Quail Eschabeche

Below is my favorite quail recipe ever – from a 2008 Gourmet (sob, I miss it) article on global cooking in Paris. Of course, you could just wrap the little suckers in bacon and roast or grill (what would a recipe from me be without some bacon component), but, surprisingly, I like this better.
A globe's worth of influences go into this tender quail, but the result is a very subtle dish with a classic French balance.

Active Time: 25 min
Total Time: 2 1/2 hr (includes cooling)

4 whole quail (1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
2 fennel bulbs (1 pound total), stalks discarded and bulbs chopped
3 medium shallots, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, 1 or 2 outer layers discarded and lower 4 inches of stalk minced
1/2 cup raisins
1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick (preferably Mexican/Ceylon canela)
1 cup dry white wine

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Pat quail dry and season all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (total). Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sear quail, breast side down, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add fennel, shallots, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to skillet and sauté until fennel is pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in lemongrass, raisins, cinnamon stick, and wine. Bring to a boil, then cover pot and braise in oven 30 minutes. Nestle quail, breast side up, in vegetables, then cover and braise until thighs pull easily from joints, about 20 minutes. Cool completely, uncovered. Serve at room temperature, drizzled with olive oil.

Cooks' note:
Quail can be made 1 day ahead and chilled.

Finally, the beet recipes!

As part of our continuing “day late and a dollar short” series, we finally get around to telling you what to do with those beets we keep giving you (but probably will stop doing so until the Fall – we just replanted and hope to see the second crop by September, or so).

First, some basic beet information – they are a storage crop, so you can keep them for a while, up to a month, in the refrigerator. Just TWIST off the tops (which can be eaten like any green – prepare as you would spinach or kale), and put the beets, skin, tap root, and an inch or so of green stem, into a plastic bag in your refrigerator.

The Basic cooking of beets is simple. Wash (but do not peel) them and drop them into a pot of boiling water; boil until they are potato consistency – that will take about 35 minutes for large beets, 30 for medium, and 20 for small. Just poke them with a fork to check if they are done. Drain and let cool off. The skins will slip off when they are cool. Take off the top stem and the tap root, and do what you will with them.

Or you can bake them, which I prefer, though I can’t say why. Prepare as above, and let them stay damp after washing. Cover a pan with tin foil (why, you ask? – just do it, and you’ll thank me. There is a lot of sugar in beets that cooks off and caramelizes…). Put the beets in the pan and cover it tightly with tin foil. Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Then treat as above (cool, peel, process).

From this point, you can make my favorite, very easy dish – beet salad. Just slice or chop your beets (I like to slice the chiogga’s (the red beets we had out at the CSA) because they have a neat bulls eye design inside. Make your favorite balsamic dressing (or use mine: 1 part walnut oil, one part balsamic vinegar, one part soy sauce). Sprinkle the dressing lightly over the beets, add blue cheese crumbles, and toasted walnuts.

I love serving this on a tray next to a salad of cold green beans with bacon crumbles (had to work bacon in here somewhere) and chopped egg, and a lightly dressed (or slathered in pesto mayonnaise – my choice) potato salad.
If you boil 3 medium beets, also as above, you can make the famous Harvard beets (I believe you need to use RED beets for this recipe to stay true to the crimson tradition): Reserve ½ cup of your boiling liquid when the beets are done. In a medium saucepan, combine two tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and ¼ of a teaspoon salt. Stir in the reserved beet cooking liquid, ¼ cup of vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Peel and slice your beets then add them to the mixture and heat through.

From CSA member Karla Ramsey, a beet recipe for those of you who are deciding you really don’t like beets (this is really pretty too):

Beet Hummus

3 medium beets, cleaned, roasted, peeled then cut into chunks (stick whole beets in oven at 375* then roast until a knife inserts easily)
2 Tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste

Process all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Tasted and adjust seasoning. Serve with a hefty drizzle of olive oil.

Finally! The turnip recipes….

Isn’t it lucky that turnips save? And that we will see them again in the autumn, so you will get a chance to use these recipes soon.

I’ll start out with a recipe I put in the blog last year, but since no one read it then, I can repeat it here (and since no one is reading the blog NOW, I can both admit to repeating it and repeat it again next year). This is simple: Peel your turnip and dice it. Dice some bacon and fry it up until starts to render its fat. Toss the turnip dice in the fat and fry until crispy and brown. If you want, add chopped onions (green or otherwise) about half way through the browning of the turnips. If you have tender greens, turnip or otherwise, toss them in about three-quarters of the way through the dicing. Salt and eat with a hearty meat (or pungent vegetable, if you are a vegetarian).

And from one CSA member (Kate’s comment – this will make a great fall dish as well, and luckily, you’ll have turnips in the fall): here's a great turnip recipe from Farm Journal's Country Cookbook of 1959! It is delicious!

TURNIP STEW: The Czechoslovakian way....

3 T butter
3 C diced cooked turnips
1/2 C whole kernel corn
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium apple, sliced
nutmeg
sour cream
horse-radish

+Melt butter, add turnips, corn, onion, apple and seasonings. Simmer until apple and onion are soft...about 15 minutes.
+Add sour cream, heat through; add horse-radish and service.

And another member sent in a whole pile of recipes, including some for beets, which might be a hint for next week’s delivery:

Turnip and Beet Recipes
(nabbed from Live Earth CSA’s website)

Honey-Peppered Turnips
from Greene on Greens
Serves 4 to 6

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. honey
1 lb. turnips, peeled, cut into 1/4" cubes
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Chopped fresh parsley

Melt the butter with the honey in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the turnips and pepper. Cook, covered, until tender, about 12 minutes. Add salt to taste and sprinkle with parsley.


Miscellaneous turnip preparation ideas
<> Many cookbooks suggest they are good mashed like potatoes, or with potatoes. So pull out your favorite mashed potatoes recipe and make it with half turnips, half potatoes.

<> Try them raw! Slice or sliver them in salads or vegetable platters. Serve with a favorite dip.

<> Add turnips to stir-fries for a nice crunch and a perky flavor.

<> Bake 'em! Scrub and remove tops/tails from baby turnips and put in a baking pan with chunks of carrots, onions and potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees Funtil tender, about 45 minutes.

<> [from "The New Joy of Cooking"] Turnip greens are especially good cooked with other greens, like collards, in water flavored with salt pork or a ham bone. They are traditionally seasoned with sprinklings of oil, vinegar, hot sauce or ground red pepper, and sugar.


Simple Skillet Turnips and Apples
from the Rolling Prairie Cookbook
serves 4

1 tbsp. canola oil
1/2 C chopped onion
1 medium apple, copped (approx. 3/4C)
3 C chopped turnips (1/2" cubes)
1/2 C fresh apple cider or juice
1 small cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp. salt

Heat oil in a large skillet over med. heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add apple and sauté 2 more minutes. Add turnips and rest of ingredients. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir occasionally, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent sticking. Simmer until turnips are tender, approx. 20 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick before serving.



Roasted Root Vegetables scented with Apple and Mustard
from Your Organic Kitchen (modified slightly)
Serves 8 (but you could halve it to serve 4)

3 C apple cider or juice
1 C fruity white wine (like Gewürztraminer)
2 tbsp. smooth Dijon mustard
3 tbsp. butter
4 -5 lbs. root vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces, both sweet (like carrots and chiogga beets) and savory (like turnips and potatoes)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a saucepan, reduce the cider/juice, wine, and mustard over high heat to 1 1/2 C. Whisk in the butter and pour over the vegetables, tossing to coat. Season with salt and pepper and place in a single layer in a large roasting pan in a preheated 375 degree oven. Roast for 1 hour or so, or until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender. Stir 3 or 4 times while roasting to promote even browning.

Grated Turnip (or Rutabaga) and Apple Salad
from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant
serves 4 to 6

1 C peeled and grated raw turnips or rutabaga
1 C peeled and grated tart apples
½ C chopped fresh parsley
juice of one large lemon
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine everything, toss, cover, and chill.

Chilled Beet and Buttermilk Soup
serves 4 to 6 (can be increased/decreased proportionally without problem)
4 C chopped cooked beets*
1 C unsweetened apple juice [Billy Bob’s!]
2 C buttermilk
1 tbsp. minced fresh dill
¼ C minced scallions or chives
salt to taste
finely chopped cucumber (for garnish)
*about 4-5 medium beets, more if smaller.
In a blender or food processor, combine the beets, apple juice, and buttermilk and purée until smooth. Transfer to a bowl or storage container and stir in the dill and scallions or chives. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Add salt to taste and serve topped with finely chopped cucumber.

Beet and Gorgonzola Potato Salad
6 to 8 medium thin-skinned potatoes (such as Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn)
4 medium to large beets
1/3 lb. gorgonzola or feta cheese
1 small red onion, fine dice

Dressing:
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp. horseradish
Dried thyme to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Roast potatoes and beets in oven at 425 degrees for 50-60 minutes (until soft when pierced). Let cool. Dice to bite size and mix with diced onion and cheese. Some people like to skin the beets (which you should only do after the roasting), which is quite messy, but has a nicer presentation. Prepare dressing, and toss. Can be served immediately, but flavors blend better if refrigerated overnight.

What to do with all that bok choy?

This week, Green Fence Farm made its first delivery, on Capitol Hill, and both the full and half share members got what had to be the biggest bok choy ever grown. I have to admit, in handing these out, I broke one the rules my daughter, Viv, wrote when she was six years old (in a treatise called “Rules for the City”): “Never eat anything bigger than your head (sensible advice, almost as good as the rule that said “don’t spread tacks around where people are going to drive”).” But, unless our poor CSA members want to try to keep the heads alive and enter them in county fairs come August, eat it we must. To that end, here are some ideas on what to do with it. The first is from a NW CSA member, and it is what I’ll be cooking tonight:

I love bok choy. So far I've had no luck growing it so I'm excited to hear
we'll be getting some. Here is one of my favorite recipes for it. It's
straight from "A Taste of China" by Ken Hom.

1 lb bok choy
1 T. peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 t. salt
1 T. water

- Prep bok choy by quartering (if big) or halving (if small) and removing core.
Cut leaves from stem.

- Heat oil over high, add garlic, stir fry for about 30 sec.

- Add salt and bok choy stem, stir fry about 1 min.

- Add bok choy leaves, stir fry for till all is cooked. If the mix gets dry,
add water.

This next recipe is what I WAS going to cook tonight, but it is too hot, plus I have no milk or cheese in the house:

Bok Choy Gratin Gourmet | February 2003

The most commonly found Chinese vegetable is also one of the oldest — bok choy has been cultivated in China since the fifth century a.d. You can find many kinds of bok choy at Asian markets, all differing in shape and size; this recipe works well with any mature variety.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Yield: Makes 6 side-dish servings

Active Time: 40 min

Total Time: 1 hr

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 1/2 lb bok choy (not baby), tough stem ends trimmed
1 shallot, finely chopped
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 oz Gruyère, coarsely grated (1/2 cup)
1/2 oz finely grated parmesan (1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly butter a 2-quart gratin dish and dust with 2 tablespoons bread crumbs.

Cut bok choy stems and center ribs into 1/2-inch pieces and coarsely chop leaves. Cook stems and ribs in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes, then add leaves and cook 30 seconds. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle. Squeeze out excess water by handfuls.

Cook shallot in 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add bok choy and cook, stirring, until greens are coated with butter and shallot, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread bok choy in baking dish.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, then add flour and cook roux, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add milk in a slow stream, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil, whisking. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, 5 minutes. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper, then stir in Gruyère and 2 tablespoons parmesan and pour evenly over bok choy.
Toss remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs with remaining 2 tablespoons parmesan in a small bowl and blend in remaining 2 tablespoons butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle mixture evenly over gratin and bake in upper third of oven until bubbly and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Kate again – there were several comments on this recipe, but this one summed them all up:

I've made this recipe a few more times w/ minor changes and it's now become one of my favorites. I mix half of the mornay sauce in with the greens and spread the remainder on top. This melds veggies and sauce together and makes the whole thing taste delightfully cheesy. I also double the breadcrumb topping, for extra crispy contrast. I've used swiss chard, kale, chinese mustard and bok choy. I also like to add thinly sliced potatoes and/or turnips into the boiling water before adding the stems from the greens. The potato/greens combo is fantastic and will make anyone love leafy greens. Doing the shallot step in the pan you used for the greens will eliminate one extra pan. Still, this makes a lot of dishes.

And finally, a recipe I would have made (since it is so hot, I don’t even want to stir fry), but we already have salad greens out our ears, and my traditionalist family would balk at more than one salad on the table:

ORIENTAL BOK CHOY SALAD
1/2 c. butter
2 tbsp. white sugar
1 bottle of sesame seeds (1 oz.)
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles (broken up), do not use flavor packet
1 sm. pkg. slivered almonds
2 lbs. bok choy lettuce (chopped coarsely)
5 to 6 green onions, tops and all chopped
In large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add sesame seed, noodles, almonds and sugar. Stir all the time until lightly browned. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Toss bok choy and onions together, mix and chill until ready to serve. Just before serving, break up the crunchy mixture, add to bok choy, pour dressing over, mix and serve.

DRESSING:
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
Mix well and chill until ready to use.

Rhubarb Crisp

Thank to Capitol Hill CSA member Jean Flemma for pointing this out.

So easy – and I have to agree with Mark Bittman: better rhubarb alone than with strawberries. CSA members, take note. You should have enough rhubarb for this, and for the rhubarb bread I am making later this week (recipe to come)…

The only thing I disagree with is the whole peeling off the fibrous outer strings “as you would with celery.” I’ve never peeled celery OR rhubarb.

Rhubarb Crisp That Stands Up to Pie
By MARK BITTMAN
WHEN you think of rhubarb you probably think of strawberry-rhubarb pie, a quintessential spring dessert, especially if it’s made by someone who makes good pies. I usually manage around one pie crust annually, so I need alternatives. Thus, when the spring’s first rhubarb showed up, I adjusted the execution and produced a crisp.
Perhaps equally intriguing is that I ditched the strawberries. Not that I don’t like them, or the combination, but good rhubarb arrives much earlier than good strawberries do (they don’t really show up in the Northeast until June). Besides, with each passing year I appreciate rhubarb solo more.
If rhubarb is young and fresh, you can trim it in seconds. If it has fibrous outer strings, peel them off as you would those of celery. Just slide a paring knife under the topmost layer, grab the outer skin of the stalk with your thumb, and pull. This might take a minute.
Toss the rhubarb with orange or lemon juice and zest, and only a little sugar. I use a quarter cup or so — it seems to be enough — though you won’t go awry by adding another couple of tablespoons. (You can also substitute strawberries for some of the rhubarb if you want the classic combination.)
Blend the ingredients for the crisp topping in a food processor, but be sure to add the oats and pecans last so that you retain some crispness in your crisp. Crumble the topping over the rhubarb mixture, and bake — it is nearly effortless and as good or better than a pie.

Rhubarb CrispTime: About 1 hour, largely unattended



6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing pan

2 1/2 to 3 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, tough strings removed, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 5 to 6 cups)

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice

1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste

Pinch salt

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup pecans.



1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking or gratin dish with a little butter. Toss rhubarb with white sugar, orange or lemon juice and zest, and spread in baking dish.

2. Put the 6 tablespoons butter in a food processor along with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt, and pulse for about 20 or 30 seconds, until it looks like small peas and just begins to clump together. Add oats and pecans and pulse just a few times to combine.

3. Crumble the topping over rhubarb and bake until golden and beginning to brown, 45 to 50 minutes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Happy Belated Mother's Day

I actually wrote this post last week, but the original picture I had of Mary the lamb was on one of my many emergency back-up cameras, the one with the battery that works, but with the picture storage thing that doesn't seem to fit into my computer or any of the other 319 cords I have for transfering pictures from one place to another. So this week, I took another picture on the right camera, then took it again after recharging the batteries, and only today got it uploaded. In any case, this is what I wrote last week, when it was timely, and to go with a completely different picture:

Our first (and thus far, only) lamb arrived last week, but I thought I would save her (yes, a she) for today. She is a week and a half early, but not premature, her birth coming around 143 days after our stud jumped the fence (143 days being the gestation period of the Icelandic sheep, give or take a couple of minutes).

Her mom is from our Bambi breeding family, a long line of horned, hardy sluts – a compliment in the sheep world. She is the first non-white sheep we’ve had from this line (the white gene is super dominant, and the moorit (that’s sheep for brown) is recessive. The mother’s father was a moorit, and the father this year was a moorit, so there was a 50-50 chance we’d get one).

The rest of the sheep are ready to pop any minute. Get ready for more pictures!

DC Kids to Get Good Food in School

I am so proud of the District!

This article makes me happy – I’ve stopped drinking soda, but I might just go out and buy a crate full just to support this program.

If you are a District resident, please contact your councilmember and let them know how much you appreciate their support for this (I think it is important to contact politicians when they do something you like, not just when your angry – the chai latte antidote to the Tea Party). You can find their email and phone numbers here; the vote is supposedly tomorrow. Post if you call!

The picture, by the way, is Alice Waters – THAT Alice Waters – who has endorsed the DC program.