Carrots and Fennel

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 carrots, shredded

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/3 cup heavy cream

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the carrots and fennel, and season with coriander and fennel seeds. Cook until lightly browned. Mix in the heavy cream, and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 5 minutes until the cream has been absorbed into the carrots and fennel. Serve hot.

found on Allrecipes.com

submitted by nightengale

Chile Verde

Passed along from friend to friend; tasty as all get-out. Farm-raised pork will be available at the farm
soon, and the garlic will be cured and ready fairly soon as well.

3 tablespoons oil
2 pounds pork, well-trimmed and cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
2 bay leaves
4 small 4 ounce cans of diced green chiles (there are hot peppers in the you-pick garden too)
1 large can (28 ounces) tomatillos, pureed
OR 15-20 fresh tomatillos, chopped and pureed
3⁄4 cup chicken broth
1⁄2 teaspoon sugar

OPTIONAL: cilantro, sour cream, shredded monterey jack cheese, tortillas

1) Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Salt the pork and cook until
lightly browned. Remove meat from pan and leave juices.
2) In same pan, add remaining oil and sauté onion and garlic. Return meat to pan.
3) Add oregano, cumin, bay leaves, chiles, pureed tomatillos, broth, and sugar. Reduce heat to low and
summer 35-40 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.
4) Serve as a soup with cilantro, dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese and warm tortillas for dipping.

ORZO WITH WILTED SALAD GREENS

Thanks to Audrey’s co-worker Laurie, who shared this very simple, very tasty creation. It
can easily be a stand-alone meal, or served with meat or fish.

1. Fill a big bowl with greens

2. Add 2 cups drained, cooked orzo or other small pasta – still hot

3. Drizzle with olive oil and juice of 1/2 a lemon

4. Grate some hard cheese on top (parmeasan or the like). If you are feeling fancy, add a
handful of toasted pine nuts.

5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste

6. Toss all together and enjoy!

Zapple Bars

Source: The Classic Zucchini Cookbook , by Nancy C. Ralston, Marynor Jordan, and Andrea Chesman.
Thanks to Mae Carpenter for sharing this recipe. These taste like apple bars, and how perfect is that? It
isn’t apple season yet, and the summer squash & zucchini by now may need a disguise to delight the tired
tastebuds! These would be easily made vegan also.

The Filling
5 1/2 cups zucchini — peeled and diced (summer squash works just as well). Note: peeling is important. I
forgot to peel the squash and no one was fooled!
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg — freshly grated

The crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter — cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the recipe never specifies when to add this)

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the zucchini and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high
heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and
nutmeg. Simmer, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9- by 13-inch baking pan.

To make the crust, in a food processor combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter (I’d add the
vanilla here). Process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press half of the crust mixture into the
prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Spread the zucchini mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining crust mixture evenly on top of
the zucchini. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe (or other Hearty greens)

Pasta with greens is a classic dish, amenable to endless variation, but this recipe is one worth following.
This is from The Kitchen Garden in Sunderland, where good eating is taken very seriously (one of the
farmers is a former restaurant reviewer for The Advocate). Do not skip the anchovies; they play a role
akin to fish sauce in Thai cuisine that is central to pulling together all the flavors in the dish. We all
came back for seconds and even thirds!

1 pound short, thick pasta
2 bunches hearty greens (like kale and many of the fun varieties we have at the farm), washed and
chopped
1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 heads (that is, 4+ cloves) garlic, peeled and sliced
1⁄4 teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste (or a fresh chili, sliced with scissors right into the oil)
1 tin anchovy filets, drained and coarsely chopped
Pecorino Romano (or similar hard grating cheese, optional)

Put a large pot of water on to boil, and in the meantime, wash and chop the greens. Salt the water
generously when it boils and add the pasta. When the pasta is half done, toss the greens right in the
water with the pasta. Separately, in a small pan, sauté the garlic and chili gently in the oil. Before the
garlic browns, turn down the heat to low and add the anchovies, stirring until they dissolve. When the
pasta is al dente, drain it, and toss with the garlic sauce. Serve with the grated cheese.

GUACAMOLE

Just to stoke that foodshed envy.

2 luscious, ripe avocados from beyond our farm’s purview
1 wonderful lime from far away
Salt to taste
Cilantro, minced, to taste (yes, you can pick it at the farm!)
Optional: A bit of minced hot pepper (fussy in this region, but we’re growing some for later this
season—there are actually a few banana peppers ready in the pick-your-own garden)
Optional: 1 small tomato or 2 tomatillos, diced small (available later this season!)

Peel and pit the avocados; mash them with a potato masher, sturdy fork, or in a food processor if you
prefer a creamy texture. Add the juice of a lime, salt, and cilantro, and the tomato/tomatillo/hot
pepper if using and mix well. Serve with chips, alongside rice & beans, or to add delight to many a
meal.

Tomato Crostini

Modified from the lovely section on “Italy” in “Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant.” As noted in the
cookbook, “I give you general directions here for putting the crostini together, because whatever amounts
you choose will be just right.” I have been eating these every chance I get, using El Jardin’s rosemary-olive
oil bread.

Thick slices of good, crusty bread, halved
Olive oil
Garlic, minced
Tomato
Optional: basil leaves, thyme or oregano

Mix something like 1-2 minced garlic cloves in ~1/4 cup olive oil. Brush this on the bread slices, then
place the bread on a baking sheet in a 350 degree (F) oven for ~20 minutes, until the bread is crisp and
dry, but not browned. Then either:
– Roughly chop the tomatoes and lightly squeeze them over the bread to release their juices. Closely
pack the tomatoes on top of the bread. OR
– Place a thick slice of tomato on each bread piece, and return to the oven for ~5 minutes.
Sprinkle the crostini lightly with the fresh herbs and little drizzle of olive oil and serve. Yum!

Avocado and Grapefruit On Greens with Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Thanks to CSA member Lisa Chasan-Taber for this refreshing and fantastic-sounding way to jazz up
your salad! We welcome any recipes you’d like to share with other CSA members; just e-mail them to
simplegiftsfarm@gmail.com.

2 grapefruits
1 heaping teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or minced sushi ginger)
5-6T extra virgin olive oil
1 t salt
1T lemon juice
3T red wine vinegar
1T maple syrup
Mixed greens
2 ripe avocados

Using a sharp serrated knife, cut off the ends and carve off all the skin of the grapefruits right down to
the fruit itself. Hold the peeled grapefruit over a bowl, and slice along each membrane, releasing the
sections of fruit one by one. Squeeze in all the remaining juice from the membrane. Strain the
grapefruit sections over the bowl to collect the juice. Combine the grapefruit juice, ginger, olive oil,
salt, lemon juice, vinegar, and maple syrup and mix well. Cover and chill until serving. Just before
serving the salad, arrange the mixed greens on individual serving plates. Peel the avocados and cut
them into slender slices. Place a couple on each plate. Add a few grapefruit sections and drizzle on the
vinaigrette.

Yield: 6 servings

Southern Succotash

Source: CuisineAtHome.com. Thanks to CSA member Karen Gallagher for sharing this recipe! Applicable
if you are type a, b, c, or d! Takes 20 minutes, total.

1⁄4 cup (or to taste) vinaigrette, your own or your favorite bottled
4 oz. (about 1 cup) green beans, halved crosswise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup fresh corn kernels (available at roadside stands all over the Valley)
2 cups yellow squash and/or zucchini, diced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (in the front of the you-pick garden by North Pleasant St.)
1 cup grape (or cherry, or whatever kind) tomatoes, halved or large diced
1⁄4 thinly sliced fresh basil (in the you-pick garden by North Pleasant St. or near the other flowers)

Boil 1⁄4 cup water in a large sauté pan, then add green beans. Once water has evaporated, reduce heat to
medium and add oil, corn, squash/zucchini and thyme. Cook until vegetables are tender, 5-8 minutes. Off
heat, add tomatoes and basil. Toss vegetables with vinaigrette and season. Good hot or room-temperature.

Simple Steamed Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts have an undeserved bad reputation. Steamed just until tender, they are delicious.
Jesse has even requested Brussels sprouts in his lunchbox! Try them with this sauce (as usual, the
proportions are very loose).

2-3 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed (really huge ones may be cut in half)
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons stoneground or Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Steam the Brussels sprouts until just tender. Meanwhile, sauté the garlic in the butter in a small
saucepan for just a couple of minutes (it shouldn’t brown). Stir in the maple syrup and mustard.
When the Brussels sprouts are done, toss them in the butter sauce, and serve at once.