Risotto with Leeks and Radicchio

Ingredients:

2 medium leeks (white part only) cleaned and thinly sliced (about 2/3 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup Arborio rice or short-grain rice
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
1/2 cup finely shredded radicchio or curly endive
1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons snipped fresh Italian parsley or curly-leaf parsley
Green onions (optional)
Cracked black pepper

Preparation: 

1. In a large saucepan cook leeks and garlic in hot oil until tender. Add uncooked rice. Cook and stir over medium heat 5 minutes more. In a saucepan heat broth. Slowly add 1 cup of the hot broth to the rice mixture, stirring mixture constantly. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until liquid is absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup of the broth to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add another 1 cup broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until the broth has been absorbed. (This should take about 15 minutes.)
2. Stir in the remaining broth. Cook and stir until rice is slightly creamy and just tender (add additional broth, if necessary, and cook until rice is just tender). Stir in the shredded radicchio or endive, shredded Parmesan cheese, and snipped parsley. Garnish with green onions, if desired. Serve immediately. Pass cracked pepper. Makes 6 side-dish servings.

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/beans-rice-grains/risotto-with-leeks-and-radicchio/

Grilled Orange Salad With Balsamic Beet Dressing

Ingredients:

4 cups arugula leaves, rinsed and drained shopping list
2 large oranges
4 oz gorgonzola, crumbled
1 c toasted almonds
No stick cooking spray
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1 med-large beet, peeled
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Freshly cracked black pepper
olive oil

Preparation:

Cut each orange into 8 even wedges and remove as many seeds as possible.
Spray your grilling surface with no stick spray and heat to medium-high heat. Place orange wedges on grill and allow to grill until golden and lightly charred, about 2 minutes. Flip and repeat for second side of wedge.
Evenly divide arugula among four salad plates. Top with crumbled gorgonzola and toasted almonds. Top with warm, grilled orange wedges.
Drizzle lightly with balsamic beet dressing and serve.
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For dressing:
Preheat oven to 400. Drizzle a sheet of aluminum foil with olive oil and place beet in oil. Fold foil over to make a pocket and seal edges. Allow beet to roast 35-45 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife.
Allow beet to cool slightly and cut into chunks. Place chunks in blender, along with balsamic vinegar, and puree until smooth.
Slowly stream in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Season with fresh cracked black pepper and use immediately, or store in fridge for up to two weeks.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/80962/grilled-orange-salad-with-balsamic-beet-dressing.html

Sweet and Tart Beet Dressing

***This recipe will be available for tasting at the pick up this week. Thanks to shareholder, Tanya Rotenberg!

Ingredients:

1 cup of chopped up beets (about 1 large beet)
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp of honey
1 clove of crushed garlic
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup of plain fat free Greek yogurt

Preparation:

Place all of the ingredients into your food processor and puree until the mixture is smooth.

http://cleananddelicious.com/2010/08/03/bright_beet_dressing/

Curing Onions

Our onions began their life as transplants from Johnnys’s Selected Seeds. We bought these “sets” instead of starting them ourselves in our own greenhouse in order to get an extra early jump on the season. They were transplanted in the ground on March 26th, one of the first crops to go in the ground in the spring. Recently their tops started to turn brown and become weak, which is an indication the onions are mature and finished growing. On Saturday, the Beginning Farmers (see newsletter #8) harvested all the onions and began the curing process.  It is important to harvest onions on a dry day, so they are not wet at the beginning of the curing process (wetness encourages disease and rotting). Curing seals the exterior of the onion, such that it can be preserved at room temperature and does not need to be refrigerated. Fresh onions need to be refrigerated. Curing consists of exposing the onions to warm, dry temperatures for a few days, until the outside is dry and flaky. This year we are growing fewer onions than in the past because our onion order under-filled from Johnny’s. However, the smaller onion area meant that they were easier to maintain (onions are notoriously weedy and difficult to maintain because the above ground part of the plant is so small), and I must say, these are some of the most beautiful onions this farm has ever seen! Assuming the curing process goes well (and there is limited rotting, which is common in the curing process), everyone should be enjoying onions in the next few weeks!

Babe, Movie Night at the Farm: Big Success!

A big thank you to everyone who came out last Friday to enjoy “Babe!” About 30 people came out to enjoy the evening together. We used a projector to show the movie on a screen and everyone sat on the grass. The weather cooperated, and even put on a beautiful heat lightning show in the distance. It was particularly heartwarming to see all the families, and hear the all the kids laughing at the talking animals. If you see any children saying “Baa-ram-u” at the sheep at Saul, you’ll know they were at the movie night on Friday!