Notes From Nikki-Watermelon Skewers and more

Watermelon Skewers
With a little of Claire's mint and this summer's bounty of watermelon (including Inverbrook's ;-)), you'll be able to whip this up in no time. I give full credit to a friend of mine, Kirsten, for introducing me to this dish years ago. It is always well received. Perfect for a potluck or picnic.

Ingredients

One watermelon, cut into bite-sized chunks and threaded onto skewers
A generous handful or two of mint (depending on the size of your melon), minced
1-2 Tbsp (or more) honey (depending on the sweetness of your melon)
Juice of 1 small lime
Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Toss together the mint, honey, lime, and sea salt (or throw everything in a food processor and give it a whirl).
Spoon this mixture over the skewers and serve.

Enjoy!

Squash Puree
I don't know how many of you picked up the delightful white, winter squash that Claire's neighbor offered up last week when you picked up your Inverbrook share, but if you did, and you are still wondering what in the world to do with it, I came up with the following dish that I absolutely loved. It was creamy and sweet, and served as breakfast, believe it or not, for many a morning this past week. Give it a try. Any winter squash will work, really. A hot meal on a summer morning isn't exactly in season, I realize, but somehow it fits. Trust me.

Ingredients

2-3 white winter squash (or other winter squash), roasted in a 400 degree oven until very tender, then cooled, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 C chicken or vegetable broth (or water)
Glug olive oil (or a pad of butter), plus a drizzle for topping
1-2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus an extra sprig for garnish
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Chopped toasted almonds (optional)
Crumbled feta (optional)


Salad with Crispy Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Avocado Dressing

What a treat it was to get salad greens again in August! Check out this recipe that uses the greens, zucchini, and tomatoes from your Inverbrook share.

Ingredients

One large summer squash, quartered and sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 medium large tomatoes, chopped

1 bag lettuce mix

1 ripe avocado, pit and skin removed
2 Tbsp lime juice
Handful of chopped cilantro
1 clove of garlic, smashed
2-3 Tbsp chopped chives
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp sour cream
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Crisp the zucchini in the olive oil, in a frying pan over medium heat, in one layer (working in batches, if necessary), turning once, until nicely browned on both sides. Set aside.
Process the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, chives, olive oil, sour cream, sea salt, and pepper until smooth (add a bit of water if it is too thick). Taste and adjust accordingly.
Toss the salad greens with as much of the dressing as is desired.
Top with the tomatoes and zucchini and serve.

Enjoy!

The Latest from Nikki-Lasagna and Lettuce

The lastest from Nikki:
I have a new friend... a Moleskine notebook from my friend, Heidi (101Cookbooks). I shared with Heidi the difficulty I have in articulating what I do in the kitchen in regard to food preparation. It's proven to be quite a challenge for me. Heidi has encouraged me (and provided the necessary tool) to write everything down as I'm going along. Simple advice, yes, yet totally profound to me. In the past, I rarely wrote things down, and hardly ever paid attention to how much of each ingredient I was using. Folks often ask me for recipes for meals I whip together and, sadly, I can only provide them with a list of ingredients. This works for some folks, others, not so much. The fact is, I view recipes I come across as springboards for creativity, inspirational lists of ingredients that I can't help but modify, adjust, swap out, etc. Writing recipes for the Inverbrook blog has been nothing short of a wonderful blessing and opportunity to develop a whole new skill. My daughter, Azia, and I are having a terrific time documenting the goings on of meal preparation here at the Graham residence. I hope you all are enjoying it as much as we are!

Below you'll find a recipe for Asparagus, Leek, and Shitake Lasagna. I came across a similar recipe on epicurious.com and modified it greatly. I was inspired by the list of ingredients that I just happened to have on hand. Next time, I will make some tweaks and adjustments to what I did the first time round (I noted those below). Thanks to my trusty notebook, I have that all written down. :-)
I also included a recipe for the salad we had with this lasagna. A simple green salad served with a pineapple, mint vinaigrette and fresh pineapple chunks cut from a pineapple that I couldn't resist while I was out shopping. (I'm pretty sure I lived on a tropical island in my last life. ;-))

Asparagus, Leek, and Shitake Lasagna

Ingredients

3 leeks (white and light green parts only), sliced thin
2 TBL extra virgin olive oil
2 bunches Inverbrook asparagus, ends snapped and cut into fourths
8 oz. Shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1-2 TBL fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

4 TBL (1/2 a stick) unsalted butter
4 TBL all-purpose flour
3 C whole milk (you could also use a combination of broth or stock in place of about a cup or so of the milk for a slightly lighter version)
Pinch of nutmeg (be generous if you like nutmeg)
1 bay leaf
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

1 C (give or take) freshly grated parmesan cheese (I used Parmigiano-Reggiano)
16 oz. no boil lasagna noodles or boiled equivalent (I used a no boil, 100% durum semolina product from Trader Joe's to save time, but I have a note to use whole wheat lasagna noodles next time.)

Preheat the oven to 375.

Saute the leeks in the olive oil over medium heat until softened. Add the thyme, sea salt, pepper, and shitakes and continue to saute until the shitakes just begin to release their juices. Turn off the heat and stir in the asparagus. Set aside.

Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour whisking to blend. Continue to whisk over low heat for at least 4-5 minutes, just to get rid of the floury taste. Turn the heat to high, and slowly add the milk, whisking all the while until the roux is well incorporated. Continue to whisk, turning the heat down once the mixture is simmering. Add in the nutmeg, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and simmer until thickened, stirring all the while. Once it has thickened, turn off the heat and set aside (give this sauce a stir every couple of minutes so it doesn't develop a "skin"). You can remove the bay leaf at this point if you want. We have a tradition at our house of not removing them so that whomever finds it in their dish gets to be the lucky finder of the bay leaf.

Spread about a 1/2-3/4 C or so of the sauce on the bottom of a 9 1/2 X 13 inch baking dish.
Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce. Add a very thin layer of sauce to the top of the noodles.
Add half of the leek, mushroom, and asparagus mixture to the top of the sauce.
Top with about a 1/3 C of the grated parmesan (use more if you have it and want a richer lasagna).
Add another layer of noodles on top of the cheese.
Add 3/4-1 C, or so, of the sauce to the top of the noodles, spreading evenly.
Add the other half of the leek, mushroom, and asparagus mixture to the top of the sauce.
Add another 1/3 C of the grated parmesan to the top of that.
Add one more layer of noodles to the top of that.
Top with more sauce (about 3/4-1 C) and the rest of the cheese.
(Feel free to change the assembly of this to your liking, keeping in mind that if you are using no boil noodles, they need some moisture to cook properly in the oven.)
Cover with foil, keeping the foil off the cheese.
Bake for 30-40 minutes (or until heated through and bubbling on the sides), removing the foil for the last 5-10 minutes so the top browns nicely.

Serves 8-10

Enjoy!

Pineapple, Mint Salad

Leaves from three long mint stems (Claire grows the best mint in the world, I'm convinced)
Accumulated juice from 1 whole, fresh, cut-up pineapple (cut into bite sized chunks) that's been sitting in a bowl at room temperature for a while
1/4 C olive oil (or to taste)
1 TBL agave (or to taste)
1-2 TBL white wine vinegar (unseasoned rice vinegar will work too)
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

1 bag of Inverbrook lettuce, washed and spun dry

Fresh cut pineapple chunks (mentioned above)

Process the mint, pineapple juice, olive oil, agave, vinegar, salt, and pepper until well incorporated. For more pineapple flavor, or if yours isn't particularly juicy, add in a chunk of pineapple before you process the mixture. Taste and adjust to your liking.

Toss the lettuce with the dressing and top with as much of the pineapple as you desire.

Serve and enjoy.

Winter Moon Spring Greens

The beautiful full moon tonight, the "winter moon" seems a most fitting start for December and reminded me of one of my favorite readings last winter--the "cookbook" Full Moon Feast. A great read with lots of food history and a few recipes linked to the full moon cycle, the book is full of interesting cultural and nutritional connections--I definitely recommend it.

With today's cold crisp frosty morning, it seems all the more probable that winter is around the corner. Luckily for the greens still hanging on in the garden, the bright sunshine quickly melted away the frost, giving way to a sweet tenderness rivalled only in the early spring. Because this could be the last week the tender greens continue to survive, I will make greens available for purchase in the distribution shed for the remainder of the week--December 4-6th. You are welcome to come anytime from dawn to dusk to purchase greens (arugula, asian/braising mix, lettuce, as well as radishes and turnips). We also suddenly have a bunch of eggs. Our newest batch of hens have just started laying. The eggs are smaller, so we are running an egg "sale"--- $4 a dozen or 2 dozen for $7.00. What a perfect way to take a break from the indulgences of the holidays -- lighter meals of eggs and greens. Click here for a shirred egg recipe and click here for a Fresh Salmon Croque recipe, although I would substitute the swiss chard with the asian greens/braising mix. The mustards in the asian greens/braising mix pair very well with salmon. Enjoy a little taste of spring this first week of December.

More Recipes--Lettuce, Beets and Beet Greens

I really appreciate recipe sharing. Although I love searching my cookbooks and the internet for new and exciting ways to use the produce in the Inverbrook Farm share, sometimes farm duties keep me from do this a timely matter. So a big thank you to Nikki and Matt for your ideas and suggestions.

Tonight I cooked up my beet greens, and they came out so well, I wantedto share the recipe. It's adapted from a recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, 1000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra. I cut up all the greens and stems that were attached to my full share of baby beets, and it was exactly the right amount for
this recipe. The pungent Indian spices accentuated the delicate sweetness of the greens, and it was the perfect side dish to a plate of chicken curry with rice. It made enough to serve 4 people as a side.

2 to 3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp peeled minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
4 to 5 cups finely chopped beet greens, including stems
1 cup chicken broth or water

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add
cumin seeds. Cook for 1 minute. Add onions and cook until golden. Add
ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute
2. Add coriander, ground cumin, and salt. Stir for 1 minute then
mix in greens, stems, and chicken broth or water. Cover and cook over
medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Uncover and raise heat to medium high, cook to reduce remaining
liquid, until greens are very soft (5-7 minutes.) Serves 4 as a side
dish.


A Salad With No Name:

I love the challenge of whipping together something tasty when presented with an odd array of ingredients. This is one of the many reasons I so enjoy being a member of our local CSA, Inverbrook Farm. In the face of an approaching weekend get-away, this week I am attempting to empty the fridge of all manner of food that could go bad. Last night, I was presented with the following for inspiration:
a mixed bag of lettuce, some baby beets, a container of feta, and a few stalks of mint.
Hmmmm...
Here's what I came up with (incidentally, it was very well-received):

1 bag Inverbrook lettuce mix

8 Inverbrook baby beets

Handful of sunflower seeds (I toasted raw sunflower seeds in a medium-hot skillet for a few minutes)

1 container of Highland Farm's feta (The best feta on earth, in my humble opinion. :-) See the attached photo my daughter, Azia, took of Martha's cheese all stacked up in Claire's distribution shed fridge over at Inverbrook Farm. Yum! )

2 small apples (I used jazz apples... super crunchy)

Mint Vinaigrette:

Handful of mint, finely chopped (Don't be shy with the mint! This is the magic behind this recipe)
1/4-1/3 C (give or take) good quality, cold-pressed olive oil
2-3 Tbs unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp (more or less... to taste) sugar or agave
Sea salt to taste
Cracked black pepper to taste

1. Boil the beets until firm tender. Drain. Once they have cooled, slide the peels right off and chop into bite-sized chunks.
2. While the beets are boiling mix together the vinaigrette. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Allow to sit for a good 20-30 minutes (or longer) to allow the flavors to meld.
3. Drain and crumble the feta (leave some bigger chunks too).
4. Core and chop the apples, leaving the skin intact.
4. Toss the greens with the apples, sunflowers seeds, and dressing. Top with the feta and the beets and serve.

Enjoy!

This week's share-Greens Galore!

Pictured is a salad course created by Bryan Sikora of Talula's Table featuring Inverbrook lettuce (hidden underneath a delicious buttermilk dressing) and pea shoots/flowers--hopefully it will provide a little inspiration for dealing with the greens included in your share this week.

This week's share includes:
Peas--snow, snap and a small amount of shelling
Lettuce Mix
Cooking Greens
Summer Squash
Butterhead Lettuce
Bok Choy
Pea Shoots/flowers
Dandelion Greens
Mint

Fresh chickens available this week.

Recipe Ideas:

Hot and Sour Salmon with Greens
from A Spoonful of Ginger by Nina Simonds

Six Servings

2 1/2 pounds of Bok Choy stem ends and leaf tips trimmed
8 to 9 whole scallions, ends trimmed, cut into thin julienne slices on the diagonal
3 helping tablespoons fresh ginger cut into very thin julienne shreds

Dressing
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons minced garlic

6 salmon steaks, about 6 ounces each

1. Trim the touch outer leaves from the bok choy and discard. Rinse the stalks and leaves and drain. Cut the stalks in half lengthwise. Cut the halves diagonally into 2-inch sections. In a bowl, toss the scallions and ginger with the bok choy sections. Arrange on a heatproof platter.
2. Mix the ingredients of the Dressing, and pour into a serving bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the salmon steaks on top of te greens. Pour into a roasting pan several inches of water and heat until boiling. Carefully place the platter of salmon and vegetables on top of the rack or steamer tray in the roasting pan. Cover the top of the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until the fish is cooked.
4. Serve the salmon from the heatproof platter or arrange the steamed vegetables and salmon on serving plates. Spoon some of the dressing on top and serve with steamed rice.

And just incase you have tons of lettuce/salad greens left over from past shares...or have noticed the lettuce getting a little too bitter for your liking--try this recipe for Julienne of Five Lettuce Soup from Barbara Kafka's Vegetable Love.

Julienne of Five Lettuce Soup
Just befoe my lettuce bolts in the hot sun, I have more lettuces of different kinds than I can use. The Haitians recommend lettuce soup to calm the stomach and the nerves. This soup does that and uses up the extra lettuce as well....Different lettuces can be substituted, but try to preserve the ratio of bitter to sweet and soft to firm.

1 cup packed romain lettuce leaves (ribs removed)
1 cup packed Boston/Buttercruch lettuce leaves
1 cup packed leaf lettuce
1 cup packed escarole leaves
1/2 cup packed chicory/dandelion leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 cups of basic chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Wash leaves and dry well. Cut into 1/8-inch strips: This is easiest to do if you stack serveral leaves at a time, roll into a tight wad and slice them across. You can also use the medium slicing disk on a food processor.

Melt the butter in a medium suacepan. Add the lettuces and toss with the butter. When the lettuces are wilted, add the chicken stock and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the toughest leaves are tender.

In a small bowl. mix the cream with the egg yolks. Gradually stir a small amount of the hot soup into the cream mixture to slowly raise the temperature of the egg yolks. Keep adding soup until the mixture is warm. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the soup and cook, stiggin constantly, without letting the soup boil, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
Serves 6 to 8 as a first course.