Grilled Peaches

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To me, there’s nothing sweeter and more satisfying than a grilled peach. I have a sweet tooth, for sure (did you try the strawberry balsamic jam yet?).  Of course, any fruit will turn to gold if you cook it, but there’s something special about when gooey peaches meet smoke.  This recipe we found via the Food Network. Check it out:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
  • coconut oil
  • Mint leaves, for garnish

In a small bowl add the butter and stir until smooth. Add the cinnamon sugar, granulated sugar and salt and mix until combined.

Heat grill to high. Brush peaches with oil and grill until golden brown and just cooked through. Top each with a few teaspoons of the butter and garnish with mint leaves.

Sweet & Savory Chard Wrap

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This recipe is all about your personal taste. Nothing in this recipe is exact; so lay on the flavor where you love it most.  I love foods that satisfy my love for sweet, nutty, creamy and pungent but I most of all love this wrap for its freshness and unique complexity. Packed with flavor, this raw wrap could turn a person vegan.

Ingredients

  • Handful of sundried tomatoes
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Dash of fresh dill
  • Golden raisins
  • Sprinkle of pine nuts
  • A handful of green onion
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • A pinch of himalayan salt

Instruction

Prepare 1-2 wraps per person depending on the size of the wrap

  1. Start by rehydrating/softening the sundried tomatoes and slice to 1/2″ x 2″ pieces (leave in warm water for 1 minute)
  2. Remove the tough inner stems from the chard and criss-cross the “wings” created through that process to ensure full coverage when you roll up the wrap.
  3. Place 2-3 avocado slices and softened tomato into each leaf
  4. Drizzle oil over avocado and tomato
  5. Sprinkle on raisins, green onion, dill, and pine nuts.  Finish with a slight bit of himalayan salt.
  6. Roll as tightly as possible. Secure with toothpicks if needed and enjoy!

Spicy Balsamic Strawberry Jam

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This jam haunts me the 2 months before strawberry season comes in. Every year I wish that I had made just 2 more jars of the stuff.

  • 2 cups strawberries (about 1 pint), trimmed and quartered
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar (or a little less if you like your jam tart)
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (my favorite part, so I go maybe 3 1/2 tablespoons)
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper (or more if you like it spicy! Freshly cracked makes a huge difference too.)

In a small heavy saucepan bring all ingredients to a boil, stirring, and skim surface. Simmer mixture, stirring and skimming foam occasionally, 15 minutes, or until thickened and translucent. Remove pan from heat and cool preserves completely. This stuff is super super hot, so do not be tempted to just dunk your face in.  Preserves keep, cover
ed and chilled for 1 month, but I recommend that you use those jars how they are meant to be used, and can those suckers for a year worth of the best jam on earth!

Originally posted to my own blog, at Deconstruction Crafts

Chard and Potato Terrine

/ christineouteraisle / 1 Comment

This recipe doesn’t sound like much but it is the most asked about recipe in my entire collection!

  • 6 medium sized potatoes
  • 18 baby chard leaves, or 9 large chard leaves, thick midribs removed
  • 1 clove garlic, bruised
  • 6 1/2 TSPS butter
  • 1 1/2 TSP salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 to 3 ounces cheese, Fiscalini Lionza or a Brie, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. Set them aside. Coarsely chop the chard leaves. Rub a standard loaf pan with the garlic and 1/2 TSP of butter. Arrange one-third of the potatoes in a layer in the pan. Sprinkle with one-third each of the salt and pepper, dot with 1 1/2 TSP of butter, and top with one-third of the chard leaves. (The bulk of it will wilt during cooking). Sprinkle one-third of the cheese over the chard. Repeat the layers twice in the same way, ending with the cheese.

Fennel

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It’s merits and uses:
Most folks have an odd aversion to this wonderful vegetable. I’ve discovered that it takes on a completely new personality when cooked at a slow temperature for a long time. Just as you might caramelize onions over a low flame for 20 minutes; the same can be done with fennel. I figured Martha Stewart might be a good one for fennel recipes and I was right – here’s a couple that I found that sound delicious. Eaten raw they are equally delicious with their anise like flavor. Try decorating a green salad with them along with raw slices of Fuyu persimmons, segments of satsuma mandarins with a sprinkling of green onions.

Baked Fennel with Parmesan and Thyme

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Boil 3 fennel bulbs, trimmed and split lengthwise, until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain fennel, cut side down, on paper towels, 5 minutes. Place fennel, cut side up, in a buttered 8-inch square baking dish and brush with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and top with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan and 4 sprigs thyme. Bake until cheese is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Pan Seared Fennel in Citrus Wine Sauce

  • 2 bulbs fennel, trimmed (1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 oranges)
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

With a large knife, cut each fennel bulb lengthwise into four slices. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and oil until sizzling. Lay fennel slices in skillet; cook, turning once, until browned, about 5 minutes per side.
Pour orange juice over fennel; season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until fennel is tender, about 15 minutes. Add wine, and continue cooking until fennel is very tender and sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, as desired, and serve warm.

Fava Favorites

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As Christine mentioned, fava beans (also known as broad beans) are both highly versatile as well as rich in history! Below are some tips and recipes for working with the vicia faba plant in the kitchen.

A Quick Fava Bean Snack

Soak matured beans in water overnight or even longer.  Once they are almost completely rehydrated, drain out the water and fry them in olive oil until they are crisp and the shells split open. Salt and serve with a wedge of lemon.

 

Some Ideas for Fava Greens

You can treat fava greens as you would normally to spinach or pea shoots. Some say that they lend themselves to taste like spinach, even. You can mix them (raw) into salads or wilt them slightly by tossing them with a warm vinaigrette. Alternatively, saute them with garlic and use them to garnish ricotta-topped crostini.  Or if you have a large bunch, wash and dry well. Saute quickly (no more than 3 minutes) over high heat with a little butter and salt. Top with a dash of lemon zest.

 

Fava Greens, Edible Flower, and Poached Egg Salad

Courtesy of Westphoria

  • 2 cups lightly packed fava greens (leaves and tender sprigs)
  • 1 handful flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 tbsp. fresh marjoram leaves
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 cup pansy petals and fava blossoms (organically grown)
  • 1 tbsp. sliced green onion
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tbsp. Meyer lemon juice
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • 1 large egg

1. Put cleaned fava greens, herbs, flowers, and green onion in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, and salt to taste.

2. Crack egg into a small cup. Heat a saucepan of water until small bubbles form. Gently lower egg into water and cook just until whites set, about 3 minutes.

3. Toss salad with most of dressing and transfer to a plate. Gently scoop egg from water with a slotted spoon and set on salad. Drizzle remaining dressing over egg.

 

 

Enter: April

/ christineouteraisle / 1 Comment

Surprise! Zucchini season has begun…never before have we had them so early. The tunnel houses are amazing and a great investment that is paying off with early crops. So far, the basil and tomatoes are surviving the frigid early April temperatures and we feel pretty confident that they’ll make it through. The forecast is calling for 80 degree weather next week and we are gearing up our garden crew with this preparation: “Monday the checkered flag comes down so make sure yer oil’s changed and yer gas tanks’r full”  It has been observed that the swapping out of the Winter birds (sparrows) for the new arrival Summer birds (Tanager) is a sure sign that we are about to experience some warm weather.

Surprisingly, the fava beans are 5 feet tall – amazing with the little rainfall we’ve had and no supplemental water. The fava is an ancient cultivated plant thought to have been present in the Mediterranean diet around 6000 BC or earlier. The whole plant is edible and fava greens make a delicious complement to any dish as an edible garnish. The flowers are extremely fragrant and can also be eaten. But the pods are what we are waiting for; Italians are so passionate about fava beans that they celebrate the arrival of the first protein of the season with a national holiday! Other benefits of legumes are discussed in an interesting article from one of our dedicated perveyors: Terra Firma Farm.