August 17, 2012

In your CSA delivery today, you'll receive:

SWEET CORN

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES AND CHERRY TOMATOES

STRING BEANS

KENEBEC POTATOES

LEEKS

SWEET PEPPERS

SWISS CHARD

David reports that we'll be seeing sweet corn for several more weeks, since we're just now getting into his third planting (of four).  The tomatoes are still producing very well (the San Marzanos are just really beginning to ripen now), though he's beginning to see a bit of blossom-end rot, which happens when the soil gets too dry.  David hesitates to send anything that doesn't look perfect, but I encouraged him to keep sending them our way: just get our your paring knife and just cut away any soft spots and you'll be enjoying some of the best tomatoes around.  Or leave any tomatoes you want behind and I'll dutifully devour every last one.

Penne with Swiss Chard, Cherry Tomatoes, Bacon, and Goat Cheese

Use either the soft kind of chevre you get in tubes at the grocery  store, or raid the Meadville Market House for the more solid  local goat cheeses—either works beautifully here.

1 pound penne pasta

2 pieces bacon, chopped                                                                                          

Sea salt & freshly-ground pepper

10-15 cherry tomatoes, sliced into quarters                                                   

1 bunch Chard, washed and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, coarsely minced                                                                             

4 oz. goat cheese, cut into small pieces

3 T. olive oil                                                                                                                      

½  cup dry white wine

                                                               

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.  Blanch the sliced chard for about thirty seconds, then drain well and set aside.  Cook your penne in the same water until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, you can quickly assemble the sauce.   Heat a skillet on medium-high, add 2 T. of the olive oil and the bacon. Toss until most of the fat has rendered out and remove from the pan just as it begins to crisp.  Drain off most of the fat, add the remaining tablespoon of garlic and sauté the garlic for no more than thirty seconds, then add the tomatoes and toss for about three minutes, until they begin to soften.  Add the chard and the white wine, season with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat to medium-low.  When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it well and put it directly into the skillet.  Toss well to combine with the kale and tomato mixture, then turn off the heat.  Toss with the goat cheese, another pinch of salt and pepper, and garnish with a little more olive oil.  Serve immediately.

Simple Leek and Potato Soup

Don’t freak out about the cream here—milk will not do, unless you like your soup to have a curdled texture.

2 medium leeks, cleaned carefully and thinly sliced                                  

4-6 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

4 cups good stock, either chicken or vegetable                                            

1 cup heavy cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper                                                           

3 T. butter        

Herbs to garnish (parsley, chervil, sage or chives work nicely)            

Ground nutmeg, pinch

Heat the butter over medium in a deep skillet and sauté the leeks, without allowing them to brown at all, until very soft, about ten minutes.  Then add the potatoes and the stock and bring to a boil.  Simmer until the potatoes are very soft, about fifteen minutes, then add the cream and a pinch of nutmeg and  simmer for five more minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.  Working in batches, puree the mixture in a blender, but try not to over-puree the mixture or it will become tacky.  Return to the pan, check for seasoning, and heat over low before serving with minced fresh herbs.  

Sagaponack Corn Pudding

from Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 5 cups fresh yellow corn kernels cut off the cob (6 to 8 ears)
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) grated extra-sharp cheddar, plus extra to sprinkle on top

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the inside of an 8 to 10-cup baking dish.

Melt the butter in a very large saute pan and saute the corn and onion over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Cool slightly.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and half-and-half in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and then the ricotta. Add the basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked corn mixture and grated cheddar, and then pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with more grated cheddar.

Place the dish in a larger pan and fill the pan 1/2 way up the sides of the dish with hot tap water. Bake thepudding for 40 to 45 minutes until the top begins to brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

3 August 2012

This week's CSA box screams 

SUMMERTIME:

Heirloom tomatoes

San Marzano (paste) tomatoes

Sweet corn

Green Peppers

Garlic

Green Beans

Cucumbers

and help yourself to more zucchini from a big box in the garage! 

****** 

Big news from Yoder farm: the first of David and Lydianne's seven children is getting married.  Menno Yoder is on the calendar to get hitched the second week of September.  Big congratulations to the Yoders on this momentous occasion!

Quick San Marzano Sauce

San Marzano (paste) tomatoes

1 thinly sliced clove of garlic to every four tomatoes 

3 leaves of basil for every four tomatoes

Excellent olive oil

Salt, Pepper, and Sugar

A pinch of cracked red pepper

Fill a large pot about half full with water and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, rinse and core as many San Marzano tomatoes as you have.   Fill your sink or a large bowl with very cold water and set aside.  Plunge cored tomatoes into the boiling water, about ten at a time, and leave them there for about 60 seconds, just long enough for the skins to begin to break.  Remove them with a slotted spoon directly into the cold water.  The skins should be very easy to peel off within seconds.  Remove peeled tomatoes whole to a colander.

When the peeled tomatoes are cool enough to handle, either finely chop them with a knife or run them through a food mill, being careful to capture all the juices.

To a saucepan heated over medium, add a generous pool of olive oil and then add the slice garlic and cook just until the garlic begins to sizzle (about thirty seconds), then immediately add the tomato pulp along with the basil and a good pinch of salt.

Simmer the tomatoes slowly until the sauce thickens (this will depend on how much moisture the fruit exudes).   Taste for salt and then season with a pinch of sugar, a few grinds of black pepper, and a pinch of cracked red pepper. 

Freezing Tomatoes

If you find canning intimidating, this is a simple way to “put up” paste tomatoes for winter.

Fill a large pot about half full with water and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, rinse and core as many tomatoes as you have.   Fill your sink or a large bowl with very cold water and set aside.  Plunge cored tomatoes into the boiling water, about ten at a time, and leave them there for about 60 seconds, just long enough for the skins to begin to break.  Remove them with a slotted spoon directly into the cold water.  The skins should be very easy to peel off within seconds.  Remove peeled tomatoes whole to a colander.

Place whole, peeled tomatoes—about a dozen at a time—in Ziploc freezer bags, sucking the air out with a straw before sealing to remove any excess air.  Freeze on cookie sheets so they stay flat for easy storage.

Roasted Tomato Confit

This is one of the best ways to prepare—and preserve—tomatoes.  This works for heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, but you can toss in some paste tomatoes for good measure too.

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.  Core the stem end of each tomato and then cut it in half at the equator.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; scatter basil leaves over parchment paper, place tomato halves cut side down directly on top of basil, toss on some whole, unpeeled garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper.  Place on the middle rack of the oven and roast for thirty minutes.  At this point, remove from the oven and carefully drain off (or spoon off) the collected liquid into a large bowl, reserving this liquid for later.**  Keep the tomatoes out of the oven just until they are cool enough to handle; pull the skins off each tomato slice and discard.  Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees.  Return tomatoes to the oven and roast for another forty minutes, draining the juice off into your bowl every 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

At this point, the tomatoes can be eaten just as they are, or incorporated into dishes (see below for some ideas).  They can also be preserved in two ways. 

First, for short-term storage, you can make a simple tomato confit.  Fill a tall narrow jar with the roasted tomatoes and press them down with a spoon to release any air pockets.  Pour olive oil over the tomatoes until an eighth inch layer of oil covers all the tomatoes.  These can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Second, for long-term storage, you can freeze roasted tomatoes.  Put them in freezer bags and then squeeze all the air you can out of the bags before sealing.  Place them flat on to cookie sheets and freeze (this will make for easy storage later).

**As for the reserved tomato liquid.  It is astonishingly delicious and is the key ingredient to the risotto recipe, below.  Or freeze it and add it to your fall minestrone.

Roasted Tomato Risotto

10 ripe tomatoes, cored, and sliced in half                                          4 T. olive oil

2 cloves peeled garlic                                                                          1 large handful fresh basil

1.5 cups aborio rice                                                                             1 cup white wine

3 cups chicken stock                                                                           Salt and Pepper

1 small onion, minced                                                                         1 T. butter                  

½ cup whole milk                                                                                Parmesan cheese

Roast the tomatoes according to the instructions above, being careful to reserve the liquid you pour off the roasting fruit.

Combine chicken stock with the reserved tomato liquid and bring to a simmer.  Heat another large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium, add 2 T. olive oil and sauté minced onion until translucent, about three minutes.  Add the rice and “toast” while stirring continually for about two minutes.  Add the roasted tomatoes (along with the peeled garlic and de-stemmed basil from the roasting pan) and stir for another minute, then add the white wine and reduce the heat to a  simmer.  When the wine has been fully absorbed, begin adding the stock/tomato liquid, a ladle at a time, stirring every minute or so, until the rice becomes al dente.  To finish the risotto, add in one more splash of stock, the butter, the milk and a generous grating of fresh Parmesan cheese.  Garnish with more Parmesan just before serving.

Penne with Tomato-Herb Cream Sauce

1 pound penne (or your choice of pasta)                                 

1 pint cream ( at room temperature)

4 very ripe tomatoes, diced                                                                    

1 T. butter                              

Fresh herbs, minced (basil, oregano, parsley, chives, and sage work very well)

Nutmeg, salt & pepper                                                            

One onion, minced

Spoon diced tomatoes into a colander and sprinkle with a little salt.  Let strain, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. 

While you make the following sauce, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta.  Sauce: In a deep saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  When it begins to bubble, add minced onion and sauté for about three minutes.  Add minced herbs and stir just to coat with butter.  Continue stirring as you add the cream, a little at a time.  Season with a pinch of ground nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Bring to a very low simmer (you may need to lower the heat even more if it threatens to set on) for ten minutes, stirring frequently.  Add tomatoes to the cream and bring back to a simmer for an additional ten minutes.  Add cooked pasta into the sauce and toss well.  Serve with additional sprinklings of fresh herbs and garnish with Parmigiano.  Note: For a more substantial meal, you may add diced, grilled chicken breast meat or raw shrimp during the last five minutes of cooking the sauce.