Raw Beet Salad

Most beet recipes call for the beets to be cooked in some fashion.  And roasted beets are among the most delicious vegetable treats.  I like to keep a few roasted beets in the fridge so that I can make a beet salad anytime.  However, raw beets make a very tasty salad as well, in a fraction of the time.  Just peel and grate the beets, mix up a quick dressing, and toss.

This beautiful salad can be eaten immediately after it's made, or you can make it a day or two ahead and allow the beets to soak up some of the flavorful citrus dressing.  Either way, this great summer salad is perfect for a picnic or a barbeque.

2C grated beets*
1T minced green shallots or red onion
2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 T fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 T olive oil
2 t honey
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Mix the grated beets and shallot or onion in a medium bowl.

2.  In a separate small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients until well combined.

3.  Pour the dressing over the grated beets and shallots and toss to coat evenly.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

*The easiest way to grate beets is in a food processor fitted with the grating blade, but it's almost as easy to grate beets using a hand grater, and there's less clean-up with the hand grater.

You can substitute 1C grated carrots for 1C grated beets if you prefer.  And you can double or halve this recipe if you would like to make more or less.

Today's bounty included:

From Jaime Organics:  Yellow and green hot-house peppers, cilantro, and dill;

From JR Organics:  Red leaf lettuce, arugula, and chard;

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Shiraz beets, 8-ball squash, kale, and purple scallions;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  Yellow peaches and white nectarines; and

From Weiser Family Farms:  Charentais melon and spring french shallots.

Happy 4th of July!

Shelley

Sorrel Pesto

I love the vibrant lemony flavor of fresh sorrel.  It grows well in Southern California.  My plants stay green and thick all year.  The easiest way to use sorrel is in a salad.  Tear up some sorrel, arugula, and lettuce for a bright and spicy salad mix.  A classic sorrel dish is cream of sorrel soup.  However, my favorite sorrel recipe is sorrel pesto.

Sorrel pesto is a cinch to mix up and has myriad uses.  It's wonderful as a sauce for grilled shrimp, salmon, or chicken.  It's a great garnish for boiled, sliced potatoes.  And you can toss it with hot pasta and mild goat cheese to make a delicious and creamy entree or side dish.  I particularly like using orecchiette or shells, but you can use shape you wish.




4 C loosely packed sorrel (about 12-14 medium leaves)
1/2 small shallot
scant 1/4 C toasted walnuts
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 t salt, or to taste

1.  Wash the sorrel leaves well.  Remove the stems and chop the leaves coarsely.  Measure 4 C chopped leaves.  Set aside.

2.  In a food processor with the motor running, drop the 1/2 shallot and walnuts into the work bowl through the feed tube.  Process until finely chopped.

3.  Scrape the corners of the work bowl to loosen any nut mixture that's stuck there.  Add the sorrel leaves and process using an on-off technique until chopped.

4.  Then, working quickly with the motor running, add 1/4 C olive oil through the feed tube and process until a green paste forms.  Add a little more oil if desired.

5.  Add salt and process for 1-2 seconds to mix.

If you don't have a food processor, you can make this pesto with a mortar and pestle.  It's just a little more labor, but well worth the effort.

Today's bounty included:

From Weiser Family Farms:  French baker potatoes;

From Jaime Farms:  Radishes, golden beets, green scallions, free-range eggs, hot-house peppers, dill, basil, Tuscan kale, and mint;

From JR Organics:  Sugar snap peas and sorrel;

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Red sails lettuce, spinach, strawberries, and mustard.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Creamed Collards

I hope everyone had a delightful Thanksgiving feasting with family and friends. I'm still in a thrall over the myriad tastes and treats that were part of my Thanksgiving meal.

My dear friend, John Barrentine, is the best non-professional cook I know. He made a collard dish that was so luxuriously delicious; when I saw collards in today's box, I knew I had to share this recipe.

Turns out, it's a recipe that appeared in this month's issue of Bon Appetit. Of course, John enhanced it a little with a few additions of his own. I'm not sure there is any higher calling for collards than this luscious and creamy dish.

1 bunch collard greens, center stems removed and cut into 1/2" strips
1/4 C cider vinegar
1 t vegetable oil
1/2 C thick-cut smoked bacon, cut into 1/3# pieces
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
1 T + 1 t flour
1 t smoked paprika (or to taste)
3/4 C whole milk
3/4 C heavy cream
salt and pepper

1. Blanch the chopped collards in a large pot of boiling salted water with 1/4 C cider vinegar until bright green and beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook untiol crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel, reserving the rendered bacon fat.

3. Remove all but 1 T bacon fat and save the rest for another use.

4. Over medium heat, add the chopped shallot and leek to the bacon fat and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the flour and the smoked paprika. Stir constantly for 2 minutes.

6. Whisk in the milk and cream and bring to a soft boil, whisking often.

7. Stir in the blanched greens. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the greens are tender and the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes.

8. Season with salt and lots of pepper. Garnish with the bacon before serving.

Vegetarians may omit the bacon and use vegetable oil instead.

Today's bounty included:

From Underwood Family Farms: colored cauliflower, red leaf lettuce, orange carrots, Easter radishes, spinach, red bell pepper, celery, Satsuma tangerines, and Fuji apples;

From Sage Mountain Farms: baby Torpedo spring onions, collard greens, and acorn squash;

And from Silver Lake Farms: fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

Shelley

What's in the box?

November 13, 2009

Pick-up # 6

This week Farmer John had:

1 bunch of nettles - very good for asthma, respiratory system, arthritis, joint pain, calming effect on mind and body. Contains iron and tons of micro-nutrients. Spencer says: "Soaking nettles in water or cooking will remove the stinging quality from the plant, which allows them to be handled and eaten without incidence of stinging." Thank you Spencer!!! See below for how to prepare nettles.

1 romaine lettuce
1 butternut squash
1 celery
1 bunch of beets (see below for Bree's beet roasting instructions - Thank you Bree!)
1 bunch of fresh green shallots
frizee lettuce
dandelion
broccoli
dry garlic

OK. Nettles: sautee with beet greens, dandelion leaves, garlic and fresh green shallots. sprinkle pomegranate seeds just before serving - also roasted almond slivers. Nettles are SO good for you! You could also make a tea with them. Put them in a teapot, add boiling water, steep for a bit and drink it up! Nettles grow wild in my garden. I also feed my plants with nettle tea.

Bree's beets: wash, cut off the tap root, don't worry about peeling them, cut off the greens and keep these for sauteeing (see above) wrap each beet with double layer of tin foil, roast in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.