glacier grist
issue #31 • Thursday, June 11, 2009
FRESH ALASKAN LETTUCE!! AT LAST!
All this sunshine is really bringing the crops on strong, and we’re thrilled to offer our first salad greens of the summer! Enjoy them… and know that there will be lots more to come in the future!!
FARMER’S MARKETS AROUND ALASKA!
Are you traveling around Alaska this summer? Might you be tempted to stop in another town and look for a farmers market there? If this sounds like your ideal vacation (it’s definitely high on my list!), I have great news! I’ve just launched a website for the brand-new non-profit, the ALASKA FARMERS MARKET ASSOCIATION. Every farmers market in Alaska is listed by city, along with its location, dates, and hours of operation. www.AlaskaFarmersMarkets.org
PLEASE RETURN YOUR BOXES!
ALSO VERY IMPORTANT...LOOK FOR YOUR LABEL ON YOUR BOX. It creates a bit of havoc on our end and for the customer who thinks they are missing a box. Thank you!
recipes
for glacier grist issue #31
tender salad greens with lemon-thyme vinaigrette and garlicky croutons
This is a great recipe to use with this month’s fresh, tender greens from our local farmers, because the dressing is light and doesn’t weigh down the delicate leaves too much. These leaves will wilt quickly, though, so don’t dress the salad until just before you’re going to serve it! I make everyone sit down at the table first, before I toss the salad. Make the croutons first, so they have time to cool a bit before you serve the salad.
I like to make this amount of vinaigrette, which makes enough for a couple of salads. It keeps just fine in the refrigerator for several days—just mix it up again before you use it. This recipe is based on one in rebar modern food.
garlicky whole-grain croutons
5 slices hearty whole-grain bread (preferably whole-wheat sourdough)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed in a garlic press
¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
vinaigrette
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
½ to 1 small onion, finely minced (to your taste)
2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
salad
large bowl of washed and dried tender salad greens, torn into bite-sized pieces
Parmesan cheese (optional), shaved into thin curls with a vegetable peeler
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mash the garlic with the salt in the bottom of a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the olive oil. Cut the slices of bread into ½” cubes and toss them in the garlicky oil until the oil is thoroughly absorbed and distributed. Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes, until the croutons are crispy and golden-brown. Cool on the baking sheet.
2. While the croutons are baking, wash the lettuce, dry the leaves and tear into pieces, and place in a large salad bowl.
3. In a bowl, whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients except the oil. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling in the oil. Correct seasoning to taste—if it’s too sharp and lemony, add a bit more salt, honey, and/or oil.
4. When you’re ready to sit down and eat, drizzle some of the dressing over the leaves and toss, adding more dressing as needed until all the leaves are lightly coated. Sprinkle with the optional Parmesan cheese, toss again to mix, and then toss in the croutons. Sprinkle with pepper and serve right away, before the lettuce wilts.
leek & potato soup
This is a very mild and very simple soup, but yummy anyway. You can eat this soup at room temperature, if you like—if we keep getting this hot weather, you might want to!
3 large leeks, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ pounds potatoes, scrubbed well, quartered, and sliced thinly
salt and freshly-ground pepper
broth or water or milk to thin the soup
extra-virgin olive oil as a drizzle over the top
1. Set the chopped leeks in a bowl of water to soak while you prepare the other vegetables, then lift them out with a strainer to let the sand fall to the bottom.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide soup pot, add the leeks, garlic, celery and potatoes, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add 7 cups water and 1 ½ teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the celery and potatoes are soft, about 35 minutes. Squish some potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken the soup. If you need to thin the soup, add broth or water or milk.
3. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and add a drizzle of olive oil to make the soup richer, if you like.
cauliflower with bread crumbs
This recipe is based on a recipe in Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It’s fun, delicious, and really easy.
1 cauliflower, 1 ½ to 2 pounds
2-3 slices whole wheat bread (you can use stale bread, but not dried hard)
3 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
1. With a sharp paring knife, cut through the cauliflower stems and pull the florets apart. Peel and dice the stems. Steam everything in a steamer basket over boiling water until the florets are tender but still a little firm when pierced with a knife, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove to a bowl.
2. Tear the bread slices into smallish pieces and put them in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse and grind them until they are finely ground into bread crumbs. Use ½ cup of them or more for this recipe.
3. Brown the bread crumbs in olive oil (with optional garlic) in a small skillet over medium heat. Toss the bread crumbs into the bowl with the steamed cauliflower and season with salt and plenty of pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley if you have some hanging around.
artichokes leaf by leaf, with aioli
Since I’m writing this newsletter ahead of time, before the artichokes are here, I’m not sure how big your artichokes will be… whether they will be the side-stem artichokes, and so small that they won’t have developed a choke yet (in which case you don’t have to dig the choke out with a spoon), or if they will be a little older and bigger. I’ll tell you how I cook them if they are medium-sized (not the truly tiny baby artichokes that don’t have a choke yet) , and if they are very small, I think this method will work anyway.
Whatever size they are, artichokes are yummy dipped in a little garlicky, creamy sauce!
artichokes
Clip the leaves with scissors if they have thorns; slice off the top third and even the bottom so that it stands. Steam them over boiling water until a leaf comes easily free when tugged, about 45 minutes. If the artichokes are very small, they may not take this long! I’m assuming you know how to eat an artichoke leaf by leaf, scraping the flesh off with your teeth, and then digging the thistley choke out with a spoon before eating the heart…
aioli (garlic mayonnaise)
4 to 6 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 egg
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt (adjust to taste)
pinch of white pepper
1 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil, or a mixture of extra-virgin and regular olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
Combine the garlic, mustard, egg, salt and pepper in the bowl of a blender or food processor. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow, thin, steady stream. Process until the mixture starts to thicken. Stop when all the oil has been added and scrape down the sides. Then add the lemon juice a little at a time, combining well. Taste for salt and white pepper, and add more lemon juice if you like. Transfer the aioli to a jar, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
For more recipes, visit http://www.AlisonsLunch.com, http://www.SouthAnchorageFarmersMarket.com
Happy cooking! --Alison
