Carmelized Onion, Potato and Goat Cheese Tarts

Savory tarts are wonderful. You can make them in a wide range of sizes from bite-sized mini-tarts that make nice appetizers to large tarts that you cut in slices to serve. You can make them in any shape you like, and the topping combinations are endless.

The toppings I used for today's recipe include carmelized onions and potatoes. These ingredients require a little advance preparation, but once you have them (and your crust), it takes only a few minutes to assemble and bake the tarts.

Carmelized onions are super delicious and very versatile. In addition to these tarts, carmelized onions add great depth of flavor to many dishes. It takes an hour or so to properly carmelized onions, but you can do this step ahead. Cook up a big batch of carmelized onions and store them in your fridge. They'll keep for about a week. Mix them into mashed potatoes; add them to grilled cheese sandwiches; toss them into an omelet. You'll find myriad uses for them.

To carmelize onions: Peel and slice 2-5 onions thinly lengthwise. Melt 1-2 t butter per onion in a large, heavy skillet over low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook over low heat, stirring regularly, until the onions turn a deep brown color. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

The potatoes I used in this tart were boiled ahead of time, chilled and sliced. It's easier to thinly slice a cold potato. You can cook up the potatoes when you're making this recipe, just allow them to cool before slicing them.

These tarts start with the same pie crust recipe I used last week. But you can use your favorite short pastry crust. I rolled out my crust to approximately 1/4" thickness and cut it with a round, fluted-edge form that's five inches in diameter. This size makes a great individual tart.

I like making flat tarts that I bake on cookie sheets, but you can make this recipe in a tart pan if you prefer. The flat tarts are a little easier, but be sure to let them cool before lifting them off the cookie sheet, as the pastry dough is delicate when it just comes out of the oven.

To make crust for six, five-inch diameter, round individual tarts: Take 7 T cold butter, cut into pieces, plus 1/2 T salt, and 1-1/3 C flour. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the butter into the flour under it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in a little ice water and continue to mix until the dough just comes together. Form into a flat disk and refrigerate for 10-30 minutes. You can refrigerate this dough longer, but it might be harder to roll if it's colder.

For six individual tarts:

Crust recipe above (or your favorite crust)
1-2 medium Russian Banana or Fingerling potatoes, boiled and cooled
1 C Carmelized onions, or more to taste
1/2 C crumbled goat cheese
1/2 C washed, dried, and finely sliced fresh arugula

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degree F.

2. Roll out pastry dough 1/4" thick and cut six circles, each five inches in diameter.

3. Divide and spread the carmelized onions over each piece of dough.

4. Slice the potatoes thinly and arrange 2-3 slices over the onions on each tart.

5. Sprinkle a little crumbled goat cheese over each tart.

6. Bake in pre-heated, 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden.

7. Cool on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before lifting off with a metal spatula. Garnish with finely sliced arugula before serving.

Variations: Grated gruyere cheese is a nice alternative to goat cheese. Omnivores may like to add a little cooked and crumbled chorizo to these tarts.

Today's bounty included:

From Underwod Family Farms: Butter lettuce, rainbow chard, sugar snap peas, carrots, candy beets, mizuna, celery, and navel oranges.

From Weiser family Farms: Parsnips, mixed beets, and Russian Banana potatoes.

From Sage Mountain Farm: Salad mix, white and orange carrots, arugula, spaghetti squash, turnips, and Russian kale.

Urban farmer, Russell Wightman, provided the Fuerte avocados from Highland Park.

Happy New Year everyone!

Shelley

Peach and Arugula Salad

It's peak season for stone fruit and we're getting beautiful peaches and nectarines lately. Sinking your teeth into a sweet and juicy ripe peach is one of summer's great pleasures. Sweet, ripe peaches can also star in a lovely light summer salad; and practically all of the ingredients for this salad were in today's box.

1 bunch arugula
1/2 - 1 C microgreens
1-2 peaches
1-2 T thinly sliced sweet or red onion
2 T toasted walnuts or pecans
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
1-2 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 - 1/2 C crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper

1. Wash and dry the arugula and microgreens. Trim off the tough stems from the arugula and break into bite-sized pieces. Put the arugula and microgreens in a large bowl.

2. Halve the peach(es) lengthwise. Remove and discard the pit. Slice the peaches lengthwise. Add to the bowl.

3. Add the thinly sliced onion and the nuts. Drizzle the oil and balsamic over the salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add the crumbled goat cheese and toss again. Serve.

You can substitute blue cheese for the goat cheese, if you'd like. You can also substitute toasted pine nuts for the walnuts. I like to add a little fresh mint to this salad sometimes. It gives it a bright and fresh taste.

If you're firing up the grill this weekend. You might try grilling the peaches for this salad. Cut them in half. Rub with a little olive oil and grill, cut side down for a few minutes. Cool before slicing for the salad.

Today's bounty included:

From Underwood Family Farms: Ofelia eggplants, heirloom crookneck squash, Valencia oranges, romaine lettuce, arugula, spring onions, French breakfast radishes, jalapeno, broccoli florets, and yellow carrots.

From Sage Mountain Farm: yellow zucchini, yellow wax beans, green bell pepper, Hungarian pepper, bi-color corn, and orange carrots.

From Sweet Tree Farms: peaches, nectarines and mixed heirloom tomatoes (Cherry, Armani Orange, Red Zebra and Purple Russian).

And arugula and mustard microgreens from Silver Lake Farms.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Arugula Pesto

Pesto is an easy and delicious sauce with myriad uses. It's traditionally made by grinding fresh basil leaves with garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil using a mortar ans pestle. However, pesto can be made from almost any fresh herb or spicy green. Arugula certainly fits that bill. Replace the mortar and pestle with a blender or food processor and you can make wonderful pesto in a matter of minutes.


The proportion of the ingredients is, to a certain extent, a matter of taste. So, feel free to adjust the ingredients to your liking. Here are a few things to consider: Don't let the garlic overpower the fresh taste of the herbs. You might want to consider using milder green garlic or even roasted garlic for a mellower taste. Always, always toast the nuts, no matter which nuts you use. Toasting brings out the flavor of the nut. Use the very best extra virgin olive oil that you have. Olive oil is such an important component of the pesto, you'll want to use your best oil for this.


Arugula Pesto

1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 C toasted pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 - 1 t salt
2 C packed arugula leaves (no stems)
1/2 to 2/3 C extra virgin olive oil


Blender or Food Processor Method: Place the garlic and nuts in the processor or blender and process until finely chopped and nearly a paste. Add the salt and arugula leaves and process until chopped. With the motor running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream and process until the mixture has an even consistency and resembles a smooth paste. You may need to stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl or blender once or twice.


Mortar and Pestle Method: Chop the garlic and nuts coarsely. Grind them in the mortar with the pestle using a circular motion until they resemble a paste. You can add a little olive oil to make the grinding easier. Stir in the salt. Coarsely chop the arugula leaves and grind them into the garlic nuts paste, one-half cup at a time, adding olive oil as needed, until you've incorporated all the arugula and oil and the mixture is a smooth paste.


Once made, you can use your pesto as a pasta sauce - just stir it into freshly cooked hot pasta with 1/2 c (or more) freshly grated parmesan cheese. As an alternative, you might try substituting crumbled chevre (goat cheese) for the parmesan. A little grated lemon or orange zest adds a little zing. You can get an even bigger zing from some red pepper flakes.


You can also use pesto as a spread on sandwiches such as fresh mozzarella (or chevre) with sun-dried tomatoes on focaccia. Omnivores will find pesto to be a delicious relish for grilled steak, chicken, and fish. Best of all, if you have any left over, you can cover it with a thin layer of olive oil and keep it in your fridge for at least a week, or you can freeze it for months.


The beautiful green color of fresh pesto doesn't last very long. If the darkening of your pesto bothers you, you can avoid it by eating your pesto soon after you mix it up or by blanching the leaves in a pot of boiling water for just a few seconds before grinding. Be sure to dry the leaves as best you can before grinding.


Today's bounty included the following:


From Underwood Family Farms: Yukon and Norland potatoes, blood oranges, strawberries, blackberries, green leaf lettuce, purple carrots, Easter radishes, mizuna and arugula.


From Cottage Grove Farm: Romaine lettuce, cherries, asparagus, and white nectarines.


From Drake Family Farms: Plain or Herbs de Provence chevre.

Thank you Julie, Rachel and Jordan (pictured above) and Amanda, Nik and Willow, for helping distribute the bounty at pickup.


Enjoy!


Shelley

What to Do with Red Kuri Squash

Six different farmers and a shareholder provided today's bounty. Here's what was available at the Silver Lake pick-up this evening:

From Underwood Family Farms, there were valencia oranges, spaghetti squash, romaine lettuce, fennel, kale, and boy choy or boy toy or bok choi (depending on where you're at in life)

Tierra Miguel Foundation provided red kuri squash, horehound mint (native to California), cilantro, dill, beets, chard and carrots.

From Weiser Farms there Russian banana potatoes, brown onions.

Winnetka Farms provided salad greens.

Rancho Santa Cecilia in Carpenteria provided limes, Satsuma tangerines, and Hass avocados.

Shareholder Brian Lee provided beautiful and fragrant guavas from his garden. Thank you Brian!

Silver Lake Farms provided delicious microgreens: arugula and pak choi.

Also this week, there were 2 special items: Sriracha sauce "made with jalapeno peppers exclusively grown by Underwood Ranch" and cured, smoked and carmelized pork belly from the fabulous Rashida Purifoy, chef/owner of Cast Iron Gourmet.

I'm fine with the swine, so I couldn't wait to get home to open my container of carmelized pork belly. In fact, I had to exercise extraordinary will-power not to eat the entire container before pulling into my driveway!

I met Rashida Purifoy, chef/owner of Cast Iron Gourmet, at the Eagle Rock Brewery recently where I tasted (and purchased) her fine pork products. In fact, I had some delicious Cast Iron Gourmet bacon for breakfast this morning. I cooked the thick slices crisp and served them with fresh eggs I got from my chickens. Earlier this week, I served her divine bacon chutney on crackers to a visiting friend. What a treat!


Red Kuri Squash

If you're wondering about red kuri squash, so was I. I've seen it in stores, but never cooked with it. So, the first thing I did when I got home was cut it in half, seeded it (compost those seeds) and roasted it in the oven (along with an acorn squash I had in my fridge) until it was soft, about an hour.

My roasted kuri squash had a rich and slightly nutty flavor. It was less sweet and more starchy than the acorn squash. It reminded me a lot in texture of potato, so I mashed it with butter and a little milk and seasoned it with salt, pepper and freshly-ground nutmeg. It turned out to be a wonderful alternative to ordinary mashed potatoes and would make a deliciously different addition to the Thanksgiving table.

Red kuri squash is a variety of winter squash, so called because unlike summer squash, you can store it for many months. Most winter squashes can be used interchangeably, so you can certainly substitute red kuri squash for the butternut squash in the recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup I posted on October 15; and you can probably use red kuri in shareholder Christina's Butternut Squash Lasagna recipe that was posted on January 11, 2010.

More Thanksgiving Sides: Sauteed Kale and Orange Fennel Salad

Sauteed kale and/or chard make a wonderful side dish for Thanksgiving. Here's a quick recipe using several of today's CSA products:

Chop 1/4 onion finely and saute in a heavy skillet with a lid on low heat in 1 T olive oil or bacon grease. Add 1/4 to 1/2 C chopped carmelized pork belly. Cook until onion is translucent and pork belly is as soft or crisp as desired. While onions are cooking, chop the kale and/or chard (leaf and stem) cross-wise into 1/2 to 3/4" slices. Add to skillet and cook slowly on low heat, covered, until desired doneness. I like my kale to be soft, but some folks like it with a little bite. It's up to you. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you're looking for a tasty salad, try this Orange Fennel Salad:

2 bunches arugula
extra virgin olive oil
white balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2-3 fresh oranges, peeled and sliced crosswise, save juice
chopped walnuts or pinenuts (optional)

1. Wash arugula, spin dry, remove stems and compost them. Put dry arugula in a large bowl.

2. Mix together 2-3 T olive oil, 1-2 t white balsamic and 1 T reserved orange juice. Drizzle over greens, reserving 1-2 t dresseing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat.

3. Arrange greens on a platter. Arrange orange and fennel slices over dressed greens.

4. Drizzle remaining dressing over salad and sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Romaine Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

***



Flower pics from Tara's garden. Hello Susans!



Here's what Farmer John had for us in Silver Lake this week:

Zucchini
Oranges
Yellow wax beans
Purslane
Daikon radish
Sweet marjoram
Sage
Thyme
Basil
Squash blossoms
Dandelion greens
Arugula
Swiss chard
Kale
Green peppers
Collard greens

Grandmother's pincushion in mint (left).

And here's what Tara brought down from McGrath Family Farm, certified organic growers in Camarillo:

Haricot verts
Baby red onions
Strawberries
Baby squash
Mesclun
Basil
Red romaine
Green romaine
Swiss chard

It's too hot to turn on the oven. Thankfully, we got lots of salad greens this week. Salad can be a light and cool meal especially when you use a crisp lettuce and a chilled, creamy dressing. This recipe for Romaine Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing is one of my favorites. It takes just a couple minutes to mix up the dressing; and it keeps in the fridge for a week. I like my blue cheese dressing chock full of cheese, but you can reduce the amount of cheese to make it lighter.

Romaine Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing
Start by washing some romaine leaves in a cold water bath. You can crisp up the leaves by adding some ice cubes to the water bath. Break the crisp leaves into bite-sized pieces and spin in a salad spinner to dry, then store the lettuce in the fridge while you mix up the dressing.

For the dressing:

1/2 C mayonnaise
1/4 C sour cream or whole milk yogurt
1/4 C buttermilk ( or more for a thinner consistency)
2-3 t white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1/2 t agave syrup
3/4 C crumbled blue cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix together the first five ingredients until well combined.

2. Stir in the blue cheese.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve the dressing immediately or put it in the fridge to get cold. To serve: Spoon the dressing on a bed of crisp romaine leaves.

You can include some spicy arugula with the romaine, if you'd like. Other tasty additions to this
salad are: crisp, crumbled bacon; candied pecans; and/or very thinly sliced red onion.

If you're wondering what to do with daikon radish, you can peel and very thinly slice it and a add a few slices to this salad.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

collard greens

Here's what Farmer John had for us in Silver Lake this week:

Avocados
Golden Beets
Radishes
Negi green onions
Green chard
Russian kale
Collard greens
Tat soi
Red romaine
Arugula
Squash blossoms with baby zucchini
Lemons
Limes
Grapefruit
Sage, thyme, and oregano

Avocados love citrus. How lucky for us to get both this week!

Chatting with shareholder, Pam, she reminded me of a wonderful salad that makes a great side or main dish and uses several items from our haul today.

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

1 grapefruit
1 ripe avocado
1 medium bunch red romaine leaves
1 C (or more) arugula leaves, loosely packed
1/2 C sliced sweet onion, such as Vidalia, or fennel
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1-2 T rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
toasted hazelnuts (optional)

1. Peel the grapefruit, leaving it whole, and cut out sections of grapefruit flesh in between the membranes (supremes) or pull the grapefruit sections apart and peel away the membranes, if desired. Set aside. Compost the peels and membranes.

2. Using an avocado that's ripe but not mushy, halve the avocado lengthwise. Remove the pit. Gently slice the avocado flesh lengthwise, being careful not to cut through the avocado peel. Scoop out the slices with a spoon. Compost the peel.

3. Wash the romaine and arugula leaves well in a basin of cold water. Spin or towel dry. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large salad bowl.

4. Add the onions or fennel, your best olive oil, the rice vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and toss until all the leaves are coated with the dressing. You can add the toasted hazelnuts here, if you're using them.

5. Add the grapefruit sections and avocado slices and toss gently. Serve.

This recipe makes 4 side salad servings. If you prefer oranges to grapefruit, this salad is just as delicious with fresh, ripe orange. Substitute 2 oranges for 1 grapefruit.

Omnivores can turn this salad into a delicious main course by adding shrimp. I like to marinate and grill my shrimp, so I start with raw shrimp. Peel the shrimp. Make a marinade of fresh-squeezed orange juice, rice vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh tarragon. Pour over the shrimp and marinate for 1-2 hours (or overnight), then cook the shrimp on a grill (on skewers or in a grill pan), or sear them in a hot cast iron skillet on the stove top. Let them cool a moment then toss them into the salad with the grapefruit and avocado, or arrange them attractively on top of the salad.

Enjoy!

Shelley

CSA Recipes From the Lovely Jodi

Tara and Willow and your lovely friend Sophia,

Thank you so much for distributing all of the delicious produce today!
I was thrilled that I was the recipient of an extra bunch of zucchini flowers.
I used the recipe on the blog, amended it by stuffing the flowers with mozzarella and gave the second batch to my neighbors next door.

Motto for the day - One good turn deserves another!

X Jodi

sauteed kale w/hot red pepper, cumin seeds + coriander

organic cornmeal crusted zucchini flowers
stuffed with mozzarella - ready for the frying pan...

frying the mozzarella stuffed zucchini flowers

fried zucchini flowers draining

arugula w/french blue cheese, baby zucchini
(from the stem of the flower), lemon peel, lemon + olive oil

Thanks Jodi! You Rock!

Tara

Roasted Beet Salad

Here's what Farmer John had for us at the Beachwood pick-up this week:

Green onion
Fresh garlic
Baby broccoli
Chicoria
Curly mustard
Beets
Baby bok choy
Tat soi
Arugula
Nettles

Beets are really two vegetables in one. The wavy, red-ribbed greens can be sauteed and eaten like chard, while the deep magenta root has myriad uses in soups, stews, salads, entrees, even dips. Roasting beets deepens their flavor and concentrates their sugar. Roasted beets are a perfect complement to the spicy, nutty flavor of arugula. Here's a simple little salad with a few options for dressing it up.

Roasted Beet Salad

3 medium beets
1 bunch arugula
1 T thinly sliced red onion
1-2 t extra virgin olive oil
1-2 t balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Trim the greens off the beets and save for another use. Scrub the beets, but do not peel them. Dry the beets and wrap them in foil.

2. Roast the beets in a 350 degree oven until a toothpick can be easily inserted into the center of the beet, about 45-60 minutes. Do not overcook.

3. Remove beets from oven and allow them to cool until they can be handled. Unwrap the foil and you'll be able to slide the skins right off.

4. Dice or chop the beets and set aside.

5. Wash, dry, and trim the arugula. Tear into bite-sized pieces.

6. In a medium bowl, combine the diced beets, arugula, and red onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss until coated.

Makes 2 large or 4 small servings

You can dress up this salad by adding one or more of the following ingredients:

1/2 C mandarin or blood orange segments
1/3 C crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese
2 T chopped toasted walnuts or whole toasted pine nuts

Enjoy!

Shelley

Beachwood Canyon pick-up 2/16

Yay for Romaine!

Finally! A sunny CSA day! No complaints, but for a minute there it felt like every CSA day was a rainy day. Sure kept things interesting!!

I'm getting back to work in the garden now that our loamy soil has dried out a bit. Harvesting biodynamic compost today and applying it and vermicompost tea as a soil drench to the beds. Soil biology is my new favorite thing. Fascinating stuff. Helps heal the pain. For the first time in 7 years, no flowers in the garden - just soil. It's taking a long time for the City to write a simple clarification....

Here's what Farmer John had for us this week at the Beachwood Canyon pick-up. Thanks as always to Laura, John and Spencer for volunteering their time to distribute veggies to shareholders. Melissa! John will drop your veggies off at Locali.

celery
carrots
arugula
nettles
green garlic
baby bok choy
curly mustard greens
romaine lettuce
tat soi
dandelion greens (chiccoria)


Here's a recipe from shareholder and nutritional professional, Lauren O'Connor. Read her comments on the nutritional value of Romaine lettuce. Wow! Thanks Lauren!

A Salute to Romaine
by Lauren O’Connor, MS, RD

Research suggests that up to 35 percent of cancers are related to poor diet. By modifying what you eat and being active, you can reduce your risk of cancer and other health issues. Eat more fruits and vegetables! That’s the motto. Fruits and vegetables not only help you lower your risk for cancer, but for heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illness.

A heart-healthy soup chockfull of vegetables is one way to get the important vitamins and minerals you need. Adding Romaine (lettuce) to your meal helps not only enhance your vegetable intake but also provides antioxidants for both cancer prevention and eye health. And it's a source of dietary fiber that can keep your digestive system running smoothly to prevent bowel blockage (a benefit to your colon).

Romaine has far more nutrients than many other salad greens. For example: compared to iceberg lettuce, Romaine has 3x more Folate, 5x more Vitamin C and 8x more Beta carotene. (1).

Folate has been touted for reducing risk of neural tube defects, and studies have indicated that higher levels of dietary folate convey some protection against the development of colorectal cancer in humans. Intake has also been associated with reducing risk of other epithelial cancers such as that of the uterine cervix. (2)

Vitamin C and Beta carotene works, along with a network of antioxidant nutrients, to help deter free radical damage. Additionally, Romaine contains the carotenoidslutein and zeaxanthin for good eye heath. (3)

Here's Lauren's recipe:
Romaine & Arugula Salad with Toasted Sesame

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
½ teaspoon coriander; salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large head of romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 16 cups)

4 cups baby arugula leaves 


Place lemon juice and peel in small bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Season dressing with salt & pepper and coriander. Set aside. Combine romaine & arugula in large bowl. Add dressing and half of seeds; toss to coat. Sprinkle remaining seeds and serve. 
(Makes 8 servings.)

More from Lauren at www.nutri-savvy.com

References

1. Natural Health. (n.d.). Greens. Retrieved on October 28, 2005 from http://staging.naturalhealthmag.com/nutrition/13
2. Mason J. et al. Folate: effects oncarcinogenesis and the potential for cancer chemoprevention.
Oncology.1996;10:1727-1743.
3. George Mateljan Foundation: The World’s Healthiest Foods. (n.d.) Lutein & Zeaxanthin. Retrieved December 2, 2005,
from http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=126

What's in the box?

Pick up #2 - Silverlake

Before listing this week's veggies, let me tell you about some exciting things happening at the farm.

First, Jessi arrived! I met her at beautiful Windrose Farm near Paso Robles. This young lady's a dynamo. She's from Maine originally and after graduating in Environmental Studies and Dance at Oberlin College she has spent the past six months working on organic farms up and down the coast of California. Jessi's staying with us for a month to help us get through the transition from flowers to vegetables. Afterwards, she's going to Costa Rica to study permaculture design. Go Jessi! But you better come back soon!

Another exciting thing: I'm finally getting a weekly recipe blog together, calling on experts like Shelley Marks to contribute on a regular basis. I'm hoping Shelley will teach some cooking classes for us soon, too. More news on that later...

Here's what Shelley sent in today:

It's that time of year when spicy winter greens are at full ripeness and peak flavor. One of the best and easiest things to do with them is make a very simple salad that highlights the delightful flavors of these greens. Here's a very easy salad that you can enjoy tonight:

Spicy Winter Greens Salad

1/2 bunch mizuna
1 bunch arugula
1/4 or 1/2 bunch of chicoria
2-3 teaspoons fine olive oil
1-2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the greens well by swishing them gently in a bowl in your kitchen sink filled with enough water to cover the greens. You can do this a couple of times (recycle the water) to make sure the greens are clean of any dirt or grit.

Spin greens dry in a salad spinner or use whatever method you prefer for drying.

Tear the greens into bite sized pieces, pulling leaves off any woody or hard stalks. Throw the stalks in the compost.

Pour 2-3 teaspoons of your best olive oil and 1-2 teaspoons of white balsamic vinegar over the greens. Add more to taste, but use a light touch. These greens are best lightly dressed.

Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Toss until the greens are very lightly coated with oil and vinegar.

This simple salad will serve four people as a side dish.

Turn this salad into something more substantial by topping with a poached or fried egg. The yolk should be at least a little soft, or softer to taste. Carnivores can add some crumbled bacon, too.

Tip: If the greens have become a little limp, add a cup or two of ice cubes to the final water bath and allow the greens to sit in the super cold water for 3-5 minutes before draining.

Thank you Shelley!!

Here's what Farmer John had for us this week:

chicoria (Italian dandelion)
mizuna
cilantro
broccoli
carrots
tat soi
baby bok choy
arugula
chard mix
fresh garlic
nettles