Recipe: The Yummy Kale Dish

Ingredients:

2 tbs of cooking oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs dijon mustard
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1.5 cups of veggie/chicken broth
4 cups of stemmed & shredded kale
1/4 cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions:
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic. Cook and stir until onion softens and becomes translucent. Stir in mustard, sugar, vinegar and stock and bring to boil over high heat. Stir in kale, cover, and cook 5 minutes until wilted.

Stir in dried cranberries and continue boiling, uncovered, until liquid has reduced by half and the cranberries have softened, about 15 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.

Serves 4 people as a side dish. Enjoy.

Recipes: Cabbage, Peasant Food

Cabbage is now in full season, but it isn’t often recognized as a romantic vegetable. Rather, in many societies cabbage has long been a staple peasant food. This is still reflected in its price; cabbage is one of the best market bargains.

Cabbage actually comes from the same family as broccoli, cauliflower, turnip, kale, canola, brussels sprouts and arugula. These hearty greens are prized for their health benefits and cabbage is no exception, particularly when eaten raw or fermented. Cabbage is a nice green to work with because it has more texture and crunch than other greens and a stronger taste that compliments meats, particularly bacon, pancetta and anchovies.

If cabbage is a peasant food, this is testament to its versatility and hardiness. Different varieties were adapted for use in varying climates. We grow approximately five main season green cabbage varieties, two red varieties and three winter varieties. Cabbages can store for up to five months. The plant’s nutritional value provides a source of vitamin C in the form of sauerkraut through many harsh winters. It is the basic ingredient for coleslaw in summer and winter alike.

There are a number of recipes that feature cabbage that go beyond sauerkraut and coleslaw. Below are some favorites.

Preparing Cabbage

If you are a cabbage affectionado, there is no substitute for a good mandoline for slicing cabbage. Very thin cabbage slices make for the best texture in coleslaw, soups, stews and sauerkraut.

We purchased ours, pictured here, at the Home Hardware on Commercial Drive in Vancouver. It's Slovenian-made, but also pricey as far as kitchen tools go (and awkward to store). A sharp knife, of course, is a good substitute.

Cabbage Gratin

Ingredients
Butter and freshly grated Parmesan for the dish
1 1/2 lbs green cabbage, diced in 2-inch squares
1/3 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 eggs
3 tbsp chopped parsley or dill
Salt and white pepper

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375F. Butter gratin dish and coat sides with cheese. Boil cabbage, uncovered, in salted water for 5 min. Drain, rinse, press out as much water as possible. Whisk remaining ingredients until smooth, add cabbage, pour into dish. Bake until firm and lightly browned, about 50 minutes. Serve with sour cream flavoured with mustard, curry sauce or creamy tomato sauce.

Braised Cabbage with Bacon and Thyme

From Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie

Ingredients

1 pint Chicken or Vegetable stock

6 slices Bacon

1/2 a handful of fresh thyme leaves (or 2 tbsp dried)

1 white/green cabbage, halved and very finely sliced

2 tbsp Butter

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Place stock, bacon and thyme in a pan, bring to a boil and then sprinkle in the sliced cabbage. Mix, put lid on pot and boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until the cabbage is a consistency you prefer. Top up with additional stock if you think it's reducing too much. Add the butter, some olive oil and season. Serve immediately.

Variation: We make a variation of this recipe, adding sliced carrots and onions.

Cooking with Greens

At this point in the season, our CSA subscribers and market customers may feel overwhelmed by greens. If you don't cook with Kale, Collards and/or Chard on a regular basis, finding a bunch of at least one of these in your box each week can be intimidating.

Last year we posted a list of ways to use greens. It still has the basics, but here are some more ideas.

The fastest way to prep greens is to chop them into ribbons and steam or saute them. They can be sauteed with onions or garlic (scapes anyone?). Both steamed and sauteed can be served with balsamic vinegar and oil. Lydia, a CSA subscriber suggested this recipe (click on the link) for Collards or Kale with Tahini. Lydia serves this on quinoa for a complete meal.

A classic in our kitchen for using a multitude of veggies in season (and whatever greens we have around) is this salad:

2 cups cooked Quinoa, Millet or Rice
1/2 cup cooked beans or chickpeas
4-6 oz Feta Cheese, cubed
2 tbsp Dulce Flakes or crumbled Kale Chips (see earlier recipe on blog)
2 handfuls steamed Fava Beans (taken out of the pods)
1/2 bunch chopped Parsley
1/2 chopped Cucumber
2 green onions, chopped
1 handful steamed broccoli florettes
1/4 fennel bulb, sliced horizontally into chevrons. See how to slice a fennel bulb here.
Any other veggies you have around: Tomatoes, peppers, etc.

Mix together and serve over a bed of greens (e.g. lettuce, Chopped
chard and kale, etc.) with olive oil and vinegar. It's a light,
filling meal.

We also love this recipe for Green Rice

(from The Rebar Cookbook)
1 bunch spinach, stemmed
1 bunch cilantro,
1/2 bunch Italian parsley
2 jalapeno peppers, one seeded
1 t salt
2 1/4 vegetable stock
2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c long grain rice

1. Carefully wash spinach, cilantro,parsley and jalapenos. Place in a blender with salt and 1 cup of stock. Blend to liquify and set aside.

2. Heat a rice pot at medium-high and add the oil. Heat and add onion with a pinch of salt; saute until translucent. Add the garlic and rice and saute for a few minutes, stirring often, until the rice turns lightly golden. Add the contents of the blender and the remaining stock to the rice; stir well to combine. Turn up th eheat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to very low and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let the rice stand covered for 10 minutes. Gently fluff the rice with a fork and serve immediately.

There are many ideas for using chard at Smitten Kitchen

Please share any additional ideas you might have.

When life gives you rhubarb, just add sugar

Rhubarb season has been a blast thus far and with strawberries just around the corner, nature's perfect culinary combination is about to blast onto the scene.

Rhubarb really is an amazing spring food. It is hardy, arriving in the garden before much of anything else. Its root has been used medicinally for millennia (for chronic diarrhea and hemorrhoids, if you must know) and the stalk increases appetite and acts as a mild laxative. That makes it the perfect spring cleanse food! Just don't eat the leaves (in case you felt inspired). They're toxic.

Of course, rhubarb is unpalatable to most people without the addition of sugar. The plant didn't even come into common usage in Europe until colonialism brought cheap sugar to the masses (yes, colonialism and slavery underwrites much of the history of our modern culinary traditions -- even to this day). But I digress.

By mid-June, when the season has been slow to pick-up, we know that after a month of rhubarb and before the strawberries arrive, you might be looking for some new ideas. Here are a few of our favorite recipes (as provided by http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/).

Stewed Rhubarb with Added Spices

When stewing rhubarb, add chai spices (cardamon, star anise, cinnamon and ginger) or citrus rind and juice.

Stewed rhubarb is great on its own, with yoghurt and/or with granola. And it's best with rich custard -- don't forget to pick up some eggs and heavy cream for a heavenly spring treat (I think the custard negates the spring tonic aspect of rhubarb . . . if you care).

Rhubarb Sorbet

1.5 lb rhubarb, cut in 5 cm pieces

25 mL water

175 mL sugar

5 mL vanilla

1 egg white

Puree rhubarb with water. Add sugar and cook until rhubarb is tender (about 5 min), stirring frequently. Remove from heat; add vanilla and food coloring. Cool to room temperature. Beat egg white until stiff but not dry. Fold into rhubarb mixture. Pour into 2.5 L baking dish (23 cm square). Freeze until firm around edges (about 1 h). Turn into chilled bowl; beat until smooth. Freeze partially (about 1 h more); beat again. Freeze until firm (about 2 h more). Makes 8 servings (125 mL each). If you have an ice cream maker, use it to freeze the sorbet.

Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt

2 Cups Stewed rhubarb

1/2 Cup Plain yogurt

3 Tablespoons Granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons Orange juice

In food processor puree stewed rhubarb until smooth. Blend in yogurt, sugar and orange juice. Freeze in icecream maker or cover and freeze in shallow metal pan for 3 to 4 hrs or until almost firm. Break up mixture and process in food processor in batches if necessary until smooth. Freeze in airtight container for 1 hour or until firm.

Fish with Rhubarb Sauce

2 c rhubarb cut into small pieces

1/2 c tomato sauce

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp sugar

1/2 c water

salt

1 lb fish

Wash rhubarb well. Peel off the hard skin.

Cook all ingredients except fish together in a pot for 30 minutes, until rhubarb is cooked thoroughly.

Add cut-up pieces of fish and simmer until fish is cooked.

Chicken Smothered In Rhubarb

3 1/2 pound chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces

Essence

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 medium onions, julienned

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 bay leaf

Fresh thyme sprigs

1 cup white wine

3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Garnish: 2 cups cooked white rice, warm, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

In a mixing bowl, toss the chickens with Essence and flour. In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, brown the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Add the rhubarb and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Stirring constantly, wilt and brown the onions, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any brown particles, for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, herbs and wine, cover and reduce the heat. Stir occasionally and cook for about 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Stir in the parsley. Arrange the chicken on a platter and garnish with Essence (eseence of emril) and parsley and serve with rice.

Baked Chicken And Rhubarb

3 lb. chicken breasts and thighs or 1 whole chicken cut up

2 c. diced rhubarb (1/2-inch pieces)

1/3 c. sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 c. water

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

rice for serving

Combine cornstarch, sugar, rhubarb and water in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Cook until clear and thickened, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice. Cool.

Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Brush with butter and sprinkle with salt. Bake uncovered in 375 degrees oven for 30 minutes. Spoon rhubarb sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with spices. Return to oven and bake 20 minutes longer. Serve immediately with sauce spooned over chicken. Serve with hot cooked rice. Yields 4 to 6 servings.

Almond Rhubarb Coffee Cake

1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar

2/3 c. vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. milk

1 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

1/2 c. sugar

Topping:

1/3 c. sugar

1 Tbls. butter, melted

1/4 c. sliced almonds

Beat brown sugar, oil, egg & vanilla until smooth. Combine flour salt & baking soda; add to sugar mixture alternately with milk. Beat until smooth. Stir in Rhubarb & almonds. Pour into 2 greased 9-inch round cake pans. For topping, combine sugar & butter; stir in almonds. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or test done.

Need more ideas? Check out http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/ for more rhubarb ideas than you ever thought possible.

Curried Couscous with Crispy Kale

From Moira, one of our Community Supported Agriculture subscribers . . .

Serves 6 to 8

This is an easy, versatile couscous dish that works well as a warm side dish or served cold in lettuce cups as a salad. The curry flavor is distinctive but not overwhelming; adjust the amount of curry powder to suit your taste. The tamari-crisped kale is very flavorful and adds interest and nutritional benefits to the dish.

To stretch this recipe into a meal, try adding shredded cooked chicken or pork, garbanzo beans, or diced shrimp.

2 large bunches dinosaur (Tuscan) kale, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (1/4-inch dice)
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons good-quality curry powder
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup Organic Raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or pistachios

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the kale and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the kale is cool enough to handle, squeeze the water from it. Place the kale in a small bowl and toss with the tamari sauce. Spread the kale pieces in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the kale is dry and slightly crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; when the oil is hot, add the bell pepper and shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, and brown sugar, and cook, stirring frequently, for another 3 minutes.

Add the broth, raisins, and salt, and bring the liquid to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover the pan, and turn off the heat. Let the couscous sit for 15 minutes without removing the cover, and then fluff the grains with a fork. Stir in the reserved kale.

Transfer to a platter or shallow bowl and garnish with the toasted pine nuts.

A Peek Inside This Week's CSA Boxes

Here's what our Community Supported Agriculture subscribers are getting in their Harvest Boxes this week:

1 bunch Kale
1 head Red Oak Lettuce
1 bunch Golden Beets
3 lbs Carrots
1 Long English Cucumber
1 bunch Green Onions
3 lbs Cooking Onions
1 lb Shallots
1 medium Tomato
1 pint Blueberries

We were happy to be able to include cooking onions and shallots now that the sweet onions are finished. These onions are stronger than the sweet onions and can be stored in a cool, dark place (e.g. under the sink or in a pantry) if you're not going to be using them right away.

The shallots can also be stored. Shallots tend to be a bit milder than onions. They develop a very nice sweetness after a long, low-heat cooking and are can be used in savory tarts (particularly good with goat cheese). Check out these shallot recipes from Cookthink.com:

• Honey-Roasted Shallots
• Skirt Steak with Caramelized Shallots You can do the caramelized shallots without the steak, too
• French Onion and Shallot Soup

While you're at Cookthink.com, and if you're feeling overloaded with beets and/or carrots, you might check out some new ways of preparing them: carrots, and beets. Or, type in your ingredient of choice and see the selection of recipes.

This will be the only week for blueberries and likely the last week for tomatoes. We're not sure if zucchini or beans will make a reappearance now that the weather is cooling down.

How to cut a fennel bulb

An eternal challenge for some people subscribed to our CSA has been the fennel bulb: how to cut it, how to cook it . . . why do we grow it?

I love fennel. It has to be one of the most aesthetically-pleasing veggies in our fields and at the market stand. And its scent and flavour is outstanding -- the anise added to a meal is a treat. Some customers tell us their children like eating fennel raw.

To aid in the fennel challenge for those new to this vegetable I photographed my lunch preparations yesterday and offer this tutorial on cutting fennel

A beautiful bulb of fennel ready to be used.

The first cut down the middle.

You can see the inner core -- it'll be removed after quartering the bulb.

The second cut to quarter the bulb.

Now you can see the inner core -- it gets cut out with an angled slice.

The quartered bulb, core removed.

And then what to do with the fennel? I coated these in egg and bread crumbs and then fried them. They went very nicely with some lemon juice and mayonnaise.

Other ideas: roast them with salmon or white fish (like halibut), add it to fish stock for chowders, roast it with other seasonal veggies like zucchini, potatoes and beets, or shred it and add to coleslaw.

Bissara (Fresh Fava Bean Dip)

Here's a recipe for using fava beans -- in abundance on the West Coast at the moment.

Bissara (Fresh Fava Bean Dip)

2 pounds fresh fava beans, shelled, peeled if large
3 tb fresh lemon juice
5 tb extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
pita wedges, sliced raw carrots, or crackers for serving

Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Blanch the beans for 2 or 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Peel if the beans are large.

In a blender or food processor, combine half the beans, the reserved liquid and the lemon juice. (Add more liquid if you prefer a thinner dip.) Process, scraping down the sides with a spatula, until the mixture is fairly smooth. Add the remaining beans and the oil, and process until smooth.

Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in the salt and cumin. Sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with pita bread, vegetables, or crackers for dipping.

From Kitty Morse's Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen

Summer Salad Recipe

Here's a quick summer salad recipe to help use up various vegetables and greens you have in the fridge. Mix and match different veggies and grains for a different variation each time.

2 cups cooked Quinoa, Millet or Rice
1/2 cup cooked beans or chickpeas
4-6 oz Feta Cheese, cubed
2 tbsp Dulce Flakes or crumbled Kale Chips (see earlier recipe on blog)
2 handfuls steamed Fava Beans (taken out of the pods)
1/2 bunch chopped Parsley
1/2 chopped Cucumber
2 green onions, chopped
1 handful steamed broccoli florettes
1/4 fennel bulb, sliced horizontally into chevrons
Any other veggies you have around: Tomatoes, peppers, etc.

Mix together and serve over a bed of greens (e.g. lettuce, Chopped chard and kale, etc.) with olive oil and vinegar. It's a light, filling meal.

Cooking with Dandelion

Our CSA box this week contains dandelion. We know this is going to catch some people off guard, but we promise that we thought long and hard about including it. If you taste the raw leaves alone, you'll find that they're bitter, even too strong for some people. But don't worry -- there are many ways to use this green.

In fact, we have been selling more and more dandelion over the past two years. Many customers with Eastern European and Mediterranean roots buy dandelion from us, recalling that this early bitter green was a staple of their spring and early-summer meals.

Barb, our resident herbalist on the farm, notes that Dandelion (and other bitter greens) detoxify the liver, which in turn boosts the immune system. Indeed, the detoxifying function of the greens is just what the body craves after a winter of eating a diet lower in fresh fruit and vegetables and higher in fats and meat.

The variety of dandelion we grow is a cultivated variety from Italy that has a red rib down the middle and is tenderer than the wild dandelion you will generally find in your yard. But feel free to use wild dandelion. Just make sure you know the source (i.e. it hasn't been sprayed by gardeners or dogs).

If you receive our CSA box, you'll note that there are other greens in the box this week: Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Parsley and Beet Greens. All of these together with the Dandelion will make an excellent fresh salad or a nice mix of braised or steamed greens.

Dandelion also makes a nice addition to Caesar Salad with the Romaine Lettuce, particularly with the addition of bacon (bacon and dandelion are a nice balance of flavors). Feta is another strong flavor that balances bitter greens nicely and can be added to this or other salad mixes.

Cookthink.com offers a few ideas for dandelion, including this salad of Dandelion, Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnuts. Notice that the pear, blue cheese and walnuts are all stronger flavors that make for a robust salad. Cooktime.com also suggests a Black Pepper Greens recipe that will help to use a good amount of greens in any meal.

Finally, we always ask our market customers how they prepare their dandelion greens. Almost always, their response is the same: Steam the greens lightly, add olive oil or a bit of melted butter and toss with some balsamic vinegar. It's a simple side dish and complements dishes of stronger flavor, such as red meat.

So, here's to experimenting in the kitchen. Have fun and feel free to share your dandelion recipes in the comments section below.