- Stuffed pattypan
We’ve enjoyed curried pattypans. We’ve tolerated them with tarragon and cream (frankly, they’re a touch watery for a sauté). Now, finally, many pounds into the season, we’ve discovered our favorite way to eat these little summer squash space ships! Thanks to the suggestion of Barbara Schutt and the culinary guidance of Julia Child, we blanched, hollowed out, and stuffed pattypans of all sizes (although small to medium taste best). A sprinkle of cheese and half an hour in a hot oven, and voilà!
When I made them, I varied the following recipe a little, using another, smaller zucchini in the stuffing instead of the pattypan cores, mixing in the tomato instead of spreading it on top, and putting in grated Asiago instead of Parmesan cheese. It was equally delicious as a hot supper and, the next day, as a cold lunch. As Julia would say, Bon appétit!
Courgettes Farcies au Riz et aux Poivrons (Zucchini Stuffed with Rice and Peppers)
adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume II
6 zucchini (or pattypans), all of a size, if possible
*
1/2 cup diced onions
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 reserved for later
1/2 cup diced green peppers
1 large clove mashed garlic
the chopped zucchini cores, or two small zucchinis
1/3 cup plain, raw, white, untreated, long grain rice
1 egg
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, plus 3 tablespoons reserved for later
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper
3 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped
*
1) Prepared the zucchini for stuffing. Trim and scrub the zucchini; blanch about 10 minutes in boiling salted water, just until flesh yields to pressure. Drain in colander. When cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise. Using a grapefruit (or other serrated) knife, hollow out cores of each zucchini half, to make a boat-shaped case with the sides and bottom about 3/8 inch thick. Salt and drain hollow side down on paper towels. Chop the removed zucchini flesh, squeeze out vegetables water in paper towels, and reserve flesh for stuffing. If using pattypans, remove stem and little cap of flesh around it, then scoop out insides and seeds and drain, hollow side down, on paper towels.
2) Stir the onions into the oil in a medium-sized (10-inch) frying pan, cover, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until tender. Uncover, raise heat and brown very lightly, stirring, then add the green peppers, garlic, and zucchini cores. Cover and cook slowly for several minutes more until peppers are tender. Turn into mixing bowl.
3) Meanwhile, in a pan of boiling salted water, boil the rice for exactly 10 minutes, drain, and add to mixing bowl. Beat in egg, then the cheese and parsley. Season carefully with salt and pepper.
4) Mound the stuffing in the blanched and hollowed-out zucchini halves. Season tomato pulp with salt and pepper, spread over the stuffing, cover with the remaining cheese, and sprinkle on the remaining olive oil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in upper third of preheated 425 degree oven until bubbling hot and cheese topping has browned lightly.
Recipes
Julia Child, pattypan squash, recipe, stuffed squash
Summer Vegetable Stew
The girls woke early from their naps yesterday and, grouchy and sleepy, they wandered down to the garden with me. Half an hour later, their moods had improved and we had all the fixin’s for supper: fistfuls of basil, baskets piled with carrots, fingerlings, onions, tomatoes, patty pans, a few sprigs of herbs, and whatever green beans Bea hadn’t gobbled up already. This stew, from Deborah Madison’s lovely book, Local Flavors, is one of my favorites this time of year. I cut a few corners–leaving my tomatoes unpeeled and unseeded and my green beans whole, and changing the proportions of vegetables to suit what’s ready for harvest. In last night’s version, I went heavy on the sage and summer squash, and all but the shell beans, bell pepper and olive oil came from the garden.
Shell Beans and Summer Vegetables Stewed in Their Own Juices
Serves 4 generously (at least!)
*
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 onions, chopped into large pieces
7 plump garlic cloves, peeled and halved
3 thyme sprigs
6 sage leaves
12 small (3- to 5-inch) carrots
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound small new potatoes
1/2 pound yellow wax or green beans, ends trimmed
5 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped into large pieces, juice reserved
1 bell pepper, yellow or orange if possible, cut into 1-inch strips
1 pound summer squash, cut into large pieces
1 to 2 pounds shelling beans, shelled
*
The Basil Puree
packed 1/2 cup basil leaves
1 garlic clove
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
*
Warm the 3 tablespoons oil with the bay leaves in a large casserole or Dutch oven over low heat. When fragrant, add the onions, 6 of the garlic cloves, 2 of the thyme sprigs, and the sage. Cover and cook while you prepare the vegetables.
*
Leave the small carrots whole or cut fat ones into 4-inch lengths. Add them to the pot right away since they take the longest to cook. Season with a little salt and pepper. If the potatoes are like large marbles, leave them whole. But quarter larger ones and cut fingerlings in half lengthwise. Lay the potatoes on top of the onions and carrots. Add salt and pepper. Cut the beans into 3-inch pieces and add them, along with the all the rest of the vegetables except the shelling beans, to the pot, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper.
*
Strain the tomato juice over all, then cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes to an hour. If tightly covered, the vegetables will produce plenty of flavorful juices. If the pot seems dry, add a few tablespoons water or white wine.
*
While the vegetables are cooking, simmer the shell beans in water to cover with the remaining garlic and thyme and a little olive oil. When tender, after 30-45 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add the beans, with any liquid, to the pot.
*
Make the Basil Puree shortly before serving: Chop the basil and garlic in a food processor with the oil and enough water to make a puree. Stir in the cheese, then taste and season with salt.
*
Serve the vegetables in soup plates and spoon the Basil Puree over them.
Bea can't get enough!
Recipes
Garden, recipe, vegetable stew
The snack bar
We’re in that wonderful time of year when the tail end of blueberry season overlaps with the beginning of blackberries. In the brambles at the edge of the orchard, fat blackberries seem to have ripened over night, and the clusters I’ve been protecting from the goats have turned from hard and green to deep purple that drips with juice when you brush them. In the blueberry patch, the last clumps of berries are tucked beneath the leaves, and picking them is like a treasure hunt.
The canes behind the girls’ swing set are completely off-limits to grown ups–we call them “the snack bar”–but every day I do a sweep of the rest of the property, picking whatever I can before the birds do. When the blackberries are in full swing, I’ll make a big batch of jam, but this morning I felt like making a quick treat for breakfast: black and blueberry preserves. The natural pectin in the fruit gives it a nice texture–firm enough to spread on biscuits and cornbread, but gloppy enough to spoon over ice cream.
Black and Blueberry Preserves
1 1/2 cups mixed blackberries and blueberries
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
*
Clean berries, removing any stems and tough, wrinkled fruit. Combine berries, sugar and lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan and lightly mash berries with a potato masher (try to break up the fruit but don’t worry if there are still a lot of lumps). Cook over high heat at a rolling boil until sugar is dissolved and preserves begin to thicken, about 15-20 minutes.
Food, Recipes
blackberries, blueberries, preserves, Recipes
- Cha Cha tastes her creation in the Ten Apple Farm test kitchen
Charlotte has been really into making salads recently, which is both exciting, and as it turns out, delicious. Her latest creation is a carrot salad with dill and smoked paprika. Seriously. She made this up herself. The smoked paprika and carrots really go nicely together. There are no real measurements of anything when Cha Cha cooks — it’s pretty much all to taste, but here’s a basic recipe, I fudged the amounts, so feel free to fiddle with them. We love it!
Cha Cha’s Carrot Salad
3-5 Large carrots, shredded
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste
*
Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Enjoy!
Recipes, cute kids
carrots, recipe, salad
Doing the berry mash.
Master Preserver Allison Duffy led a great class at the farm this Saturday, and over the course of the morning, she patiently answered all of my questions about pectin. The short answer: using packaged pectin powder takes out the guesswork. This jam is delicious, and the (relatively) low amount of sugar in it allows the fruit to take center stage. Click here for more photos of our workshop and the jam-making process.
Allison Duffy’s Strawberry Jam
8 cups mashed strawberries (approximately 6 quarts of whole strawberries)
4 teaspoons calcium water (prepared ahead of time per package directions)
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder
*
Rinse strawberries and remove stems. Mash strawberries in a large bowl. Measure mashed strawberries into a large pot. Add calcium water to the pot and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and pectin powder and mix thoroughly. Bring strawberries and calcium water to a boil, then add the sugar/pectin mixture, stirring vigorously for 1-2 minutes to dissolve the pectin. Return to the boil, then remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space, and process.
Recipes, Workshops
jam, pectin, Recipes, strawberry jam
Bea digs into her morning granola
At our house, summer is granola season. In cooler months, we like our cereal hot, but when the weather turns warm, there’s nothing like a bowl of homemade granola with goat’s milk or yogurt and a little fresh fruit. Each year we fiddle around with the recipe, but this is our recent favorite (though Charlotte takes out the raisins).
Summertime Granola
6 cups rolled oats
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped dates (deglets are best because of their firm texture)
*
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together oats, coconut, wheat germ, flax seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and kosher salt. Drizzle with oil and syrup and mix with a rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Place mixture on a jelly roll pan (or a large baking sheet with a lip), and bake, shaking every 10 minutes, until granola is crisp and fragrant, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before adding raisins and dates. When completely cooled, granola can be stored for several weeks in an airtight container.
Recipes
granola, Recipes, summertime breakfast
Sealed jars of rhubarb jam rest on the counter
This year, we’re working hard to extend the productive season of our rhubarb. We love the bright, tart flavor, and when we can harvest those first stalks from the garden, we’re assured that spring really has arrived. By this time in the season, we’ve had countless pies, crisps, and cobblers, but we still want more! In the garden, I’ve cut out the seed heads, trimmed off the yellowed leaves, and prepared a plot so that we can divide our largest plant in the fall. In the kitchen, I’ve made a batch of jam, so we can keep savoring our stalks through the winter.
Though I’ll sometimes add a little orange zest and cardamom to rhubarb pie filling, around here, we generally prefer our rhubarb unadorned. And so, when I was searching for a good jam recipe, it was disappointing to find so few that really let the rhubarb shine. Finally, I just came up with my own. It’s tart enough to give your mouth a little pucker, but sweet enough that our girls have been eating it with a spoon!
Plain Old Rhubarb Jam
12 cups rhubarb, strings removed and cut into 1-inch lengths
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/4 teaspoons Pomona’s Universal pectin powder
2 teaspoons calcium water (prepared according to directions in pectin box)
*
In a large non-reactive pot, thoroughly combine rhubarb with 1 1/2 cups of sugar and let stand, covered, for several hours, until the sugar has dissolved into a syrup with the rhubarb juices. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar with the pectin powder. Add the lemon juice and calcium water to the rhubarb mixture, combine thoroughly, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally, breaking up some of the rhubarb pieces and leaving some intact. When the rhubarb has softened, remove the pot from heat and mix in the pectin and sugar, stirring gently until combined. Return to heat and bring to a boil before ladling into sterilized jars and processing.
Recipes
jam, Recipes, rhubarb
Radishes: under appreciated, under used?
It’s radish season and throughout the garden, fat little red and violet globes are popping out of the soil. They’re everywhere–between potato mounds, on the garden path, interspersed with the trellised peas–because last year a few plants eluded our harvest, produced their fragrant flowers, and dropped seeds. We’ve been gathering the early crop as we weed, but now that our French Breakfasts and Easter Eggs are ready, we have an abundance. We’re eating them at every meal: fresh and crunchy in salads, braised until tender with onions and thyme, thinly sliced on toast with sweet butter, coarse salt, and a pinch of freshly grated lemon zest. This afternoon, the girls and I are planning to make a batch of spicy radish pickles.
While trimming a bunch early in the season, we wondered why we so rarely eat the edible greens. A few weeks ago, we used them in a sorrel soup, and since then, we’ve been eating them like any garden green: stir fried, sautéed with olive oil and garlic and tossed with pasta and cream, picked young and added to salad greens. Last night, we made a delicious radish leaf pesto, with pistachios and Parmigiano-Reggiano, amending the recipe with extra garlic and the zest of half a lemon to give it an extra zing. Don’t be put off by the spines on mature leaves–they’re wonderful greens, packed with nutrients and a nice, spinach-y flavor. If you bring some radishes in from the garden, or find them at the farmers’ market with a nice head of greens, give the following simple sauté a try!
Radish Greens with Garlic
1 large bunch fresh radish greens
1-2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
*
Pick through the radish greens and discard any wilted, yellowed or tough leaves. Remove any woody stems (if you prefer, you can remove all the stems), and wash leaves well. This will take two or three changes of cold water, as the leaves can be gritty. Pat dry with a clean dish towel.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until it begins to shimmer. Add the greens and stir around with a wooden spoon until the leaves are limp. Press the garlic over the greens and stir so that it’s evenly disbursed. Sprinkle with salt to taste and cook over medium-high heat until garlic is mellowed (but not browned) and excess water has evaporated.
*
Bea picks her radish.
Garden, Recipes
radish, radish greens, Recipes
Ten Apple Farm Schav garnished with baby radish and chive flower
We didn’t have quite enough sorrel to make a classic schav borscht, so I improvised with what we had at hand: radish greens! Though they’re a little spiny when raw, the leaves are tender and flavorful when cooked. The soup was surprisingly good, and was a great use for greens that would otherwise have gone to the goats!
Ten Apple Farm Schav
Serves 6
2 cups loosely packed sorrel leaves
2 cups loosely packed radish greens
1/2 cup coarsely chopped chives
1 large potato, peeled and cut into cubes
6 cups water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (or more to taste)
2 egg yolks
*
sour cream
chopped chives, chive flowers, and radishes
*
In cold water, thoroughly rinse sorrel and radish greens (both can be gritty, so use at least 3 changes of water). Coarsely chop the leaves. In a small soup pot or large saucepan, combine sorrel, radish greens, chives, and potatoes. Add water and salt. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low so that the soup stays at a simmer. When potatoes are tender, after about 30 minutes, remove the soup from heat. Working in small batches (1 cup at a time), purée the soup in a blender or food processor. Return the puréed soup to the pot and stir in lemon juice. In a separate small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot soup, then add the egg mixture to the main pot, stirring continually. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, continuing to stir. Serve hot or cold, topped with a dollop of sour cream and chives, chive flowers, or tiny radishes for garnish.
—
I came up with this blintz recipe a couple of years ago for the Shavuot issue of (the now defunct) Jewish Living magazine. Since then, it’s become a farm favorite. The tang of lemon rind and chévre is mellowed a little by the cream cheese in the filling, and the addition of lemon juice to the wrapper brightens up all the flavors. Later in the season, we replace the rhubarb with strawberry, blueberry, or even just a drizzle of honey.
Blintzes with Chévre
Makes approximately 10 blintzes
*
Blintz wrappers:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
*
Filling:
8 ounces fresh goat cheese (chevre)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon rind
2 tablespoons local honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter, for frying
Sour cream and rhubarb sauce for serving
*
To make the blintz wrappers: Over a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and confectioners’ sugar. In a smaller bowl, lightly beat the eggs, gradually adding the milk, vanilla and grated lemon rind. Make an indentation in the dry ingredients, pour in the liquid, and using a wooden spoon, combine quickly, stirring until smooth. Heat a skillet or griddle and lightly grease with butter or oil. Ladle a small amount of batter onto the hot surface and cook until golden. Using a spatula, flip it over and cook until the other side is just golden. Remove to a plate and set aside.
To make the filling: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together all ingredients until smooth.
Preheat oven to 350.
Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the center of each blintz wrapper, roll the edges from each side, and tuck the ends underneath. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and fry each blintz until slightly browned. Generously butter a baking dish, and arrange fried blintzes in the dish. Dot the tops of the blintzes with the remaining butter, and bake for 5-10 minutes, until butter melts and blintzes are fragrant.
Rhubarb Sauce
2 cups rhubarb, strings removed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (approximately 6 stalks)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
*
In a small saucepan, combine all rhubarb, sugar and water. Cook over low heat until rhubarb is tender, about 10 minutes. If it’s heating unevenly, give the pan a gentle shake. Try not to stir, or the stalks will become mushy. Spoon sauce warm over blintzes.
*
Ten Apple Farm goat cheese blintzes with sour cream and rhubarb sauce
Food, Judaism, Recipes
blintz, dairy, Jewish, kosher, radish greens, Recipes, rhubarb, rhubarb sauce, schav borscht, shavuot, sorrel
- A delicious blend of local and not-so: Fiddlehead and avocado salad
The days are warmer, the rhubarb is taller, and it’s with much regret that we say goodbye to fiddlehead season. We ate the last of our cache in this salad, and when we went back to our source, the sign had been taken down and the cooler was gone. We’re on to asparagus around here, and pea shoots and mint and a whole lot of chives. If you can still find them, fiddleheads are awfully tasty in the following salad–their texture was especially nice with the creaminess of the avocado and the pop of sesame seeds.
Fiddlehead Avocado Salad
1 pound fiddleheads, rinsed and trimmed
2 avocados, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
*
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and blanch fiddleheads for 1 minute. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. Pat dry with a clean dish towel.
In a large bowl, combine fiddleheads, avocados and sesame seeds. In a small bowl, whisk together canola oil, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. Pour over the fiddlehead and avocado mixture and gently toss. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Food, Recipes
fiddleheads, Food, Recipes
