Week 9 Newsletter 2016

Hello Everyone,

We have passed the halfway point of the CSA season. It is the time of year when it gets hard to decide what to put in the bins, because there are so many items that are ripening at the same time. I just hope I am providing you with interesting combinations and a few new items each week. The star combo this week are beans and parsley. I am sure everyone will be delighted to find vine-ripen tomatoes in their bins & buckets this week.

Please remember to return all of the bins & buckets when you pick up your Week 9 bin/bucket.

What to expect to find in your bin this week:

Shallots

Nectarine
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Fennel
Shallots
Wax Beans
Banana Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers
Lettuce
Parsley


Small shares:

Nectarines
Tomatoes
Cucumbers

Here come the tomatoes!

Roma Beans
Parsley

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN  YIELD 4 servings  TIME About 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

1 cup black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over
3 large garlic cloves, 2 of them crushed and left in the skin, 1 of them minced
½ onion, intact
1 bay leaf
 Salt to taste
2 medium tomatoes, in season only, diced
1 medium fennel bulb (about 1/2 pound), trimmed, quartered, cored and sliced very thin across the grain
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
 Freshly ground black pepper to taste
⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
⅓ cup chopped fresh dill
⅓ cup chopped chives
2 ounces feta, crumbled


PREPARATION

Place the black-eyed peas, whole crushed garlic cloves, halved onion and bay leaf in a large, heavy saucepan and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until tender but intact, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat, remove the lid and allow the black-eyed peas to cool for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the onion. Remove the garlic cloves, squeeze the cooked garlic out of the skins and back into the black-eyed peas, and drain through a strainer set over a bowl.
Transfer the black-eyed peas to a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, minced garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss with the beans. Add the remaining ingredients except the feta and toss together. If you want a bit more liquid with the beans, add back some of the broth (I found the dressing to be sufficient). Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the feta over the top and serve.

Pan-Roasted Green Beans With Golden Almonds

TARA PARKER-POPE  YIELD 4 servings  TIME About 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

 Kosher salt
8 ounces green and/or wax beans, trimmed
¼ cup blanched whole almonds, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 large shallot, minced
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, thinly sliced
1 lemon
 Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add salt (a teaspoon or so, or to taste). Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook until bright green but still firm, about 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice water. When cool, drain again. Pat dry with paper towels until completely dry.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the almonds and the oil, adding more oil if needed to just cover the almonds. Cook over medium heat until the almonds are golden, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shallot. It will cook in the residual heat.
Coat a large skillet with oil. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the beans and season with salt. Cook, tossing frequently, until charred dark brown in spots and tender-crisp, about 7 minutes.
Top with the almond mixture, then the parsley. Grate the zest from a quarter of the lemon directly over the beans, then cut the lemon into wedges for serving. Season with pepper and serve.