July 24 - 2007
CSA Newsletter
July 24th 2007
Man is only 7 inches from starvation – the seven inches or so of topsoil from which we all, in one way or another, derive our sustenance.
Agricultural saying
Wow, the last delivery of July, I can’t believe it. The summer is flying by.
The Harvest
1# salad mix
½# mature spinach
¼# arugula
¼# mixed basil
1 bunch dill
1 bunch cilantro
Squash
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Peppers
1 bunch beets
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch onions
Edible flowers
Flower bouquet
***Not everyone will get squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, edible flowers, flower bouquet or eggplant. But you will definitely get a couple of those. I am keeping track of who is getting what each week and will make sure it all evens out.
Salad Mix - Can you taste the heat in the salad mix? I sure can. Not quite as sweet as it was at the beginning of the season. You can expect that until it starts to cool off a little again.
Spinach - Because this is mature spinach I would recommend sautéing or steaming it. It still tastes great fresh, but the leaves are rather large and unruly.
Squash – Caserta Zucchini and Black Beauty Zucchini are the varieties this week.
Eggplant – Turkish Orange Eggplant is a unique orange fruit great for stuffing (although these may be a little small for that). Listada de Gandia is a beautiful purple stripped Italian eggplant.
Onions – You will either get a bunch of Evergreen Hardy White Bunching Onions, Deep Purple
Bunching Onions or Purplette Onions. You can cook, pickle or eat the Purplette Onions fresh.
Beets – Same varieties as past weeks, except you may see a few Detroit Dark Red Beets in there also.
Carrots – Scarlet Nantes carrots are sweet and crisp, great for fresh eating. This variety is very high in amino acids.
Pepper – Jimmy Nardello’s Sweet Italian Frying Pepper (whew! That’s a mouthful). This is an heirloom variety from Jimmy Nardello who lived in Naugatuck, Connecticut until his death in 1983. His family had been growing these peppers in that region ever since coming to the U.S. Mr. Nardello’s mother originally brought the seeds with her when she immigrated to the U.S. in 1887 with her husband Guiseppe. These peppers are super sweet and one of the very best for frying. (Doesn’t it just crack you up to know that much about a pepper…)
The News
If you haven’t received your free t-shirt yet, grab me when you pick your veggies up and I will help you out. Same goes for the bags. Feel free to buy t-shirts and bags for the whole family, maybe all your friends and neighbors too…..
Kids - $14
Adult - $17
Bags - $13
If you haven’t signed the new contract get one of those this week also.
The Recipe
Here is another great recipe from Gavin Baker Chef/Owner of the soon-to-be Salt Restaurant.
Heirloom Tomato Risotto
For the Tomatoes:
1 pound (#) assorted Copper Moose Farms heirloom tomatoes such as Cherokee purple, purple Russian, Chadwick Cherry or Aunt ruby’s German green
2 Tablespoons (T) of high quality, cold-pressed olive oil
1 teaspoon (t) local salt
1 t fresh ground white pepper
PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
Rinse tomatoes and remove stem. Cut all tomatoes until they are roughly the same size as the smallest one, then toss together with the oil, salt and pepper.
Spread tomatoes in a single layer on a sheet pan and place uncovered in the oven. Slowly roast for 45 minutes. When tender and “melting”, gently strain off the juice from the pan into a blender. Remove approximately 25% of the best looking tomato pieces and reserve for the garnish. Add the remaining tomatoes to the blender and puree. Pass through mixture through a fine strainer and taste. You don’t want to adjust the seasoning at this point; you simply need to know “where you are at”. Chill the mixture immediately over an ice bath to retain as much color and flavor as possible. Reserve.
For the Risotto:
1 ½ cups (c) carnaroli rice (you can use aborio, but carnaroli is the best).
3 quarts (qts) filtered water
Local salt and fresh ground white pepper
½ c mascarpone cheese, softened
¼ c freshly grated parmigiano-regiano
¼ c high quality butter, unsalted, softened
1-2 c heirloom tomato puree, from above
Roasted tomato pieces from above, skin removed and sliced
Pinch of smoked paprika
Pinch of nutmeg
PREPARATION:
Bring 2 qts of the water to a rolling boil and season lightly. Add the rice, stir once, reduce heat slightly and allow to blanch for 7 minutes. At the end of this time frame, strain, discard the liquid and spread the rice onto a sheet pan in a single layer. Cool by fanning and gently folding rice with a rubber spatula. Care should be taken to not break the grains. This is also why you should reduce the heat slightly when adding the rice. A rolling boil will batter the rice around. This same rule applies to pasta, potatoes and anything else you can think of for that matter.
To finish the risotto: Combine about half of the rice with enough filtered water to cover by a ½ inch in a heavy-bottomed pot. You can use a light veg stock, but I find that pure water is the best choice as it doesn’t mask any of the delicate heirloom flavors. I would definitely avoid chicken stock or any wines as these will certainly overpower the tomato essence that we are after. Using a heat resistant rubber spatula and medium heat, stir continuously until the mixture begins to simmer and the water is absorbed. Add a bit more water and cook until creamy. Add a bit more water, then a spoon of mascarpone and a spoon of butter; stirring all the while. When creamy, add the some of the tomato puree and some of the parmesan. Stir to combine, then taste. At this point, you must make your own decisions. I prefer a super creamy, loose mixture that is vibrant in color and taste. For this, I would continue to add the remaining cheeses, butter, and tomato puree, thinning with water as needed. When you reached the desired consistency, season with salt, fresh ground white pepper, the smoked paprika and a pinch of nutmeg. When satisfied, fold in the diced tomato pieces and serve at once. Don’t be afraid to thin the risotto with water. A thick risotto is heavy on the stomach and palate.
NOTES:
At this point, you can go in several directions. To keep it as vegetarian main course, pair it with sautéed beet or mustard greens that have been flavored with young garlic. To make it more elegant, fold in some lightly sautéed lobster pieces and a few sprigs of tarragon. The possibilities are endless.
Wow, that one looks fantastic! See you all soon.
Daisy
July 24th 2007
Man is only 7 inches from starvation – the seven inches or so of topsoil from which we all, in one way or another, derive our sustenance.
Agricultural saying
Wow, the last delivery of July, I can’t believe it. The summer is flying by.
The Harvest
1# salad mix
½# mature spinach
¼# arugula
¼# mixed basil
1 bunch dill
1 bunch cilantro
Squash
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Peppers
1 bunch beets
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch onions
Edible flowers
Flower bouquet
***Not everyone will get squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, edible flowers, flower bouquet or eggplant. But you will definitely get a couple of those. I am keeping track of who is getting what each week and will make sure it all evens out.
Salad Mix - Can you taste the heat in the salad mix? I sure can. Not quite as sweet as it was at the beginning of the season. You can expect that until it starts to cool off a little again.
Spinach - Because this is mature spinach I would recommend sautéing or steaming it. It still tastes great fresh, but the leaves are rather large and unruly.
Squash – Caserta Zucchini and Black Beauty Zucchini are the varieties this week.
Eggplant – Turkish Orange Eggplant is a unique orange fruit great for stuffing (although these may be a little small for that). Listada de Gandia is a beautiful purple stripped Italian eggplant.
Onions – You will either get a bunch of Evergreen Hardy White Bunching Onions, Deep Purple
Bunching Onions or Purplette Onions. You can cook, pickle or eat the Purplette Onions fresh.
Beets – Same varieties as past weeks, except you may see a few Detroit Dark Red Beets in there also.
Carrots – Scarlet Nantes carrots are sweet and crisp, great for fresh eating. This variety is very high in amino acids.
Pepper – Jimmy Nardello’s Sweet Italian Frying Pepper (whew! That’s a mouthful). This is an heirloom variety from Jimmy Nardello who lived in Naugatuck, Connecticut until his death in 1983. His family had been growing these peppers in that region ever since coming to the U.S. Mr. Nardello’s mother originally brought the seeds with her when she immigrated to the U.S. in 1887 with her husband Guiseppe. These peppers are super sweet and one of the very best for frying. (Doesn’t it just crack you up to know that much about a pepper…)
The News
If you haven’t received your free t-shirt yet, grab me when you pick your veggies up and I will help you out. Same goes for the bags. Feel free to buy t-shirts and bags for the whole family, maybe all your friends and neighbors too…..
Kids - $14
Adult - $17
Bags - $13
If you haven’t signed the new contract get one of those this week also.
The Recipe
Here is another great recipe from Gavin Baker Chef/Owner of the soon-to-be Salt Restaurant.
Heirloom Tomato Risotto
For the Tomatoes:
1 pound (#) assorted Copper Moose Farms heirloom tomatoes such as Cherokee purple, purple Russian, Chadwick Cherry or Aunt ruby’s German green
2 Tablespoons (T) of high quality, cold-pressed olive oil
1 teaspoon (t) local salt
1 t fresh ground white pepper
PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
Rinse tomatoes and remove stem. Cut all tomatoes until they are roughly the same size as the smallest one, then toss together with the oil, salt and pepper.
Spread tomatoes in a single layer on a sheet pan and place uncovered in the oven. Slowly roast for 45 minutes. When tender and “melting”, gently strain off the juice from the pan into a blender. Remove approximately 25% of the best looking tomato pieces and reserve for the garnish. Add the remaining tomatoes to the blender and puree. Pass through mixture through a fine strainer and taste. You don’t want to adjust the seasoning at this point; you simply need to know “where you are at”. Chill the mixture immediately over an ice bath to retain as much color and flavor as possible. Reserve.
For the Risotto:
1 ½ cups (c) carnaroli rice (you can use aborio, but carnaroli is the best).
3 quarts (qts) filtered water
Local salt and fresh ground white pepper
½ c mascarpone cheese, softened
¼ c freshly grated parmigiano-regiano
¼ c high quality butter, unsalted, softened
1-2 c heirloom tomato puree, from above
Roasted tomato pieces from above, skin removed and sliced
Pinch of smoked paprika
Pinch of nutmeg
PREPARATION:
Bring 2 qts of the water to a rolling boil and season lightly. Add the rice, stir once, reduce heat slightly and allow to blanch for 7 minutes. At the end of this time frame, strain, discard the liquid and spread the rice onto a sheet pan in a single layer. Cool by fanning and gently folding rice with a rubber spatula. Care should be taken to not break the grains. This is also why you should reduce the heat slightly when adding the rice. A rolling boil will batter the rice around. This same rule applies to pasta, potatoes and anything else you can think of for that matter.
To finish the risotto: Combine about half of the rice with enough filtered water to cover by a ½ inch in a heavy-bottomed pot. You can use a light veg stock, but I find that pure water is the best choice as it doesn’t mask any of the delicate heirloom flavors. I would definitely avoid chicken stock or any wines as these will certainly overpower the tomato essence that we are after. Using a heat resistant rubber spatula and medium heat, stir continuously until the mixture begins to simmer and the water is absorbed. Add a bit more water and cook until creamy. Add a bit more water, then a spoon of mascarpone and a spoon of butter; stirring all the while. When creamy, add the some of the tomato puree and some of the parmesan. Stir to combine, then taste. At this point, you must make your own decisions. I prefer a super creamy, loose mixture that is vibrant in color and taste. For this, I would continue to add the remaining cheeses, butter, and tomato puree, thinning with water as needed. When you reached the desired consistency, season with salt, fresh ground white pepper, the smoked paprika and a pinch of nutmeg. When satisfied, fold in the diced tomato pieces and serve at once. Don’t be afraid to thin the risotto with water. A thick risotto is heavy on the stomach and palate.
NOTES:
At this point, you can go in several directions. To keep it as vegetarian main course, pair it with sautéed beet or mustard greens that have been flavored with young garlic. To make it more elegant, fold in some lightly sautéed lobster pieces and a few sprigs of tarragon. The possibilities are endless.
Wow, that one looks fantastic! See you all soon.
Daisy
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