Farm Direct Coop Recipesor. . . what you can do with your share!

From the FDC Newsletter archives (7/5/2007)…Originally posted from “From Asparagus to Zucchini”.

• 1/3 lb penne or farfalle pasta
• 2-3 Tbl olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 lb chopped kale leaves
• salt and pepper

1. Bring 6-8 cups salted water to boil; add pasta and cook until tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat, add onions and garlic, and cook until tender.
3. Add the kale and saute until wilted.
4. Drain the pasta and combine it with the onions, garlic, and kale.  Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

From the FDC Newsletter archives (7/5/2007)…Originally posted from Whole Foods Market website.

• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1 can (7 oz) water chestnuts, drained and thinly sliced
• 3 shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb kale, washed and cut into large pieces (any green can be substituted)
• 1 tsp mirin (or seasoned brown rice vinegar)
• 1 tsp tamari (or high quality soy sauce)
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic and onions and saute until onions are translucent.  Be careful not to brown the garlic or it will give a bitter taste.
2. Add water chestnuts and shitake mushrooms.  Saute for 3 minutes.  Add kale and saute for 1 minute.  Add the mirin, tamari, and pepper and saute until kale is tender.

I’ve not had Komutsana, Tatsoi, or Mizuna so I went searching for some recipes online.  I’ll start with this one for Wilted Asian Greens because it’s straightforward and seems to be a good jumping off point for new greens.  It’s from Gourmet July 2003.  It makes 6 servings and should take about 10 minutes.  6 cups sounded like a lot to me, but 3 oz not so much.  Certainly you could make, but not use, all the sauce or cut the whole recipe in half.  Also, I would imagine you could substitute the pea shoots for the Komutsana or increase the Tatsoi/Mizuna.

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 Tbl soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp finelygrated peeled ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp Asian sesame oil
• 6 cups pea shoots or pea sprouts (3 oz)
• 6 cups tatsoi (3 oz)
• 6 cups mizuna (3 oz)

1. Heat vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and sesame oil in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved (do not let boil).
2. Pour hot dressing over greens in a large bowl and toss well.  Serve immediately.

I’ll look for more ideas for greens!

Submitted by Jane Levine
This recipe can be made with kale, chard or most any of the other greens we receive from the co-op. It’s easy and v    versatile too; it makes a great side dish or a sauce served over pasta.

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 Tbsp olive oil (or more as needed)
• 1-2 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika (sweet or hot, we prefer hot at our house, or you can use sweet and add
• some cayenne)
• 1 bunch kale (or chard, etc.) coarsely chopped
• 1 can white beans
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until softened.
2. Stir in paprika and cook for another minute or two.
3. Add the chopped greens and cook until softened.
4. Add a can of white beans, undrained, or the equivalent amount of cooked beans with some of their cooking liquid. Cook partially covered until kale is the consistency you like. Add some water or broth (or pasta cooking water if you’re serving it with pasta) to keep it somewhat “saucy.”

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh greens (turnip, mustard, collards, other)
• 1 ½ gallons water
• 1 or 2 ham hocks
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 or 2 dried red pepper pods or ground cayenne, to taste
• ½ cup chopped onion

Instructions:

1. In a large kettle, boil the water with the ham hocks and salt, plus seasonings.
2. Clean greens thoroughly with several changes of water. Cut away tough stems and cut large leaves into strips.
3. Add the greens to boiling water a little at a time. Cover and boil for about 1 hour.
4. Serve with cider vinegar or pepper sauce.

Source:   southernfood.about.com