CSA Members 2005: Newsletter Archive

Dear Members,

The beautiful sunny mornings, sparkling with frost and air so frigid you can almost see it, remind us that it's December. The spinach, babied under a winter blanket of row cover, made it all the way until Sunday morning, when the temperature dropped to 17 degrees and killed it off. We held on to the rest of the veggies, however, and will finish off the season with an array of goodies.

We always enjoy December because it offers a bit of free time before seed orders and next year's planning take over. It has become our tradition to hunt down the best Noble fir in Lewis County and cut it down; Mike has patiently followed behind for hours at a time, quietly interjecting, "How about this one?" every so often, just so that I feel that he's part of the process. We were lucky to find one right down the road this year, and chose and cut it in under an hour. A personal record!

We are also lucky to have more time with friends and family, who often don't see us for most of the summer unless they show up in the field. Our wonderful friends from Portland came to visit in June and ended up harvesting with us! Most everyone we know loves to come to the farm, simply because it's so different from the city.

Okay, I will sign off and leave room for recipes. Thank you again and have a wonderful winter season. We hope to hear from you in spring!

APPLE STRUDEL TURNOVERS

The pastry chefs at Spago make fresh strudel dough, but we call for packaged phyllo here. For the breadcrumbs, finely grind crustless white sandwich bread in a processor, then toast the crumbs in a 350°F oven until dry, about 10 minutes. You'll need two 14-cube ice-cube trays for the filling.

ingredients

• 2 1/4 pounds apples (about 6 medium), peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

procedure

Mix apple cubes and lemon juice in medium bowl. Mix 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and white pepper in small bowl to blend. Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat and stir constantly until butter browns, about 3 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water, then sugar mixture and cook until syrup turns deep amber color, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Mix in brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add apple cubes with lemon juice; cook until juices are thick and spoon leaves path when drawn across bottom of pan, about 13 minutes. Add molasses and stir to blend. Divide apple mixture equally between two 14-cube ice-cube trays. Freeze until frozen, at least 4 hours. (Frozen apple cubes can be prepared 1 month ahead. Cover; keep frozen.)

Melt remaining 1 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stack 14 phyllo sheets on work surface. Trim phyllo stack to form 13x8-inch rectangle. Cut stack in half lengthwise, forming two 13x4-inch stacks; place on top of each other. Cover with plastic wrap, then damp kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining 14 phyllo sheets, forming second stack. Place 1 phyllo strip on work surface. Brush lightly with melted butter. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon breadcrumbs. Top with second phyllo strip. Brush lightly with melted butter; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon breadcrumbs. Remove 1 frozen apple cube from ice-cube tray; return remaining cubes to freezer. Place frozen apple cube on lower short end of prepared phyllo strip. Turn bottom right corner of strip over apple cube so that bottom edge lines up with left side. Continue folding up phyllo, flag-style, creating triangle and enclosing apple cube. Brush triangle with melted butter; place on rimmed baking sheet and transfer to freezer. Repeat with remaining pastry strips and apple cubes. (Turnovers can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover; keep frozen.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake strudel turnovers on rimmed baking sheets until golden brown, about 13 minutes. Serve strudel turnovers warm with vanilla ice cream.

Bon Appétit, September 2003, chef Sherry Yard, Spago, Beverly Hills, CA

Winter Vegetable Gratin

ingredients

• 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cleaned
• 5 medium carrots, sliced
• 6 small to medium parsnips, sliced
• 4 leeks, rinsed, sliced into thin rings
• 2-4 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (you may make your own, but I cheat and use Progresso Italian Herb style)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar, packed

procedure

Sauté leeks in 2 Tbsp butter until translucent and lightly browning. Separately, place Brussels sprouts in a skillet with butter over medium heat, cover and steam/sauté until tender and brown in places. Set aside. Into the leek pan, pour 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and simmer lightly. Add remaining vegetables and continue to cook with lid on, 3-5 minutes. Add cream and stir well, then remove from heat and mix gently with Brussels sprouts. Press evenly into a 9" square baking dish.

In a separate bowl, blend breadcrumbs and cheese well, then top the vegetables with it. Evenly pour the remaining 1/2 cup vegetable broth over top. Bake at 350° for 1 hour, then uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.