Notes from Nikki-Soup It's What's for Dinner

I am so happy to once again be able to share CSA member Nikki Graham's amazing recipes for items included in your share (or from the farmstand). It is a sign that CSA season is just around the corner. In fact, CSA members should be on the look out for an email about a "soft" opening next week and the official start of the season either June 6th or June 8th, depending on your pick up day.

Soup: It's What's for Dinner (and Dessert)

I am so excited to be writing my first recipes of the season! A visit to Inverbrook this past Friday provided all the inspiration I needed to get back into the kitchen, despite our hectic spring schedule. We loaded our market bags with asparagus, spinach, mint, rhubarb, and eggs. I hope you enjoy the following two soup recipes made with our Inverbrook bounty: one savory, and one sweet. We indulged in both on the same night. It was a soup soiree!


Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
3-4 Tbsp good quality, extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 small-medium shallots, sliced
Red pepper flakes to taste
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 bunches asparagus, woody ends snapped off and discarded, tops snapped off and reserved, stalks snapped or sliced into 1.5-2 inch pieces
4-6 C chicken or vegetable broth (more if you want a thinner soup, less for a thicker version)
3 large handfuls fresh spinach leaves, washed well
Generous splash of cream or half-and-half (optional)
Shaved parmesan for garnishing (you can also finish each bowl with a drizzle of good quality olive oil or a dollop of creme fraiche)


1. Saute the garlic, shallots, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and pepper in olive oil until fragrant.
2. Add the asparagus stalks, and saute until the stalks brighten and the shallots have softened.
3. Add the broth, turn up the heat, and bring to a simmer.
4. Simmer until the asparagus is tender, but still has color (about 7-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the stalks).
5. Meanwhile, saute the asparagus tops in 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil, and a dash of sea salt and fresh ground pepper until just barely tender. Set aside.
6. Turn off the heat, and add in the spinach, stirring to incorporate and wilt.
7. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup.
8. Add in the cream or half-and-half (if using), taste, and adjust the seasoning.
9. Ladle into bowls, topping each bowl with the parmesan (or other aforementioned garnishes), and some of the sauteed asparagus tops.
10. Serve with crusty french bread if desired, and enjoy!

Serves 6-8


Raspberry Rhubarb Soup
(I found this recipe on marthastewart.com, and adjusted the amounts to my liking. The ingredients are virtually the same though. I also cooked and prepared the dish a bit differently. My version is below. Here is the link to the original version: http://www.marthastewart.com/257834/chilled-rhubarb-and-raspberry-soup?czone=food%2Fproduce-guide-cnt%2Fspring-produce-recipes)


Ingredients
12 oz. fresh raspberries (plus more for garnish), rinsed
8-10 stalks fresh rhubarb, trimmed and sliced
1/2 C raw sugar
1/2 of a vanilla bean, sliced open
4 C water
Mint sprigs for garnish
Vanilla ice cream (optional)


1. Combine the rhubarb, sugar, vanilla bean, and water in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer until the rhubarb is very tender.
3. Turn off the heat, and add the raspberries.
4. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.
5. Taste and add more sugar if you wish.
6. Chill the soup for several hours or overnight.
7. Serve in a bowl with a scoop of vanilla ice cream; a sprig of mint; and a few fresh, whole raspberries.
Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

Strawberries and Spinach--cooking ideas from Nikki

'Tis the season for both strawberries and spinach. Read Nikki's great culinary notes for ideas on how to use both:

I overestimated the amount of strawberries my family would eat this week. These red gems seem to be popping up all over the place lately (and they're not $8/lb. anymore) so I just couldn't resist purchasing a few small vats. ;-)

Thankfully, combined with a bundle of Claire's rhubarb in one recipe and a bag of her spinach in another (and Martha's feta), we managed to finish them off before they got overripe and moldy. Phew.

Below are the two recipes that came to our rescue:

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

One bag of Inverbrook spinach, washed and spun dry
A handful or two toasted almonds, chopped or sliced (or even whole, if you like them that way)
About 1/2 pound of strawberries (more if you need to use them up ;-)), tops removed and sliced to whatever thickness you prefer
Highland Farm's Feta, drained and crumbled (I use a whole container as I am crazy over this cheese. Use whatever amount you prefer)

1/4-1/3 C extra virgin olive oil (adjust to taste)
2-3 TBL balsamic vinegar (adjust to taste)
1 tsp natural cane sugar (you can also use maple sugar, agave, or maple syrup here. As always, I encourage you to start with a teaspoon (or less) and adjust accordingly. Remember, I have a sweet tooth. ;-))
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste


Combine the balsamic vinegar, sugar, sea salt and pepper in a bowl. Using a small wire whisk or a fork, whisk together, adding the olive oil slowly to the mixture until it is well incorporated and the mixture has thickened. Set aside.

Place the spinach in a large serving bowl.
Add the strawberries and toss gently, by hand.
Drizzle the dressing atop, again, tossing gently, by hand. (No need to use all the dressing is you aren't a fan of a super dressed salad. Any leftover dressing will save beautifully in an airtight container in the fridge.)
Top with the almonds and feta and serve.

Enjoy!

Heidi's Rhubarb Crumble

More inspiration from Heidi, and not surprising as Heidi is super in tune and dedicated to using seasonally available, local ingredients.
I changed things up a bit only because I needed to use as many strawberries as possible, I didn't have enough pine nuts, I didn't have spelt flour, and I was short on time.

Here is my make-whatever-you-have-on-hand-work version of Heidi's fabulous Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble:

Ingredients:

Butter for greasing the pan

3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 C sliced toasted almonds
1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 C natural cane sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper (Heidi's recipe called for 1/8 tsp, but I decided not to measure since I was in a hurry and I find it annoying to collect and measure fresh ground pepper. I think I probably used a tad more than 1/8 of a tsp, maybe even twice as much, but this turned out to be an absolutely essential ingredient, in my opinion. The flavor of the pepper played beautifully against the sweet, tart of the berries and rhubarb.)
6 TBL unsalted butter, cold

2 TBL cornstarch
1/2 C natural cane sugar

1 lb. strawberries, topped and cut into quarters (twice as much as Heidi's recipe calls for)
One bunch of Rhubarb from Inverbrook (about 6 long stems), trimmed and sliced into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces
1/4 C port wine (Incidentally, I used the cheapest of port and it turned out great. Heidi listed this ingredient as optional, but, like the pepper, I would suggest not skimping here. It added gorgeous depth to the dish.)

Preheat the oven to 375.
Butter a 10 inch round or 9x9 inch square baking dish.

Combine flour, almonds, oats, 1/2 C sugar, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Add the cold butter bit by little bit, cutting it into the dry ingredients either using a fork, a pastry blender, or your fingers, until you have a course meal. Leave some larger lumps and clumps too. Set aside (put it in the fridge if the kitchen is warm).
Toss the strawberries and the rhubarb together in a large bowl.

Whisk together the cornstarch and the other 1/2 C sugar and add to the fruit, tossing to coat.
Wait a few minutes and then add the port, again, tossing to evenly coat.
Transfer the filling to the buttered baking dish and top with the crumble.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the juice from the fruit is oozing through and bubbling vigorously.

Cool and serve.

Serves 8-10, modestly. (I brought this to share with another family of 5 and we didn't quite have enough. All 7 kids in the crowd were begging for more.)

Azia's snapshots of the strawberries and rhubarb filling and the finished crumble, still in the oven. The flash of the camera brightened the deep brown color of the top of the finished crumble. Look for deeper color.

Mint, Markets, and Cinco De Mayo

To say that April flew by is a huge understatement. I cannot believe I only managed to make three posting during the month of April. As I mentioned before the garden is keeping me very busy. Now that May has arrived however, you can expect a lot more postings centered around the farm fresh produce available from Inverbrook Farm. Market season has begun--the Kennett Square Farmers Market opens next Friday, May 14th and I have also "opened" here at the Farm. On Mondays and Wednesday 2-7PM through out the month of May you will be able to stop by the farm and purchase seasonal produce, eggs, Highland Farm sheep yogurt and cheese, Buck Run Farm burger, and frozen Inverbrook chickens. If you need directions to the farm please contact me through our website. Seasonal produce right now includes mint, lettuce, arugula, asparagus, rhubarb and spinach--tender and delicate tastes, a delicious way to start the season off right.

Although much of the month of April was spent in the garden, I did manage to sneak into Philly one weekend afternoon to celebrate GRID magazine's 1 year anniversary. Grid has an amazing blog complete with seasonal recipes from Food In Jars Blogger Marisa McClellan. Here are two posting--one on Asparagus and one on Rhubarb--perfect for this time of year.

Last but not least, happy Cinco de Mayo. What a perfect day to celebrate Mexican food culture. Get yourself an Inverbrook chicken and check out these Cinco De Mayo recipes.