March 28, 2009
IN YOUR BASKET THIS WEEK
- Scarlet Nantes Carrots
- Red Ace and Golden Beets
- Lincoln Leeks
- Spring Onions
- Rutabaga
- Various Lettuce
- Red Russian Kale
- Italian Dandelion
- Some sort of Cauliflower OR Broccoli
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Spring is definitely here, in terms of the weather and our activities. From what we hear, there will not be any more significant rain. While our irrigation ponds are full, we are trying to be very diligent with water conservation. The grapes at Heart Arrow Ranch are swelling really hard, and in our young orchard at the garden site, the peaches and plums have bloomed, and the cherries are swelling.
It is pretty hectic right now with too much to do! We have transfered a few beds in the winter garden into spring production with rows of lettuce. It was a chore pulling out old broccoli stalks, shoveling compost onto the beds, and tilling it all in by hand, but the lettuce should be really happy there. We have other fast-growing crops, like pac choi, Napa cabbage, and kohlrabi ready to get in the ground, so we’re working on getting ground as fast as possible.
We’ll be going out to the Potter Valley property to assess the soil and see if we can start prepping it – spreading compost and cultivating it with our spader. Adam turned the giant pile of compost this week to ensure the middle dries out and to keep it “going.” We’re also harvesting some sheep this weekend, so if you ordered one, get excited!
Eat well! Adam Gaska and Paula Manalo
We make potting soil from sifted finished compost, perlite, vermiculite, and peat moss.
NOTES ON THIS ISSUE
What do you get when you Google a new item, but have inadvertently added it to part of an old search? Here’s the answer: Solo Verdura (see recipe).
So now you think I am completely nuts, but you should not draw that conclusion so fast. Here’s how it happened. I had been searching for dandelion recipes, coming up with the recipe below. As it turned out, I already had that recipe in my favorite Deborah Madison cookbook. Trusting Madison based on 10 years of following the recipes in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, I had no qualms about sharing that recipe with you. The other one, though, well you decide.
Having found a perfect recipe for this week’s Italian Dandelions, I figured I would hunt for a rutabaga recipe. To my surprise, the Solo Verdura recipe turned up as the first hit. Hmmm, what’s going on here, I wondered. You may have figured out that my actual search words were “dandelion greens with rutabaga” because I inadvertently left words from the previous search in the Google search engine! There’s nothing else to do but try the recipe. The first one to do so should report to the rest of us, please!
Janie Sheppard jsheppard@pacific.net
irrigation pond at Heart Arrow Ranch
Dandelion Greens with Garlic Croutons and Hard-Cooked Egg
(Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison)
This recipe is unique because you warm the vinaigrette before adding it to the salad to slightly wilt the greens. This sweetens their flavor. Spinach and escarole can also be used.
Ingredients:
- 1 large bunch of dandelion greens
- 2 large thin slices of thick bread (sourdough)
- 1 large clove garlic
- Salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 1 large shallot, finely diced
- 5 teaspoons sherry vinegar or aged red wine vinegar
- 6 tablespoons good olive oil
Instructions
- Sort and clean greens. Trim and discard the long stem. Dry them well.
- Chop remaining leaves into bite-size pieces.
- Toast the bread in the oven until crisp, then rub it with garlic and break each piece into quarters.
- Using a garlic press, squeeze the garlic into a small skillet
- Add the shallot, vinegar and oil. Heat until it sizzles, then pour it over the greens and toss with tongs.
- Add the croutons and plenty of salt and pepper. Toss again and garnish with the eggs.
Variations: In place of croutons you can use a cup of walnuts that have been baked on a sheet pan for 10 minutes at 325, and then tossed with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. You can also add several very thin slices of Gruyere.
Solo Verdura by Anne Bianchi
Ingredients:
- 3 medium carrots, peeled
- 1 large rutabaga, peeled and halved
- 1/2 lb mustard greens
- 1/2 lb beet greens
- 1/2 lb arugula
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 shallot, peeled and minced
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon stone-ground mustard
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions:
- Using a mandoline or a cooks knife, cut the carrots into long, very thin strips. Do the same with the rutabaga. Place in a saucepan with enough salted water to cover. Cook, covered, over medium heat until wilted. Drain and set aside in a covered bowl.
- Meanwhile, remove the stems from the greens and wash them in cold water. Using long metal tongs, lift the greens from the water, and without draining, immediately place in a hot skillet so that they will be cooked in their own water. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, tossing constantly with tongs until all the greens are wilted. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and set aside.
- To make the vinaigrette, place the vinegar, minced shallot, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified.
- To serve, place 1/4 of the carrots and rutabagas on each of 4 salad plates, creating a bedding nest. Make sure that the strands are intertwined so that the colors are blended. Top with a portion of wilted greens, drizzle with vinaigrette, and serve.
The author notes: “The beauty of this dish lies not only in the extraordinary flavor produced by this trio of tangy greens, but also in the visual sensation created by nesting shiny, dark-green leaves on a bed of bright orange carrot and creamy yellow rutabaga strips that have been softened to resemble spaghetti. Served luke warm, it works equally well as a salad course or following soup as a light entree.”
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