We are moving into winter planning mode here. We’ll be seeding some fields with cover crops before the expected rain this weekend at our home farm, and utilizing this rain to prepare our Lewis Road soil (which needs a bit more moisture to plant into) for sowing cover crop seeds next week. Our winter cover crop is typically a mixture of bell beans, vetch, oats, and peas. These crops are allowed to grow through the winter before we mow them down and disc them under in the spring.
Continue reading »
This is the time of year when we really start to keep an eye on the weather.
The strawberries are going to be hit and miss from now on. The heat did a number on them last week, but they are rebounding surprisingly strongly. With possible rain in the forecast we may lose some of this ripening fruit.
Continue reading »
Not a true jam, but one of a series of “jams” made from various vegetables that are used as toppings, sauce enhancers, dips, or spreads for sandwiches. There are “real” tomato jams, and they all seem to use a 1:1 ratio of sugar to tomato. Not so here, where there is only a little sugar and some vinegar to enhance the tomato flavor. Use this for fish, flattened and bread pork chops, or poultry such as grilled or roasted chicken, or roast turkey thighs or turkey scallopine.
Continue reading »
Odd though it may sound, this is a salad that is served warm. It could easily become and entrée by adding a grilled pork chop or some grilled chicken. If you wish to use it for a main dish, use more carrots, bumping the carrot recipe up by 50%. Try marinating the meat in the vinegar and herbs used in whichever dressing you choose for a while before grilling it.
Continue reading »
Peeling the squash before cutting makes it easier. Don’t worry about getting all the peel off; a little left on is fine and looks nice. If it is easier, cut it into larger pieces, and use a very sturdy peeler such as the kind with the u-shaped handle. Save the seeds to roast; just wash well and dry, then oil and sprinkle with salt and bake 10-15 minutes at 350°F or until done. Eat as is or save and use as garnish for this dish.
Continue reading »
These are the potatoes that brought Chef Joel Robuchon to world notice, and they are the potatoes that brought Jean Pierre Clot fortune. He is the man who resurrected this potato from the Alps and sent it to Chef Robuchon, who proceeded to make this over-the-top version of mashed potatoes. This version is simplified from Chef Robuchon’s, as it skips using a tamis, or drum sieve, for the potatoes. Do not attempt this in a food processor or blender as it will provide you with gummy, pasty potatoes. You will need a food mill, or a ricer.
Continue reading »
Another salad from the Tour Du Fridge Department, or, what leftovers can be transformed into dinner? Leftover farro and lots of peppers led to this. You can use other chewy grains such as wheat berries or barley of you don’t have farro handy. Serve this as a side or part of a mezze/antipasto/appetizer spread.
Continue reading »
This is a simple dish with nowhere to hide for inferior ingredients, so make this with ripe flavorful tomatoes and fresh aromatic herbs. As it says, this is a great topping for fish, whether grilled, roasted, or poached. Use it with any thicker fish. Use a milder olive oil, and only enough to be noticed. Too strong and it will overpower the tomatoes, and too much will muffle all the flavors and make the salad/topping heavy.
Continue reading »
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch Tokyo turnips*, washed well and cut into ½-inch wedges 2-3 firm apples, sweet-tart, cut into ½-inch wedges, seeds removed 1 small white or yellow onion, finely diced 2 tablespoons cider vinegar ½ cup apple cider 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more as needed 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves roughly chopped Salt and Pepper to tasteContinue reading »
Thanks to those of you who braved the heat to come out to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday. We enjoyed seeing you, and the goats and cows loved all the food and attention. We donated 100% of the pumpkin sales (over $800) to Linscott Charter School.
The high pressure zone and the heat that accompanied it during the later part of last week made life interesting around here. Normally our proximity to the coast (two miles) takes the edge off of most heat spells,
Continue reading »
This dressing would go well with a salad of arugula and frisee with pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts, or another salad with similar flavors. This dressing would also be a good sauce on chicken or grilled lamb chops, or drizzled over grilled salmon or used to dress lentils while hot.
Continue reading »
This dish is sweet, nutty, and “green”, with a sweet and funky base from leeks, garlic, and sage, and then is topped with a bread crumb Persillade. Both light and satisfying, if you add some cooked shelling beans and grains like barley or farro you have robust vegetable dish that can stand alone.
Continue reading »
This is very definitely an autumnal salad that is a study of contrasts and complements. If you can get the pomegranate seeds, do use them as the acid really adds to the whole. This salad can easily be turned into a full meal by enlarging it and adding grilled chicken or shrimp that has marinated in pomegranate juice, garlic, and mint.
Continue reading »
Persillade is a condiment or topping, the most basic version of which is a mixture of chopped flat leaf parsley (persil in French) and garlic. Different iterations feature vinegar, different herbs, pepper flakes or powder. Anchovy often shows up in Provençal versions. Look for it in French, Cajun, Quebecois, and other French influenced foods, as well as Greek cuisine. Adding lemon (or other citrus) zest turns it into gremolata, the traditional topping of osso bucco, which are slices of lamb shank slow cooked and topped at service with aromatic gremolata. This is a variant that includes toasted bread crumbs that add a nutty quality, as well as crunch to a dish, and mitigates the powerful flavors of garlic and lots of parsley.
Continue reading »
This salad is a contrast of sharp and peppery with sweet and crisp. If you are not a fan of cilantro feel free to skip it, but the minty-citrusy hard to describe flavor of cilantro leaves, in a small quantity add a nice note in the face of the more bold flavors of radicchio and arugula. This salad is a great foil for pork, duck, turkey, or chicken. If you feel the salad needs toning down a little, use the option for adding the lettuce, which will spread out the other more forthright flavors.
Continue reading »
Prosciutto works just fine here as well the Serrano ham, and is much less expensive. Regular arugula can stand in for the wild, and if you don’t have Petite Basque or Manchego handy, go with buffalo mozzarella. If you wish to be authentically Spanish, use sherry vinegar for the onions and Serrano ham. Going Italian? Use balsamic vinegar and mozzarella with Prosciutto.
Continue reading »
This is dish with some substance that is still brightly flavored and not heavy. Depending on how much you reduce the cooking liquid, it can be soupy, a little saucy, or dry. Use it as a base to a protein, or a main course. Add some grains and a little yogurt or cheese and you have a complete protein. Using different herbs or spices will change the flavor profile, so have fun seasoning the dish.
Continue reading »
For what it’s worth, gratin refers to the cooking vessel and the way it is used, not just the dish itself. Anything can be cooked “au gratin” and the recipe itself is varied. Potatoes alone, or mixed with other roots such as parsnip, turnip, or onion. Mushrooms, kale, artichoke hearts, olives, all these can go in as well. The dish can be made with or without cheese, with cream, milk, stock, or any combination of these. In summer, I make gratins with vegetables that are “wet” (tomatoes, eggplant, etc.) and the only liquid I use is a little bit of flavorful olive oil. In colder months I make traditional creamy, cheesy gratins with roots and tubers. You can be precise in the way you lay in the ingredients or you can be casual. Bear in mind that the thickness of the cuts, the density of the vegetables, and how tightly packed in the dish everything is can affect the cooking times. This recipe is a variation of a quiche I used to make, and it is named for Denise who likes it so much I can never make enough.
Continue reading »
This recipe calls for new potatoes, but you can use anything really, as long as it is a waxy type. The new potatoes have a sweetness and nutty quality that just really plays well with this iteration of pesto. If the potatoes are smaller- 1-inch or less- smashing them with a fork or cutting board is great. If they are bigger, slicing is a good way to go, or cut the potato into 1-inch chunks and go from there. This helps to keep a good potato to pesto ratio for good flavor. If you decide to salt the finish dish, be sure to use a large crunchy type and go light with it. This is one of those simple dishes where it is all about the ingredients, and how some things just seem to go so well together.
Continue reading »
Here is another iteration of mint pesto. This uses traditional pine nuts, but you could substitute roasted almonds or combine the two. If you do not have fresh marjoram, skip it, but it adds depth to the mint and brightens it up. I prefer to use a mortar and pestle for my pesto, both for flavor/texture, and because it is hard to do smaller batches in a food processor. Both methods are given, but I hope you will try the mortar and pestle method.
Continue reading »
As we approach the official end of summer, things are really getting dry out on our grassland and the surrounding hills. There’s a sprinkle of rain in the forecast — hopefully much more will come. While the slough we live beside (Harkins Slough) has maintained its water level due to some upwelling groundwater, the other fingers of the Watsonville Slough system are getting noticeably drier every week.
Continue reading »
Some of you will receive “new” potatoes in your box this week. These are simply potatoes that have been dug before the skins have set and the plants have dried down. I remember an English customer at a Farmer’s Market once who asked if my potatoes were “English” new potatoes, as if the name implied a specific variety. In fact, they can be from any variety—this week we are digging Desirees.
Continue reading »
One of the simplest ways I know to enjoy tomatoes is this quick and very traditional Mediterranean snack. I first made this when inspired by a description I read in a book by Lawrence Durrell if I recall correctly. I have since seen it in many other places. There is no set recipe. It is a technique. I suppose a 1:1 ratio of medium tomato to slab of toast might work.
Continue reading »
Roasting the tomatoes concentrates the tomato sweetness, while also adding a haunting roasted background note. The basil oil is a great finish, and you could use Thai basil for the oil which would be great also. If you don’t have that handy, the mint crema (yogurt and mint) will work fine. You could also drizzle with some balsamic vinegar, especially if you have some of the thick aged stuff stashed.
Continue reading »
This is a light flavored dressing with a definite character of its own. Some people hate shiso, others love it. The dressing is for the latter. The coriander seed helps to add more dimension to the shiso. Do not let this dressing heat up or it will not taste that pleasant. Adding shiso at the start and at the end adds depth while retaining the very fresh flavor shiso is known for. Use within a day or two of making.
Continue reading »
“Lighter Flavored” refers to the lighter cilantro flavor, so it is a background note rather than a star. The use of cilantro seed powder enhances the dressing by adding a subtle citrusy aroma and flavor that works well with the other elements. Try this dressing with roast squash, as in the Orange Hokkaido and Kale Salad, or with fish and shrimp, or pork.
Continue reading »
Here is a twist on a favorite, the “Golden Beets and Kale Salad with Orange Cilantro Vinaigrette”. Here we see Orange Hokkaido fill in for golden beets, and some orange flavored cranberries are added for interest, and the dressing is changed up a little to back off the cilantro a bit, and an Orange Shiso dressing is offered as well, for those that have easy access to shiso.
For tips on peeling and cutting winter squash, see the article “Winter Squash” on the website.
Continue reading »
It’s been a mixed year for the pears. After a beautiful early lush bloom in spring, they developed fireblight that nearly killed many of the trees. It hit some varieties much harder than others, though, and the varieties that pulled through are producing a nice crop of fruit. The Hardy Buerres and the Seckels came through almost unscathed, and we’ll be alternating these with strawberries in the boxes as our strawberry production is going into a bit of a slump.
Continue reading »