- p i c k l i s t -
LETTUCE - SWISS CHARD - MIXED POTATOES - HABANADA PEPPERS - HOTTIE PEPPERS - CARMEN PEPPERS - LEEKS - GARLIC - OREGANO - THYME - PLUM TOMATOES - GREEN BEANS - EGGPLANT - ROMANESCO - CORN
BREAD SHARE: FOCACCIA
Fall CSA feeling alot like Summer right about now. The weather remains with no frost forecast in sight, so we will continue picking all the summer faves until the inevitable cold snap knocks it all down. The most unlikely crop yall got this week was 3lbs of tomatoes- making me really question what month we are in. All that said, I am so sorry if you signed up for FALL CSA expecting only Fall crops- This season, Mother Nature has a different plan for us all.
As far as farm updates go, this week we continue to harvest cherry tomatoes, green beans and raspberries. We are binning and sorting potatoes and onions for winter storage. We are moving an abundance of produce through the coop food stores, Brownsville Butcher and Pantry, Crossroad farm in Norwich, Jakes Quechee Market, Woodstock Farmers Market, Rumbrook Market, etc… I say all this in case you need to scratch that Edgewater itch in between Fall CSA pick ups (wink winK). We are also contemplating Fall projects- but mostly contemplating because who wants to cut back perennial crops and take down tomato stakes when the plants are still partying so hard and producing good food?!?
Bottomline here, its still Summer. I’m wearing a tank top. Party on (Wayne).
PRO-TIPS:
ROMANESCO: Hello fractals! Voted the wildest looking brassica by yours truly, this cousin of a cauliflower is a real stunner. Cook as you would cauliflower or broccoli. Tastes phenomenal roasted or steamed, as any good brassica would.
HABANADA PEPPERS: These orange creamsicle colored pinted up cuties are in fact sweet and totally addictive.
MOM’S TOMATO SAUCE (FROM MY FAVE CANNING COOK BOOK TART AND SWEET
1 Tablespoon olive oil
about 3 pounds of tomatoes chopped
1 medium onion (or leek), chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons white wine
½ red bell pepper or 1 full carmen pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic, sliced or minced
kosher salt and pepper to taste
½ pound ground pork sausage (totally optional)
3 tablspn chopped herbs (oregano! Thyme! etc!)
10 fennel seeds
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion (or leeks), peppers, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 6 minutes. Add the pork and cook, breaking up the meat until it no longer shows pink, about 4 minutes. Strain the grease if necessary. Add the fennel, tomatoes, and juice, tomato paste, wine, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the herbs and simmer for another 15 minutes, adjusting heat as needed
A chard gratin:
From Nigel Slater’s Cookbook TENDER Enough for 4
1 bunch of Chard stems and leaves
1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard
1 ¾ cup heavy cream
Grated parmesan
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the chard leaves from the stems. Chop the stems into short lengths, then cook briefly in boiling, lightly salted water until crisp and tender. Dip the leaves in the water briefly, until they relax. Drain tand put them in a buttered shallow ovenproof dish. Put the mustard in a bowl and stir in the cream and a grinding of salt and pepper. Pour the seasoned cream over the stem and leaves, cover with grated parmesan, and bake until the top has a light crust the color of honey.
Adapted from Gourmet, August 2009 POSTED ON SMITTENKITCHEN.COM
The following is a true pain in the ass recipe, but if you can commit to the process of making this pie- you will be so pleased with yourself. I made this pie once, swore i would never make it again- and have made it again, and again- a real hoorah to harvest season in a buttery crust.
Adapted, barely, from Gourmet’s adaptation of Laurie Colwin’s and Jame’s Beard’s versions
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons or 3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 teaspoons melted
3/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 3/4 pounds beefsteak tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn (from about 3 ears), coarsely chopped by hand (my preference) or lightly puréed in a food processor, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil, divided (skipped this, no harm was done)
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
7ounces coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (1 3/4 cups), divided
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 3/4 tsp salt in a bowl, then blend in cold butter (3/4 stick) with your fingertips or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk, stirring until mixture just forms a dough, then gather into a ball.
Divide dough in half and roll out one piece on a well-floured counter (my choice) or between two sheets of plastic wrap (the recipe’s suggestion, but I imagined it would annoyingly stick to the plastic) into a 12-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Either fold the round gently in quarters, lift it into a 9-inch pie plate and gently unfold and center it or, if you’re using the plastic warp method, remove top sheet of plastic wrap, then lift dough using bottom sheet of plastic wrap and invert into pie plate. Pat the dough in with your fingers trim any overhang.
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. If your kitchen is excessively warm, as ours is, go ahead and put the second half of the dough in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Whisk together mayonnaise and lemon juice.
Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool. Peel tomatoes, then slice crosswise 1/4 inch thick and, if desired (see Notes above recipe), gently remove seeds and extra juices. Arrange half of tomatoes in crust, overlapping, and sprinkle with half of corn, one tablespoon basil, 1/2 tablespoon chives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and one cup of grated cheese. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, corn, basil, chives, salt, and pepper. Pour lemon mayonnaise over filling and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round in same manner, then fit over filling, folding overhang under edge of bottom crust and pinching edge to seal. Cut 4 steam vents in top crust and brush crust with melted butter (2 teaspoons). Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Do ahead: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead and chilled. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warm, about 30 minutes.
An idea: Want to slab pie this and serve it to a crowd? I agree, it would be brilliant. This is how I’d approach it: Make 1 1/2 batches of the crust (slab pies require more crust for the same amount of filling) and arrange the filling in one layer instead of two in a parchment-lined 15x10x1-inch pan. Increase the amount of butter you brush the top with to a tablespoon or two and the baking time to about 45 minutes (this is an estimate, you should take it out when it is golden and the filling is bubbling). Be sure to remove the tomato seeds; that extra wetness could make for a slab pie mess.