Parsley and potatoes are a classic combination. Usually, it seems the parley is just there for garnish, but when done well the parsley actually tastes good and enhances the sweetness and earthiness of the potatoes. This technique for cooking potatoes helps season the potatoes as well as ensures a higher temperature which renders more of the starches giving a creamier potato. Serve this on a “plate” of Little Gem lettuces for added texture and flavor contrast.
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This is a part of classic cuisine that adds lots of wonderful flavor without fuss. It is also a great “go to” item for when you are pressed for time but still want something flavorful on the plate. It can be used as a base for a quick pan sauce or beurre blanc as well. Make this and store it in the freezer–it is like money in the bank. This butter takes advantage of the fresh mineral and herbaceous quality of parsley. As this is a simple recipe, it relies on the best ingredients for success. This compound butter is a classic for topping fish and steaks, but is good for a quick pasta, shrimp, or with vegetables.
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This salad is based on a salad I used to get 30 or more years ago at Courtney’s Bistro in Manhattan Beach. I think it was the first time I had a real tomato, and I loved it. This recipe is about good ingredients simply presented so they show off their best. The mushrooms are done ahead of time, so this recipe is a snap to assemble last minute, and looks elegant on a plate making it a good one for company. Prep the lettuce ahead of time and store in a box wrapped in toweling in the refrigerator to make things easier. The mushrooms need to be started ahead of time-in the morning, the day before, or at least 2 hours ahead of serving.
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This is a variation of Haricot Vert Salad that has a little more “pop” to it due to the lemon and yogurt in the dressing. Combined with the aromatic dill, this salad has plenty of presence. If you get tomatoes in your box, add some dice tomatoes to the mix, or see suggestions in Chef’s Tips. If you wish, you can substitute potatoes for the filet beans. If you get tomatoes in your box, go ahead and seed one or two (to yield a cup) and cut them into ¼ inch cubes and fold into the salad after everything else has been finished.
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This is a variation of Mustard Crusted Salmon. A little mayonnaise is used to bind the breadcrumbs rather than mustard, and the seasoning is dill and lemon. This recipe would work quite well with something like halibut in lieu of salmon. This dish would go well with Sautéed Cucumbers or summer squash cooked in the same manner.
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This is a more delicate salsa than standard Pico de Gallo. The garlic is blanched to mellow it, and the amount of chili is pretty light. And instead of straight cilantro, cilantro oil is used. Use this as a topping for grilled or poached fish or chicken, or on slices of barely wilted summer squash.
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This oil could be used for topping fish and chicken, or as part of a “de-constructed” salsa. It is also a nice way to make simple dishes such as grilled or sautéed summer squash into something elegant. Cilantro oil is not something that will keep for more than a few days, so don’t make vast quantities, and keep it in the refrigerator when not in use. You could freeze some of it and that will delay the break down somewhat.
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This is a simple variation on basic braised chicken. By changing the herbs and spices and some of the aromatics, you can take this dish from Mexico and the American South West to the Middle East or even South East Asia. Typically, braised chicken would be sautéed first to brown, and then liquid is added, the pot is covered and then cooked in the oven until done. This is the method I learned at Chez Panisse and is so simple. Simmer the chicken covered, skin down in liquid, and after 30 minutes, turn the chicken so the skin is above the surface of the liquid and cooked, uncovered, until browned on top (around 15 minutes) and serve. This recipe is made with legs because that is what was used, but you can use any parts you want with fine results. If you used all wings, though, you might wish to cut back the time to keep the meat from falling off the bone. Although the recipe seems long, it is not really. It also gives you meat and veg in one dish and can be assembled and cooked in about an hour. Excellent when cooked a day ahead and re-heated.
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This recipe turns on two other basic recipes – Roast Beets, and Braised Shelling Beans-for a fairly easy to make dish that is filling and pretty in a bowl. Although the beets may seem an odd fit here, the earthiness of the beets links to the earthiness of the beans and carrots, while the vinegar and natural sugars of the beets make them an excellent foil to the rest of the ingredients.
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Our primary goal in farming is to grow our produce in a way that is as healthy as possible for both the people who eat it and our environment. We try to make our little corner of the farming world a sustainable and beautiful place. But just one look around us shows that our farm is but a sliver among the vast farming acreage around us.
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If it sits still long enough, I’m bound to try this technique on most anything it seems. It works beautifully with fennel, giving a sweet and sour taste that is reminiscent of a lightly done sauerkraut. Simple, quick, and versatile. Use it to top a salad, or put it in sandwiches. Great on grilled fish or roast pork as well. If you heat it up it can be used like sauerkraut with sausages and potatoes. It goes great topping Swedish crispbread topped with coarse mustard and pâté and crispbread with labne and smoked salmon. The fennel/licorice flavor is enhanced with a pinch of fennel seeds, but it is not “in your face” fennel/licorice flavor. This is one of those times when you’d like to use your fixed blade slicer.
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Sometimes simple is the best. This is one of those dishes. It is also flexible which adds versatility to it. This is a good recipe for when you don’t have enough fennel to make it the main attraction but want the flavor to shine. With a little tweaking this recipe can serve as a topping for meat or fish-see the Chef’s Notes. A fixed blade slicer such as a Ben-Riner or mandolin makes this recipe quicker and even simpler to assemble.
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Romanesco is often described as a cross between cauliflower and broccoli, but I think it has its own personality. It is denser than either of the others, and is more resistant to developing the brassica “funk” that the other two get when cooked too long in water. I like the denser texture which allows Romanesco to caramelize well, and I really enjoy the fractal look of the florets.
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This is the first of my “quickle” recipes from which the rest derive. These always seem to disappear so fast, and I am always interested to see what they get used for. Once you have done this, you’ll find it takes longer to read the recipe than execute it. This is another dish where a Ben-Riner or mandolin is really helpful, or a razor sharp knife is essential.
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This stock is used in the same way you would use a dark chicken stock or other meat stock. It works well as a base for sauces and soups, and if you are feeling under the weather it is nice for when you don’t want to actually eat, but want some nutrition. It is really nice heated up with some fresh ginger in it. In meat stocks, the agent that thickens it is gelatin. In vegetables, the equivalent is pectin. By charring the onions and sautéing the rest of the vegetables, the pectin is catalyzed and so more readily available to the stock. Konbu* is a type of kelp. Seaweeds are used commercially as a thickener in many things, from toothpaste to ice cream, and is used that way here.
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This is called blond vegetable stock rather than “Light Vegetable Stock” because it is light in color, or blond, and to avoid confusion that it is somehow light in flavor or calories. Use this where you would a light chicken stock, as a soup base, or in vegetables. Be sure to start with cold water, and skim frequently.
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For this dressing, you want to use a good quality red wine vinegar. There are a lot of cheap ones out there, and the taste of most of them is sour, rather than tart, and metallic, aggressive, even bitter. Shun them, as all they will do is ruin your food. Since this dressing is so simple, there is nowhere for an inferior vinegar to hide. While you want to use extra virgin olive oil here, save the heavier Tuscan or Olio Nuovos for other dishes. Something lighter is called for here so the flavor of the beans will shine through. Reducing the vinegar concentrates the flavor and gives it a bit more body, like a balsamic vinegar. I give two measurements for the oil here. The first is for what is referred to as a “slack” vinaigrette-meaning loose, as it will not stay well emulsified due to the ratio of oil to vinegar. This is what you use for salads using vegetables such as beans or carrot, where you dress blanched vegetables while still warm, and is more tart than most salad dressings. It is good on cabbage salads, too. The second is for leafy salads or things that are dressed just before serving, where you want the dressing to cling. It is milder and will stay emulsified better.
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This is one of those dishes that just happened “on the fly”. I was using the oven for potatoes already, so I figured I might as well cram a vegetable in. I had basil in a jar on the counter, and lots of zucchini someone had given me. The inspiration for this came from a dish called Hasselback potatoes, and a variation I used to do using bay leaves. A simple dish with plenty of flavor, it has a couple of great variations that are easy to execute, and it cooks up pretty quickly.
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Garlic fries seem to be ubiquitous now. Some are really good, some are dreadful. While I like garlic, it should be in balance, but if you like it incendiary, feel free to add more. After several attempts at home that fell sort, I looked at some packages and determined the secret ingredient to be sugar. Deep frying will catalyze the sugars in potatoes-baking not so much. Applying a little sugar hits just the right note. The best garlic fires I ever had were in Hawaii, but it may have been the dipping sauce. They wouldn’t share the recipe, so I reverse engineered it, and share it now. Equal parts ketchup, Thai sweet chili sauce, and guava puree (available frozen in many markets, especially Latino groceries). Be sure not to add the garlic too soon or it will burn and taste acrid and nasty.
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We sell our organic strawberries at our farm stand and in farmer’s markets for what I consider a reasonable price, but we occasionally have people who ask why they are so expensive relative to the $.99 pints they can find in their grocery store.
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