Helsing Junction Farm Newsletter Archive

Week 14/September 15-17, 2009

Greetings from Helsing Junction Farm!

Digging potatoes

This Week's Shares

Recipes

Green Bean, Carrot and Red Potato Curry:
You can make this with chicken or tofu.
For chicken, cut up 1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 3-4 thighs in to 1 inch chunks and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
-Cook the chicken pieces in some olive oil over medium high heat until browned on the outside but not quite cooked all the way through.
-Add a splash of sherry or chicken stock and deglaze the pan, then put the chicken and sauce aside.
-Cut up 3-4 red potatoes into 1 inch chunks. 
-Wash and peel 3-4 white or orange carrots and cut into ¼ inch thick half moon shaped pieces.
-Chop up 2-3 handfuls of green beans into ½ inch sized pieces. 
-Cut 1-2 peppers into chunks.  Add 1 peeled and chopped eggplant (optional).
-Peel half a bunch of cipollini onions and chop each onion into 4ths or chop and add 1 shallot.
-Add all of the above into the same pan you cooked the chicken in.
-Sauté 8-10 minutes until partly tender, then add 1-2 tsp curry powder and another splash of sherry or broth and stir well to deglaze the pan.
-Husk then wash 1# tomatillos. 
-Add to the vegetables along with the cooked chicken or 1 pound of cubed extra firm tofu.
-Add 1 can of coconut milk and 1 cup of broth or so, depending on how soupy you want the curry.  
-Cook on low until vegetables are tender and chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 30-40 minutes. 
-Stir well to incorporate tomatillos.
-Serve over rice with some cilantro basil sauce overtop (or if you do not make the sauce, add some chopped basil and cilantro).

Cilantro Basil Sauce:
This sauce is also good over spicy noodles, roasted potatoes or on tacos.
-Unpeel 2 whole cloves of garlic then grind in a blender.  
-Take the seeds out of 1-2 jalapenos, then roughly chop them and blend them with the garlic.
-Zest 1 lime then add the zest and the juice to the blender too, along with ¼ cup cold water, 2 TBS canola oil and ½ tsp salt.
-Leaving the rubber band on, wash and shake dry 1 bunch of cilantro.  
-Roughly chop the cilantro stems and all and add to the blender in handfuls, fully processing in between handfuls.  
-Wash and shake dry 3-4 large handfuls of basil, then add them slowly to the blender stems and all.  Process the sauce until smooth.

Chicken Milanese:
From Fine Cooking’s September 2004 Issue.
-In a large bowl, whisk together 1 clove minced garlic, 2 tsp red-wine vinegar, ½ tsp Dijon mustard and pinch of black pepper.
-Add 2 TBS olive oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly until the dressing emulsifies.  
-Add 3 tomatoes chopped into wedges or 1 pint of Sungold cherry tomatoes cut in half and then set aside.
-Pound 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts between 2 sheets of waxed paper until 1/3 inch thick.
-Season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
-Beat 1 egg in a shallow bowl and spread 1 cup plain breadcrumbs out on a plate.  
-Dip the chicken first in the egg, and then in the breadcrumbs.
-Heat 2 TBS butter and 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-heat and when hot add the chicken breasts.  
-Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes and then cook the other side until brown, another 2 minutes.  Drain briefly on a paper towel.
-Leaving the rubber band on the bunch, wash 1-2 bunches of arugula.
-Cut into thin strips and spin dry.
-Put the arugula in with the tomato salad and toss well.
-Place the chicken breast on a plate and top with a tall mound of the salad.

Green Beans with Buttered Bread Crumbs and Almonds:
For the breadcrumbs: 
-Cut the crusts off of 1 large slice of high-quality white bread and tear it into 1½ inch pieces.
-Process the bread in a food processor for 20-30 seconds until finely textured (you should have about ¼ cup crumbs).
-Transfer the crumbs to a dry skillet and add 3 TBS thinly sliced almonds. 
-Toast until golden brown, 2-4 minutes.
-Take the pan off the heat and add 2 cloves of garlic put through a garlic press.  
-Season the crumbs with salt and pepper.  Set aside but do not wash pan yet.
For the beans: 
-Bring a large saucepan of water to boil, add 1 tsp salt and 1½# of tipped and tailed beans.
-Cook until the beans are just tender, about 5 minutes. 
-Drain well and then arrange the beans on a serving platter.
-Melt 4 TBS butter in the reserved skillet and then add the breadcrumbs to the butter.  
-Heat for 1-2 minutes and then spoon the breadcrumbs over the beans and serve.

Insalata Caprese:
-Slice 3-4 tomatoes into ¼ inch thick slices.  
-Arrange the slices on a large plate.  
-Top each tomato slice with a thin slice from a fresh mozzarella ball (the kind that comes in water).
-Remove the pits and cut 8-10 Kalamata olives in half. 
-Wash and pat dry 10-15 whole basil leaves.
-Top half of the tomato/mozzarella slices with a Kalamata olive and the other half with a basil leaf.
-Sprinkle the slices with 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil and 1 TBS balsamic vinegar. 
-Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Spicy Cucumber Salad:
-Peel, halve the long way and seed 3-4 cucumbers. 
-Cut into ¼ inch slices and toss with 1 tsp kosher salt.  
-Set in a strainer or colander and let drain for 1 hour, then rinse and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
-When the cucumbers have finished draining, transfer them to a salad bowl and set aside.
For the dressing:  Toast 1 TBS sesame seeds over low heat until lightly browned.  
-Whisk together 1 TBS soy sauce, 3 TBS rice vinegar, 1 tsp chili paste (or ½ tsp hot red pepper flakes), 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 TBS sugar, 3 TBS toasted sesame oil, ¼ bunch of chopped cilantro and the toasted sesame seeds.
-Add to the cucumbers and toss.  Serve chilled or at room temp.

Rice Salad with Arugula, Pine Nuts and Kalamata Olives:
-Bring 3 cups of broth (either chicken or veggie) to a boil in a medium saucepan.  
-Add 2 cups long grained rice, bring to a boil again and reduce heat to low.  
-Cover and cook until broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
-Turn off heat and let stand 5 minutes.
-Fluff rice with fork.  Transfer to a large bowl.
-Toast ½ cup of pine nuts in a toaster oven or cast iron skillet, watching them carefully so they don’t burn.
-Mix in to the rice, 5 TBS olive oil, ½ cup sliced and pitted Kalamata Olives, 2 TBS fresh lemon juice, the toasted pine nuts and 2 cloves minced garlic.
-Toss well and add ½ pint halved Sungold cherry tomatoes, 1 chopped fennel bulb (optional), 1 bunch chopped arugula, a handful of chopped fresh basil, some chopped thyme if you have it and 1/3 cup freshly grated Romano cheese or feta cheese.
-Gently toss again and chill before serving.

Warm Potato Salad with Fennel and Garlic Mayonnaise:
-Chop 2# of unpeeled potatoes into 1 inch chunks.   Dice up 1 fennel bulb. 
-Boil the potatoes and fennel together in salted water for about 5-7 minutes until just barely tender.  It is important to watch potatoes closely as the secret to a good potato salad is firm potatoes.
-Chop 2-3 peppers into medium fine dice.
-Toss potatoes and fennel with garlic mayonnaise while still warm. 
-Fold in the peppers and some chopped basil and thyme if you have it. 
-Sprinkle the top with some more chopped basil and taste for salt.    
For the garlic mayonnaise:  
-In a blender chop 4-6 cloves of  garlic with some salt until smooth.
-Add a whole egg, a pinch of salt and ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil into the blender and blend on high.
-Add another ½ cup olive oil in a light steady stream until all is incorporated and then add 3 TBS fresh lemon juice.
-Stir the garlic into the mayonnaise and thin with more lemon juice if necessary.

Sweet Corn, Cucumber, Fennel and Arugula Salad with Blue Cheese and Toasted Walnuts:
-Cut 1 cucumber in half the long way and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. 
-Cut the cucumber into half moon shape pieces.
-Take the kernels off of 2 ears of sweet corn.
-Cut 1 fennel bulb in half the long way and then cut each half the short way into very thin half moon shape pieces.  
-Chop up a handful of basil leaves.  
-Cut ½ pint of Sungold cherry tomatoes in half or chop 2 slicing tomatoes into large chunks.
-Wash and spin dry 1 bunch of arugula. 
-Put the arugula in a bowl and top with the cucumbers, corn, fennel, tomatoes and basil.
-Lightly toast ¼ cup raw walnut pieces.
-Toss the salad with 3 TBS olive oil and some salt and pepper. 
-Then add 2 TBS red wine or Balsamic vinegar and toss again.  
-Sprinkle on the nuts and add ¼ cup crumbled Blue Cheese.  

Basil-Arugula Pesto:
This pesto is a nice twist on traditional basil pesto; serve it with pasta or on crostini.
-To the work bowl of a food processor add ¼ cup olive oil, 1 bag basil leaves (stems and all), 1 bunch arugula leaves (washed and spun dry), ½ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese, 1/3 cup pine nuts, 2 cloves of garlic and ½ tsp lemon zest.  
-With the motor running, add ¼ cup more olive oil and 1-2 TBS water.  
-Blend until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Helsing Junction Farm
12013 Independence Road, Rochester, WA 98579 | (360)273-2033
helsingfarm@msn.com | www.helsingfarmcsa.com

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