Fresh Okra Cakes

1 Comment

Hello!

We are in a lull right now as the summer produce is dwindling and we are preparing for the “Fall into Greens” CSA session. To prepare for the CSA, we will release a series of blog posts featuring produce we expect to include. We are planning to have okra at the beginning of the session so I thought I would share my all time favorite way to use it. These little cakes are quick to put together and oh so delicious. You may think the okra would be raw tasting but it gives the cakes such a great texture.

Contact us here to sign up for the CSA so you can enjoy these cakes soon!

Fresh Okra Cakes (adapted slightly from Cooking with Les Dames d’Escoffier)
25 appetizer cakes or 10 side dish cakes

Recipe notes: 1) I have successfully substituted the all-purpose flour with garbanzo bean flour for a gluten-free version.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound fresh okra, tips and stems removed, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup minced onion (about 1/2 of a large onion)
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • 1/2 cup cooked medium-grain rice or 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

  • Combine the okra, onion, garlic, jalapeno, rice, flour, eggs and Tabasco in a large mixing bowl.
  • Just before serving, preheat the oven to 200 degrees and heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and when it shimmers and sizzles when a bit of batter hits it, drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan. Do not crowd the pan. You can make the cakes any size, from 1 tablespoon to 1/2 cup, depending on how you plan to serve them. Saute for 2 minutes or until the cake is nicely browned. Turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes. Remove the cakes as they are done to absorbent paper towels and keep them warm in the preheated oven until all are cooked. The cakes are best served piping hot – consume them within 30 minutes of frying.

Quick Pickled Okra

2 Comments

Hello!

A quick note about market tomorrow – Mark and Gina won’t be setting up but are looking forward to seeing you soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gina and I were fortunate enough to attend a Quick Pickle workshop at Crabtree Farms a few weeks ago. It was led by Caroline Thompson from The Farmer’s Daughter and was co-sponsored by Harvested Here (we are one of their customers!). We had a great time, sampling lots of quick pickles and then making a batch of our own to take home. I made quick pickled whole okra with fresh mint, cumin, hot peppers and garlic and loved it! You get very little “slime” with this technique and it is really quick to put together. They are great for snacking and really satisfy the need for something crunchy and tangy.

It just so happens that we will have okra in our upcoming CSA session! Have you signed up yet? Well get to it – the “Fall into Greens” session starts in just a few weeks!

The recipe below is from the workshop handout. Thanks again to Caroline for providing us with this great information!

Quick Pickled Okra
1 packed pint jar

Recipe notes: 1) you can use almost any vinegar but I prefer white, apple cider or rice vinegar; 2) I have only used tap water but Caroline mentioned that filtered water is ideal; 3) I typically use raw granulated sugar but you can use honey, sorghum or maple syrup too; 4) pickling salt is recommended because it does not contain anit-caking agents that can discolor your pickles; 5) the spicing is where you get to have a lot of fun! I made another version at home with coriander, cumin, black peppercorns, garlic, ginger and hot peppers. Play around and be creative!

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup vinegar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons pickling salt
  • Up to a 1 tablespoon of whole spices, herbs or flavorings
  • Washed and sliced (if desired) vegetables and fruits

Directions:

  • Heat vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small saucepot until sugar and salt have dissolved. Meanwhile, pack a clean pint jar with your spices and flavorings, and then pack tightly with the vegetables or fruit. Pour hot brine over produce into the jar. Using a skewer or straw, unleash any large air bubbles you may see. Allow to cool before putting in the fridge. Store in the fridge for up to 2 months, if they last that long!

Weekly Farm Notes :: August 11th, 2015

Leave a comment

Hello!

I am including the same CSA information as I sent last week. Spots are filling up fast so please sign up soon if you are interested!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We may be in the midst of summer heat but this is the BEST time to think about your Fall, Winter and Spring CSA! Not only can you secure your spot in, what is shaping up to be, our best season ever, but you can also help support our farm as we ramp up to provide you with healthy, delicious food.

You may be wondering how much variety there can be during the cooler months. While Mother Nature will partially dictate which of these products will make it to market, here is a list of seasonal produce you may see in your CSA share and at market: variety of cabbage, Chinese napa cabbage, bitter melon (NEW), variety of Pak choi, variety of kohlrabi, green onions, garlic, salad turnips, carrots, beets, variety of radish, salsify (NEW), rutabaga, arugula, spinach, variety of kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, broccoli raab, mustard greens, Asian greens, lettuce mix, variety of lettuce, pie pumpkin, winter squash, rampicante squash (NEW), potatoes, sweet potatoes, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, chestnuts, and apples.

You can sign up by emailing us at food@tanthillfarm.com or stop by our booth at market tomorrow!

Let’s not lose sight of the current growing season, however. The list below includes items we will have available tomorrow. We hope to see you at market!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

August 12th Produce

Here are some of the items you can expect this week:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Recipe :: Benedictine

I have only lived in the South since last November but I instantly fell in love with the food culture. I love reading about traditional Southern recipes and wanted to share this one which I just found in The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook. This spread, which would be great with our Diva cucumbers, is usually served in the form of finger sandwiches.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
  • 10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons grated onion
  • Coarse sea salt
  • Ground black pepper

Directions:

  • Place the cucumber in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. Place in the refrigerator to drain for 2 hours. Transfer the cucumber into the bowl of a food processor and discard the collected liquid. Add the cream cheese and onion; pulse to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving lightly chilled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other :: Alice O’Dea Article

Have you read Alice O’Dea’s latest article? I always appreciate an introduction to topics and dishes I have never heard of before. Thanks, Alice!

Roasted Chinese Long Beans with Miso-Butter

1 Comment

Hello!

I love recipes that deliver big flavor with minimal effort – and this is one of those. These beans are great simply sauteed but I wanted to dress mine up a bit. After they were roasted, I chopped them into bite sized pieces and served them with brown rice, cherry tomatoes and a fried egg (topped with a little soy sauce and hot sauce – yum!). We hope you enjoy!

Roasted Chinese Long Beans with Miso-Butter
4-6 servings

Recipe notes: 1) providing a recipe using a broiler is always tricky because broilers vary so much between ovens. When I used this technique, I found that the resulting beans still have a good amount of crunch. If you want your beans cooked through more, I would suggest adjusting the oven racks down an extra layer so you have time to cook the beans through without burning the butter mixture, 2) if you haven’t planned ahead and don’t have room temperature butter, you can soften it in the microwave on 20% power in 30 second increments.

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/4 pounds Chinese long beans, ends trimmed
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons white miso
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

  • Adjust one oven rack to about 6″ inches away from the broiler with a second rack on a level just below that one. Preheat your broiler to high.
  • Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and evenly distribute the beans between the two sheets.
  • Mix the butter, miso, garlic and black pepper together in a small bowl until uniform. Dollop the mixture over the beans (it doesn’t have to be even – they will be tossed again in a minute).
  • Place one tray of beans on the higher rack under the broiler for 1 minute. Remove from the oven and toss the beans to evenly coat with the now melted butter mixture. Return to the oven on the lower rack and cook for 8-10 minutes (mine needed 10 minutes), or until the beans have started to soften but still retain some texture. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a serving or storage dish. Repeat with the remaining tray of beans.

 

Weekly Farm Notes :: August 5th, 2015

Leave a comment

Hello!

We may be in the midst of summer heat but this is the BEST time to think about your Fall, Winter and Spring CSA! Not only can you secure your spot in, what is shaping up to be, our best season ever, but you can also help support our farm as we ramp up to provide you with healthy, delicious food.

You may be wondering how much variety there can be during the cooler months. While Mother Nature will partially dictate which of these products will make it to market, here is a list of seasonal produce you may see in your CSA share and at market: variety of cabbage, Chinese napa cabbage, bitter melon (NEW), variety of Pak choi, variety of kohlrabi, green onions, garlic, salad turnips, carrots, beets, variety of radish, salsify (NEW), rutabaga, arugula, spinach, variety of kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, broccoli raab, mustard greens, Asian greens, lettuce mix, variety of lettuce, pie pumpkin, winter squash, rampicante squash (NEW), potatoes, sweet potatoes, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, chestnuts, and apples.

You can sign up by emailing us at food@tanthillfarm.com or at market tomorrow!

Let’s not lose sight of the current growing season, however. The list below includes items we will have available today. We hope to see you at market!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

August 5th Produce

Here are some of the items you can expect this week:

  • Chinese Yard Long Beans: while these may taste similar to green beans, the texture can become waterlogged if cooked in water, making them best simply sauteed. Jazz up the cooking oil with a little spice or garlic if you desire. You can also easily ferment them – I followed this recipe. I plan on letting them ferment for at least a week and look forward to adding them to dishes soon!
  • Diva Cucumbers: these cucumbers are thin-skinned and crunchy, the perfect addition to our Millet Tabbouleh.
  • Basil: of course you can make the classic pesto or the even easier pistou, but lately I have been making basil infused drinks. I recently soaked basil in white whiskey (vodka would be great, too) for a day and then strained it. The recipe below for Cinnamon Basil Syrup is next on my list!
  • Pastured Eggs: here’s an easy meal idea: make some rice, chop and saute the Chinese yard long beans, and top with a fried egg and a little soy and/or sesame sauce. Dinner is served!
  • Beautiful Cut Flowers: brighten up your day with our beautiful cut flowers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Recipe :: Cinnamon Basil Syrup

This recipe is from The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor cookbook and is something I reference often when I need herbal inspiration. This syrup is mixed with blueberries and watermelon but I think it would be great in a cocktail too. Experiment and have fun!

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
  • 1/2 cup cinnamon or sweet basil leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

  • Bring the sugar, water, and cinnamon to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer the syrup for 3 minutes. Stir in the basil leaves and remove from heat. Let the syrup cool to room temperature. Strain and stir in the lemon juice. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.