Food – Page 9 – Cheeky Attitude

Colorful CSA Delivery – How to keep your farm veggies fresh

Iâ€™ve been wanting to join a Community Supported Agriculture group for about 2 years and finally signed us up. I want to increase our fruit and veggie intake, learn more about whatâ€™s in season and try new-to-me items. My CSA farm is in Capay, Yolo County, California.

The bright colors in my box this week really smacked me in the face; so beautiful and bright. I realized that I wasn’t entirely certain the best way to keep each vegetable at their best throughout the week.

I’m very lucky to have a good friend in Chef Susan Beach. Chef Susan is an executive chef and stocks a crazy awesome salad bar every day as well as creating fresh seasonal soups. As we went down the list she told me how she would handle each item in my box.

Me: The King Trumpet Mushrooms arrived in a plastic container within the cardboard box, should I leave them like that?

Chef Susan: I would take them out and put them in a paper bag right away then in the fridge.

Me: I got these cute little carrots with the greens still on. I’ve already been snacking on them but I still have a bunch with the greens.
Chef Susan:Take off the greens and if you wash them, make sure they’re dry and/or wrap them in a paper towel then put them in a plastic bag in the fridge

Me: I’ve also been snacking on the red radishes, and I took off the greens already.
Chef Susan:I store those in water. Trim the greens and the roots and then store them in water in the fridge.

Me: I got two very large heads of lettuce and know I will eat one in the next couple of days but not the other.
Chef Susan: If you’re going to eat it in less than three days, take off the outer leaves and discard them, break apart each leaf and wash them and shake off the excess water and put them in a plastic container. If it is longer term, leave it. Don’t wash it, just put it in a plastic bag and put it in the crisper drawer in the fridge.

Me: I got a pound of small potatoes in a plastic bag.
Chef Susan:Store those in a dark, dry place. Not in the fridge Take them out of the plastic bag. Strainers are good storage containers.

Me: I put the cilantro in a canning jar with a little water at the bottom. Is that ok?
Chef Susan: That’s good.

Me: I got these are larger, purple onions with greens on top. Much bigger than last week’s.

Chef Susan: I find that if you cut the tops and the bottoms off, take the skin off and store them in an air tight plastic container, it serves two purposes: Not only does it help them stay fresh longer, but you won’t cry as much when you cut them.

I also asked her about the fava beans since now I have 2 lbs. of them. She suggested a soup and said that the slight browning of the outer pods of the last week’s batch won’t change the flavor of the bean. She said my storing them in a bag in the fridge is fine.

Thanks Chef!

What to do with Fava Beans? Farm Fresh Friday

I’ve been wanting to join a Community Supported Agriculture group for about 2 years and finally signed us up. I want to increase our fruit and veggie intake, learn more about what’s in season and try new-to-me items. My CSA farm is in Capay, Yolo County, California.

The first delivery did not disappoint in offering something new-to-me: Fava Beans. I could only identify them by the process of elimination on the inventory sheet. Perplexed about how to prepare them, I checked out a couple of food blogging, news and recipe sites that would offer ideas:

I also realized that I had no idea what to expect as far as taste. Luckily NPR’s Kitchen Window has a nice description about the fava bean’s qualities and a few recipes:

â€œThe beans have a buttery texture, slight bitterness and lovely, nutty flavor. And after a long, dark winter, their fresh green color pushes you right into spring.â€

â€œAnd, favas are nutrition superheroes. They are high in fiber and iron, and low in sodium and fat. They have no cholesterol but so much protein, they are called the meat of the poor.â€

Beverly Estes over at allrecipies.com offers:
“A deliciously seasoned fava bean, onion, and tomato dip recipe! Traditionally served with pita bread for breakfast in Egypt.”

Out of the many many recipes over at epicurious.com the Spring Vegetables with Shallots and Lemon sounds tasty and full of spring sunshine.

Heidi over at 101cookbooks.com has the most intriguingly simple “grilled fava beans” recipe. A dish she discovered while in Japan.

Of course, we know Hannibal Lecter said fava beans go well with “liver and a nice chianti”

Italian Sausage Soup : Perfect hearty soup for a winter day

Technically, it’s Spring. But you wouldn’t know it by the weather in our backyard. I’ve been craving this soup and finally gathered all the ingredients to make a big batch. Based on a recipe from Sunset Magazine from 2003, I’ve modified it to fit our tastes.

This soup freezes very well, just don’t add the spinach until you’re ready to eat it to keep the flavor fresh.

Makes about 5.5 quarts. About 10 servings.

1 pound hot Italian sausages
1 pound mild Italian sausages
(If you like things spicy you can use all hot Italian sausage, I prefer the mix)
2 carrots chopped
1 large white onion, peeled and chopped
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 quarts chicken broth
30 oz. diced tomatoes – I actually use the Pomi tomatoes and use 1.5 cartons.
2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini (white) beans, rinsed and drained
1.5 tablespoons dried rosemary (divided)
2 cups dried small shell pasta
9 oz spinach leaves, rinsed
grated parmesan cheese (garnish)

1. Squeeze sausages from casings into a large (8-10 quart) pan over high heat. Stir often and break apart meat with a wooden spoon until brown and crumbly. Spoon out all but about 1 tablespoon fat from the pan.

2. Add carrots, onion, and garlic, stir often until onion is soft. About 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes (including juice), beans and 1 tablespoon rosemary and bring to a boil.

3. Add pasta, reduce heat and simmer.

(If you want to freeze the whole batch stop at this point – I fill the canning jars with the amount I want to freeze – usually one third)

Simmer until pasta is just tender. Skim and discard any fat. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add spinach and stir until just wilted – this only takes 30 seconds or so.

Ladle into bowls and top with grated parmesan cheese.