STUFFED SQUASH BLOSSOMS
Morning-picked squash blossoms, with petals wide open
Soft cheese for stuffing (goat chevre, ricotta, cream cheese, marscapone)
Shredded mozzarella
Fresh parmesan
Flour and/or corn meal and/or breadcrumbs
Egg
Salt and pepper
Fresh leaves of basil, chives, oregano or parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for sautéing
Shake out the flowers, being sure to pick out bugs. (Or frogs! We found baby peepers in one flower this morning.) Don’t wash. They should be very clean coming in from the field and water will wilt them. Mix softened goat (or other) cheese with several tablespoons of shredded mozzarella. The proportions should be about 3 soft to 1 mozzarella. Snip fresh herb leaves into the cheese mix. Garlic is also great in there. Use a teaspoon to stuff the flower to the point where you can still pinch the petals around the cheese. Holding by stem, dredge in beaten egg mixed with a tablespoon of water. Salt and pepper flour/cornmeal/breadcrumbs, and dredge eggy flowers in that. Carefully place in skillet with olive oil pre-heated to medium-high. Flowers should bubble and spit. Flip after a minute or so. Coating should be golden, cheese should be melted. Remove with a slotted spoon, garnish with freshly ground parmesan and pepper. Enjoy! Viva local food!
WHITE CHOCOLATE MINT MOUSSE (do you still have mint from box 2?)
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
2 cups mint, stems and leaves, chopped in 2-inch pieces (save pretty tips and leaves to garnish at serving)
6 oz. white chocolate chips
Ina small sauce pan, combine heavy cream with mint and heat to just below a simmer. Set aside, covered, for 30 minutes. Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Strain milk to remove mint, discard leaves. Bring cream back to a simmer and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute, then stir until the chocolate is melted an the mixture is smooth. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Up to 8 hours before serving, using an electric mixer, beat the white chocolate cream until stiff peaks form. Serve in small bowls garnished with mint leaves and shortbreads. Also great served on pieces of pound cake. Should serve about 10.
THAI PEANUT SAUCE TEMPLATE
I’m calling this a template, because it’s really just a starting point for a dip or pasta sauce. We use this mostly as a dip for peas right now, but it’s also nice with carrots, or chips or celery. Also great as a sauce for noodles or stir-fry veggies. Have fun and experiment!
1 TBSP peanut butter
½ tsp sesame oil
2 cloves smashed garlic
1 TBSP miso paste (if you don’t have it, you can use more peanut butter to thicken)
1 TBSP soy sauce or shoyu
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1 TBSP chopped cilantro or basil or mint or all
¼ cup goat cheese, sour cream, mayo or yogurt
Siracha sauce or red pepper flakes to taste
So basically, you are going to do your best to mash this together. A whisk works if your peanut butter isn’t too thick. A blender is always a great idea, but add the cilantro in afterwards. This is how we tend to start this sauce, but depending on my mood, we add horseradish, wasabi, mustard, white wine, sherry, chopped scallions, diced red peppers, finely chopped jalapenos or parsley. If you want more heat, add Tabasco or more Siracha. If you want more sour, add Ume Plum vinegar. If you want sweet, add molasses or honey. If you want more mild, add white vinegar. If it gets too thin, add mayo or peanut butter. Too thick, add soy sauce.
SHRIMP AND PEA POD CURRY
Our farm crew absolutely loves curry. We go through a lot of spices and coconut milk here on the farm as we make our way through the veggie year! Our curries start with spring garlic and peas, continue through summer eggplants and zucchini and finish with fall pumpkin and potato. We make everything we have a lot of into a curry! And you can, too. Consider this a template, just like the peanut dip above, and have a hot lot of fun! For vegetarian curry, tofu or chickpeas are a great option for protein.
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup butter, ghee, coconut oil or olive oil, depending on your diet of choice (we always use coconut in curry)
4 TBSP curry powder, or paste (we get various curry powders from Penzys and pastes from the Asian markets in Madison)
3 large slivers of fresh ginger, cut big enough that no one eats it by mistake (we learned this from experience)
1/2 tsp chili flakes or several shakes of Siracha (we just have Siracha on the table and make the curry mild)
1 TBSP flour
1/2 cup yogurt or heavy cream
1 can coconut milk
2 cups stock: chicken or veggie
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cups snow and/or snap peas, zipped of strings and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 TSBP chives, minced
Parsley, basil and/or cilantro
Chopped peanuts
Cook onion and garlic in the fat of choice in a heavy stockpot until onion is softened. Add spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Whisk in cream, milk, broth and lime zest and juice. Bring just to a boil and simmer until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and peas , stirring, until shrimp is pink and cooked and peas have darkened slightly. Add chives and salt and pepper to taste. To serve, pass with bowls of chopped parsley, basil and/or cilantro and chopped peanuts to put on top.
Scroll down to the two previous recipe posts for two sweet treats to make with your fruit!
Morning-picked squash blossoms, with petals wide open
Soft cheese for stuffing (goat chevre, ricotta, cream cheese, marscapone)
Shredded mozzarella
Fresh parmesan
Flour and/or corn meal and/or breadcrumbs
Egg
Salt and pepper
Fresh leaves of basil, chives, oregano or parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for sautéing
Shake out the flowers, being sure to pick out bugs. (Or frogs! We found baby peepers in one flower this morning.) Don’t wash. They should be very clean coming in from the field and water will wilt them. Mix softened goat (or other) cheese with several tablespoons of shredded mozzarella. The proportions should be about 3 soft to 1 mozzarella. Snip fresh herb leaves into the cheese mix. Garlic is also great in there. Use a teaspoon to stuff the flower to the point where you can still pinch the petals around the cheese. Holding by stem, dredge in beaten egg mixed with a tablespoon of water. Salt and pepper flour/cornmeal/breadcrumbs, and dredge eggy flowers in that. Carefully place in skillet with olive oil pre-heated to medium-high. Flowers should bubble and spit. Flip after a minute or so. Coating should be golden, cheese should be melted. Remove with a slotted spoon, garnish with freshly ground parmesan and pepper. Enjoy! Viva local food!
WHITE CHOCOLATE MINT MOUSSE (do you still have mint from box 2?)
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
2 cups mint, stems and leaves, chopped in 2-inch pieces (save pretty tips and leaves to garnish at serving)
6 oz. white chocolate chips
Ina small sauce pan, combine heavy cream with mint and heat to just below a simmer. Set aside, covered, for 30 minutes. Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Strain milk to remove mint, discard leaves. Bring cream back to a simmer and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute, then stir until the chocolate is melted an the mixture is smooth. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Up to 8 hours before serving, using an electric mixer, beat the white chocolate cream until stiff peaks form. Serve in small bowls garnished with mint leaves and shortbreads. Also great served on pieces of pound cake. Should serve about 10.
THAI PEANUT SAUCE TEMPLATE
I’m calling this a template, because it’s really just a starting point for a dip or pasta sauce. We use this mostly as a dip for peas right now, but it’s also nice with carrots, or chips or celery. Also great as a sauce for noodles or stir-fry veggies. Have fun and experiment!
1 TBSP peanut butter
½ tsp sesame oil
2 cloves smashed garlic
1 TBSP miso paste (if you don’t have it, you can use more peanut butter to thicken)
1 TBSP soy sauce or shoyu
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1 TBSP chopped cilantro or basil or mint or all
¼ cup goat cheese, sour cream, mayo or yogurt
Siracha sauce or red pepper flakes to taste
So basically, you are going to do your best to mash this together. A whisk works if your peanut butter isn’t too thick. A blender is always a great idea, but add the cilantro in afterwards. This is how we tend to start this sauce, but depending on my mood, we add horseradish, wasabi, mustard, white wine, sherry, chopped scallions, diced red peppers, finely chopped jalapenos or parsley. If you want more heat, add Tabasco or more Siracha. If you want more sour, add Ume Plum vinegar. If you want sweet, add molasses or honey. If you want more mild, add white vinegar. If it gets too thin, add mayo or peanut butter. Too thick, add soy sauce.
SHRIMP AND PEA POD CURRY
Our farm crew absolutely loves curry. We go through a lot of spices and coconut milk here on the farm as we make our way through the veggie year! Our curries start with spring garlic and peas, continue through summer eggplants and zucchini and finish with fall pumpkin and potato. We make everything we have a lot of into a curry! And you can, too. Consider this a template, just like the peanut dip above, and have a hot lot of fun! For vegetarian curry, tofu or chickpeas are a great option for protein.
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup butter, ghee, coconut oil or olive oil, depending on your diet of choice (we always use coconut in curry)
4 TBSP curry powder, or paste (we get various curry powders from Penzys and pastes from the Asian markets in Madison)
3 large slivers of fresh ginger, cut big enough that no one eats it by mistake (we learned this from experience)
1/2 tsp chili flakes or several shakes of Siracha (we just have Siracha on the table and make the curry mild)
1 TBSP flour
1/2 cup yogurt or heavy cream
1 can coconut milk
2 cups stock: chicken or veggie
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cups snow and/or snap peas, zipped of strings and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 TSBP chives, minced
Parsley, basil and/or cilantro
Chopped peanuts
Cook onion and garlic in the fat of choice in a heavy stockpot until onion is softened. Add spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Whisk in cream, milk, broth and lime zest and juice. Bring just to a boil and simmer until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and peas , stirring, until shrimp is pink and cooked and peas have darkened slightly. Add chives and salt and pepper to taste. To serve, pass with bowls of chopped parsley, basil and/or cilantro and chopped peanuts to put on top.
Scroll down to the two previous recipe posts for two sweet treats to make with your fruit!
