Recipes for 10/29/09

Organic Lollo Rosso Lettuce – Coke Farm, San Bautista, CA
This variety of red leaf lettuce has a crisp texture with a refreshing, mild flavor. Especially delicious in salads that contain walnuts or hazelnuts as it accentuates their nutty flavor. This week’s crop is a “baby” head - small but tasty!

Organic Hearts of Romaine – Coke Farm, San Bautista, CA
Delicious, versatile, and very popular. Back by popular demand!

Organic Rainbow Chard – Coke Farm, San Bautista, CA
Firm stalks that are a wonderful asparagus substitute, are topped with crinkly leaves that are packed with many vitamins and nutrients - a wonderfully healthy leafy green. Chard has an earthy sweet flavor that blends wonderfully in soups, stews, sautés and pastas. 

Organic Baby Artichokes – Coke Farm, San Bautista, CA
The common misconception about these “baby” artichokes is that they are an immature version of the larger chokes.  In reality, baby artichokes are found lower on the stalk, where the leaves limit their exposure to the sun, practically stunting their growth hence their smaller size.  Bet you didn’t know that!  They are much easier to prepare than larger artichokes – fear not, I’ve included a step by step guide below.

Organic Purple Beans – Coke Farm, San Bautista, CA
Yes you heard right, they’re purple.  And yes, it also means it contains those most coveted anthocyanins that make blueberries, purple cauliflower, etc., so good for you.  While the flavor is still the same as regular green beans, this would be a great vegetable for kids (and adults that are kids at heart) to help prepare as the color changes from purple to green when it cooks!  However, if you’d like the beans to keep their color, they can be cut thinly and added into salads where they’ll impart their crispy, sweet flavor.

Conventional Sugar Pie Pumpkins – Miya Farm, Clearfield, UT
By far, these are what you want when it comes to baking delicious pies and pastries this season.  Sugar pies are perfect because they are easy to handle with their small size and have a sweeter flavor that actually has a lighter texture when cooked instead of the dense, canned variety.

Conventional Smyrna Quince – Cottonwood, UT
Whatever you do, don’t try to eat this like you would an apple!  The fruit is extremely tart if eaten raw but its incredible fragrance and high pectin content make it ideal for jams and jellies.  When cooked, the flavor becomes sweet and floral, much like their fragrance (like a perfumed apple), and the texture becomes similar to a pear, grainy and sugary.  Their complex taste is compatible with flavors like vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon yet they also pair extremely well with meats and rich spices. 

The Vegetarian Basket also includes: Beehive Promontory Cheddar (Uintah, UT)

The Omnivore Basket also includes: Beehive Promontory Cheddar (Uintah, UT) and Canyon Meadows Ranch Ground Beef (Altamont, UT)

Customers who opted for additional fruit will also receive: Conventional Akagi Asian Pears (Draper, UT) and Conventional Carlos Chavez Rome Beauty Apples (Orem, UT)

~Organic certification is provided by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). CCOF has been helping to create and maintain extremely high standards in organic farming since 1973.~

How to Prepare Baby Artichokes

1.  Using a knife, cut off the top half inch or so of the baby artichoke.
2.  Snap off the lower petals until you reach the yellow-green core.  Trim the stems and all remaining dark-green areas from the base. Slice, halve or quarter per your recipe directions or preference.
3.  Quickly soak in a bowl of lemon juice or vinegar and water to prevent oxidization and that unwanted gray color.  Make sure they are submerged until ready to cook.

Sauteed baby artichokes
serves about 4

2 pounds baby artichokes, trimmed and quartered (about 6 artichokes)
1 cup of water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 green onions (scallions), chopped, including the green ends
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
1 pinch of Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 to 1/2 cup to taste)

1.  In a large skillet, heat the artichokes and 1 cup of water to boiling. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes. Drain well.
2.  Using the same skillet, heat to medium high and add the olive oil. Add the artichokes, onions, garlic, and herbes de Provence. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle on 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar, salt and pepper. Put in serving bowl, sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

*Delicious over buttered pasta or creamy risotto.

Bacon swiss chard pasta
serves about 4

¾ lb linguine
8 ounces bacon, cut into ½ inch slices
1 large red onion, halved and sliced thinly
2 bunches rainbow chard, stemmed and chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1.  Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
2.  Meanwhile, cook bacon in heavy large pot over medium heat until beginning to crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Drain all but 2 tablespoons bacon drippings from skillet. Add onion and saut over medium-high heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add Swiss chard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add pasta cooking liquid to skillet. Toss until chard is wilted and tender, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle vinegar over; cook 1 minute.
3.  Add linguine and oil to sauce in pot and toss to coat. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with bacon and cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pumpkin bread
makes one 9x5x3 loaf

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin purée*
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

* To make pumpkin purée, cut a pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a foil or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don’t use for future use. Or, if you are working with pumpkin pieces, roast or boil them until tender, then remove and discard the skin.

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
2.  Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.
3.  Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

Saffron chicken with quince
serves about 6

4 medium quinces (about 2 pounds)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons saffron threads dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
3 pounds boneless chicken, cut into strips (thigh meat is preferred – breast meat may dry out with the prolonged cooking)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in 1/2 cup water
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.  Rinse and rub the fuzz off of the quince.  Do not peel the quince, quarter them and remove core with a knife. Cut into 8-10 wedges, depending on the size of the quince.
2.  In a large frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the quince and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add saffron and cook together for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to coat the quince with the saffron. Remove from heat.
3.  In a large deep frying pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
4.  Add the onion and cook together for another 6-7 minutes. When the chicken starts to release the juices, add tomato paste dissolved in water. Cook together for another 10-15 minutes, or until the juices have slightly thickened. The chicken will be almost but not completely cooked at this point.
5.  Add the quince and lemon juice to the chicken and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat to medium to low, and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken and quince are tender (quince should not be mushy). Note that cooking times may vary depending on the chicken and how hard the fresh quince were.

Poached quince with vanilla and cinnamon

4 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 large cinnamon stick
1/2 plump vanilla bean, split
3 to 4 large quinces

1.  Combine the water, sugar, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean in a heavy-bottomed 2 1/2- to 4-quart saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Peel the quince with a vegetable peeler and cut them into quarters. Cut out the cores and cut each quarter in half.
2.  Add the fruit to the syrup. Return the pot to medium-low heat and bring the syrup to just below a boil. Reduce the heat and keep the syrup at a bare simmer for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until a sharp paring knife slips easily into a slice of quince. The quinces will have turned a pale pinkish color. Cool the fruit in the syrup. Refrigerated, the fruit and syrup will keep for a week or more.

*Tasty when served warm with vanilla ice cream, over pancakes and waffles and delicious with yogurt for breakfast.  The fragrant syrup can be used to sweeten teas or thinned out a little to poach more quince.

Shopping list...

Poached quince with vanilla and cinnamon
-1 package Woodstock Farms Sugar
-1 package Red Ape Cinnamon Sticks
-1 package Singing Dog Vanilla Beans
-3 to 4 large quinces (1lb included in HALF shares and 2lb included in FULL shares)

Saffron chicken with quince
-4 medium quinces (1lb included in HALF shares and 2lb included in FULL shares)
-1 bottle Liberty Heights Fresh label Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2007 Harvest
-1 jar Mancha-Oro Saffron Threads
-3 pounds boneless chicken (unfortunately we do not currently carry this item)
-1 medium onion
-1 tube Montali Tomato Paste
-about 3 lemons

Pumpkin bread
-1 package King Arthur All Purpose Flour
-1 container Diamond Kosher Salt
-1 package Woodstock Farms Sugar
-1 sugar pie pumpkin (included in SFF)
-1 bottle Liberty Heights Fresh label Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2007 Harvest
-1 half dozen package Clifford Family Farm Eggs
-1 container Frontier Nutmeg
-1 package Red Ape Cinnamon Sticks
-1 container Morton and Bassett Allspice
-1 package Circle K Ranch Walnuts

Bacon swiss chard pasta
-1 package Cucina Fresca Fresh Linguine
-1 package Niman Ranch Uncured Bacon
-1 large red onion
-2 bunches rainbow chard (1 included in HALF shares and 2 included in FULL shares)
-1 bottle Compagnia del Monta Balsamico Modena #2
-1 bottle Liberty Heights Fresh label Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2007 Harvest
-1 medium wedge Parmigiano Reggiano

Sauteed baby artichokes
-6 baby artichokes (6 included in HALF shares, 12 included in FULL shares)
-1 bottle Liberty Heights Fresh label Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2007 Harvest
-1 bunch scallions
-1 bulb garlic
-1 lemon or 1 bottle Compagnia del Monta Balsamico Modena #2
-1 container Frontier Herbs de Provence
-1 box Diamond Kosher Salt
-1 small wedge Parmigiano Reggiano