[sigh] and Crispy Kale Chips

Raw kale ready to go into the oven to make chips.

Some nights things do not go as planned.  I had plans to work with the Swiss chard tonight…I even got the specialty item I needed…but when I went to make it, I was sandbagged by an expired canned good I needed.  Blergh.  I thought canned goods basically lasted forever.  Apparently not.  So, bonus for you, I’ve got dried beans soaking to use tomorrow night instead of canned, which is probably a better plan anyway.  But it will be another day before the recipe debuts.

So, tonight I’m giving a shout out to Jody Nocks, a registered dietitian and CSA member who provides us with excellent nutritional info, tips, prep steps, and recipes for each week’s harvest.  I’ve learned a lot from her already.  I made her recipe for kale chips tonight with the rest of the kale from last week (which still looks as good as the day it was picked), just adding pepper to her basic recipe and salting before roasting (because I didn’t fully read the recipe correctly — bad cook!), and skipping the parchment because my trusty jelly roll pan has proved to be even nonstick under even the toughest conditions.  Maybe some day, I’ll actually use it for a jelly roll.

Finished kale chips. You can see how much they shrink up.

A family member described the taste as very much like roasted pumpkin seeds (a big Autumn favorite of mine) and I found that to be very accurate.  They were yummy with a strong earthy flavor.  They do cook down, so be sure to make enough if you plan on hard core or multiparty snacking.  And Smitten Kitchen crumbled hers over popcorn.  Maybe if I have some left later tonight…

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Farm Boys and Girls

Had a nice chat with our farmer yesterday when we picked up our share.  We talked about many things, among them  rule-breaking in the farming business (Lawrence is an innovator!) and the exciting involvement of the CSA kids.  I’ve seen folks bringing their kids to help with the u-pick and they have a blast.  It’s so fun to hear the kids exclaim, “I found one!” when the pick a certain pea pod among an entire plant laden with pods.  This week we heard a great story about a dozen young girls who arrived to plant African marigolds this past Saturday.  Our family is excited for the u-plant and (months later) u-pick pumpkins.  It will be so fun for the kids to have a little patch of their own and watch their pumpkins grow.  I am a huge pumpkin fanatic and can’t wait to cook with an actual pumpkin rather than canned pumpkin pack — pumpkin soup!  pumpkin seeds! pumpkin pie!  Another CSA member was telling me how her veggie-averse little girl ate five spears of asparagus only because she saw it growing and how she asked for seconds and thirds of kale chips, delicately placing each leaf on top of a piece of chicken before popping it in her mouth.  These experiences are, for me, one of the best parts of the CSA.  I believe that your attitude towards food, your preferences, and your understanding of how and what to eat are shaped by your childhood experiences with food.  That’s not to say that, as an adult, you won’t expand — I certainly grew away (mostly!) from the picky childhood eater I was — but early food experiences are undoubtedly an important influence on how we eat for the rest of our lives. I love that kids are participating in the CSA, involved in growing, picking, and eating, and getting joy and knowledge out of the process.  Twenty years from now, these kids will reminisce about this farming experience.

After a formal introduction to the newest veggie in our house, my lil’ sprout murmured “Swiss chard!” as I unpacked the bag.  And a tiny hand crept into my photo frame to grab a stalk, gingerly touch it to rosebud lips and exclaim, “Mmmmmm!!  Is that good?”  Yes, honey, it’s very, very good.

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CSA Harvest Week #3: Swiss Chard and Red Leaf Lettuce

We’ve said goodbye to the early crops — peas, asparagus (sniff!), radishes — and we’re moving into summer.  Mendies Farm has previewed the next few weeks — they are anticipating yellow summer squash, okra, hot peppers, tons of beans (just planted in the former pea field), continued lettuce, tomatoes, and much more.  This week, we have two kinds of Swiss chard and a huge head of red leaf lettuce.  This is a lot of greens and we’re excited for some creative new recipes this week.  I’ve been researching Swiss chard recipe options — there’s a lot of saute with garlic and olive oil out there, but we’ve already done that, so I’m itching for something different.  I’d like to use both the leaves and the stems.  We’re trying not to waste anything from the harvest and so far so good.

A closeup harvest pørn shot, because I couldn’t resist:

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Admin Note: Comments

It has come to my attention that a few folks are having trouble commenting on the blog.  I’m not exactly sure where the problem is, but I thought I’d let you know that posting comments is done on individual posts.  So you, have to click “Leave a Comment” at the end of the post (this is what it says if there are no comments on the post) or “# comments” where # is the actual number of comments that have been made on that post (this is what it says when someone has already commented on the post).  The Comments button at the top (with the RSS icon next to it) will just show you all of the comments people have made.  It’s not the way to leave your own comment.

Here are a few screen shots to clarify:

Hope this clears things up — I’d love to hear your comments!

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Kale, Tomato, and Mushroom Pizettes

I love it when a plan comes together.  The flavor of this pizza is very nice!  It is piled pretty high, so you may want to use a knife and fork, but we were able to eat it out of hand without a problem.  If you like your tomatoes and mushrooms more roasted, perhaps put the kale on the bottom instead of the top.  Or, you could separately roast the tomatoes and mushrooms prior to putting them on top of the pizza.  Experiment to find what you like!

I must say that I did miss the creamy, melty-ness of mozzarella cheese.  Another version of this pizza might substitute dots of fresh mozzarella or ricotta for the ricotta salata.  Next time!

Mmmmm...toasty cheese

Kale, Tomato, and Mushroom Pizzettes
By CSAgourmet
Serves 4 (1 pizette per person)

fresh pizza dough (the size of one round from the local pizzeria)
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
8 cups kale (measured after stemmed and rough chopped)
1/2 cup water
5 plum tomatoes
3 medium cloves garlic
5 large white mushrooms
4 oz ricotta salata
fresh ground pepper, if desired

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place pizza stone in oven on top rack to heat up (time according to manufacturer’s directions).

While the oven is heating, prep the vegetables.  Halve plum tomatoes lengthwise and scoop out the watery inside and seeds (this reduces the amount of water so the pizza doesn’t get soggy).  1/2″ dice the plum tomatoes.  Slice mushrooms.  De-stem kale and rough chop it.  Mince garlic.

Lay out a pastry mat or other flat, clean, foodsafe surface.  Flour surface lightly and turn out fresh pizza dough.  Cut the dough into quarters*.  Form a disk, then gently pull into desired shape (I made my oblong, because I think it’s fun and rustic).  I get a round going and then hold it up vertically and keep turning it; gravity does the work and it seems to come out oblongish.  I also periodically stretch it between my hands.

Place pizzas on parchment paper.  Trim to about 1″ larger than the edge of the dough.  Transfer pizzas on parchment onto to pizza stone (careful, it’s hot!).  Lightly prick dough surface with a fork.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and spread over entire surface (I used the back of a spoon).  Bake 10 min on top rack.  They should be nicely browned and crisp.  Note:  If you can’t fit all the pizzettes on the stone at once, bake in two batches.

While the pizzettes are baking, in a saute pan over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.  Add kale and water, cover and cook 5 min.  Drain and press out as much water as possible.

Assemble pizza:  tomatoes first, then garlic, then mushrooms, then kale.  Top with crumbled ricotta salata.  Bake 10-12 min more (you may want to move the rack down one slot).  If you can’t fit all the pizzettes on the stone at once, use a cookie sheet for two of them, place the stone and cookie sheet on two separate racks, and rotate halfway through baking.  I did this and found that there was no difference in the finished product on stone vs. cookie sheet.  Top with fresh ground pepper, if you like it.  Enjoy!

*Feel free to make larger pizza(s) instead if you prefer.

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Google Bummer

Had what I thought was a brainstorm today — I was thinking about how to compare kale to spinach when describing it to someone and I thought, wait a minute, maybe I can substitute kale for spinach on pizza.  And then, I thought OOH! with ricotta salata!  And then I Googled and, bummer, not the first one to think of that combo.  But, I’m forging ahead with my version.  My life that does not allow for making my own pizza dough, so I’m off to the local Italian pork store for pre-made.  Kale and Ricotta Salata Pizza recipe and results coming soon!

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Lemony Garlic Kale with Pancetta and Frizzled Shallots

Mmmmmm...pancetta...fried shallots...kale.

Wow.  This recipe came out OUTSTANDING!  This is exactly how I want my greens all the time.  I combined a few techniques from two tried-and-true dishes I make.  Many years ago, a dear friend taught me how to make sauteed broccoli with lemon, garlic, and olive oil.  I have been making it consistently ever since.  It is a staple side dish in our house.  That gave me the thought of lemon and garlic, since I know it works with another strong green vegetable.  At Thanksgiving, I make roasted brussels sprouts with bacon and frizzled shallots.  Hence the idea to include a pork product, but I ramped it up with pancetta, and top with frizzled shallots, which are so easy and a huge crowd pleaser.  Voilá!  I present…

Lemony Garlic Kale with Pancetta and Frizzled Shallots
By CSAgourmet
Serves 3-4
Special equipment: microplane grater or zester for zesting

24 cups kale (as measured in my big batter bowl), stemmed (See Tip below) — seems like a lot, but it cooks down.  This is only half the kale we got in one week’s CSA share.
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/4″ pieces (use bacon if you can’t get pancetta)
3-4 large cloves or 5-6 medium cloves garlic
1 Lemon, zested, and reserve lemon for juicing
1 c. chicken or vegetable broth (or stock)
1 large (length of your thumb) or two small shallots
flour for coating shallots
oil for deep frying (I used canola)

Kale leaf folded in half lengthwise, using knife to cut out stem/center rib.

Remove the tough stem/center rib from the kale.  Set aside 2 hours for this task.  🙂  No, seriously, it’s going to take a bit of time, so do it first.  Tip:  Maybe everyone knows this, but this is my first time with kale, so it feels like I discovered it.  After a few times of spreading out the leaf and cutting on both sides of the stem, I realized that the kale leaf was pretty much naturally folded in half lengthwise.  Much easier to put this fold to your advantage by making one cut that hits both sides of the stem while the leaf is folded (see pic).

Heat olive oil in the largest saute pan you have (must have a lid) over medium heat until it shimmers (or drop of water sizzles).  Add pancetta and cook until crisp and fat rendered out.  Remove pancetta to paper towel to drain.  Turn off heat (if I don’t turn off the heat, I burn the garlic every time).  Use a garlic press or finely mince garlic and saute 1-2 min until soft and picking up the brown from the rendered pancetta fond.  Turn heat back on medium.  Add broth (scrape up brown bits of fond in bottom of pan).  Add kale and zest of 1 lemon.  Cover and cook 5 min.  Uncover, stir/turn kale, and recover.  Cook another 5 min.  Remove lid and cook until most of liquid is evaporated (leave about 3-4 Tbsp).  Plate kale.  Juice 1/2 lemon into remaining liquid in pan and stir together.  Pour over top of kale.  Strew pancetta pieces over kale.  Top with a mound of frizzled shallots (see below) and serve immediately so the shallots do not get mushy.

Lemony Garlic Kale with Pancetta and Frizzled Shallots

Frizzled Shallots

In a small stock pot, add 1 inch canola oil and heat until it does that rivulets thing in the oil.  Slice shallots into 1/8″  rings and dredge in flour.  Shake off excess.  Drop one in to make sure oil is ready; the shallot should sizzle and bubble.  Fry in batches if needed (do not crowd the pot or the shallots will not fry properly).  When golden brown (watch out — they go from not done to burned VERY quickly) remove to plate with paper towels and drain before mounding on top of kale.  Serve and enjoy!

Dinner

Served the kale with a stripped down version of my Tandoori Spiced Chicken and plain white rice.  The chicken uses Penzeys Tandoori Seasoning, which is one of my all time favorites.  Cube raw chicken, quick marinade of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and tandoori seasoning.  Heat olive oil in saute pan, fry tandoori seasoning 30 seconds, add chicken, cook until done.  Squeeze lemon juice over before serving.  The regular version also involves onion and a few other steps.  I’ll try to squeeze that into a post at some point; maybe if we get onions from the CSA.

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Easy Bein’ Green Salad

First, this recipe is derived from Nigella Lawson’s Pea, Mint, and Avocado Salad. I’ll admit to not being crazy about mint (I greatly prefer spearmint), but she made this recipe look so freaking good on her TV show that it has stuck in my mind for a long time. Nigella’s like that. I’ve changed it up a bit. Word of warning: if you don’t like mint, don’t make this or eliminate the mint. It is a prominent flavor.

Second, some culinary math to make the dressing a little more interesting. To replace the white wine, I thought of lime juice because…

mint + lime juice = Mojito (mmmm)
avocado + lime juice = Guacamole (mmmm²)
Therefore, mint + lime juice + avocado = mmmm³

Which means that substituting lime juice for white wine vinegar as the acid must make it mmmmuch mmmmore nummmmy.

Third, I added bacon. Crispy texture contrast, salty tastiness, and that incomparable bacon flavor.

I also did not use the endive. I’m trying to cook as much from the CSA harvest as I can and no endive there. Next time, I’ll try it with the endive.

I think this recipe is especially good for peas that are at the end of the harvest, when they are a bit less sweet and benefit from a quick boiling.

DH pronounced this salad delicious. I enjoyed it as well, despite the fact that mint isn’t my favorite. Lots of horizon-expanding going on for me the first few weeks of this CSA. More to come this week with Swiss chard — ANOTHER veggie I’ve never made. I swear I eat my vegetables, just not these — until now.

Easy Bein’ Green Salad*
By CSAgourmet
Serves 4

1 quart (4 big handfuls) peas in the pod (I used half Sugar Snap and half Cascadia)
2 handfuls loose leaf lettuce
1/2 bunch mint (this is about a medium-sized handful)
2 avocados
pinch salt
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 lime
Pinch sugar
4-5 pieces bacon, cooked

Heat enough water (salted if you like) to generously cover the pea pods to boiling. Once boiling, add peas (still in the pod), return to the boil, and boil 2 minutes. Have a bowl of ice water standing by. When the two minutes are up, quickly drain the peas and toss them in the ice water. This will stop the cooking so the peas are still nice and bright and firm and it will rapidly cool them so you can handle them.

Wash and spin dry the loose leaf lettuce and place in a serving bowl. Shell peas into the serving bowl, discarding pods. Cut avocados in half and remove pit. Slice each half into a grid pattern (just the flesh, not the peel), and scoop out with a spoon into the serving bowl. This gives you nice chunks. Sprinkle pinch of salt over the avocados.

Whisk olive oil and juice of 1 lime together in a separate bowl. Add pinch sugar. Chop mint medium-fine and add. Muddle a bit (crush mint).

Pour dressing over salad in the serving bowl. Toss salad. Crumble cooked bacon over the salad. Serve and enjoy!

*I nearly named this Kermit & Miss Piggy Salad, because well, it’s green and there’s, uh, bacon. But I decided maybe that was a wee in poor taste. 🙂

Dinner

Served this with turkey burgers (I buy the 99% lean turkey breast even though it is drier). I fix that with a nice smear of horeseradish mustard (you can also mix the mustard with the ground turkey before cooking and that makes the burgers moister). To keep the turkey burgers from sticking in the pan, I pour in just a bit of canola oil (about a tbsp) and let it heat up before adding the burgers. Finally, I added some ridgy potato chips. I have a few culinary vices left, and potato chips with a burger is one of them.

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Pea Pickin’

Pea Pickin' at the Farm

Can anyone tell me why there are never fresh peas in the produce department at the grocery store?  Do they not travel well?  Do people not eat them?  Is the frozen pea industry holding them hostage?  If you have a theory or actually know, leave me a comment.  Thanks!

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The Art of Conversation

It’s a cliché to say that communication is critical.  Everyone on every reality show whines about it.  Every therapist tries to teach you how to do it.  Every business says it’s the key to good customer relations.

The best communication comes from openness and honesty.  The honest truth is that the weather here has been pretty unforgiving for early season growing.  Cold well into May, then pouring rain, then hot as Satan’s armpit (well above average for this time of year).  Only this week have things gotten seasonable.  Truth is that it’s wreaked havoc on yields and our CSA hasn’t been able to produce everything they wanted to, planned for, and planted.  The wonderful thing is, our CSA farm (The Mendies Family Farm) said so — early and often, and not as an excuse, but as a fact of farming as a way of life.  Setting expections is so key in any business and ours have been set properly by the family that owns and operates the farm (yes, it’s a family and JUST a family +1 hand that does EVERYTHING).  Our family feels very much a part of this experience, like we are growing and learning together with the farmers and I love that.

I don’t view this as a producer-consumer relationship where consumer demands and producer fulfills or else.  I view it as an opportunity to grow, to try, to learn, and to eat our way through it.  And I think that’s largely due to the way the farmers are interacting with us, including doing u-pick from the beginning, teaching us about the crops (how they are grown, what to pick for our weekly u-pick crop, encouraging us to sample as we go along to learn what we like in a pea, for example), and sharing their planting strategy and future harvest possibilities as we go into the summer and fall.  The farmers are working incredibly long hours at very difficult work to grow delicious food that makes the members happy and healthy.  We so appreciate that.

The Mendies are taking time to talk to us each week about what’s happening with planting, harvesting, and weather.  What we should be expecting when and why.  And it’s a real conversation, not a recitation.  We enjoy sharing our thoughts with them and vice-versa.  I’m loving getting back to my family’s roots through this experience.

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