June 16, 2011 CSA - People & Planet

Here kitty kitty

What's in the bag?

Fava Beans (last week for), lettuce, Red Russian Kale, Parsnips (last of the season), Amish yellow and green peas, Walla Walla onions, Georgian Fire Garlic, Stuffing Cabbage,  Eggs and this week's special gift:  Organic Meyer Lemon Extract.

Off Farm

Hiking in a local park, my brother snapped this photo of a wee beastie.  Yes, the kitten was strolling down the trail as well.  

Breakfast

It's that time of year, it gets hot, and no one wants to stand in front of the stove, so I end up making breakfast for dinner.  I'm very fond of breakfast.  I'd eat breakfast for lunch as well, but then who'd pick the veggies?  As a child I used to rise at 5:30 a.m. because that's when my father made breakfast:  Pancakes, sausage, orange juice, hash browns,  potato smashers, eggs of every kind,  fried spaghetti with egg on top,  banana/peanut butter/maple syrup toast, cream of wheat, French toast, oatmeal, bacon....and coffee...oh my.   If you slept in and had breakfast with mom, she'd give you a box of cold cereal.  My sister always slept in. 

One of our favorite things is parsnip hash browns.  These are very simple.  Wash and peel the parsnips and using your peeler keep making the parsnips in to strips.  Saute them in olive oil and butter.  They are sweeter than potatoes and a nice change.  They cook very fast.

Spaghettini and Greens Frittata

6 eggs

a splash of milk

1 heaping cup of cooked chopped greens (spinach, kale, Swiss chard) or any combo thereof

2-3 T of Oregano (or Holly's Italian Dried Herb mix if you have any left)

1/2 onion chopped

olive oil & butter

Stuffing Cabbage

2-3 cups of leftover spaghetti or rice or noodles

Add a little olive oil and butter to a frying pan and saute the onions.  Meanwhile beat the eggs and milk.

Add the greens, eggs and cheese to the pan.  Cover the pan and cook until set over a medium/low heat.  We top this with salsa, but it just as nice with simple salt and pepper.

More Stuffed Cabbage

Last night I wilted these cabbage leaves in the microwave (3 at a time for one minute).  Then in an oiled glass pan, I laid them out and put a blop of rice, a blop of pepper jack, and a blop of burger/sauteed onion.  Then I rolled them up,  stem in, opposite side over, and two ends folded over.  I put one cup of chicken broth on top and baked at 350 for 30 minutes.   We've also tried them stuffed with leftover risotto and baked in vegetable broth.

They were so good, tonight we are going to try them rice, feta, left over lamb and a dab of fava bean cream.

If you haven't tried the fava bean cream...well, I've already used it to stir fry into Swiss chard, with a small splash of half and half (after the chard is cooked);  mixed with mayo to make a salad dressing; mixed with balsamic vinegar to cook kale.  I threw 2 fresh cloves of garlic into my fava bean cream as there were no scapes left.   I should have only used one.  Fire! Fire!  Wow.  Anyway, Leo's been in garlic heaven.  Unless you are one of those, I urge discretion with those George Fire Garlic.  At this rate, I'm going to have to make another batch of cream, unless we eat our share as edamame tonight.

Lemon Extract - Can be used in any baking recipe that calls for lemon extract.  What?  You don't bake?  Okay, take one bottle of lemon extract, mix with a jigger of vodka or gin, pour over ice and add seltzer water and go swing in a hammock.  

Please, please save the bottles!  And if any of you take echinacea, valerian or any other tinctures that use those little brown bottles, I'd be happy to recycle/reuse them!  Yes, I take blue bottles too.  I have a strawberry extract brewing.  

Olive Oil 

The Oil of Paicines folks just won the gold at the 2011 Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition. Have a great week.