Tribute to the 2009 Season

Here's our tribute to the 2009 season. It's a picture book with a few of our favorite recipes thrown in to the mix. Click here to download for printing or watch in video form below.  We've also tagged our favorite entries for the season with 2009 to make them easy to find.

Special thanks to our CSAs:

Two Small Farms
Frog Hollow Farms
Hidden Villa

It has been an amazing, satisfying year!

Individual Cipollini Onion Tartes Tatin

As I mentioned in the last post, I have a great appreciation for "fiddly" food.  To me this means a purposeful dish that is visually appealing, elegantly presented, intensely flavored, usually very small and often time intensive to prepare.

The cipollini onions in this week's box were the perfect opportunity to fiddle.  A quick Google on "onion tatin" landed me at the Really Nice Recipes web site and, not surprisingly, a really nice recipe to use as a base.

My variations were few, though would make a few more on the next pass.  This recipe is definitely a keeper and would make a great first course, a sweet accompaniment to a cheese plate, or an elegant and unique autumn dessert.

Individual Cipollini Onion Tartes Tatin

Serves 6 as a first course

6 cipollini onions, about 3" diameter

1 ounce sugar, ultra fine

1/2t fresh thyme or 1t dried (fresh strongly recommended over dried)

1/4c water

1 sheet puff pastry

parchment paper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and pull puff pastry sheet from freezer to thaw.  Next, clean and halve onions, set aside.  Cut the parchment into squares, roughly 4" by 4", and arrange on a baking sheet. 

Combine sugar, thyme and water in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and cook until a light caramel has formed; should be the color of honey.  Place a small amount of the caramel on each piece of parchment and top with an onion half, cut side down.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, roll and score the puff pastry, then cut 12 - 3.5" circles using cutters like these from Ateco.  Remove the onions from oven and allow to cool.  Top each with a circle of puff pastry, tucking the pastry tightly around the onion.  Return to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, keeping an eye on the pastry; remove from the oven when it is browned to your liking.

Once out of the oven, invert the tartes and remove the parchment immediately.  Allow to cool slightly and enjoy!

These are sweet, so next time around I'd consider a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar or serving with a small bit of fresh goat cheese.

Peppers into Pipérade

This week's box includes:

• Chantenay Carrots
• Romaine Lettuce (I left this in the swap box)
  
• White Cauliflower
• Mystery (bell peppers)
• Delicata Squash
• Big Bunch Dried Onions
• San Marzano Tomatoes

On hand from last week we still have Anaheim peppers, oregano, sweet potatoes, rapini, and red beets. On top of that we have collard greens, fennel bulbs, torpedo onions, beet greens, golden beets, and an ear of corn. Lotsa food.

When faced with a backlog, I typically start with my least favorite vegetable and research recipes that include it, and other veggies in the pile. This week it was nearly a peck of peppers.

The name of a favorite local restaurant, p i p e r a d e, was my inspiration. A quick Google of "piperade recipes" set the course. Pipérade is a Basque dish based on peppers, onions and tomatoes -- three of the ingredients I had on hand. Score! What makes it special is the addition of Piment d'Espelette, a chili powder made from a pepper indigenous to Espelette, a commune in the very south-western part of France. These peppers are so special, the French protect them with an Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), much like wine other regional products.

Here's what we came up with, adding Anaheim's to the mix as a part of working through the backlog.

Pipérade
Serves 4

2T olive oil
2 bell peppers, seeded and julienned
2 Anaheim peppers, seeded and julienned
1 medium onion, julienned
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 San Marzano tomatoes, seeded and julienned
1t salt
1/4t pepper
1t Piment d'Espelette or paprika, half sharp

Heat oil in large saucepan over high heat. Saute peppers, onion, garlic, salt and pepper till vegetables are cooked through. Add tomatoes and Piment d'Espelette, mix well and cook until tomatoes "melt" and form a sauce.

Pipérade is a truly flexible sauce. Sean used some over eggs, a classic combination, and added some fresh goat cheese. I opted to top roast sweet potatoes with this flavorful, spicy sauce. I could see Pipérade used as a sandwich topping, as the base of a soup, as a simple condiment.

For those at a loss for what to do with an overabundance of bell peppers, this is an excellent option.

One potato, two potato, three potato, four...

This week's box contained:

• San Marzano Tomatoes
• Oregano
• Garnet Sweet Potatoes
• Mystery (Anaheim Peppers)
• Rapini
• Red Beets
• Potatoes (Mixed)
• Strawberries

What caught my interest was the potatoes. Two types in this week's box and a third type still on hand from the box two weeks back.

I love eating potatoes. As you can see below, so does Sam. Having spent a few years in the low carb mindset, I always think twice when I get the urge. Potatoes are extremely versatile and can be amazingly satisfying, even prepared simply. But are they "worth" eating from the nutritional perspective? I did a bit of research...

Turns out potatoes are nutritious, sufficiently so that “Humans can subsist healthily on a diet of potatoes and milk; the latter supplies Vitamin A and Vitamin D.” [1] Potatoes are starchy, but their glycemic load is manageable, they are a good source of fiber, protein, potassium, vitamin C, fiber, and a bevy of phytochemicals. The urban legend about all the nutrition being contained in the skins is not true; most nutrients are evenly distributed throughout the potato. They are easy to grow in a number of climates. Not that one would thrive on a diet of potatoes and milk alone or would choose this path, but it should be no surprise that potatoes are heros in some parts of the world.


Interestingly, potatoes -- along with tobacco, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers -- are members of the nightshade family, which can be toxic to humans. It is true that green potatoes are poisonous, though you'd have to eat quite a few to feel any ill effects. Other interesting potato facts include:

• Potatoes are the forth largest food crop worldwide.
• The United Nations named 2008 the “International Year of the Potato”
• The average person, again worldwide, eats 73 pounds of potatoes a year.
• There are over 5,000 varieties of potatoes, all seeming to genetically originate from southern Peru.

Visit the following sites for more info on the mighty potato, including recipes:

• Centro Internacional de la Papa (International Potato Center)
• Nutrition Data on red potatoes, raw, with skin
• Washington State Potato Foundation (love the URL: http://www.potatoes.com/)
• Idaho Potato Commission
• Colorado Potato Administrative Committee
  

Or the following books:

• The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Potato
• Beyond Burlap: Idaho's Famous Potato Recipes
• The History and Social Influence of the Potato (Cambridge Paperback Library)

Needless to say, I decided to indulge. Lunch today was pesto potatoes, as follows:

Pesto Potatoes
Serves 2 as main, 4 as side

1 pound new potatoes, 1" dice
2T olive oil
1t salt
prepared pesto

Preheat oven to 425f. Toss potatoes with salt, then olive oil, and spread on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stir. Bake for another 15 minutes and remove from the oven. Stir in pesto, mix well and enjoy!


[1] Wikipedia, Potato, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato (August 2009).

Strawberry, Arugula, and Goat Cheese Tartines

Tartines continue to intrigue me. I've been experimenting with them all summer and am looking forward to more. They are extremely easy, offer endless variation and can be quite elegant.

Simply put, tartines are open-faced sandwiches. This style of sandwich has a long history and a global presence. One piece of bread plus a topping or two and you're all set. The basic formula is:

[bread] + [spreadable topping] + [thinly sliced topping] + [chopped or shredded topping]

The approach goes something like this:

1. Spread first topping on bread.
2. Layer on next topping.
3. Finish with final topping and season to taste.
   

Tartines can be served hot ... or cold ... or a combination of the two. They can be sweet ... or savory ... or a combination of the two. They can be served as appetizers (known as canapés or tartinas), breakfasts, lunches, or light dinners along side a salad. The only limit is your imagination.

My favorite combinations so far include:

• sourdough baguette topped with goat cheese, roasted fennel, and arugula in citrus vinaigrette
• whole wheat bread topped with goat cheese, arugula tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, and fresh strawberries
  

Others that come to mind are:

• Caprese Tartinas: thin baguette (sweet or sourdough) sliced cross-wised into disks, spread with pesto and topped with slice of tomato, slice of fresh mozzarella and a basil sprig
• Sweet baguette topped with cantaloupe slices and Prosciutto de Parma
• Sweet baguette topped with melted brie and Major Grey's Mango Chutney
  

What are your favorite combinations?

If you're looking for additional information in this culinary neighborhood, I highly recommend Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever--from Thursday Nights at Campanile. This book contains amazing recipes and solid guidance on a wide variety of sandwich techniques, not just open-faced.

Strawberry, Arugula and Goat Cheese Tartines
Serves 4

loaf whole wheat bread, thinly sliced (~1 cm)
4 oz fresh goat cheese, brought to spreadable temperature (room temp is fine)
2c arugula
balsamic vinaigrette
1 pint fresh strawberries, trimmed and quartered

Lighty grill bread over open flame or toast under broiler. Spread goat cheese on the toasted bread. Toss arugula in vinaigrette and layer over goat cheese. Top with strawberries and serve.

This proved to be a really flavorful, yet light dish that would pair nicely with a blanc de blanc for an elegant brunch.

Tried and True Recipe for Summer's Bounty: Panzanella

A few recipes have surfaced in my repertoire as "tried and true" ways to make a quick, satisfying, beautiful meal with the ingredients on hand. Sure, there are some cornerstone ingredients that must be available, but with them on your side you can quickly make a meal suitable for guests. Those recipes are:

• Stir-fry (cornerstone ingredient: cooked rice)

• En Papillotte (cornerstone ingredient: foil, parchment -- can also be done in covered pan)

• Tartines (cornerstone ingredient: fresh baguette)

• Pasta (cornerstone ingredient: um, pasta)
  

• Panzanella (cornerstone ingredient: day-old baguette)
  

Tonight's fine meal allowed me to work through several ingredients from the farmer's market and remaining bits from our CSA box.

Today's Panzanella
Serves 2

1/3 sourdough baguette (any artisanal bread can substitute)
1T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2t parsley, minced
1c baby arugula
.5c cherry tomatoes
.5c fresh peas
1 purplette onion, minced (small shallot is a good substitute)
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the baguette in half length-wise, then slice; the pieces of bread should be bite sized. Toss bread with 1/2 the olive oil, salt, and 1/2 the garlic -- toast in oven at 350 degrees till bread begins to brown -- 3-5 minutes; the bread should be crisp. Meanwhile, halve the tomatoes and toss with remaining garlic, olive oil, arugula, parsley, peas and onion. Remove the bread from the oven, mix into the salad mixture, and serve.

Day old bread is the cornerstone ingredient. Everything else can be based on what you have on hand. If you don't have tomatoes, which add liquid, you can use vinaigrette. Fresh vegetables are important too.

A word of caution: panzanella does not hold well, so prepare it just before serving and make just enough, not more.

Roasted Fennel Tartines

I'm not a big fan of fennel. Happy to make pesto from the fronds, but the bulbs are never something I look forward to eating. This week's CSA newsletter recommended topping crostini with roasted fennel and goat cheese, so I thought I'd expand on that to make tartines -- open faced baguette sandwiches.

Roasted Fennel Tartines
rustic baguette
roasted fennel bulbs
fresh goat cheese
arugula
orange vinaigrette

Allow the goat cheese to come to room temperature. Slice baguette in thirds crosswise and slice each section in half lengthwise. Spread with goat cheese to taste (you can use white bean pate as a vegan alternative to cheese). Top with roasted fennel and put under the broiler until the bread begins to brown; remove from oven.

Mix arugula with the orange vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Top the warm tartines with the salad mixture. Enjoy!

Just in case you don't have an easy recipe for roasted fennel, here you go.

Roasted Fennel
fennel bulbs, halved and sliced thin
olive oil
lemon zest
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roast for 20 minutes until the fennel is beginning to brown.

This recipe really worked; the flavor combination was fantastic. A few ingredients are worth a mention:

• Nicolau Farms Chevre: Along with the rest of the fresh ingredients (besides the fennel), I found this cheese at the Mountain View Farmers' Market.

• Maldon Sea Salt: You can see it on top of the tartine above; both the taste and the texture of this salt were amazing. I also love the way it looks.
  

Palo Alto Chili Cook-off Results: Second Place!

After months of testing, an amazing amount of work and a surprising amount of stress, the team competed with 4 other teams in the vegetarian category, served 18 gallons of chili to a few thousand guests, and won second place! Here's our recipe:

Yes VeGan Award Winning Vegetarian Chili
Serves 1152
18 lbs Chopped Onions
30 large carrots, chopped
6 c garlic, peeled and chopped/pressed
1.5 c canola oil
6 oz dry chipotles, rehydrated in warm water, chopped
4.5 cups Penzey’s Chili Con Carne Seasoning
1 cup ground cumin
1.5 cups Mexican oregano
1.5 cups unsweetened cocoa
6 #10 cans diced tomatoes and juice
6 #10 cans black beans
6 #10 cans red (kidney, pinto, or small red) beans; drained
1 #10 can corn kernels
12 bunches cilantro (do not chop until just before using)
Salt to taste (may not be needed at all)
Limes
Torilla Chips

1. Heat oil in a pot, then brown the onions until light golden.
2. Add carrots and cook until onions are a couple of shades darker and carrots are softened and have some color.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly.
4. Add chipotles and spices, and cook until they’re fragrant, stirring constantly.
5. Add cocoa
6. Add beans, tomatoes, and stir well. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer two hours minimum.
7. At service, add lime juice and chopped cilantro to taste
8. Garnish with a Tortilla chip

Key components from the following vendors:

• Chipotles: Tierra Vegetables
• Spices: Penzey's
• Onions: Two Small Farms

Our pictures and videos are on Flickr and YouTube.

"Whole Lotta Love"

Hidden Villa
June, 23, 2009

Basil
Swiss Chard
Red Butterhead and Butter Crunch Lettuce
Spring Red Onion
Carrots
Garlic
Giant Pattypan squash

From last week's box
New Potatoes (Yukon? and Purple)
Greens (Collards, I believe)
Spring Red Onion and Garlic
Spinach

From the garden
Golden and Green Zucchini
Cucumber

This week the family is out of town so I get the full box to use for my family. Plus what I found from last week's box and a week's worth of garden surplus, we have more veggies than our family could possible eat! We invited Michelle and Sean over for what I've dubbed "Vegetable Extravaganza." I'd like to make it a weekly routine.

Tuesday: Corn, squash and red onion "toss toss", Basil Pesto, pasta and peas, Roasted new potatoes
and carrots, Sauteed Spinach, Cucumber, Tomato and Red Onion.

Wednesday: Greens with bacon and cider vinegar, Zucchini and Basil Pesto gratin (my take on Michelle's).

The corn and squash was a big hit. Here's what I did...

Corn, Squash and Red Onion "Toss Toss"
Toss Toss is what I call a quickly sauteed dish of mixed items.

• Corn, slice kernals off the cob, use back of knife to scrape off the milk and kernal bits
• Squash, large dice
• Red Onion, small dice
• Garlic, mince

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add squash giving it a few minutes head start (depending on the size of dice). Add corn. Season with salt and pepper. Toss, toss.
This dish was good as is, all the fresh vegetable flavors came through. It would benefit from fresh herbs such as basil, thyme or even mint. Tomatoes would make a nice addition as well.

"(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)"

For the past few days I was knee deep in party preparations. I did a graduation party for 62 people for the family. I took the opportunity to source out the best produce I could find and to do that I headed to our local farmer's market. Here are just a few of the things I bought.

• Romaine hearts, sweet mixed greens, zucchini and several bunches of herbs from Happy Boy Farms.
• Strawberries from High Ground Organics, which is part of Michelle's CSA.
• Blueberries from Triple Delight Blueberries.
• Tomatoes from Swank Farms and two other stands.
• And many more...

Now that the party is over, I am faced with the challege of what to do with the leftovers. Certain things, mostly the prepared items, have to live on as themselves. But others go on to become something else.

Here's a sampling

• Tomatoes, bacon and turkey (from the Cobb Salad) combined with more tomatoes and mozzarella (tom, mozz, avo salad), Parmesan (Caesar salad) and basil (Orzo salad) became Turkey Lasagna. I also added Swiss Chard from this weeks Hidden Villa box.
• Mixed Berries (from berries and cream) became a crisp and I also froze some of the remaining berries to become more crisp or smoothies or mousse or sauce or...
• Crumbled goat cheese, chopped parsley and chives have gone into a pie crust to be used in individual pot pies. I have yet to bake this, but right now it looks incredible and I'm very excited to see how it turns out.I still have goat cheese to be repurposed and I'm thinking about gougeres, or perhaps some type of tart.
• Chopped basil, along with some leftover bunches will become pesto tomorrow.

I had the help of three amazing women. I could not have done it with out them.



It was a nice party and I wish I had taken some photos. I enjoy the parties I do for the family and occasionally someone will ask me for my card. I politely tell them that I don't have business cards, that I work for the family. I am complete with that!