Spinach Frittata

Tiny Perfection–Ranui Farm Eggs

Farm fresh eggs–some members of Ranui Gardens CSA signed up for the weekly egg option and are enjoying Sue’s cartons of Tiny Perfection. There is just no equivalent to eggs from chickens that gallivant freely and happily.

This frittata recipe calls for spinach, though chard and arugula substitute easily. The same with cheese—use what you have on hand—I made my last frittata with diced fresh mozzarella and Kerrygold cheddar became the golden brown topping. And I am still whittling away at the jar of thyme in the fridge.

Serve your frittata warm, right from the broiler, or chilled, with a salad the next day.

Spinach Frittata

2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 bunch spinach, chard or arugula, or a mixture any of these

Real Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 farm eggs

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 cup diced fresh mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Heat half of the oil in a 9 or 10-inch skillet on medium low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring every so often, until the onions are soft and very translucent, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove and discard the stems from the spinach and chop it coarsely. When the onions are ready, stir in the spinach, adding one third at a time, and stirring the spinach until it wilts to make room for more spinach. When all of the spinach has wilted and practically disappeared, season generously with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the garlic, the wilted spinach, the thyme and the cup of cheese.

Wipe the skillet with a paper towel to clean out any spinach/onion residue. Heat to medium flame, adding the other half of oil. Pour in the egg and spinach mixture. Set the timer for 10 minutes. You don’t have to stir the eggs, just let them cook until they set.

Preheat the broiler. After 10 minutes the eggs should be cooked with a bit of liquid on the top. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over those moist top eggs and slide the skillet under the broiler, about 6 inches from the flame. Cook until the cheese is golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Cut into wedges to serve.

Makes about 6 servings.

Spinach Frittata

Read Full Post »

Soba Noodles with Green Shallots, Spinach, Edamame and Tofu

Tofu is a four-letter word– “bad” four letters or good? In my kitchen it’s a good word; if you look in our refrigerator, you’ll almost always find tofu. Packed in water and sealed, it will last more than a month, ready for last minute meal ideas. And I always have a bag of shelled edamame in the freezer and a box of buckwheat noodles in the pantry.

So when I found a recipe for green garlic with spinach and the aforementioned kitchen staples, I printed it. The recipe is from Martha Rose Shulman’s New York Times article, May 18, 2012. I am a huge fan of Ms. Shulman and I have several of her cookbooks, including a first edition of The Vegetarian Feast, a staple from my catering days in the late 1970’s.

I think the green shallots in our Ranui Gardens CSA box this week will substitute just fine for the green garlic and here is my adaptation of the recipe.

Soba Noodles with Green Shallots, Spinach, Edamame and Tofu

1 pound extra-firm tofu

1 bunch green shallots

1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1 bunch spinach, stems removed

¾ cup frozen shelled edamame

8 ounces soba or buckwheat noodles

1 sheet nori, cut into short (1/4-inch by 1/1/2-inch) strips, optional

Soy sauce

Prepare the tofu. Cut the tofu block in half. Place the halves in a large shallow dish on top of a clean tea towel (without terrycloth nubs.) Cover with another towel or paper towels. Place a second dish that would fit inside the first, on top and place something heavy inside. After 5 or 10 minutes the tea towels will have absorbed excess water.

While the tofu is pressing, trim any tough stalk away from the shallots. Chop them finely. Chop the spinach into 1-inch pieces.

Cut the pressed tofu into ½-inch cubes. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high flame. Add the first tablespoon of grapeseed oil and wait about 30 seconds. Add the tofu and stir-fry until it is golden and crispy on most sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside on paper towels.

Heat a large pot of water to boil for edamame and the noodles.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the shallots and cook about a minute. Add the spinach, season with salt and stir until the spinach wilts. Place the tofu on top of the spinach, turn the heat to low and keep warm.

When the pot of water begins to boil, add the edamame and soba noodles, stirring so the noodles don’t stick together. Boil gently until the noodles are just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander. Place in a large serving bowl. Top with the spinach and tofu. Sprinkle with soy sauce and garnish with the nori strips, if desired.

Makes about 6 servings.

Read Full Post »

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Arugula

We just aren’t big grillers here at our house. Meat is pretty much never prepared and even though the weather has been divine, we have not been cooking outdoors. Two  years ago we didn’t have a grill at all, until I salvaged one at Recycle Utah and Robbie spent a day fixing and cleaning it. That grill continues to serve us well and last night was its inaugural firing for the season.

I confess we still had some of last week’s arugula and spinach left in the fridge, looking decent but begging to be used. (Last Tuesday they were washed, spun-dry, wrapped in a kitchen towel and plastic baggies.)

more time for thyme in a jar with water

The thyme continues to be healthy, standing in a jar of water, also waiting. When my friend Teri came from Costco and shared her tray of portobellos and a pack of (sliced!) fresh mozzarella, that completed my cooking inspiration—it was time to break out the grill.

I posted a recipe for Chard-stuffed portobellos once, in 2010. This one is similar, with an easy marinade, different filling and cheese. Use my ideas to create your own recipe. E.g. since we have garlic scapes in our Ranui Gardens CSA box this week, consider chopping a few to sauté with the onion.

portobellos, gills scraped and with gills

Portobellos are really just overgrown mushrooms that the mushroom farmers cultivate. Some people don’t tell you to scrape out the dark brown, almost black gills on the inside of the cap, but your mushrooms will be more appealing if you do–those gills color everything they touch.

weed vs (organic) arugula

And speaking of appealing, I also think it important to strip the leaves from arugula stems. Those stems never soften like the spicy leaves, and I find the texture unpleasant. Besides, when you strip the stems, you can inspect the bundle and sort out any weeds that snuck into the pick.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms stuffed with Spinach and Arugula

4 large portobello mushrooms

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Real salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups arugula, packed

2 cups spinach leaves, packed

Extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced and cut into pieces

Tomato sauce, optional

Using a spoon, scrape out and discard the dark gills from the portobellos. Cut off the stem so it is flush with the underside of the mushroom. In a shallow bowl whisk the vinegar, olive oil, thyme and plenty of salt and pepper to make a marinade. Add the mushrooms, turning them occasionally so all sides are flavored.

Pick through the arugula and spinach, striping away and discarding the tougher stems. Chop coarsely.

Heat a grill to medium high heat. Grill the marinated portobellos about 5 minutes on each side, until tender. Be sure to save the leftover marinade.

Meanwhile prepare the filling. Heat some oil in a large skillet on medium flame. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook another minute. Stir in the chopped greens and cook until they wilt. Add the leftover mushroom marinade and continue to cook and stir until the liquid evaporates. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Arugula

When the portobellos are tender, transfer them to a plate, gill side up. Divide the spinach and arugula filling among the mushrooms. Arrange mozzarella on top, more or less, as you prefer. Return to the grill and cook about 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and has a bit of color.

Serve with tomato sauce, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Read Full Post »

Red Lentils and Garlic Scapes

You can go two ways with red lentils—cook them until they are barely tender, 8 to 10 minutes, or cook them longer, 25 to 35 minutes and (whoops?) you’ve made a thick soup, popularly known as dal in India. This recipe features Indian spices–let’s shoot for the first and if we end up with dal, no problem.

cooked and drained red lentils

Red lentils are not truly red, but more orange in hue, and when cooked, they turn yellow, even more so when seasoned with turmeric!

expensive scapes

Today I saw Garlic Scapes in the local very expensive health food store. They were on sale: 2 for $6.00. Someone is laughing all the way to the bank and I bet it s not the farmer.  But today we have scapes in our Ranui Gardens CSA box. Garlic scapes are mellow in garlic flavor, like green garlic, and another early bonus, besides green garlic, of a garlic crop. To prepare the scapes, trim and remove the seedpods from the top. Break away the tougher bottom part just as you might for asparagus.

trimmed and ready for chopping

The cumin and mustard seeds add a fabulous dimension to the curry and can be bought in small amounts from the bulk spice section at our local health food store. If you don’t have the seeds, substitute with ground spices.

Red Lentils and Garlic Scapes

1 cup red lentils

4 cups water

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon black (or brown or yellow) mustard seeds

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon Real Salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 cup chopped garlic scapes (1/4-inch pieces)

Rinse and pick over the lentils, discarding anything foreign. In a saucepan, bring to a boil in the water. Cook about 8 minutes. The peas should still be firm, barely tender. Drain and rinse them with cold water. Set aside.

Measure the cumin and mustard seeds, the curry powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, garlic, salt and cayenne into a small bowl. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium flame. Add the scapes and sauté until the scapes are tender but crunchy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the spices and cook, stirring constantly, until you hear the mustard seeds pop, about 30 seconds. Stir in the cooked lentils and cook until they are heated through. Season to taste with salt, if needed.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Read Full Post »

Green Garlic, Spinach and Tortilla Soup

A milestone birthday came my way last month, and to celebrate we threw a party–with house made margaritas. Now I can easily say no thanks to a margarita made with bottled mix, but if the recipe is pure tequila, triple sec and fresh lime juice, that’s another story. And not just any lime juice, it must be key lime juice, or jugo de limones, from the smaller, sweeter limes of Florida and Mexico.

Limones and Serrano chiles

Our Latino market here in Park City sold me a case of fragrant limones—for $20. And the day of the party, my girlfriend Laurie came over and hand-squeezed them all. It took her 3 hours. In the end it was probably worth her sore wrist, because this month her husband celebrates the same milestone birthday and she has ample fresh-squeezed proper lime juice now stored in her freezer, ready for many more batches of house made margaritas. Ole! Ole!

What I am illustrating here is that you really must use the same limes for this soup, loosely based on Yucatan Lime Soup, famous where these limones are abundantly falling off the trees. Our Ranui Gardens CSA box this week contains sorrel, spinach, and green garlic and I have a temporary crown on one side of my mouth, so soup like this is in order.

Green Garlic, Spinach and Tortilla Soup

4 corn tortillas, preferably organic

Grapeseed or olive oil

1 bunch green garlic, washed and chopped in its entirety

2 serrano chiles, seeds and veins removed, finely minced

1 quart vegetable stock

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns

¼ cup chopped sorrel leaves

1 cup chopped washed spinach leaves

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

¼ cup fresh-squeezed juice from key limes

Real Salt, as needed

Avocado slices, optional

Brush the tortillas with oil and cut them in strips, about 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long. Toast in the oven or toaster oven until just lightly toasted, which should take 4 to 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the strips—they can quickly go from perfectly toasted to burnt. Set them aside.

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a soup pot on low flame. Sauté until the green garlic is translucent but not brown, stirring often. Add the vegetable stock and the tomatoes, along with the bay leaves, thyme and cracked peppercorns. Bring the pot to a simmer. Add the sorrel and spinach and cook and stir another minute.

Remove the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves. Add the lime zest and juice. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately, garnished with the tortilla strips and avocado, if desired.

Serves 4.

Read Full Post »

Polenta Tart with Green Garlic and Spinach

I have to say that I don’t care for microwave ovens—although I have one. When I do use the “micro,” I make a point not to stand in front of it, and that’s about the extent of precaution. I use mine to defrost things every once in a while and I use it to make polenta. It is a no muss/no fuss method of cooking polenta and I can be prepping the other parts of the meal while the polenta is nuking away. So I am going to give you my microwave polenta technique, and unless you are more adverse to the machines than I, or your kitchen is not so modernly equipped, you also will enjoy ease of polenta prep.

This tart “crust” is polenta. Which makes it gluten-free and lower in calories than a butter tart crust, besides perfectly complementing the filling in an Italian sort of way. Prepare the crust in a 9-inch tart pan with removable ring, or a 9-inch springform pan.

trimmed green garlic

I am not sure if John planted some garlic specifically for a green garlic harvest or if he is thinning the crop to allow more space for bulb development of what’s left in the rows, but this week we are enjoying green garlic in our Ranui Gardens CSA box. Green garlic looks a lot like green onions or scallions and can be prepared in pretty much the same way. You will want to trim green garlic as dictated by its relative youth, or how close it was to becoming fully formed garlic; if the green part is very tender, you can chop the entire stalk, otherwise trim away some of the green as you might for scallions. Wash green garlic well, as you would leeks, for dirty soil can hide in the stalks. There is no need to worry about tearing away the papery skin around the bulbs because it’s not there, so merrily mince it all.

Polenta Crust in 9-inch tart pan with removable ring

Polenta Tart with Green Garlic and Spinach

For the polenta:

3/4 cup vegetable broth

3/4 cup water

½ cup polenta grits

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon Real Salt

¼ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

For the filling:

1 bunch fresh spinach, about 8 ounces, well washed, stems removed and coarsely chopped

1/2 to 1 cup chopped green garlic

1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil

Real Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 egg

8 ounces ricotta cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

3 tablespoons chopped chives

2 tablespoons fresh chive petals

Tomato sauce, optional

Whisk the vegetable broth, water, olive oil salt and polenta and in a microwave-proof bowl. Cover and cook on highest power for five minutes. Stir well, cover again and cook for another five minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, cover and cook for two more minutes.

9-inch springform pan

Allow the polenta to cool a minute or so, then dollop into the lightly oiled pan of choice. While the polenta is still soft and warm, spread it around the bottom and sides of the pan with your fingers, wetting them if needed. Distribute the polenta as evenly as possible, but it can look rustic, since this is a rustic tart.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a large skillet and sauté the green garlic until it is limp. Stir in the spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has completely wilted. Sprinkle with a dash of balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat the egg and ricotta cheese in a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the cooked garlic and spinach, thyme and chives, reserving the purple thyme blossom for garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture into the polenta crust.

Chive and their blossoms

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until there are hints of golden brown in the crust and the ricotta filling. Sprinkle with the purple chive flowers and allow to cool slightly before cutting.

Serve on plates with tomato sauce, if desired.

Serves 10 to 16. If it is a main course, you will cut wide wedges, if it is an appetizer, smaller.

Read Full Post »