Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard from Sunshine Farms 5/09

Alice Waters Swiss Chard Gratin

4 servings

1 1/2 bunches of chard
1-cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons melted butter
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced (or 4 spring onions)
Salt
2 teaspoons flour
1/2-cup milk
A few strokes of freshly grated nutmeg

1. Wash and stem the chard. Save half the stems and slice them thin. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil and cooked the sliced stems for 2 minutes. Add the chard leaves and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and cool. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid from the stems and leaves and coarsely chop them.

2. Toss together the breadcrumbs and the melted butter. Toast on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven, stirring now and then, until lightly brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pan and add the diced onion. Cook over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard and season with salt. Cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and stir well. Then add the milk and nutmeg and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more milk if the mixture gets too thick. The chard should be moist but not floating in liquid. Taste and add salt if needed.

4. Butter a small baking dish. Spread the chard mixture evenly in the dish and dot with the remaining butter, cut into bits. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top. Bake in a 350-degree oven until the gratin is golden and bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.

Asparagus

I've had several folks tell me lately that this is their favorite way to fix asparagus. I'm hoping to get some asparagus at the market on Tuesday to give this a try.

Simple Roasted Asparagus
1 to 2 lbs fresh asparagus
1-3 T olive oil or melted butter
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash asparagus and snap the ends off by holding at the bottom and at the middle and snapping.
Place asparagus on a flat sheet with a lip in one layer. Drizzle olive oil or melted butter across the asparagus. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Place in oven and roast for approximiately 15 minutes, turning after 7.

Lettuce Bread and Grape Salsa

One of our Market Managers, Carrie Hunter, shares these two recipes.

Lettuce Bread

1 3/4 C sugar
3/4 C oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 T Lemon Juice
3 C flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground cardamom
2 C shredded spring lettuce (avoid the bitter ones)
3/4 C chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 X 4 or 4 individual size loaf pans. Mix sugar and oil, add lemon juice. Stir dry ingredients; mix into sugar mixture. Stir in lettuce and nuts, spoon into loaf pans. Bake for 40 minutes if using loaf pans, 30 if using the smaller pans. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool 10 minutes in the pan then remove and cool completely. Freezes well. Serve with lemon curd or creme cheese.



Grape Salsa

2 C seedless green grapes
3 scallions finely chopped including several inches of green
2 T chopped green chilis
1/2 jalopeno finely minced, or to taste
2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T lime juice
2 t finely chopped fresh mint
Pinch salt

Pulse grapes in food processor until coarsely chopped. Mix all ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips or with warm brie quesidillas.

Radishes

Looking for some ideas for radishes? How about this easy dip?

Tuesday May 19

Live music this week by Paul Whitely and Kate Sanders- Down To Earth

Misty Meadow Farms

The folks at Misty Meadows have posted what they will be bringing to market on Tuesday May 19 here.

Check out their new website while you're there.

Arugula

ah-ROO-guh-lah] Arugula is a bitterish, aromatic salad green with a peppery mustard flavor. - Source Epicurious Dictionary

Arugula and Olive Pesto
3 cups arugula

1/2 cup best-quality extra virgin olive oil

1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts\

1/4 cup coarsely chopped kalamata olives, or other oil-cured black olive

1/4 tsp. saltFreshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

1. Place all ingredients except cheese in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

2. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and stir in the cheese. Taste for seasonings adding salt or pepper as desired.

Makes enough sauce for one pound of pasta.

For more great arugula recipes, check out Seasonal Chef

Welcome Back to the Market!!

Opening day at the Phoenix Hill Farmers Market, May 12, 2009, could not have been a more beautiful day!
We welcomed old friends and new