September 16th, 2011

NU-WAY FARM CSA

September 16^th, 2011

This Week You'll Receive the Following:

Heirloom tomatoes
Eggplants
Arugula
Baby kale
Green peppers
Zucchini

You’ve already been receiving peppers and eggplants for a few weeks, but they are really coming on now—David has a very successful and enormous crop of both this year. And the arrival of kale and arugula today marks the beginning of David’s autumn work (as if the recent dip in temperatures wasn’t enough to confirm that fact).

In the meantime, the San Marzano tomatoes are making their final turn toward ripeness and those of you interested in picking tomatoes for canning will be able to begin visiting next week. Keep watch on your email for details about that.

Here are some more ideas about how to use peppers and eggplant.

Enjoy the beginnings of harvest season!

Roasted Chicken with Peppers and Potatoes

Here, the vegetables act as a cooking surface for the chicken—which results in some really killer vegetables. Don’t toss that backbone—simmer it with some celery, carrots and onion to make your own stock.

Ingredients:

1 medium chicken, backbone removed, then split in half

4 or 5 bell peppers (of any color)

5 large potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch coins

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Sea salt and freshly-ground pepper

1 lemon

Method:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the split chicken carefully and pat dry with paper towels. Drizzle the chicken with a generous amount of olive oil, then sprinkle with the oregano and season generously with salt and pepper.

Remove the stems and seeds from the pepper and slice into rather thick pieces. Arrange the peppers and garlic across the bottom of a roasting pan, drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the sliced potatoes on top of the peppers and drizzle them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour ½ cup of water over the potatoes, then arrange the chicken halves, cut side down, right on top of the potatoes.

Place the chicken into the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the thigh meat reads 175 degrees, about 45 minutes. Then remove the chicken from the pan, cover with foil or a heavy towel and allow to rest. Give the peppers and potatoes a toss, turn the oven temperature up to 450 again, then return the vegetables to the oven for another fifteen minutes, until they are very soft.

Remove the baking pan from the oven and drain any chicken drippings from the vegetables, being absolutely sure to reserve those drippings in a bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze it into the reserved drippings; season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Carve the chicken however you like and serve with the roasted vegetables and the lemon-infused drippings as a sauce on the side. Cut the remaining half of the lemon into wedges as a garnish.

Eggplant “Confit”

The light pickling and a deep layer of olive oil will result in a product that can be stored at room temperature for several days—or keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, warming the jar to room temperature before use. The oil itself will become fragrant and will work nicely in a vinaigrette, whisked with a little Dijon mustard and a touch more vinegar.

Ingredients:

1 small Mason jar

3 medium eggplants, cut into long wedges

½ cup white wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

½ tsp. cracked red pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Bring 4 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of salt, and the white vinegar to boil. Add the eggplant wedges and simmer for fifteen minutes. Then drain the eggplant and allow them to dry completely. Arrange the eggplant in the Mason jar, layering it along with the garlic, then cover completely with olive oil.

Tomatoes with Eggplant

A classic recipe from Il cucchiaio d’argento (The Silver Spoon)

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes

2 T. olive oil

1 eggplant, peeled and diced

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 scallion or very small onion, chopped

1 T. capers, rinsed and chopped

1 fresh basil leaf, thinly chopped

3 T. white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Method:

Cut off the tops of the tomatoes and reserve. Scoop out the tomato seeds and some of the flesh, sprinkle with salt and turn upside down on paper towels to drain for one hour. Heat the oil in a pan, add the eggplant and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the eggplant is lightly browned all over. Add the scallion, capers, and basil and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the vinegar and cook until it has evaporated. Remove from the heat and let cool. Fill the tomatoes with the eggplant mixture, replace the tops, and serve.

“Gemista” (Greek Stuffed Peppers)

Ingredients:

8 bell peppers

1 onion, diced

1.5 cups white or basmati rice

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

2 diced tomatoes, with their juice

3 T. minced parsley

1 pound ground beef or lamb

1 tsp. sugar

Salt and Pepper

6 potatoes, peeled

Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a deep skillet over medium high, add 2 T. of olive oil and sauté the onion with the sugar just until the onions show some color, then add the ground meat and toss until it is brown. Add the rice and “toast” the rice for a few minutes, tossing with the meat mixture, then add the diced tomatoes and the parsley as well as a generous amount of salt and pepper. When the mixture is hot, add the stock and another cup and a half of water, lower the heat and cover the rice. Cook over low heat until most of the liquid has been absorbed and then remove from the heat (note: the rice does not need to be fully cooked, though it should have begun to soften—if not, add a little more water and cook a little longer).

Cut a “lid” into the top of each pepper and set it aside; remove the seeds and pith from each pepper and then fill each pepper about 7/8 of the way full with the rice mixture. Replace the lid on each pepper and arrange the peppers on a well-oiled roasting pan. Repeat with each pepper. Slice the potatoes into thick wedges and scatter them around the peppers. Drizzle the peppers and potatoes with a little more olive oil, add a cup of water to the pan, and then bake for 45 minutes, or until the peppers begin to get very soft and slightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.