Kung pao chicken (or tofu)

Chicken or Tofu

• 1 lb boneless chicken breast or tofu cut into 1 inch pieces

• 1 tbs. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

• 1 tbs. soy sauce

• 1 tsp. chili paste with garlic

• 1 tsp. sugar

Sauce

• 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

• 2 tbs. rice wine or dry sherry

• 2 tbs. hoisin sauce

• 2 tbs. soy sauce

• 2 tsp. dark sesame oil

• 4 garlic cloves minced

• 1 tbs. water

• 2 tsp. cornstarch

Vegetables

• 3 tbs.peanut oil

• 3 bell peppers, chopped

• 2 fresh hot chilis, diced

• 1 cup sliced water chestnuts

• 4 scallions sliced

• 1/2 c. roasted peanuts

hot rice for serving

Combine the chicken or tofu and marinade ingredients and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Make the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients except cornstarch. Dissolve cornstarch in a bit of water and set aside.

Heat 1 1/2 tbs. of oil in work and set over high heat. Add chicken or tofu and marinade and cook until chicken is no longer pink or about 3 to 5 minutes for tofu. Scrape out into bowl.

Heat remaining oil and add peppers and chilies and stir fry until softened. Add chestnuts and scallions and cook for 1 more minute. Add chicken or tofu back into pan and cook until heated through. Add sauce mixture and bring to boil, then add cornstarch and cook, stirring until sauce boils and thickens. Add peanuts and toss to coat.

Serve over rice.

Maple mustard beets and greens

If you don’t know how to cook beet greens, this is the recipe for you! Truly a people pleaser, the farm crew loves these. This is a recipe I made up, so everything is to taste, you really can’t mess it up! - Kerry

• 1 bunch of beets

• 1 tbs. dijon mustard (the Appalachian maple mustard is perfect for this)

• 2 tsp. vinegar (I like Ume plum vinegar or sherry vinegar, but if you don’t have any of those fancy sorts, any type will do)

• 1 tbs. maple syrup

• slt to taste

• 1 tbs. olive oil

• 1 tbs. butter

Cut leaves from beets where they meet the beets. Toss the top of the beet into the compost. I like to peel around the top of the beet to remove any soil on the skin but don’t really worry about peeling the rest of it unless there is a an area where soil is lodging.

Wash the greens and the green stems well (they really tend to be dirty so give them a couple rinses so they won’t be gritty). Chop the stems and greens and cut the beets into matchsticks so they cook quickly.

Heat butter and oil in a frying pan on medium and add beets. Cover and cook stirring occasionally for about 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them and turn heat down if they start to brown at all.

Add greens and stir. Give a couple shakes of salt to sweat the greens and cover the pan Turn heat to medium low and cook until greens and beets start to soften. Keep heat low enough that moisture from the veggies are enough to cook the beets and greens. You should not need to add liquid.

Add vinegar, maple syrup and mustard and cook until veggies are soft. Add salt to taste and adjust sauce if you would like it sweeter or more acidic.

Eggplant and tomato stir fry

My first year farming at Brookfield, one of the other apprentices Adan would make this for breakfast. Its unbelievably delicious and easy. It makes a great side or serve over rice for a meal.

1-2 eggplants cut into small cubes

2 tomatoes cut into small cubes

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 small onion, diced

soy sauce

rice wine vinegar

toasted sesame oil

olive oil

Pour a glug or two of olive oil into a frying pan and add the garlic and onions. Cook on medium low heat until they soften. Add the eggplant and tomatoes and stir, continue to cook and cover. Stir occasionally. When eggplants are soft, season to taste with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Finish with sesame oil.

Chinese sautéed cabbage with vinegar sauce

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons water

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)

• 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce (or soy sauce) (Optional) (*Footnote 2)

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Stir fry

• 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)

• 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

• 2 to 3 dried chili peppers

• 2 cloves garlic , minced

• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 lb of cabbage

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well.

Cut cabbage into bite size pieces by cutting the whole head of cabbage into half, then quarters. Place one of the quarters cut side down, tilt the knife to slice off the stem and discard it. Separate the outer few layers of leaves, then cut them into bite-size pieces. Then chop the center thicker into smaller pieces.

Add peanut oil and Sichuan peppercorns into a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Cook until the Sichuan peppercorns turn dark but not burned. Scoop out the peppers and discard them.

Add the chili peppers and garlic. Stir a few times to release the fragrance.

Add cabbage. Stir and cook until the leaves just start to turn tender.

Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch thoroughly, pour into the pan. Continue to stir and cook until the cabbage turns tender but still crispy, and the sauce has thickened.

Turn off heat. Carefully taste the cabbage and adjust seasoning by adding more salt, if necessary. Drizzle with a bit of sesame oil and stir to mix again. Transfer everything to a serving plate.

Credit: omnivores cookbook.com A great cooking website. Check it out.

Southern collard greens

Collard greens are so tasty and healthy and yet I find many northerners tend to not know how to use them. I love them southern style cooked until they melt in your mouth, traditionally with smoked pork, but you can leave that out!

• 1/2 small yellow onion diced

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 2-3 cups vegetable broth I only used 2 cups

• 1 teaspoon applewood smoked salt or any kind of smoked salt

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 2 lbs collard greens

• black pepper

Coat a large deep skillet or pot with vegetable oil. Saute onions until almost tender over medium heat and then add in garlic. Cook until onion and garlic are fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add in vegetable broth.

Season broth with smoked salt and red pepper flakes.

Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Make sure it's to your liking because this is how your greens will taste. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat. Add in the greens. Green will wilt down as they cook.

Simmer for 1 hr to 1 hr 30 mins. Do not boil. Add more vegetable broth if needed. May need more or less time so be sure to check them after 30-45 minutes. When done, greens will be dark green, tender and will not have a raw taste.

Finish with a drizzle of vinegar to taste (Ume Plum vinegar is my go to for a umami kick). Add in more smoked salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and hot sauce, if desired.

Credit: divascancook.com with edits by Kerry

Thai Cucumber Salad

• 1/4 c sugar

• 1/4 c seasoned rice wine vinegar

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 c water

• A few generous pinches of red pepper flakes

• 3 large-ish cucumbers, peeled, seeds scraped out, and thinly sliced

• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly choppd

• chopped toasted peanuts for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Combined the sugar, vinegar, salt, water, and red pepper flakes in a saucepan over high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring to a boil. Simmer about 1 minute, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2. Toss together the cucumbers and onions. Pour the dressing over and then toss in along with the mint and cilantro. Chill for a half hour or more to allow the flavors to combine, garnish with peanuts, and then serve.

Scallion pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups white flour

• 1 cup warm water

• Oil for the pancakes, such as vegetable, sesame, or shortening

• Coarse kosher salt

• 1 bunch scallions

• High smoke point oil for the pan, such as vegetable, canola, or peanut oil

Directions:

1. Make the dough and let it rest: Mix 2 1/2 cups flour with 1 cup water until it forms a smooth dough. Knead by doubling the dough over and pressing it down repeatedly, until the dough is even more smooth and very elastic. Coat this ball of dough lightly in oil and put it back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

2. Roll out the dough: Cut the dough into 4 equal parts. Lightly oil the back of a large metal baking sheet (or a smooth stone countertop or pastry board). Roll out one part of the dough on the back of the baking sheet. Roll until it is a thin rectangle at least 12 x 9 inches.

3. Chop the scallions: Finely chop the bunch of scallions. (I usually use the green tops and just the very top of the white parts.) Set them on your work surface along with a small bowl of kosher salt.

4. Top the dough: Lightly brush the top of the dough with oil, then sprinkle it evenly with chopped scallions and kosher salt.

5. Roll up the dough: Starting from the long end, roll the dough up tightly, creating one long snake of rolled-up dough.

6. Cut in half: Cut the dough snake in two equal parts.

7. Coil the dough and let it rest: Take one of these halves and coil into a round dough bundle. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes and ideally longer, while you repeat this process with the rest of the dough.

8. Roll out the coil: Pat a coiled dough bundle into a flat, smooth, round pancake. You can do this with a rolling pin or with your hands.

9. Cook the pancake for 2 minutes: Heat a 10-inch heavy skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, and oil it with a drizzle of canola, vegetable, or peanut oil. When the oil shimmers, pick up the pancake dough and lay it gently in the pan. It should sizzle, but not burn. Cook for 2 minutes on one side.

10. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes: Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook for an additional 2 minutes on the other side, or until golden brown. Repeat steps 9-11 with the rest of the pancake dough coils.

Dipping Sauce:

• 2 cups (454g) light soy sauce

• 1 cup (227g) rice wine vinegar

• 1/2 cup (113g) mirin or simple syrup

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 1/2 cup (57g) grated fresh ginger

• 1/4 cup (57g) minced garlic

• 1 1/2 cups (1 bunch) scallions, white and green sliced very thin on the bias

• 2 teaspoons chili garlic paste, optional

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, for garnish

Combine dipping sauce ingredients and dip away!

Credit:

thekitchn.com

Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼- inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts (or your choice of nuts or seeds - pistachios are great)
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon or a few drops of vinegar to brighten it if you like. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Mix with pasta, spread on pizza crust, dabble on fish, combine with quinoa, great with most anything!  ....Yum.

Ginger Miso dressing on spring greens

1 C.mayonnaise

1 nub of chopped ginger

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tbs. miso

salt to tast

Washed salad greens

Chopped spring radishes

Combine ingredients all ingredients except lettuce and radishes and blend well with an immersion blender and adjust ingredients to taste. Toss greens and radishes with dressing and enjoy!

Corned Beef & Cabbage

3 lbs corned beef
10 whole cloves
1/4 c hot honey sweet mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
Olive oil
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head of cabbage, sliced 1/2"

Heat 2 tbsp oil on med high in a large sauté pan. Add chopped onions and garlic. Add a third of the sliced cabbage to the pan. Sprinkle with a little salt and stir. Spread out over the bottom of the pan and let it brown - then use a metal spatula to lift it up and flip it. Add another third of the cabbage to the pan and repeat above steps. Then the same with the remaining third. Can be made ahead and reheated. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lay corned beef, fat side up, on aluminum foil and insert the cloves into the meat. Coat the top with mustard and then sprinkle brown sugar. Wrap (loosely) the corned beef with foil and place in a roasting pan and bake for 2 hours. Open the foil, spread a little more mustard on, and broil for 2-3 min. Let rest for 5-10 min, then cut, into 1/2" thick slices. Serve immediately with the cabbage and boiled potatoes. Serves 5.

Seeing how our last week of distribution coincides with St Patty's Day and there's lots of cabbage.....

Market Creamy Veggie Chowder

6 slices bacon
1 lg onion
1 st celery
1 lg carrot
1 med parsnip
1 med turnip
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 c chicken broth
1 med swt potato, peeled & diced
1 med potato, diced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 c milk
Cheddar Cheese, shredded (opt)

In a large pan, or Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. reserve bacon to add later. Keep 2 tbsp bacon drippings in pan.

Peel and dice onion, carrots, celery, parsnip, and turnip. cook in reserved bacon drippings in pan, ~ 6-8min until fragrant

Sprinkle veggies with flour, salt, and pepper. Stir until blended. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 min until thickened. Stir in the sweet potato, potato, bay leave and worcesterrshire sauce.

Reduce heat. Cover and simmer ~ 15-20 min or until potatoes are tender. Stir in milk and reserved bacon. Heath through. Discard bay leaves. Garnish soup with shredded cheese. Makes 6 servings.

French Braised Carrots and Turnips

1 lb carrots, sliced
1 Lb. turnips, peeled, halved, and sliced slightly larger than the carrots
2 cups chicken stock
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Place the carrots and turnips in a large, heavy saucepan with the chicken stock, sugar, butter, and salt and pepper. Cook them, partially covered, over medium heat until tender -- about 15 min. Check the seasoning. Sprinkle with chopped chives. Serves 4-6.

From: Recipes from a Kitchen Garden by Renee Shepherd and Fran Raboff.  According to Renee and Fran, this is the recipe for those who usually don't like turnips...

Spicy Sweet Potato Peanut Soup

1 lg onion, chopped coarsely
2" of ginger root, minced
1 clove garlic
8 c veg stock
2 med sweet potatoes (~1lb) 3/4" cubed
1 can of tomatoes (28 oz)
8 large collard (or kale) leaves, chopped up
1/3 c natural peanut butter
2 c. whole or chopped peanuts
pinch cayenne pepper

Saute onion in canola oil, then add garlic and half the ginger and stir. Add stock, heat, and add sweet potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne. Simmer ~5 mins, add chicken cubes (optional), cook ~ 2 mins), add tomatoes, greens, remaining ginger, peanut butter. When sweet potatoes are just tender (~3 min), take off heat. Be careful not to overcook or sweets will fall apart. Adjust seasoning, and serve topped with a handful of chopped peanuts.

from our shareholder Brian Yellen who got it from Mark Bittman. He says "super easy & perennial crowd pleaser."

Mustard-Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables

1 lb carrots
1 lb rutabaga
1/2 lb turnips
2 large potatoes
3 large sw potatoes
1/3 c olive oil
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp hot paprika
1/4 c maple syrup
3 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Set out 2 large roasting pans. Cut vegetables into lengths that are approx. the same size and thickness (preferably 3" x 3/4"). Place in a large bowl (you should have about 12 cups of veggies). In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat well. Spread vegetables between the roasting pans in a single layer. If packed too tight, they won't roast. Roast uncovered for 1 hour. Toss 2-3 times during cooking taking care not to break up the vegetables.

This recipe was given to us by our shareholders Jean & John MacKimmie who say it's their favorite way to use all of the root vegetables from the farm.

Beet-Orange Salad

CHOP AND STEAM OR ROAST: 3 medium beets

MIX:

3 Tablespoons olive, butternut seed, walnut or flax oil

1 teaspoon orange peel zest

2 Tablespoons orange juice

! Tablespoon cider or white vinegar

Sprinkle of salt and pepper

POUR dressing on cooked beets. REFRIGERATE and let marinate 2 - 24 hours. TOAST 2 Tablespoons walnuts and sprinkle on top when ready to serve, with 3 Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese, if desired.

Rutabaga Waldorf Salad

1/2 c mayonaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 c shredded cabbage
1 c peeled, diced apple
1/2 c coarsely grated peeled rutabaga
1/4 c raisins
1/4 c toasted peanuts
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Put mayo in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, a little at a time, stirring until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, apple, rutabaga, raisins, and peanuts. Add the mayo mixture and toss to coat well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

here's a clever take on the classic Waldorf Salad. Bring it to your next picnic instead of the same old coleslaw or potato salad. If you like, grapes and walnuts are more traditional than raisings and peanuts. From the Farmer John Cookbook - a great season-eating resource!!

Pumpkin Pie

Basic Pie Dough (9-inch shell)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups pumpkin (or sweet potato) puree
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk or heavy cream
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat the oven to 450 F.  In a large bowl, beat together the pumpkin puree and eggs. Add the evaporated milk and sugar then the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Beat until the mixture is smooth. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 F and continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes, until the filling is almost set; a sharp knife will come out almost clean. The center of the pie should not be completely firm.

This is straight from Karen's Kitchen, where, if you're lucky enough to be there at the right time, you are rewarded with this gem!

Sweet Potato Cakes

1 3/4 lbs sweets, peel & cut in lg pcs
2 tsp. butter or coconut oil
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour
1 egg, well whisked
yogurt sauce
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro or basil
pinch of salt and pepper

Steam the potatoes until tender. Cool. Warm the butter and saute the onion ~ 4 min. Cool. Blend the yogurt sauce ingredients in a food processor. Set aside. Transfer potatoes to a bowl and mix them with the tamari, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and flour to combine. Add the onion and egg and mix. Add butter to a pan and warm over med high heat. Make small, two tbsn patties and drop them into the hot pan, pressing down to flatten. Cook until well browned on each side, about 7-8 minutes. Remove to a paper toweled lined plate. Serve with some lightly dressed greens and a generous portion of the sauce. These would be so wonderful with a poached egg on top.

adapted from Yotam Ottelenghi's Plenty

Escarole and Beans

1 head escarole    
1 bulb garlic, minced    
1 onion, diced    
1/4 c olive oil    
3 c navy beans, cooked

Saute onions and garlic in oil. When well cooked, add escarole and cover until all leaves are very wilted. Add beans and stir. Serve with rice or pasta.

- We put this in every year - we can't help it we like it so much....This meal is delicious, nutritious, and comes straight from the Italian kitchen of my mother-in-law, Bernice Romanowski (daughter of Anna Valenza Tramutola). Really, this is very Italian and very good - one of our absolute favorites of the year......

Baked Squash with Herbed Stuffing

2 delicata squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, chopped
1 sm apple, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 cups 1/2" bread cubes
1/2 c veg broth
3/4 tsp salt
pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Cut squash, remove seeds, and bake at 350 for 40 min. Allow to cool slightly. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leek, celery, and apple. Saute until tender ~ 10 min. Add bread cubes. Pour veg broth over the mixture, stirring to evenly distribute. Stir in the salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix well. Remove stuffing from the heat. Heap the filling into the squash shells. Cover and return to the oven for another 20 minutes or so. Serves 4.

This recipe comes from the Rolling Prairie Cookbook, by Nancy O'Connor