In Your Share . . .

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Date: October 12th 2009

In Your Share

Freshly-dug Sweet Potatoes! (regular, white, and Japanese)

Swiss Chard

Fennel

Kale

Sweet peppers

Hot Peppers

Choice of: Lemon Grass or Parsley

CSA Cooking Classes -- Last chance to sign up for the Wed (Oct. 14) CSA cooking class with Chef Bill Turney of “From the Field Cooking School” at 2029 S. Main, Morton, IL. Go to www.fromthefieldcookingschool.com and cli ck on class schedule. Or give the cooking school a call at 309-263-6020.

The season certainly turned this past week – suddenly it seemed we were in November. We did get the first serious frosts this past Friday and Saturday, but only the high 20s, not the low 20s as predicted. But anything near 32 puts Henry into overdrive to save whatever cold-sensitive crops he can. So we harvested in the cold rain all day Thursday and Friday for the Evanston market. (Dad laughed wryly when he heard the ag reporter say, “Harvest has come to a standstill across central Illinois,” knowing there were half a dozen people harvesting like mad down in the fields every daylight hour and some of the dark ones as well.)

Henry left at 1 a.m. Saturday, as usual, for the Evanston market. But he left instructions for Matt, Kris, Adrienne, and me to go down to the field at 11, after the frost had burned off, to harvest out the chard, kale, fennel, lemongrass, and parsley, and then to get busy digging up the most frost-sensitive of the roots, the sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are a tropical vine that can’t stand soil temperatures (or storage temperatures) lower than 55 degrees. The frost the night before had blackened their leaves, and the rot would seep into the tubers if we didn't act swiftly. And so we dug in the heavy mud, and scrabbled around in the freezing wet earth to rescue all the sweet potatoes.

Around 5 p.m. we heard the rattle of the diesel engine of the big box truck coming down the lane, and moments later Henry joined in with the digging for the last few hours of light. As darkness descended, we gathered up all the sweet potatoes and took them to their sauna – the hot, humid room they cure in. Just as meat is cured with salt and/or smoke, sweet potatoes are cured with 7-10 days of 90 degree heat and 90% humidity, which thickens their skin and starts the enzymes working to make them sweeter and last longer.

I left Henry at the wash area Saturday evening, cleaning the greens we had harvested earlier. I don’t know what time he finally got into the house, and into bed, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he worked over 20 hours straight.

The freshly dug sweet potatoes you’ll get this week are the small ones, since they do not last as well as the larger ones. But as veteran CSA members know, you’ll get larger ones every week (or every other week) until the last CSA in late Nov., when you’ll get the nice big ones – for storage or for Thanksgiving dinner.

FOOD NOTES – Fennel, Lemon Grass, Parsley

You’ll remember fennel from early in the season. The fall bulbs of Florence Fennel, also known as finocchio, that you’ll see this week are smaller, but just as tasty. In June and July, I like them raw in salads and slaws. But now that there is a serious chill in the air, and blazing yellows and tints of red in the trees, it is definitely time to explore using fennel in soups, braised meat dishes, and with other roasted root vegetables.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Fennel

About a pound of sweet potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into thin slices
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced finely
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper -- to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In large bowl, combine potatoes, fennel, onion, parsley, oil, salt and pepper; toss gently until well coated. Arrange mixture in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, 30-35 minutes. Serve immediately.

Fennel and Pepper Coleslaw

1 medium or 2 small fennel bulbs, very thinly sliced
2 medium bell or sweet peppers (any color), thinly sliced
2 scallions or one onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well. Let stand at least 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

You should also use the tender and delicious fennel fronds. One classic way is as a bed for roasting fish, but you can also use them as you would any herb – in a vinaigrette, or as a garnish for soups, salads, or other dishes.

For fish on a bed of fennel and sliced onions, first drizzle the fish with a fennel infused oil. (Warm the oil lightly and add fennel fronds, a cut-up lemon, a pinch of chili flakes, and crushed whole garlic cloves. Let it meld together for an hour or so, then strain. Season with salt and pepper, use as a drizzle on the cooked fish as well as on the onion/fennel bed you roast the fish on. Keep the rest in the fridge to use again.) Then bake the fish (any will do, but a side of salmon is nice) on a bed of fennel fronds with a few slices of lemon on top. Bake at 300 until done, but not overdone.

Lemon Grass

On the cold Friday harvest day, we harvested the tropical lemon grass, which grows in large clumps, like a landscaping grass, about 3-4 feet high. If you like Thai or Vietnamese food, you’ve definitely had lemongrass in your soups and curries. But it’s also good in soups, with chicken (stuff a roasting chicken with it before baking) or fish, and as a simple, healing tea.

Lemongrass is thought to have numerous health benefits, especially when used in combination with other Thai spices such as garlic, fresh chillies, and coriander. Tom Yum, a classic Thai soup (see recipe below), has always been said to combat colds and flus.

More recently, in 2006 a research team from Ben Gurion University found that Lemon grass caused apoptosis (programmed cell death) in malignant cancer cells. According to the research team, citral is the substance that causes the cancer cells to kill themselves. While the citral killed the cancer cells, it left the normal cells unharmed. I can’t guarantee that lemongrass tea will cure cancer, but with a bit of honey, it’s a delightfully soothing bedtime drink.

Lemongrass Tea

1 tsp. finely minced lemongrass
1 cup boiling water

Pour the water over the lemongrass and steep for 5 minutes. Sweeten as desired. Makes one cup.

When using lemongrass, you usually use the inner white or yellow part of the stalk, but you can also reserve the upper green stem to add flavor to soups, or in a tea. The quickest way to use lemongrass is to simply cut the stalk into 2-3 inch lengths. Then “bruise” these sections by bending them several times. Add them to your soup or curry. You can also create superficial cuts along these sections with your knife, which will help release the lemon flavor. When serving, remove the lemongrass pieces.

The second option is to slice or chop the lemongrass. In this case,you will need a very sharp knife, as the stalk is quite firm. Cut the white or yellow section of stalk into thin slices and place these in a food processor. Process well. Or, pound the slices with a pestle & mortar until softened and fragrant.

Tom Yum is the most famous of all Thai soup recipes.

6 cups chicken stock
4-6 kaffir lime leaves (can be purchased frozen at most Asian food stores)
2 stalks minced lemongrass
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 fresh red chili pepper
generous handful of fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup lime juice
3 Tbsp. fish sauce (or more to taste)
8-12 medium to large shrimp, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup fresh coriander/cilantro

Place chicken stock in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the lime leaves and minced lemongrass. Bring to a boil.

When soup reaches a boil, turn heat down to medium. Add the garlic, chili, mushrooms, lime juice, and fish sauce. Stir well. Partially cover with a lid and allow to gently boil for 3 minutes.

While soup is simmering, remove shells from shrimp. Add the shrimp, gently stirring them into the soup. As soon as shrimp are cooked (they will turn uniformly pink and be nice and plump), remove soup from heat.

Lemongrass Marinade for Chicken

3 fresh lemongrass stalks, chopped

2 tbsp. finely chopped onion

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. dried hot pepper flakes

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. sugar

4 1/2 tsp. fish sauce

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Mix together and marinate 2-4 pounds of chicken. Marinate 4 hours or overnight. Grill or broil until done. You can also use a cut up chicken and roast it in a roasting pan.

Herbed Butter
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp. lemon juice
dash of salt and pepper
2 Tbs. chopped fennel fronds, or parsley, or lemon grass

Combine all and refrigerate. Use on bread, baked fish, or anything!

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