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Dinner Menu: Oct. 6-7, 2017

Antipasti

Grilled seasonal vegetables, marinated olives, lemon vinaigrette, Gtf bread    8

Baked local chevre, roasted onions, garlic, local apples and crostini     9

Mixed greens, lemon vinaigrette     6.5

Gtf salad, green beans, cucumber, toasted pumpkin seed, bell pepper, lemon vinaigrette     9.5

Eggplant parmigiana with mixed greens 7.5

Bignè with duck liver mousse with mixed greens 7 .5

Panzanella salad with golden bread cubes, tomatoes, red onion, kalamata, capers, basil   6.5

Beef meatballs with tomato sauce and mixed greens 7.5

Kale and vegetable soup 6

Pizze Rosse

with Gtf  tomato sauce

mozzarella and basil   13

mozzarella, corn and peppers 13

Kalamata and goat cheese 13

 Pizze Bianche

With béchamel sauce

duck confit and roasted onion   13

mozzarella, bacon and kale13

mozzarella, tomato and broccoli 13

add an egg or anchovies 1

Primi e Secondi

Mezzelune winter squash ravioli with pork belly and porter reduction sauce   20

Delicata squash and treviso radicchio risotto with blue cheese   16

Painted Hills flat iron steak, mashed potatoes, kale, broccoli, horse radish aioli    23

Duck breast, carrot puree, spinach, honey   22

Carlton farm pork chops, creamy polenta, chard, broccoli, basil pesto 22

Newport, OR albacore tuna, black lentil, spinach, carrot, celery, onion, romesco sauce   20

 

 

Dolci

Pumpkin Gingerbread Roll with lemon cream   5

Home-Made Tiramisu   7

Warm Apple Blackberry Crisp with cinnamon-sugar ice cream   8

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2017 CSA: Week 17 – Come to the Pumpkin Patch

CSA Newsletter – Week 17

Come to the Pumpkin Patch!

It’s crazy to think that it’s already week 17 of our CSA! We only have four weeks to go for a total of 21 weeks of produce. Sally wants to let everyone know that you are all invited to come out to our pumpkin patch so that each person in your family can pick out a pumpkin! From now through October 14th, Tuesday–Saturday 9-5, come out to the Farmstand and ask where the pumpkin patch is. Our lovely staff will give each of you a doughnut and point you in the right direction.

Also, this year the Moreland and Shemanski Wednesday markets will be ending on October 25th, a week shy of our last CSA box. To those of you who pick up at either of those markets, make sure to let Will know as soon as possible which alternate pick-up location you would like to grab your 21st box from.

Alright, enough business! What’s really exciting is the fact that watermelon radishes are back in season!!! We started growing watermelon radishes about five years ago when our farming business partner in crime at that time, Wild Garden Seed, was working on breeding them on some of our land. I remember the process vividly, as I had no idea what was required to breed any vegetable. When you’re selecting watermelon radishes for seed, you want to make sure you’re only collecting seed from the best, most flavorful, pinkest radishes in the field. But how do you do that if you can’t see the radish under the ground? Apparently, they harvest the radishes and wash them just like normal. Then they sort the radishes by color. Right at the base of the root where it tapers down to a little tail, they look to see if there is a pink blush. The brightness of that spot is an indicator of how bright the radish is on the inside. Finally, they take all the brightest pink radishes to be re-planted, now called stecklings, and plant them back in the field to let them flower and go to seed. Then we buy that seed and grow them up to become radishes once again.

-Laura Bennett, markets@gatheringtogetherfarm.com

Table of Box Contents

  • Butternut Squash—As the name suggests, this squash is creamy like butter, with a nice sweet flavor.
  • Celery—Our celery is looking beautiful out in the field. The plants are nearly quadruple the size of the celery bunch that you end up receiving, which is only the very center of the floret of stalks.
  • Watermelon Radishes—To those of you who have yet to experience their magic, these radishes are extremely beautiful and delicious. They are white-green on the outside and have a burst of pink in the center, perfect sliced into thin discs into a salad. They’ve got a crisp, juicy texture and a well-rounded combination of sweetness and heat!
  • Sweet Bell Pepper
  • Sweet Jimmy Nardello Pepper
  • Cilantro
  • Yellow Potatoes
  • Chioggia Beets—Beets come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. These chioggias are striped with concentric circles of red and white inside, and have a milder flavor than red beets. They also don’t turn everything pink, and instead can be bright color accents in a salad.
  • Collards—Collard greens are similar to kale with a lovely sweet broccoli-like flavor. Cooked down they become quite tender.
  • Sweet Onion—This time of year I love making grilled cheese sandwiches with a layer of caramelized sweet onions inside.
  • Red Onion—High in acid, great raw in salads, sandwiches, and slaws.
  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes

Recipes

Print

Celery, Apple, Watermelon Radish, & Sweet Pepper Slaw

Author Adapted from The CSA Cookbook by Linda Ly

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp minced chives
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Salad

  • 1 tart apple, cored and cut into matchsticks
  • 2 celery ribs, with leaves, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced into disks and then matchsticks
  • 1 sweet pepper, sliced into very thin strips
  • fresh herb: finely-chopped basil, parsley, cilantro, etc.

Instructions

  1. To make the dressing, stir together the vinegar, chives, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil until well blended and set aside.

  2. Combine the apple, celery, cabbage, radish, and pepper in a large serving bowl and toss with the dressing (which you should feel free to elaborate on with your own spice concoction; personally, I love adding sesame oil and crushed peanuts to slaws). 

  3. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving to let the slaw soak up all the flavors. It’s even better the next day! Serve chilled.

Print

Coconut Butternut Squash Soup w/ Collards

“Once you’ve got the squash baked, this soup comes together quickly. The mellow flavors of squash, collards and red onions synergize delectably and look gorgeous together as well.”

Author Adapted from New York Times Cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 large butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or other vegetable oil
  • 1 large yellow or sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 medium apple, any variety, peeled and diced
  • 2 cups prepared vegetable broth (or 2 cups water with 1 vegetable bouillon cube)
  • 2 tsp good-quality curry powder
  • 2 tsp grated fresh or jarred ginger, or more to taste
  • pinch ground nutmeg or allspice
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish

  • 2 medium red onions, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 1 good-sized bunch collards (about 10 to 12 ounces)

Instructions

  1. Heat about half the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.

  2. Add the apple, squash, broth and spices. Bring to a steady simmer, then cover and simmer gently until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes.

  3. Transfer the solids to a food processor with a slotted spoon, in batches if need be, and process until smoothly pureed, then transfer back to the soup pot. Or better yet, simply insert an immersion blender into the pot and process until smoothly pureed.

  4. Stir in the coconut milk and return the soup to a gentle simmer. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until well heated through. Season with salt and pepper. If time allows, let the soup stand off the heat for an hour or two, then heat through as needed before serving.

  5. Just before serving, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet. Add the red onions and sauté over low heat until golden and soft.

  6. Meanwhile, strip the kale leaves off the stems and cut into thin shreds. Stir together with the onions in the skillet, adding just enough water to moisten the surface. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the kale is bright green and just tender, about 5 minutes.

  7. To serve, ladle soup into each bowl, then place a small mound of kale and onion mixture in the center.

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Lunch Menu: Week of Oct. 3, 2017

Spaghetti carbonara with pork belly, chives, caramel onions and pecorino

Antipasti

chad fell’s bread & olives    5

emily’s farm fresh pickle plate    4

duck liver mousse on baguette with balsamic reduction and arugula    4

creamy delicata squash and thyme soup, served with bread    5

mixed greens with balsamic    6.5

gtf salad – tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, roasted sweet peppers, and a cilantro-dill dressing     9.5

Brodetto of tuna, prawns and clams with garbanzo beans, fennel bulb and aioli

Pizze Rosse

garlic & basil    13

corn & peppers   13

kalamata & goat cheese  13

 

 

 Pizze Bianche

ham & bleu cheese  13

bacon & kale  13

tomato & broccoli   13

 

 

add an egg, pickled jalapenos, or anchovies   1

 

Black lentils with a poached egg, tomatoes, romesco and rosemary goat chevre

Secondi

spaghetti carbonara with pork belly, chives, caramel onions and pecorino   14

ravioli of kabocha and parmesan with delicata, duck confit and black kale in a thyme brodo    14

black lentils with a poached egg, tomatoes, romesco and rosemary goat chevre    13

brodetto of tuna, prawns and clams with garbanzo beans, fennel bulb and aioli   14

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Dinner Menu: Sept. 28-30, 2017

Antipasti

Grilled seasonal vegetables, marinated olives, lemon vinaigrette, Gtf bread    8

Baked local chevre, roasted onions, garlic, local honey and crostini     9

Mixed greens, lemon vinaigrette   6.5

Gtf salad, orange, green beans, toasted hazelnuts, lemon vinaigrette   9.5

Eggplant parmigiana with mixed greens  7.5

Caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, balsamic, e.v.o.o     7 .5

Panzanella salad with golden bread cubes, tomatoes, red onion, kalamata, capers, basil   6.5

Beef meatballs with tomato sauce and mixed greens  6.5

Lentil and vegetable soup  6

 

Pizze Rosse

with GTF  tomato sauce

mozzarella and basil   13

mozzarella, bacon and blue cheese 13

mozzarella, r. pepper, eggplant  and corn 13

 Pizze Bianche

With béchamel sauce

ham and broccoli   13

duck confit and scallions13

kalamata and goat cheese13

add an egg or anchovies 1

Primi e Secondi

Spaghetti with sardines, fennel sauce, pine nuts, raisins, tomatoes     20

Crepes with eggplant and leek, chard, beets, basil pesto     16

Painted Hills flat iron steak, mashed potatoes, kale, horse radish aioli     23

Duck breast, carrot puree, spinach, honey   22

Carlton farm pork chops, creamy polenta, chard, basil pesto 22

Albacore tuna, prawns, clams cioppino with spinach, carrot, leek   20

Dolci

Chili Chocolate Mousse with orange spiced shortbreads   5

Pumpkin Cheesecake with hazelnut crust and toffee sauce   6

Blackberry Apple Crisp with home-made vanilla ice cream   8

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CSA 2017 – Week 16: Salt and Pepper

CSA Newsletter – Week 16

Salt and Pepper

Welcome to fall, everyone! I just started back at OSU, and I am so grateful to be spending my time studying the history of food, something that I cannot wait to share with you all. Last week I learned all about the history of various spices and how they literally changed the world, but what stood out most to me was the amazing stories behind the most common things on the table—salt and pepper.

It seems like salt and pepper have always been there, no matter what culture or era you’re from, but apparently the two ingredients couldn’t have more different histories. There is no record of when humans first started using salt on food, though the ways in which we use salt has changed drastically over time. In some cultures, rather than sprinkling salt into food, each guest at the table would have a small salt block to lick throughout the meal.
Pepper, on the other hand, has a history much richer than one would expect, and it didn’t join salt on the table until the Romans were in power. Back then, food was treated as a vehicle for spices, and one’s wealth was measured by how many spices they could afford to use. The trade routes from India and the Molucca Islands (where peppercorns and most other spices are still grown) were extremely long, thus leading to extremely high prices. This led to the first major separation of classes in the Western world; suddenly the royalty, who had been more or less living similarly to the peasants, found themselves eating decadently-seasoned food and wearing silks.

In fact, it was the high price on spices, primarily peppercorns, that led hundreds of adventurers to search for a cheaper trade route by sea. One of those explorers was Christopher Columbus, who obviously did not succeed in finding the trade route to India. But it’s crazy to think that he never would have gone to the New World had pepper simply been cheaper. How different would things have been? Just something to ponder as you eat your way through this week’s box.

-Laura Bennett, markets@gatheringtogetherfarm.com

Table of Box Contents

  • Acorn Squash—When I was growing up my mother would bake acorn squash halves with brown sugar, butter, and bacon inside. It was amazing, I won’t lie, but if you’re looking for a healthier alternative, see the recipe on back.
  • Poblano Pepper—This pepper is most commonly used to make Chiles Rellenos, as it has a chipotle-like flavor.
  • Sweet Italian Peppers
  • Yellow Potatoes
  • Bunched Turnips—We grow a variety of turnips at the farm, so you can see which variety ends up in your box. If you get purely white turnips, the entire bunch is sweet and delicious. Be sure to eat the stems and greens! If you get purple-top turnips, the stems and greens are a little on the bitter side and would be best blended into a soup rather than eaten.
  • Bunched Purple Haze Carrots
  • Medusa Kale—This kale is known for being particularly purple, though the color intensifies with the colder weather, so it may still be green yet. Sauté with potatoes, a poblano pepper, and top with fried eggs for a warm, autumnal breakfast.
  • Thyme—Fresh thyme is a wonderful treat, but if you can’t use up the whole bunch don’t fret. Just let it hang in your kitchen to dry, and then put it in soups, or crunch the leaves off into a jar for use on a later date.
  • Sweet Onion—This time of year I love making grilled cheese sandwiches with a layer of caramelized sweet onions inside.
  • Superstar Onion—Nice acidic flavor, perfect raw on salads and sandwiches.
  • Cucumber
  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Grapes

Recipes

Print

Roasted Roots w/ Maple Syrup, Black Pepper, and Thyme

“This dish begs to be served with a pork chop.”

Author Adapted from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch Turnips, stems removed, trimmed, and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
  • 1/2 bunch Purple Carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 bunch thyme, minced
  • 1 tsp dried chile flakes

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

  2. Toss the turnip cubes with a nice glug of olive oil and season generously with salt and black pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast until fully tender and lightly browned, 25-30 minutes.

  3. Pile into a bowl, sprinkle with the vinegar, and toss to distribute. Let the turnips absorb the vinegar for a minute. Add the maple syrup, thyme, and chile flakes and toss. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper if needed.

Print

Roasted Acorn Squash w/ Yogurt, Walnuts, and Spiced Green Sauce

“Such a stunning dish, and with so little work. I look for a mix of squash that will have differently shaped slices so that you get some drama on the platter.”

Author Adapted from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups yogurt
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 lbs winter squash
  • olive oil
  • 2 tbsp slightly sweet white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, lightly roasted, roughly chopped
  • Spicy Pesto, hot sauce, or Spiced Green Sauce (below)

Instructions

  1. Mix the yogurt withthe garlic, lemon zest, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.

  2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

  3. Trim off the top and bottom of the squash, then peel away the skin with a paring knife or sturdy vegetable peeler. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and fibers with a stiff spoon, and cut the squash into ½ inch slices.

  4. Toss the squash, either in a large bowl or directly on a rimmed baking sheet, with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Spread out on one or two rimmed baking sheets, and roast until tender and nicely browned on the underside, 20-40 minutes depending on the texture of the squash. Let the squash cool slightly on the baking sheet (s).

  5. Arrange the squash slices on a platter, spoon a ribbon of yogurt on top, and then sprinkle with vinegar. Drizzle/spoon the pesto/hot sauce over the squash so it looks pretty. Scatter the walnuts on the dish and finish with a few drops of olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

 

Print

Spiced Green Sauce


Author From Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • seeds from 4 green cardamom pods
  • 1/2 cup Poblano, minced
  • 1-3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 2 cups cilantro leaves, packed
  • 2 cups parsley leaves, packed
  • pinch ground cloves
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Put coriander, cumin, and cardamom into a dry skillet and toast lightly about 4 min, shaking pan regularly. Dump into mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind.

  2. Blend everything including your ground spices into a food processor and pulse until all is finely chopped into a rough puree, drizzling in olive oil as you blend.

  3. Add more salt and pepper to taste and store in fridge up to one week.