Lamb Stuffed Greens With Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes

This is a variation on cabbage rolls, or even a stuffed grape leaves idea.  If you have a favorite stuffing for such things, I'm sure they would be nice inside these leafy greens as well.  In this recipe, many of the items in this season's share are used.  I have fresh herbs in my garden, but I would imagine a zesty or flavorful dried seasoning blend would be nice too.  One thing to keep in mind is that the leaves will extract a lot of flavor from the stuffing. Be sure to season it generously so it does not end up tasting bland. Ingredients: About two dozen large leafy greens, (kohlrabi greens, collards, or napa cabbage work well) 1 lb ground leg of lamb 1/2 cup (dry) quinoa, cooked with broth or stock until tender 1 sweet onion, minced 6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed 1 large sweet pepper, diced 1 medium tomato, diced Fresh hot peppers (to taste), diced Fresh rosemary, sage and thyme (to taste), minced 6 oz tomato paste 4 slices of dry toast, ground into bread crumbs 1-2 cups lamb stock 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes or diced tomato 1 cup balsamic vinegar Sea salt & pepper, to taste

Method: Boil about 8 quarts of water in a large stock pot.  Dunk the washed and trimmed greens in the pot and boil for about one minute. Gently lift the leaves out of the boiling water (as to not tear them) and place in a bowl of ice-cold water.  When cool, remove from the water and let drain in a colander. Next, combine the lamb, cooked quinoa, onion, garlic, sweet pepper, tomato, hot peppers, herbs, tomato paste, bread crumbs, about one tablespoon of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.  Take about 1/4 cup of the stuffing and place at the base of each leaf (they may require more or less, depending on the size of the leaves.) Roll from the base of the leaves to the tips, tucking the sides in as you go so the stuffing is completely encapsulated in the leaves.  Place snugly in a glass or ceramic baking dish and pour the lamb stock over the rolls.  Cover with an ovenproof lid or aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for one hour. After removing the rolls from the oven, let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

While the rolls are baking, place the cherry tomatoes and balsamic vinegar in a skillet and saute until the tomatoes have burst and the vinegar and juices have reduced a little. When the tomato and vinegar begin to caramelize, remove from the heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the warm tomato and vinegar reduction over the lamb rolls before serving.

Fall Market Salad With Caramelized Onions, Bacon & Blue Cheese

This selection of salad greens are all in a bitter/sour flavor family. Alone, they might be challenging for some to enjoy.  But when they share a plate with sweet onions and apples, and rich and salty bacon and blue cheese, the flavors are perfectly balanced.  There is no need for a fussy salad dressing when your mouth lights up with all of this flavor.  A good oil and vinegar drizzle before serving is all it needs.

Ingredients: One head of pac choi, stems and greens chopped 2 cups of arugula 1 bunch of radish greens 1 bunch of radishes, sliced 1 golden delicious apple, sliced 1 lb link 41 bacon, cooked crispy 3-4 sweet onions, sliced and caramelized until golden brown. (See recipe for Caramelized Onions) Roquefort or Stilton blue cheese Olive oil Golden balsamic vinegar, or your favorite sweet light vinegar

Method: Slice and caramelize the onions.  See recipe for Caramelized Onions for instructions. Let cool. Cook the bacon until crispy and let rest on a paper towel to blot the grease. Wash the greens, arugula and pac choi.  Chop or tear the leaves to the desired size.  Chop or slice the pac choi stems, the radishes and the apples.  Assemble the vegetables and apples, then top with caramelized onions, crumbled bacon and blue cheese.  Drizzle a little olive oil and golden balsamic vinegar on top and serve.

Hearty Homemade Pot Stickers

I should preface this post with saying that I'm not a professional pot sticker-maker.  Actually, this was my first time.  I was staring at a bag of frozen pot stickers from Costco, and looking at my bag of freshly milled flour from Sonrisa Farm, and thought to myself, "I could do this...and I bet it would be better because it's fresh, whole-wheat, and full of local goodies." So I gave it a whirl.  I was surprised at how easy it is to make homemade pot stickers, and in case I miss the convenience of pulling them out of the freezer for a quick meal: This recipe made enough for filling our bellies and the freezer.

Filling: 1 lb ground pork, chicken, or pressed tofu 1 head of napa cabbage 1 bunch green onions, chopped 1-2 tbs grated fresh ginger 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbs toasted sesame oil 1 Tbs soy sauce 1 Tbs Mirin (or can use honey and rice vinegar) 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Dough: 1 lb (3 cups) Sonrisa Farm stone ground whole wheat flour 1 tsp salt (optional) 1 cup warm water

Sauce: 1 recipe for Teriyaki Marinade and Stir Fry Sauce (or make a simple dipping sauce with rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce and garlic)

Method: Wash and thinly slice the napa cabbage.  Place in a bowl and salt generously to draw out the moisture.  Let stand for about 15 minutes. When the cabbage has wilted, squeeze out the moisture (you can use your hands or wrap it in cheesecloth or strong paper towels).  Place the cabbage in a large bowl with the ground meat or tofu and the remaining ingredients.  Mix well with your hands so the ingredients are thoroughly combined.  If you want to test the mixture for flavor balance beforehand (which I recommend, because the strength of your ginger and garlic can vary), cook a spoonful of the mixture in oil or water for about 5 minutes.  Adjust seasonings to the filling as necessary. Cover and refrigerate until the dough is ready.

To prepare the dough, mix the salt into the flour and slowly add the warm water while stirring with a fork.  When the ingredients are combined the dough will feel quite firm (harder than a pizza dough, softer than pasta dough).  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Then begin to knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the texture is uniform.  Pinch off one-inch cube pieces of dough (or less if you want smaller pot stickers), roll into a firm ball and set aside until you have portioned out all of the dough.  With a rolling pin, flatten and turn the dough until you have made a circle a bit larger than the palm of your hand.  It may stick to your rolling pin a bit, but should peel off easily.  You can use a little flour for dusting the board and pin, but be careful to not use too much or the pot stickers may not seal easily.  If you have someone to help with the filling and sealing, the process can go quite quickly.

Put a spoon or two of the filling in the center of the disc of dough and stretch the dough around the filling and pinch the sides together across the top.  Place the pot stickers in a heated, well-oiled, non-stick skillet with enough water to cover the bottoms of the pot stickers by about 1/3.  Cover with a lid and steam for 15 minutes. Serve with Teriyaki sauce or a simple dipping sauce.  If you want to freeze extras, place the uncooked pot stickers on a baking sheet covered with waxed or parchment paper and freeze.  Once frozen, place in a freezer-proof bag or container.  Cook as directed above.

Cucumber Soup with Fennel and Fresh Herbs

Ingredients: 3 seedless cucumbers, peeled and cut into chunks 1 yellow onion, diced 1 bulb of fennel, diced 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 vegetable bouillon cube (Rapunzel: with sea salt & herbs) 1 cup of water 3 green onions, chopped 3 sprigs of fresh mint, stems discarded and leaves minced 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, minced 2-3 stems of fresh dill, minced 1/2 Cup of sour cream or plain yogurt Juice from 1/2 lemon Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup ice Toasted garlic drizzling oil for garnish

Method: Saute the yellow onion, fennel, and garlic in a little oil on medium heat.  When they are soft, add the vegetable bouillon cube plus 1 cup of water and let simmer until the bouillon cube is dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Place all ingredients except the sour cream and ice in a blender and puree until smooth.  Add the ice and blend until smooth again.  Finally, add the sour cream and blend on low until combined.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  Serve right away, or chill for up to 2 hours.  Float toasted garlic drizzling oil on top for garnish.

Steelhead Trout With Radish & Fennel Salad

I won't lie.  I saw a beautiful photograph of a bacon and radish crudo on the St. John's Restaurant facebook page, and thought to myself..."I should go there and eat that".  The next best thing, though, is to make something that looks as beautiful with the little treasures in our CSA share. I tried a few flavor combinations with the salad, but this one was the winner.  So glad we had some fresh basil this week!

Salad: 1 fennel bulb, finely diced 2-3 Tbs chopped fennel leaf 6 radishes, finely diced 10 basil leaves, thinly sliced 1/2 lemon, juiced 2 Tbs Lucini Dark Cherry Balsamico 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sea Salt Freshly ground black pepper Mix ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fish: 4 portions of Steelhead Trout, skins and bones removed Dry the fish with a paper towel, thin sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides On Medium-high heat, melt a little oil or butter in a skillet.  Gently place the fish in the pan and cook about 3 minutes on each side, (less or more depending on the thickness of the fish and how well done you like it.) Remove fish from pan and let rest on a warm plate.

Add 3-4 minced garlic cloves to the pan, plus 1 cup of dry white wine.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the alcohol burns off.  Salt to taste.

Pasta: Cook 4 portions of angel-hair pasta according to packet directions and drain. Drag each portion of cooked pasta through the garlic and wine sauce before plating.