July 15th, 2011

This Week You'll Receive Some of the Following:

Eggs

Blueberries

Baby beets w/ greens

Zucchini

8-ball Squash

Lettuce

Swiss chard

Big bags of Basil

David reported, with slight humor in his voice, that he’s having his “worst year ever….again.” It’s very dry on the farm—there hasn’t been a single good rain in July—making it impossible for new seeds to germinate and for existing plants to continue on the path to ripeness. But he’s optimistic that things will turn around this year, as they usually do, and he’ll have a prodigious harvest. There’s certainly a lot in the pipeline: sweet corn, peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes are all on the verge of producing, and David is ready to begin planting fall crops as soon as there’s enough moisture in the soil.

Walnut, Lemon & Romano Pesto

Walnuts are much cheaper than pine nuts—and healthier. This pesto freezes well too. I fill ice cube trays with it, then transfer the frozen cubes to freezer bags so I can use it a little at a time as needed.

6 cups basil leaves

1 cup lightly toasted walnuts

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 cup grated Romano cheese

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tsp. grated lemon rind

Fit a food processor with a sharp blade. Add the garlic and walnuts with a pinch of salt and pulse just until the nuts are broken up. Then add the basil leaves and the grated lemon rind along with two tablespoons of the olive oil. Run the processor on low for about a minute, so most of the basil leaves are broken down. Then add the cheese and continue running the processor while you drizzle in olive oil slowly. Add enough oil (up to a whole cup) so that the mixture begins to lift from the sides of the bowl while the blade is spinning and you’ve achieved a thick, uniform consistency. Finally, add the lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt a pepper. Pulse a few times to combine, then transfer to a bowl. Use immediately, refrigerate (to avoid discoloration, put pesto in a jar and cover with a thin layer of olive oil), or freeze.

Shrimp with Zucchini, Basil, Tomato and Feta

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

14 oz. can of whole, peeled tomatoes

2 cups zucchini, cut into bit-sized pieces

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 cups basil leaves

4 oz. Feta cheese

1 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

½ cup dry white wine

Coarse salt and Pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a deep, oven-proof skillet set over medium heat; when the oil is hot, add the zucchini along with some salt and pepper. Toss well, then allow the zucchini to sit still until one side of the squash begins to obtain a bit of color. Turn the zucchini and continue allowing to brown on the other side for a few minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about one minute; then add the white wine and cook another minute or two while you crush the tomatoes with your hands. Add them, along with their juices, to the zucchini. Shred the basil leaves coarsely and add to the tomatoes along with a generous pinch of salt, pepper, and the crushed red pepper. Bring to a slow simmer and allow to cook for five minutes over low heat. Add the shrimp to the tomato mixture, then top with crumbled feta and transfer to the oven. Bake for fifteen minutes, or just until the shrimp are opaque and firm. Garnish with an extra drizzle of good olive oil before serving with an ample supply of toasted, crusty bread.

Roasted Baby Beets and Beet Green Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

1 bunch baby beets with greens

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup Walnuts

3 oz. goat cheese

Red wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Separate the baby beets from the bunch and trim of any roots. Rinse the stems and leaves well in a large bowl of water, then separate the leaves and set them aside. Coarsely chop the fibrous stems.

Cut the baby beets in half and place them along with the chopped stems on a square of aluminum foil; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then seal in the foil securely and place into the oven. Roast for thirty minutes.

When the beets have roasted, remove from the foil to cool. Then assemble the rest of the salad: first, toss the raw beet leaves in a drizzle of olive oil along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Arrange in a neat mound on a plate. Toast the walnuts slightly, then toss them with a pinch of salt; scatter them atop the dressed greens along with the roasted beets and stems. Break the goat cheese into small pieces atop the salad. To finish, sprinkle the composed salad with a little red wine vinegar (no more than one teaspoon) and a touch more olive oil. Serve immediately.