This Week’s Share
- Carrots
- Fava Beans
- Garlic, Fresh
- Lettuce, Romaine
- Kale, Red Russian
- New Potatoes
Note: Potatoes may appear somewhat dirty because they are new potatoes, and in order to keep their thin and delicate skin intact we used a gentler washing technique.
On Rotation
- Broccoli
Recipes
Fava Bean Recipes
Warning: There is a rare genetic deficiency that affects some people and can lead to health problems if they eat fava beans. This condition is relatively rare and usually detected by childhood, but if you have never eaten fava beans before we recommend you check out www.g6pd.org to learn more.
Grilled Fava Beans
Recipe adapted from The Food Section, http://www.thefoodsection.com/foodsection
Olive oil, enough to coat pods generously
Salt, use generously
Fava bean pods, as many as you want to grill (I recommend a large number because they are so delicious and so easy to make)
Season the raw bean pods generously with salt and toss with extra virgin olive oil. Place the pods on the grill and cook until blackened and soft. As the pods pop and blister on the outside, they steam within. When they have sufficiently charred on both sides, remove the pods from the grill, let cool, and then pry them open to reveal the beans, which may be slipped from their thin skins or eaten whole, skin and all. The salty, meaty beans are as tasty as they are easy to prepare.
Spanish Tortilla with Spring Vegetables
Adapted from Fresh from the Farmers’ Market by Janet Fletcher
Note: The tortilla Española or Spanish tortilla is a traditional Spanish dish enjoyed at any time of the day, but is one of the most common dishes offered for tapas. Like an omelette, vegetable ingredients can be interchanged depending on the season (or what you need to get rid of in the fridge), but the tortilla Española’s distinctive olive oil poached potatoes and onions are what provide its delicious flavor and texture and should not be left out.
5 tablespoons olive oil
1½ pounds new potatoes, cut into 1/3-inch dice
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups onion, sliced
6 large eggs
1 cup fava beans, shelled
Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick or well oiled cast iron skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then reduce heat to moderately low and cook potatoes, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and a generous amount of pepper, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender (10-15 minutes). Drain potatoes and onions over a bowl and let cool. Crack eggs into a bowl and add the cooled potato and onion mixture, as well as the fava beans and mix well. Add 1 tablespoon drained oil to skillet and then add the vegetable and egg mixture and cook over low heat, covered, until sides are set but center is still loose, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 15 minutes.
Shake skillet gently to make sure tortilla is not sticking (if it is sticking, loosen with a wooden or heatproof spatula). Slide tortilla onto a large flat plate or cookie sheet, then invert skillet over tortilla and flip it back into skillet. Round off edge of tortilla with a spatula and cook over low heat, covered, 10 minutes more. Slide tortilla onto a plate and serve warm, cut into wedges.
Lettuce Recipe
Caesar Salad
From Shannon Raider, a former SIO Farmer
Note: If you like a little less intensity you can adjust the taste, just put in less garlic and anchovy.
1-2 head romaine lettuce, washed and torn into salad-size pieces
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus ¾ cup olive oil
½ tin of whole anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2-6 shakes of Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons Worcester sauce
1 raw egg yolk or 1 coddled egg yolk*
¼ cup lime juice
¼-½ cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
In the bottom of the bowl that you will serve your salad into, work 3 cloves of garlic into a paste with 2 tablespoons olive oil and pinch of salt using two forks. Next, add half a tin (or one of those tiny jars) of whole anchovy fillets into the garlic paste in the same fashion. Adjust anchovy amount to your liking. Then add 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 2-6 shakes of Tabasco sauce and 2 tablespoons Worcester sauce.
Whisk in the raw egg yolk or coddled egg yolk*. Whisk in 3/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup lime juice.
Stir in grated Parmesan Cheese (at least a 1/4 cup, but I like a lot of cheese).
Add salt and generous amounts of ground black pepper to taste.
Pour dressing into a jar and toss salad in the well seasoned bowl, toss with as much dressing as you like.
Extra dressing can be stored for up to one week in the refrigerator.
*Coddling causes the egg white to cook and leaves the yolk liquid. This sterilizes the egg of any bacteria that could contaminate. Bring egg to room temperature. Place the egg in a small bowl or mug and pour boiling water around the egg until it is covered. Let stand for exactly 1 minute. Immediately run cold water into the bowl.
Kale and Carrot Recipe
Kale and Carrot Slaw
Adapted from Seasoned in the South by Bill Smith
3 cups kale, cut into ¼ in. strips
4 carrots, peeled and shredded
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced (optional, if used sweet onion lends better flavor)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 3 teaspoons zest and 3 tablespoons juice)
1 teaspoon fennel or dill seed (optional)
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon sugar, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
a few splashes of balsamic vinegar
Toss together the first 8 ingredients. Let stand 30 minutes. Stir in olive oil. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt or sugar, if desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container and let marinate for at least a few hours before eating. The slaw will keep for up to 1 week refrigerated in and airtight container.
Farmer In Training (FIT) Spotlight: Meryl
After taking a cross country cycling trip from Michigan to the west coast, and passing through Portland Meryl knew she had to move here. So in 2007 Meryl came to Portland with the goal of starting her own organic farm restaurant where the ingredients for the restaurant are raised and grown on her own farm. She began the Hospitality and Restaurant Management Program at Western Culinary Institute, and after completing the program and receiving her associates degree in Restaurant Management Meryl took time to work at some of the prominent restaurant kitchens in the Portland area, including Lovely Hula Hands, Wildwood, and Aquariva (all of which are SIO buyers). Although she enjoyed the restaurant industry, she still needed to learn more about the farming side for the organic farm restaurant and that is how she made her way to SIO. Through her participation in the FIT program she hopes to learn the skills needed to farm and sustain her own restaurant (hopefully back in Michigan where she is from). Her favorite job at SIO so far is harvesting lettuce because, “its really rhythmic and a good way to wake up in the morning.”