CSA Members 2009: Newsletter Archive

Summer Delivery #4

Dear CSA Members,

We have cherries! Our first cherries of the season come from Sunnyslope Ranch in the Yakima valley: sunnysloperanch.com.

They are sweet and juicy, the best cherries I've had in my recent memory. Our Spring has given us enough warm, dry weather to really contribute to the perfection of the cherry crop, and we hope that our other stone fruit will be similarly delicious. Natty has developed a great fondness for cherries, and her daily routine includes circling around our own ancient and ridiculously tall cherry tree, looking for fruit that the birds haven't pecked. I have given up my attempts to salvage her shirts before the cherry stains set in. . . I highly recommend OxyClean as a back up plan.

You'll notice that today's boxes are especially. . . green. As we gear up into Summer, the spring vegetables pass, and on come the greens until our next vegetables get into full swing. In the coming weeks, expect our first Summer squash, potatoes, and green beans, as well as more peas, beets, and carrots.

In the meantime, a few recipes to make your greens more interesting.

Pasta with Lentils and Kale

If you'd rather skip the pasta, this is also delicious served over millet. Take 1/2 cup millet, checking it for small pebbles or debris. Add it to a dry skillet, and cook until it is barely toasted, and giving off a light fragrance. Add to 1 1/2 cups water, with one Tbsp butter and a bit of salt, and simmer about 25 minutes. Do not stir, or it will be mushy. While millet is cooking, sauté one small shallot in butter until lightly browned in places. Add to millet just before removing it from heat. Spoon the lentil/kale mix over the top of the millet and serve.

ingredients

• 1/2 cup French (small) green lentils
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 bunch kale
• 3/4 pound dried short pasta
• grated Parmesan

procedure

Simmer lentils in water (2 cups) with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart saucepan, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep lentils barely covered, until tender but not falling apart, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt.

While lentils simmer, heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring, 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and golden (stir more frequently toward end of cooking), about 20 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to moderate, then cook, stirring frequently, until onion is golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more.

While onion cooks, prepare the kale: strip and discard stems, tearing kale into small pieces as you work. Add kale to skillet and cover, cooking on low heat and adding a Tablespoon of water if necessary, until kale is just tender. Add to onion along with lentils (including lentil-cooking liquid), then simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large pot, add pasta to water and boil, uncovered, until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup pasta-cooking liquid, then drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta to lentil mixture along with about 1/3 cup of pasta-cooking liquid (or enough to keep pasta moist) and cook over high heat, tossing, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

Adapted from Gourmet, April 2007

Sautéed Dandelion Greens

ingredients

• 1 bunch dandelion greens, tough lower stems discarded
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 garlic flowers, cut into thin slices
• a pinch of dried hot red pepper flakes
• salt to taste

procedure

Cook greens in a large pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until ribs are tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain in a colander, then rinse under cold water to stop cooking and drain well, gently pressing out excess water. In a medium skillet, cook garlic and red-pepper flakes with oil over medium heat, stirring, until garlic flowers are tender. Add greens and sea salt and sauté until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Adapted from Gourmet, April 2008, By Gina Marie Miraglia Enriquez

Risotto with Peas and Green Onions

ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 3/4 cup arborio or medium-grain white rice
• 2 1/2 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
• 3/4 cup frozen petite peas, thawed (use sugar snap peas: wash, snap in half, and saute with a bit of butter, then add to risotto)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

procedure

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add green onions and thyme and sauté until onions wilt, about 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat. Add 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in peas. Simmer until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if risotto is dry and stirring often, about 5 minutes. Mix in 1/3 cup cheese; season with salt and pepper. Serve risotto, passing remaining cheese separately.

Adapted from Bon Appétit, October 1988

Stir Fried Tofu with Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas, and Green Onions

ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 12-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, excess water gently squeezed out
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps quartered
• 8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 4 green onions, sliced on diagonal

procedure

Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Add tofu and stir to coat; let marinate at least 30 minutes. Drain, reserving marinade in small bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup water and cornstarch into marinade.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and sauté until golden. Using slotted spoon, transfer tofu to plate. Add remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to skillet. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until tender, about 3 minutes. Add sugar snap peas; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; stir-fry 30 seconds. Return tofu to skillet; drizzle reserved marinade mixture over. Stir-fry until marinade thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

Bon Appétit, January 2004