbage is also wonderful prepared this way. Try adding some sliced up Napa cabbage in with the broccoli, or you can use substitute a head of Napa cabbage for the broccoli to try it on its own.

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic scapes
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
6 cups broccoli crowns, trimmed and chopped (about 1 pound broccoli)
½ to 1 head Napa (Chinese) cabbage, cut into ½ strips
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fish sauce (can substitute tamari soy sauce)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant but not browned, 30 seconds to a minute. Add broccoli and cook, stirring, until the broccoli is bright green, 2 minutes. Add in Napa cabbage and drizzle water and fish sauce over the broccoli and cabbage; reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until the broccoli is just tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar just before serving. Makes 4 servings, about 1 cup each.

Dill Recipes

Dill Cheese Spread
From the Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden by Molly Katzen

1½ cups grated firm cheese (Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Jarlsberg, gouda)
2/3 cup cream cheese or cottage cheese (regular or low-fat)
¼ cup or less chopped fresh dill (can also use this same recipe with other herbs)
2 to 3 tablespoons additional seasonings: chopped vegetables, chilies, nuts, garlic, or edible flowers)

Allow the grated cheese to soften at room temperature for easier mixing. Use a food processor or mixer to whip the cheeses together until smooth and well blended. Add the remaining ingredients. Makes about 2½ cups.

Creamy Dill Dressing
From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm Fresh Produce by the Madison Area CSA Coalition

Note: This dressing is great with a quick green salad; you could use any combination of all the items in your share this week with lettuce, arugula, and/or Napa cabbage as the greens.

1 cup real mayonnaise
8 ounces sour cream
¼ cup milk
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
2 teaspoons paprika
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine mayonnaise and sour cream; gradually stir in milk, mixing well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill several hours. Serve with salad greens. Makes 2 cups dressing.

Napa (Chinese) Cabbage Recipe

Shredded Salad of Many Greens
Adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

3 cups finely shredded napa cabbage
3 cups finely shredded romaine, red leaf or butter lettuce
2 cup slivered arugula
½ cup slivered parsley (or half as much lovage)
1 shallot, finely sliced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, plus 1 teaspoon grated zest and sea salt
4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Wash and dry all the green, then toss them together in a bowl. Mix the shallot and lemon juice and zest with ¼ teaspoon salt, then whisk in oil to taste. Toss the greens with a few pinches of salt, then with the dressing. Mound onto plates and serve. Serves 4.

Ginger Broccoli (and Napa Cabbage)
(see above in Broccoli Recipes)

Turnip Recipe

Gratin of Hakurei Turnips
Recipe from Emily Thomson of Full Circle Farm in Carnation, WA http://www.fullcirclefarm.com

2 lb hakurei turnips, sliced ¼ inch thick (for larger turnips halve or quarter so all pieces are relatively the same size)
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
thin slices day-old baguette or other good white bread
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan of salted water, boil the turnip slices until tender, about 12 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a deep gratin dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter and line it with the bread slices. Drain the turnip slices and arrange a layer of them over the bread slices. Salt lightly, grind some pepper over them, and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. Add a layer of bread slices, then turnips, then salt, pepper, and cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of turnips, salt, pepper, and Parmesan. Drizzle the heavy cream over the entire dish. Break the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small bits and scatter over the top. Place into the oven and bake until golden, about 35 minutes.

Chef’s Corner: June

In order to offer you some additional culinary inspiration we have been picking the brains of some of the areas most talented chefs and restaurant owners. We have asked them to provide us with recipes and general cooking techniques based on the crops that you receive in your shares during the month of June. This month our featured chef is Katherine Deumling, owner of Cook with What You Have cooking school located in inner SE Portland.

Katherine in her kitchen

Katherine Deumling, Owner of Cook With What you Have

I have a small business called Cook With What You Have. I teach cooking classes primarily from my home in inner SE Portland. I help people build their skills, gain experience, learn to taste and improvise and learn how to stock their pantry and shop/source so that cooking is more of a pleasure and less of a chore. Local produce is the heart and soul of my work, rain or shine, June or January! My garden, my CSA share, and the farmers markets supply all of the produce for classes and daily meals for my family. Many more details and my summer class schedule at my website and my blog, where I post recipes weekly. And I am offering SIO members, $10 off my summer classes. Contact me at Katherine@cookwithwhatyouhave.com with any questions or for more information.

Through my work with Slow Food Portland, I have been familiar with, and a fan of, Sauvie Island Organics for many years. SIO has hosted some of the most memorable Slow Food Portland events-events in support of farmers and the critical work of advocating for and educating consumers about local farms and food.

I grew up in a creative family with a make-do-with-what-you-have mentality and we often lived far from the nearest grocery store. My mother always had a large and varied vegetable garden, and loaded shelves of home-canned goods. So I grew up cooking with what was in the kitchen, garden, and pantry most of the time. After years of cooking for my family (and now with a three-year-old underfoot) and friends, I have refined delicious, healthy, and often quick meals based on the abundance of wonderful produce and products in our regional foodshed.

I have studied food and culture in Italy and Mexico and grew up in Germany. I have also worked in restaurants. My primary experience comes from feeding groups of people on the fly in many settings with whatever is available. My cooking is mostly rooted in Italian cuisine and is influenced by German, Italian, Mexican, and Thai traditions.

RECIPES

Fava Beans with Feta and Mint

Carol Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm told me about this method of cooking fava beans which eliminates the time consuming step of peeling each individual bean. I don’t think I’ve ever gone back to the other way. This is an Iranian way of cooking favas.

2-3 pounds fava beans in their pods
¼ cup kosher salt
2 ounces feta, crumbled
10 or so fresh mint leaves
squeeze or two of lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Fill a six-quart pot (or slightly larger) three-quarters full of water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Put the whole fava beans, pods, stems and all in the boiling, heavily-salted water. Bring back to a boil then turn down to medium but keep the water at a lively boil. Occasionally press the fava beans down and move around a bit. Cook covered, until the pods start falling apart, between 20 and 30 minutes. Drain and fill pot of beans with cold water. This allows you to extract the beans more quickly. You can also just drain and let sit until cool. Remove beans from pods. There is no need to peel each individual bean. The skin should be tender and the beans perfectly seasoned. Toss beans with the remaining ingredients. Adjust seasoning to your liking. Enjoy as a side dish.

Fava beans cooked this way are delicious with pasta and a bit of parmesan, with boiled potatoes and parsley. The other night I added them to Israeli couscous with some mint and grated, hard cheese (Asiago Stella, I think).

Green Salad with Roasted Beets, Carrots, and Hard-boiled Egg

3 hard-boiled eggs
5 medium carrots (or however many you want to use, have, etc.), scrubbed and cut into 1 ½ inches chunks on the bias
4 smallish beats (or however many . . .. ), scrubbed and cut into small wedges (I don’t tend to peel beets if they’re fairly small)
8 cups of mixed greens (mache, arugula, butter lettuce, oak leaf, escarole, . . ..)

Vinaigrette:

1 stalk green garlic or 1 clove mature garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
2-3 teaspoons lemon juice (to taste)
sprig or two of fresh thyme, tarragon or summer savory, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper

Spread carrots and beets on a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil and roast in a hot oven (425-450) for about 20 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized around the edges.

Meanwhile wash and dy the greens and roughly chop hard-boiled eggs. Mix all dressing ingredients well. Then toss the greens with the roasted veggies, eggs and dressing and enjoy as a light summer supper. We ate this recently with cheesy cornbread muffins. The muffins were an adaptation of a recipe from Michael Ableman’s Fields of Plenty. I added grated sharp cheddar, a pinch or two of chili flakes and a bunch of finely chopped chives.

Spinach Risotto

1 bunch spinach (thoroughly washed), roughly chopped
7 cups vegetable or chicken stock or broth (made with homemade veggie bouillon)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs butter
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
½ tsp lemon zest (optional)

In a saucepan bring 7 cups water with 10 tsps of homemade veggie bouillon to a boil and keep at a bare simmer (or just use a chicken or veggies stock of your choice.

In a large sauté pan cook onion in oil over medium heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in rice, stirring until each grain is coated with oil and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine (if using) and cook, over moderately high heat, stirring, until wine is absorbed. Add about 3/4 cup simmering broth and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth, about 3/4 cup at a time, cooking, stirring and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until about half of broth has been added. Continue adding broth in the same manner until rice is tender and creamy looking but still al dente, about 18 minutes. A few minutes before the rice is tender stir in the spinach and a cup of broth. Cook for a minute or two until spinach is wilted. Salt and pepper to taste. Add butter and parmesan and a little more broth is it looks a bit dry, mix well and remove pan from heat. Let rest for 5 minutes, covered, before serving.

Carrot Salad with Harissa, Feta and Mint
Adapted from Smittenkitchen.com

If you don’t happen to have feta and harissa on hand, I make a simpler version of this salad without those and if you have cooked chickpeas on hand, it makes for a nice hearty salad.

3/4 pound carrots, peeled, trimmed and coarsely grated
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 crushed clove of garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon harissa (for a solid kick of heat; adjust yours to taste, and to the heat level of your harissa)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
3 ounces feta, crumbled or chopped into bits

In a small sauté pan, cook the garlic, caraway, cumin, paprika, harissa and sugar in the oil until fragrant, about one to two minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Pour over the carrots and mix. Add the herbs and mix. Leave to infuse for an hour if you have time, at least a 10 minutes, then add the feta before eating.

Harissa: Is a North African chile paste. There is almost nothing it doesn’t make more delicious: eggs, potatoes, stews, couscous, sandwiches and more, and there are almost as many recipes as there are people who consume it. Most boil down to hot chiles ground with garlic, cumin, coriander, caraway and olive oil, often with a smidge of sundried tomatoes. You can make your own or you can find it at Pastaworks or other local specialty stores.

Braised Chard
Adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

Wash a large bunch of fresh chard. Separate the leaves from the stems and reserve stems for another use. Cut the leaves into 1-2 inch ribbons. Slice a large onion and begin stewing it in some olive oil in a good-sized pot or pan. When the onion has softened a bit add the chard, season with salt and pepper, cover and stew, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes. You can add garlic, bacon, or lemon zest but just by itself it is sweet and wonderful.

I’ve used this as a pizza topping with some feta or for a filling for a savory tart, as a pasta sauce or just a side to whatever else I made for dinner. Also wonderful with eggs.

Zwiebelkuchen

This is Southern German style tart/quiche/pizza is a mainstay in my family. Growing up in Germany we spent one year in a small village in Swabia (this was 1977 I think) that had a communal “backhaus” that was fired up with grape prunings once a week and everyone in the village would bring their tarts like this one, their breads for the week, etc. and take turns baking them in this wonderful big, ancient “baking house” – kind of like a giant wood-fired pizza oven.

This can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon. You can also add herbs (parsley and/or thyme are particularly good) and change the cheese to suite your taste or what you have on hand.

Crust:

Scant 2 cups all-purpose flour (I’ve also used half whole-wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose and feel free to play around with other flour combinations)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ tsp Kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
½ cup sour cream or plain, whole-milk yogurt
1 egg

Topping:

2 lbs, or slightly more, sweet onions (or regular yellow, storage onions)
olive oil
3 ounces bacon, diced
4 ounces grated sharp cheddar, Emmentaler, etc.
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream or plain, whole-milk yogurt
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, in the medium bowl beat the egg with the oil, water and sour cream (or yogurt) until just mixed. In another bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder and stir into the wet ingredients with a fork or wooden spoon. Mix well – you may want to use your hands at this point-until it’s smooth. Place the dough in a 13 x 18 rimmed baking sheet (sheet pan) and roll it out to fit the pan. You may have to stretch it a bit with your hands to get it into the corners. It does not need to come up the sides at all.

For the filling, slice the onions in half and then into ¼ thin half rounds. Thinly coat a large sauté pan or pot with olive oil and heat it over med-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until the fat is partially rendered. Add the onions and a few generous pinches of salt. Cover and stir occasionally (and adjust heat if onions stick and brown) until the onions are quite soft and some of the liquid they’ve released has cooked off. This will take between 15 to 25 minutes depending on your onions. Ideally they don’t brown but no harm done if they do.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sour cream (or yogurt), a few grinds of pepper. Add the grated cheese and the onion bacon mixture. Spread on the crust and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and the edges are starting to brown.

Eat warm or at room temperature. This is even better reheated the next day in a hot cast iron pan in a little bit of olive oil.