The rains have arrived and I’ve had several people ask me about harvesting this time of year. Hopefully you’ve already picked most your red tomatoes! The rain will definitely cause tomatoes to split and they aren’t as flavorful after being rained on either. If you have them under cover, then you might be able to pick for another week or so but wait until the sun comes out again if you can. On the farm we usually try to wait for a dry day to pick green tomatoes as well. It is important pick these before the late blight attacks the fruit, and definitely before the frost comes. We’ll have lots of green tomato recipes in the website next week, but in the meantime try these from the NY Times.

We’re hoping for another week or so of mild weather to keep ripening sweet peppers. The slugs are beginning to attack the fruit so this week we’ll probably harvest everything that is close to the ground. Before the first frost make sure you pull all the rest of the fruit off, wash it, and then you can store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you’re swimming in peppers this time of year like we are try this recipe for Marinated Red Peppers from Kelly Meyers blog Front Burner on Culinate. I think it works just as well with yellow and green peppers too.

We also grow several varieties of hot peppers and dry extras to give out during the winter share. Usually the cayenne and habeneros start to ripen sometime in September. We’ll check the plants about once a week and bring any fully ripe fruit inside to dry. Before the first frost we’ll pick all the remaining hot peppers that have started to blush with color and bring them inside to dry. Most of them will slowly add more color during the drying process. Fully dry peppers can be stored in airtight containers or frozen.

Ensalada de Berenjenas a la Morisca
Based on a recipe from The Complete Spanish Cookbook
By Jacki Passmore

4 medium to large eggplant (about 1 1/2 lbs)
olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped mint
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red chili pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3-4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

Thickly slice regular eggplant or cut Japanese eggplant in half lengthwise. Spread on an oiled baking sheet and brush with some olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 until soft and starting to carmelize about 20 min. I often turn the eggplant halfway through cooking so they get toasted on both sides. Let eggplant cool, then cut into cubes. Place in salad bowl. Whisk some olive oil with the chopped ingredients. Add vinegar to taste and pour over the eggplant. Toss to coat evenly. Let stand for at least 30 min before serving. You can make a day ahead and marinate in the fridge overnight.

The American food establishment has deemed that favas are edible only when the seeds are peeled. In our experience shelling the beans raw, then blanching and peeling the seeds is tedious and unnecessary, and robs this amazing vetch of much of its flavor, nutritional value and fiber. Worse yet, a simple, hearty staple has become a fussy, special occasion food, and a daunting one at that.

The best way to prepare favas for everyday use is to bring a large pot of water to the boil, add a handful of salt, a quarter cup or so, and then throw the whole pods into the water. Cook them for about 12 minutes, until the pods are limp. Drain and leave to cool for 20 minutes, or until they are comfortable to shell. A gentle squeeze and the seeds will slip out of the pod. Favas cooked in this manner are free of bitterness and strong flavors. The combination of the heavily salted water and cooking the seeds in the pod makes skin of the bean nutty flavored, and the fresh favas become a much more satisfying dish than the naked cotyledons touted in the food magazines.

These fresh favas can be sauteed with some garlic and olive oil. On her blog, www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com Katherine Deumling, a happy convert to this method of preparing fresh favas, has a recipe for favas in yoghurt, a very traditional was of serving them. For the field day, we prepared a ful made from a combination of fresh and dried favas, along with some chickpeas. The ful was seasoned with some olive oil, lemon, garlic and cumin.

We must credit Mimi Serafi, the mother of our sister-in-law Shirin, who taught us this simple Persian approach to cooking favas. It works and has improved our life. Can’t ask more than that.

Thank you,
Carol and Anthony Boutard
Ayers Creek Farm

This recipe may sound a bit complicated but after making it once I think you’ll find it quick, easy and versatile. Alliums – all those wonderful members of the onion family including spring onions, green garlic, leeks, whistles, ramps and shallots – are at the heart of this dish. I saute whatever alliums are in season, add a few other veggies and herbs, the egg and a bit of cheese to bind it together, and surround the whole thing with a giant free form pie crust. YUM!

3 cups alliums including some greens, chopped
8-10 Nicoise or Kalamata olives
butter/olive oil
2/3 cup parmesan
2-3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced lemon zest
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
1-2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cream or crème fraiche
1/4 cup chopped parsley (or other herbs)
salt and pepper
1/2 to 1 cup soft goat cheese (about 4 oz)

Almost any greens and/or mushrooms are a great addition to this dish. Saute them separately, allow to cool for 10 min, then add in with the olives at the end.

Thinly slice and wash the alliums then saute them in butter or olive oil for 5-10 min. Add thyme and 1/2 cup of water. Stew over medium heat stirring frequently until alliums are tender- about 5-10 min more. Add the wine and continue cooking until it’s reduced, then add the cream and cook until it just coats the leeks and a little liquid remains. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add olives, parmesan, and lemon zest. Let cool 10 minutes, then stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg and most of the parsley & herbs.

Preheat the oven to 400. Roll out the dough (see below) for one large or six individual galettes. Spread the leek mixture on top, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Crumble the cheese over the top then fold the dough over the filling. Brush with reserved egg and bake until the crust is browned, 25-30 minutes. Remove, scatter the remaining parsley over the top, and serve.

Galette Dough

Based on a recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

2 cups all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1/3-1/2 cup ice as water as needed

Mix the flour, salt and sugar together in a bowl. Cut in the butter by hand or using a mixer with a paddle attachment leaving some pea sized chunks. Sprinkle the ice water over the top by the tablespoon and toss it with the flour mixture until you can bring the dough together into a ball. Press it into a disk and refrigerate for 15 min if the butter feels too soft.

I always roll the dough out onto lightly floured parchment paper because it makes then it doesn’t stick! To form a galette, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch irregular circle about 1/8^th inch thick. Fold it into quarters and transfer it to the back of a sheet pan or a cookie sheet without sides. Unfold it. It will be larger than the pan.

I usually make savory galettes, but this dough is also wonderful wrapped around sweet summer fruit for dessert.

Swiss Chard Bisque
By Beverly Matlock (Laura’s Grandmother)

1 bunch chard
1 can chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped mushrooms
3 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 pint half and half
salt and pepper
4 slices bacon, crisply fried and crumbled

Slice stems of chard- cook about 3-4 min with 2 tablespoons of broth.

Slice leaves and cook until tender, covered about 3 min. Put chard and remaining broth in blender and whirl until smooth. Should be about 3 to 3 1/2 cups.

Melt butter. Saute mushrooms 5 min. Stir in flour and curry powder. Cook until bubbly and slowly add cream. Stir until thickened. Add chard puree and season to taste. Garnish with bacon when serving.

Laura’s Disclaimer: This is my grandmother’s recipe exactly as she used to make it. I’ve made it more recently with a few modifications. It is still really good with veggie broth and olive oil. You can leave out the dairy or use soy milk and you can leave off the garnish or try croutons or a bit of parmesan or crisp fried tofu instead of bacon.

Winter cauliflower is nothing short of amazing! We planted a whole bunch of different varieties this year trying to figure out what does well for us. I’ll post the results on that sometime next month. More important I wanted to put this photo up of our gorgeous SEVEN POUND cauliflower head!! Thanks Matt for capturing this beast on film! Below is a great cauliflower recipe recommended by my friend Lane Selman. She is part of the OSU team that is helping us with variety trials and she also works at the downtown farmers market for Gathering Together Farms. How she find’s time to cook too is beyond me!

Based on Jamie’s Italy cookbook….

Cauliflower Risotto
(Risotto ai Cavolfiori)

serves 6

This is an absolutely delicious recipe. It’s quite unusual, and the best thing about it is that it makes a hero of the much-underloved everyday cauliflower. If you’re down at the farmers’ market, or at the supermarket, have a look around for a Romanesco cauliflower – it’s a similar size to a normal cauliflower but spiky and green. It also has a delicious flavor. The reason I love this dish is because it takes some all-time classic ingredients and puts them together in a great way. In Britain we normally eat cauliflower baked with cheese, and in Italy it is baked as a parmigiana with cream, cheese, and anchovies. All these flavors are in this risotto, with the added bonus of really crunchy chili pangrattato sprinkled on top – it gives an amazing kick.

2 handfuls of stale bread, torn into pieces
1 small can of anchovies, oil from can reserved
3 small dried red chilies
extra virgin olive oil
1 cauliflower
1 risotto bianco (recipe follows)
a handful of chopped fresh parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, for grating

Whiz the bread in a food processor with the anchovies, the oil from the can, and the chilies. Heat a frying pan with a splash of oil and fry the flavored breadcrumbs, stirring and tossing constantly until golden brown.

Trim the coarse leaves off the cauliflower and cut out the stalk. Chop the nice inner part of the stalk finely. Start making your risotto bianco, adding the chopped cauliflower stalk to the pan with the onion and celery at Stage 1. Add the cauliflower florets to your pan of hot stock.

Continue to follow the basic risotto recipe (below), adding the stock bit by bit until the rice is half-cooked. By now the cauliflower florets should be quite soft, so you can start to add them to the risotto with the stock, crushing them into the rice as you go. Continue until the rice is cooked and all the cauliflower has been added.

At Stage 4, when you add the butter and Parmesan, stir in the parsley, taste, and season. Sprinkle with the anchovy pangrattato, grate some more Parmesan over the top, and serve.

Basic Risotto Bianco

This is a great recipe for making risotto. You want it to be smooth, creamy and oozy, not thick and stodgy.

approx 2 pints stock (chicken, fish or vegetable as appropriate)
1 knob of butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
½ a head of celery, finely chopped
14oz risotto rice
2 wine glasses of dry white vermouth or dry white wine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2½oz butter
4oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

stage 1
Heat the stock. In a separate pan, heat the olive oil and butter, add the onions, garlic and celery, and fry very slowly for about 15 minutes without colouring. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.

stage 2
The rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the vermouth or wine and keep stirring — it will smell fantastic. Any harsh alcohol flavours will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty essence.

stage 3
Once the vermouth or wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and almost massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes. Taste the rice — is it cooked? Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.

stage 4
Remove from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan. Stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. This is the most important part of making the perfect risotto, as this is when it becomes outrageously creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat it as soon as possible, while the risotto retains its beautiful texture.

Green Soup

This is a loose guideline rather than a strict recipe…

• one sweet potato, diced (a regular potato should work just fine)
• one parsnip, diced (optional)
• one medium large yellow onion, chopped
• one medium leek (white and most of the light green parts), chopped
• Four cloves garlic, smashed
• About 4 to six cups of mixed greens*, roughly chopped
• Two stalks celery, chopped
• Four cups homemade veggie broth (or any veggie broth, or chicken broth)
• About a teaspoon salt
• About 1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
• A few sprinkles black pepper

* Any collection of three or more greens should work.  I used black kale (stemmed), chard (stemmed), collard greens (stemmed), parsley, cilantro, and a little bit of mint (about 1/4 cup – just because we had some).  Spinach would be great, but we didn’t have any at the time.

• Sauté the onions and leeks and garlic about 10 minutes on low.
• Add sweet potato, parsnip, and broth and seasonings and bring to simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes
• Add greens and simmer another 10 minutes
• Let cool slightly and then puree in blender (or use an immersion blender)

Taste and correct seasonings.

When serving, add a little lemon juice to the bowl and/or maybe a dab of good extra virgin olive oil.

Check out this article by Leslie Cole of the Oregonian about author Janet Fletcher’s new cookbook “Eating Local.” Janet had great things to say about CSA’s and the recipes included in the interview look terrific!

This is simple, fast and fabulous! We learned it from our friends at the Busy Corner Restaurant. They’re sadly out of business now, but the memory lives on with this dish.  The only trick is to start with the best ingredients you can find…

Farm fresh eggs
1 bunch of arugula
olive oil
smoked paprika
salt & pepper to taste
Toasted buttered baguette on the side

Toss arugula with olive oil, salt & pepper and separate into individual bowls. Poach 2 eggs per person. Turn poached eggs on to top of arugula salad. Add a dash of paprika & serve with toast on the side.

This easy & versatile salad is loosely based on a recipe from the Fields of Greens cookbook. It can be made in advance and served warm, room temp or chilled. I make it for the farm lunch whenever we have lots of choi or napa cabbage. Works great on a picnic too.

16 oz buckwheat soba noodles

2-4 heads choi or napa cabbage, chopped

1/4-1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, sliced

1-2 jalapeno, chopped (add seeds too if you want more heat)

2T fresh ginger, grated

lots of garlic, green garlic, scapes or spring onions, diced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1T sesame seeds, toasted

2T peanut oil

2T mirin (sweet cooking sake)

2T dark sesame oil

3T soy sauce

Cook noodles. When the noodles are done make sure to drain them really well then put them in a big bowl. Add sesame oil & soy sauce to coat the noodles so they don’t stick together as they cool. Saute napa/choi including thick white stems in peanut oil. Add them to noodles. Saute mushrooms in peanut oil until tender, then add jalapeno, ginger & onion/garlic and cook for a few minutes more. Add these to noodles and toss cilantro & sesame seeds in too. Stir well. Check again for seasonings just before serving.