Recipes from the Farm

Tomato Cream and Bacon Pie

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This recipe is inspired by a Better Home and Garden recipe, with extra extra flaky crust(s) and we think it works with heirloom toms or cherry toms!  Try it and tell us what you think!

What you will need:

  • 6 strips bacon
  • 1 15 ounce package rolled refrigerated unbaked piecrust (2 crust) (or see recipe below for making your own crust)
  • 2/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
  • 4 cups cherry tomatoes or roasted heirloom tomatos
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
  • 3/4 cup thinly sliced leaf lettuce
  • Lemon wedges (optional)

Directions for making the crust (if not buying it right out)

1 cup unsalted butter, cold
2 cups all- purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 to 5 tablespoons, ice water

 

Directions for making the crust:

1. Cut the butter into 1/2-in/12-mm cubes, and freeze them while you measure and mix the dry ingredients.

2. To make the dough in a food processor: Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the processor and pulse three or four times to mix. Retrieve the butter cubes from the freezer, scatter them over the flour mixture, and pulse until the mixture forms pea-size clumps. Add the ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, and pulse to mix, adding just enough water for the dough to come together.

To make the dough by hand: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Retrieve the butter cubes from the freezer and distribute them evenly in the flour mixture, coating them with the flour mixture. Sink your fingers into the mixture and begin pinching the butter and flour together, making thin, floury disks of the butter. Continue working the mixture until the butter is broken down first into floury pea-sized beads and then into a loose mixture that resembles wet sand. Drizzle in 3 tbsp of the ice water and use your hand like a comb to mix in the liquid just until the dough holds together. If necessary, add additional water, 1 tbsp at a time, until the dough comes together in a crumbly mass.

3. Turn the dough out onto a clean, floured work surface or sheet of parchment paper. Gather the dough together in a mound, then knead it a few times to smooth it out. Divide it in half, and gently pat and press each half into a rough circle, about 1 in/2.5 cm thick. Lay wax or parchment paper in two pie pans and lay the dough in each. Wrap in plastic wrap or in the wax/parchment paper and put in freezer for 30 minutes.

 

Directions for making the Pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the pie crusts from the freezer, and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. In a large skillet cook bacon until just done but not crisp. Transfer to paper towel. Reserve 1 Tbsp. bacon drippings in skillet; set aside. Make sure to save that leftover (if any) intoxicating fat for another time!

On a lightly floured surface, stack the two piecrusts. Roll from center to edges to form a 12-inch circle. Wrap pastry around a rolling pin; unroll pastry into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. (Sides should be 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep). Ease pastry into pie plate, allowing edges to form a loose ruffled or scalloped effect. Gently press pastry into the bottom of pie plate. Sides will not lay flat against pie plate.

Prick bottom of pastry. Line pastry with a double thickness of foil; bake 10 minutes.

Remove foil; bake 5 minutes more. Remove, and reduce heat to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese over the piecrust.

Place half the bacon slices around the edge of the crust. Set aside.

Cook onion in reserved bacon dripping over medium heat until tender. Drain drippings. Set aside.

Halve 2 cups of the cherry tomatoes, leaving the remaining 2 cups whole. Place the halved and whole tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Alternatively roast heirloom tomatoes (see directions in step 2 of this recipe) and slice to 1/2 inch segments and put in a large mixing bowl.

Add olive oil, 2 Tbsp. of the basil, salt, and 1/4 tsp. of the pepper. Stir to combine.

In a separate bowl beat together cream cheese, mayonnaise, egg yolk, cooked onion, lemon peel, and remaining Parmesan, basil, and pepper. Spoon cream cheese mixture into piecrust.

Top with tomato mixture.

Nestle the remaining bacon slices among the tomatoes, weaving bacon between tomatoes. Gently press tomatoes and bacon into the cream cheese mixture. Bake pie until cherry tomatoes just begin to brown or the crust browns and becomes flakey when you touch it, about 35 minutes. (Loosely cover pie with foil if edges brown too quickly, say 15 minutes.) Let stand 60 minutes. Top with leaf lettuce and serve with lemon wedges for a little bit of zest.

Simple Tomato Sauce

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This week and next at the farmers’ & artisans’ market we’re offering samples of the many different varieties of tomatoes! Pick your favorites, grab a box full, and try this mouth watering recipe that brings out their unique flavors! The two key steps in this recipe are to remove the water-filled seed pockets (which helps to deepen the flavor by removing water weight), and roasting (which further removes moisture). This recipe comes (slightly altered) from Chez Panisse in Berkeley.

  • 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 1 medium leek
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1 head garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 small bunch basil (about 1/4 pound)
  • Salt & pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Cut out a cone at the stem end of the tomatoes to remove the core, and cut the tomatoes into quarters. If you have a grapefruit spoon or a strawberry topper, use it to remove about 50% of the water seed pockets. Toss with half the olive oil.  Put the tomatoes in a baking dish and roast them, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times to encourage even cooking.  The tomatoes are cooked when the flesh is very soft and the skin separates easily from the flesh.
  3. Peel and slice the onion.  Trim, wash, and dice the leek.  Peel and dice the carrot.  Cut the head of garlic in half horizontally.
  4. Heat the remaining olive oil in a stainless steel or other nonreactive pot (aluminum reacts with the acid in tomatoes and spoils the flavor).  Add the vegetables and the garlic and cook the vegetables over medium heat until completely soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the roasted tomatoes and the herbs.  Simmer, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until the flavors come together, for 30 to 45 minutes.  Pass the sauce through a food mill and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Makes about 1 quart.

Armenian cucumber & tomato salad

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This recipe features our armenian cucumbers.  These jewels are more closely related to melons. Their flesh is super crispy and the seed cavity is almost non existent. A great find from Noshtopia.

  • 1 cup peeled and sliced armenian cucumber
  • 1 cup cut heirloom tomatoes
  • 2 chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • Fresh dill to taste
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite vinaigrette
  • A sprinkle of hemp seeds for topping (optional)

Put all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in the vinaigrette and toss the dressing into the vegetables with your hands until all is covered with dressing.

Miso-Glazed Eggplant

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The following recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, which I cook from regularly. Mielle Chenier Cowan Rose’s Piece of My Heart is filled with simple whole food nutritional meals that a discerning pallet will appreciate, and a picky kid would gobble up.

Did you know eggplants are sexed?  Male eggplants have less seeds, are sweeter, and have a better texture than the females. To pick out a male eggplant at the store, Mielle recommends checking the seal on the booty.  A circle indicates a female, and a male will have more of an oval or a line.

She also shares her trick for reducing the natural bitterness in eggplants: toss raw slices with salt and let stand for twenty minutes, then blot dry before cooking.

 

Yields 4-6 servings

This is awesome with rice or noodles. It will win over even the die-hard eggplant aversion.

Preheat oven to about 400 degrees.

Combine in a small bowl:

  • 2 Tbl miso
  • 1-2 tsp honey or other syrup
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 Tbl rice vinegar
  • 3 Tbl water
  • Pinch red pepper flakes, optional

Set Sauce aside.

Combine in a baking dish:

  • 4 Japanese eggplants (but we recommend trying the new local eggplants from the garden!), cut into large diagonal chunks
  • Olive oil, to coat
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Roast for about 25 minutes, then stir in sauce (above) and return to oven for 5-8 minutes more.

Garnish with toasted walnuts and enjoy!

 

Summer Green Bean Salad

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This is a great meal to prepare ahead of time and just have waiting for you on a hot day in the fridge. Martha Stewart has actually got a pretty cool selection of recipes, which is where I found the base for what I’m sharing with you below.  I’m finding the best as they come into season and will post them here, of course.

My goal is that we can use the tags that I put on each recipe for you to find something to do with each bit of produce that you pick up.  Does that sound like a good plan? To see the categories and tags that we have so far, click the three horizontal lines on the top left corner there.

This recipe is catered towards the heirlooms that we’ve got coming into the store lately. I love the light crunch from the beans, which are only partially cooked and cooled, the juicy salty and sweet tomato, and the sweetness of the corn.  I’d like to experiment with not cooking the corn on this one.  Comment below on your thoughts!

Remember the neat trick we showed a couple of weeks ago on trimming your green beans in seconds?  Check it out here beneath our last green bean recipe.

  • Coarse salt
  • 3 ears corn, husks and silk removed
  • 1 1/2 pounds green beans, stem ends snapped off
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and gently smashed
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  • 1/2 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 medium Heirloom tomato, sliced 1/2-inch thick
  • 2 cups of small, mixed red heirloom tomatoes, halved

 

  1. They say to cook the corn until tender in a large pot of salted water (5 to 7 minutes). Remove corn with tongs and set aside on a cutting board to cool. Using a strainer, remove any corn silk remaining in the pot. I like the taste of raw corn though, and I’d recommend trying it with raw kernels or if you’re near a grill, grilled corn. Yum!

  2. Add the trimmed green beans and return to a boil, and cook until very tender, about 8 minutes (timing may vary depending on the size of the beans). Meanwhile, cut the corn kernels off the cobs and put kernels in a large bowl. Drain the beans in a colander, shake to remove excess water, and put in bowl with corn. Add garlic and 3 tablespoons of oil. Toss well and let stand at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend; refrigerate if longer than 30 minutes. I think that this is a great recipe to try making ahead and storing in the fridge for the following day. It holds up well and lets the flavors marinate just a little bit more.

  3. If necessary, bring beans and corn to room temperature by removing them from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Just before serving, remove the garlic and add the remaining tablespoon of oil along with vinegar, onion, and sliced tomatoes. Add salt to taste and serve at room temperature.

 

If you’re trying the recipe, make sure to leave us a comment below! We’d love to know how it went!

The Shishito Pepper

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We are getting these gorgeous little emerald jewels in, which many might mistake for a padron pepper. They are similar but not the same, having a sweeter lighter flavor than their earthy counterparts.  Happy Boy Farms wrote up a little side by side on their differences here, if you are interested.

Shishito peppers taste best when they are grilled, broiled, or sauteed, just as long as they’re blistered. The sweet pepper (and perhaps one out of every 10 is surprisingly hot) mixed with the smoky gooeyness from being tossed around on the fire makes a great match. They’re great finger food, but I’ve also thrown them into a salad after cooling a bit.  Below is a basic recipe, that should take just 15 minutes to execute:

These directions comes from  Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes by Deborah Madison:

Heat a little olive oil in a wide sauté pan until it is good and hot but not smoking. Add the peppers and cook them over medium, tossing and turning them frequently until they blister. They shouldn’t char except in places. Don’t rush. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to cook a panful of peppers. When they’re done, toss them with sea salt and add a squeeze of fresh lemon. Slide the peppers into a bowl and serve them hot. You pick them up by the stem end and eat the whole thing, minus the stem, that is.

You can probably do fancier, cheffy things with them, but they’re terrific like this. For variety, I sometimes use a little toasted sesame oil instead of olive oil and finish them with togarashi. If you have leftovers, an unlikely event in my experience, chop off the stems and put the peppers in an omelet or some scrambled eggs.

Green Beans With Bacon Vinaigrette

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We have beautiful French fillet beans coming from the farm! The key to cooking fresh green beans just right is to parboil them beforehand. This will soften them and prepare them for the saute. Bacon and green beans are a match made in heaven in this dish from Real Simple, but the mustard and vinegar give it complexity and kick! Do you think trimming green beans is a time waster? Check below the recipe on how to trim 2 pounds of green beans in a snap!

 

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds green beans, trimmed
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 2 shallots, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and black pepper

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the green beans and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool; transfer to a serving bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Let cool, then break into pieces.
  3. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the skillet and return to medium heat. I like to pour all of my bacon drippings into a jar to save for adding a hint of bacon flavor to other dishes in the future. Don’t throw it out! Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar, mustard, oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add to the green beans, along with the bacon, and toss to combine.

 

How to trim off the ends of green beans in (even faster than a) snap:

Trimming green beansYou only need to cut off the stem end, where the bean attached to the vine. The other end if fine to eat.  Line up the stems. Sort the beans so that the stems all face one direction. Scoot a handful against your palm so that they’re even and then chop them all off in one go!

With this method you’ll be getting through a whole bowl in just a few minutes!

Caprese Salad

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We have our first tomatoes of the season coming in, and you know what that means? One of my favorite Summertime treats: caprese salad. With simple fresh ingredients and limited cooking, the secret to the perfect caprese salad lies in the quality of ingredients.  So below I’ve got not just how to put together a caprese salad, but what makes for the best tomato, the best mozzarella, and how to create a balsamic reduction.

Ingredients needed:

  • Fresh Mozzarella
  • Tomatoes
  • Basil
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Salt & Cracked Black Pepper

What makes the perfect mozzarella?

For fresh mozzarella (the type you will need for a caprese salad) there are two dimensions: Flavor and texture. It goes without saying the the fattier the mozzarella (the higher fat content/percentage in the milk used for making it), the stronger the flavor. Check the fat content on the package to find the one that works best for you. Texture change as the cheese ages.  The fresher/newer the cheese, the firmer and more elastic it is. This if the type of cheese that you will likely want for a caprese salad.

What makes the perfect tomato?

For a caprese salad, you will want a firm tomato with tender unblemished skin (as you will not be peeling them). Especially good tomatoes will feel heavy for their size and will be filled with juice when you cut into them. If you are growing them yourself, pick them off the vine just as their color is starting to change from orange to red.  Keep them indoors out from direct sunlight (but not in the fridge) for 4-5 days.  This will help them develop but not overripen and draw out more flavor.

How do you create a balsamic reduction?

A balsamic reduction will intensify the complex flavor of the balsamic to a state of become almost a glaze or sauce on its own. To create a balsamic reduction, pour 1 cup of balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Once hot, drop the temperature down to low and let it reduce down to half its original size (about 10-15 minutes), stirring consistently and watching it carefully. Burning it is an easy task, so keep the overhead fan on with all that vinegar in the air and watch it carefully.  You will know that it’s done when it coats the spoon when you take it out but the reduction is still pourable. If you end up going too far and it’s not pourable, stir in a little water and cook back down to the desired point. Use on your caprese salad, or as a drizzle over beef.  If you love balsamic, check out the balsamic black pepper strawberry jam recipe here!

 

Directions for the Caprese Salad:

  1. Make your balsamic reduction (see above) and let cool down to room temperature.
  2. Cut your tomatoes into thick slices.
  3. Cut your mozzarella into slices of the same thickness as the tomatoes.
  4. Lay your slices of cheese and tomato interchanged on a plate, layering leaves of basil in between.
  5. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the salad, sprinkle with salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

 

 

 

Olallieberry Pie

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This recipe sounds absolutely divine!  Deb from East of Eden Cooking shared this mouth watering treat for Summer. Check out her full blog and other recipes here.

Julie Holler from Vallecito and her family have been growing olallieberries for many years — they are in now for just a short time!

Crust

  • 2  1/2 cups all purpose flour, more for rolling out the dough
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cold butter
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon cold vegetable shortening
  • 1 Tablespoon vinegar (optional)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup ice cold water

Filling

  • 8 cups ollallieberries or blackberries
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • milk or half & half, and sprinkle of sugar for the top of the crust

Instructions:

  1. Prepare pie crust dough: I use my food processor. Whirl dry ingredients, flour and salt in food processor with blade attachment just until mixed. Cut cold butter and shortening into cubes, add to food processor. Pulse until shortening is the size of small coins; pennies, nickels and dimes. Do not over mix. Add the vinegar and just enough cold water through feed tube until the dough starts to come together. Do not over mix. Pour dough out on floured work surface. With as little handling as possible bring dough together into a ball. Cut ball in half and wrap halves in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour, prior to rolling out.
  2. Prepare berry filling: While the pie crust dough chills, gently rinse and clean the berries. In a large bowl gently combine berries, flour, sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt. Frozen berries can be used. Thaw and drain before combining with the filling ingredients.
  3. Preheat oven to 400°.
  4. Prepare bottom pie crust: With a floured rolling pin, on a floured work surface roll out half of the pie crust dough. As needed, add small amount of flour to the surface when rolling out the dough. Roll dough, in a circle, until it is 1 1/2 inches larger than the 9 inch pie pan circumference. Place dough in bottom of pie pan, forming to contours of the pan. Do not stretch dough. With knife, trim the dough to the edge of the pie pan.
  5. Prepare top crust for pie: Sprinkle flour on work surface. With floured rolling pin, roll out the second half of dough. As needed, add a small amount of flour to the surface when rolling out the dough. Roll out dough, in a circle, until it is 1 inch larger than the 9 inch pie pan circumference.
  6. Finish pie preparation: Gently fill dough lined pie pan with berry filling. Only add accumulated berry juice to within 1/3-1/2 inch of top of pie pan, discard the rest. Place top crust over the berry filled pie pan. Trim any overhanging dough to 1 inch wider than the pie pan. Fold overhanging dough under the bottom crust, making a double layered edge. Crimp or flute the edge of the pie crust. Brush milk or half & half over the top crust and crimped edge. Lightly, sprinkle sugar on top of the crust. Cut 3-5 steam vents in the crust.
  7. Bake: To catch any berry juice that may overflow during baking place the pie on a large sheet pan that has a rim, and comfortably accommodates the pie. Immediately bake the pie at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 375° and continue baking for 30-45 minutes until crust has browned and berry juices are bubbling. Check the pie during baking and cover the edge of the crust with foil if it is browning too quickly.
  8. To plate: Cool pie for a least one hour. If you can wait, the pie will be easier to serve and hold it’s shape if you let it cool 3 hours. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is a wonderful addition to a slice of Olallie pie.

Pickled Red Onions

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This recipe comes from one of my favorite books, Chez Panisse Vegetables.  Pickled onions and carrots are great on a hot day, on the side of a dish as something to renew your palate between bites of your main meal, but mostly- I just want to pile these over some black bean filled tacos.

  • 2 large red onions
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup water

Even more so than usual, you should definitely start this one with a super sharp knife! Did you know that dull knives are far more dangerous than sharp? To get this one perfectly, give your knife it’s due care. Peel the onions and cut them in half lengthwise.  Slice them very thin– as close to paper thin as possible.  Put them in a heat-proof container. Put the vinegar, sugar, and water in a small saucepan and bring to boil.  Add the boiling hot brine to the onions and leave to cool at rom temperature.  Drain just before serving or pack them into a jar and can-preserve them for later.