CSA Week 5

Vegetable List

Oh Boy! Beets
Booya Broccoli
Gonzales Cabbage
Raquel Sweet Corn
Cucumb'o'rama
Fairy Tale Eggplant
Mediterranean Eggplant
Orion Fennel
Lacinato Kale
White Russian Kale
Kossac Kohlrabi
Muir Head Lettuce
New Red Fire Lettuce
Ailsa Craig Sweet Onions
Bell Peppers
Jalapenos
Sungolds
Tomatoes
PYO Herbs
PYO Flowers


Notes from the Farm

Corn is, unquestionably, the heartbeat of the farm... and keeping up with corn demand is tricky.
My reputation as a farmer, for many people, far too many people, is based almost exclusively on my ability to grow corn... which is cool, but also stressful.
First, I love it, so much. I love growing corn. I love planting it, cultivating it (heaven to me is riding my 1710, cultivating corn... I could do it forever and more), I love spraying it, I love irrigating it and I love harvesting it... and then the ulcers set in.
Corn, as much as any crop, is an act of faith once it's in the hands of the customers. Will they treat it well, will they eat it in a timely manner, will they cook it without boiling all the sugars out? I”m not totally sure why it matters so much to me... I mean, I could care less what you do with the cabbages or tomatoes... but it does. Somehow, corn means something, and that something is sacred.
I mean, it's true, corn is not good for you, but it is so good.
Roast it, steam it, eat it raw... please don't boil it, it just strips the sugar.
Keep it refrigerated.
Eat it within a day or two.
Enjoy it for what it is... it's a treat. It's a tradition. It's, for many of us, a way of life.
At the HFF, corn matters... and we really hope you enjoy it.

Recipes

Street Corn and Scallop Tacos
2 ears of corn, kernels cut from the ear
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound bay scallops
2 tablespoons lime mayonnaise
1 teaspoon crumbled Mexican queso anejo or queso fresco,
1 teaspoon guajillo chile powder
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
12 warm corn tortillas
In a large cast iron skillet preheated until extremely hot, place the corn kernels on half of the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes before turning. The kernels should char, leaving beautiful dark spots.
Drizzle olive oil and salt over the scallops and place on the other half of the skillet. Sear for about 3-4 minutes, turn, then sear for another two minutes.
Remove the corn and scallops to a large bowl and add the lime mayonnaise, mixing to incorporate. Scoop mixture into warm corn tortillas and garnish with queso añejo, guajillo powder and cilantro.


Veracruz-Style Fresh Corn Cake
3 cups fresh corn kernels (you’ll need about 4 large ears)
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (preferably Mexican canela)
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a blender or food processor, combine the corn, eggs and sweetened condensed milk. Process to a coarse puree—leave a little of the corn’s texture, but no whole kernels.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  In a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment if available), beat the butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in the corn mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the flour mixture.  
Oil the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan or an 8x8-inch square cake/brownie pan.  Line with parchment paper, oil the parchment, then dust everything with flour, inverting and tapping the pan over your sink or garbage can to remove any excess.  Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top and bake in the center of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until browned and no longer jiggly in the center.  (A toothpick inserted in the center will come out almost clean.) Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.  Immediately invert onto a serving plate (the top of this cake is its prettiest part). 


Red Tomato Rice
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (I prefer fire-roasted), lightly drained OR 12 ounces (2 medium-small round or 4 to 6 plum) very ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
1/2 small white onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white rice, preferably medium-grain
1 3/4 cups chicken broth or water
Fresh hot green chile to taste (roughly 3 serranos or 2 jalapeños), a slit cut down the length of each one
About 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
salt
In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatoes (drained canned or chopped raw) with the onion and garlic.  Blend to a smooth puree.  
  In a medium (3-quart) saucepan with a tight fitting lid (one that’s about 8 inches in diameter is perfect for even cooking), heat the oil over medium.  Add the raw rice and stir frequently until the kernels have turned from translucent to milky white, 5 to 6 minutes—it is fine for some browning to take place. Add the tomato mixture, stir around a couple of times, then let cook until reduced and somewhat dry-looking, 2 to 3 minutes.
  Add the broth or water, bring to a full boil, then add the chiles, parsley and the salt, about ¾ teaspoon if using lightly salted broth, 1½ teaspoons if using unsalted broth or water.  Stir thoroughly, scraping down any rice kernels clinging to the side of the pan.  Cover and cook over lowest heat for 20 minutes—the temperature should be low enough that only the slightest hint of steam escapes from the lid. Or scrape everything into a rice cooker, turn it to “cook” and set a timer for 20 minutes. (My rice cooker typically flips to “keep warm” after about 6 minutes.  Don’t worry: the rice will continue to cook on the “keep warm” setting.) At 20 minutes, the rice should be tender. Use a fork to gently fluff the rice to release the steam and stop the cooking.  Recover and let stand a few minutes longer for the starch in the rice to firm (or hold on “keep warm” in the rice cooker for up to 1 ½ hours). You’re ready to serve. You may remove the chiles if you wish, or pull them out to use as decoration on top of the rice.

Ricotta-Beet Spread
1 demi baguette
3 tbsp olive oil plus more for brushing the bread
2 dried ancho chile, stemmed, seeded and cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 small beets (about 5 ounces total), peeled and roughly shredded
salt
1/4 cup peanuts, plus more for garnish
1 generous cup homemade or store-bought “hand-dipped” ricotta
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Place a grill pan over high heat. Cut 12 ¼-inch slices from the baguette (reserve any leftover bread for another use) and brush each side lightly with olive oil. Lay the slices on the grill pan and toast until lightly golden, about 2 minutes, then flip the slices and toast the other side, about 2 minutes more.
Heat the olive oil in a large (10-inch) skillet set over medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the chile pieces and fry, stirring constantly, for 15 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chile pieces to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.
Add the beets to the pan, sprinkle with a little salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and let cool.
Roughly chop the peanuts and stir them into the beets along with the ricotta, half of the toasted anchos, parsley and ½ teaspoon salt. Spread each slice of toast with about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture and garnish with the remaining ancho and a sprinkling peanuts and cracked black pepper.