In the Kitchen

To store this week’s box… it all goes in the fridge. Remove the greens from the radishes. Everything should go in plastic bags in the crisper drawer.

An aromatic salad green, Arugula has a wonderful, peppery flavor. When grown under the cool conditions we have been experiencing this spring, the peppery flavor is especially delicious and mild, and the nuttiness shines right through. In the packing shed, Sarah said the tank full of arugula smelled just like a jar of peanuts.

Grilled Steaks on Arugula

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 oz arugula (about four cups)
1 lbs steak
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Whisk together, the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste to make vinaigrette. While grilling the steaks, dress the arugula with the vinaigrette, mixing gently to coat. Arrange on serving plates. When the steaks are cooked, place them top of the arugula. The peppery flavor from the arugula will infuse the steak, while the steak’s juices will nicely flavor the greens. Use a vegetable peeler to shave curls of cheese onto the steak, drizzle with a little more olive oil, and serve.

We didn’t have enough Red Oak Lettuce to go around, so a few boxes got Curly Endive instead. Curly endive holds up well to heavier salad dressings and light braises.

Roasted Fennel

Fennel bulbs
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

You can also do this on the grill. Preheat oven to 400. Slice the fennel thickly, and coat lightly with olive oil. Add some balsamic vinegar to your taste preference. Lay the fennel slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and roast until the fennel is thoroughly cooked and starting to brown.

The French Breakfast Radishes have just thrived in this cool weather, and they were truly a joy to harvest on Wednesday morning with a cool fog gathered over the valley. These are best just enjoyed whole, or sliced and dressed with lemon vinaigrette. I like to get a little extra crispness by soaking them in ice water for ten minutes before serving.

Peppermint is a relatively recent addition to the herb scene, having been first found in a field of spearmint, its much more common cousin, in England in 1696. The leaves of this week’s peppermint may be a little dirty. We usually try to keep the dirt on our farm, where it belongs, but the oil glands on the leaves that hold the peppermint flavor will burst when the leaves are washed, and the flavor components can break down if you wash them too long before using. It makes a nice addition to strawberries and other fruits when chopped finely, and of course makes a nice tea.

Peppermint Water

With the hot weather, drinking water is important. A little flavor make it easier to drink more. And making it yourself is much less expensive than buying the bottled metromint from the co-op.

2 quarts filtered water
20 peppermint leaves

Chop the peppermint leaves coarsely, or tear into pieces, and add to the water. Refrigerate overnight, strain out the leaves, and store in the refrigerator.

This is the last week for asparagus; we picked the last of it on Monday and rototilled the patch to control the weeds. Now we have to let it store away energy for next spring’s revival.