Category: Recipes

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JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 9 PASTA SALAD WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES AND FETA

August 1, 2017

Hi Everyone!

We’re approaching the mid-point of summer and the bountiful produce is just wonderful.

Today’s recipe is a light and cool pasta salad with mixed vegetables.

PASTA SALAD WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES AND FETA

Ingredients

3/4 lb. orecchiette

1/2 lb. thin asparagus

1 sweet red or purple pepper, sliced into strips

1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick

1/2 small eggplant, sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick

7 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 small shallot, finely chopped

4 oz feta cheese (3/4 cup), crumbled

1 cup parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

 

Directions

1.Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until al dente. Drain the pasta, rinse under cold water and drain well. Transfer the orecchiette to a large bowl.

2. Meanwhile, brush the asparagus, peppers, zucchini and eggplant with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Grill the vegetables over moderately high heat; turn the asparagus several times, until crisp-tender and charred, about 2 minutes; turn the zucchini once, until tender and charred, about 3 minutes; turn the eggplant once, until tender and charred, about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the grilled vegetables to a work surface. Cut the asparagus into 1-inch lengths. Cut the red peppers into i inch pieces. Cut the zucchini crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Halve the eggplant slices lengthwise, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the grilled vegetables to the orecchiette.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the shallot and the remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Pour the dressing over the pasta and toss to coat. Add the feta cheese, parsley and olives, season with salt and pepper and toss again, then serve.

HELPFUL HINT: This salad can be made a day early and refrigerated overnight. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

I hope you enjoy this cool summer meal. Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 8 – CHINESE EGGPLANT WITH SPINACH AND GARLIC

July 25, 2017

Hi everyone!

Wow, the weather has been so intense this past week! I hope the temperature and the humidity are going to be falling. In the meantime, we can still enjoy the beautiful fresh produce.

Today, I have a recipe I picked up in my travels. This one’s a Chinese dish, made with eggplants, spinach and garlic. It’s easy and delicious.

 

CHINESE EGGPLANT WITH SPINACH AND GARLIC

Ingredients

2 lbs white or purple eggplants
3 TBS peanut or safflower oil
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch spinach, washed and roughly chopped (it’s ok to leave water on the leaves)
1 bunch parsley or cilantro, chopped

sauce: Mix the following with a bit of water:

2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 TBS rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 TBS soy sauce
TBS dark sesame oil
1 TBS black bean sauce

  1. Cut the eggplants into largish bite-sized pieces.
  2. Heat the oil and cook them over high heat.
  3. After 2 minutes, add the garlic and stir often, until the eggplants are mostly cooked through.
  4. Add the spinach and mix in until it’s wilted slightly, about 1 or 2 minutes.
  5. Add the sauce to the still-hot eggplant mixture.
  6. Stir in the parsley or cilantro just after removing from the heat, serve with rice.

I think you’ll enjoy the dish!

HELPFUL HINT: Never put your cooking knives in the dishwasher. Instead, immediately after using, wash them and dry with a towel. That’s the way to keep them sharp, and rust free.

I hope you enjoy this dish, this week’s vegetables and this lovely summer.

Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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Grams Sweet Bread and Butter Pickling Recipe from Stoneledge 

Grams Bread and Butter Pickles

5 quarts of sliced cucumbers
6 medium onions sliced
2 red peppers (optional)
1/3 cup Kosher salt, coarse
3 cups apple cider vinegar
5 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. tumeric
1 1/2 tsp celery seeds
2 TBS. mustard seeds

Add salt and cover cucumbers, onions and red peppers (optional) with ice.  Mix thoroughly and let stand for 3 hours.

Drain well.

Mix remaining ingredients and pour over cucumber mixture.  Bring to a boil.  Pack in sterilized canning jars.  Using a water bath canner, cover with water and boil jars for 10  minutes.

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Summer Squash Bread Recipe from Stoneledge Farm

Ingredients:
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups shredded summer squash or zucchini
Directions:
In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder; gradually beat into sugar mixture until blended. Stir in zucchini. Transfer to two 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

More Recipes on the Farm Website – https://www.stoneledge.farm/csa-program/recipes

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JUDI’S RECIPES, WEEK 7 – CHILLED BEET SOUP WITH CUCUMBERS AND BUTTERMILK (CHLODNIK)

July 18, 2017

Hi Everybody!

We’re in the hot, humid dog days of summer. That’s why this week’s recipe is something cool and refreshing. It’s a traditional Polish cold soup, with cucumbers, buttermilk and fresh dill. Try it – you’ll like it.

CHLODNIK

Ingredients

1 lb beets with greens (that’s about 2 medium beets)

Kosher salt

2 cucumbers, peeled, coarsely grated (about 1 cup)

1 kosher dill pickle, coarsely grated (about 1/2 cup), plus 1/2 cup pickle brine

1 1/2 cups buttermilk or kefir (preferably low- or full-fat)

3/4 cup sour cream

2 TBS chopped scallions

Freshly ground black pepper

4 hard boiled eggs, halved

4 tsp finely chopped dill

Preparation

  1. Using a large knife, separate the greens and stems from the beets. Thoroughly wash the greens and stems; set aside. Scrub the beets, transfer to a medium pot, and cover with 1 inch of water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, uncover, and cook until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes. Drain the beets; discard the cooking liquid. Let cool.
  2. Meanwhile, chop the beet greens and stems. Transfer them to a large pot and add 1/2 tsp. salt and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, without boiling, until the greens are tender, about 5 minutes. Let them cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
  3. Peel and coarsely grate the beets, preferably wearing gloves. Add to the pot with the cooled greens. Gently stir in the cucumbers, pickle, pickle brine, buttermilk, sour cream, and scallions. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Cover the pot and chill the soup at least 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings, if desired. Divide the soup among bowls; top with the eggs and dill.

HELPFUL HINT: This soup can be made two days ahead, covered and chilled.

This will cool down the whole family. It’s lovely to eat this when it’s hot out. I hope you enjoy it. Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 6: GRATIN OF SWISS CHARD, FENNEL AND WHITE BEANS

July 11, 2017

Hi Everyone! I hope your Independence Day holiday was a blast.

This week we are getting fennel and Swiss chard, both of which can go into today’s recipe. Fennel is not universally popular – I hate it myself, just as I hate anything that tastes even slightly like licorice. You will never catch me drinking Sambucca or Ouzo. Never. But, this dish is a way to ease into the world of fennel. The fennel flavor is subtle here, so it’s not half bad.

GRATIN OF FENNEL, SWISS CHARD AND WHITE BEANS

Ingredients

  • 5 TBS unsalted butter
  • 1 large bulb fennel, cored, and sliced thin (about 3 cups)
  • 1 large onion, sliced thin (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 TBS)
  • 3 bunches Swiss chard (about 1 lb), leaves removed, tender stems sliced thinly
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 TBS flour
  • 1 1/2 cups half and half
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
  • 2 ounces finely grated parmesan or romano cheese (about 1 cup)

This is How You Do It

  1. Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

    2. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauce pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the fennel and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat if it starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

    3. Add 1/3 of the Swiss chard and cook, stirring, until it is wilted, about 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining Swiss chard in two more batches. Add the nutmeg and flour and stir to combine. Add the half and half, stir to combine, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Add the beans and reduce to a bare simmer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
    4. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Toss the breadcrumbs, the butter and the cheese in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
    5. Season the filling with salt and pepper, and then transfer to a large casserole dish, top with the breadcrumbs, and bake until golden brown on top and bubbling around the edges, about 30 minutes.
    6. Remove from the oven, let rest about 10 minutes, and serve.

This makes a nice light supper, accompanied by a crisp green salad.

Note: You don’t have to use canned beans, and you don’t have to use canned white beans. Any of the dried beans offered by our farmers would be great in this dish. You just have to soak them overnight before cooking them.

I hope you enjoy this dish and all the other vegetables in your share. Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

 

 

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JUDI’S RECIPES WEEK #5 – BAGNA CAUDA

July 6, 2017

Hello everyone! I hope your July 4 celebrations were all sparkling and wonderful.

Today I have a recipe for you that will stand you in good stead all summer, as it is great with any and all vegetables. Which means I don’t have to publish any more recipes! Not true, of course. I enjoy sending you these recipes. “Bagna Cauda” is Italian for “warm bath”, and that’s exactly what it is: a savory warm dip for vegetables. And please don’t say, “eeeuuuww” when you see anchovies on the list. They completely dissolve in the cooking and do not taste fishy in the least. Please trust me on this.

 

BAGNA CAUDA

Ingredients:

    • 1 head of garlic, each clove peeled
    • 3/4cup olive oil
    • 10 oil-packed anchovy fillets
    • 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
    • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
    • 2 lemons, halved, divided
    • THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT
    • 1.Combine garlic and oil in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, shaking pan occasionally, until garlic is golden and very tender, 15–20 minutes. (Reduce the heat if garlic is browning too quickly If you let it brown too quickly, it will become bitter).
    • 2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a cutting board and mash it into a paste.
    • 3. Add the anchovies and the walnuts to the garlic oil left in the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the anchovies disintegrate and the walnuts are golden brown, 5–8 minutes.
    • 4. Remove from the heat, stir in the garlic paste, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the bagna cauda to a shallow dish.
    • 5. Serve with raw vegetables of all kinds, cut into manageable pieces: baby artichokes, celery, carrots, turnips, cucumbers, radishes and hard boiled eggs cut in half. Enjoy the party!

 

HELPFUL HINT: You can fancy up the radishes by using a sharp knife to make semicircular cuts all around and then plunging them into ice water until you’re ready to use them. Radish roses! You can also make carrot curls by using a vegetable peeler to make long slices and then putting the slices in ice water.

 

I hope you enjoy this – I sometimes add butter to the mix also. It adds great flavor, but it also adds fat.

Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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JUDI’S RECIPES WEEK #4 – BEET BISCUITS

June 27, 2017

I hope you have all been enjoying the vegetables we’ve been getting. They certainly have been beautiful and delicious.

Today’s recipe features the beets we’re getting. These biscuits, which come out looking pink and a little flatter than plain biscuits, are really tasty and easy to make.

 

BEET BISCUITS

Ingredients:

3 small beets, trimmed and scrubbed

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for flouring the board

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

8 TBS cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

 

  1. In a saucepan, cover the beets with water 2 inches higher than the beets. Bring to a boil and then lower the flame and simmer until a knife easily pierces the beets (30 – 45 minutes).
  2. Drain and cool for 10 minutes, then rub off the skins and cut the beets in quarters.
  3. Puree the beets. You should have about 1 cup of puree. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the buttermilk.
  4. Place your oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
  5. Sift the dry ingredients into a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives, until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.
  6. Chill until the butter is hard, about 10 minutes.
  7. Scrape the beet puree into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture just comes together around the spoon. This will be a wet sticky dough, with chunks of butter visible.
  8.  Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead about 10 times, incorporating enough flour so the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Be sure to keep the board well floured.
  9.  Pat the dough out until it is 1/8 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or a glass to cut the dough into 2 inch rounds.
  10.  Place the biscuits on an ungreased heavy baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Let them sit for a few minutes and then serve. They are great with cream cheese.

 

HELPFUL HINT: After you cut the first round of biscuits, pat the flour out again and cut some more. This second round will not be as tender as the first ones, but they will still be delicious.

I hope you enjoy the biscuits and all the veggies.

Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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JUDI’S RECIPES WEEK 3 – PASTA WITH PROSCIUTTO AND ARUGULA

June 20, 2017

We’ve had some really wacky weather lately, which means that the good folks at Stoneledge Farm have had to work even harder to produce the beautiful vegetables we have been getting. We are so lucky!

Today I have a quick and easy recipe that uses fresh arugula. Perfect for a hot night!

 

Pappardelle with Prosciutto and Arugula

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb pappardelle or fettuccini

Kosher salt

2 TBS olive oil

2 TBS unsalted butter

2 leeks, white and pale greens only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest plus more for serving

1 bunch arugula, thick stems trimmed, leaves torn (about 4 cups)

1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan plus more for serving

Freshly ground black pepper

3 oz prosciutto, torn into 1″ pieces

Preparation

    1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta cooking liquid.
    2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, approximately 5-8 minutes.
    3. Add the pasta, chives, half the lemon zest, and 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Cook, tossing and adding more cooking liquid by 1/4-cupfuls as needed, until a glossy sauce forms that coats the pasta, about 4 minutes.
    4. Add the arugula and 1/3 cup of Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Add the prosciutto and toss again. Top the pasta with more lemon zest and Parmesan.

Helpful Hint: Add the prosciutto at the last minute, so it stays nice and pink. Serve with a green salad and some crusty bread.

I hope you enjoy this. A light meal will help you feel cooler.

Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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JUDI’S RECIPES – SAUTEED RADISHES

June 13, 2017

Hi everyone, and welcome to the Baked Apple. It is hot!

Fortunately for us, we are getting some nice cool greens this week.

Today I have an interesting recipe for radishes sauteed with bacon. I think you’ll like it.

SAUTEED RADISHES WITH BACON

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Ingredients

2 oz chopped slab bacon

3/4 lb halved or quartered radishes, depending on size

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup parsley leaves

salt

pepper

Preparation
1. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until fat begins to render, about 3 minutes.
2. Add radishes.
3. Cook, tossing occasionally, until radishes are tender and bacon is crisp, 8–10 minutes.
4. Pour off all but 1 TBS fat.
5. Add apple cider vinegar and sugar. Toss with parsley leaves; season with salt and pepper.
HELPFUL HINT: You probably already know this, but the bacon fat can be used in many other recipes and, combined with vinegar, it makes a great salad dressing.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and all the lovely vegetables. Have a delicious week!
Best,
Judi