From the Demler Family
· 4 slices of bacon (browned and dry)
· 2 Tbsp. drippings
· 4 cups beet tops
· ¼ cup beef broth
· ¼ cup half and half
· Optional: sauted fresh garlic or onions
Cover and cook 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. After 5 minutes add 2-3 tsp. tarragon vinegar and serve.
Originally posted August 15, 2007
The onions are so big and beautiful this week. And sweet. They were just calling out to be made into onion rings. Then as Shain started cooking, I suggested we fry up some squash with the batter too. Oh my! These are certainly tasty enough to eat without any dipping sauce (although my kids still called out for ketchup and ranch dressing). Now afterwards, I am thinking a nice dip made with the fresh dill would have been a very nice addition.
This makes enough batter for 2 large onions and 2 zucchini or squash.
2 cups flour
1 twelve ounce bottle of a darker stout beer
3 eggs
2 teaspoons melted lard or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Prepare fish, onions or squash for frying. Cut the onions into 1 inch rings, separating layers. Slice squash into 1/2 inch pieces.
Heat 4 cups of cooking oil or lard on a medium setting.
Beat the eggs and add beer, lard or oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Fold in flour.
Dip prepared onion rings, squash or fish into batter, covering completely. Place into heated oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a plate with a paper towel for the oil to drain. Sprinkle with more salt and/or pepper if desired. Serve immediately.
We used up our share of boc choi a few nights ago by making a batch of egg rolls from the recipe on this website. They are so simple to make and my family loves them! We each have our own favorite toppings, mine is chevre goat cheese mixed with this sweet hot mustard. My son likes ketchup (he's only 7). Boc choi is only available during these first weeks of the season as the flea beetles really like to eat them too. (Flea beetles thrive in the heat which makes it difficult to grown Asian greens beyond the cooler Spring weather.) When it's cooked up this way you would never know there were little holes in the leaves.
We have received so many compliments on our salad mix. Thank you! This time of the year the salad is really wonderful. It gets to be more of a challenge to grow, harvest, and wash as the weather heats up, but it is our goal to get it to you every week. I could eat a nice salad like this everyday.
What are garlic scapes?
"Scapes" are the flower stalks found on members of the Allium family (onions, leeks, chives, and garlic). Garlic scapes curl upward as they grown, ultimately straighten, and then grow little seed-like bulbs. When garlic scapes are still in full curl, they are tender and delicious. They provide subtle garlic flavor (but without the garlic "bite") and cruchiness if added to salads and soups. They cook well in stir fries, and can be processed in vinegars, as pickles, or into a green "pesto" sauce. This pesto is delicious spread on pizzas or sandwiches. Garlic scapes are only available for a few weeks of the year, so enjoy them while you can.
Fried Scapes (from dakotagarlic.com)
Cut scapes to green bean size and saute them in butter and salt for 6 to 8 minutes. During the last minute of cooking add about 1 teaspoon of balsalmic vinegar.
Garlic Scape Pesto (from maryjanesfarm.com/simplymj)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespons fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 pound garlic scapes
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
Puree scapes and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Stir in Parmesan and lime or lemon juice and season to taste. Serve on bread, crackers or pasta.
I have seen many variations to this recipe. Many omit the juice and will add nuts (like pine nuts or walnuts).
Can't get enough of these yummy salads. This one has spinach, grapes. red onion, bits of bacon, carmelized almonds, queso blanco goat cheese and is topped with Brianna's poppy seed salad dressing.
This is a yummy omelet Shain made me for lunch today.
Thinly slice garlic scapes and saute in butter with sliced mushrooms until cooked. Meanwhile, tear swiss chard and spinach into 1 inch pieces, discarding stems. Add greens to cooked mushrooms and scapes and wilt in more butter or chicken broth. Grease an omelet skillet with butter, then add wilted greens/scapes/mushroom mixture and spread evenly in skillet. Beat 4 to 5 eggs and pour over saute mixture. Top with hot pepper jack cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Cook slowly over medium low heat until eggs are cooked on top (dry but not crusty). Fold and serve.
If you ever find yourself with "extra" herbs and don't want them to go to waste, I have a helpful hint for freezing them. This tip works especially well with parsley and cilantro. Just place the herb in a blender (stems can be removed first if you desire) and puree with as little water as necessary to get the leaves to chop. Then pour the mixture into ice cube trays. Once solid, the herb cubes can be frozen in a freezer bag and used as needed. The herb's true flavor is maintained incredibly well, it smells and tastes so fresh. Just pop a cube into a soup, mashed potatoes, spaghetti sauce, or whatever. Or you can put a cube in a strainer and allow the water to melt off, then add the herb to your cooking.
One of Shain's favorite ways to cook with fresh parsley is to make something he calls Fried Pasta. Here is the recipe:
Cook angel hair pasta per package instructions, drain and refrigerate until cool. Meanwhile, fry one package of bacon. Remove from pan and crumble bacon strips when sufficiently cool. Mince 2 to 3 cloves of garlic and set aside. In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Brown the minced garlic in grease/oil.
Remove stems from parsley and coarsley chop, you will need approximately 1 cup. When garlic is browned, add cooked pasta to the frying pan and fry until lightly cooked and warmed through. In a bowl, mix fried pasta and garlic, 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, crumbled bacon, and chopped parsley. Toss until well mixed. Serve immediately.
1 can black beans or kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 Tablespoon cumin
juice of 2 lemons
bunch fresh cilantro
1 small purple onion or 4 green onions
4 cloves garlic (or garlic scapes)
2 Tablespoons sesame tahini
splash olive oil (optional)
splash sesame oil (optional)
splash plain yogurt (optional)
salt, pepper, cayenne, dill (all to taste)
Blend in a food processor on high speed until creamy. Eat with fresh veggies, crackers, pita or on top of a green salad. Garnish with Kalamata olives. Flavor is best if it sits in the fridge overnight or longer.
