Peas

After trying different kinds of Peas, we have settled on the Sugar Snap Pea.  In french we call them Mange Tout which means eat all.  The sugar snap peas you get here taste a whole lot different than what you'll get at the grocery store and like corn are best consumed as soon as possible for the sweetest taste. They should also be kept in the refrigerator.

Snap Peas are so delicious eaten just as they are, in a salad as a veggie and dip....

We also like to enjoy them quickly blanched in water for a minute and cooled in a bowl of ice water seasoned with salt. Your peas will be already seasoned and ready for munching!

Still, there are many recipes a recent one I have grown fond of is Roasted Snap Peas.  It's the perfect late night snack or as a side.

Here's the recipe : roasted-sugar-snap-peas-with-sesame-dipping-sauce

Cooking Stew Hens

Stewing Hens and Chicken Noodle Soup 

This has become our most popular post! I have decided to up date a little which i will do in green! I am glad to hopefully have been able to add a little information out there about something that i am sure all our great-grand-mothers new like the back of their hand!  It's really so easy and very forgiving. Be flexible and creative with your herb and vegetable additions... I just use what i have on hand.  You can use the broth portion of this recipe to make broth with 1 stew hen or as many as you could fit into your pot as well as any organic pastured reserved chicken bones you have.  

Poultry that is processed at older than 1 year are considered a stew hen, soup bird or "fowl.  These birds make for excellent eating, the best broth and chicken to use for any of your recipes.  We have loads of golden broth in the freezer and I always have some bags of frozen chicken meat to pull out for quesidillas or soup etc... The trick is in cooking as this meat requires a long and slow cooking time and lots of moisture. According to Gina Bisco from the article Rediscovering Traditional Meats from Historic Chicken Breeds, it is important to keep temperature below 180 F. When the temperature goes over 180 F the protein fibers toughen. Therefore, after the initial boil to bring up foam I never let the pot boil and keep to a simmer.


Chicken Noodle soup

(for the broth)
1 stewing hen
4-5 garlic cloves
1-2 large onion
4-5 celery stalks with leaves
3 carrots
fresh thyme
fresh parsley
salt
pepper


(for the soup)

reserved chicken diced up
celery
carrots
parsley
egg noodles
broth

1-Put chicken (or many chickens and any reserved bones if you are making a large batch of broth) in a pot then just cover with cold water.

2- Bring to a low boil and then simmer

3- Skim off foam that will surface

4. Add all other broth ingredients (whatever you have it's good to save less than perfect veggies like carrot ends or inedible celery parts etc...in fridge to use- i don't even peel my onion!).

5- Simmer.  What is important to know here is that:  when stewing, the water should not be allowed to boil, but should be kept at a simmer temperature, 180 F or less and the meat should be removed when ready (the breast meat will be best (especially good for sandwiches) if it is removed as soon as it is done, which may be a couple of hours before the dark meat is done .

 It will seem stiff for quite a while! I cook mine about 8 hrs...( but I always make huge batches so adjust time)  make sure there is enough water for all meat to be submerged-adding more water at times if necessary.

Like I said above the breast is always ready before the rest and it's best to remove it first and cook the dark meat a little longer but i usually forget and it's all good anyways!

6. Remove meat.

7. Cook down a little more. You can also cook for another 1/2 day or overnight and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to extract the minerals from the bones giving you the most nutrition. Strain and then again with a cheese cloth for clear broth.


For soup- cook cut up veggies in olive oil or a little broth. Add some broth (you should have a good size of extra broth to freeze).  Boil noodles add chicken and parsley salt and pepper to taste.

Here is a fantastic link to cooking Heritage chicken: There are interesting points of cooking fowl or stew chicken.  /www.albc-usa.org/documents/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf

Collards

Collards can be substituted for greens in most recipes and are delicious lightly sauteed on their own.  Their nice round flat shape though makes them ideal for using as a wrap. We love making cabbage rolls with them.

Collard Green Rolls

1 bunch of Collard Greens (can also use large Swiss Chard leaves)
1 1/2 cups of organic rice Jasmine or Basmati
1 can of petite diced tomatoes ( or some fresh chopped tomatoes)
1 onion
1 garlic clove
1/2 bunch of Parsley
1 tbsp Mint (fresh of dried)
1/2 cup of Organic Olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 -2 cups of chicken broth
1 pkg of ground meat (chicken, turkey, veal or beef)


1.In a food processor puree onion, garlic, olive oil,herbs, tomato paste, (tomatoes if your trying to hide them..if not add later), meat.

2. Add rice and tomatoes if you didn't already add them to mixture.

3. Leaves: Wash leaves and drop in salted boiling water. I like groups of 3-4. Leave them in just to wilt leaves making them easy to roll.

4.When all leaves are ready, you can begin assembly.  I cut out the thickest part of stem so that it's easy enough to roll. Then put about 2 tablespoons on lower middle of a leaf. Fold over sides and roll up.

5. Lay them all side by side in a dish.

6. Add chicken broth and cover with a lid or tin foil.

Cook for about 1 hr.

Eat with extra tomato sauce and sour cream.... Yum.  ( I will one day add a picture to this recipe!)

I often end up with extra mixture...because i run out of leaves ( that was before i had the farm) it is as simple as freezing it. Then next time when you buy leaves..Collards or Swiss Chard it is much faster to put together.

Collard Wraps

Collard also make wicked cold wraps! Stuff them with Humus or Baba Ganoush and then sky's the limit with fresh veggies you can put inside!

Here's the recipe for the wrap in the photo:

Collard Wraps with carrots and Hummus

Tomato

Have you ever tried making fresh tomato sauce? The kind that you just pour on... It's so easy and so good! We use all colors here and pass them through a food mill.  A food mill is a really good kitchen tool, we have a large one but you can find small ones for about 30$. It allows you to remove the skin and seeds easily! I can't imagine making sauce without one...

We make tomato sauce two ways, roasted and fresh and i love both. Fresh sauce taste like summer whereas roasted sauce has a deeper richer flavor.


There are no measurements or times in these recipes...


Fresh tomato Sauce

Wash and cut up tomatoes removing any bad spots. Fry some onions and garlic in a pot till they are soft and starting to turn brown. Add tomatoes and cook down until tomatoes are all broken down. Add some fresh herbs such as basil and oregano.  When things have stewed for quite a bit let cool and pass through a food mill to remove seeds and skin. Return to pot and cook down to desired consistency-  add salt to taste and cook a little longer.


Roasted Tomato Sauce

 First wash and quarter them leaving out any bad spots. Then i place them in a roasting pan with some olive oil , a sprinkle of salt and slow roast. I also roast some garlic in foil packs. Next i fry some onion till it's soft in a big pot. Add the roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, fresh basil and more salt to pot and boil down again. Let cool and pass through mill. All the skin, seeds, onions and basil is discarded but the flavor remains! You now have a seed and skin free sauce which you again boil down till it's the consistency you like.

This is the Salsa recipe I make for the store and often bring to parties..always a hit!

Chez Nous Salsa

3 ripe tomatoes ( i love to add cherries also)
1 small pepper ( i usually use a small hot pepper if using a sweet maybe only half since they are usually bigger)
herbs ( as much as u want from 2 tablespoons to 1 cup) parsley, cilantro, oregano, mint
1-2 limes
1/4 to 1/2 red onion
1 small garlic clove
big splash of olive oil
1 tsp tomato paste also great without
1-2 tsp of cumin
salt to taste..1/2 to 1 tsp

Chop tomatoes and let drain colander to remove excess water.
Add rest of ingredients.

Taste best when eaten right away but may also be refrigerated.

Ketchup Vert  (Green Tomato Ketchup)

This recipe is for unripe green tomatoes...

28 cups of Green Tomatoes (chopped to your liking- I thinly slice with food processor)

12 cups of onions (sliced same as tomatoes)

6 cups of vinegar

3 cups of sugar

¾ cup of salt

 6 tbsp of picking spice (tied in cheesecloth)

Soak tomatoes and onions in salt overnight

Drain and rinse well.

In pot- tomato/onion mixture, vinegar, sugar, picking spice tied in cheesecloth.

Pour into sterilized jars leaving  1 cm head-space and put in water-bath (caner) and process for 10 min.

This recipe gives 10 jars

Pasta Alfredo

The tomatoes are really a minuscule part of the following recipe but make all the difference! Fresh tomatoes on a pasta dish are incredible! So I am including this here. ( You will also see that butter and whipping cream are in the recipe...we don't eat low fat anything and really try to stick to whole foods in their natural state.  I don't this is a new concept after all the low fat brainwashing but their is lots of evidence coming out that organic butters, pastured lards and organic whole milks etc... are in fact good for you look it up! )

1 clove of garlic

1/2 stick of organic butter

1 cup of  organic whipping cream

1/2 -3/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese

meat if you'd like or just serve on the side ( also cook ahead)... chicken, crab or prosciutto or even bacon go well

vegetables and herbs of your choice

mushrooms, zuchinni, eggplant, swiss chard, fresh tomatoes, basils, oregano, parsley, thyme, savory

-Prepare noodle of your choice

-Prepare your veggies herbs can be added later as well as fresh tomatoes.

-Melt butter and add minced garlic cook 1 minute

-Add cream and cheese and cook a few minutes more.

-Combine  warmed veggies and meat to noodles add herbs and tomatoes stir in sauce and serve! So yummy... I'll be warming up some leftovers as soon as I'm done this!

Kale

Kale

Kale is so versatile and can be substituted for nearly any green in a recipe. It easy to grow and keeps giving all season long.  It can be planted pretty early and harvested through many frosts. It will become a little bitter during the summer and sweeten back up as the weather cools down. Keep it protected and next spring you can harvest a little more until the grand finally of being graced with delicious little broccoli type flowers which means the plant is going to seed.

Frost Kissed Kale...tastes sweeter!

I think just about everybody has heard of Kale by now!  Such a versatile green or purple! We grow all kinds and that's what you get in a bag of Chez Nous Kale. It a regular addition to our juices and smoothies and most often just lightly steamed or sauteed and seasoned a little with oil, butter or Tamari. The internet is swamped with Kale recipes! 

A few not so common of our favorite Kale recipes: 

This one is from  a great blog called 365 days of Kale . It is loaded with Kale recipes.
This recipe is delicious and was added to our family recipe book!

 It has 3 layers of potatoes. It's a must if you like Indian spiced dishes. We ate it with a chickpea stew and some plain yogurt. This recipe would be just as good cooked as an oven potatoes dish with cubed potatoes.


Roasted Potato Kale Curry

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced (or 1/4 teaspoon powdered)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Pinch salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 8 cups kale, rinse well, remove large thick stems and chop (a medium chop is ok, 1-2 inches)
• 4 medium to large potatoes, peeled (or not - I did not) and thinly sliced (1/8-1/4 inch, thinner will take less time to cook all the way through)
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large non-stick oven proof skillet over medium heat. (I used my large cast iron skillet for steps 1-3.)
2. Add onion, garlic, ginger and spices. Saute until onion is softened.
3. Add kale and saute until just wilted, about 5 minutes. Take off heat.
4. Preheat oven to 425°F. (I did this before I started chopping the vegetables)
5. Arrange 1/3 of the thinly sliced potatoes on the bottom of a medium cast-iron skillet, overlapping so that none of the skillet is showing through.
6. Spread 1/2 of the kale mixture over the potatoes.
7. Arrange the next 1/3 of the potatoes over the kale mixture, making sure to overlap again.
8. Spread the remaining kale mixture and top with the last batch of thinly sliced potatoes.
9. Press down with a wide spatula until nice and compact.
10. Pour olive oil over top.
11. Bake in pre-heated oven for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
12. Cut into wedges and serve.

For this kale recipe and many many more go to:
http://www.365daysofkale.com/2012/03/roasted-potato-kale-curry.html

Kale Chips:

Cheesy Kale Chips



This next recipe has been popular with members:

 Eat your Greens Meatloaf from The Book of Kale

This makes a delicious meatloaf...and can take more Kale than the recipe asks...would make delicious

 meatballs just double or triple the sauce!

Eat your Greens Meatloaf from The Book of Kale

2 pieces of sturdy bread

1/2 c. (125 ml) milk

1/2 tsp. (2 ml) salt

4 c. (1 l) kale leaves

1/2 c. (125 ml) onion

1 lb. (454 g) lean ground beef (subs with any ground meats you like)

1 lb. (454 g) lean ground pork

1 large egg

2 tsp. (10 ml) Dijon or grainy mustard

salt & black pepper

1/2 tsp. (2 ml) fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp. (5 ml) dried basil

1/2 tsp. (3 ml) dried oregano

1/2 c. (125 ml) parsley

Optional Glaze:

1/2 c. (125 ml) ketchup

2 tbsp. (30 ml) brown sugar

1 tbsp. (15 ml) tamari or soy sauce

Tear the bread into small pieces and soak in the milk and salt in a large bowl. Let stand for about 10 minutes until the bread soaks up the milk and the mixture is soft.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.

Cut the kale leaves into a chiffonade, long thin strips, if using a knife. Chop onion. Mince herbs.

Add the remaining ingredients to the bread and milk. Mix well, then pile evenly into a lightly greased casserole or a large loaf pan.

Bake for about 45 minutes.

For the glaze, combine ingredients and brush or spoon evenly on top of the loaf after it has baked for 20 minutes. 

* Changes I made I pureed the onions and cooked longer until the sauce was really baked on.  

This recipe is a keeper and tastes even better the next day!

blue curled scotch kale

Popular Tuscan Kale

Gujerati Kale Bharta

The Book of Kale by Sharon Hanna

Unique and  very flavorful... like much “Indian sauce like” dishes so a little goes a long way –it’s a side eaten with Raita a cold and refreshing yogurt sauce and some flat bread or rice with a side of  meat. 

Ingredients

8 cups of Kale chopped ( you can use a food processor)

1 small rutabaga or turnip peeled and cut in small dice ( I used Hakurei)

1 cup of water

1 tsp of salt

3 Tbsp butter or ghee for frying

1 onion finely chopped

1 Tbsp ginger Root finely minced ( I grate mine)

1 tsp paprika or chili powder

 ½ tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp cayenne

2 tsp garam masala (spice )

Juice of 1 lemon

About ½ cup of cashews ( any nuts…I used almonds)

Raita sauce ( now this I changed a bit because I am used to making my own)

1 cup of yogurt

8-10 mint leaves ( other herbs work well too)

1 green onion ( I used a garlic scape and I often use garlic powder)

½ apple chopped fine ( I usually use grated and dabbed dry cucumber )

Salt pepper

½ tsp sugar ( I don’t usually add this but did this time)

I added ground cumin because I love the stuff and it goes good with this.

Simmer greens and turnip in a covered pan with 1 cup of water and salt.

When tender remove from heat and mash

Heat ghee or butter in a skillet. Lightly fry onion, ginger, paprika or chili powder, cumin seeds and cayenne for about 5 min.

Add the mashed greens and cook until green are really well cooked keep adding water a little at a time until the greens are really soft. Just before serving stir in garam masala, lemon juice and sprinkle nuts on top.

Serve with Raita, flat bread/ tortilla, rice etc..

This next recipe is a lot easier than it sounds and the dough is really easy to handle!

Ligurian Kale, Chard & and Potato Torta

from The Book of Kale by: Sharon Hanna

Residents of the Ligurain area of Italy still bake flattish pies like these over an open fire. Although it may seem as if there are a lot of steps, the result is eminently satisfying both for you and anyone else invited to share. Each step is easy, but make this when you have some time to spend in the kitchen. The crust is adaptable to other fillings such as fruit.

Crust::

11/4 cups unbleached white flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter, softened

Cold water

Filling:

3/4 cup feta, crumbled

3/4 cup Jarlsberg or other mild soft cheese, grated

1 potato boiled, peeled, chopped and cooled

1 small onion, minced

3 tbsp parsley, minced

 1/4 tsp black pepper

2 cups of Kale leaves, loosely packed, cut small

2 cups chard leaves, loosely packed, cut small

Salt, to taste

2 eggs slightly beaten

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

Crust:

Mix together dry ingredients, drizzle oil over top, add butter, then combine well with a fork. Sprinkle water on a little at a time, adding up to a maximum of a 1/2 cup, to form a soft dough that just holds together. Knead the dough for about 30 sec, then wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. ( You can make the crust in advance and store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to a day)

Filling:

Mix cheese,potato, onion and parsley in a bowl seasoning with pepper.

Cook the greens in a small amount of water until al dente. Drain in a colander, squeezing our as much liquid as you can(- which can be saved for soup or smoothies). Let stand 5 min then squeeze out even more liquid. The last thing you need is a soggy torta.

Add greens to cheese/ potato mixture. Depending on the saltiness of the feta cheese, it may be salty enough, but you can taste it now and add a pinch or two if you are so inclined.

Stir in eggs and 1 Tbsp of Olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 F

Remove dough from fridge and divide into two equal portions, one slightly bigger than the other. On a lihjtly floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll out larger ball to form a thin circle, approx 13 inches in diameter, turning dough occasionally. It doesn't need to be perfectly round. In fact, it looks more rustic and authenctic if it's a bit wonky.

Place the bottom sheet on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Gently pile filling on top, then use your hands or a flat spoon to distribute it evenly.

Now, roll out the top crust ( which is slightly smaller) then lightly moisten the bottom crusts edge and and place newly rolled piece on top, then pinch with your finger to seal the two together. Pierce the surface here and there with a fork or knife to let the steam escape.

Brush or drizzle torta with remaining olive oil. Bake until pale golden, about 30-35 minutes.

Kale that have some purples in them really color up as the weather gets cold! Love it! This is Rainbow Dinosaur

A new favorite Laurel's Frilly Kale

Kale is a crop that I love inter cropping- here lettuce grows underneath the taller plants....

Dressings for Salad

I love homemade salad dressings and have a few recipes that I make the most here's two of them:

This dressing makes a great summer Italian Salad just add cheese, tomatoes, cubed zucchini, peppers, cucumbers and a little onion

Mme Karolynn's Dressing
( adapted from a lady i used to work with's recipe)

1 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp of celery salt
some salt to taste if you need more
white pepper
other add in...fresh herbs they all taste good! Parmesan, pesto


Now this one I make with and without the mayo- it's a large recipe! We also use this dressing for Salad days at school.

Maple Dressing
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

·         1 teaspoon dry mustard or ½-2  teaspoon Dijon mustard or grainy stone ground mustard

      1 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

·         1/2 cup of Mayonnaise ( optional excellent with or without depends on creaminess wanted)

 1     1 tablespoon lemon juice

1    1 clove garlic, minced 

1   1 cup olive oil

1   1 teaspoon salt

1   1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (I use white)

1   ½  teaspoon herbs (optional thyme, basil or rosemary are great)

Preparation:

 With a whisk, combine mustard, vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice and garlic. Add olive oil and mayonnaise if using and continue whisking until ingredients are well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerated, the dressing will keep for several weeks.

This dressing pairs well with stronger cheeses such as blue cheese, also great with feta, white cheddar. Delicious with walnuts

Autumn Salad dressing

Since autumn's leaves have stronger flavours, and sweetening helps to balance out the flavors

5 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp of best quality Balsamic Vinegar

1-2 tbsp of honey

1 tsp whole grain mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

Winter CSA #8 2014

Winter CSA #8
January 17th

Good afternoon everybody!

Our last Winter CSA basket.  Thank you for participating and supporting us. We have really enjoyed our winter crops and our continued farming at this time of the year...a little less during our -20 week though!  We have already begun our prep for the new season and will need to juggle that while maintaining the farm and trying to relax a little before it gets crazy.  We still have quite a bit to harvest from the greenhouse and will be putting it all out in the farm store until it is gone so if you need something green were still here! Thank you to all that have already forwarded payment for next season and for those that haven't please do so asap-we will continue to save your spot until the end of January. Also, for those who grow a summer garden please check out our Seedling Sale this May Long Weekend or visit our soon to be posted pre-order option online.

In your basket this week:

1 bag of Chez Nous Mix...with lots of Sunflower Sprouts..mmmm!
1 Bag of Mustard Greens
1 Bag of Tokyo Bekana (Asian Green)
1 Bag of Assorted Greens Kale, Groninger Blue, Spigiarello Leaf Cabbage, Swiss Chard
2 Garlic
1 complimentary African Pepper Sauce for those who requested

You may find some Spigiarello florets in your Chez Nous Mix this week and in your greens mix bag.

Spigiarello 

Spigiarello and Purple Peacock Broccoli

Also know as Dragon's Tongue

Making sure everyone gets the same Lol!

See you soon!

Shirley and Rick

Chez Nous Farms