Romaine Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

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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

Salade Nicoise

What a bountiful week!

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

Navel oranges
Avocados
Daikon radish
Red radishes
Red & golden beets
Curly green kale (pictured below)
Green chard
Tat soi
Arugula
Romaine lettuce
Dandelion greens
Tomatoes
Squash blossoms
Mixed herbs

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

Carrots
Forono beets
Black kale
Red chard
Spring onions (that's what Danielle is holding below)
Sweet corn
Baby arugula
Mixed greens
Green string beans
Strawberries

When I saw the beautiful strings beans at the CSA pick-up this week, I thought Salade Nicoise. I learned to make Salade Nicoise in 1977 in a class on the regional foods and wines of France. In that class, our Salade Nicoise was built on a base of blanched string beans, boiled potatoes, and butter lettuce. It also had oil-packed, canned tuna, anchovies, olives, red onion, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and fresh parsley all in a Dijon mustard vinaigrette.

Since then, I've enhanced my recipe with the addition of capers, fresh basil, and lemon juice; and I've embraced the California version using fresh, seared Ahi tuna, at least some of the time.

Over the years, I've eaten many Nicoise salads and I've seen other ingredients included such as fresh or roasted red peppers; mixed greens, especially arugula, instead of or in addition to butter lettuce; and balsamic vinegar dressings.

Here's a nice blueprint for this lovely composed salad. Don't sweat it if you don't have (or don't like) all the ingredients, it's a wonderful full-meal salad however you make it.

Salade Nicoise

Serves 2

2 C loosely packed butter lettuce or mixed greens
1/4 lb small or thin string beans, blanched and cooled
4 smallish new potatoes, boiled until just tender and cooled
1 can oil-packed tuna
1 medium tomato,sliced lengthwise into 6-8 sections
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
1-2 T thinly sliced red onion
8-10 black Nicoise olives, or more to taste
4 canned anchovy fillets, or more to taste
1 T capers, or more to taste
1 T chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 T chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

For the Dressing:
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T wine or cider vinegar
1 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
1-2 t prepared Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

1. Briskly mix together all the ingredients for the dressing until emulsified. Set aside.

2. Wash and dry the lettuces and/or greens. Break into bite-sized pieces. Toss with 1-2 T of the dressing. Arrange dressed greens on 2 plates.

3. Toss the blanched string beans with 1 t of the dressing and arrange half the beans in a small stack on each plate.

4. Slice the potatoes and fan out half the slices on each plate. Drizzle with a few drops of dressing.

5. Drain and flake the tuna. Divide among the 2 plates.

6. Arrange half the tomato sections and one quartered hard-boiled egg on each of the 2 plates.

7. Scatter the finely sliced onion, olives, and capers among the 2 plates. Drape 2 anchovy fillets on each plate. Sprinkle with the chopped herbs, salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with the remaining dressing.

If you don't have Nicoise olives, you can substitute Kalamata olives or dried black olives. If you like your salads more heavily dressed, double the dressing recipe.

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

Silverlake - Jan 29 pick-up

Thank you for all the good vibes re: the Sunset Magazine article. In Sharon Cohoon's follow up story at http://freshdirt.sunset.com/, she offers a link to the www.urbanfarmingadvocates.org website, where you can help change the law.

As I mention on my home page, it is illegal to grow flowers and fruit in residential gardens in the City of LA and sell them off-site, at farmers' markets for example. This makes no sense given that vegetables may legally be grown for sale.

It's been 7 months since the Food & Flowers Freedom Act came into being but the City hasn't made any changes yet. I think they need to hear from you. See Urban Farming Advocates for more details. If you've already written, thank you.

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

celery
broccoli
carrots
radishes
fresh garlic
mizuna (lovely mild mustard eaten raw)
red romaine lettuce
green romaine lettuce
italian parsley
baby bok choy
arugula aka rocket
green curly mustard (bit spicier than mizuna)

Try this week's recipe from cooking consultant, Shelley Marks. She says:

There's almost nothing better to do with fresh crispy romaine than make a Caesar salad. Though there are many versions, a classic Caesar is both simple and elegant; and once you assemble the ingredients, it's easy to make. I like using roasted garlic for its milder and and more subtle flavor. Roasted garlic keeps well in the refrigerator for a week or longer, so roast up a few heads of garlic at a time. Whatever you don't use immediately can be used in dips and sauces or spread on toast for a savory treat.

Classic Caesar Salad

2 heads romaine (one red, one green)
6 anchovy fillets
2 cloves roasted garlic*
1/2 inch piece green garlic bulb or 1 small clove fresh garlic
1 t prepared dijon mustard
2 t Worcestershire sauce (pronounced "whouster" in England)
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 coddled egg yolk** (substitute 1/2 C whipping cream if you prefer not to use an egg)
1/2 C olive oil
1 C croutons***
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse romaine well and dry well in a salad spinner or on towels. Break into bite-sized pieces. Toss the cores in the compost. You should have about 7-8 C loosely packed leaves.

2. Combine anchovy fillets, roasted garlic, green garlic, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, coddled egg yolk, and a pinch of salt in a food processor work bowl. Pulse to combine.

3. With the motor running, pour the olive oil through the feed tube in a thin stream until the dressing thickens.

4. Pour dressing over prepared greens. Add croutons and grated cheese. Toss well.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*To roast garlic, trim the top, rub lightly with olive oil, place on a baking sheet in a hot (400 degree) oven for 30-35 minutes until soft. Peel each clove before using.

**A coddled egg is not a raw egg, but it's barely cooked. Bacteria can grow in damaged eggs, so use the freshest egg and avoid any that are dirty or damaged. If you're lucky enough to have a friend or neighbor who has chickens you might be able to get a really fresh egg. To coddle the egg, place the egg in its shell in a heat-proof cup or bowl. Bring 2 C of water to a boil. Pour water over egg to cover and let sit for 3 minutes (or longer if desired). Crack open egg and discard the white or save it for another use. Place yolk in the work bowl and proceed with the recipe.

***You can use store-bought croutons, but it's easy to make your own. Heat 2 T canola oil and 1 T olive oil in a skillet. Cut your favorite bread into cubes and toss in the hot oil to coat. Turn down the heat and toss the cubes every few minutes until well-browned, about 20 minutes.

Have a great weekend and see you soon!

Tara