Conversations on Food
Hi it’s me, Nadine. If you’ve ever been to the farm, you may or may not have seen or met me. I do some of the cooking at the farm on the weekends. I’m frequently asked about what do with the vegetables we grow here – there’s such diversity of vegetables that we grow, that people don’t always know what to do with the different greens like purslane or bok choi, or how to prepare what’s in season. I don’t always have an easy answer; what I’m interested in is the interaction and dialogue that happens when I’m having conversations with people about our produce. I want people to talk more about food, to talk about what they’re doing with our vegetables when they leave the farm, to get together and share ideas. When I cook, I don’t necessarily follow a recipe; I use my senses – taste, smell, and of course the way it looks. Conversations on food is my attempt to share and exchange ideas, with anyone who wants to have the conversation, what can be done with this incredible variety of fresh vegetables.
Hi, my name is Anne. I’ve been a Blooming Hill Farm customer for years, and Nadine and I are collaborating on Conversations on Food. Nadine’s right, you might not have ever met her at the farm. The truth is, farmers are busy. They have a lot to say and plenty of advice to offer, but they’re often stuck heaving crates of vegetables off of trucks, washing lettuce, harvesting carrots. What I want to do is help facilitate the conversation between farmers and consumers. Each week Nadine and I will sit down and have our own conversation on food, and then we’ll share it with you, here. We hope you’ll be inspired share in the conversation, both online and at the farm and with your own friends and family.
July 15th, 2009 - Fresh Beans
We're used to seeing "shell beans", such as cranberry, fava, black or great northern beans, when they're dry. Something that most customers don't know, is that all of these beans can be eaten fresh as well as dried. You just open up the pods and the fresh beans are right inside, ready to go. You don't have to boil or soak them, or do much preparation at all.
Fresh beans are just starting to come in now. We'll have fava beans at the market this weekend. They're a bigger bean than most, and really beautiful. I boil them for just two minutes and then toss them in salads or succotash. Fava beans have a dense, creamy flavor that is so unique and delicious. Our fresh garlic matches their flavor perfectly.
Summer Vegetable Salad with Fava Beans
Ingredients
1 bunch beets
1 handful snap peas, sliced
8-10 fava bean pods
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 or 2 white onions
3-4 new potatoes
a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed and minced finely
sprout creek ouray cheese
1/2 lemon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper to taste
Method
1. Peel and quarter the beets and boil just until tender. Set aside.
2. Halve or quarter the new potatoes, depending on size, and boil until just tender. Set aside.
3. Slice the onion and saute in a bit of extra virgin olive oil 2-3 minutes so that they still have some crunch. Add the minced garlic for the last 30-40 seconds, watching carefully that it doesn't burn.
4. Remove fava beans from the pod and blanch in boiling water for two minutes
5. Combine cooked beets, potatoes, fava beans, onion and garlic with fresh snap peas and thyme. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Serve salad topped with grated Sprout Creek Ouray cheese.
July 7th, 2009 - Nadine's Borscht
Beets are coming in so fast right now. I like to roast a medley of our beets – chiogia, golden and traditional. The greens are really tasty too – you can just treat them like chard. I’m making borscht this weekend in the market so we’re using the greens in our paninis. I just blanch them for a few minutes in boiling water, then sauté in garlic and olive oil. They’ll go in the panini with basil and fresh ricotta. The difference with our beets is that they’re really fresh. We pick them the same day you’re buying them, and they’re nothing like the beets you buy in a grocery store, which are usually soft and old. I think there’s even a subtle flavor difference between the different varieties and colors of beets that we grow.
Borscht is a traditional Russian beet soup. It’s quick and easy and a great way to highlight the flavor of beets this time of year. You can keep it in the refrigerator for a few days and serve it either hot or cold. I add a dollop of Kenny’s goat yogurt on top and some fresh dill.
Nadine's Borscht
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 bunches beets, stems and leaves removed and saved for another use
2 medium onions, such as our "bulbing" onions
1 bunch fresh dill
1/2 cup yogurt, such as Kenny's Goat Yogurt
extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper
Method:
1. Peel beets and chop in half.
2. Peel the outermost skin off the onions and chop in half
3. Toss Beets and onions in olive oil to coat, add salt and pepper and roast at 350F for about an hour.
4. Place roasted beets and onions in a large pot and fill with water just to cover.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Turn heat off, cover, and let cool to room temperature.
7. Puree beets and onions in batches, in a blender, adding enough of the liquid to reach your desired consistency. The borscht should be a bit thick, but not too much so.
Serve hot or cold, with a dollop of yogurt and some chopped fresh dill.
June 27th, 2009 - Grilled Vegetables
Right now, grilling is in season. On warm summer nights, everyone is looking to throw something on the grill. Grilling Meat is so easy and obvious, but almost any vegetable we grow can be tossed on the grill. Here at the farm, we’ve been grilling everything from bok choy and garlic scapes to spring onions. Last weekend we grilled baby carrots and sampled them at the market – they were a huge hit! Young vegetables and greens are so tender and sweet; grilling is actually a great way to prepare them. It’s quick, it’s simple and it’s seasonal. For us, grilled vegetables are the essence of summer.
To grill baby carrots, just chop off the greens and toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill them to your taste, but a few minutes on each side should be enough – turn them a bit as they cook. You can eat them plain, serve them with a mix of grilled vegetables, chop them and add to a salad, or put them in a sandwich or panini.
