Spicy Double Mustard Potato Salad

Here's another delicious potato salad, one that's full of spicy mustard flavor due to a lemony mustard dressing as well as the addition of finely chopped mustard greens.  I sometimes call this recipe green potato salad; and it's a perfect side for the St. Patrick's Day corned beef you might be cooking up this weekend.

Even without the corned beef, this potato salad is refreshingly tangy.  You can control the spiciness by choosing a mustard that's got just the right amount of zing for your taste.

I find it's easier to peel potatoes after boiling them.  Wait until they're cool enough to handle and you'll find the thin skin will peel off very easily.  Or you can leave the skins on if you prefer.

For 4 side servings:

2 large russet potatoes
3-4 purple scallions, finely chopped
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley
2/3 C loosely packed, finely chopped curly mustard greens
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C Lemony Mustard Dressing (see recipe below)

1.  Scrub the potatoes.  Place them in a pot with cold water to cover.  Bring to a boil and boil over medium-low heat until they can be easily pierced through with a fork.  Drain and allow potatoes to cool.

2.  When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off their thin skins and dice.  Place the diced potatoes in a bowl.

3.  Add the finely chopped scallions, parsley, and mustard greens as well as a little salt and pepper.  Pour the Lemony Mustard Dressing over and stir until well-mixed.  If you prefer, smash a few of the potato pieces to make a slightly smoother texture.

4.  Taste and adjust the seasoning and/or add more Lemony Mustard Dressing if you wish.

5.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lemony Mustard Dressing (double this recipe if you wish)

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T Dijon mustard
1/4 t fine grated lemon peel
1/2 t agave syrup or sugar
pinch salt

Vigorously mix all of the ingredients together with a fork or small whisk until combined.  Use immediately or store in the fridge.

Today's bounty included:

From County Line Harvest South: Mixed baby lettuces, mixed mustard greens, French breakfast radishes, baby rainbow carrots, purple scallions, scarlet turnips, and red beets;

From Jimenez Family Farm:  Broccoli, Tuscan kale, potatoes, yellow onions, Chanteney carrots, cabbage, and purple curly kale.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Grated Radish Party Dip

Here's a deliciously different dip that mixes sharp and spicy radishes with the smooth creaminess of sour cream.  It's perfect for a party, and it's pretty simple to make, too.

Personally, I like the richness of sour cream in this recipe, but if you want a somewhat lower calorie substitute, you can use Greek-style yogurt for some or all of the sour cream.



1 C grated radishes
4-6 T finely crumbled feta cheese
1 C sour cream
pinch or 2 of salt (to taste)
pinch or 2 of pepper (to taste)
1/2 t finely grated lemon rind
1-2 T chopped fresh parsley

Wash, dry and cut off the roots and leaves/stems of the radishes.  Grate radishes on a medium grater.  Measure out 1 C and place in a medium bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Stir until well-combined.  Adjust seasoning.  Chill.  Serve cold with crudites or potato chips.

I like to doll up this recipe by adding 1/2 to 3/4 C flaked crab meat.

I also like to add a little hot pepper in the form of finely ground red chili flakes.

Today's bounty included:

From County Line Harvest South:  Tuscan kale, arugula, French breakfast radishes, scallions, and collard greens;

From Jimenez Family Farm:  Garlic, leeks, carrots, winter squash, romaine lettuce, spinach, cilantro, beets, yellow onions, and cabbage;

From K and K Ranch:  Oro Blanco grapefruit and Pink Lady apples.

Happy New Year Everyone!  Here's to a delicious 2013.

Shelley

Oven Roasted Whole Cauliflower

Are you looking for a super simple side dish for Thanksgiving?  This oven roasted cauliflower recipe may be just the thing.  It's delicious and dramatic, and it couldn't be easier.

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Remove the outer leaves and cut out the tough core of the cauliflower.  Wash the cauliflower and pat it dry.  Rub it with a generous amount (2-3 T) of olive oil.  [If you prefer, you can brush it on.]  Sprinkle it generously with salt (about 1/2-1 t) and pepper (1/4 t or to taste).  Place it on a cookie sheet or in a shallow-sided roasting pan and roast it for about an 60-90 minutes until it's tender when pierced with a fork and golden brown on the outside.

You can stop right there and you have a simple and beautiful side dish, but I like to remove the cauliflower from the oven and sprinkle it generously with smoked paprika.  Then I return it to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.  If you want to get even fancier, you can make a simple sauce to serve with the roasted cauliflower.  I like this one:

4 cloves finely chopped garlic
4-6 T capers, drained
1 stick butter

Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until the butter is melted and the garlic is just beginning to color, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and serve with roasted cauliflower.

You can roast a head of garlic while the cauliflower is in the oven.  It should only take about 20 minutes.  Then you can substitute roasted garlic for the finely chopped garlic.  Chopped parsley makes a nice garnish.

Today's bounty included:

From Jaime Farms:  Cauliflower and red and green peppers;

From Jimenez Family Farm:  Rainbow chard, winter squash, strawberries, dill, and cilantro;

From K & K Ranch:  Pick Lady apples and grapes;

From Maggie's Farm:  Garden salad mix, spicy salad mix, and tatsoi;

From Weiser Family Farm:  Potatoes and beets;

From Silver Lake Farms:  Oregano, rosemary, and mint.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Chiles en Nogada

I just came back from San Miguel de Allende in Central Mexico where I enjoyed a classic seasonal Mexican dish called Chiles en Nogada.  Chiles en Nogada are roasted poblano peppers stuffed with picadillo, covered with a rich and creamy pureed walnut sauce, and garnished with parsley and pomegranate seeds.  The red pomegranate seeds and the fresh green parsley leaves against the creamy white sauce are said to symbolize the red, green and white of the Mexican flag.

Chiles en Nogada are often served cold or at room temperature, but personally, I prefer this dish warm.  It's a little bit of a production to make.  Fortunately, you can roast the peppers and make the picadillo ahead of time.  That way, you simply have to make the walnut sauce and assemble the dish.

Picadillo is a sweet-savory filling that's used in tacos and tamales as well as these stuffed peppers; and there are probably hundreds of recipes for picadillo.  It's typically made with ground meat, onions, garlic, raisins or currents, nuts, olives or capers, and spices.  I made my picadillo with ground lamb, but you can use ground beef or pork, shredded meat, or even tofu, if you prefer.

To roast the peppers:

On a gas stove with an open flame, lay the peppers across the burner in direct contact with the flame.  Turn the peppers as the skin blisters.  When completely charred, put the peppers in a bowl or paper bag until cool enough to handle.  Then rub or peel off the charred skin.

You can roast peppers on a barbeque grill or in a hot oven instead.  Follow the same steps as above, turning the peppers as the skins blisters and chars.  Cool before peeling.

Make a 2-3 inch lengthwise slit in each pepper and carefully remove the seeds without tearing the peppers.  Set aside or refrigerate for later use.

To make the picadillo (for 2-3 medium poblano peppers):

1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 C finely chopped onion
1/2 lb ground lamb (or beef)
1/2 medium Fuji apple cut in 1/4" dice
1-2 T chopped golden raisins
1 T chopped slivered almonds
1-2 T sliced olives (black or green)
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground cumin
pinch ground cloves
1 T tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Heat olive oil in 10" skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and onions and saute until translucent.

2.  Add ground lamb and continue cooking, breaking the lamb into crumbles as it cooks.

3.  Stir in the diced apple, raisins, almonds, and olives and continue cooking until the lamb is nearly done.

4.  Stir in the spices and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Use immediately to stuff the roasted poblanos or cool, cover and refrigerate for later use.

To make the nogada sauce:

1/2 C roasted walnut halves and pieces
1/2 C milk
1/2 - 3/4 cream
1-2 T sherry
salt to taste
pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley for garnish

1.  Pour boiling water to cover over the walnuts.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes.  Drain.  Rub walnuts in a dish towel to remove their brown, papery skins.

2.  Soak skinned walnuts in 1/2 C milk for 1 hour.  Drain.

3.  Put walnuts and cream in a blender and blend on a low speed until the walnuts are pureed into the cream to make a sauce.  Be careful not to over-process to turn the cream into butter.

4.  Pour from blender into a small saucepan.  Stir in sherry.  Season with salt.

5.  Just before you're ready to assemble the dish, heat the sauce, whisking constantly.  If desired, you can reduce the sauce over medium-low heat to desired thickness.  Some people like to add a little cream cheese or goat cheese to the sauce for flavor.  Stir the cheese in while your heating the sauce and make sure it's fully melted and mixed into the sauce.

To assemble Chiles en Nogada:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  Stuff the roasted poblanos with picadillo and place in a shallow baking dish or on a baking sheet.  Cover with foil and bake for about 20-30 minutes, until heated through.

3.  Heat nogada sauce.

4.  Place a heated stuffed pepper on a plate.  Cover with the warm nogada sauce.  Garnish generously with pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley.

Today's bounty included:

From Jaime Farms:  Green leaf lettuce, kale, cabbage, beets, and celery;

From Jimenez Family Farm:  Leeks, tomatoes, green beans, winter squash, carrots, chard, mixed peppers, basil, and dill;

From K and K Ranch:  Grapes and pomegranates; and

From Silver Lake Farms:  Oregano and thyme.

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

Spinach, Kale and Feta Pie

It's high season for leafy greens, and today's box was over-flowing with many beautiful examples. You just may want to enjoy a lovely salad made from red leaf lettuce, mizuna, spinach, parsley, radish, carrots, and one of last week's avocados that may be ripe by now. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a sprinkle of fine olive oil, some crusty bread and a glass of wine might be the perfect dinner this evening.

If you you'd like to have a little more adventure in the kitchen, try this Spinach, Kale and Feta pie based on Spanakopita, a traditional Middle Eastern dish. It's a little bit of a production, but well worth the effort.

2 T olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
1-1/2 lbs spinach and kale, washed, mostly dried and chopped
1/2 C chopped green onion
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
1/3 lb crumbled feta cheese
1/2 C ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
freshly ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
melted butter (about 1/2 stick, more if necessary)
10 sheets (12" x 18") phyllo*

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9" x 12" baking dish. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chopped onion in olive oil until translucent, about 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't let the onion brown.

3. Add the chopped spinach and kale and saute until well-wilted. Add the green onions and parsley and continue cooking, turning the heat down, if necessary, until all or most of the water has evaporated. The mixture should still be moist, not completely dry. Cool slightly.

4. Add the crumbled feta, ricotta, and eggs. Season with freshly ground nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to combine. Set the filling aside while you prepare the phyllo.

5. Take 10 12"x 18" pieces of fresh phyllo dough. Cut them in half to make 20 12" x 9" pieces, and stack them. [Or cut phyllo to fit your pan. Whatever size, you'll need 20 sheets cut to fit.] Phyllo dries out easily, so work quickly and keep the phyllo stack covered with a dish cloth while you work.

6. Line the buttered baking dish with 1 piece of phyllo. Brush some melted butter on the phyllo, then stack another piece of phyllo on top and brush it with butter. Repeat until you've put 10 sheets of phyllo in the pan.

7. Spread the prepared filling on the buttered phyllo. Smooth the top, then cover with the remaining 10 pieces of phyllo, brushing more melted butter in between each piece and on top.

8. Bake at 350 until the top is golden brown and the center is cooked through about 30-40 minutes. Cut into squares and serve hot, room temperature, or cold. Leftovers, if there are any, make a nice lunch; or they freeze well, too.

**Phyllo, also called filo dough, is available frozen in most markets and fresh in some Middle eastern markets. If you are using frozen dough, be sure to defrost it thoroughly in the refrigerator before you use it.

At the pick-up this afternoon, I heard that some avocados are taking a long time to get ripe. That's normal. However, you can hasten ripening by putting avocados in a brown paper bag with a banana. Ripening fruit gives off ethylene gas which is a ripening agent. Bananas are picked unripe, so they emit a fair amount of ethylene gas while they ripen in your fruit basket. You can capture this natural ripening agent and put it to good use with your avocados. It'll still take days to ripen a hard avocado, but you can cut the ripening time by a third or even in half.

This week's bounty included:

From Underwood Family Farms: red leaf lettuce, kale, spinach, mizuna, baby bok choy, napa cabbage, Easter radishes, yellow carrots, Cilantro, parsley, tangerines and a Zutano avocado.

From Rancho Santa Cecilia: those divine satsuma mandarines and 2 Haas avocados.

And from Silver Lake Farms: radish shoots and 2 kinds of chard shoots. Yum!

Enjoy!

Shelley

Purslane Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Shareholders Steve and Zoe in love ... with strawberries

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

Avocados
Navel oranges
Daikon radish
Russian kale
Beets
Red chard
Onions
Arugula
Dandelion greens
Romaine
Squash blossoms
Garlic chives
Mixed herbs
Purslane

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

Beets
Carrots
Haricot verts
Red chard
Spring onions
Baby arugula
Dandelion greens
Mixed lettuces
Baby summer squash
Strawberries

Purslane has a reputation for being a somewhat ubiquitous weed that's easy to grow, but ironically many people have never heard of it, and even fewer have tasted it. It's a delightful green with a bright, lemony flavor akin to sorrel. It can be eaten raw or cooked; and it's lovely simply thrown into a green or mixed salad.

Here's a simple dish using several of this week's vegetables plus a few more that you might have growing in your garden or can pick up from your local farmer's market. It only takes a few minutes to whip up this light and delicious salad.

Purslane Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

1 bunch purslane
1 large heirloom tomato
2 Persian cucumbers
1/2 small red onion
1-2 small ripe avocado
1/2 C loosely packed chopped Italian parsley
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
2-3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 T red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash, dry, and pull the leaves off the purslane. Place in a bowl. Compost the stems.

2. Wash, dry, and coarsely chop the heirloom tomato and place in the bowl with the purslane.

3. Wash, dry, and halve lengthwise the Persian cucumbers, then chop crosswise in 1/4inch slices and add to the bowl.

4. Thinly slice lengthwise half of a small red onion. Then cut the slices in half (or thirds) crosswise and add to the bowl.

5. Halve the avocado(s) lengthwise. Remove the pit(s). Cut the flesh of each half lengthwise and crosswise into medium dice and scoop out from the skin and into the bowl.

6. Add the chopped parsley to the bowl.

7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. In a separate small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients until well-combined to make the lemon vinaigrette. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss, and correct the seasoning, if necessary.

This salad is also very nice with the addition of chopped fresh mint. Another variation to consider is adding a little minced fresh garlic to the lemon vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Farmer's Salad

In honor of Mother's Day, I'd like to share a simple recipe from my mother. When I was a child, my mother often put out a smorgasbord for Sunday brunch that included all manner of delicious sweet and savory treats. Though the items changed from week to week, she frequently included this salad. She called it Farmer's Salad, I think because she used to eat it when she visited a farm.

You can enjoy this salad as a side dish, but it's substantial enough to eat as a main course with some nice grainy bread and butter. It's easy to make and keeps in the refrigerator for a few days.

5-6 radishes
2-3 green onions, such as the Negi onions
2 small Persian cucumbers**
2-3 T chopped parsley
16 oz cottage cheese
2/3 C sour cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Wash and dry the radishes. Remove the greens and save them for another use or compost them. Halve or quarter the radishes lengthwise, then chop them thinly. Place in a large bowl.

2. Wash and dry the green onions. Thinly slice the white part of the green onions. Save the green stems for another use or compost them. Place the sliced onions in the bowl with the radishes.

3. Wash and dry the Persian cucmbers. I like to leave the skins on but you can peel them if you like. Cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and thinly slice each half. Add slices to the bowl.

4. Add the parsley, cottage cheese, and sour cream to the bowl and mix well. Add a little salt and a good amount of freshly ground pepper.

This salad is at its crunchy best eaten shortly after mixing it up.

**I like to use Persian cucmbers because they're relatively lower in water than other cucumbers. But you can use any cucumber. You can remove some of the water from the juicier varieties by slicing them, sprinkling the slices with a little salt, and allowing them to drain in a colander for about 20 minutes.

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