The Week that Eight my Brain

Sorry for my absence this week--I've had a busy week for everything but cooking, and, apparently, blogging. I worked my second required shift at the farm this week, and again, felt that my contribution was entirely inadequate given how hard the farmers work and how much they give their shareholders. Yes, we pay for the food, but certainly less than retail. This week's haul: field greens, our first broccoli, gorgeous and leafy, onions, loads of cukes, tight heads of cabbage, summer squash, more red potatoes, and eggplant, a Japanese (long and skinny) variety in a deep, deep purple.

I wish I had a great recipe to share, but my big cooking adventure this week, an eggplant and potato curry from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian was a bland bust. In spite of homemade garam masala, coconut milk and lots of fresh garlic (from the farm) and ginger, it was almost flavorless. I found myself salting and salting as I ate to try to find some interest. I did use some cukes in a quick and delicious chopped salad: chickpeas, chopped cukes, tomato, red onion, avocado and olives, with a quick red wine vinaigrette. It made a filling and cool lunch, perfect for the steamy days we've had.

One intriguing possibilty lies ahead, however. When I arrived at the farm to pick up, another customer and one of the farmers were discussing something I've never encountered: a zucchini-based hummus. I'll be experimenting, and I promise to report back.

Greens, greens, greens

I am swimming, happily, in dark leafy greens. Last night, I needed to make dinner quickly and easily, and had three bunches (2 kale, 1 red chard) threatening to wilt in the fridge. I made a red-cooked chicken using this recipe from Mark Bittman's wonderful Bitten blog, some basmati rice in the rice cooker, and this.

Greens with black bean sauce

3 bunches dark greens, tough stems removed
3 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
2 T canola oil
2 T black bean sauce (mine is this, from Guido's)
1/8 t sesame oil
1 c water

Boil a large pot of water and blanch the greens for 3 to 4 minutes. Chard will get quite wilty, while kale will still feel firm, but more tender. Drain in a colander, squeeze to remove someof the liquid, and chop across the leaves in 3/4 inch slices.

Heat the oil in a deep saute pan or dutch oven over medium high heat and add the garlic. Saute several minutes, but don't brown. You just want to soften the garlic and flavor the oil. Add the green and saute for about five minutes--again, don't brown. Add water, a half cup at a time, if the pan seems to be getting too dry. Add the black bean sauce, the sesame oil, and stir to combine. At this point, add the water, if you haven't already. Turn the heat to low and cook ten more minutes, or until tender to taste.

Serve over rice, getting both greens and sauce. I ate this in a deep bowl, with the rice, greens and slices of the chicken all together. Delicious.

Farmer's market report

At the urging of my friend the fabulous foodie (and just about everyone else I know up here) I decided to (finally!) check out the Great Barrington Farmer's Market this morning. Though there were fewer vendors than I expected, the quality was high--and so was the crowd level. The weekenders are here, folks, and they want their produce! Luckily, the fine farmers from Indian Line in Egremont, as well as many others were there, with everything ranging from stone fruit (peaches and plums, a bit hard but I have hopes for them as they ripen) to the first heirloom tomatoes I've seen this year. Variety is finally here, and it's glorious. I came home with some of those peaches (mine from Columbia County, out of loyalty!), Japanese eggplant, a few tomatoes and some lovely delicate leeks which I'll use to try to recreate some amazing potato salad we enjoyed at a friend's house last weekend.

Zucchini for meat eaters. Really. *

*But there's always a catch. You have to like chili. But if you do like chili--you will likely like this one, even if your preference runs towards the con carne. And--you will use up zucchini, and not even notice you're eating it. This is also a completely flexible recipe. No summer squash? Use more zucchini. No peppers? Ok. Leave 'em out. Got black beans, but no pink? No problem. It will taste great, no matter what, it looks pretty, it feeds a crowd, and you won't miss the meat.

Confetti Chili

1/4 c. olive oil
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 large bell peppers, preferably red and/or yellow, cut into 1/4" dice
2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin (best if you grind your own, but any will do)
1 large can crushed tomatoes in juice
4 small cans tomato juice (I prefer low sodium)
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)
1/2 c. chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill (or 2 t dried, if you don't have fresh)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 package frozen corn (about 1-1/2 cups) (optional)


Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven and add onions. Saute until just clear. Add zucchini, squash and peppers and stir to blend. Add chili powder and cumin, and cook until vegetables are just starting to get tender. Add tomatoes, juice, and remaining seasonings (except fresh herbs.) Cook over low heat for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (You can cook it longer if you like--it's very forgiving.)

Add the beans, corn, parsley and dill, and cook another fifteen or so minutes. Serve alone, garnished with grated cheddar or jack cheese, with sour cream, etc. Great with cornbread, fresh corn tortillas, or atop rice or couscous.

Week Seven --Late to the Party

Delays and disruption are the order of the week around here, with my partner out of town and my kids going full throttle. I did, however, make it to my pick up on Tuesday evening, and it was my turn to work, if you can call the few paltry tidy-up chores I did at the farm "work." I think we shareholders get off pretty easily--sweeping and unplugging and stacking bins represents not an iota of the sweat that our farmers put into the delicious food they grow for us.

This week's deliciosity was a bunch of repeats (chard, zucchini, pattypan, cucumbers, arugula, field lettuces) and two welcome newcomers: new potatoes, and gorgeous heads of garlic, long greens still trailing. Pictures and recipes coming up shortly...

Finally, a photo, and some thoughts on squash

I think I forgot to sing the praises of those cucumbers (in the foreground) in the original Week 6 post. Haven't tried them yet, but they look lovely.

On to the squash, which I think (and I have no evidence to support this) is the number one subject of complaint about summer (over)abundance.

Two thoughts, both Asian in flavors, both delicious.

First, on the grill. This is a great accompaniment to grilled chicken or steak, adapted from the grilling bible. Slice the squash lengthwise into planks 3/8 inch thick. Brush each slice with neutral (canola, grapeseed or peanut) oil into which you've stirred 2 cloves of garlic, minced, and a pinch each of good saltand pepper. Brush both sides, and leave to sit for a few minutes. Then make a sweet miso glaze: 7 T sugar, 1/4 c white miso, 3 T mirin (sweet rice wine, and 2-3 T water, all stirred together. Grill the squash 6-8 minutes turning once, over a medium hot fire. You should have nice dark grill marks. Then brush the with the glaze, and grill one more minute on each side. Good hot, lukewarm or cold. This recipe is actually for eggplant, not squash, but both are fantastic with this preparation--it has been known to convert eggplant haters.

Second--make a Thai style curry. This is from Mark Bittman's newish How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, a book I just bought and am loving. Easy, easy. Heat 3 T neutral oil (canola, peanut, grapeseed) in a skillet and add one thinly sliced onion. Cook over medium heat until the onion is softened, about five minutes. If it browns a bit, that's ok . Add 2 T chopped garlic, the grated zest of one lime (do you and your kitchen a favor, and buy a microplane graterfor this task!) and 2 dried chiles. Add about 5 cups chopped zucchini or summer squash--I used two small zucchini, a summer squash and a couple of pattypans, and cut them into chunks about 3/4-1 inch on a side. You don't want the pieces too small. Continue to cook the squash until it's softened and a bit caramelized, ten or fifteen minutes--don't let it burn. Add one can of light coconut milk, 3 T Thai fish sauce and 1 T chili paste, or to taste (I like spice, a lot, and for this, I use Sambal Oelek, an Indonesian hot sauce, available around here at Guido's. If you're a chile-phobe, you could leave out both the dried and the paste, and still have something eminently worth eating. However, if you do omit the spice, you might want to squeeze in some lime juice just before serving to brighten the flavors a bit.) Cook until the sauce has thickened down some--about ten minutes--and serve hot over rice. Again, this is a recipe written for eggplant, but divine with a mix of squashes.

Next up--Tex Mex. Stay tuned.

Week Six -- Green Day

After the bright red of last week's gorgeous beets, this week's haul is all about green: zucchini, kale, field lettuce, parsley and, just for variety, summer squash, too. To top it off, the first onions of the summer, their enormous green leaves still trailing.

Photo will be up shortly, as well as a report on a great Asian recipe for all that squash. Stay tuned.