Lima Bean And Dill Kuku

Photo from Sanam Lamborn of The Persian Kitchen blog.

This week, JP tells me Glade Road Growing's bag will contain dill.  While it's too late in the season potatoes or cukes--two of my favorites with fresh dill--the herb is used as a common ingredient in Persian cooking.  You can combine it with rice or try my adaptation of Sanam Lamborn's recipe for Lima Bean Kuku, which is she describes as a Persian version of a frittata or quiche. 

Since pomegranates are in season, you might want to pair this with a Persian salad consisting of salad greens topped with pomegranate sees, walnuts and feta, with a dressing made of pomegranate juice or molasses, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.

Lamborn's recipe, shown, serves four and is cooked in a non-stick skillet.  I don't like non-stick skillets, so I  bake mine in the oven.  For a more ornate version served by chef  at the Obama White House, see this New York Times recipe.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 pound of lima beans (frozen or fresh)
1 medium onion peeled and diced
6 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
6 duck or chicken eggs
1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper1 bunch of fresh dill, washed and roughly chopped
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice flour
1/4 extra virgin olive oil

1.  Add lima beans to salted boiling water and wait for water to return to a boil.  Then turn down heat and simmer until tender.

2.  Heat cast iron skillet until a drop of water evaporates and turn down to medium low heat.  Melt butter and coat pan.  Sauté until translucent, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and cook until both are golden in color.  Cool to room temperature.

3.  Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a 9-x-12-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

4.  Crack eggs in a mixing bowl and pierce yolks with a fork.  Add salt, pepper, rice flour and baking soda and whisk together.  Fold in onions, garlic lima beans and lemon juice.

5.  Brush prepared baking dish with 1/4 cup oil. This may look like a lot, but it gets absorbed into the batter. Add batter, smoothing out the top and pushing it to the sides. Bake until center is set, about 20 minutes, and transfer to a cooling rack.

6.  Cut into 6 equal pieces. Serve hot or room temperature, with pita and yogurt, if desired.

Quick Pickled Carrots and Beets

Epicurious credits the photo of the carrots to Chelsea Kyle and Anna Stockwell in April 2015. Epicurious lists the photo of the beets as from the December 2000 issue of Gourmet Magazine, with no photographer credited.

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J.P.  tells me that this week's farm share from Glade Road Growing will include lettuce mix, carrots, fresh dill and kale and I thought it would be great time to develop a recipe for quick pickles.  (You could also use the marinade to pickle fennel and salad turnips, which are also in season.)

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Yield:  about 2 1/2 cups of pickled carrots and 3 cups of pickled beets

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Marinade:

2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 TB water and 1/2 cup demerara sugar;  or 1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon mustard seeds

Vegetables:
1 pound carrots
1 pound beets
1/4 bunch fresh dill, chopped

Preparation:

1.  Bring the ingredients for the marinade to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is

     dissolved. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.Cool marinade, then chill, covered, 1 day to allow

     flavors to develop. 

2.  Peel and slice carrots and slice on the diagonal into 1/8-inch-coins and place in mason jars.
3.  Remove beet greens, if any, and reserve to refrigerate until ready to cook as greens.  Cook beets in

     a saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Drain and cool. Slip off skins, 

     trim root and top and cut into 1/2-inch pieces and place in mason jars.
4.  Bring half of marinade to a boil and pour over carrots, let cool to room temperature, then cover
     and refrigerate for at least one day.
5.  Pour other half of (cold) marinade over beets, then cover and refrigerate for at least one
     day.

Serving suggestions:

You can serve the pickles as a side, topped with a sprinkle of the fresh dill or as a condiment for cooked kale or other greens.

You can also use the pickles in a great main course salad.  For each serving cover the bottom of a plate with a thin bed of lettuce, spinach or arugula or a combination thereof.  Top with 1/2 cup of cooked green or French lentils and garnish with both kinds of pickles, halved hard boiled duck or chicken eggs, topped with crumbled goat cheese and a sprinkling of fresh chopped dill.

Spinach-Feta-Quinoa Cakes with Lemon-Dill Sauce

Photo by Allyson Zea for her blog, Domestic Superhero.

Glade Road Growing will have its first farm share on May 31.  JP tells me there will be spinach and green onions and so I created a recipe, which is similar to one on Allyson Zea's blog.

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Serves 4

Ingredients:

2/3 cup raw quinoa
bunch of green onions
several spigs of fresh dill enough to make 4 tablespoons chopped
1 lemon
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic
10 ounces fresh spinach (You can also use kale, arugula, chard or a combination.)
2 slice whole grain bread, crumbled into soft crumbs
4 chicken or duck eggs
1/2 # feta cheese
Salt
Black pepper

To make the sauce:

1.  Finely chop 4 tablespoons of the green portion of the onions and 4 tablespoons fresh dill.
     Reserve 1/2 of the dill for the quinoa cakes.  If you have extra dill, do not wash the portion you are
     going to store.   Just shake the stems loosely and place them in a plastic bag with a piece of paper
     towel to absorb and condensation and store in the refrigerator.
2.  Squeeze the juice from one lemon and measure out 4 teaspoons and refrigerate the rest in a lidded
     jar for another use.  Zest the lemon from the peel. You will use 1/2 teaspoon of the zest from the
     skin for the cakes.  You can dry any remaining zest on a piece of parchment paper and then store
     in a small spice jar.
3.  Whisk 1 cup plain Greek yogurt and the lemon juice and add in the herbs.  Season with salt and
     freshly ground pepper.
4.  Cover and refrigerate the sauce for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to
     meld.

To make the quinoa cakes:

1.  Cook the quinoa by bringing 2  cup of water to a boil.  Add the 2/3 cup of  raw quinoa and return
     to boil.  Take off stove and rinse well.  Add back in a scant 2 cups of water and return to stove and
     bring to a boil.  Turn down to low.  Cover.  Cook 15 minutes.  Let stand for five minutes and then
     fluff with a fork.
2.  While quinoa is cooking, finely chop the white portion of the onions to make 1  cup and the four
     cloves of garlic.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, stirring
    often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Chop the spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about
    3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium-size bowl.
3.  Beat the eggs lightly.  Add to bowl with the onions, garlic and spinach mixture, along with the
     cooked quinoa.  Crumble in the feta cheese and bread crumbs. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of
     chopped dill, the 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.  Let
     mixture sit for a few minutes to allow the bread crumbs to absorb the moisture.
4.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
5.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Form quinoa mixture into cakes about 2 1/2 inches in
      diameter and 1/2 inch thick and place on sheet.
6.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the bottoms are brown.  Flip with a spatula and bake for
     another five minutes.
7.  Serve warm with the lemon-dill sauce.

Summer Beet Borscht

Photo from Ina Garten from her similar recipe.


The expected farm share from Glade Road Growing for the Week of July 14 will include red beets, carrots, cucumbers, a sweet onion, a rosa de tropea onion, basil, sprig of dill and celery.  Here is a recipe for the beets, rosa de tropea onion, cucumbers and dill.  The carrots, celery and sweet onion would make a good base for a split pea soup, with the addition of potatoes and garlic and bay leaves.

Serves 6

1. Wash and rinse twice, 2 pounds of red beets and roast  in a convection or conventional oven at 450 degrees F until almost tender, about 30 minutes.  If you are using a countertop convection oven, as I do, no preparation is needed.  To roast in a conventional oven, preheat oven.  Coat beets lightly with a bit of olive oil. Wrap beets in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet to roast.

2.  Remove beets from oven and let cool and then peel with a small paring knife and discard skin.  Chop into a small to medium dice.

3.  Cook beets until tender for about another 10 minutes in 4 cups of boiling water to which you have added 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Remove beets to a bowl with a slotted spoon and cool.  Strain the cooking liquid and cool.

4.  While beets are cooling, wash and dice cucumbers with skin on, but seeds removed to measure up to two cups.  Wash one rosa de tropea onion and chop finely to make 1/2 cup (or you can use scallions, both the white and green parts.)  Wash and chop 2 tablespoons of dill.

5.  In a large bowl, whisk together beet cooking liquid, 2 1/2 cups of plain non-fat yogurt, 1/4 cup demerara sugar, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar  and 1 1/2 teasoons of freshly ground pepper.  

6.  Add the beets, cucumber, onions and dill.  Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7.  Serve chilled in six bowls and garnish with an extra dollop of yogurt and a sprig of dill.

Kohlrabi Fritters with Tzatziki (Greek Cumber Yogurt Dill Sauce)

Photo from Blooming Glen Farm in Pennsylvania

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The July 1 farm share from Glade Road Growing is expected to include kohlrabi, cabbage, summer squash, cucumbers, onion, and dill.

There's more information on the cabbage relative and a recipe for an apple and kohlrabi slaw at my post from last year.  This week I I thought I'd provide a recipe that combines it with the cucumbers, oninion and dill.  You can also eat kohlrabi raw, in soup, roasted, steamed or spicy in Indian recipes.

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I'm not sure how many kohlrabi bulbs will be in the farm share.  While this fritter recipe calls for four, you can make up the difference by using the summer squash. Or if you'd like to use the squash for another recipe, you can use potatoes (and omit the oats or brown rice.) The kohlrabi greens, if they are included, will be edible. The greens, too, are edible. Take the smaller, newer leaves, trim them and cook as you would beet greens, until they are tender.

Serves 4 - 6

Start by making the Tzatziki sauce and put in the refrigerator to thicken.  You will only use a portion for this recipe and can use the rest as a salad dressing or dip during the rest of the week.

1.  Peel 4 kohlrabi bulbs and shred (or mix shredded kohlrabi and unpeeled shredded summer squash or potatoes to make 2 - 3 cups).  Place in colander and squeeze out excess moisture.

2.  In a bowl, combine:

2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup cooked oat groats or brown rice
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3. Add kohlrabi or kohlrabi-squash mixture by the spoonful and mix until coated.

4.  Form fritter mixture into two inch balls and lightly coat with whole wheat flour.

5.  Heat lightly oiled cast iron skillet until a bead of water evaporates.  Drop into skillet. Press gently with spatula to flatten. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.


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Want a good recipe for the cabbage?  You can shred it and make it into a slaw using the recipe I've linked to or here's a recipe for my favorite cabbage borscht.

Broccoli and Dill Raita Slaw

Photo from Food Network. I first published this post on 6/13/14 at 10:03 PM and last updated it on 6/7/2014 to include a recipe for leeks and spinach and to add tags.

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Today, Glade Road Growing delivered its first farm shares, which included spinach, head lettuce, dill, broccoli, and leeks. I picked up my bag of produce at Vintage Cellar.  Here's a recipe you might want to try for Broccoli and Dill Raita Slaw:

1 cup plain non-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon  juice
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1/2 tablespoon Garlic minced
1/2 tablespoon Ginger minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium shallot or 1 TB onions minced
2 cups of broccoli (peeled and sliced stems and florets)
2 cups shredded carrots
1/4 cup dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds
 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

If you like you can lightly steam the broccoli and carrots or use them raw for more crunch.

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except the broccoli, carrots, cranberries, and almonds. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Add remaining ingredients and gently toss. Chill before serving.

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For your leeks and spinach, you can try this soup:

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I'm lucky to swap veggies for posting a recipe every week here and on facebook.

The website has a sign up for July due by 6/29/14 here and that Sally Walker  recommends early sign up for the remaining 2014 growing season through November since she and Jason sold out of the monthly shares this month.  They are still willing to swap some volunteer time for produce this month, but it will have to be picked up at the farm (2351 Glade Road, Blacksburg, Virginia).  Planned crops include:

peas, spinach, bok choy, broccoli, lettuce and lettuce mix, radishes, carrots, cabbage, kale, beets, onions, garlic, yellow squash, zucchini, fennel, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, celery, celeriac, basil, beans, chard, kohlrabi, rutabaga, arugula, turnips, okra, winter squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips, herbs (cilantro, dill, parsley and more.)

Tzatziki (Greek Cucumber Dip)

June 25's  farm share from Glade Road Growing (GRG) will contain carrots, fresh garlic, curly kale, romaine lettuce, 2 cucumbers and a mix of yellow, green, and romanesco zucchini (see the above picture from GRG's facebook page.

Sally Walker has commissioned me to develop recipes for the CSA, in exchange for veggies. Here is the first one, for Tzatziki (including vegan option).  It would be great with grilled or raw carrots and squash, served with pita triangles and black greek olives. It is also delicious over sauteed kale. It takes about 20 minutes to prep and another 2 hours to chill.

Peel, seed and dice 2 cucumbers.
Chop 1 tsp. fresh dill

Drain and strain one of the following:
4 cups plain yogurt
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups tofu "sour cream" (recipe found below) for vegan version

Combine in bowl and mix until well combined.
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed with flat side of knife, peeled, minced finely
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper

Whisk in yogurt or tofu sour cream to mix well.

Add cucumbers and dill.

Chill for at least two hours before serving.

Vegan Tofu "Sour Cream"

In a blender, process together five minutes, until very creamy and smooth:

1 (16 ounce) package silken tofu
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
6-7 teaspoons lemon juice (one lemon gives you about 9 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon demerarara sugar (or the equivalent of your favorite sweetener)
1/2-1 teaspoon salt, to taste

Refrigerate for at least an hour to thicken.

Use within 5-6 days.

Sally and JP try to predict the farm share head of time on the left sidebar here:
http://gladeroadgrowing.csasignup.com/

They make some last minute changes based on availability (like this week replacing swiss chard with a couple cucumbers.)