Thursday, October 14, 2010

White House Gardens Week #18, Octover 14, 2010

The first frost was last night, Tuesday.  I picked peppers again last night because I didn’t want to lose them to the frost.  This has been an amazing year for peppers.  I have never had so many red ones to put in your shares.  I planted an abundance of pepper plants this year because I have been frustrated in previous years with the lack of ripe peppers.  I have not had time to check to pepper plants to see if they were damaged by the frost.  There will be more in your shares next week if they weren’t damaged. 

What an amazing fall we are having!  The weather has been perfect for the fall crops; lots of sunshine and cool temperatures with adequate moisture.  The broccoli plants are coming along nicely, but we might not have cauliflower before the season ends.  The plants are growing very slowly, as everything does this time of year.   It’s possible we may have to wait a couple of weeks for the cauliflower, like last year.  It wasn’t until the second week of November that the cauliflower and broccoli were ready so I added another pick up after the season ended.  It’s possible I will have extra onions and potatoes for sale on the last pick up, October 28th.  More on that later, but they will probably be in 2 and 3 pounds bags, at $2.00 per pound. 

It has also been a great year for potatoes.  There are two kinds in your share this week, German Butterball and Bintje. 
Lettuce  Winter Density, a romaine
Kale  Cavolo Nero, also known as Tuscan Kale or Dinasour Kale.  This is a very prized kale for it’s great taste, not widely available.  Use as any other kale.  The center rib should be removed before cooking. 
Brussels Sprouts  Brussels Sprouts grow on a tall stalk.  The sprouts are snapped off the stalk.  Last year I gave you the entire stalk, this year I cut them off for you.  The end of the sprout needs to be trimmed and the outer leaves removed if they are damaged before cooking.  Try roasting the sprouts:  toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast on a flat try or cookie sheet at 400 degrees until tender and a little crispy.  The sprouts are not all the same size, cut the larger ones in half so that they all roast at the same rate.
Beets  Red Ace in large shares, Chioggia (candy stripe beets) in small shares.
Broccoli Raab  A member of the same family as broccoli, cabbage, etc.  The stems, leaves, and florets are all edible.  See a recipe in the newsletter.
Potatoes  German Butterball and Bintje
Carrots  With tops. Remove the tops if you are storing them for an extended period.  The tops will continue to pull moisture from the roots, causing the roots to wilt.  The tops are also edible.  See   " What To Do With Carrot Tops   Recipe included in the newsletter for Roasted Carrots.

Peppers  Red and yellow bell peppers
Red Onions  

Broccoli Rabe with Oil and Garlic
From Lidia’s Italian American Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich

Sometimes you see broccoli rabe cut into little pieces, but I like to serve the whole stems with the leaves attached.  If you peel and trim them the way I describe below, the stalks will cook at about the same rate as the leaves.  Broccoli rabe is a vegetable I like al dente.  By that I don’t mean really crunchy, but with some texture left to it. 

1 pound broccoli rabe
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
Salt
¼ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper, or to taste
¼ cup (or as needed) water
Makes 4 servings
To trim the broccoli rabe, first cut off any wilted or yellow leaves and the tough ends of the stems.  Then, holding a stem with the florets in hand, nick a little piece of the end of the stem with a paring knife and pull the little piece of the skin toward you, peeling the stem partially.  Continue working your way around the stem until it is peeled.    As you peel the stem, some of the large, tough outer leaves will also be removed;  discard those as well.  Repeat with the remaining stems.  Wash the trimmed broccoli rabe in a sinkful of cold water, swishing the stems gently to remove all dirt from between the leaves.  Let the leaves sit a minute or two undisturbed, to allow the dirt to settle to the bottom of the sink, then lift the broccoli rabe from the water with your hands or a large skimmer.  Drain in a colander.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Scatter the garlic over the oil and cook, shaking the pan, until golden brown, about 1 minute.  Carefully lay the broccoli rabe into the oil and season lightly with salt and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper.  Stir and toss to distribute the seasonings.  Pour ¼ cup water into the skillet and bring to a boil.  Cover the skillet tightly and cook, lifting the lid to turn the stalks occasionally, until the broccoli rabe is tender, about 10 minutes.  Taste, and season with additional salt and crushed red pepper if necessary.  Serve hot. 

Roasted Carrots
Serves 4 to 6.   Published November 1, 2010.   From Cook's Illustrated.

1 1/2
pounds carrots , peeled, halved crosswise, and cut lengthwise if necessary to create even pieces (see illustrations in Cutting Carrots for Roasting)
2
tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Table salt and ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. In large bowl, combine carrots with butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Transfer carrots to foil- or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread in single layer.
2. Cover baking sheet tightly with foil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook, stirring twice, until carrots are well browned and tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to serving platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

No comments: