This Week’s Share
Chef’s Corner: August
In addition to the crops SIO grows for our 400 member CSA program, we also grown and sell produce to 30-40 Portland area restaurants and kitchens, and this season at SIO we decided to partner with some of those restaurants for some culinary inspiration. We have been picking the brains of some of the areas most talented chefs and restaurant owners, and have asked them to provide us with recipes and general cooking techniques based on the crops that you receive in your shares. Out at the farm we crop plan separately for both our CSA program and restaurant sales, so you don’t have to worry that part of your share may be going the restaurant down the street. For the month of August our featured restaurant is Laurelhurst Market, located at 32nd and E. Burnside in the Laurelhurst neighborhood.
By David Kreifels, Co-Owner and Chef de Cuisine at Laurelhurst Market
Laurelhurst Market opened just this past May on 32nd and East Burnside St. My business partners, Jason Owens, Ben Dyer, and myself transformed an old mini mart of the same name into a steakhouse/butcher shop with a focus on local and sustainably grown produce and meats. Sauvie Island Organics plays a large role with this. I was introduced to SIO. a few years back by Troy McClarty, who was working with us at Simpatica at the time.
Establishing good relationships with farmers is such a key piece to the puzzle of running a successful kitchen and these guys made that process a breeze. With any crazy request I made either came a “yes” or at least a good alternative. And when running a catering company, those requests are frequent.
Here at Laurelhurst Market we’re currently using SIO’s salad greens, beets, kale, potatoes, and herbs, while looking forward to their amazing onions for a French Onion Soup in the fall.
Our hours for the butcher shop are 10:00 AM til 7 PM daily. The restaurant opens at 5 PM for dinner service Wednesday through Monday.
Beans
I love green beans. They can stand up to so many cooking methods and so many flavors. I like them simply blanched on a Nicoise salad or stewed for an hour in olive oil with some onion and finished with some chopped nuts and mint. Here at the restaurant we have a side of grilled green beans with grilled onions, pancetta, basil, dijon, and creme fraiche. Here’s the recipe:
1 lb. green beans; stems removed
1 small sweet onion. A torpedo or siskyou will work great.
4 oz. pancetta; diced medium (I can recommend a good butcher shop!)
2 sprigs basil; torn
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1/3 cup creme fraiche (sour cream mixed with a tablespoon of buttermilk would work in a pinch)
salt and pepper
1/2 lemon
-Blanch beans in heavily salted water for 45 seconds. This gives them a head start so they wont burn on the grill. Lay out in a single layer and cool in the fridge.
-Slice the onion into 1/2 inch rounds. On a plate, rub with canola oil, salt, and pepper. Reserve.
-In a sauté pan, add diced pancetta and a few tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil over med-high heat. The water will evaporate while cooking the pancetta. When all the water is gone, stir frequently until the pancetta gets crispy on the outside, tender in the middle.
-Drain onto a paper towell and save the fat for the dressing.
-Over hot coals, first grill the onions. Remove from grill back to the plate and cover with plastic wrap.
-Next grill the beans. I’ve found an upside down cooling rack helps them from falling through the grill. Or, if you’re fancy, you can purchase one of those new pans meant for grilling vegetables. Grill only for a couple minutes, tops. Best for them not to get too black.
-In a big bowl, mix together the dijon, creme fraiche, and a squirt of lemon juice. Break up the onion into individual rings and add them along with the beans, pancetta, and the torn basil.
-Finish with a little reserved pancetta fat, and some salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.
I like making this when the main course is coming from the grill too. You can cook everything while the coals are raging and set it aside while you prepare the rest. The salad holds well for an hour at least.
Corn
SIO grows some of the best corn I’ve tasted. That said, simply throwing it on the grill still in it’s husk is great and totally satisfying. However, it too is such a versatile vegetable that takes on other flavors so well. I love it roasted in a chili releno or as a base for some hushpuppies. (See Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen cookbook for a good recipe.) This season in our kitchen we’re serving creamed corn with some of our housemade bacon. It’s easy and packs a ton of flavor. Goes great with a nice fatty rib eye too. By the way, this creamed corn added to Mr. Prudhomme’s hushpuppy recipe is a winner.
4-5 ears corn
1 medium siskyou onion; small dice
2 cloves garlic; chopped
4 ounces bacon; small dice
2 cups cream
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp. butter
salt
-cut corn off cob in two steps. The first taking half the kernel off, and the second removing the remainder. This opens up the kernel to release the starches and flavor better. It’s a neat trick.
-cut the naked cobs into 6 or 7 pieces and place in a pot along with the cream and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and let it go for a few minutes. There’s some good flavor that will be extracted. Set aside.
-In a large sauté pan, preferably stainless steel, add bacon and render out the fat over medium heat, stirring often.
-When crispy, remove from pan and set aside, keeping the fat in the pan.
-Add butter and diced onions with a little salt. Sweat them until translucent.
-Add spices and bloom for a minute.
-Add garlic and sautee a moment more; don’t brown it.
-Add thyme; then corn. Sautee for 5 minutes, stirring.
-Strain in corn cream. Bring it all to a boil, then turn down to simmer.
-Let go for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the bacon back in.
-Cool down for at least a few minutes before serving.
You can make this a day or two in advance and it’s just as good, if not a bit better. Just re-warm over low heat. You might add a bit more cream if it got too thick.
Tomatoes
Besides slathering them with Best Foods mayonnaise and a bit of salt and pepper I suppose there are a few other things to do with them… Like mix them with some room temperature roasted beets, some torn parsley and some sliced cucumber. All that needs is some lemon and olive oil.
Once the bounty really hits, most people struggle to give them away. That’s when a gazpacho comes in handy. It takes a good amount of tomatoes to feed just a half dozen people. At Laurelhurst Market, we’re serving ours with some poached Dungeness crab and fried croutons.
5 lbs tomatoes; early girl, roma, probably not cherry; peeled
a few slices crusty bread, crusts off
2 red bell peppers; seeded
1 small hot pepper such as a jalapeno
1/2 bulb fennel
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1/4 red onion
a few garlic cloves, smashed
a few sprigs basil
a few sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
-Rough chop everything and toss together in a bowl. Let marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator or up to overnight.
-Puree in batches in a blender until very smooth
-In a large bowl, whisk in 1 cup extra virgin olive oil. Soup should be emulsified.
-Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and sherry vinegar.
-Fry bite size pieces of bread in hot oil, then drain on paper towels.
-Serve the soup cold drizzled with a little extra virgin and the croutons.
You can put a number of seafood garnishes on gazpacho. Crab is what we’re using. Ceviche’ works great, so do seared scallops. Sauteed squid sounds good… maybe next week’s menu?
Recipes
Corn Recipes
Succotash Chowder
Adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen
Preparation: Soak 1to1 1/2 cups dry baby lima beans in water for at least 4 hours. Cook in plenty of simmering- not rapidly boiling- water for 35 to 40 minutes or until perfectly tender. Try not to overcook the beans, or the soup will become gluey and lose its textural charm.
1 medium potato , diced (peeling optional)
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups chopped onion
3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
3 stalks celery, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3 cups fresh corn
2 to 3 cups cooked baby lima beans
4 cups milk (can be lowfat
a generous amount of black pepper
finely minced parsley, chives, or basil (optional)
Cook the diced potato in boiling water until just tender. Drain well, and set aside. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a kettle or Dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, celery, salt, and herbs. Saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion and celery are tender. Stir in the corn, and sauté for about 10 minutes more. Add the cooked beans. At this point you can puree some of the sauté in a food processor or blender and return it to the kettle, as this will make for a thicker soup Add potatoes and milk. Season to taste with black pepper and salt. Serve very hot, topped with minced fresh herbs
Grilled Corn with Chipotle-Lime Butter
Adapted from EatingWell in Season by Jesse Price
Note: The chipotle-lime butter used in this recipe is also great melted on some grilled fish or chicken.
4 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce* plus 1/4 teaspoon adobo sauce or 1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 oz queso fresco, crumbled (optional)
*Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are smoked jalapenos packed in flavorful sauce. Look for the small can with the Mexican food in large supermarkets. Once opened, they’ll keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.
Preheat gill to high. Wrap each ear in foil. Place on the grill and cook, turning frequently for 10 minutes. Remove from grill and let stand in the foil while preparing butter. Combine butter, lime zest, chipotle and adobo sauce (or ground chipotle) and salt in a bowl. Carefully unwrap the corn. Serve with the butter, and top with queso fresco if desired.
Summer Squash Recipe
Cheesy Zucchini
Recipe
Note: Don’t be fooled by the title, using your yellow pattypan and green zucchini both in this recipe is delicious.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds summer squash
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley (from last week)
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently until softened, 1-2 minutes. Add the squash and stir to coat it with the garlic-oil mixture. Cover the skillet and cook the squash, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy and tender but still crisp, 4-6 minutes. Sprinkle the basil/parsley and salt evenly over the squash and cook stirring frequently, until the basil/parsley wilts, about 1 minute. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and stir constantly until it melts, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the squash, cover the skillet again, and remove it from the heat. Let the squash sit until the mozzarella cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes.
Potato Recipe
Roasted Potatoes with Basil Vinaigrette
Adapted from www.kitchengardeners.org
Here’s an easy way to enjoy freshly-dug potatoes.
1 1/2 pounds potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced (more if you prefer)
a drizzle of olive oil (just enough to mix with basil
a drizzle of balsamic (just enough to mix with basil)
Chop potatoes into larger bite-sized pieces and toss them with olive oil and salt. Roast in a 425 degree oven about 40 minutes or until the edges are brown, turning from time to time. Prepare a vinaigrette with the minced basil, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Toss while the potatoes are hot out of the oven. They will absorb the dressing so there shouldn’t be any left on the bottom of the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.