Week 12 Newsletter 2016

You've gotta love potatoes!

Happy September!
............ let the autumn bounty begin.

You will notice that you will be receiving more melons this week. It has been a robust year for melons. I grow short season melons in black plastic mulch, the warm day and night temperatures this summer made all the difference in both flavor and with the growth of melons. My fingers are crossed that they were harvested at the right time. 

What to expect to find in your bins this week:

Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Tomatoes
Peppers
Red Onions
Curly Green Kale
Potatoes
Garlic
Rosemary

and buckets:

Cantaloupe
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Green & Purple Pole Beans
Garlic

Here are some recipes that include kale, garlic, rosemary and of course, tomatoes.

Lemon-Garlic Kale Salad

JULIA MOSKIN  YIELD 8 to 12 servings  TIME About 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups sliced almonds
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 to 4 lemons)
 Kosher salt
1 ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat side of a knife, peeled and left whole
10 to 12 ounces washed and dried kale leaves, thick stems removed (weight after trimming)
1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

PREPARATION

In a toaster oven or skillet, toast almonds until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
In a bowl, combine lemon juice and 1 heaping teaspoon salt. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add garlic cloves and set aside to steep.
Working in batches, cut the kale into thin ribbons: gather a large handful of leaves, bunch together tightly, and use the other hand to slice into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. This need not be done very precisely or neatly; the idea is to end up with a kind of slaw. (Recipe can be made up to this point 1 day ahead. Keep kale and dressing refrigerated separately.)
Place chopped kale in a very large bowl. Sprinkle surface with almonds and then with cheese, if using. Remove and discard garlic cloves from dressing. Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste for dressing and salt and add more as needed, tossing to coat thoroughly. Serve within 1 hour.

Amazingly Sweet Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
YIELD Serves 4 as a snack, side dish or sauce.  TIME About 3 hours

INGREDIENTS

1 pound small plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
 Coarse salt to taste
 A tiny amount of sugar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Put the halved tomatoes in a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Oil a rack that will fit on top of a baking sheet. Place foil on the baking sheet and oil the foil, and place the rack on top. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on the rack. Sprinkle with coarse salt and a tiny amount of sugar. Place in the oven and roast for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. The tomatoes will look a little dry on the surfaces and the skin will be tough. But when you bite into the tomatoes you’ll experience a rush of incredibly sweet juice and pulp. If you want to use these for a sauce, put through the fine blade of a food mill.

Focaccia With Tomatoes and Rosemary

 MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN  YIELD 12 to 15 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons (8 grams) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon (5 grams) sugar
1 ½ cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons (25 grams) olive oil, plus an additional 2 tablespoons (25 grams) for drizzling
250 grams (approximately 2 cups) whole-wheat flour
200 to 220 grams (approximately 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour, plus additional as needed for kneading
1 ¾ teaspoons (13 grams) salt
¾ pound Roma tomatoes
 Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (to taste)

PREPARATION

In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. Add the olive oil, whole-wheat flour, 200 grams of the all-purpose flour and salt and mix together briefly using the paddle attachment. Change to the dough hook and beat for 8 to 10 minutes at medium speed, adding flour as necessary. The dough should eventually form a ball around the dough hook and slap against the sides of the bowl as the mixer turns; it will be sticky. Remove from the bowl, flour your hands and knead for a minute on a lightly floured surface, and shape into a ball.
If kneading the dough by hand, dissolve the yeast in the water with the sugar as directed. Stir in the olive oil, whole-wheat flour, salt and all-purpose flour by the half-cup, until the dough can be scraped out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, for 10 minutes, until the dough is elastic and smooth. Shape into a ball.
Clean and dry your bowl and oil lightly with olive oil. Place the dough in it, rounded side down first, then rounded side up. Cover tightly with plastic and let rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours, until doubled.
Punch down the dough. Cover with lightly oiled plastic and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, preferably with a baking stone in it. Line a sheet pan with parchment and oil generously. Roll or press out the dough into a rectangle the size of the sheet pan or just slightly smaller. To do this efficiently, roll or press out the dough, stop and wait 5 minutes for the gluten to relax, then roll or press out again, and repeat until the dough reaches the right size. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Just before baking, use your fingertips to dimple the dough all over.
Cut the tomatoes into rounds and place on top of the focaccia. Sprinkle with coarse salt and the rosemary. Drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil over all.
Bake, setting the pan on top of the baking stone (if using), for 20 to 25 minutes, until the bread is deep golden brown. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving, or allow to cool completely.