Penne with Greens and Goat Cheese

This is a fast, versatile dish. You can use virtually any green from the CSA share. Currently greens are abundant at the farm. They cook down small so go ahead and use up the few bunches you've stock piled in the refrigerator from the last few shares.
Suggested greens: Dandelion, Chard, Kale, Spinach, Beet Greens

Making the pasta
1st: Start your water to boil for the noodles.
2nd: Prepare the greens
note- The main thing to remember is that you may want to de-rib or de-stem the greens before use. This will help it not to be stringy. I make the greens first by washing, preparing, and sautéing the greens in olive or coconut oil. Sometimes I like to add garlic and herbs. Ready in minutes. You'll know they are ready when they are tender and sweet.
3rd: Boil your noodles. And strain.
Lastly: Mix the greens and noodles with a little more olive oil, salt and pepper and add the goat cheese tossing gently.
Enjoy

Posted by Rio Gozo Farmers

A Bag of Greens (or Two)

Use those bags of greens!

You need:
2 tbsp olive oil
One bulb of garlic, cloves sliced thinly lengthwise
Slivered almonds
Half an onion, diced
Couple tbsp capers
Penne pasta (2/3 cup pasta water reserved)
A bunch of greens. I had rainbow chard and kale.
A handful of kalamata olives, cut in half
Some Parmesan & dill for topping



Get your pasta water going and heat up the oil over medium high heat
in a large pan. Dump your almond and garlic in there and stir til
golden, then remove & put on a paper towel to drain. Put your onion in
the oil and sauté with the capers til tender.
Put your pasta in, then add greens and olives to oil, turned down to
medium. Sauté til tender, about 5 minutes. Reserve your pasta water,
drain, and add to pan with reserved water.
Plate and top with Parmesan & dill.

This dish makes a great cold salad leftovers for lunch.

Posted by Mister Gardner

Farm Breakfast

A handful of the greens from your CSA box and a fresh egg makes the perfect quick farm breakfast.  All you need to do is season a cast iron pan for a generation.

Ingredients:

Egg

Salt 

Pepper

Greens

Well seasoned cast iron (otherwise a little oil)

Hot Greens with Crispy Onions

I was craving some greens, so I used everything left in the box. You could try the same thing with Escarole or Dandelion greens. 
Oh my. So freaking good.

You need
2 onions sliced thin
2 cups oil
Couple slices bacon
Bacon drippings
Olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
Tablespoon water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
A bunch of greens, use what you got, I had 2 bunches chard, kale,
purple cabbage, Savoy cabbage, and spinach
Cut out the tough stalks from your greens!

1. Fry the onions in batches in 350 degree oil. They'll be golden
brown and awesomely crispy. 2 minutes max.

2. Dissolve the sugar in one tbsp of water for about 5 minutes over
medium heat, then boil without stirring until sugar turns amber. Then
add the pepper flakes and cider vinegar and stir til the Caramel
dissolves. Cool, like a polar bear's toenails.

3. Next do your bacon low and slow til crispy.

4.Put two tbsp of bacon drippings and a tbsp of peanut or olive oil in
a large pot over medium high heat. Add half of greens and stir til
wilted, then add other half and cook until desired doneness, I like it
pretty al dente- so it took about 8 minutes.

5. Re- warm the gastrique, and pour over greens. Add crumbled up bacon
and top with crispy onions. Oh hell yeah!

End of Summer Soup

As we sat down to eat, my daughter said this was the prettiest soup. And, except for a few ingredients (carrots, celery, parsley, beans), everything is from our share.  It looks like a long recipe, but it takes no more than 30 minutes once the broth is ready.

Thank you!

Perfect end of summer soup

For the broth (or use 3-4 quarts of your favorite broth)
1 chicken carcass
1 onion, peeled, cut in half
1 head garlic, unpeeled, cut crosswise
innermost ribs and leaves of a celery heart
a bay leaf
a few strands dill
a few springs parsley
sea salt to taste
a few black peppercorns or to taste

Put it all in a big pot and cover with cold water by two inches.  Bring to a boil, skim any foam, and lower heat to a slow simmer.  You can forget about this for a couple of hours on the stove or use it in 30 minutes.  Either way, it is tastier than boxed broth.  Strain and discard the solids.  Season if desired.

For the veggies
olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 small carrots, diced
two fistfuls yellow wax beans, cut into bites
3 or 4 small summer squash, cut into bites
1 bunch chard stems, chopped
a few cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Heat a big skillet over medium/high heat.  Add a few swirls of olive oil, then cook the onion and carrots to tender-crisp.  Season as you go with salt and pepper.  Add the green beans, squash and chard and go a few more minutes (I like the veggies still a little crunchy in the soup, cook more if you want them soft).  Add the garlic last, and cook until fragrant.

To finish
2 cans Great Northern beans or other large white beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch chard leaves
chopped fresh dill, sage and basil
chopped jalapeno
freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Add the beans and cooked veggies to the broth pot and cook until heated through.  Chiffonade the chard (stack the leaves, roll like a cigar, and slice parallel to the stem).  Pile chard leaves in each bowl, ladle soup over them and finish with herbs, jalapeno, parmesan and more salt and pepper if desired.

Throw in a crunchy baguette, rubbed with olive oil and garlic.  A chopped tomato on top would probably be very tasty, didn't think of it.

Posted by 

Siobhan McDevitt (CSA member)

The Big Soup

I've been doing my minestrone research; minestrone means "the big soup" and comes from a style of cooking the Italians call "cucina povera"- the poor kitchen. Like most provincial food, it is based on what is abundant- so use what you got.

You might enjoy a Minestrone. You might not think you like minestrone, but you will. No soggy veggies in this one.

I've had a Minestrone Renaissance- I cook everything al dente, garnish it with plenty of fresh basil and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano from my great grandmother's Italian wooden cheese grater, and pair it with a hunk of delicious warm bread. Minestrone uses the vast majority of the ingredients in the summer harvest, and with some technique- it is a perfect light summer dinner. Give it another try.

How to make it:

Start with a base of sauteéd onions and garlic cooked in butter and olive oil until they are translucent. Add your herbs (rosemary, thyme, fresh oregano or marjoram). Add stock and water in ratio with the amount of soup you want. While the stock is coming to a boil, prepare your ingredients.

Potatoes- cubed

Zucchini- cut in thick rounds, half moon, or quarters

Tomatoes- quartered

Peppers- sliced

Chard- cut into strips

Basil- cut into thin strips

Cannellini Beans- cooked, rinsed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Add the potatoes to the stock and boil until tender. Add the beans.

Meanwhile, sauté the chard with salt and butter. In a separate pan, sauté the zucchini and sweet peppers just until al dente with more fresh herbs and salt and pepper.

When the potatoes are ready, combine the zucchini, peppers, chard, fresh tomatoes, and 1/2 the basil . Let simmer for a minute. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a large flat bowl and garnish with fresh tomatoes, basil, fresh shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a dash of cream. (The secret to adding pasta shells is to pre cook them and add them at the end)

Wilted Chard Salad

Chard is a gardener's perfect companion plant. It's a loyal friend in the field while other vegetables are come and gone. It's the wonder vegetable. The chard you've been eating is coming from the same line of chard we've been growing for the past 6 months. When it looks toast we give it a hair cut and it keeps on going. It's one of those items in the box that doesn't quit. Here's a recipe for a wilted summer salad. Let's toast to longevity!

Ingredients:
A few of bunches of chard that have been collecting in the fridge for a while.
One leek
A little garlic, minced
Any kind of cheese
Olive oil or coconut oil
Balsamic reduction
Salt and Pepper

How to make it:

Do not wash your chard right before cooking. Pull the leaves from the stems. Chop the stems into 1 inch pieces and chop the leaves separately into strips. Mince the garlic and the leek. Heat your oil in a large skillet or wok and add the leeks, garlic, and stems.  Cook until tender. Add the chopped leaves and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool. You may like to drain the excess liquid from the leaves. Transfer to a serving bowl and add the cheese and balsamic reduction. Just enough. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.
enjoy.

Chard Salad

Chard "Salad" recipe was sent to us by Megan Benner, a farm volunteer with whom we share a symbiotic relationship of inspiration.

Recipe:

Ingredients-
8 leaves chard (stems finely chopped & separated)
2 Tbs. coconut oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp. each of ground cinnamon & ginger
1/2 tsp. each of ground turmeric & cumin
1/8 tsp. white pepper (I usually substitute with several "twists" of a black pepper grinder)
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained (I also like to sub with beluga lentils)
1/3 cup each chopped dried apricots & figs (I sub with golden or regular raisins, currants, dried blueberries or cranberries - whatever dried fruits I have on hand)
1/2 cup chopped almonds (again, sub with whatever kind of nuts you like, pine nuts are yummy!)
1 cup cooked couscous (I sub with quinoa for gluten-free, brown rice might also work)

Heat oil in saucepan over med-low heat and sauté onion and chard stems until slightly soft and then add finely chopped leaves and sauté until tender. Stir/fold in spices (I like to use a lot more than the recipe recommends; I usually use a lot more chard too), then beans, dried fruit, nuts and quinoa/rice/couscous. Enjoy!

Fast and Green

I often find myself looking for a fast whole-meal option that incorporates the healthy greens. Today I've found a winner. This recipe will feed your whole family, and takes almost no time or effort. Of course, I have to modify it a bit, by adding in a clove of the killer garlic that we have been getting. The recipe calls for chard, but kale works just as well. Found on Epicurious.

1 pound linguine

12 ounces bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices

1 very large red onion, halved, sliced (about 6 cups)

2 large bunches Swiss chard, stemmed, chopped (about 12 cups)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in heavy large pot over medium heat until beginning to crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Drain all but 2 tablespoons bacon drippings from skillet. Add onion and saute over medium-high heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add Swiss chard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add pasta cooking liquid to skillet. Toss until chard is wilted and tender, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle vinegar over; cook 1 minute.

Add linguine and oil to sauce in pot and toss to coat. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with bacon and cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Potato Season

Who doesn't love potato season? We are so excited to be getting these little gems in our share each week. Below is one of my favorite recipes, and it knocks off three veggies from the share!

Potatoes and Chard with Green Curry Sauce

(from Jack Bishop)

1 Tb roasted peanut oil

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 Tb minced gingerroot

1 14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk, with 1.2 C thickened cream skimmed and reserved

1 - 2 Tbs green curry paste (from an Asian grocery)

1/2 C water

2 lbs potatoes, cut into large dice

4 oz chard (leaves only), thinly sliced

1/2 C packed fresh cilantro leaves

1 Tb lime juice

Heat oil in a Dutch Oven over medium until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook about 1 minute. Add coconut cream and curry paste. Simmer briskly until the liquid in the coconut cream evaporates and the mixture forms a very thick paste that sizzles in the pan, 2 - 3 minutes.

Add coconut milk, water, potatoes, and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered 20 minutes. Stir in chard and cook 5 mins more. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Serve with rice.

Chard Stems

The other night I was having dinner with fellow CSA member Celia, when she told me something wonderful. She had found, in a cookbook that we both own, dedicated recipes for CHARD STEMS. No joke. I was delighted.

Chard stems have always been a little hard for me. They often don't appear in recipes that call for the leaves, but they are so deliciously edible that I feel tremendous guilt just composting them. The Silver Spoon holds the solution.

I have often found the Silver Spoon to be a challenging book to use. They call it the Italian "Joy of Cooking." But, like JoC, It is too dense to read like a book, and is otherwise too Italian to contain recipes that it would occur to me to look for in an index. So it doesn't often make its way off the shelf. But C pointed out, helpfully, that the whole middle section is organized by vegetable. This little feature makes the book a must-have for committed CSA members.

Here is one of three stem recipes, Celia's favorite:

2 1/4 lb chard stems

4 salted anchovies, heads removed, cleaned and filleted, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained

2 Tbs olive oil

1 garlic clove

1/2 C parmesan freshly grated

salt and pepper

Chop the stems into 2 " pieces and boil for 10 minutes until tender. Drain.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and anchovies and mash until anchovies have almost disintegrated. Add chard, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finish with salt, pepper and parmesan.

Chard Utopia

Do all readers know that chard is basically year-round here in SoCal? Also beets. If you've been in the CSA for any length of time, this is probably self-evident, but it bears repeating. Because to make the CSA work, you MUST have some good uses for chard. Also beets.

This one was sent to me by Celia from one of her favorite CSA friendly cookbooks Simply in Season. She claims that she made a half recipe and it used up all the chard, beet, and turnip greens, plus some of that wonderful fresh basil we have been getting recently. Also, it's delicious. Here it is as a half recipe, since a full recipe makes a bazillion servings, and the half recipe only makes 4 - 5.

1 C onion

fresh basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

pinch salt

Saute in pan for 5 minutes w/some oil.

1 1/4 lbs chard, beet greens, and turnip greens (stemmed and chopped)

Add to pan with onion and wilt (about 5 mins)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 Tbs flour

Add to mix, stir and cook for 2 - 3 mins. Remove from heat

1 C feta (crumbled)

1/2 C cottage cheese

pepper to taste

Mix in.

1/2 lbs frozen phyllo (thawed)

This last bit is where you have to get a bit creative. I wasn't at Celia's to enjoy this recipe, so I don't know if she cut the phyllo sheets in half and made her half batch that way, or what. Actually, it probably is what I just suggested. But just in case it's not, here is the recipe as written. If you choose to make it, you'll just have to modify on the fly. Fun!

Place a sheet of phyllo on an oiled 9x13 pan. Brush with more oil and place another sheet on top. Repeat 7 times. Spread half the filling evenly on top. Add 8 more sheets of oiled phyllo. Cover with the rest of the filling and finish with the remaining sheets of phyllo. Bake uncovered at 375 for 45 minutes.

- Christiana

Pizza

One of my favorite restaurants anywhere is Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. It is so much fun to be there and all of the food is incredible. Really, with Nancy Silverton, Mario Battali, and Matt Molina, how could a pizza place in Hollywood go awry? They are renown for squash blossom pizza. So much so that Saveur offered a squash blossom pizza on the cover of it's Los Angeles edition this year. I made their recipe, exactly as published, and we LOVED it. (full disclosure: Michael would be perfectly happy if we ate pizza 365 days a year). My photograph, however, left quite a bit to be desired. You'll receive squash blossoms in your share this spring and can purchase burrata cheese from Whole Foods or at other specialty food stores. At Mozza, they use the Gioia brand. This is worth spending some energy to track down. Burrata is fresh mozzarela stuffed with cream and, for me personally, it completely redefined what fresh cheese could be.

I also tried a chard version with some of the additional dough from the recipe, which, by the way, kept perfectly in our refrigerator for three days wrapped in plastic. Since I don't have a slick magazine photo to which I can direct you, I've included mine.

1/4 dough from Saveur Recipe

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 stem green garlic (peeled, finely sliced light and green parts only)

1 leek (finely sliced light and green parts only)

1 bunch baby chard leaves with stems

Salt and red pepper flakes

1 egg

freshly grated parmasean reggiano

Prepare pizza dough as directed by Saveur. From my experience, the use of a pizza stone, even a very inexpensive one, and the practice of heating it for an hour at 500 degrees is critical to the success of the finished product. Place the prepared dough on the heated stone and bake for 5 minutes at 500 degrees. In the meantime, saute green garlic, leeks and chard in olive oil. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Arrange the contents of the saute pan on the baking crust, crack the egg over the top, sprinkle with parmasean cheese and bake for five additional minutes. You'll want additional parmasean to garnish the cooked pie and a chiffonade of soft herbs would not be out of place. Having tried this, I advise making a little well in the center of the greens to cradle the egg while it bakes. You can see that mine ran dangerously close to the edge.

- Jet Doye

Full of Folate

   

    Can you identify this leafy green? 

     Early November brings us goodies in the box that may all look the same to the average eye.  Some of us are hard pressed to tell chard from kale from spinach from collards.  All the above in the same share- farmers have a deep concern for your colon and a folly for folatio.

     Well, according to John, not all leafy greens look the same. They certainly don't taste the same; but you could probably get away with cooking them in a similar way.  John's favorite is a quick sauté in coconut oil, grated orange zest, & sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds (gomasio if you prefer). Eat everyday for the next 3 months.  When it really starts to get mundane add red chili flakes to spice things up, use creative pet names like: Hot under the Collard.

     To their credit, these leafy ladies all got something you want.  They share an abundance of folate, and folate is all the rave these days.  You can't even get a pap smear at child bearing age without a hasty recommendation to increase intake of folic acid. Maybe I'm naive, maybe its because I'm a part of a CSA with a promise of more leafy greens than I ever imagined, but is it possible to already be getting enough of this vitamin? I  balk at supplements and haven't developed a taste for chalky organ meat. Calf's liver is synonymous with childhood nights alone at the dinner table while everybody else gets to watch the Muppet Show. I'd prefer a season of identifying mystery greens and laboring over different ways to enjoy them than either alternative.  Would it help to think of your box as one giant supplement?

     If you're looking for few good ideas on how to cook your goods, come to the Fall Harvest CSA potluck November 21st at Rio Gozo Farm. John will give a greens tour and demonstrate how to prepare them. 

In the meanwhile, here's a list of fun folate facts:

World's Healthiest Foods ranked as quality sources of: folate
Food	Serving Size	Cals	Amount (mcg)	DV (%)	Nutrient Density	World's Healthiest Foods Rating
Romaine lettuce	2 cup	15.7	151.98	38.0	43.6	excellent
Spinach, boiled	1 cup	41.4	262.80	65.7	28.6	excellent
Asparagus, boiled	1 cup	43.2	262.80	65.7	27.4	excellent
Turnip greens, cooked	1 cup	28.8	170.50	42.6	26.6	excellent
Mustard greens, boiled	1 cup	21.0	102.76	25.7	22.0	excellent
Calf's liver, braised	4 oz-wt	187.1	860.70	215.2	20.7	excellent
Parsley, fresh	2 tbs	2.7	11.40	2.9	19.0	good
Kelp (sea vegetable)	0.25 cup	8.6	36.00	9.0	18.8	very good
Collard greens, boiled	1 cup	49.4	176.70	44.2	16.1	excellent
Broccoli, steamed	1 cup	43.7	93.91	23.5	9.7	excellent
Cauliflower, boiled	1 cup	28.5	54.56	13.6	8.6	excellent
Beets, Boiled	1 cup	74.8	136.00	34.0	8.2	excellent
Celery, raw	1 cup	19.2	33.60	8.4	7.9	very good
Lentils, cooked	1 cup	229.7	357.98	89.5	7.0	excellent
Brussel sprouts, boiled	1 cup	60.8	93.60	23.4	6.9	very good
Pinto beans, cooked	1 cup	234.3	294.12	73.5	5.6	very good
Black beans, cooked	1 cup	227.0	255.94	64.0	5.1	very good
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cooked	1 cup	269.0	282.08	70.5	4.7	very good
Kidney beans, cooked	1 cup	224.8	229.39	57.3	4.6	very good
Summer squash, cooked, slices	1 cup	36.0	36.18	9.0	4.5	very good
Cucumbers, slices, with peel	1 cup	13.5	13.52	3.4	4.5	good
Navy beans, cooked	1 cup	258.4	254.62	63.7	4.4	very good
Papaya	1 each	118.6	115.52	28.9	4.4	very good
Green beans, boiled	1 cup	43.8	41.63	10.4	4.3	very good
Cabbage, shredded, boiled	1 cup	33.0	30.00	7.5	4.1	very good
Fennel, raw, sliced	1 cup	27.0	23.50	5.9	3.9	very good
Bell peppers, red, raw, slices	1 cup	24.8	20.24	5.1	3.7	very good
Leeks, boiled	0.50 cup	16.1	12.64	3.2	3.5	good
Green peas, boiled	1 cup	134.4	101.28	25.3	3.4	very good
Lima beans, cooked	1 cup	216.2	156.23	39.1	3.3	good
Winter squash, baked, cubes	1 cup	80.0	57.40	14.3	3.2	good
Tomato, ripe	1 cup	37.8	27.00	6.8	3.2	good
Oranges	1 each	61.6	39.69	9.9	2.9	good
Crimini mushrooms, raw	5 oz-wt	31.2	19.85	5.0	2.9	good
Strawberries	1 cup	43.2	25.49	6.4	2.7	good
Flaxseeds	2 tbs	95.3	53.86	13.5	2.5	good
Split peas, cooked	1 cup	231.3	127.20	31.8	2.5	good
Raspberries	1 cup	60.3	31.98	8.0	2.4	good
Eggplant, cooked, cubes	1 cup	27.7	14.26	3.6	2.3	good
Onions, raw	1 cup	60.8	30.40	7.6	2.3	good
Cantaloupe, cubes	1 cup	56.0	27.20	6.8	2.2	good
Kale, boiled	1 cup	36.4	17.29	4.3	2.1	good
Swiss chard, boiled	1 cup	35.0	15.05	3.8	1.9	good
Corn, yellow, cooked	1 cup	177.1	76.10	19.0	1.9	good
Peanuts, raw	0.25 cup	207.0	87.53	21.9	1.9	good
Grapefruit	0.50 each	36.9	15.01	3.8	1.8	good
Sunflower seeds, raw	0.25 cup	205.2	81.86	20.5	1.8	good
Avocado, slices	1 cup	235.1	90.37	22.6	1.7	good
Carrots, raw	1 cup	52.5	17.08	4.3	1.5	good

World's Healthiest Foods Rating	Rule
excellent	DV>=75%	OR	Density>=7.6	AND	DV>=10%
very good	DV>=50%	OR	Density>=3.4	AND	DV>=5%
good	DV>=25%	OR	Density>=1.5	AND	DV>=2.5%