June 12, 2010

This Week’s Harvest

We have a very lovely late spring harvest for you this week. It includes a few ingredients you may not be familiar with or have had a chance to work with before. Let’s start with Escarole.

Escarole is a type of endive that is incredibly versatile. It can be eaten fresh or cooked, used in everything from salad, pasta, and soup. Escarole is very bright green with broad outer leaves that get progressively smaller towards the center of the head. A picture pre-harvest of the escarole you will be receiving (escarole on the left, frisée on the right):

Escarole is really unique in that it provides various degrees and of flavor as the outer leaves are removed. While the outer leaves are a dark green, peeling back a layer will reveal a lighter shade of green. As more layers are peeled back, the leaves continue to lighten in shade. As the shade of the leaves lightens, the degree of bitter taste also lessens. The result is that it is possible to use different layers of escarole to achieve the taste you want with the dish you are preparing.

Next in the harvest that may be new to you is bunched pea shoots. We’ve included the young shoots as a salad ingredient in past harvests but this week you will receive a large bunch of pea shoots to work with. They are fantastic fresh or absolutely delicious stir-fried with sesame and ginger.

Finally, we have some nice baby cabbages that are really lovely grilled if you will be taking out the bbq this weekend. There is the Bacalan cabbage, a very old french variety characterized by its arrow shape, and we also have baby Bilko napa cabbages.

Enjoy!

What you will find in this week’s share:

* Strawberries!!!!!!!!! We have a good harvest this week and will be spreading the love in all the shares. Berry shareholders will also receive their first berry share this week in addition to the pint included in half and full shares.

* Escarole

* Cabbages – Bilko and Bacalan varieties. You’ll notice some of the baby napa cabbages have a little raab or flowering going, this is due to the longer days we’re entering and the flower is really delicious. To be eaten and enjoyed!

* Mixed greens

* Bunched pea shoots

Recipes for the Harvest

Escarole with Bacon and White Beans

*  2  bacon slices, chopped
* 1  cup  chopped onion
* 1  garlic clove, thinly sliced
* 6  cups  chopped escarole (about 2 [8-ounce] heads)
* 1  teaspoon  sugar
* 1/4  teaspoon  salt
* 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
* 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 1  (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan; set bacon aside. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 12 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add escarole, and cook for 2 minutes or until escarole wilts, stirring frequently. Add sugar, salt, pepper, and chicken broth; cook 15 minutes or until escarole is tender, stirring occasionally. Add beans; cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with bacon.

Simple Escarole and Beans

Saute a small handful of chopped garlic in some olive oil. Add red pepper flakes and coarsely chopped escarole — saute till wilted. Add beans (we use chickpeas), capers and some brine — heat through. We served over whole wheat pasta with a side of baked carrot fries, but this would be fantastic over brown rice or stirred into a simple Parmesan risotto.

Cabbage Curry

Ingredients:
Cabbage (1 medium)
Peas (1 tea cup)
Mustard seed
Cumin seed
Salt
Turmeric

Recipe: Cut cabbage to your desired size and add turmeric and salt. Mix it properly and keep it aside for 20 minutes. Keep a vessel on the heat and add oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seed and urad dal. Ones it is properly done, add cabbage and peas. While adding cabbage, squeeze out the water out of cabbage (adding salt would draw the water out of cabbage). Let it cook for 10-15 minutes string occasionally and add water if required. Once you are through, can also add grated coconut if you like. You can have this cabbage curry with rice or chappati.