Friday, September 29, 2006

In Defense of Daikon

Recipe Maven Musings:
That long skinny albino carrot looking thing from last week’s share that is most likely still lurking in your crisper drawer or more likely ditched in the “take one, leave one” crate (there were a whole lot there on Friday!) is a daikon radish. Daikons seem to get a bit of a bad rap. They really are just long radishes and are quite good. I thought I’d give a few ideas as to how to use them so we won’t be as quick to give them to the people we split our shares with (uh, sorry Darek and Allison!).

Lorna J. Sass, author of Recipes from an Ecological Kitchen (which was later published in paperback as this) has this to say about daikon:

“Long prized in Japan. . . .raw daikon is said to aid in the digestions of oils. I prefer to eat it raw and enjoy to the fullest its radishlike bite. Just before serving, scrub daikon gently and then grate it. Toss it into a salad or serve it by itself in mounds, lightly sprinkled with umeboshi vinegar, lemon juice, or soy sauce. Alternatively, slice the daikon into ½-inch rounds and use as a “cracker” base for an interesting spread. Daikon cubes cook quickly and lose their bite: Add them to a stir-fry for the last 1 to 2 minutes of cooking.”
Recipe:

Former
Port Angeles resident and farm member, Jen Zawacki was visiting last week and suggested using up the daikon in some fresh spring rolls.

Using the beet and daikon slaw (recipe below) as a starting point, some pretty yummy stuff happened!

Add some grated carrots (the beets and daikon could be grated too), some julienned cucumber and bell pepper to the slaw. Wrap in a spring roll skin (those almost clear, round wrappers. I’ve only found them at McPhee’s on 8th and Race here in Port Angeles. Don’t use the kind of wrappers that are meant to be deep fried) with a few leaves of basil or mint or cilantro and some soaked bean threads. Roll them up and serve with your favorite peanut sauce or a thai sweet chili sauce (also found at McPhee’s and oh so tasty!). You could put baked tofu slices in there or cooked shrimp or chicken, mung bean sprouts and a squeeze or two of lime would be yummy too.
This is really a very easy meal to slap together and is a great way to use lots of veggies from the share.
If you’d like a good tutorial on how to put a Vietnamese Spring Roll together, this is a great website with pictures and everything:

Beet and Daikon Slaw -from Bill Maddex, member of Drumlin Community Farm (from Asparagus to Zucchini)

2 beets, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch julienne (matchsticks)

1 six-inch daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch julienne

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 teaspoon unsalted rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, cover and let stand at least 1/2 hour, season to taste and serve. Makes two servings.



Friday, September 22, 2006

Summer Minestrone and Spinach ravings!

Recipe Maven's Musings

Okay, I’ve done a little reading on the e coli outbreak, but I’m definitely not an expert. I am, however, opinionated. Just in case you haven’t heard, here’s a little review. Some spinach distributed by Natural Selection Foods in California has been contaminated with e coli. At this point, They, can’t figure out exactly where the contaminated spinach is coming from because it’s grown in such high quantity and is also bought from lots of smaller farms in California. Once they get all of the greens, it’s mixed together, triple washed, cut up and packaged in bags or plastic boxes and sent out all over the country for consumption. They package for Trader Joe’s, Safeway organics, Costco and under other names too. They also haven’t determined if it’s the organic or conventionally grown spinach that’s the culprit. The best guess at this point is that the e coli came from cow manure used for fertilizing, but it will be very difficult to determine exactly where it came from, given that it’s such a huge industry. 100 people have contracted e coli and 1 person has died. Spinach farmers all over the country are destroying their crops. So, I guess there’s another really good reason to buy your food locally. Organic is great, but huge corporate organic? I’m not so sure. Read the article I read here.

Recipe:

I used beet greens and collards instead of chard. Yummy comfort food for the colder weather!

Summer Minestrone
Adapted from The Tomato Festival Cookbook, by Lawrence Davis-Hollander (Storey Books, 2004).

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 10-inch stalk celery, coarsely chopped
4 cups (about 12 to 15 large) chopped ripe plum tomatoes
4 to 6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 stem basil, plus extra sprigs for garnish
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) penne, elbow macaroni, small shells,

12 green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green or yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into bite-size strips
1 leek, washed, white and tender green parts cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 stems Swiss chard, stalks and leaves cut into 1-inch strips
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil and stir in the garlic. Let it soften for a couple of minutes, then stir in the carrot and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 4 cups of the broth, oregano, thyme, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Cover the pan, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a brisk boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta, followed by the green beans, bell pepper, and leek. Cook briskly, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat so the soup is simmering and add the chard, zucchini, and summer squash. If the mixture is very thick, or if you would simply like it thinner, add some or all of the remaining broth. Return to a simmer and cover the pan. Continue cooking the soup for 5 minutes, or until the pasta and the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately, or cool and reheat as needed. Garnish with basil leaves

Friday, September 15, 2006

Tomato and Zucchini Tart

Recipe Maven's Musings:

I’ve stumbled upon a few facts as I learn to can that I think would be good to share. Of course, it might just be a reminder to those veteran home preservers out there!

In 1989, the USDA revamped it’s safety regulations regarding home preserving, as too many people were getting sick from home canned goods.

Low acid foods (red meats, seafood, poultry, milk and all fresh vegetables except for most tomatoes) need to be processed in a pressure canner.

Acid foods (fruits, pickles, sauerkraut, jams, jellies, marmalades, and fruit butters) can be processed in a boiling-water canner.

Steam canners (the ones where you put the jars upside down in the water bath and then steam circulates around them) are NOT safe.

Don’t use any recipes published before 1989, as some of them don’t follow the newer processing times and guidelines. Also, the USDA recommends never to revise or improvise recipes because it’s easy to throw the pH level off.

The library has several good, up to date books: The USDA’s Complete Guide to Canning (also available online), The Ball Blue Book, Preserving the Harvest (also has great info on freezing, drying and cold storage).

Happy Canning!

This Week's Recipe:
I’ve never tried the canned pizza dough. I make my own, but you could also try a boboli. This is a favorite for us this time of year.

Fresh Tomato and Zucchini Tart with Mozzarella and Basil
1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough (can sprinkle with Italian seasoning if desired)

1 cup (1/8-inch-thick) diagonally sliced zucchini
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1/2 pound)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Unroll dough onto lightly sprayed baking pan; let stand 5 minutes. Pat dough into a 12-inch square. Arrange zucchini and tomato over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper and Ital. seasoning (if desired). Fold edges of dough over zucchini and tomato (dough won't completely cover the zucchini and tomato).

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until the dough is lightly browned. Top with cheese; bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with basil. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Yield: 4 servings CALORIES 304(30% from fat); FAT 10.1g (sat 4.3g,mono 3.8g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 12.9g; CHOLESTEROL 22mg; CALCIUM 164mg; SODIUM 702mg; FIBER 2.5g; IRON 2.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.1g Cooking Light Magazine, MAY 2003

Friday, September 08, 2006

Rosemary Red Soup

Recipe Maven's Musings:

You may have noticed a new look to the printed crop sheet this week. That’s because I (Carrie Sanford) have finally figured out a good way to put in my working member hours for the farm. I’ve been a member for four years and have always done my work at the end of the season and all on one day. I always felt like I wanted to contribute more, but couldn’t schedule the time to get out there! With a little (18 mo.) daughter, being in the fields is even harder now. I wouldn’t be much help if I’m chasing her all over the farm.

So, I asked if we could get creative and Lee suggested I try doing the crop sheets for a while. I’m a bit of recipe maven and am SO glad to have my addiction put to good use.

If you have great recipes to share, by all means, send them to me or if you need help figuring out what to do with all of that . . (fill in the blank), I’ll do my best to find a healthy, relatively easy answer. I hope this space will be used to give you fun farm facts, for the kids corner (should it come out of retirement) and other random information we (me, Lee and Doug, or any of you) find useful!


This week's Recipe:

Farm member Brianna Noach passed this recipe on to share. I LOVE the book it’s from. Our library system has a copy (it’s currently at my house) and I recommend you check it out (when I’m done!).

Rosemary Red Soup

(Recipe from Feeding the Whole Family by Bastyr University faculty member Cynthia Lair)

This soup is a gorgeous red color with a deep, satisfying taste to match. Because of the combination of legumes and vegetables, all you need is some whole-grain bread and salad to make this into a beautifully balanced meal. Try it with Sweet Squash Corn Muffins and Dark Greens Salad (found in Feeding the Whole Family).

  • 3 medium carrots
  • 2 beets
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 cup dried red lentils
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cups water or stock
  • 2-3 tablespoons light miso

Scrub and chop carrots and beets. Heat oil in a soup pot; add onion and sauté until soft. Add carrots and beets; sauté a few minutes more. Finely chop rosemary and oregano leaves, if using fresh herbs. Wash and drain lentils. Add herbs, lentils, bay leaves, and water or stock to onion mix; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 40 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Puree soup in blender or processor. Dissolve miso in ½ cup water and add to soup. Gently reheat before serving.

Preparation time: 50 minutes
Makes 6-8 servings

For babies 6 months & older:
Steam a few extra carrot slices and puree with water.

For babies 10 months & older:
Reserve some pureed soup before adding the miso and serve.


Saturday, September 02, 2006

About this Blog!

I love food and I love to share recipes and ideas. In this blog, you'll find my favorite recipes and random food-related thoughts. I am a member of a local CSA (community supported agriculture) and write the crop sheet every week. This is a way for me to organize the crop sheets during veggie season and also to continue to find yummy healthy recipes to feed my family. Thanks for checking this out!