Category Archives: Recipes

for recipes either ours, shared, or in searches (be sure to quote where the recipe comes from).

Moose Hill CSA – Radishes and Arugula recipes

The CSA has had a great start and lots of radishes and arugula each week. You may find yourself looking for a change-up in how you can use your bounty of these items. Previously we posted a great recipe for Arugula Pesto and we have told many people about the wonders of roasting your radishes – so good!

A fellow shareholder, Sue, sent in these recipes for a few additional options – enjoy everyone! these sound delicious.

Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad

1 cup pearled farro (6 ounces)

1 cup fresh apple cider 

2 bay leaves 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 cup good olive oil 

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1/2 cup roasted, salted pistachios, whole or chopped 

1 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley 

1 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves 

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved through the stem 

1/3 cup thinly sliced radishes (2 to 3 radishes) 

2 cups baby arugula 

1/2 cup shaved Italian Parmesan cheese 

Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon 

Directions:

  1. Place the farro, apple cider, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons salt, and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the farro is tender. (If all the liquid is absorbed before the farro is tender, add a little more water.) Drain the farro and transfer to a large serving bowl. Discard the bay leaves.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt (many recommend reducing to 1/2 tsp), and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir the vinaigrette into the warm farro and set aside for at least 15 minutes to cool.
  3. Before serving, stir in the pistachios, parsley, mint, tomatoes, and radishes. Add the arugula and lightly fold in the Parmesan so as not to break it up too much. Sprinkle with the sea salt and serve immediately.

Grandmother’s Radish Leaf Soup from Epicurious

Ingredients

3 large bunches radishes

1 tablespoon butter

1 very large onion, chopped

4 russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, chopped

3 cups water

2/3 cup milk (can omit if you would like)

Preparation

Cut leaves from radishes and wash well. (Reserve radishes for another use.) Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add radish leaves and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add potatoes and 3 cups water. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in blender. Return to saucepan. Mix in milk. Stir over medium heat until hot. Season soup with salt and pepper.

It has also been noted that you an add in the garlic and scallions to this soup!

Moose Hill CSA – Arugula Pesto

A number of people remember this recipe from last year and loved it so we thought we would share again now that you are getting some great arugula. Do you have a favorite arugula recipe? Share it with us!

Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:
4 cups packed fresh arugula
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup pure olive oil
2 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted, plus 1 tablespoon
1/8 teaspoon vitamin C (optional)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the
arugula in a large sieve and plunge it into the boiling water. Immediately immerse all the arugula and stir so that it blanches evenly. Blanch for about 15 seconds. Remove, shake off the excess water, then plunge the arugula into the ice water bath and stir again so it cools as fast as possible. Drain well.

Squeeze the water out of the arugula with your hands until very dry. Roughly chop the arugula and put in a blender. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, and the vitamin C, if using. Blend for at least 30 seconds. In this way the green of the arugula will thoroughly color the oil. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. The pesto will keep several days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Pull out before dinner to get to room temperature. Before serving, add the remaining 1 tablespoon toasted pinenuts.

Some Final Recipes and Storage tips

As you are receiving an abundance of some certain crops here these last few days of distribution, we wanted to offer up some storage tips to make the food last and some recipes.

Butternut Squash Soup:

Ingredients

Directions

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Potatoes: Should be stored in a dark, well ventilated, dry area away from other fruits and vegetables and at a cool room temperature. Potatoes emit ethylene gas which can cause other fruits and veggies such as onions to spoil faster so place them in their own drawer, cabinet, etc.

Popcorn: Air: Hang the corn in a dark and cool location until they are dried. Could be over a month. You also can spread them on a flat surface if you do not have room to hang them.

For the those of you who want to try some different methods for drying, cooking, etc., I found a good video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS-DRROMj3M)  of someone who tried some experimenting with it and showed his results. He tried a few methods of drying including on and off the cob, in the oven, and using a dehydrator.

       Microwave: Very simple and easy..Simply microwave 1/4 cup of kernels in a small brown lunch paper bag. Make sure the bag is closed and folded over 3 or 4 times and firmly crease the seam so that it stays closed. No need to add any oil to the kernels as this won’t make much difference. If you wish to add more kernels, use a larger paper shopping bag.

Microwave for 2 – 4 minutes. Listen closely — when the time between pops slows to about 2 seconds, your popcorn is ready. Depending on your microwave, popping can finish in as little as 2 minutes or take as long as 4 minutes. Do not wait for all the kernels to pop; your popcorn will burn. It’s normal for there to be un-popped kernels in the bag.

Add some melted butter or oil and sprinkle with salt when finished cooking.

Stovetop Popcorn:

Yields: 2 servings  Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp coconut, peanut, or canola oil (high smoke point oil)
  • 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels
  • 1 3-quart covered saucepan
  • 1 Tbsp or more (to taste) of butter (optional)
  • Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a 3-quart thick-bottomed saucepan on medium high heat. If you are using coconut oil, allow all of the solid oil to melt.

2. Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil.

3 When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds.

This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.

4 Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner.

Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper).

Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.

With this technique, nearly all of the kernels pop, and nothing burns.

5 If you are adding butter, you can easily melt it by placing the butter in the now empty, but hot pan. Note that if you let the butter get just a little bit brown, it will add an even more intense, buttery flavor to the butter and to your popcorn. (Here’s more info on how to brown butter.) Just drizzle the melted butter over the popcorn and toss to distribute.

6 Salt to taste.

sources:

Butternut Squash Soup: foodnetwork; Butternut Squash Soup; https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/butternut-squash-soup-recipe1-1957751

potatoes: food52; How to Store Potatoes; Lindsey-Jean Hard; https://food52.com/blog/14613-the-best-way-to-store-potatoes

popcorn: simplyrecipes; How to Make Perfect Popcorn; https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_popcorn/

Undone Stuffed Pepper Casserole

If you love stuffed peppers but are short on time, this is a great, tasty, and easy recipe that I have been using for years. Here’s how it’s done..

Ingredients:

– 3 large green peppers, coarsely chopped
– 1 lb ground beef
– 3 cloves garlic, minced
– 2 cups cooked long grain brown or white rice
– 24 oz. pasta sauce
– 1 and 1/2 cups of shredded Italian cheese

Directions:

– Heat oven to 350 degrees
– Brown meat with garlic and peppers in a large skillet; drain.
– Return meat mixture to skillet; stir in rice, pasta sauce, and 3/4 cup cheese. (vegan cheese also works great with this recipe!)
– spoon in to 2 quart casserole sprayed with cooking spray.
– top with remaining 3/4 cup of cheese.
– Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Smoky Eggplant Dip

Ingredients 

  • 2 medium eggplants (about 1 pound each)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt, or to taste
  • 6 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste), well-stirred if a new container
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed
  • Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste, if desired
  • Pinch of cayenne or aleppo pepper
  • Pinch or two of ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons well-chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
  • Toasted sesame seeds or za’atar for garnish

Instructions 

Heat oven to 375°F. Brush a baking sheet or roasting pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Prick eggplants a few times with a fork or tip of a knife. Over a gas flame, grill or under a broiler, evenly char the skin of your eggplants. I like mine quite smoky and like to leave no purple visible. Transfer to a cutting board, and when cool enough to handle, trim off stem and cut lengthwise. Place cut side down on prepared baking sheet and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until very, very tender when pressed. Let cool to room temperature.

In a blender or food processor: Scrape eggplant flesh from skin and into the work bowl. Add tahini, lemon, cayenne, cumin and 1 tablespoon parsley. Blend in short bursts (pulses) until combined but still coarsely chopped.

By hand: Scrape eggplant flesh from skin and onto a cutting board. Finely chop the eggplant, leaving some bits closer to pea-sized. In a bowl, whisk together tahini, garlic, lemon, cayenne, cumin and half the parsley. Add chopped eggplant and stir to combine.

Both methods: Taste and adjust ingredients if needed. I usually need more salt and lemon.

To serve: Spoon into a bowl and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Scatter with second tablespoon of parsley, and some toasted sesame seeds or za’atar, if desired. Serve with pita wedges.

For a big delicious summer meal, you could serve this with a tomato-cucumber salad.

Source

Smitten Kitchen

Eggplant Casserole

This is a family recipe that came from one of our farm hand’s, Mel, grandmother and is a nice quick and easy meal that the whole family will enjoy.

 

Eggplant Casserole

Ingredients:

·         1/3 cup of vegetable oil

·         1 medium eggplant cut into 1” pieces

·         3/4 cup of chopped onion

·         1 Teaspoon minced Garlic

·         1 stalk of celery chopped into 1” pieces

·         1 20 oz can chickpeas drained

·         1 can tomatoes

·         1 teaspoon oregano

·         Toasted sesame seeds

 

Directions:

1.      Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat

2.      Add eggplant, onion, garlic

3.      Cook, stirring often, until eggplant is brown and slightly soft about 5 mins

4.      Stir in remaining ingredients except sesame seeds

5.      Cover and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally until eggplant is tender

6.      Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

Rosemary potatoes

there may be no better way to prepare our delicious potatoes than to pair them with some rosemary (which we conveniently just transplanted in to the down hill field!). They end up making a great side to any meal or even just a great snack!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
1/8 cup good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

Directions

Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, season to taste, and serve.

A few recipes

Green Bean Casserole Bundle

Ingredients:

1 c. cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c. milk

1/2 tsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper

2/3 c. French fried onions

3 1/2 c. cooked cut green beans

1 package bacon or Prosciutto

Directions:

– Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9″-x-13″ baking dish.
– In a large mixing bowl, stir together soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, and French fried onions. Add green beans and toss to combine.
– Grab small bundles of green beans and wrap with a strip of bacon, placing each in the baking dish snugly. (The edges of the bacon should be pressed against the pan, so they don’t unravel while baking.)
– Cover with foil and bake until the bacon is fully cooked, 37 to 40 minutes.

Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:
4 cups packed fresh arugula
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup pure olive oil
2 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted, plus 1 tablespoon
1/8 teaspoon vitamin C (optional)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the
arugula in a large sieve and plunge it into the boiling water. Immediately immerse all the arugula and stir so that it blanches evenly. Blanch for about 15 seconds. Remove, shake off the excess water, then plunge the arugula into the ice water bath and stir again so it cools as fast as possible. Drain well.

Squeeze the water out of the arugula with your hands until very dry. Roughly chop the arugula and put in a blender. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, and the vitamin C, if using. Blend for at least 30 seconds. In this way the green of the arugula will thoroughly color the oil. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. The pesto will keep several days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Pull out before dinner to get to room temperature. Before serving, add the remaining 1 tablespoon toasted pinenuts.

 

Garlic scapes: what they are and the best storage for them!

We are happy to announce that we are now giving out delicious garlic scapes at distribution!

A common question I keep getting is: what the heck are garlic scapes?? Garlic scapes, sometimes called garlic stems, are the flower bud of the garlic plants. They are removed this time of you to encourage the bulb of the garlic to thicken up! They taste great and can be used the same way as garlic in many recipes!

A popular method of preserving the scapes is to chop them in to 1 inch pieces and freeze them in zipper freezer bags. This makes it easy to grab a handful of garlic scapes and add them to soups, stews, stir fry, omelets, or anything else you may use garlic as an ingredient in. The garlic scapes hold up really well when you freeze them and remain firm.