Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click here to go to the recipe database.

This week's treat is the first official appearance of summer squash. Only the Family Shares are receiving it this week, but soon, we'll all be getting it! The first summer squash we're getting are the lovely middle-eastern Magda squash, and the yellow and green Zephyr. The Magda has a tender, pale green skin, and is one of the most flavorful summer squash I've tasted. The Zephyrs are a crook-neck type, mostly yellow, with a light green tip. We are still getting a generous variety of leafy greens, so this week, I'm going to let you in on a little secret that will have you easily using them all up each week; a topic I've been saving for just such an occasion: greens for breakfast! Lastly, longtime members Lora Martin and Phil DuBeau weigh in on their solution for using all the veggies in their box.  - Debbie

**************
Errata: last week, I mistakenly listed "Mei qing choi" in 'What's in the Box'. We are indeed getting true pac choi (or bok choi), which has whiter stems and darker green leaves than the mei qing choi. It's a subtle difference, I know, and the two items are interchangeable as far as cooking is concerned, but I still like to give you accurate info whenever I can! ;-) Below is a picture to show you the difference: mei qing choi on the left, pac choi on the right. Now you'll know how to tell them apart yourself!


**************


Greens for breakfast!
Last week, I talked in detail about how to prep and store your greens so they last the week. This week, I'm going to tell you one of my favorite ways for using them!

Here are all the different greens I have cooked up as a part of breakfast at one time or another:

Broccoli rabe
Brussels sprouts
Chard
Collard greens
Kale
Mizuna
Tatsoi
Spinach

The list is not exclusive; it's just all the ones I've done so far. I haven't used arugula yet, but that's not because it wouldn't be good, it's just that I love using arugula uncooked in other things, so it never is around long enough for me to cook up as part of breakfast.

Mostly, I love to use greens with eggs - eggs with a runny yolk I can break over the greens and then eat forkfuls of with toast. It is wonderful with a flavorful grey sea salt sprinkled over the top, or, my indulgent favorite (Constance got me a jar of this from France, and I've been hooked ever since!): truffle salt. This is a very fine crystal, dry sea salt blended with ground black truffle, which imparts a heady mushroom-ey aroma when sprinkled over the eggs. Mmmmm.... but I digress!

Note: if you don't eat eggs, just cook up the greens, with other things like onion or mushroom or sweet peppers (I use frozen peppers when they're not in season) and have them, with or without cheese melted over the top, with toast.

If the green you're using is a firmer, hardier green (kale, collards), you want to do the pre-cook and chop technique I've talked about many times [strip leafy green from stems and boil in well salted water 2 to 3 minutes, drain well, squeeze out water, chop]. When cooking chard for breakfast I generally do not use the stems, but you certainly could if you chopped and sauteed them with some onion first, then added the greens. Up to you.

The more delicate greens, mizuna, tatsoi, spinach, you can cook down right in the pan you're going to be making your eggs in. Or you can pre-steam them.

What I'm trying to get across here is just how flexible this is! :-)

Below are pictures from a couple versions I've made in the recent past.



First, the simplest: break a soft-boiled egg over cooked chopped kale. Sprinkle with salt (and pepper, if you like).














Second version: fried egg with sauteed mushrooms, sweet peppers and chopped chard. Saute the mushrooms and peppers first, in olive oil and/or butter, then add cooked chopped chard leaves, stir around to distribute. Make a little opening in the middle of the greens and crack in an egg (note in this example I'm using my small cast-iron skillet; perfect for one serving). Turn heat down to medium low and cook until egg is set to your liking. I'll only put the lid on the pan after it is mostly cooked, as I want to keep the yolk liquid. Alternatively, you can flip your egg-and-greens briefly, to set the white without setting the yolk.


Third version: fried eggs with mizuna and fish sauce. I love any excuse to get flavorful salt into the dishes I make, and often make what I call 'fishy eggs' - fried eggs where I add a little fish sauce around the edges of the egg after it is mostly done (note: this is a messy business - it sizzles and pops and splatters - so wear an apron!), then cover it and turn down or turn off the heat for half a minute, until the edge of the white gets all crispy and yummy-salty (but the yolk is still liquid). So this version simply includes mizuna! Chop the mizuna first, then saute it down in olive oil until it is about three-quarters wilted (it will continue to cook as the eggs cook). Make little wells in the greens, and crack in the eggs. When the eggs are nearly done, shake some fish sauce into the greens around the eggs (it will sizzle and pop!). Either cover and cook eggs to your liking, or flip them, as I have done here. In all cases, the greens and eggs are wonderful together with bites of toast - especially from the sourdough bread I get from Companion Bakers!


Phil's Organic One Pot Stew
by Lora Martin (and Phil DuBeau)

For years we'd find ourselves not using all the vegetables in our small share. We'd always have things left over, spoiling, in the bin.  Particularly things we didn't think we liked like turnips and beets (lots of turnips and beets!).
 
This year my husband Phil decided that was enough wasting!  He has created the all-in-one organic pot stew!  It is a meal that starts on Wednesday and often can feed our family of three for several days.
 
Here's the "recipe". 
 
Nearly all the ingredients in the share box go into one big soup pot! (We don't add the lettuce and fruit, but everything else goes in the pot). 
 
Phil starts with some meat in the stew pot. He has used many different meats and all taste great. You can chose something like a marinated tri-tip (Costco or Trader Joes) [or marinate your own Morris Grassfed Beef! - Debbie], chicken-apple sausages, chicken, even ribs.  He browns the meat in the bottom of the stew pot with a bit of oil.  After it has cooked a bit he then starts adding the hardest veggie items on the bottom of the pot.  A bit of oil can be put in first but is not necessary.  Onions, carrots, potatoes, beets, turnips, etc are cut into stew-sized pieces and are piled in the pot. Then he layers in the softer items from the box like squash, peppers, broccoli, eggplant, tomatoes, and finally top off with the cut up pieces of kale, or other greens.  He then adds a can or two of chicken broth [or water or other broth or stock]. Cover and simmer. Stir occasionally.  It takes a long time to cook down (about an hour) but the wait is worth it!  A winter stew perfect for these unseasonable rainy days!
 
The best part of the meal: you can add more to it as the days go by! We will add different meats and vegetables over the next few days. It is like a progressive dinner, it keeps changing in flavor. A great way to use up all the great veggies that come in our box! Before, we couldn't finish a small share. Now, we are considering moving up to a family share...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~