Tarragon Chicken Salad

Tarragon is such a lovely and delicate herb.  Its faintly licorice flavor makes me think of it as anise light.  Tarragon is a truly versatile herb that tastes great in so many different dishes.  It's particularly good with chicken, eggs, and fish; and you can even use tarragon in some desserts, especially those with lemons or apples.

Today's recipe for Tarragon Chicken Salad is great dish for a summer picnic.  You can put it on a sandwich, or scoop it into a hollowed out tomato, or serve it with melon slices.

I like to saute boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you can buy chicken that's already cooked or use leftovers from a roasted or grilled chicken as long as it doesn't have too many other flavors already cooked into it.  I also like to shred the chicken with a fork, but you can cut it into cubes, if you prefer.

To cook up chicken for this salad, take 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Rinse and pat dry.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.  Heat a heavy skillet with a lid over medium heat.  Add 1-2 T olive oil.  When the skillet moderately hot, put the seasoned chicken breasts in the skillet, cover and turn down the heat to medium-low.

Cook the chicken over medium-low heat for about 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat.  Do not brown.  Turn the breasts over.  Cover and cook for another 4-6 minutes until a fork pierces the breast easily and the juices run golden as opposed to red or pink.  Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool for about 10 minutes.  When the meat is cool, you can chop it or shred it however you like.

Here's the recipe for Tarragon Chicken Salad:

1 lb. cooked boneless, skinless chicken meat, shredded or chopped
1/4 C chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 C chopped dried cranberries
1/4 C finely chopped celery
2 T finely chopped red onion
2-3 T coarsely chopped tarragon
3-4 T mayonnaise, or to taste
1 t horseradish (optional), or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Toss the chicken, nuts, cranberries, celery and onion in a large bowl until well mixed.

2.  Add the tarragon, mayo, and horseradish and mix well.

3.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Substitute small red seedless grapes cut in half for the cranberries for a juicier variation.

If you don't eat chicken, tarragon is a lovely addition to egg salad.  Vegan?  Tarragon goes great with tofu, too.

Today's bounty included:

From Jaime Farms:  White corn, leeks, tarragon, and baby dill;

From JR Organics:  Watermelon, early girl tomatoes, and red leaf lettuce;

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Bag chantenay carrots, romanesco squash, arugula, and salad mix;

From Silver Lake Farms:  Basil seedlings;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  White nectarines and dino egg pluots; and

From Weiser Family Farms:  Melons, baby beets, and laker baker potatoes.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup

There's something that happens to a bell pepper when you roast it that makes it super savory.  Roasted bell pepper can turn a simple burger or sandwich into a special treat.  I like to top goat cheese crostini with thin strips of roasted bell pepper for a festive canape or add chopped roasted bell peppers to scrambled eggs.

When the fresh pepper season starts to wane in the fall, I like to extend their season by roasting a bunch of peppers.  Then I remove the skins and seeds, pack them in a food storage container, and cover them with olive oil.  If they're completely covered with oil, they'll last a month or more in the fridge.

Today's recipe for roasted pepper soup can be made with most roasted peppers, but it's tastiest when made with yellow or red bell peppers.  If you've never roasted peppers before, it's easy; and there are several ways to do it.

I prefer the stove top method, but that requires a gas burner with a good flame.  You simply place the pepper right on the burner where the flame can char the skin of the pepper.  Using tongs, you turn the pepper as the skins chars until the pepper is entirely blackened.  If your burners are large enough, you might be able to roast more than one pepper on a single burner.  Otherwise, you can use several burners.

If you don't have a gas stove, you can roast peppers in a hot oven, about 400-450 degrees F.  Place the peppers on cookie sheet and roast, turning every 15 minutes, until charred, about 45 minutes total.  The skins might not blacken in the oven as much as they do on the stove top, but the peppers will roast just fine.

Another good way to roast peppers is on the grill.  If you're already firing up your grill, it isn't too much extra work to roast a few peppers.  And the grill will give them a little extra smoky flavor.  Since grill temperatures vary considerably, watch your peppers carefully and turn them as the skins char.  They're done when fully charred.

Whatever method you choose, wait until they cool to peel off the skins.  I like to put the peppers in a paper bag while they cool, but you can put them in a bowl if you prefer.  When cool, the skins will peel off easily.

The recipe below is for 1 large pepper which will make 2 servings.  You can double or triple this recipe if you wish.

Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup

1 large yellow pepper
1 t olive oil
1/4 small onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 rib celery, coarsely chopped
2/3 - 1 C vegetable stock or water
salt and pepper to taste
2 T cream, optional

1.  Roast the yellow pepper(s) using one of the methods described above.

2.  While the pepper(s) are cooling, heat the oil in a skillet and cook the chopped onion and celery until soft. Set aside.

3.  When the pepper(s) are cool enough to handle, peel away the charred skin and discard.  Remove and discard the seeds and the stem.

4.  Put the pepper(s), sauteed onion and celery in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth.

5.  Blend in the broth or water a little at a time until the soup reaches the desired consistency.

6.  Pour the soup into a saucepan and heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in cream, if desired.  Garnish and serve.

This soup may be served cold instead of hot.  Be sure to season the soup with salt and pepper (and anything else you might like) at the end of Step 5.  Then refrigerate until ready to serve.

A blender works better for this recipe than a food processor.  You get a smoother consistency.

Today's bounty included:

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Purple garlic, purple scallion, red Russian kale, spicy mixed greens, romaine, Swiss chard, and rainbow chard;

From JR Organics:  Green cabbage;

From Jaime Farms:  Beets, yellow bell peppers, hot house on-the-vine tomatoes, basil, cilantro, and free-range eggs;

From Rancho Santa Cecilia:  Thai guava, avocados, and Golden Nugget mandarins.

Enjoy!


Shelley

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

Braised Lamb with Carrots and Potatoes

Carrots, celery, and potatoes are mainstays of savory cooking, and this week's recipe uses them in a delicious braised lamb dish.

The lamb I used is local, from Tehachapi, and sustainably farmed. It was raised by Nancee Siebert, who I met through the Master Food Preserver training program. Nancee has been raising lambs since she was a little girl. The lambs are born early in the year, and Nancee starts selling them in late summer until they're gone.

I bought a whole lamb from Nancee and served the leg at Thanksgiving. It was some of the most delicious lamb I've eaten. Nancee raises her lambs with love and you can taste it. As of this blog post, Nancee still has a few lambs left, so if you're interested in one, you can contact me through Silver Lake Farms for more information.

If you don't want to use lamb in this dish, you can use beef or chicken instead. The cooking times may vary, but braise until fork tender.

Braised Lamb with Carrots and Potatoes

1 T olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
4 lamb shoulder chops
salt and pepper
2 C water or stock
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped in 6-8 pieces
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 rib celery, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 bay leaf
4-6 small potatoes, peeled
1 small celery root, peeled and chopped into 4-6 chunks
paprika

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan with a lid. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic and slightly golden.

2. Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Brown them on both sides in the pan with the garlic over medium heat.

3. Add the water or stock. Scatter the chopped onion, carrots, and celery in the pan. Add the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Then turn the heat down and slowly simmer, covered, until the meat is just tender, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

4. Add the potatoes and celery root. Sprinkle them with a little paprika and continue braising until the celery root is tender, about another 30-45 minutes.

5. Do not allow all the liquid to cook off. Add a little more water or stock, if necessary. If you end up with too much liquid, uncover and reduce on a low simmer.

Don't Throw Away Those Veggie Scraps!

Waste not, want not is one of my mottos. Between the hens, the worms, and the compost, we don't have much food waste. Still, when I have the time, I like to make a vegetable broth from the peels and scraps of vegetables that I'm using for another purpose, and this braise provides just that tasty opportunty.

Be sure to scrub the vegetables well before peeling. Put all the peels and scraps in a medium saucepan. Add a bay leaf, some salt and a couple of peppercorns. Add 4 C of water and bring to a very low simmer. The secrets to a clear broth are do not stir and never let it boil. Simmer, barely bubbling, until reduced by half, about 45minutes. Cool and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Do not press the solids. Feed the remaining solids to the hens or the worms.

You can freeze this broth for use later. It's a good idea to cool it in the fridge before freezing.




This week's bounty came from four farms:

From Underwood Family Farms: White cauliflower, tatsoi, mizuna, broccoli, Celebrity tomatoes, romaine, carrots, French Breakfast radishes, celery root, and artichokes;

From Weiser family Farms: Potatoes, carrots, Watermelon radishes, rutabagas, and beets;

From Sage Mountain Farm: Spaghetti squash, green heirloom tomatoes, arugula, and collard greens; and

From Rancho Santa Cecilia: Satsuma mandarins and limes.

Enjoy!

Shelley




pictured here are scraps ready for making broth, and below, the broth itself. Delicious!

Rutabaga Butternut Stovetop Tajine

Here's another rutabaga recipe you might enjoy. It's a wonderful Moroccan-spiced vegetable stew called a tajine. Traditionally, a tajine is a stew made in a special clay pot also called a tajine. The pot is a beautiful round baking dish with a tall conical lid. I love making slow-cooked stews in my tajine, but they bake for several hours. Here's a delicious stovetop adaptation that takes less than half the time of a traditional tajine.

Prepare the spice mixture:

1 t cumin seeds
1 t coriander seeds
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 t salt

Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat until aromative and lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Cool, then grind in a spice mill or with a mortar and pestle. Stir in cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

2-3 T olive oil
1 C chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C carrots chopped in about 3/4-inch chunks
2 ribs celery chopped in about 1/2-inch chunks
2 C rutabaga chopped in 3/4-inch cubes
2 C butternut squash chopped in 3/4-inch cubes
Peel from 1/2 orange, pith removed
2 C water
1 C canned garbanzo beans
1 t agave syrup
Chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in heavy skillet or saucepan with a lid. Add onions and garlic. Stir to coat with oil. Add spice mixture and cook until onions are translucent, but do no brown.

2. Add carrot, celery, rutabaga, and butternut squash. Stir to coat with spices.

3. Coarsely chop orange peel and add it to the pot with 2C water. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down slightly and cook on a medium simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes.

4. Add the garbanzo beans and agave syrup. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very tender and the liquid has cooked off enough to make a very thick sauce, about another 15-20 minutes.

5. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and serve over couscous or rice.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup

Kale and cannellini beans are a great match. The creamy beans balance the mild bitterness of the kale; and the two contrasting colors - light and dark - make for a visually attractive combination. This hearty soup, based on a Tuscan soup called Ribollita, makes a delicious one-dish meal.

A little advanced planning is needed if you want to start with dried cannellini beans, but the enhanced flavor is worth the extra effort. Canned cannellini beans are a fine, time-saving alternative. Once you've prepared the beans, the soup is a cinch to make.

To start with dried beans: Place 1 C dried cannellini beans in a pot large enough to cover the beans with 3 inches of cold water. That's 3 inches over the beans. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Then drain the beans and return them to the pot. Add 5 C water, 1/2 C chopped onion, 2 whole garlic cloves (peeled), 1 bay leaf, and 1/2 T salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 hour, maybe a little longer. Drain the beans, but keep the cooking liquid.

For the soup:
1 T olive oil
1/2 C chopped onion
2 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 C chopped celery
1 C chopped carrots
2-3 C cooked cannellini beans
3 C cooking liquid from the cannellini beans or stock
1 C canned diced Italian tomatoes in juice
1 bay leaf
1 t dried oregano
2-3 C chopped kale
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for about 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.

2. Add the celery and carrots and cook for about 2 minutes.

3. Add the cannellini beans, cooking liquid or stock, tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano and kale. Simmer partially covered, stirring occassionally, for about 30 minutes or until the soup thickens.

4. Add the cheese and stir until melted and mixed well into the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a grainy bread.

I like to smash some of the cannellini beans when stirring to thicken the soup. Omnivores might like to add some crumbled Italian sausage, but it's plenty hearty without meat.

Here's what this week's harvest brought us:

Young radish and chard micro-greens from Silver Lake Farms
Satsuma mandarins and Mexican white guavas from Rancho Santa Cecilia
And from Underwood Family Farms: celery, iceberg lettuce, purple kale, white carrots, leeks, French radishes. golden beets, Japanese turnips, and butternut squash.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Silver Lake Farms CSA Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a delicious and nutritious grain with a slightly nutty flavor. By itself, it's a great side dish. However, you can toss it with all kinds of vegetables to make fabulous salads. This week's CSA box has just what you need to make a super tasty quinoa salad.

Start with 4-5 C of cooked quinoa, fluffed and cooled. Cook the quinoa according to the directions of the package. Like rice, quinoa approximately doubles in size when cooked.

Then take:
1 C peeled and thinly sliced carrots
3/4 C thinly sliced celery
1/2 C chopped onion
2 C chopped kale or chard

You can add these ingredients raw to the quinoa, but I like to cook them briefly, both to soften them and to bring out their flavors. To cook: Heat 1 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion first, cook for 1 minute. Then add the remaining ingredients. Stir to coat them with the oil. Sprinkle on a little salt and pepper, if desired. Then cover and cook until they reach the desired softness, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the vegetables to the quinoa and stir to combine. Then make the dressing:

1/2 C olive oil
1/3 C rice vinegar
juice of 1 satsuma tangerine
1/4 C finely chopped fresh parsley (or any combination of herbs that you like)
2 T finely sliced green onion
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all the dressing ingredients briskly until well-combined. You should have about 1 C of dressing. Pour as much dressing as desired over the quinoa and toss to coat. Unused dressing will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. I like to add mashed roasted shallot (or garlic) to this dressing. It deepens the flavor of the dressing. Sometimes, I add a pinch of sugar or 1/4 t agave syrup to cut the sharpness.

Enjoy!

Shelley

And here's what was in our box this afternoon:

bunch red beets or butternut squash
bunch carrots or delicata squash
Napa cabbage or rhubarb
white cauliflower or tuffy acorn squash
butter lettuce or bunch chard
1# broccoli or 1# onions
celery or cilantro + parsley
2 leeks or 1# parsnips
bunch purple kale or bunch dill
SLF mustard and radish microgreens
Russian banana spuds
1# satsuma mandarins
2 black Hass avocados

Cream of Celery Soup

Last week's warm weather was a nice treat, but we're back to winter again. A soothing and warm soup is just the ticket for these cool days. And this soup is super simple to make.

Scrub and peel 1 lb potatoes. Compost the peels. Cut the potatoes in large chunks.

Wash and trim (if necessary) 1 lb celery. Compost any trimmings. Cut the celery in large chunks.

Peel 1/2 medium onion. Compost peel. Cut into large chunks.

Place potatoes, celery, and onion in a medium stockpot. Add 2-3 C vegetable stock, chicken stock or water. Cover tightly. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until all vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes.

Cool slightly. Then puree with an immersion blender, in a food processor, or in a regular blender. Stir in additional stock (1-2 C) to achieve desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 1/4 C (or more to taste) heavy cream. Re-heat to hot before serving.

This soup is delicious as is, or you can season it with a little thyme or dill. Lemon thyme is also very nice if you have it.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Green Chile Pork Stew

I picked up my CSA box yesterday along with my pork package from Silver Lake Farms' pig share program. This week's box had just about everything I needed to make a fabulous green chile pork stew!

I cut my stewing pork (about 3 lbs) into about 1-inch chunks and browned them in a little olive oil. While they were browning, I chopped some onion, carrots, parsnips, celery, and 1 clove of garlic. I sauteed the veggies and garlic in a big stew pot, using a little more oil. Then I added the browned pork, a large can of green chile sauce, a can of water, a bay leaf, a little salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. I simmered this stew on very low heat, covered for the first hour and partially covered for the second hour.

When the meat was barely tender, I added big chunks of potatoes and finished cooking until the meat was completely tender (another 30-45 minutes). I'm taking this stew to a holiday pot-luck this evening.

I like to make my own green chile sauce from scratch, fire-roasting green anaheim chiles (plus 1-2 serranos for heat), then peeling, pureeing, and cooking the anaheims with the serranos, garlic, cumin, bay leaf, oregano, salt and pepper. Sometimes I add a little epazote, too. This sauce freezes well. But I didn't have any home-made sauce, so I used a can. Either way, it's a hearty and delicious meal.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Stuffed Peppers

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

Summer squash
Carrots
Oranges
Red leaf lettuce
Celery
Dandelion greens
Garlic chives
Basil
Red tomatoes
Purslane
Rainbow chard

And here's what Tara brought down from Underwood Family Farms:
Galia melon
Sharlyn melon
Kabocha squash
Easter radishes
Yellow wax beans
Green leaf lettuce
Eggplant
Orange bell pepper
Chocolate bell pepper
Yellow Brandywine tomatoes

And Silver Lake Farms provided delicious micro-greens - pea shoots and radish!

I love to make stuffed peppers. You can stuff almost any kind of pepper; and you can put almost any savory item in the filling. It's a great way to get creative and use whatever's in your fridge. All you need are some vegetables and a grain; meat and cheese are delicious options, too. With the beautiful orange and chocolate bell peppers in today's box, I couldn't resist making this wonderful treat.

I prefer cutting bell peppers in half lengthwise. One-half makes a nice side dish; two halves make a great main. Depending on the size of your peppers and how full you stuff them, you'll need about 2/3 C filling (or more) per half.

It's best to chop your vegetables into small pieces, but don't mince them. I like to saute all the vegetables before mixing them into the filling; that way some of the water is cooked out and the filling won't get soggy.

A nice, thick tomato sauce in an important component of my recipe. I've been making slow-cooked tomato sauce all summer with tomatoes from my garden. It freezes well for months. If you don't have your own sauce, use whatever tomato sauce you put on your pasta.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

This recipe is for 2 peppers or 4 halves. You can double this recipe if you wish.

2 medium bell peppers
1 T olive oil
1/4 lb bulk (or 1 link, casing removed) Italian sausage (optional)
1/2 small onion, chopped fine
1 small carrot, trimmed and chopped fine
1/2 rib celery, trimmed and chopped fine
1-2 small summer squash, washed and chopped into small pieces
2 leaves chard, washed, trimmed and chopped
3/4 C fresh corn kernels, removed from the ear
1-1/2 C cooked brown rice
2-1/2 to 3 C thick tomato sauce
grated cheese, optional
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut peppers in half lengthwise and set aside.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, heat 1 t olive oil and brown the sausage, breaking it up into small chunks as it cooks. When done, remove from pan, chop finely and set aside. Pour off any grease from pan and wipe clean.

3. In same skillet, heat remaining 2 t olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 1 minute. Turn down heat. Add carrots, celery and squash. Cover and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add chard and corn kernels. Cook until chard is wilted and vegetables are just soft. If necessary, uncover and cook off any excess liquid.

4. In a bowl, mix the cooked sausage (if you're using it) and the cooked vegetables together with the cooked brown rice. Add about 1/2 to 3/4 C thick tomato sauce - just enough for the mixture to hold together, but not so much that it's saucy. [If you'd like, you can add some grated cheese to this mixture, but I usually don't.] Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Fill each half pepper with the filling mixture.Place them snugly in an oven-proof baking dish. Top each pepper with 1-2 T tomato sauce and/ or 1 T grated cheese. Pour about 1/2 inch hot water in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes.

6. Remove peppers from baking dish and serve each half pepper with 1/2 C thick tomato sauce. You can serve the pepper in a pool of sauce or pour the sauce over the pepper; or you can omit the sauce entirely if you prefer.

I'll post my recipe for slow-cooked tomato sauce next time.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Celery Soup

Swiss Chard (left)




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

Red and golden beets (roast covered in tin foil. sautee the tops)

Celery

Green garlic (roots, stem, leaves are edible)

Mustard greens (one bunch sautee, cooks down for 2 people)

Dandelion greens (sautee in olive oil & garlic)

Swiss chard (ditto above)

Butter lettuce
Chrysanthemum greens (left)
Adolescent romaine
Arugula
Dill
Italian parsley



It's been a busy week with yesterday's City Planning Commission vote on the Food & Flowers Freedom Act. It was heartening to see so many urban farming activitists from all over the city show their support. The commissioners' approval is a big step toward promoting the cultivation and off-site sale of healthy, local fruits, vegetables, flowers, and other urban gardening products in Los Angeles.

With the Planning Commission meeting behind us, it's time for something warm and soothing, and celery soup fits the bill. It's super easy and delicious. Chicken stock gives the soup a rich flavor, but it's just as good with vegetable stock or even water. And since you puree the cooking liquid with the vegetables, you don't pour off any vitamins or minerals that might be cooked out of the vegetables.

Personally, I prefer using an immersion blender to puree the soup, but you can use a food processor or a counter-top blender if you prefer.

Celery Soup

1 bunch celery
2 medium russet potatoes
1 medium brown onion
3 C chicken stock (or vegetable stock or water) + 1-2 C additional stock or water
1 bay leaf
1/4 C cream (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T chopped fresh parsley

1. Chop off the bottom of the celery and throw in the compost. Wash the stalks and remove any tough fibers from the ribs. Compost those, too. Chop the celery and leaves into large chunks and put them in a medium stock pot.

2. Peel the potatoes. Compost the peels. Chop the potatoes into large chunks. Add them to the stock pot.

3. Peel and trim the onion. Compost the skin and ends. Cut the onion into 8 pieces and put in the stock pot.

4. Add 3 C of stock (or whatever liquid you're using) and the bay leaf. Cover tightly and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until all vegetables are very soft.

5. Remove from heat and cool a little. Remove bay leaf. Puree the vegetables in the pot using an immersion blender until very smooth. If necessary, add more liquid - stock, water, even milk will do.

6. Return the pot to the stove over medium heat. Add the cream, if desired and/or more stock or water to bring the soup to your desired consistency. Heat the soup, but do not allow it to boil.

7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Waldorf Salad

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

Carrots
Celery
Baby bok choy
Young red onion
Green garlic
Arugula
Tat soi
Red leaf lettuce
Curly mustard
Chicoria (dandelion greens)

It's hard for me to imagine a world without celery. Celery's distinctive flavor plays an important supporting role in so many dishes from pot roast to chicken soup, from vegetable stock to egg salad. In addition to the ubiquitous stalks, celery root and celery seeds are delicious ingredients in their own right.

This week's recipe for Waldorf Salad is an easy dish where celery is part of an ensemble of more or less equal players. Waldorf Salad is a great winter salad. Even though apple season is over, apples keep well in cold storage for months and are a good seasonal winter fruit. Choose a crisp red apple, such as honey crisp or gala. The red color contrasts nicely with the pale green celery

Waldorf Salad

4 ribs celery
3 medium crisp red apples
1/3 C toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 C mayonnaise
1-2 T fresh lemon juice
1-2 T apple juice, optional
freshly grated nutmeg

1. Wash and trim celery ribs, removing the leafy tops and peeling any tough, stringy parts, if desired. Put the trimmings in the compost.

2. Thinly chop the celery crosswise (about 1/8 inch).

3. Quarter apples lengthwise. Core and seed apples, but do not peel. Compost the cores and seeds.

4. Cut quarters in half again lengthwise and then chop each piece into 1/2 inch chunks.**

5. Mix the dressing by combining 1/4 C mayonnaise with 1 T fresh lemon juice (or a little more, if desired). For a sweeter dressing, add 1-2 T apple juice or a teaspoon of sugar.

6. Combine the celery, apples, and chopped toasted walnuts. Pour dressing over and toss well to coat.

7. Grate fresh nutmeg to taste over salad and toss again.

8. Serve immediately or refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Serves 4-6

**To prevent chopped apples from turning brown while you work, it helps to put them in a bowl of cold water with a little added lemon juice once they're chopped. Drain and dry before mixing them into the salad.

Fresh mint is a nice additional flavor for a Waldorf Salad. If you have some fresh mint in your garden, consider adding it to this salad.

Enjoy!

Shelley

What's in the box? Celery Soup

Pick-up #3

celery
carrots
broccoli
garlic
romaine lettuce
red leaf lettuce
thai basil
purslane
mint
dandelion
tomatoes
cilantro
baby spinach
japanese cucumbers

Celery Soup recipe from Beat (my husband):


1. chop 1 onion
3 cloves garlic

2. saute above for 10 min medium heat, then kill the heat with 2 glasses of white wine

3. add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil

4 while boiling, chop 1 big celery
3 potatoes (dice them)
3 tomatoes, peeled and cut in quarters (drop the tomatoes into boiling water for a matter of seconds before taking them out to make it easier to peel them) you could also add the 3 carrots (sliced) and the broccoli (chopped)

5 add chopped veggies to boiling water, add salt and pepper

6 reduce to a simmer for at least 1.5 to 2 hours, if too thick, add water. if too liquid,. reduce

bon appetit!! and have a wonderful weekend.

tara

Our First CSA Recipe

October 14, 2009

From CSA'er Treven:

Hi Tara,

Here are a couple of recipes. These recipes were created from improvising dishes w/ the goal of using as many of the vegetables as I could from the CSA box. They're informal and hopefully clear enough for people to follow.

VEGETABLE AND BEAN SOUP

for the soup base:

2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/4 cup finely diced carrots
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
salt and pepper to taste
1 x 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
4-6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

vegetable additions - whatever you have on hand (or remove whatever you dislike) but these were mostly from the CSA box week #1:

3-4 celery stalks chopped
2-3 carrots peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic (unpeeled - you can fish them out later)
1-2 cups of broccoli, chopped
2 x 15 oz cans of beans, rinse and drained (kidney, cannelini, black, or mix)
1-2 cups of chopped spinach
1 bunch of chopped purslane

Directions:

1. heat 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil in a heavy stock pot on medium heat

2. once oil is heated, add minced onions, minced carrots, minced celery, salt and pepper and cook until softened about 5-7 mins

3. add bay leaf and fennel seeds and cook another 1-2 minutes; usually, until fragrant

4. add the canned diced tomatoes and chicken or vegetable broth, bring to a boil

5. add chopped vegetables: onion, celery, carrots, garlic, broccoli,
beans, and if needed, more salt and pepper; bring to boil (if the soup
seems too chunky, you can add more broth or water)

6. once it starts to boil, turn heat to low and let simmer, covered
for 20-30 mins (or until all the vegetables are tender and cooked
through)

7. towards the end, add spinach and purslane, cook for another 5 mins.
again, if needed, add more salt and pepper to taste

When you find the bay leaf, remove and toss it. For the cloves of garlic, if you are a garlic fan, you can squeeze whatever is left of the garlic out of the skin and smear on toast or mix into the soup.

To make this a meal in itself: add 1/2 to 1 cup cooked barley or brown rice to each bowl before serving

other options, if you have it on hand:
* add other types hearty vegetables: corn, potatoes, parsnip, zucchini, or squash in step 5
* in step 7, add 2-3 tablespoons of minced parsley


SPINACH, BEET, WALNUT AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

1 cooked beet
goat cheese to taste
baby spinach
your favorite balsamic vinaigrette (I like Trader Joe's balsamic dressing but you can make your own or use whatever you have)

to boil beets
1. trim leaves of beets, leaving 1 inch attached
2. bring water to boil, salt the water
3. add beet, lower the heat, and simmer for 30-45 minute, until knife tender
4. remove from water, let cool until you can handle it
5. peel beet - should be easy to remove after cooked

prepare salad - in proportions to your liking:
combine a few pieces of chopped beets, handful of spinach, some goat cheese, and a few pieces of walnuts; toss with vinaigrette; and serve.

Thanks,
Treven