Paisley Farm CSA blog

Though we don’t have collards in our shares this week, you might be able to use the beet greens in the same way as a substitute. And for the next time we get parsley, see the lovely spread recipe below. Thanks to Tanya Weiman for the contributions!

Source: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/collard_greens_with_bacon/

Collard Greens with Bacon

[note: weigh the collards first to see what proportion of the recipe is needed.]

Chef’s tip: don’t overcook the bacon. It should be barely brown around the edges and still somewhat raw-looking in the middle.

Ingredients

  * 4 strips thick-sliced bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
  * 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  * 2 garlic cloves, minced
  * 2 Tbsp sugar
  * 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  * Several dashes hot sauce
  * 1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar
  * 2 pounds collard greens, stems removed, sliced into 3-inch-wide strips (can substitute kale or chard)
  * 1 cup chicken broth (or water)

Method

1 Put bacon in a large pot and cook on medium heat until it just starts to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally. Mix in the onions and cook until they’re soft and starting to brown, stirring occasionally.

2 Add the garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about a minute. Pour in the vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

3 Stir in the collard greens and the chicken broth (or water) and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the greens are completely wilted and have lost their brightness, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with additional vinegar and hot sauce and serve with a generous ladle of the pan juices from the pot.

Serves 6 to 8.
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Parsley Spread

Source: http://www.thinkeatdrink.com/immunity-boost-cold-recipes/fresh-garlic-parsley-spread/ which doesn’t seem to be working right now, here’s an archive: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:wQYLy01UhbYJ:www.thinkeatdrink.com/immunity-boost-cold-recipes/fresh-garlic-parsley-spread/

Fresh Garlic Parsley Spread

August 11th, 2006 by Rumblefish

Garlic Parsley Spread

Servings: Makes enough to intoxicate four people with pure goodness.

  * 10 sprigs of regular bright green parsley (not Italian flat leaf)
  * 4 medium size garlic cloves [I LOVE garlic, but even 1 or 2 raw garlic cloves were too strong for me the first time I tried this, so this time I parboiled 4 cloves for a few minutes before chopping finely]
  * Kosher salt
  * Lemon
  * Extra light olive oil
  * A dash of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

First, take the cloves of garlic and hit them once with the blade of your chef knife. This makes them way easier to peel. Wash and dry the sprigs of parsley. Cut of the majority of the stems off and bunch them up tight in a ball. Go ahead and run through the parsley once with with your knife. It will be easier to handle later.

Next, gather your garlic up and smash them even flatter. Run through the garlic once with your knife. This also makes everything faster.

Lastly, place the garlic and parsley close together. Start mincing. [I parboiled the garlic and chopped finely, then did the rest of prep in a food processor, streaming the olive oil in until the desired consistency. I also added just a scant dash of lemon, as the first time I tried it the lemon overpowered the other ingredients. I also added some freshly-ground pepper.] Keep mincing and folding the two ingredients together until the colors and texture are even. Throw the mixture in the ramekin. Pour enough olive oil to barely cover the ingredients. I usually add a teaspoon at a time until the mixture has soaked up just enough to be a paste. Throw a dash of vinegar in there, a few drops of lemon and a pinch of Kosher salt. Mix well. Cover the ramekin and let the flavors infuse for an hour in the refrigerator.

Now you have a delicious, healthy spread that goes great over bread, on crackers, in a salad dressing, on fish, or with pasta.

Note: Do not just use a garlic press for this recipe. It ruins the paste.

A recipe contributed by Lisa Tran, originally sourced from epicurious.com.

Brazilian Collard Greens

Collards are normally associated with long, slow cooking, but cutting them
into thin strips reduces cooking time dramatically. The result is a bright,
lively flavor that will make you realize these greens are more versatile
than most people think.<

ingredients

1 1/4 pound collard greens, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves
halved lengthwise
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil

preparation

Stack half of collard leaves and roll into a cigar shape. Cut crosswise
into very thin strips (1/16 inch wide). Repeat with remainder.

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a
12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook garlic,
stirring, 30 seconds. Add collards with 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook,
tossing, until just tender and bright green, 3 to 4 minutes.

PS. A squeeze of lemon makes this even more tasty!

This is a beautiful bright green oil we sometimes use as a garnish for soups, etc. but it would be nice with salads or anything, like a cold summer grain salad…. Great way to use your bunch of chives in one fell swoop!

Chive Oil

Ingredients:
one bunch of chives
enough oil to cover
salt

In a saucepan, bring enough water to a boil that will cover one bunch of chives. Blanch the chives for 45 seconds or until they turn bright green. Remove the chives from the boiling water and plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Pat the chives dry. In a blender, add the chives and enough oil to cover. Puree the mixture well with a pinch of salt. Strain through a mesh strainer and you’re done!

Just a question I had… cause what if you cut up one stem– isn’t it still a chive? or does it become chives?!

Hope every one’s summer is delightful.

Just a friendly reminder to visit the blog for great recipes specific to the items we receive in our shares. http://upstatefarmsny.com/blog/

Personally I’ve spent more time asking people for ideas and experimenting. So far so good!

It hasn’t been easy using up all of the chive before it drys, so I’ve put chive in and on everything. LOL… this morning I made an onion, cheddar & chive egg omelet that was delicious, and of course it goes atop the potatoes and  tossed in every salad I make! Let me know if you have any other ideas for the chive or chives.

Also, please remember to sign up for a volunteer shift. We still need folks on the following days:
26 Aug, 2 Sep, 9 Sep, 23 Sep, 30 Sep, 7 Oct, 21 Oct, 4 Nov, 18 Nov

Thanks to all who have volunteered!

Have a great week.

This recipe comes from Tanya Weiman at the Jimmy’s CSA, which she says, “always comes out  *amazing*, and I’m still pretty new in the kitchen! I halve the recipe, and it works out perfectly with our csa share portion I love that it uses the stems too.

A couple other things I’ve been doing is with the chives, chopping them up and adding to plain cream cheese to spread on bagels, or mixing into mashed potatoes. My best use of the mint so far was chopping finely and mixing into ground lamb to make some very tasty lamb burgers! Also I’ve been using the cucumbers to make batches of tzaziki, yum…”
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Superstar DBA members Anuj and Joanna tried out this recipe for Roasted Chicken with Peaches, Basil, and Ginger and wanted to recommend it to everyone. Both chickens and peaches are available as an add-on order, so if you haven’t tried them yet, hop to it!

Also, for more on the tomato blight, check out Dan Barber’s op-ed piece.