Bok Choy
Fennel
Panisse Lettuce
English Peas
French Breakfast Radishes
Spring Mix
Sugar Cane
Medium Sweet Potatoes
Slicer Tomatoes (LPF)
Week 9 of the winter season is here and there are signs of spring everywhere. You can write your name in pollen on most surfaces and the days are stretching out a little longer. The seedlings in the greenhouse have labels saying squash and cucumber. The farm feels a little busier and a little warmer every day, and the annual Spring Festival is only two weeks away!
For now, its’s still winter and we’re embracing the final weeks of what is has to offer. This week’s Sweet Potato & Fennel Soup was the feature recipe on the back of the content list inside your share. Perfect for a chilly night, we gave it a go and wanted to share some recommended tweaks. The recipe calls for 2 tsp of celery seed and it was a bit overkill. Give 1 tsp a try unless you’re just big on celery seed and want its flavor forward. If you don’t have heavy cream on hand or want to make a vegan substitute, try coconut milk or cream. It worked great. We didn’t have mushrooms on hand but this soup is begging for seared ones to sit on top.
Sweet Potato & Fennel Soup
Ingredients
- 1 bulb fennel, (bulb and stalks cut into thin strips, fronds reserved for topping)
- 1 small white onion, (peeled and cut into thin half moons)
- 3 cloves garlic, (peeled and minced)
- 2 large sweet potatoes, (or 2-3 small ones, peeled and chopped into chunks)
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon white peppercorns, (crushed, or ground white pepper)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 10 cups water
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- chopped pecans, tarragon, and fennel fronds, (for topping)
Instructions
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In a dutch oven or large saucepan, add butter, chopped fennel, onion, celery seed, white pepper, and a pinch of salt and slowly saute over a low flame for about 45 minutes until well caramelized and browned.
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Add water, sweet potatoes, and garlic and bring to a boil and then simmer for 12-15 minutes or until you can easily poke a fork through the potato.
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Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth and velvety. Don’t rush this process, it can take 5-7 minutes for the soup to get really smooth and creamy. Then, stir in the cream and salt and keep the soup pot warm while cooking the mushrooms.
Recipe by Max Cozzi from Redwood Kitchen
Alice Waters’ Baked Goat Cheese with Spring Lettuce Salad
Panisse Lettuce & Spring Mix will shine in this recipe.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh, mild goat cheese (such as Haystack’s Boulder Chèvre)
- Leaves from 4 sprigs thyme, chopped
- Leaves from 1 small sprig rosemary, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup panko
- 1/2 baguette loaf, cut into eight 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 tablespoons walnut or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 pound baby lettuces or salad mix, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
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Shape the goat cheese into eight 1-inch-thick disks and put in a container just big enough to hold them in one layer. Sprinkle cheese with herbs and pour on olive oil. Cover and chill at least 12 hours and up to a week. One hour before baking, pop them in the freezer to firm up.
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove cheese from marinade and roll all sides in panko, pressing gently so the crumbs adhere. Arrange on a large baking sheet and bake until golden, about 15 minutes, turning over halfway through. Add baguette slices for last 5 minutes of baking.
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Whisk together vinegar, salt, pepper, and walnut oil. Put lettuces in a large bowl, drizzle with just enough dressing to coat, and toss gently and thoroughly.
Divide lettuces among 4 plates, sprinkle with walnuts, and to each plate add 2 goat-cheese disks and a baguette slice. Serve immediately.
Garlic Ginger Bok Choy
From the Frog Song archives: A simple and healthy stir-fry served over rice.
Ingredients
2-3 heads of baby bok choy (separate leaves and wash ribs well, sand tends to hide in there)
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or bragg’s liquid aminos
sesame seeds for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
Optional additional veggies (use any that you have handy)
1 medium chopped white onion
1 medium carrot, sliced thin diagonally
6 tokyo turnips (no greens)
thinly sliced scallions (small handful)
Instructions
- Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook and stir 1 minute. Add sliced onion and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add all remaining vegetables and soy sauce. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the greens are wilted and the stalks are tender-crisp.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper or red pepper flakes for a bit of spice :).
- Add over rice or noodles.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!