Turnip Green Souffle With Black Pepper & Grana Padano

For the last recipe of the 2013 CSA season, we wanted to offer something special. With a chill in the air, many people are thinking about warm comfort foods or recipes worth gracing a holiday table.  Souffle's have a light and airy texture, but rich and comforting flavor.  And let's be honest, there's no better way to impress your mother-in-law than to serve her a souffle for a holiday brunch. In search of a compliment to the sharp tasting greens, I wandered down to Main Street Meats where they were more than happy to help me find the perfect cut of meat. (Shopping at a real butcher shop, by the way, is absolutely nothing like shopping for meat at a grocery store). After some deliberation, I settled on a delicious portion of cold-smoked Tasso.  When sliced thinly and seared in a pan, it reminds me of a really nice Canadian bacon or English bacon, but with a bonus kick of spices and seasonings around the edge. Sweet peppers and shallots rounded off the flavor for this delightfully rich breakfast or lunch combination.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Turnip Greens

3 medium Shallots

Olive or Canola Oil

1 clove of fresh Garlic, minced or pressed

8 oz Cream or Milk

1 Tbs White Wine Vinegar

Sea Salt

freshly ground Black Pepper

1/2 cup finely grated Grana Padano Cheese (can substitute parmesan or another hard, aged cheese)

1/3 cup dry white or sourdough Breadcrumbs

3 farm-fresh Eggs, separated

On The Side:

thinly sliced Tasso from Main Street Meats

yellow and red Sweet Peppers, sliced

1 medium Shallot, sliced

Method:

Grease four 4-inch ramekins.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove the stems from the turnip greens.  Wash the greens and chop.  Slice the shallots into 1/4 inch slices.  Heat a skillet and saute the greens and shallots with a little oil until they wilt.  Add some salt and pepper and continue to cook until they just begin to caramelize and the aroma blooms.

Remove from heat and place the sauteed greens and shallots in a blender with the garlic, cream, vinegar, salt to taste, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.  Puree the mixture on medium-low speed.  Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Place the pureed mixture in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the egg yolks, grated cheese and breadcrumbs and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Gently fold the egg whites into the pureed mixture.

Fill the prepared ramekins and bake for about 30 minutes.

While the souffle's are baking, sear the thinly sliced tasso until it is cooked through and begins to brown a little.

Remove from the pan and saute the sliced peppers and shallots, adding a little oil to the pan if necessary.

Serve the warm souffle with the tasso and sauteed vegetables on top, or on the side.

Raw Kale Salad with Spicy Apple Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Curly Kale

Olive Oil

Juice from 1/2 Lemon

Kosher Salt

1 bulb of Fennel, shaved or sliced thinly

2 Purple Sweet Peppers, sliced

1/2 Apple, shaved or sliced thinly

toasted Walnuts

Apple Vinaigrette:

1/2 Apple, core removed

1 clove of Garlic

1/2 fresh Yellow Cayenne Chili Pepper, seeds and stem removed (use whole if you like a lot of heat)

1/4 cup Canola Oil

2 Tbs natural Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tsp of juice from a fresh Lemon

1-2 tsp local Honey

pinch of kosher Salt

dash of Cinnamon (optional)

Method:

Wash kale and remove stems and ribs.  Tear the leaves into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the lemon juice, a couple of pinches of salt, and a few tablespoons of olive oil onto the kale.  Massage the kale until the leaves turn bright green and wilt to your desired tenderness.  The longer you massage, the softer it will become.

For the vinaigrette: Put all vinaigrette ingredients in a high-power blender and puree until smooth.  For lower-power blenders you may need to chop the apple, garlic and chili pepper before blending.

Combine the salad ingredients and toss with salad dressing. Alternately, arrange ingredients on individual plates and drizzle dressing over the top.

Quinoa-Lentil Garden Burgers

This recipe has what seems like a long list of ingredients.  Most home-made garden burgers are a combination of many things, but this one pays tribute to any leftover grilled vegetables from the weekend cookout.  If leftovers generally are not your thing, don't worry.  Transformed into a garden burger, yesterday's meal becomes a protein, fiber, and flavor-packed lunch, dinner or snack.  They freeze well, and can turn those late-summer/early-fall vegetables into weeks of delicious, quick meals.

Ingredients:

½ Cup dry green lentils, cooked with vegetable broth until soft. Discard extra cooking liquid

½ Cup dry quinoa, cooked with vegetable broth according to packet directions until light & fluffy

½ Cup fresh brown breadcrumbs (toast until dry, and then grind in a blender)

½ lb Zephyr squash or zucchini, sliced, brushed with oil, seasoned with salt, and grilled

½ lb Eggplant, sliced, brushed with oil, seasoned with salt, and grilled

½ lb Golden beets or carrots, finely chopped in a food processor

1 Bunch beet greens or spinach, chopped

1 Medium-large yellow onion, finely chopped in a food processor

5-6 Cloves of garlic, minced

3-4 Fire roasted Italian sweet peppers, (red, yellow or orange) peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 Large tomato, diced

Juice from one lemon

1 tsp Alchemy Spice Kitchen Karma herb blend

1 tsp Kosher salt

¼ Cup olive oil

2 Eggs

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Chop the grilled squash and eggplant. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  The mixture will be quite soft, but should not be too watery.  Add more breadcrumbs if necessary to absorb some of the excess liquid.  Form into balls (about 1/3 cup), place on the lined baking sheet, then press gently to flatten into a patty shape.  Bake for 20-30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.  Cool completely before freezing. Recipe makes about 20 burgers.

Serve on a toasted bun with pesto or whole grain French mustard, lettuce, tomato, and your favorite cheese (optional).  Freeze extras in freezer bags.  Reheat in a toaster oven or microwave.

Roasted Eggplant Dip (Baba Ghanoush)

There are many ways to make Baba Ghanoush.  Some recipes suggest salting the eggplant and letting it drain before cooking.  Others say to discard the skins after cooking, and puree the insides.  This recipe is more rustic in the preparation method; making use of the extra flavor, texture and nutrients in the edible skin. Letting the eggplant drain is not necessary, as any excess moisture will evaporate while roasting.

Ingredients:

1 lb eggplant

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Juice from 1/2 lemon

2 Tbs sesame tahini

2 Cloves of Garlic

1 tsp paprika

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove stem from eggplant and slice into wedges or large chunks.  Place in a baking dish or tray, drizzle with olive oil, and season with kosher salt.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  The eggplant should be quite soft with golden-brown edges, but not dry when it's done.

Place roasted eggplant in a bowl and cut into small chunks using kitchen shears.

 Add the rest of the ingredients plus one Tbs olive oil, and pound with a mortar or wooden spoon until the ingredients are combined and the texture is soft enough to spread or use as a dip.

Season to taste, and garnish with Toasted Garlic Drizzling Oil. Serve with pita chips, sliced raw vegetables, or use as a spread for sandwiches.

Butternut Squash Buttermilk Waffles

This recipe is prepared for serving as a savory waffle.  However, it is still delicious with maple syrup.  Our favorite way to eat them is topped with a soft boiled egg, apple smoked cowboy bacon, and sliced tomato. If you like a sweeter batter, simply add some warm spices and a little sugar to the recipe.  This waffle recipe is for thinner Scandinavian style waffles.  It has not been tested on a deep-holed Belgian style waffle maker...so if you have one of those, let us know how they turn out!

Ingredients:

1 Small butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and grated (about 2 cups)

1 Cup whole wheat flour

1 Cup all purpose flour

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 Cup canola oil

2 Small eggs

2 Cups buttermilk

Method:

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, oil, and buttermilk.  Pour the wet ingredients onto the flour mixture, along with the grated squash.  Stir until combined.  The batter should be pourable and not too thick.  Add more buttermilk to thin the batter if necessary.  Ladle appropriate quantities of batter into a hot waffle iron as directed by the manufacturer.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate and warm in a toaster oven as needed.

Makes about 12 waffles.