CSA Harvest Week 17:
Edamame Treats
Check out all of the new
pepper recipes below. Remember, you can
freeze peppers. You can choose to blanch them or just stuff the chopped peppers
into a freezer bag. Check out this helpful guide. http://www.pickyourown.org/peppersfreezing.htm
Farm Fresh Harvest
Arugula- Spicy!
The arugula grew a little taller than we usually let it get, so it is
spicy! Pair it with sweet dried
cranberries, honey mustard dressing, and toasted walnuts. For
those of you who think it a little too spicy raw, try this. Make an arugula pesto with walnuts. Check out
this blog post! http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/arugula_pesto/
Radish- Spicy little radishes. To help make them more mild…grate, slice, or
chop and add salt and olive oil. Let
marinate for about 5-10 minutes before eating.
Edamame- Pluck the pods from the stems. Steam
or boil the pods for 4 minutes. Splash
with soysauce. The sweet beans will just pop out. They are packed with flavor AND nutrients. The plants are enthusiastic producers of the beans.
Fresh edamame is a special, nutritious
treat. The beans are Delicious baby
soybeans . You may have had the edamame appetizer at a
Japenese restaurant. The frozen pods are always tasty, but you can’t beat the
delicious fresh ones! At home you can recreate the edamame appetizer. The beans
are boiled or steamed whole in the pod, drained, and sprinkled with soy sauce.
8-10 minutes of boiling or steaming makes lightly cooked beans. Edamame, like
all legumes, is high in protein, B vitamins , and potassium.
Note: The kudzu bugs that
have been covering the edamame plants are 95% gone thanks to Thomas and William’s
dedication and lots of dunking in soapy water.
(soybeans
and edamame beans are related to kudzu) Either squish with a paper towel or put
into a container with a lid and dump them outside.
Beans, Chinese Red Noodle Beans (and a few long green pole
beans)- These long meaty beans cook just like green beans. They grow on a pole or trellis and the beans
hang down like red noodles! The Greek Style
Green Beans are a great recipe for these tasty beans. Or you can sauté them in
olive oil with some garlic and onion for about 10 minutes. Then I add a splash of lemon juice and a
sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Bell peppers- Crunchy!
They
are turning red and sweet! They ripen with sunshine in late August and
September!
Tomatoes- The tomatoes have full ripe flavors since we grow them
under the hoophouse, which keeps the rain from watering the flavor down.
Cherry tomatoes- Little gems of sunshine!
Summer squash and Zucchini-
Recipes:
Peppers…Stuffed, Roasted, Relish
Peppers Stuffed with Chile Grits
This recipe
does not require baking and making the grits is quicker than making rice! Try this richly flavored recipe with roasted
poblanos, green chiles or bell peppers or even an assortment of peppers. The piquant
flavors of roasted peppers melt into the satisfying thick comfort of chile
grits. Serve with chips ,salsa, and sour
cream or plain yogurt next to shredded lettuce or cabbage.
To Prepare bell
peppers for stuffing: Try this! Don’t cut the top off of the pepper making a
deep soupy cavity- try cutting the bell pepper in half vertically all the way
through the stem. Leave the curly stem
for a nice garnish. Trim the membrane
and seeds. Add 3 tablespoons of olive
oil to a pan and heat to high. Add
peppers to hot (medium high heat) skillet to sear. Listen for the sizzling racket for about 3
minutes and turn and sear for another 3 minutes. This cooks the peppers slightly and browns
them a bit. This way the peppers are
ready for a hot stuffing to placed inside of them and served. Save the fragrant oil and cook with it.
Note: Have peppers or chiles prepared
beforehand or prepare them while you are making the grits. Also note that the
peppers are not baked after they are stuffed!
I cook the grits while the onion is cooking to save time. Follow the directions on the package. It’s okay to use “quick” grits, just make
sure to get plain flavored, watch the amount of sodium in the package, and make
them thick!
1 tablespoon
oil
2 medium
onions, diced
1/2
tablespoon ground coriander
2 cups corn
kernels, fresh, frozen or canned
1 clove
garlic
1 cup thick cooked grits or polenta
3 tablespoons
roasted, diced green chiles, jalepenos, poblanos, or more to taste. You can also use about 1 tablespoon chipotle
powder or ¼ or ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
Salt and
Pepper to taste
6 or 7 roasted
poblanos or green chiles or (3 medium
bell peppers- prepared for stuffing)
Heat the oil over medium heat, add onion and
sauté for 4 minutes. Add ground
coriander and corn and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add garlic, grits (or
polenta), diced green chile, and stir to combine. The filling will need to be thick enough to
stick together somewhat. If it’s not,
cook and gently stir until thick.
Stuff the peppers or chiles and serve.
Chile
Cheese Grits: Add ½ cup shredded
cheese to the chile grit mixture and stir to combine
Stuffed Peppers (From From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking
Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce)
A little oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
3 cups raw brown
rice
6 cups water, chicken or vegetable stock, or tomato juice
½ teaspoon allspice
½ cup almonds, chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes
¾ pound cheddar chease, grated
Salt and pepper
9 large paeppers, tops cut off, seeds removed
Heat oil in a large skillet; add and sauté garlic and
onions. Add rice and brown about 5 minutes. Add desired liquid and
allspice. Cover and cook until rice is done, about 40 minutes.
Toast almonds in dry skillet or hot oven several minutes, tossing often.
Stir in tomatoes, cheese, almonds, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook
peppers in boiling water 2 minutes. Drain and stuff peppers with rice
mixture. Bake 350 degrees 30 minutes. Makes 9 servings.
Roasting chiles or peppers is simple. You char and blacken the chile or pepper with
intense heat or direct flame. That means
you can roast a poblano, chile, sweet pepper, jalepeno or anything else with a
gas grill, charcoal grill, gas stove range, electric or gas broiler.
I love roasted
chiles! I was first introduced to a
freshly roasted chile while staffing a farmer’s market in Colorado for the
ranch I was working on. My first bite
was of a “Big Jim” chile stuffed with fresh soft sheep cheese, and it was love
at first bite! The smells of the propane
chile roaster rotating and flame roasting the chiles filled the air, bringing
the locals to declare that the heights of summer had arrived!
Here’s a quick way to knock out a batch. Place the peppers or chiles with stems under
a very hot grill or put the peppers or chiles on a baking sheet under a
preheated broiler until the skin blisters slightly and is black in spots, about
5 minutes on each of two sides. Place
in a large bowl with a towel over it until cool enough to handle; this steams
the skin off. Peel most of the skin
off. Don’t rinse the flavor away! Use a
paper towel if needed! The pepper can
then be used for days in many dishes. Or freeze for later.
Preparing for Stuffing
: Cut a slit lengthwise from under the stem to the end point. Delicately scrape any seeds than can be
easily removed. Stuff with your favorite
stuffing.
Preparing for dicing: Cut a slit lengthwise from under the stem
to the end point. Remove the stem, seeds
and membrane. Slice and dice.
Poblano
Pepper and Heirloom Tomato Fresh Relish:
Try the
piquant flavor of the poblano in this salsa type relish. You can also use
roasted sweet bell peppers for a flavorful, but mild relish.
2
tablespoons olive oil
2
tablespoons pine nuts (optional)
3 or 4
poblanos, roasted, peeled, and diced
2 ears of
corn, cooked and cut off the cob
1 bunch
scallions or 3 tablespoons diced sweet onions
1 clove
garlic, crushed or diced
2-3
tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon
fresh lime juice or more to taste
Tomatoes,
diced- about a half pound
Salt and
pepper to taste
Heat the oil
in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and optional pine nuts and cook
for 2 minutes. Stir in poblanos, corn,
scallions, cilantro, and lime juice and cook until the flavors blend- about 2
minutes. Remove from the heat, add diced
tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste and let cool. Can be cover and refrigerated for a couple of
days. Best served at room temp.
Greek
Style Green Beans
This recipe is a new favorite here at the
farm. The dish does take a while to
cook, but requires hardly any attention.
How about some green
bean recipe ideas? You can use the
Chinese Red Noodle Beans in place of any green bean. Martha Stewart provides inspiration again…
Healthy
Green Bean Recipes
Three
Bean Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
If you don’t have watercress or mache on hand (and you won’t, because
mache doesn’t grow here when green beans grow), you can use arugula, lettuce,
or any other salad green,
Grilled Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad (from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A guide to
Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce)
This great pasta salad recipe can be made with a variety of
summer vegetables. It is easy to mix and
match ingredients based on seasonal availability.
1 zucchini
1 yellow
squash
1 eggplant
4 tomatoes
4 portobello
mushrooms
1 red bell
pepper
Olive oil
spray
2 cloves
garlic, minced
Salt and
pepper to taste
1 pound
penne, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
4 oz.
mozzarella, sliced
3 tablespoons
toasted pine nuts
3
tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Approximately
1 cup vinaigrette made with balsamic vinegar
Heat/prepare
an outdoor grill. Slice zucchini,
squash, and eggplant into long ½ inch thick “planks.” Cut tomatoes in half. Remove stems from mushrooms. Cut pepper into quarters; discard core and
seeds. Spray veggies with light coating
of oil. Sprinkle with minced garlic;
season with salt and pepper. Grill until
lightly charred and barely tender. Chop
and place in large bowl with pasta, cheese, nuts, and basil. Toss with vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. 6-8 servings.
Late Summer
Bruschetta
(from From
Asparagus to Zucchini: A guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce)
2-3 large
tomatoes
1 crunchy
sweet pepper
1 medium
sweet onion
2-3 cloves
garlic, minced
Olive oil
Small
handful fresh basil, chopped (optional)
Crusty bread
(like baguette)
Shredded
mozzarella or grated parmesan (optional)
Chop the
vegetables into a midsize dice. Combine
with garlic 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, and optional basil. Slice baguette down the middle and lay the
two sides cut side up. Brush with
additional 1-2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle on cheese, if using. Broil bread for several minutes until bread
or cheese browns a bit. Top the sections
(you may cut them smaller, if desired) with some of the vegetable mixture. Makes 4 servings
Grilled Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad (from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A guide to
Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce)
This great pasta salad recipe can be made with a variety of
summer vegetables. It is easy to mix and
match ingredients based on seasonal availability.
1 zucchini
1 yellow
squash
1 eggplant
4 tomatoes
4 portobello
mushrooms
1 red bell
pepper
Olive oil
spray
2 cloves
garlic, minced
Salt and
pepper to taste
1 pound
penne, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
4 oz.
mozzarella, sliced
3
tablespoons toasted pine nuts
3
tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Approximately
1 cup vinaigrette made with balsamic vinegar
Heat/prepare
an outdoor grill. Slice zucchini,
squash, and eggplant into long ½ inch thick “planks.” Cut tomatoes in half. Remove stems from mushrooms. Cut pepper into quarters; discard core and
seeds. Spray veggies with light coating
of oil. Sprinkle with minced garlic;
season with salt and pepper. Grill until
lightly charred and barely tender. Chop
and place in large bowl with pasta, cheese, nuts, and basil. Toss with vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. 6-8 servings.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.