Spicy Salad Greens with Pomelo and Blueberries

Pomelo is among the largest citrus fruits. Its thick, pithy rind covers a juicy center that resembles a grapefruit. The membranes of the pomelo tend to be quite tough, so slicing the sections into supremes is a great way to enjoy this sweet and aromatic fruit.

Making supremes is easy with a fruit as large as the pomelo. Peel off the rind and as much of the pith as possible. Then slice each section just inside of the membranes on both sides. The beautifully trimmed sections, free of tough membranes, will come right out. You can cut supremes from any citrus fruit, but the bugger the fruit, the easier it is, so have fun practicing with the pomelo.



Today's recipe is a refreshing salad of spicy greens, such as arugula and mizuna, with pomelo supremes and blueberries. I like to squeeze the juice remaining in the membranes after I cut out the supremes and use it to flavor the vinaigrette for the salad.

I added some greens from my own garden to the arugula from today's CSA box. You can use whatever mix of flavorful greens you prefer. You can even add some parsley if you'd like. Just be sure to wash the greens thoroughly and dry them well.

For 2 generous servings:

3-4 C loosely packed washed and dried greens
1 pomelo, cut into supremes
1 C blueberries, washed and dried
1 T thinly sliced red onion
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
1-2 T juice squeezed from pomelo membranes, optional
1-2 T rice or cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
crushed, toasted nuts, such as almonds or pistachios for garnish, optional

1. In a large bowl, toss the greens, pomelo supremes, blueberries, and red onion.

2. In a small bowl or a cup, combine the olive oil, juice, and vinegar and whisk with a fork or small whisk until combined.

3. Drizzle about half the dressing over the salad. Toss to cover. Season with salt and pepper. Toss again to distribute. Taste and add a little more dressing if desired.

Avocado slices would be a lovely addition to this salad, as would grilled shrimp.

Today's bounty included:

From Underwood Family Farms: Green cabbage, round carrots, arugula, romaine, bok choy, mizuna, rainbow chard, green kale, pomelo, and blueberries;

From Weiser Family Farms: Rutabagas and Nantes carrots;

From Jaime Farms: Celery, hot house zucchini, brown onions, cauliflower, Italian parsley, baby dill, free range eggs, and hot house tomatoes; and

From Rancho Santa Celicia: Satsuma mandarins and navel oranges.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Flan

Pudding has always been one of my favorite desserts. I love a rich, dark chocolate pudding or a creamy rice pudding with lots of cinnamon and raisins. But the queen of all puddings is flan, an egg-y baked custard crowned with coppery caramel sauce.

Flan is made by caramelizing sugar, pouring it into the bottom of a baking dish, covering it with custard, and baking until the custard is set. To serve, the custard is usually inverted onto a plate and the caramelized sugar, now on top, becomes a beautiful and delicious sauce.

While it may look like you slaved for hours in the kitchen, flan is surprisingly simple to make. There are only three major ingredients: sugar, eggs, and milk. Add a little vanilla flavoring to the custard and/or some finely grated orange rind and you have a dessert that's fit for company, yet soothing enough to be comfort food.

Don't be daunted by caramelizing sugar. It's pretty easy. But if you don't want to bother, you can still make this lovely and simple baked custard. The recipe for the custard follows the directions for caramelizing sugar.

To Caramelize Sugar:

You'll need a heavy-duty 1-1/2 to 2 qt saucepan with a handle, preferably one that doesn't heat up. You'll also want to have a 1-1/2 qt baking dish for your custard at the ready. I like to use a round, bowl-like, glass baking dish, such as Pyrex. It allows me to see what's going on during baking and when inverting the custard.

Put 1/2 C granulated white sugar and 1/4 C water in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir just until the sugar has dissolved in the water. When the sugar syrup begins to boil, lift the pan slightly over the heat, giving yourself just enough room to tip the pan gently to the right and the left. If necessary, turn up the heat.

Continue tipping the pan to the right and the left, allowing the sugar syrup to boil and flow back and forth in the bottom of the pan over the heat. After a while, the syrup will begin to take on a light golden color. Continue tipping the pan and the sugar will take on a deeper and darker caramelized color. The amount of time this takes varies depending on the amount of sugar syrup and heat. It might take 10 minutes or longer, but be careful not to burn it.



When the sugar has caramelized, remove it from the heat and quickly pour it into the baking dish. Swirl the baking dish around so the caramel coats the entire bottom and some of the sides. Be very careful working with caramelized sugar. It's about 300 degrees F and will stick to your skin. I like to use oven mitts when pouring the caramelized sugar into the baking dish and when swirling the baking dish to coat the bottom and sides fo the dish.

Many recipes for caramelized sugar call for adding a pinch of cream of tartar or a little lemon juice. These ingredients prevent the sugar from crystallizing. Another technique to prevent crystallization is to gently wash down the sides of the saucepan if crystals appear when you're tipping it back and forth. This can be done with a brush dipped in water. Personally, I've never had a problem with crystallization and have never needed to use any of these techniques. Now you can set the baking dish aside and make the custard.

To Make the Custard:

3 eggs + 2 egg yolks
2 C whole milk
1/4 C sugar
1 t vanilla flavoring

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Break the eggs into a mixing bowl or 4 C measuring cup and beat the eggs gently with a fork until combined.

3. Add the sugar, half the milk and the vanilla and beat gently with a fork until well combined.

4. Add the remaining milk and beat gently with a fork until combined.

5. Pour the custard over the caramelized sugar which has hardened in the bottom and on the sides of your baking dish. I like to pour the custard through a strainer or sieve to catch any unincorporated bits of egg, but this step is optional.

6. To bake, place the baking dish with the custard in a slightly larger baking dish and pour hot water gently into the outer baking dish so that the depth of the water comes about half way up the side of the dish with the custard. The baking dish with the custard will be sitting in a bath of hot water. This is called a bain marie.

7. Place the custard in its bath in the preheated oven and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

8. When done, remove from the oven. Life the custard out of the water bath and cool slightly. Then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before inverting. It's best to invert the custard shortly before serving it.

If you chose not to make the caramel, there's no need to invert the custard. You can just scoop it out of the baking dish. In fact, you can scoop the flan out of the baking dish if you prefer, too. If you're not inverting it, you can serve the custard warm if you prefer, just be prepared for it to be soft and not hold its shape.

Flan or custard can also be made in individual servings using oven-safe custard cups. Pouring the hot caramelized sugar into individual custard cups is just slightly more complicated than pouring it into one larger baking dish.

Some folks like to use evaporated milk instead of whole milk for a richer custard. Other options for greater richness include: substituting half and half or cream for some of the milk. I've even seen recipes using sweetened condensed milk in place of some of the milk and the sugar. There are many delicious variations. Go ahead, be creative, if you're so inclined.

Today's bounty included:

From Weiser Family Farms: French Fingerling potatoes;

From Underwood Family Farms: Brussel sprouts, yellow carrots, spinach, Easter radishes, purple kale, mizuna, leeks, candy beets, green leaf lettuce, and curly parsley;

From Jaime Farms: Red onions, Kirby cucumbers, cauliflower, Italian parsley, baby dill, free-range eggs, and mixed peppers;

From Sage Mountain Farm: beets, red sails lettuce, spicy greens mix, and arugula;

From Rancho Santa Cecilia: navel oranges and satsuma mandarins.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Creamy, Cheesy Polenta with Creamy, Cheesy Vegetable "Ragu"

Polenta, or corn meal mush, is true comfort food. It's soft and warm and a great base for many wonderful toppings, both savory and sweet. It's easy to prepare, too. You simply pour corn meal into boiling liquid and stir. You can use yellow or white meal and any level of coarseness from finely ground to extra coarse. Of course, the better and fresher the meal, the tastier your final product.

I like cooking up corn meal for breakfast, adding some butter, maple sugar, and salt to the boiling water and serving it with more butter, maple syrup, and milk.

Today's recipe is a savory rendition of polenta made with broth instead of water. But you can use water, if you don't have any broth. I've added freshly grated parmesan cheese and paired the polenta with a creamy and cheesy vegetable "ragu."

I put "ragu" in quotation marks because the Italians consider ragu to be a tomato-based meat sauce, and there's neither meat nor tomatoes in my topping. Nevertheless, it's thick and rich and loaded with tasty vegetables from today's CSA box.

You might want to make (or start) the vegetable ragu first, as it can sit while you cook up the polenta. Polenta hardens as it cools and may reach a point at which it will be difficult or impossible to turn it back into a creamy mush. However, polenta is often allowed to firm up and then cut into pieces. So you can serve it this way, if you prefer.

Creamy, Cheesy Vegetable Ragu

1 T butter or olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/4 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2-3 C broccoli florets
4 C chopped kale
1 C cream or whole evaporated milk
1-2 T sherry wine, optional
1/2 - 1 C finely grated parmesam cheese, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter or heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute, covered, until the onions are translucent.

2. Add the carrots and shiitake and continue to cook covered for 3-5 minutes, until the carrots are not quite tender.

3. Add the broccoli and kale and continue to cook covered until the broccoli and kale turn bright green and the kale has become soft, about 2-4 minutes. The vegetables should exude some moisture while cooking, but if the pan is too dry, you can add 2-4 T water or broth.

4. Add the cream and the sherry. Turn up the heat to medium. Remove the cover and cook until the liquid is reduced by about half.

5. Add the cheese and stir until the sauce is creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can reduce the sauce even more if you'd like it to be thicker. When it's the desired thickness, cover the pan and turn off the heat.

Creamy, Cheesy Polenta

1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 t salt
4 C broth of water
1 C corn meal
1 C finely grated parmesan cheese, or to taste
more salt and pepper to taste

1. Put the butter, olive oil, salt and broth or water into a medium saucepan and bring the water to a rolling boil.

2. Gently add the corn meal, stirring constantly to break up any lumps.

3. Turn the heat to low or medium-low and stir constantly until the polenta begins to thicken. Then lower the heat and cook the polenta, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes.

4. Stir in the grated parmesan cheese until melted and combined.

5. Turn off the heat and stir in more salt, if needed, and lots of black and white pepper to taste. Although you don't have to stir constantly, stir regularly until the polenta reaches the desired thickness, such as when it holds its shape spooned onto a plate or bowl.

To assemble: Re-heat the vegetable ragu, if necessary. Spoon the polenta onto a plate and top with the vegetable ragu. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

If you'd like, you can add a sprig of rosemary to the polenta as it cooks. Take it out before serving.

Today's bounty included:

From Underwood Family Farms: Artichokes, green cabbage, green kale, turnips, purple carrots, broccoli, butter lettuce, spinach, and escarole;

From Weiser Family Farms: Parsnips, French Fingerling potatoes, and rutabagas;

From Jaime Farms: Cauliflower, celery, red beets, Persian cucumbers,carrots, zucchini, red romaine, oregano, marjoram, tomatoes, and eggs;

From Rancho Santa Cecilia: Zutano avocado.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Sweet Orange Crepes

What a delight to get eggs today! Eggs are so delicious, nutritious, and versatile. It seems fitting to highlight one of nature's most perfect foods in today's recipe.

Crepes are one of the easiest pancakes to make. They can be used in sweet dishes, like this recipe, or savory ones. Eat them plain, rolled, and dusted with powdered sugar; or fill them with ham and cheese or sauteed spinach and mushrooms, and fold them in half or in quarters. Dress them up with a little hollandaise or cream sauce.

Crepes make a lovely dish for breakfast, lunch, or supper. And they can turn a simple dessert, such as strawberries and whipped cream, into something elegant and special.

This recipe calls for mixing all the ingredients in a blender. Let the batter rest in the fridge for a minimum of 40 minutes. Then cook them up.

You can cook the crepes right before you use them, or in advance if you prefer. Store them in a stack, wrapped in plastic, in the fridge for a day or two. Be careful when separating stored crepes, as they are delicate and prone to tearing.

Basic Crepe Recipe:

1 C milk, preferably whole
3/4 C flour
2 eggs
2 T melted butter
1/4 t salt
additional melted butter or oil for frying

1. Place all of the ingredients (except the additional butter or oil for frying) in a blender. Cover and blend for 30-60 seconds, until well combined.

2. Refrigerate for at least 40 minutes. Batter can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

3. Heat a well-seasoned 9-inch or 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Brush a little melted butter or oil on the heating skillet. When the pan is hot, pour 1/4 C crepe batter into the center. Working quickly, lift the pan over the heat and rotate the pan until the batter has spread evenly over the bottom.

4. Return the pan to the heat and cook the crepe until it is lightly brown on the bottom. The edges should pull away from the sides of the pan. Using a spatula, flip the crepe over and cook lightly on the other side before turning out onto a plate.

5. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the cooked crepes on top of one another until you've used up all the batter (or until you've made as many crepes as you need).

As the pan continues to heat up, the handle may get very hot if it's made of metal. Be sure to use an oven mitt when holding and rotating the pan.

This recipe will make approximately 10, 10-inch crepes. Make your crepes smaller if you wish. Use a little less batter per crepe if you use a smaller pan.

For Sweet Orange Crepes:

I used 1 rounded Tablespoon of my homemade Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade (see recipe for January 6, 2012) per crepe. If you don't have any Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade, you can use your favorite orange marmalade or any other tasty jam.

Spread the marmalade or jam on the inside of the crepe. Roll up or fold in quarters. Garnish with orange zest and powdered sugar.

Five Farms provided this week's bounty:

From Underwood Family Farms: Broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, orange carrots, kale, bok choy, Easter radishes, escarole, iceberg lettuce, and parsley;

From Weiser Family Farms: Red Thumb potatoes and watermelon radishes;

From Sage Mountain Farm: Golden beet greens, Shiraz beets, mustard greens, and spinach;


From Jaime Farms: Hot-house Tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, yellow bell peppers; thyme, rosemary, green onions, red and brown onions, and happy eggs;

From Rancho Santa Cecilia: Satsuma mandarins.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Kati's Frittata

Missing Shelley's Friday recipes?

Shelley is traveling around South East Asia (lucky lady) so the wonderful Kati Stazer sent us this recipe.

Kati, an LAUSD schoolteacher, was one of my first customers at the Silverlake farmers' market. She loves sweet pea flowers. Thank you so much Kati for all your support and encouragement over the years. You are an amazing lady.

Here is Kati's recipe:

Hi Tara,

Here's a recipe for a thick Italian omelet using chard or kale, full of vegetables, herbs and cheese. Unlike many other egg dishes, frittatas can be made ahead and reheated or served cold or at room temperature. This dish reheats in the microwave and can keep in the refrigerator, in a tightly sealed container, for up to one week. By cutting back on the amount of cheese used, you have a lower-fat version.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. butter or butter substitute
1 medium-sized onion, peeled
1 tsp. salt
2 or more large stalks of ruby chard or kale
2 medium-sized potatoes, scrubbed, unpeeled and thinly sliced
1-2 tsp. dried rosemary crumbled
1/2 tsp. dried sage
2 tsp. fresh minced garlic
8 large eggs
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup finely diced Gruyere cheese

1. Remove and mince chard or kale leaves and cut stems in 1/2 inch long pieces. Place leaves and stems in separate containers and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Add butter, and when melted, toss in onions. Cook, stirring frequently over medium heat until they just begin to brown, at least 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low, add 1/2 tsp. salt and cover skillet. Cook about 15 minutes more, or until onions are soft.

3. Stir in potatoes and herbs. Cover and cook about 10 minutes, stirring intermittently, or until potato slices are tender.

4. Add chard or kale stems and saute about 2 minutes more. Stir in chard or kale leaves and garlic and cook another minute, or until leaves are wilted but still bright green. Remove pan from heat.

5. Break eggs into large bowl, add remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, and beat well with a whisk. Add vegetables, black pepper to taste and cheese. Stir until evenly distributed. Clean and dry skillet and return to burner over medium heat. Preheat broiler.

6. When skillet is hot again, add remaining olive oil, wait about 30 seconds, and swirl to cover pan. Pour in vegetable-egg mixture and cook undisturbed over medium heat, 3 to 4 minutes, or until bottom of eggs have firmed.

7. Transfer skillet to broiler, and broil about 3 minutes, or until frittata is firm in center. Remove from broiler, and run knife around edges to loosen frittata. Slide or invert onto large, round plate, and serve hot, warm or at room temperature cut into wedges.

Here is the bounty list from 2/10:

From Sage Mountain Farm: loose leaf greens such as Red Russian Kale, spinach, mustard greens.

From Rancho Santa Cecilia: Bacon avocados, Satsuma Mandarins

Japanese Turnips, Golden Beets, Napa Cabbage, Navel oranges, Round Carrots, Purple Kale, Red Leaf Lettuce, Escarole, Butternut squash, Brussels Sprouts, Arugula and Mizuna from Underwood Family Farms.

And from Weiser Family Farms: Watermelon radishes, parsnips, Red Thumb potatoes, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, DeCicco Broccoli.

Enjoy!

Parslied Potato Salad

Potatoes love parsley. One of the simplest ways to prepare potatoes is to boil them until tender, slice, dot with butter, and spinkle on a little salt and chopped fresh parsley. Parsley's bright green color and flavor are perfect complements to the slightly sweet starchiness of potatoes.

Parslied potato salad involves just slightly more preparation than boiled potatoes with parsley and butter. You can serve this potato salad warm immediately after you mix it up; or you can let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight and the flavors will meld together nicely. It'll keep for several days in the fridge, so make extra to serve with another meal later in the week.

For 4 side dish servings:

4 medium potatoes (approx 1 #)
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
2-3 T finely chopped red onion
3-4 T finely chopped celery
3-4 T finely chopped fresh parsley
juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
A pinch of fresh lemon zest, or to taste
3 T olive oil, or more to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the unpeeled potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Add 1/2 t salt to the water, if desired. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook potatoes until just tender, about 10 minutes for medium potatoes, but cooking times will vary depending on the size of the potatoes.

2. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, you can remove the peels if you like (I prefer to keep them in their jackets). Dice the potatoes in approximately 1/3 to 1/2 inch dice. Place in a large bowl.

3. Add the chopped onions, celery, and parsley. Stir well. Add the lemon juice, zest, and olive oil. Stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and add a little olive oil, lemon juice, zest, salt, and/or pepper to your taste.

4. Serve warm or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Today's bounty included produce from four farms:

From Underwood Family Farms: Napa cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, Japanese turnips, fennel, celery, orange carrots, tatsoi, Hass avocados, and parsley;

From Weiser Family Farms: French fingerling potatoes, butternut squash, parsnips, and Rustic Nantes cooking carrots;

From Sage Mountain Farms: radishes, spicy salad greens mix, and green Russian kale;

From Rancho Santa Cecilia: Bacon avocados, pomelos, and Satsuma mandarins.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Two Deliciously Simple Brussels Sprouts Sides Dishes

Brussels sprouts have a delicate and slightly nutty flavor that's wonderful in many different preparations. Today's recipes, two of them, highlight Brussel sprouts' versatility. Best of all, they're both a cinch to make.

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2 C Brussels sprouts
1-2 T finely chopped onion
1-2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and remove any yellowed leaves. Compost the trimmings. Cut the sprouts in half and place in a medium bowl.

3. Add the chopped onion, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to coat.

4. Pour onto a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a 375 degree F oven until tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Makes 2 generous side dish servings.


Mashed Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan Cheese

2 C Brussels sprouts
2 T butter
1/4 C finely grated parmesan cheese, or more to taste
salt and pepper to taste



1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. While the water is coming to a boil, trim the ends and any yellow leaves off the Brussels sprouts. Compost the trimmings.

3. When the water comes to a boil, add the Brussels sprouts and cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Drain the Brussels sprouts. Place them in a bowl with the butter and the parmesan cheese, and mash it all together with a fork. Add a little more butter or cheese, if desired.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 2 generous side dish servings.

Both of these dishes would be lovely with some toasted nuts, such as walnuts or almonds.

Today's bounty included produce from five different farms:

From Underwood Family Farms: bok choy, tatsoi, romaine, rainbow chard, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, fennel, celery root, Hass avocados, and navel oranges;

From Sage Mountain Farm: collards, radishes and yellowstone carrots;

From Weiser Family Farms: Ruby Crescent potatoes and Chioggia beets;

From Rancho Santa Cecilia: Satsuma mandarins; and

From urban farmer Russel Wightman/LA Farmhands: Fuerte avocados.

And from Jill and Patrick Dempsey: lemongrass, chard and lemons

Enjoy!

Shelley