From our Farm
Galangal Ginger
Heirloom Persimmons (Giombo, ripe when they feel like a water balloon and have a jelly consistency)
Roselle
From Partner Growers
Carrots, no tops (COG)
Scuppernong Grapes (WAT)
Curly Green Kale (COG)
Scallions (LPF)
Yellow Squash (WAT)
Zucchini Squash (WAT)
WAT = Watsonia Farms | COG = Clem’s Organic Gardens | LPF = Little Pond Farm
Try out these great recipes we found around the web that feature items from your share
This week we’re featuring Scallion Pancake, Small Batch Scuppernong Grape Jelly, and Hoshigaki (Dried Persimmons).
Scallion Pancake (CONG YOU BING, 葱油饼)
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour (plain flour) – about 2 cups (see note 1 for substitutes)
- 160 g hot water – about ⅔ cup
- Cooking oil – for coating
For the filling
- 2 tablespoon melted lard – or coconut oil, see note 2 for other substitutes
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- ¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper – or Chinese five-spice powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 40 g finely chopped scallions (green onion/spring onion) – about ½ cup
For frying
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
Directions
Make the dough
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Put flour into a heatproof bowl. Pour in hot water. Stir with chopsticks until no more loose flour or water can be seen. Use your hands to combine the mixture into a rough-looking dough.
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Tightly cover the dough with cling film and leave to rest for 15 mins.
Prepare the filling
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While waiting, add melted lard (or other oil), flour, Sichuan pepper (or five-spice) and salt to a small bowl. Mix until it becomes a smooth paste.
Shape the pancakes
- Uncover the dough then knead until it becomes very smooth. Rub a thin layer of oil around the dough, as well as the work surface.
- With a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a thin, rectangular piece. For your reference, mine measures about 43cm(17″) by 33cm (13″).
- Brush the filling mixture over the dough, then sprinkle finely chopped scallions on top.
- From the shorter side of the dough piece, roll the dough into a rope (don’t make it too tight).
- Cut the rope into 4 cylinders. Stand a piece on one end. Press down with your hand, then flatten it with the rolling pin into a pancake that measures around 13cm/5” in diameter. Alternatively, cut the rope into 3 parts and roll each into a thinner pancake which measures about 23cm/9”.
Fry the pancakes
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In a frying pan/skillet, heat oil over high heat until hot. Drop a piece of scallions in to test. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
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Turn the heat down to medium and put in the pancakes (the top side facing down). You may cook 4 thick pancakes all at once in a large pan (28cm/11″), or 1 thin pancake at a time.
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Cover with a lid and leave to cook for about 2 minutes until the side facing down becomes golden brown (adjust the cooking time if necessary). Flip the pancakes over, then cover again to cook the other side. Remove them from the pan once the second side turns golden too.
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For the best result, rest the pancakes on a wire rack for a minute or two before serving (condensation will form if placed on a plate straightaway). Also, the remaining heat will cook the inside further during the resting time.
Serve
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Best to enjoy them while warm. You can serve them as breakfast/afternoon snack, or as a staple for regular meals with savoury dishes, soup or congee.
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The thick version can be served as it is and torn apart to eat. The thin version is often cut into triangular pieces.
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Although they are tasty on their own, a dipping sauce would make a great accompaniment, e.g. a simple mixture of homemade chilli oil, black rice vinegar and light soy sauce.
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Store leftover pancakes in airtight bags in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan/oven/air-fryer.
Make ahead
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To make a big batch and cook later, double or triple the recipe proportionally. Freeze uncooked pancakes right after they’re rolled out. Pile them up with parchment paper in between and store in sealed plastic bags.
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Cook frozen pancakes without defrosting following the same method. If they’re thick ones, add a little water while cooking with the lid on (like how you make pan-fried dumplings).
Small Batch Scuppernong Grape Jelly
Ingredients
(you will need to adjust recipe to share size)
- 3 pounds Scuppernong or muscadine grapes about 6 cups grapes to yield 2 cups juice
- 1 cup water, plus 2 tablespoons
- 4 cups granulated white sugar
- 3oz pouch premium liquid fruit pectin
Directions
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Wash Scuppernong grapes with cold running water. Remove stems. Cut grapes in half. This is optional, but helps prevent the grapes from bursting hot juice when mashed in the pot as they start to soften.
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Add grapes and 1 cup water to an 8-quart enamel coated or stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. As the grapes start to soften, mash with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. (Be careful! As you mash the grapes, they tend to burst open and splatter hot juice if left whole.) Reduce heat and let simmer 20 minutes, stirring often, or until the seeds and pulp has released from the skins. The skins will need to be very soft at this point.
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Line a large mesh strainer or colander with 3 layers of cheesecloth or use a jelly strainer bag on a stand (See my Amazon picks before the recipe). Place the strainer or jelly strainer bag over a wide rimmed bowl to catch the juice that drips.
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Carefully pour hot cooked grape mixture into the cheesecloth-lined strainer or jelly strainer bag on a stand. Let the mixture drip for at least 1 hour, occasionally stirring the mixture to help allow the liquid to drip out into the bowl to get 2 cups grape juice. Discard solids.
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Sterilize four half pint or 2 pint jars. Here are 3 Easy Ways to Sterilize Jars for Canning.
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In a large bowl, add the 2 cups strained grape juice. I like to heat the grape juice to warm-not hot to help dissolve the sugar. Measure 4 cups sugar (with dry measuring cups) into a bowl. All at once, add the sugar to the grape juice. Let stand (not on the heat) 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Combine liquid pectin and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Add to grape juice and sugar mixture; stir about 3 minutes or until sugar is completely dissolved.
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Pour into prepared jars (or freezer containers if freezing), leaving ½-inch space at the top. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with lids and screw bands tightly.
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If planning to store on a shelf, process in a water bath for 5 minutes. For water bath, bring water to a boil in a deep stock pot. The pot must be deep enough to cover the jar tops. Place a canning rack in the bottom of the pot to lift the jars off the bottom. I use a small round cooling rack. Carefully place the jars in the boiling water and bring back to a rolling boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove the jars carefully with a canning jar lifter. Let cool on a towel or cooling rack on the counter 24 hours before storing.
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For freezer method, after filling jars or freezer containers with jelly, let stand on counter 24 hours. Then, jelly may be stored in the fridge for up to 2 months or in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Hoshigaki (Dried Persimmons)
Preparation
- Wash the fruit well. Remove the leaves, then use a knife or vegetable peeler to remove the peel from the crown of the fruit around the stem. Continue to peel the entire fruit, leaving the stems intact and cutting out any brown spots. Set up a rack or bar, such as a clean laundry rack, near a window with a large piece of parchment underneath. You should be able to suspend the fruit so they don’t touch one another or any other surfaces.
- Tie and sterilize the fruit: Cut a 20-inch piece of thin string for every 2 persimmons and tie the string to the stems of the persimmons using no-slip knots on both ends of each piece. Trim excess string if needed. If the stems aren’t long enough to tie, fix binder clips to the stems and tie those. If the stems aren’t long enough for that, run short bamboo skewers through the tops of the persimmons and tie the skewers. Bring a pot of water to a boil and, holding each piece of string at the center, dunk the fruit for a few seconds, then lift out.
- Hang each string over the prepared rack, so the fruit is dangling on either side of the bars, but not touching anything. Ideally, keep the rack in a sunny, dry, well-ventilated spot, either indoors or outdoors.
- After a week of drying, you can start to lightly knead the fruit every day, rolling each one gently in clean hands to help it dry evenly. Watch for any mold, which you can remove with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, and for firm spots, which you can focus on when you knead the fruit.
- Over the course of about 3 weeks, the persimmons will shrivel and shrink, and its sugars will come up to the surface and crystallize, forming a white layer. Once the sugar is visible, you can eat the fruit or continue to dry them, and you can stop kneading them. When the fruit is firm and dark and more powdery sugar covers the surface, it’s ready to remove from the drying rack and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month or in the freezer for up to 6 months. It tastes best immediately after drying, when you can slice and eat it as is.