Cedar Down Farm

Easy Stir-Fried Chinese Cabbage

Leslie — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:27:05 +0000

Easy Stir-Fried Chinese Cabbage

Ingredients

½ head of Chinese cabbage, cut into ½ inch strips
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp crushed chili pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add onion, ginger, garlic and chili pepper and sauté 1 minute.
Add Chinese Cabbage. Sauté 1 minute then add remaining ingredients.
Sauté until the cabbage is tender and juices are evaporated.
Serve over rice or rice noodles.

Notes

Add other veggies (such as broccoli, carrots, onion, squash….) to this recipe for a lovely mixed winter vegetable stir-fry.

Spinach Gnocchi

Leslie — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:20:52 +0000

Spinach Gnocchi

Author: From “Recipes from America’s Small Farms” by Joanne Lamb Hayes and Lori Stein

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes
Salt
½ lb spinach
4 egg yolks
2 Tbsp olive oil
3-5 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

Peel or scrub potatoes, cut into pieces and boil in salted water until tender (15-20 minutes).
Drain, allow to cool (so that egg yolk doesn’t cook when added), then mash well (don’t use food processor).
Wash spinach, remove tough stems, and steam over boiling water a minute to two, just until wilted. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, squeeze as much water from the spinach as you can.
Place the spinach on a cutting board and chop well.
Mix the spinach into the mashed potatoes. Add egg yolks and salt and mix well.
Work in about 1 to 11/2 cups of the flour, kneading into a dough.
Add additional flour to make a firm, smooth dough that doesn’t stick to your fingers.
Divide dough into tennis ball sized pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a rope about ½ inch diametre. Cut into 1 inch segments.
With flour hands, round up segments into little egg shapes, then roll them under the tines of a fork (dipped in flour) to create ridges.
To cook, drop the gnocchi into a large pot of boiling salted water (do not crowd them). Gnocchi are ready when they rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Serve with your favourite sauce or with melted butter, minced parsley and Parmesan cheese

White Bean Soup with Collards and Spicy Sausage

Leslie — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:16:13 +0000

White Bean Soup with Collards and Spicy Sausage

Serves: 6

Ingredients

½ pound dried white beans (canellini, navy, great northern, etc.) or four 15-ounce cans of the same white beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions
1 tablespoon peeled and finely minced garlic
¼ pound smoked ham, diced
¼ pound spicy sausages (such as chorizo), sliced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 large potato, peeled and cut into large cubes
2 cups chicken broth
1 bunch collard (or kale) greens (between 5-10 leaves), tough stems removed and very coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons white vinegar
¼ teaspoon sugar
Salt (if needed) and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

If using dried beans for this soup, soak them overnight in one quart water, drain them, and rinse them well. Boil the soaked beans in one quart of water for approximately 50 minutes (or 4-5 minutes in a pressure cooker) until just tender.
In a large Dutch oven or stock pot set on a medium-heat burner, sauté the onions in olive oil for two minutes until wilted.
Stir in the garlic and sauté for an additional two minutes. Stir in and sauté for an additional minute the ham, sausage, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper.
Add the cooked dried (or canned) white beans, their broth, the chicken broth, potato, collard (or kale) greens, vinegar, sugar, and (if needed) additional water to cover. Simmer for 30-60 minutes.
Taste, correct the seasoning (if needed), and serve.

Notes

Serves 6 as a main course soup. As with many bean soups, this one tastes even better on the second day.

Quick Sautéed Collard Ribbons

Leslie — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:11:05 +0000

Quick Sautéed Collard Ribbons

Author: From www.thebittenword.com

Ingredients

1 Tbs. malt vinegar
2 tsp. maple syrup
5-8 collard green leaves
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
4 small cloves garlic, lightly smashed and
peeled
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk the malt vinegar and maple syrup.
Trim the stem from each collard leaf with a sharp knife, dividing the leaf completely in half lengthwise as you cut away the stem.
Discard the stems; wash and dry the leaves.
Stack the leaves and roll them up tightly crosswise into a cigar shape. Using a very sharp knife, cut the collard “cigar” crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices.
Use your fingers to unfurl the slices, which will be tightly curled together.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and the garlic over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring garlic, until it’s fragrant and just lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
Remove and discard the garlic. Add the pepper flakes, and immediately add the collards and ½ tsp. salt.
Stir and toss the collards until they’re coated with the oil, and continue tossing until they are wilted, about 3-5 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat, drizzle on the maple-vinegar mixture, stir well, and transfer to a shallow serving platter.
Serve immediately.

Macaroni and Cheese with Greens and Squash

Leslie — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:05:53 +0000

Macaroni and Cheese with Greens and Squash

Ingredients

½ medium squash, peeled and cubed
6 cups washed, chopped kale or spinach
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For sauce:

2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk and ¼ tsp salt
1 tsp prepared or dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated chedder, Swiss or Parmigiano cheese or a mixture
½ lb dry pasta, such as elbow macaroni, rigatoni or penne

Instructions

For the sauce:

In a small sauce pan, bring milk to a boil, then set aside. In another saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Blend in flour and cook slowly, stirring, until the butter and flour froth together for 2 minutes without browning.
Remove pan from heat, and when butter has stopped bubbling, pour in hot milk and beat vigorously with a whisk to blend.
Set saucepan over moderately high heat and stir until sauce comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring.
Remover from heat and add salt, pepper, mustard and cheese. Stir until combined and set aside.

Pasta

In a large pot, boil water and cook pasta until tender but not mushy. In a medium skillet, heat butter and oil, over medium heat then add squash and ¼ cup of water or stock.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Add greens, salt and pepper to taste then cover and cook, stirring occasionally until squash is tender, about 12 minutes.
Combine cheese sauce and squash mixture with cooked pasta and serve!

Notes

You may also top with bread crumbs and grated cheese and bake for 20 minutes for a crispy-topped casserole!

Chickpeas with Leeks and Lemon

Leslie — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:00:43 +0000

Chickpeas with Leeks and Lemon

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

Ingredients

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed slightly but whole
1 6-inch branch fresh rosemary, broken in two
3 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and with the white and light green parts sliced in ¼-inch rounds
kosher salt
2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
½ lemon

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, garlic and rosemary over medium heat. Once the garlic turns fragrant and the rosemary begins to sizzle, remove the rosemary but reserve for later.
Add the leeks to the pan, along with a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the leeks are soft and sweet but still brightly green, around 5 minutes.
Tip in the chickpeas, and continue to cook for a 5 minutes more, at which point the chickpeas should have darkened slightly in colour.
Using a microplane or zester, add a few scrapes of lemon zest to the pan, along with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Stir gently to combine.
Check for seasoning, adding more juice, zest or salt as needed.
Return the reserved rosemary sprigs to the pan, and enjoy warm or at room temperature

Delicata Squash

Leslie — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:24:32 +0000

Delicata Squash

Delicata squash is one of the yummiest, nuttiest squashes around. Here’s some ideas for what to do with it… P.S. you can eat the skin!

Ingredients

Delicata squash

Instructions

Delicata fries…

Split delicata squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Split halves into wedges, arrange skin-side down on a baking sheet. Season with salt, fresh lime juice and (smoked) chili powder and roast in a 350⁰ degree oven until tender/crisp and golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

Maple Delicata rings…

Rinse the squash thoroughly then slice each squash into ½- inch rings, and remove the pulp from each ring with a spoon or paring knife. Place rings in a large mixing bowl.
Toss the rings with olive oil, maple syrup and salt. Lay on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 400⁰ for about 40 minutes until tender and caramalized.

Simply Baked

Cut squash in half lengthwise. Put a pat of butter and a sprinkling of salt and cinnamon on each half and bake at 350⁰ until tender.

Pasta with Caramelized Leeks

Leslie — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:58:50 +0000

Pasta with Caramelized Leeks

Serves two, but easily doubles

Serves: 2

Ingredients

About a half pound dried pasta (this would also be really good over cheese ravioli)
2 medium leeks (or one super huge one!)
2 Tbs. butter or olive oil
about ⅓ cup of white wine, or reserved pasta water if you have no wine
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish, if desired

Optional additions

½ cup parmesan or goat cheese, toasted pine nuts or almonds, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed Italian sausage or pieces of chicken.

Instructions

Remove the dark green tops, and the root from the bottom and then wash the leeks.
Heat the butter or oil in a large frying pan over medium, add the leeks and stir to coat.
Sprinkle with a little dash of salt. Turn the heat to low and cook for 20-30 minutes until they’re all brown and caramelized.
In the meantime bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta and prep whatever else you decide to add (I personally really recommend some sautéed mushrooms and a sprinkling of parmesan).
Cook the pasta until al dente and drain (reserve some pasta water if you’re going to use it).
Add the leeks and protein accompaniment to the pasta. Then, pour your wine or pasta water into the pan that you cooked the leeks in, turn up the heat to medium-high, and cook for a couple of minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the liquid.
Pour this over the pasta and leeks and toss everything together.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Leslie — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:53:02 +0000

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion or leek, diced
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 large potato, chopped
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup milk or coconut milk
4 ½ cups water
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt

Instructions

Sauté garlic and onions with olive oil in large saucepan placed on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes and chopped pumpkin and stir with onion and garlic.
Pour 4 ½ cups of water and close the lid of the saucepan tightly. Cook until all the ingredients are tender.
In a small saucepan add the mustard and coriander seeds and close its lid. On a slow heat, frequently shake the saucepan without opening the lid. You will hear the sound of mustard seeds popping.
When the last one has popped turn off the heat and crush or grind the seed mixture.
Sift the spice mixture through a strainer to make sure that husks are eliminated.
Add 1 ½ teaspoons of sifted spice mixture, ½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg, freshly ground black pepper and sea salt (according to your taste) to tendered vegetables.
Pour in a cup of milk and mix all of the ingredients by using a hand blender or a food processor.
Pour in bowls and serve with a dollop of yogurt on top.

Maggie’s Fabulous Coleslaw

Leslie — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:13:55 +0000

Maggie’s Fabulous Coleslaw

Ingredients

1 head of shredded cabbage (or 2 baby cabbages)
3-4 med carrots shredded
1 cooking onion chopped

Dressing

½ cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp oil
2 tbsp mustard
2 clove garlic (or one large), minced or crushed
salt and pepper

Instructions

Toss cabbage, carrots and onion together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients together and whisk until combined.
Add to vegetables, toss and serve!