Farm Feast Recipe: Summer Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Dressing:

4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Pinch sugar

1 small garlic clove, crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

2 small to medium green zucchini

2 small to medium yellow summer squash

1 large carrot

4 oz. fresh radishes, thinly sliced

4-6 scallions, chopped

2-3 Tbsp shredded fresh basil leaves

Parmesan cheese shavings to garnish

Directions:

1. Make the dressing: Put the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, garlic and salt & pepper in a small bowl and whisk together until thoroughly mixed (alternatively, pulse for ten seconds in a food processor till mixed and lightly emulsified). Set aside

Make the Salad: using a vegetable peeler, cut the green and yellow zucchini into long, thin ribbons, including the skin, and down through the meat of the squash, but avoiding the seeds in the center (discard the core).

2. Put into a salad bowl. Repeat with the carrot to make long, thin ribbons, then add these to the zucchini ribbons, together with the radishes, scallions and shredded basil.  Toss gently to mix. Briefly which the dressing, then drizzle it over the salad and toss gently to coat.  Serve immediately, garnishing each portion with a sprinkling of Parmesan shaving.

Raspberry Blackberry Jam Recipe

This recipe was a hit in our first preserving class on jam making.

Raspberry Blackberry Jam Recipe

from Sunset Magazine July 2009

Makes 8 half pints or 4 pints

This sweet tart spread has the bright flavor of raspberries with just enough blackberries for a rich undertone.

3 cups (12 oz.) blackberries

2½ qts. (2 2/3 lbs.) raspberries

5 cups sugar, divided

1 pkg (1.75 0z.) Sure-Jell pectin labeled “for less or no-sugar needed recipes”

½ tsp. butter* (optional)

First Time Tip: Add sugar to the boiling berry mixture (step 4) all at once; this helps the mixture gel properly.

1. Sterilize 8 regular jars or wide mouthed half-pint jars, plus matching rings and lids.

2. Meanwhile, puree blackberries in a food processor. Rub through a fine strainer over a bowl to extract as much juice as you can. Discard seeds and scrape juice into an 8 to 10 qt. pot. Add raspberries and mash very coarsely with a potato masher.

3. Measure 4 ¾ cups sugar into a bowl; set aside. Put remaining ¼ cup sugar in another bowl and stir in pectin. Stir pectin mixture into pot with berries and add butter if you like.

4. Over high heat, bring berry mixture to a full boil that you can’t stir down, stirring constantly with a long-handled spoon and protecting hands from splatters. Add reserved sugar and return to full boil, continuing to stir, Boil, stirring for exactly 1 minute.

5. Fill jars and boil for 5 minutes.

6. Cool, check the seals and store as directed.

Farm Feast Recipe: Summer Succotash

Farm Feast Recipes

The first Annual French Prairie Farm Feast was such a delicious success that we’ve had many requests for the recipes.

Summer Succotash

This is one of the best types of recipes – the just do recipe! There are no set quantities - the only requirement is to use the very freshest local ingredients.

• 6 ears (or so) of fresh corn – stripped from the cob
• 1# green beans (preferably Romano) cut into 1” pieces
• And/or 1# zucchini - cubed
• 1 purple or Walla Walls style onion diced
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• Ribbons of fresh basil to taste
• Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes.

1. Blanch the green beans and set aside
2. Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft
3. Add the green beans and/or zucchini and sauté until they begin to soften
4. Add the corn and continue sautéing until all dente
5. Add the basil, salt & pepper to taste and serve.

Farm Feast Recipe: Piquant Plum-Fig Sauce

PIQUANT PLUM-FIG SAUCE

(for meat accompaniment)

• 12 ripe plums
• 6 ripe honey figs
• ½ chopped onion
• ½ tsp garlic
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2Tbsp red wine
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Juice of ½ lime
• Sprig of thyme
• ¼ tsp ground Chipotle pepper
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika

Crush and pit plums; crush figs and pulse pulp together in a food processor for 15 sec. until liquefied and fine chop.

Sauté chopped onion and garlic till onion is translucent. Add rest of ingredients, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprig.  Allow to cool.

Return to food processor and process another 15 seconds. Strain through a coarse strainer. Then strain again through a sifter, using a ladle or the back of a spoon to push the pulp through. (This removes all the bigger pulp and the fig seeds).

Result should be a moderately thick sauce. If too runny, simmer slowly to thicken further. Adjust chipotle and smoked paprika to taste (carefully!), and salt and sugar if needed.

Serve at room temperature. Goes wonderfully with roast pork and chicken.

Spring Frittata

SPRING FRITTATA with leeks, moral mushrooms and goat cheese Makes one 12-inch frittata, serving 6 to 8 - 12 large eggs

- 3 tablespoons half-and-half

- Salt and black pepper, taste

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 2 small leeks, white and light green parts halved lengthwise, washed and sliced thinly

- 4 cups morel mushrooms, cleaned and torn into bite-size pieces

- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

- 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

(1) Whisk eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl until well combined and set aside.

(2) Heat butter in 12-inch nonstick oven-safe skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides. Add leeks, morals and 1/4 teaspoon salt; reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally (8-10 minutes). Stir thyme and half of goat cheese into eggs; add egg mixture to skillet and cook, using spatula to stir and scrape bottom of skillet, until large curds form and spatula begins to leave wake but eggs are still very wet (about 2 minutes). Shake skillet to distribute eggs evenly; cook without stirring for 30 seconds to let bottom set.

(3) Distribute remaining goat cheese evenly over frittata. Slide skillet under broiler and broil until frittata has risen and surface is puffed and spotty brown (3-4 minutes). Remove skillet from oven and let stand 5 minutes to finish cooking.

- adapted from americastestkichen.com