Strawberries

25 May

When Kristen Wiig announced that she was retiring from Saturday Night Live, I was bummed to hear that I’d never again enjoy the hilarious, neurotic and attention-seeking Penelope, one character that Wiig plays so well. I relate to her “topper” antics, not that I’d consider myself a competitive person, but in the cooking world, sometimes chefs get a little one uppish.

When I found out my friend’s husband, who loves strawberry pie, hits Marie Calendar’s for one of their abundantly-stacked, red-gel glazed marvels when the craving arises, I wanted to top that. For his birthday, I made an easy strawberry lemon tart with a zingy, buttery shortbread crust so punched up with flavor he’d never miss MC’s. This one is for you, Penelope.

 Strawberry Lemon Shortbread Tart

Makes two 8-inch tarts

For the shortbread

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I use organic white whole-wheat flour)

2/3 cup sugar (again, organic works fine here)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon finely-grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into cubes and chilled

For the tart filling

1 pint strawberries, tops removed, cut into slices

2 tablespoons of good-quality strawberry jam, mixed with one teaspoon of lemon juice

8 ounces of prepared lemon curd (found in the jam section of specialty markets)

Make the shortbread: Heat oven to 300 degrees. Blend the first 5 ingredients in a food processor.  Add butter; cut in using on/off turns until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball (dough will be crumbly); divide in half. Press 1 dough half onto bottom of each of two 8-inch-diameter pie or tart pans. Pierce dough all over with fork.

Bake shortbread until cooked through and lightly golden, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes. Gently toss the cut strawberries with the jam and lemon juice mixture. Divide the lemon curd onto both shortbread tarts, then arrange glazed strawberries on top in an even layer. Slice tarts with a very sharp knife and serve with whipped cream if you like.

Farm Box Day

25 May

Such a gorgeous day to open up the farm box, which included a collection of vegetables perfect for a Summer Minestrone soup. I immediately got them prepped for the pot, dicing a crunchy Maui onion, nipping the ends of crisp green beans, and cubing tender, golden sunburst squash. Ribs of rainbow chard sauteed in the mixture, along with their curly ribbon-cut leaves. In went fennel seeds that I crushed in a mortar, dried oregano and thyme, a can of organic tomatoes and homemade chicken stock. I left it bubbling away on the stovetop, making my house smell like a walk through Tuscany. White beans, pasta, a splash of olive oil and a zip of fresh basil will finish it off.

As my daughter and her friend blew bubbles and squirted water guns in the backyard, I started preparing Farm Box Meals for a few families. In addition to the summer minestrone, I’ll deliver Grilled Thai Chicken, utilizing a leafy bunch of cilantro, and Asian Red Cabbage, Radish and Orange Slaw. I’m jazzing up Tilapia with Almond Brown Butter with a zingy Radish,Lemon and Radish Greens Salad. I’ll also prepare my favorite Farm Box Veggie Enchiladas with the remaining rainbow chard and the giant Maui onion. As for the picture-perfect blueberries and strawberries, I’ll make breakfast parfaits with yogurt and granola.

The Memorial weekend promises good food and lots of fun. Enjoy your family and your farm box!

Strawberries and Maui Onions

8 May

What could the two of these possibly have in common, Maui onions and strawberries? It makes me think of the silly jokes my 6-year-old makes up, “Mom, why did the strawberry go out with the onion? So it could be stinky!” At which point, we are obliged to make a big show of laughing, which isn’t hard for me, because I do think she is quite amusing. But in the interest of food and farming, they say everything that grows together, goes together, and strawberries and Maui onions seem like a laughable match.

Last summer, when Bella and I visited Tanaka Farms for their strawberry tour, we found out just how well the two crops grow together. You see, Maui onions are planted with the strawberry plants to keep critters from eating the sweet fruit. The noxious smell of the onion naturally repels them, in place of using a chemical pesticide. Isn’t that brilliant? As it turns out, there are some very yummy ways to enjoy the two crops together.

Strawberry and Maui Onion Salsa

1 pint strawberries, diced

1 cup diced Maui onion

1 serrano chile, seeds and membranes removed, diced

1/4 cup fresh mint, stems removed, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Kosher salt and black pepper

Combine the strawberries, onions, chile, mint, olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium-sized bowl. Stir and adjust seasoning, if needed. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours, and serve with grilled fish, chicken or pork.

Cilantro

8 May

I mashed up a batch of guacamole with our tender, fragrant bunch of cilantro. It was a flawless clear and warm day with a tickle of a breeze that whispered for margaritas on the deck. California avocados, Roma tomatoes from the farmer’s market, lots of citrus and a crispy bag of tortilla flax chips made the day taste like the best things to come this summer.

Cilantro-ey Guacamole

Serves 4 as an appetizer

4 ripe avocados (slightly yielding to gentle touch at the neck of the avocado)

4 Roma tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into a small dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch cilantro, leaves picked from the stems (discard or repurpose stems), chopped

1-2 lemons, juiced

Kosher salt and pepper

Cut the avocados in half and remove pits. Using a paring knife, cut the avocado flesh while in the skin, scoring into cube shapes. Use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the skin into a medium bowl. Add tomatoes, garlic, cilantro and the juice of one lemon. Stir to combine and soften the avocado chunks, and then taste for acidity. Add additional lemon juice if needed, then season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or refrigerate with plastic wrap sealing the top of the guacamole to prevent oxidation. I like to keep an avocado pit in until I serve the guacamole, I swear it keeps the guacamole from browning.

Farm Box Day

27 Apr

School was out for spring break, and we missed our farm box! To my surprise, the crops have transitioned into spring, and we had gorgeous Maui onions and juicy strawberries. I’m going to write a separate post about the interesting way the two of those crops go together. I was also excited about a gorgeous head of purple cauliflower, the stately collard greens, and a head of cabbage that looked like it came from “Little Shop of Horrors.” I’m not sure if I should throw a Baja fish taco party or go on the Cabbage Soup Diet.

I cooked four Farm Box Family Meals, which included Red Curry Beef with Broccoli, Snap Peas and (of course), Cabbage, Ceaser Chicken with Red Leaf Lettuce Salad, Vegetable Soup with Italian Chicken Sausage and White Beans, and Farm Box Veggie Enchiladas. Did you know you can order these meals, cooked from your farm box, packaged to reheat and delivered to your door? It is a delicious, healthy and economical way to enjoy your farm-fresh produce. Check out my Services page for more information.

I’ll be posting new recipes by the end of the weekend, for now I’m going to tuck into a bowl of that vegetable soup.

Pink Lady Apples

19 Mar

This is my favorite dessert, whether I use apples, peaches, berries or pears. The pink lady apples are delightful in this crumble, sweet and slightly crisp.

Apple Crumble

Use any fruit you like, about 3 pounds. You could even combine fruits as well.

Filling:

6 pink lady apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch slices

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup sugar (I use organic)

2 tablespoons all-purpose or white whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping:

1 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

1 cup all-purpose or white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch of salt

8 tablespoons of cold butter (1 stick), cut into small cubes

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees.

Place apples in a large mixing bowl and toss with sugar, lemon juice, flour, and cinnamon. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray (I use canola or olive oil spray), and spread out into an even layer. Set aside.

In another large bowl, mix together the nuts, flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt for the topping. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, gently work in the cold butter until pea-sized lumps are formed.

Top apples evenly with mixture and bake until apples are bubbly and topping is golden brown, about 45 minutes, rotating once halfway through cooking.

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream

Golden Beets, Leeks, Navel Oranges and Kale

19 Mar

This is a sweet and clever collaboration of several ingredients in the farm box this week, which could accompany grilled salmon or chicken breasts, or simply be savored it on its own.  I can’t wait to eat it again.

Brown Rice Salad with Leeks, Roasted Golden Beets, Kale and Orange Maple Dressing

I use  a rice blend from Trader Joes that has brown rice, black barley and radish seeds, but you could use a blend of wild rice and brown rice as well.

Serves 6-8

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 leeks, white and light greens sections, cut into rings, well washed

4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 cup brown rice, or brown rice mixture (wild rice, red quinoa, barley)

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

teaspoon salt, plus salt and black pepper to taste

1 head kale, tough ribs removed, leaves cut into small pieces

3 golden beets, washed and trimmed, roasted in foil packet, cut into slices

Dressing:

1 orange, zested and juiced

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

Cook the kale until it turns a vivid green, then remove from heat so the color remains.

In a saucepan, heat olive oil to a shimmer over medium-high heat. Cook leeks and garlic until tender while stirring, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir with oil and leek mixture, allowing to slightly toast the rice, for about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and salt, stir, then cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked but slightly firm. Cool and fluff with a fork.

In a skillet, heat another tablespoon of olive oil, and cook kale until bright green. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine orange zest and juice, vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and olive oil. Whisk to combine. Mix the kale with the rice, beets and dressing. Season with salt and pepper, serve or hold in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

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