I’ve Got Mail!
Whew! What a relief to
find out that it’s not just my husband and Rachel reading each weekly issue!
Since I am in the
Bronx, Rachel is on the farm, and you are at various pick up sites, hearing
from you is the only way I can create an informative, enjoyable, and practical
CSA newsletter relevant to what YOU want
to know about the Farm and enjoying its bounty.
My hope for this
newsletter is that it is a way to communicate with each other and share our CSA
experiences. I look forward to filling
upcoming issues with the recipes, news, and tips I receive from you.
Tuscan Tomato Soup
Lezlie Lawson says this recipe from the Williams -Sonoma
'Soup' cook book is a great way to enjoy those CSA tomatoes and basil!
6-8 slices French
bread,1 inch thick
2 tablespoons extra
virgin olive oil
1 large yellow
onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced
3 lb ripe tomatoes,
peeled, seeded, and diced
4 cups chicken or
vegetable stock
½ cup finely chopped
basil, plus 6-8 whole leaves
salt and pepper
½ cup freshly grated
parmesan cheese
1.
Preheat oven to
300*F. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, turning
once,10-15 minutes total. Set aside.
2. In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm
the oil. add onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté until soft but not brown.
3. Add the tomatoes and stock, Raise heat to
high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until
tomatoes are softened, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. In a blender or food processor, puree the
soup in batches leaving some texture if desired, and return soup to the pot. Alternatively,
process with a handheld blender in pot until desired consistency is reached. Return
the soup to medium heat and reheat gently. Add the chopped basil and season with
salt and pepper.
5. To serve, place a slice of toasted bread in
the bottom of each bowl and sprinkle with a spoonful of parmesan cheese. Ladle
the soup on top and garnish with a basil leaf. Serve it immediately. Serves 6- 8.
Peeling and seeding tomatoes:
Fill a sauce pan 3/4 full of water
and bring to a boil. Using a sharp knife, score an X in the blossom end of each
tomato. In batches, without crowding, immerse the tomatoes in boiling water and
leave for 15-30 seconds, or until the skins just begin to wrinkle. Remove from
pan with a slotted spoon, let cool slightly, then peel away the skins. Cut in
half cross-wise and squeeze gently to remove seeds.
Raw August Salsa
In his first season as a CSA-er, Jordan Mayhew shares this creative way
to combine fruit and vegetables.
1 head of broccoli
2 plums, finely diced
2 yellow tomatoes, medium dice
2 cucumbers peeled and small
diced
½ cup basil, chopped
¼ cup whole blueberries
1 ½ tsp soybean miso
Add water to a pan over the
stovetop, bring to a boil. Trim
broccoli into florets, julienne stems, and blanch in boiling water until color is
enlivened; shock with ice water.
Briefly dry broccoli and chop finely, add to salad bowl.
To the broccoli, add diced plums,
cucumbers, tomatoes and chopped basil along with whole blueberries.
Add miso and mix to combine. Serve at room temperature or chill.
Entrée Option:
Add cubed, crumbled, or mashed
tofu to this salsa and turn this dish into a cold filling for de-seeded and
baked zucchini shells, or add cracked wheat or any other cooked grain to the
salsa and fill the shells while they are warm.
