Crazy for Kholrabi

I am so glad I have the wonderful opportunity of introducing many of you for the first time to Kholrabi.

It is SO delicious.  I just know you will love it! Just try it!

Kholrabi Ham Bake ( from Simply Recipes)

Absolutely delicious!  We had it for dinner, but it could be a breakfast/brunch food!

So lets get this party started.

 Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large-ish pan.

Add 2-3 kholrabi (peeled and diced) to the pan.

Dice 8oz of thick sliced ham.  I bought a ham steak and cut it into bite sized pieces

Her comes the good stuff. CREAM.  Mmmm.

Separate 3 eggs.  We need the yolks for this recipe.  Add 1 cup of heavy cream.

Add 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

Add 2 tablespoons of fresh, chopped parsley. And season with salt and pepper.

Whisk together.

Your kholrabi has been cooking for about 10 minutes and is lookin' gooooood!

Now it's time to put it all together.  Add half the kholrabi to a 9x9 baking dish.

Add the ham.

Add the rest of the kholrabi and pour on the sauce.  Bake 350 for 30 minutes.

 

This food was accepted by all members of the family.  Even the pickiest, little guy.

Kholrabi Ham Bake

3 Tablespoon butter

2-3 kohlrabi, peeled and diced

8 ounces thick ham, diced

2 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

3 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the diced kohlrabi and gently cook for 8 to 10 minutes. In a bowl add the egg yolks, cream, flour, parsley, salt and pepper.  Whisk until well combined. Place half of the cooked kohlrabi on the bottom of an 9x9 casserole dish. Add on the diced ham. Top with the remaining kohlrabi. Pour the sauce ingredients over the kohlrabi and ham.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Enjoy!

Excited for Escarole

Escarole is a lovely bitter green that is in the chicory family along with radicchio and endive.

I normally think of escarole as a "soup green."

So here is my version of Escarole Meatball Soup (Italian Wedding Soup)

First step: Wash your escarole.  Wash it just like all the other greens from the farm and store in the fridge wrapped up in paper towels inside of a ziploc bag.

Heat 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a soup pot,

Chop 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots, and a medium onion.  Add to the pan.

Season with salt and pepper and add two bay leaves.  *Remember to pluck the bay leaves out of the soup before serving.  They are only for flavor, not for eating.

While the veggies are cooking, start the meatballs.  I used a meatball mix of beef, pork, and veal.  You could use whatever you like, just beef, or turkey.

To the ground meat add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs.

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg and 2 cloves garlic, minced.  I didn't have any garlic, so I just added some garlic powder.

Mix well.

After the veggies have cooked for about 5 minutes add 6 cups of chicken broth.

And 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil.

While you wait for the broth to boil start rolling your little meatballs.  I love making them pretty small, but that also means more meatballs to roll. 

When the soup has come to a rolling boil add the meatballs one at a time.

Add 1 1/2 cups of pasta.  My kids choose mini shells, but orzo would be good too. Cook until the pasta is tender 8-10 minutes.

Give your escarole a rough chop. I used about a pound which was 2 heads.

Add the escarole to the soup in batches.  Stirring until it is wilted.

Escarole Meatball Soup ( adapted from Rachael Ray)
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 dried bay leaves
1 lb meatball mix (a mixture of beef, pork, and veal)
1 egg
2 gloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups pasta
1 lb fresh escarole (you could use any green like, spinach or swiss chard) roughly chopped

In a soup pot heat 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaves.  Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile mix up the meatballs.  In a large bowl mix, meat mixture, egg, cheese, bread crumbs, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Add broth and water to the soup pot.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Roll the meat mixture into small bowls and add to the soup pot one at a time.  After all the meatballs are in the soup add the pasta.  Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is tender.  Then add the escarole in batches stirring until wilted.  Check seasonings and serve.

Happy Cooking! 

2013 week 3

Are you ready for some greens?  I hope so! This is salad season!

full share

Broccoli Rabe is a bitter green, very similar to mustard greens.  I love broccoli rabe cooked with lots of garlic!  I recommend blanching the rabe in boiling water to take the edge off the bitterness first then sauteing with olive oil and garlic.

Here is a link to a great Broccoli Rabe Recipe.


We are truckin' along at the farm and things are growing.  The packing house is getting spruced up and ready for kirby pickle packing.  First tomatoes are staked and have their first string now.

 The earliest corn is making ears!

 

Enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

 Strawberry Spinach Salad.

A perfect combination. It makes a great side dish at any picnic. I must eat you.   Sluuuurrrrp!

It includes two Buzby crops: strawberries and spinach.

First we'll make the dressing.

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice.  Fresh would be best, but not necessary.  If using fresh lemons add 1/2 tsp of lemon zest.
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon poppy seed.

Now for the salad part:

I like to use the smaller more delicate spinach leaves for salad and save the big, outer leaves to cook down like in my Spinach Egg Bake.

I filled my salad bowl with beautiful, tender leaves.  About 8 to 10 ounces. 

 Slice 1/2 of a cucumber.

 Add 1/4 of a small red onion, sliced

 Add 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberry

 

Toast 1/4 cup of sliced almonds and sprinkle on top of the salad

 

Add the dressing right before serving.

 Always a hit with my crowd.  Enjoy!

2013 week 2

Half Share

Well, we made it to week 2!

The share included: asparagus, strawberries, hakurei turnips, romaine and spinach! How did the spinach escape the pic?  Really!?

Here is a link to last years post on cleaning and storing  spinach.  This cleaning process is important for all the greens coming from the farm because they are very sandy and they will wilt if you just throw them in the fridge without first properly caring and cleaning. 

Here I am cleaning my romaine tonight.

Rinse those leaves really well in a large sink of water

Dry the leaves and wrap in paper towel, then place in a plastic bag and store in the fridge.

 

This is our very first year growing hakurei turnips, and we are pleased with the crop.

--They are delicious raw added to salads or slaws or just sprinkled with salt.

--When cooked, they develop a buttery flavor and when roasted at high temperatures, their sweetness increases.

--Don't get rid of the tops! Sautee with garlic in olive oil--tasty.  Add to your morning smoothy--yes!


Things are hopping around the farm.  Warm days like today means things are growing before your eyes.  The sugar snap peas have reached the top of the stake and now reach over, the cantaloupe vines have flowers on them!

This is a busy time of year when we are still seeding crops, planting and harvesting all at the same time. 

2013 week 1

Opening CSA Day here at the farm was a great success.

Half share

Here is some important information to keep your produce nice if you can't use it right away.

Strawberries. . .are very perishable.   This is not a problem in my home,  they disappear very quickly.   If you want to keep them more than a couple of days they should be kept in the refrigerator. They might last four or five days in the fridge.

Asparagus. . .when you bring asparagus home and you know you are not going to use it that day you should store it in your refrigerator in a bowl or mug with some water in the bottom.  The asparagus will slowly drink up the water.  Before cooking your asparagus it needs to be rinsed, the best way I have  found is to fill up a pitcher of water and put the asparagus in with the tips down. This way all the sand will sink to the bottom.  I follow the recipe on the tag to roast my asparagus.

Romaine and Pac Choi and any other greens that come from the CSA are SANDY!  They need to be thoroughly washed.  

--To wash I fill up a clean sink or big bowl with cold water and put the leaves in and gently swish.  --Then pat the leaves dry or dry them in your handy dandy salad spinner.  

--Next, wrap the lettuce leaves in some paper towel and store in a gallon size ziploc bag or other large container and store in the refrigerator.  

If you carefully wash, dry, and store your greens they will easily last the whole week, but if you just throw the whole head in the fridge crisper the lettuce will wilt and not be crisp.

Many of you were asking what to do with your Pac Choi.  Here is my favorite way to prepare it.  **Bonus it is quick and easy.

This is not an exact recipe, sorry to my peeps who like specific instructions.

To prep the bok choy cut the stalks from the leaves.  (The stalks take longer to cook).  Chop the stalks into large bite sized pieces.  Then chop the leaves into 1 inch pieces.  I also added some sliced red onion, but you could use sweet onion or green onions too.

Heat olive oil in saute pan on high.  Make sure it is good and hot then add the stalks and onion and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Then add in the leaves.  Like spinach, the leaves will wilt.  Then I added a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, a couple drops of toasted sesame oil and a few splashes of soy sauce.  Stir and cook just until greens have wilted.  It will only take1-2 more minutes.  YUM!

Word to the wise: I overdid it a little on the soy sauce,  that stuff is so potent, it only takes a little.

Enjoy!