Janurary 29, 2010

Harvest List Week of 2/1

Shiitake Mushrooms!
Lettuce – red salad bowl
Kale – mixed varieties
Potatoes – purple and red
Leeks – Giant Musselburgh
Broccolini – Italian type
Eggs
Alsea Acres Cheese, Basil Hazelnut

Update on Metro’s Rezoning of Malinowski Farm

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with the Malinowski brothers and Metro comissioner Deborah Kafoury regarding the rezoning of farmland above forest park, including the Malinowski Farm. You may remember my email of a few weeks ago urging you to read about the rezoning of this area and the potential loss of some of the best soil available to us within city limits. The Malinowski’s are fighting the good fight and we look forward to spring when the decisions will be made. We talked about the many families that are fed from this land, and the three other famers that lease here that depend on it to earn a living. You can follow this process as the comissioners come to their decision: http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=26257

I will continue to update you as we learn more, hopefully the comissioners will decide to place some of our last bits of farmland into rural reserves. Thanks to the members that took some time to read about this issue, ask questions, and send their thoughts to our commissioners.

Deck Family Farm’s Meat is Back!

Deck Family Farm is once again offering us a great discount on their meat, 20% off everything in their retail list. Simply go to their website, select what you’d like to order, email me your list, and I will respond with a total. You can then send your payment to me via paypal or check by February 8th in order to meet their deadline. I’ll have your order in coolers at the CSA pick-up the following week. 

This Week’s Recipes

Leek and Shiitake Mushroom Miso Soup

1 leek
4 shiitake mushrooms
1½ pints dashi stock (or water)
4 – 6 tbsp medium-coloured miso paste

Remove shiitake mushroom stalks and thinly slice caps. Finely chop leek. Add mushrooms and leeks to saucepan, followed by the fresh dashi stock. Cook over a low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the leek and mushrooms are soft.

Place miso paste in a small heat-resistant bowl and add a ladle of the soup. Stir continuously to dilute the paste, rather than adding the miso paste directly into the saucepan. Add the diluted miso to the soup and stir.

You can adjust the flavour at this stage. If the soup is too strong, add a little water. If it’s too weak, add a little more miso paste. Return to just before boiling point, turn off heat and serve immediately.

Tuscan Kale Salad

4 cups kale, loosely packed, sliced leaves,midribs removed
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed
salt & pepper, to taste
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Toscano cheese (Rosselino variety if you can find it) or other flavorful grating cheese such as Asiago or Parmesan
1/2 cup freshly made bread crumbs from lightly toasted bread

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flakes. Pour over kale in serving bowl and toss well. Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again.

Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes. Add bread crumbs, toss again, and top with remaining cheese.

Strata

This dish can be made with crumbled bacon or shrimp, sauteed mushrooms or leeks, and just about any kind of bread, including raisin or a mixture of white and whole wheat or rye. Prepare it a night ahead. To feed a crowd, double this recipe and prepare it in a large baking dish.

14 slices bread, crusts removed
1 cup diced cooked ham
2 cups shredded Swiss or cheddar cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley
6 eggs
3 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the bread into cubes. Generously grease a 13×9-inch baking dish. Make a layer with half the bread cubes, arranging them so they cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the ham, cheese, shallots, and basil (or parsley) over the bread. Cover with the remaining bread cubes. Beat the eggs and milk together in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Slowly pour the mixture over the top bread layer, saturating it evenly.

Cover and refrigerate overnight; the bread will soak up the liquid as the mixture stands.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Uncover the strata and bake for 1 hour, or until puffed and lightly browned.

Scallops and Leeks in Star Anise-Orange Sauce

1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 whole star anise
1 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 tablespoon 1/2 x 1/8-inch orange peel strips (orange part only)
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
8 sea scallops

Boil juice and star anise in saucepan until juice is reduced to 1/2cup, about 3 minutes. Cool; remove star anise and reserve. Whisk sugar and cornstarch into juice. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add orange peel strips and reserved star anise to skillet and sauté 1 minute. Add leeks; sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add scallops; sauté until opaque in center, turning once, about 3 minutes. Add juice mixture; boil until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves two as a small starter course or side dish

Leek Bread Pudding

2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices leeks (white and light green parts only)
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
12 cups 1-inch cubes crustless Brioche or Pullman sandwich loaf
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
3 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
3 cups heavy cream – yep whole milk AND heavy cream
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup shredded Comté or Emmentaler – french cheese, unpasteurized

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the leek rounds in a large bowl of tepid water and swish so that any dirt falls to the bottom of the bowl. Set a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, lift the leeks from the water, drain, and add them to the pan. Season with salt and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. As the leeks begin to soften, lower the heat to medium-low. The leeks will release liquid. Stir in the butter to emulsify, and season with pepper to taste. Cover the pan with a parchment lid, and cook, stirring every 10 minutes, until the leeks are very soft, 30 to 35 minutes. If at any point the butter breaks or looks oily, stir in about a tablespoon of water to re-emulsify the sauce. Remove and discard the parchment lid.

Meanwhile, spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through, until dry and pale gold. Transfer to a large bowl. Leave the oven on.

Add the leeks to the bread and toss well, then add the chives and thyme.

Lightly whisk the eggs in another large bowl. Whisk in the milk, cream, a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spread half the leeks and croutons in the pan and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Scatter the remaining leeks and croutons over and top with another 1/4 cup cheese. Pour in enough of the custard mixture to cover the bread and press gently on the bread so it soaks in the milk. Let soak for about 15 minutes.

Add the remaining custard, allowing some of the soaked cubes of bread to protrude. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese on top and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until the pudding feels set and the top is brown and bubbling.

Spicy Sauteed Broccolini with Garlic

1 bunch broccolini
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup low-fat chicken stock, low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, or veggie broth

Cook Broccolini in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until stems are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, then plunge into a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain again and pat dry with paper towels.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add half of garlic and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and sauté, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add half of Broccolini and 2 tablespoons stock and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, then repeat with remaining oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, Broccolini, and stock. Season with salt.