Tag Archives: recipes

Aprons mingle

food-pizza-kitchen-recipe.jpg

When the aprons mingle, women clucking like hens

discussing ancestral wisdom from way back when

The ancestors live in gestured words

the matriarchal echoes of blood’s songbirds

Strum the butter pat to the rhythm of snipped beans

lower the babies down from the hips of Queens

biscuits on the table, floured dough, cut rounds

the mother’s mother’s hands knead risen dough down

No family recipes laid writ in tattered tomes

each muscle memory “how to” made the house a home.

Where the aprons mingle clucking women like the hens

granting the ancestral wisdom from times long spent

Herb and Plow CSA: The Continuing Saga! HOORAY!

Glazed Beets

Glazed Beets

What a wild time of things! Despite the catastrophic weather conditions causing such a delay, I am looking forward to digging back into the ground candy that we’d become accustomed to during the early part of the year, aren’t you? Although I’m aware that some were getting overwhelmed with the abundance that came their way, I discovered many were distributing their unused portions among friends, neighbors, and less fortunate humans furthering the blessings of the tasty goods.

Today I’m sharing a couple recipes from other CSA’s around the country that will help get things back in order in your soon to be filled with bounty kitchens. May the food that passes your lips bring you excellent health, good fortune, and a slimmer waist line (It that is indeed your goal). Eat hearty, my friends!

Glazed Beets

Chicken stock or water

Salt, to taste

Red, Chiogga, or Golden beets, sliced

2 T. Butter or olive oil

In a deep skillet, add about 1-1/2 inch of water or chicken stock and salt to taste. Add sliced beets. Add 3 T. of butter or olive oil to the skillet. Simmer at medium high heat until all the liquid is gone. Serve immediately.

NOTE: The liquid absorbs the flavor, the beets absorb the liquid and the butter/oil, which will float to the top and glaze the beets. Add any of these ingredients to further the flavor of the beets: fresh ginger, soy sauce, garlic, onions, or fresh herbs.

Recipe by Bill Brammer III of San Diego, CA

Kale Potato Soup

1 large bunch of kale (chopped) Steam and set aside (If you cook it with the potatoes the flavor will be extremely strong overpowering the dish. Trust me)

1 T. Butter

1 Large chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic (I like 3-4 cloves but I REALLY like garlic)

Melt butter in a soup pot. Add onion and sauté until golden. Add garlic and sauté another minute. (NOTE: For stronger onion/garlic flavor, add these two later in the cooking process)

2 Large diced potatoes

2 c. hot water or broth

Add, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. Remove half of the cooked potatoes; puree the rest with the cooking liquid and return to the soup pot. Return reserved potatoes and steamed kale to soup pot. (Puree everything if a smooth texture is desired).

3 Cups water or broth

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

Pepper to taste

Add along with additional hot water or milk to preferred consistency. Heat gently until hot and serve. (NOTE: If you’re an omnivore a package of sliced cocktail beef weinies, makes this dish spread about a bit farther)

Italicized notations are from me, Mare Martell, while the recipes are from the cookbooks:

Harnish, Marie. “Autumn Soups.” Simply in Season. Scottdale: Herald, 2005. N. pag. Print.

Sochacki, Julie, and Jason Houston. One United Harvest: Creative Recipes from America’s Community Supported Farms. Kearney, NE: Morris Cook, 2005. Print.

Herb and Plow CSA Week 6: Aruga-what?!

Mare Martell June 24, 2015

This summer has been a crash course for me in what vegetables actually look like, cook like, and what those “exotic” veggies in the grocery store actually taste like. I’ll admit, I’m fond of just sticking to what I know in the food department. I rarely scoop up anything that isn’t in the bargain bin anyway, so this has been quite the adventure.

I had no idea what arugula is. I really had to look it up. Go ahead and say it, “Who doesn’t know what arugula is?” I’ll raise my hand and let you know, I’m one of the ignorant. I’m looking forward to trying this. I found an easy quick (as in you can prepare it an hour in advance) pasta dish by Martha Stewart Living. Although her recipes tend to the higher end, this one seems to meet my beer budget while indulging in champagne taste.

Spinach Linguine With Walnut-Arugula Pesto

  • 2 small garlic cloves
  • 3 ounces walnut pieces (about 3/4 cup), toasted and cooled
  • 4 ounces arugula, trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 pound spinach linguine
  • 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse garlic until very finely chopped. Add walnut pieces and arugula; process until a coarse paste forms, about 5 seconds. Transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in the salt and Parmesan cheese, and set aside.

  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add linguine, and cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander, and immediately add to bowl with walnut-arugula mixture. Drizzle with the oil, and season with pepper. Toss thoroughly until coated evenly. Serve immediately.

PART II

I am a huge fan of bacon. I say that as I sit here with my well rounded bottom at a computer where my limited mobility talks to my need to be creative instead of active. But, bacon reminds me of family (No, I was not raised by pigs despite my brother’s prodding insults.) I’m originally from Michigan. We’re a hearty stock with rich curves on the women and strong backs on the men. Bacon was served commonly for breakfast, so to me, it feels like home. Here is a Paleo Recipe I found that will help the abundance of summer squash have a rich flavorful compliment.

Summer Squash and Bacon Bits Recipe

Servings SERVES: 4Preparation time PREP: 15 min.Cooking time COOK: 40 min.

Ingredients

  • 2 lb. summer squash, sliced;
  • 8 slices of bacon cut into tiny pieces;
  • ¾ cups green onions, sliced;
  • 1 tsp. fresh oregano leaves;
  • ¼ cup mint, coarsely chopped;
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped;
  • ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil;
  • 1 clove garlic, minced;
  • 1tbsp. capers;
  • The juice of half a lemon;
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
  2. Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, grind the oregano, the mint, and the parsley, and transfer to a bowl.
  3. Grind the capers and the garlic. Add them to the herb mixture, and stir in the olive oil, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. In a big bowl, mix in the squash, the green onions, the bacon bits, and the fresh herb sauce.
  5. Empty the bowl into a baking dish or a big skillet and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until the squash and the bacon bits are nicely cooked.

Paleo Site

Martha Stewart’s Recipe