Kale & Carrot Chowder

Sometimes, this chunky stew is just what the doctor ordered.  This could easily be prepared all vegetarian.

Prep time:  15 minutes

Cook time:  20 minutes

Serves:            4-6

INGREDIENTS

½ pound ground sweet Italian sausage meat

6-7 cups chicken or vegetable broth

3 cups coarsely chopped kale, stems separated and ¼ inch diced

3 cups carrots, ½ inch dice

1 onion, 1/4 inch dice (about 2/3 cup)
2 tomatoes, ½ inch dice, or 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice

1 – 2 cups cooked brown or white rice

½ cup black beans, or your favorite
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat a stock pot over medium heat and cook the sausage, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sausage is cooked.  Add the chicken stock and heat to a low boil.  Add the diced kale stems, carrots, and onion.  Cook for 5 minutes, then add the kale leaves and the tomatoes.  Cook until carrots are just tender, add the cooked rice and black beans, return to a simmer, and serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Variations:  Omit the sausage.  Substitute other sturdy greens for the kale.


Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick
 

Pinzimonio: Play with your food!

Play with your food!

Leave it to the Italians to turn produce into whimsical fun.  Pinzimonio is a raw vegetable antipasto that can be as simple or as complicated as you'd like to make it.  In this version, long skinny vegetables are bundled, ready for dipping in olive oil seasoned with lemon juice and salt.  Serve with plenty of napkins.
  
Prep time:  20 minutes
Serves  4 as an appetizer or side dish.

INGREDIENTS
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
2-3 Carrots, scraped, ends removed
1/2 pound long, slender green beans
1 bunch scallions, leaves separated and reserved.
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Salt

DIRECTIONS
Slice peppers and carrots into long thin spears (about 1/8 to 1/4" wide).  Bundle a variety of spears and gently tie with scallion leaves.  Assemble these packets on a tray.

Distribute the oil and lemon juice between 4 ramekins or small bowls.  Dip a bundle into the oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and crunch.

Tip:  Scallion leaves are easier to tie if you leave them out on the counter for an hour so that the leaves lose some of their water and soften.  (This is the only recipe I can think of where I recommend a vegetable less than fresh!)

Photo and recipe by  Tod Dimmick

Grilled Beans!

If real estate on your grill is available, try this tasty method. 

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time: 4-6 minutes
Serves:  2-4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh beans
3 TB Olive Oil
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your grill.  Place your beans in a baking dish, drizzle with the olive oil, and turn to coat.   When you're ready to cook, arrange the beans in a single layer across the grill (as in the photo above). Cook for about 3 minutes, turn with tongs, and cook for another 3 minutes or until tender crisp.   Carefully remove beans to a serving platter and drizzle with remaining oil from the baking dish.  Season to taste with salt.

Tip:  This method works best with larger beans (the smaller ones are more likely to fall in!)

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Everything Powisset Crock Pot

This delicious potluck dish was created by Christiane Oberli for Powisset Farm.

Prep time: 20 Min
Cook time: 6-8 hours unattended
Serves: 6-8

1 smoked ham hock
1 lb dried beans mix washed and sorted
3 carrots sliced
2 parsnips sliced
1 celeriac cubed
1 large red onion roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic skinned
1 tbsp salt
4 fresh sprigs parsley
3 fresh sprigs thyme
2 cloves
3 bay leaves
2 tbsp ketchup
water
4 peeled potatoes cubed

Place all except potatoes in crock pot and fill with water (allow beans to expand). Turn on low for 6 to 8 hours. Add potatoes 2 hours prior to serving. At time of serving, cut up ham hock and return all (bone included) to the pot. Enjoy with crusty bread slices.

Pasta with Green Beans, Red Peppers, & Caramelized Onions

Green Beans with Julienned Carrots

 












Fresh flavors and bright colors.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Serves:  6-8 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, or 2 tsp dried
1 pound carrots, scraped and julienned
1 pound green beans, cleaned
salt to taste
pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sage leaves and cook for one minute, stirring. Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the beans and continue to cook and stir for another 5 minutes or until the beans and carrots are tender crisp.  Serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Variation: Use broccoli or cauliflower florets in this mix (add them with the carrots).

 Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Powisset Slaw

This dish is a fun mixture of crunchy fresh vegetables.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Serves:  6-8
 INGREDIENTS
1 pint green beans
1 apple, sliced, with peel
2 cups shredded carrots (about 4-5 carrots)
1/3 cup minced scallions (about 3 scallions)
a handful of basil leaves, minced
a handful of parsley leaves, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 tablespoons good olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Run the beans, apple slices, and carrots through a food processor equipped with the coarse shredding disk. Scrape that mixture into a serving bowl, and stir in the scallions, basil and parsley. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, and toss. Distribute to serving plates, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Fava Beans

Fava beans are found in our pick-your-own field this year. While they are well known in many parts of the world and have been eaten in many countries for centuries, they are a new addition to our farm's crops. Sometimes called "broad beans," or "fuul" when dried, fresh fava beans are a buttery-textured, slightly bitter, nutty flavored member of the legume family. The bright green beans are hidden beneath a waxy outer coating, which is hidden beneath a large, floppy 5-7" pod. Growing on bushy plants, favas are ready to harvest when the green pods start showing rusty brown markings with a few black bumpy spots.

To prepare, remove the beans from the pod and blanch by tossing beans into already boiling water for a few minutes. Drain from the water, and slip the beans out of the outermost layer which should be easy to do now. Use fava beans in a puree, sauteed (try it with garlic and butter), added to pasta dishes or salads.