“Confit” is the term for slow cooking something to tenderness in a (typically) oil bath, and for whatever it is that has been cooked this way. This may seem like a lot of oil, but the oil is part of the yield of this dish, and is great for building other dishes. Use it with braised meats and for flavoring fennel poached fish, or use it to flavor spreads like tapenade or on a sandwich. The fennel confit can be used to top cocques and pizzas, as a base for fish or chicken, or in salads and sandwiches, among many other things, and is great for giving you a quick jumping off point for quick meals.
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For me, one of the most gratifying parts of life on the farm is watching the land change over the years in positive ways. When we first arrived here at our home site along Harkins Slough thirteen years ago, the upper portion of the property was almost completely devoid of vegetation around the farm fields. In the first few years we planted hedgerows around most of the periphery of the farm, as well as riparian buffer strips and landscaping around the house and outbuildings.
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This dressing was designed for the Radish Meyer Lemon Salad, but would go well with many other things. Perfect with shrimp or grilled swordfish, or grilled chicken or asparagus. Nice on fava beans too. If you want to keep this dressing for more than a couple days, strain it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the mint shreds which will discolor and start to taste swampy after a couple days.
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This recipe calls for cooking the kales separately first so the greens keep more individuality. If you like the idea of the greens integrating into the lentils and melting down more, skip the part about removing them from the pot. Most recipes do not call for soaking lentils, but you can. This helps them cook faster, which means they don’t explode before they are tender, as well as making minerals more bio-available to the body. If you do not wish to soak your lentils, just rinse them and start the dish. This dish makes enough for generous servings plus some leftovers for lunch.
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The salad and braising mixes are a sort of spring special here. We know that the baby green mixes are very popular and we grow them in spring because they can be ready to harvest in about four weeks, which means we can plant them after the major winter rains have let up and have them ready by the first CSA boxes. But salad and braising mixes are a lot of work to grow so during the rest of the season we tend to favor the head lettuces and mature greens that do so well here.
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This is loosely based around a traditional Japanese treatment of greens. The stems of shiitakes are frequently too tough to eat, but still contain plenty of flavor. Using the stems for a “stock” base keeps them from going to waste and boosts the flavor of the dish. See Chef’s Notes for more about this.
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This is the simplest of the various versions of this dressing, and is perfect for Celéri Rémoulade (Celeriac, or Celery Root Remoulade).
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This dressing is for the Arugula, Celeriac, and Hazelnut Salad, but goes well with many things. Any thing with arugula, and beets match especially well with this dressing, as do crisped porcini mushrooms. For nut oils, I like the Tourangelle line of oils. I find them to be full flavored, fresh, and relatively inexpensive for the quality, which I find to be consistent.
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The arugula and celeriac share a bright sharpness, and both echo the warm nutty hazelnuts. A White Balsamic Hazelnut Vinaigrette is called for, but a modified Remoulade (less mustard, red wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice) would work as well.
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This is classic bistro fare, and it is still on menus today. It is a simple salad with a refreshing taste that is quick and easy to make. The flavor of celeriac is like branch celery, but is more complex. The flavor is more intense, but is subtler, like hearing a song clearly but coming from another room. This salad is fine as is, but is easy to dress up. This is one of those recipes where a fixed blade slicer like a Ben-Riner or a mandolin is easiest, but a sturdy grater or even a food processor will work. When peeling celeriac, leave the peeler in the drawer or risk destroying it. Use a knife instead.
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Tomorrow is the first day of spring, and we’re celebrating by starting up CSA deliveries for the 2013 season. We’re looking forward to a good year of farming on our beautiful central coast farmland. We’ve had a busy few years, getting to know our “new” Lewis Road property and completing the big projects so we can be more productive with what we’ve got.
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A colorful combination of textures and flavors, this is a quick and healthful salad. Made with daikon radish, it is quite traditional. The use of watermelon radishes would be novel, but quite colorful. A mixture of daikon and watermelon radishes would make this dish arresting to the eye. This is one of those dishes where a Ben-Riner or other fixed-blade slicer is really handy.
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Although called Spanish Radish, these are well-liked in places like Russia where the winters are harsh and the ground is cold. These radishes store really well if kept cold. The recipe takes its inspiration from Russian cuisine. This salad would be a nice accompaniment to gravlax, borscht, or braised beef.
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This is a good thing to have in the freezer as it can be used as a “spread” out of the refrigerator for things like sandwiches and crackers with smoked salmon, or use it to top grilled salmon or steamed chicken as an instant sauce. Slip thin slices under the skin of a chicken to be roasted and you get a moist buttery chicken with lots of fresh herb flavor. It is great for making a pan sauce as well; after sautéing some scallops or fish, de-glaze the pan with some white wine and/or lemon juice and add small cubes of this compound butter to form the sauce.
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This is my version of the basic recipe for gravlax, which is a traditional cured salmon from Scandinavia. Easy to do, and less expensive than store bought, it also tastes better. Once you have this down, you can start playing with other flavorings, like adding thyme or mint. The fattier the salmon, the better for gravlax, by the way. Remember, don’t eat salmon raw. It should always be cured, smoked, frozen, or cooked to avoid possible parasite problems.
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This week we are delivering our final winter CSA boxes. Thanks to those of you who joined us for winter! We’re busy with planting and tending the spring crops for the first weeks of the regular season starting March 20/21. (Check your account and make your payments now if you haven’t yet so that you take advantage of the lower price—see subscription info below.)
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A variant of Poppyseed Dressing, this one uses a small amount of cream to give a silky texture. This dressing goes well with assertive flavors such as the salad of Mustard Greens and Roasted Red Beets. The sweetness of the orange and the small amount of cream tames ands contrasts nicely with the sharpness of the mustard and earthiness of the beets. If you don’t have poppyseeds, the dressing is still good without them. You could try a little celery seed (just a little!) or some powdered coriander seed.
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If the idea of ham does not appeal, use some Pimenton de la Vera instead for the broth. The smoky flavor really pulls this dish together. Use more stock to turn this into a brothy soup, or cook it down until the stock has reduced to a glaze and serve as a side. Finishing with a few drops of a vinegar based hot-sauce, vinegar, or lemon juice adds a bright spark to the dish and emphasizes the sweetness in the ham, leeks, and peas.
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The dressing for this salad has only a little cream in it, hence it is mentioned last. It is just creamy enough enhance the earthiness of beets and offset any sharpness of the mustard. The colors of this salad are nice and bright, and the flavors are vivacious. If you do not have a fixed-blade slicer for the carrots, see the method for using a peeler in the notes. A grater just doesn’t give sharp edges to the carrots to achieve the desired effect of crispness.
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This is the third straight year that we have had a prolonged dry spell in the middle of winter and, according to the latest weather report, there is no meaningful rain in sight. In some respects it has been helpful. Because most of our ground has dried up, we are well ahead of schedule getting ground worked up, and doing our first plantings. Harvesting for the CSA and the Farmer’s Market is always much easier when things are dry as well.
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This basic dressing uses lemon juice bolstered with a little rice vinegar for acid. The vinegar adds balance to the lemon juice, which can sometimes be harsh, especially when combined with a sharp Tuscan style extra-virgin olive oil. If your lemons are really tart, you could use all lemon juice. You can also use water to lower the acidity if you do not want to use a vinegar.
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This is a variation of a southeast Indian dish. You can skip the chilies if you don’t want it hot, or add more if you like it really spicy. If you are not fan of cumin, use the curry powder option. The dish will be “sweeter” tasting, rather than earthier, but will still be just as delicious. If you do not have pink lentils (which are more of a salmon color, really) use another type that will hold shape once cooked. This dish has more texture than a dal that is simply simmered until the lentils disintegrate, which is why the lentils are soaked.
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