onions Tag

Yesterday at the farm, Chef Rich Baringer of Dinner’s Done Personal Chef Service served up some delicious samples of dishes he made using farm fresh ingredients from this week’s CSA share. He also shared tips on using some of the more unusual greens like dandelion and agretti. (Though agretti was not in the share this week, we figured you might still have some in your fridge from the past 2 weeks). The recipes are below for your enjoyment. Be sure to check out Chef Rich’s website and sign up for his newsletter for more recipes and tips, or check him out on Facebook.

Mediterranean Chopped Salad (adapted from Cook’s Country)

Serves 6. Chef’s Note: I used heirloom tomatoes in place of cherry and added dandelion greens for half of the romaine.

Ingredients
12 oz cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into ½” pieces
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
¼ cup red onion, minced
1 Romaine lettuce heart, cut into ½” pieces
3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup parsley, chopped

  • Toss tomatoes, cucumber and ½ tsp salt in colander and let drain for 15-30 min.
  • Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic in a large bowl. Add tomato, cucumber, chickpeas, olives and onion. Toss to combine. Let sit at room temp for 5 min.
  • Before serving, add lettuce, feta and parsley. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper

 

IMG_4711Agretti Salad

Serves 4. Chef’s note: You can blanch the agretti in boiling, salted water for a minute or two if you want it less raw.

Ingredients
1 bunch agretti
4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 large oranges, 1 sectioned and 1 juiced
¼ cup sunflower seeds, toasted
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt
Parmesan cheese, shaved (optional)

  • Trim agretti from woody stem (thinner, more tender stems can be used) and roughly chop.
  • In a bowl, whisk the oil with the juice of one orange. Add salt and pepper flakes to taste and set aside.
  • Dry the agretti (if damp) and place in serving bowl. Toss with dressing. Add orange sections and toss. Garnish with seeds and cheese (if desired).

 

IMG_4710 (2)Green Bean Salad (adapted from Cook’s Country)

Serves 4. Chef’s note: Some thinly sliced radish is a nice garnish.

Ingredients
2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 ½” pieces
Salt and pepper
1 shallot, minced
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon zest
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp dill, minced (I used lemon verbena, which is available in the herb boxes a the farm.)
½ cup almonds, toasted

  • Bring 4 qt water to a boil in a large pot. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice and water. Add beans and 1 Tbsp salt to boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 6 min. Drain and place in ice bath. Drain again, dry in salad spinner.
  • Whisk shallot, mustard, zest, juice, garlic and 1 ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil until incorporated. Toss dill and beans in dressing and let sit for 30 min (or up to 2 hrs), stirring occasionally. Stir in almonds. Season with salt and pepper.

 

IMG_4712Grilled Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary (for gas grill) (from Cook’s Illustrated)

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 Tbsp olive oil
9 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 Tbsp)
1 tsp rosemary, chopped
Salt
2 lb red potatoes, small, scrubbed, halved and skewered (so flat sides are level with each other)
Pepper
2 Tbsp chives, chopped

  • Preheat grill to high for 15 min. Clean grill grate. Leave primary burner on high, reduce others to medium.
  • Heat olive oil, garlic, rosemary and ½ tsp salt in small skillet over med heat until sizzling, about 3 min. Reduce to med-low and cook until garlic is light blond, about 3 min. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl; press on solids. Measure 1 Tbsp solids and 1 Tbsp oil into large bowl and set aside. Discard remaining solids, but reserve oil.
  • Place skewered potatoes in single layer on large microwave-safe place and poke each with a skewer. Brush with 1 Tbsp oil and season liberally with salt. Microwave on high until potatoes offer slight resistance to knife, about 8 min, turning halfway. Transfer to baking sheet coated with 1 Tbsp oil. Brush with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Place potatoes on the hotter side of the grill. Cook, turning once, until marks appear, about 4 mi. Move to cooler side and cook 5-8 min until knife slips in and out easily. Remove potatoes to bowl with reserved oil and solids. Add chives and toss.

 

IMG_4709Grilled Zucchini Salad (from The Barbecue Bible)

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lb zucchini (and/or yellow squash), scrubbed and trimmed
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
12 large mint leaves (or 1 tsp dried), minced
2 Tbsp parsley, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice (or more to taste)
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cumin

  • Preheat grill to high.
  • Cut zucchini into ¼” length-wise slices. Brush each with oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Grill, turning until tender and well browned, about 8-10 min. Transfer to cutting board.
  • Cut each slice on bias into ¼” strips. Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining 2 Tbsp and rest of ingredients. Season with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice. Should be highly seasoned.


Post and photos by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner. 
Tricia and her husband Tom have been farming together since 2000. Blooming Glen Farm is celebrating its 11th season bringing high quality certified organic vegetables, herbs, fruits and cut flowers to our local community.

 

With this simple variation to the standard caramelized onion, you can add a new dimension of flavor to your usual pasta or pizza dishes. I spread some goat cheese on a piece of toasted fig bread and topped it with the caramelized fennel and onion mixture–a great appetizer or hors d’oeuvre idea. The anise flavor of the fennel is mellowed and sweetened by the touch of brown sugar and honey at the end.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium high heat. Thinly slice 1 yellow onion and 2 bulbs of fennel and toss in with sizzling butter. Salt and pepper and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn down to medium low heat and sprinkle some brown sugar over the mixture to help caramelize. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until the onions and fennel are a deep golden brown.

Finish with a drizzle of honey and ENJOY!

Recipe and photos by Jana Smart- Blooming Glen Farm employee and frequent creator of creative recipes using farm fresh seasonal ingredients. Check out more of her recipes on her food blog http://www.agrarianeats.blogspot.com/

This flavorful chili is a very light and healthy recipe that utilizes a lot of this week’s share–onions, tomatoes, tomatillos, hot peppers, summer squash, and okra. This is a great way to use up some of those items you may not know what to do with. Tomatillos give this chili some sweetness and depth of flavor, while the okra gives it some good texture and acts as a thickener.

Summertime Chili

Cut up 2 pounds of tomatoes into quarters and put on baking sheet with:

2 poblano peppers, stem removed and seeded
1 jalapeno, stem removed and seeded (you might want to wear gloves for this step!)
1 pound of tomatillos, husks removed
2 cloves of garlic

-Drizzle all veggies with a little olive oil and place in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until they start to get tender and brown slightly. [**The last 5 minutes I set my oven to BROIL to char the veggies a little bit, but feel free to simply roast if you don’t like that flavor] Set aside to cool.

-Meanwhile, in a large stockpot, saute 1 white onion and 2 cloves of garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Cook until translucent and add 2 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste. Mix well.

– Add in with the onions 2 pounds of ground beef (Tussock Sedge Farm is both local and grass-fed) and brown until fully cooked. Salt and pepper generously.

-Place all of the roasted veggies in a food processor with 1 teaspoon of salt, 2-3 tablespoons of chili powder and 1 teaspoon of cumin. Pulse until pureed.

-Add pureed mixture in with the cooked beef and onions along with 2 medium sized summer squash, cut into small pieces, and 1 1/2 cups of chicken or veggie stock

-Bring chili to a boil and then turn down to a low setting and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.

-In the last 15 minutes of cooking, chop up a handful of okra and toss in. This will help thicken the chili and give some additional texture and flavor.

-Let cool a bit and serve alongside some cornbread and maybe a cold beer. ENJOY!

Recipe and photos by Jana Smart- Blooming Glen Farm employee and frequent creator of creative recipes using farm fresh seasonal ingredients. Check out more of her recipes on her food blog http://www.agrarianeats.blogspot.com/