This week's share-cabbage and chicken

This week's share includes potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, salad/asian turnips, daikon radish, arugula, tokyo bekana asian green, cabbage and broccoli (from lancaster farm fresh coop), green beans, peppers, and sunkchokes. This week is also the last opportunity to purchase fresh chicken. Chickens will be available starting this afternoon (Tuesday, October 12th through Thursday, October 14th). I will be posting more recipes using chicken and the other share vegetables over the next couple of the days. In the meantime Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbook Fame (and friend of Nikki) recently posted this Green Bean Slaw Recipe that is just perfect for this week's share:

Green Bean Slaw Recipe
I used a moscato from Trani, Italy here, but feel free to experiment with other sweet white wines. The one I used was about 14% alcohol - just the right amount of boozy for a salad like this. As far as advanced prep goes - you can make the dressing a day or two ahead of time if you like. And you can slice the green beans, and make the croutons a day ahead of time as well. I used a wood-fired oven spelt walnut bread for the croutons here, but use whatever good bread you have on hand.

2 small handfuls (about 1/2 cup) golden raisins
1 cup / 240 ml Moscato / sweet white wine
Dressing:
yolk of one hard-boiled egg
3 tablespoons creme fraiche or heavy cream
1/3 cup / 80ml extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
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1/2 a small cabbage, cored and shredded very finely
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 big handfuls green beans or haricot verts, very thinly sliced and cooked in a pot of boiling salted water for 20 seconds, drained (well) immediately, and cooled under cold running water.
A big handful of arugula, roughly chopped
2 handfuls (about 3/4 cup) toasted walnut halves
2 handfuls of torn rustic bread, pan-toasted until golden in a big splash of olive oil
A bit of shaved pecorino cheese

Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with the wine. Let soak overnight, or for at least a few hours.

To make the dressing, mash the yolk of the egg in a small bowl. Gradually mash and stir in the creme fraiche. Very slowly add the olive oil beating constantly. It should be smooth and glossy. Whisk in the vinegar and lastly the salt. Taste and adjust if needed.

When you're close to being ready to serve the salad, toss the cabbage and the vinegar together in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
Just before serving, drain the raisins and add to the cabbage. Add the green beans, arugula, and most of the walnuts. Toss a few times. Add about 2/3 of the dressing and toss gently, but well. Taste and add more dressing if you like. Add most of the croutons and most of the pecorino cheese, before tossing again. Serve topped with the remaining walnuts and pecorino.
Serves 6-8

Notes from Nikki--Potatoes and Coleslaw

Even in this intense heat Nikki is cooking up delicious fare for her family. Check out the latest Notes from Nikki:

Grilled Potato Salad

I did it again. I stood next to a hot, hot grill in the 100 degree heat last night, this time roasting potatoes, lemons, and sweet onions over the fire. For some reason, it just feels better to do that, even in this wretched heat, than to stand in the kitchen over a hot stove. Anyway, the inspiration for this recipe came from my dear friend, Heidi Swanson (101cookbooks.com). Here is the original: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/grilled-potato-salad-recipe.html
Makes another wonderful summer meal. Stay cool!

Ingredients

Approximately 2 lbs Red Gold potatoes (or other new potatoes), thick sliced or halved if they're really little
1 sweet onion, thick sliced
1 red onion, thick sliced
1 lemon, thick sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 glugs extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Handful fresh basil, chopped or sliced into ribbons
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Toss the potatoes with 1 glug of olive oil and the minced garlic. Using your fingers, rub a bit of this oil/garlic mixture on the sliced onions and lemons as well.
Using a grill basket so you don't loose any of the potatoes, roast the potatoes, onion, and lemon over a medium-hot grill turning as necessary to avoid severe charring, until softened and marked to perfection. The onions and lemons will finish faster than the potatoes. Just pull stuff off as it finishes, setting it aside on a nearby pan.
Once everything is grilled, toss the whole lot of it, plus another glug of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, the basil, the sea salt, and the pepper, until well combined. Fish out the lemon skins, and taste and adjust to your liking.
Serve and enjoy!













Good Old-Fashioned Coleslaw

Man, is it toasty outside! Whew! I was going to stir-fry the cabbage from this week's share, but decided I didn't want to stand over a hot skillet. The heat has given the cabbage a bit of a bite too, so I thought, why not sweeten it up. My grandmother used to make a simple version of coleslaw that I loved. She dressed the shredded cabbage with a mixture of vinegar, sugar, heavy cream, and salt. She also added shredded carrots and raisins to the shredded cabbage. I decided to leave out the raisins, and ADORN the big bowl of cabbage with those lovely little baby carrots from this week's share, instead of shredding them. I changed up the dressing just a bit too, using sour cream instead of heavy cream. It turned out beautifully and paired nicely with the barbecued chicken we grilled up to go along with it (so instead of standing over a hot stove, I stood next to a hot grill ;-)). A perfect summer meal! I hope you enjoy it.


Ingredients

2 small heads of cabbage, cored and shredded
1 C sour cream
1/4 C mayonaise (optional, this serves to thicken things up a bit and can certainly be left out, you could also try using whole milk, greek yogurt)
3-4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (white wine vinegar would also work or you could try unseasoned rice vinegar for a more mild vinegar flavor)
3-4 tsp sugar (agave would work too, although the sugar gives rise to that good, old-fashioned flavor)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Baby carrots for garnishing (they could also be shredded and mixed in, my grandmother would be thrilled)
Handful of raisins (if you want to please my grandmother ;-))

Instructions

Mix together the sour cream, mayo (or yogurt, if using either), vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust according to your liking.
Pour the mixture over the cabbage and toss to coat. (Mix in the carrots and raisons if you decide to go that route.)
Garnish with the carrots and serve.

Enjoy!

This Week's Share--Cabbage and Carrots

This Week's share includes cabbage, a little on the spicy side because of the heat and lack of rain, baby carrots with a very intense flavor, garlic, and new potatoes--all colors--pink, white, blue, and yellow--perfect for a potato salad.

Below is the latest from Nikki Graham--a great dip recipe for those little carrots.


Note from Nikki:

Like many of the vegetables that Claire grows, the baby carrots in this week's share shouldn't be messed with too much, if at all. These unsuspecting little orange goodies are so sweet, so crunchy, so delectable all on their own, they don't need anything to bring out their flavor. Nonetheless, who could resist a creamy, tangy blue cheese dipping sauce to plunge them into? Below you'll find the recipe for my new obsession. Enjoy!

Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp mayonaise
3-4 Tbsp sour cream
1-2 Tbsp chopped chives
1-2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/4-1/3 C crumbled blue cheese (I used an artisan, raw milk blue cheese that I picked up at the Kennett Square Farmer's Market, God's Country Creamery)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Toss all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and well combined.
Taste and adjust to your liking.
Serve alongside Inverbrook baby carrots or any other veggies you can think of. (This also makes a nice salad dressing, especially drizzled over a wedge of lettuce and some chopped or sliced tomatoes.)

Enjoy!