Thursday, June 04, 2009

More rain...

I don't know if this rain is good or bad. It's nice to get a break from the heat but yesterday it was so cold my nails turned blue and the tips of my fingers numb. Not to mention the fact that my tomato plants are now 5 foot tall. I have to get out to the back 4.0 and do a little farming. Cut back the 'maters so more nutrients will actually go to producing 'maters, weave the cucumber plants into the chain link fence so they don't overtake the yard, harvest lettuce and broccoli and remove the broccoli plants that actually went to seed. Then I get to deliver said lettuce harvest around the neighborhood because well, there's TOO much!
After Mike brought home the Fair Shares food yesterday the inside of our fridge turned green, leafy and packed. We received garlic shoots, which I'm really excited to use. When garlic grows it sends up pretty green shoots that look a lot like green onions. The farmer cuts these back to encourage larger garlic cloves. The shoots have a mild garlic flavor and are used like green onions.
What I'm not excited about is the mustard greens. I'm sorry but any green that you have to cook until its limp and lost all nutritional value I can't do. Unless any of you have a great recipe for it that you would like to share?

2 comments:

Crusty said...

The farmer's like is subject to the weather- and LOTS of other stuff too.
I'll take a little of that excess though. . .
Love and Enjoy
Dad

Snowbound Farms said...

This recipe is called a Greens and Cheese Bake. It's one of my favorites for green of any kind. One of the few that use chicken or turkey instead of pork, because my family doesn't eat pork. Hope you like the recipe. I love the blog, keep it coming! God Bless.



Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 pounds greens, washed and trimmed (kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, or mixed)
* salt and black pepper
* 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided
* 1 cup half-and-half
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 cup flour
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (whole milk or part skim)
* 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
* 2 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded, about 1/2 cup



Preparation:


Butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish or casserole; preheat the oven to 375°.

Cut out and discard the tough stems; if using kale or collards, cut out thick center ribs. Rinse all the greens and shake off any excess water, chop them into 1/2-inch pieces. In a large skillet, cook the greens over low heat, adding them by handfuls and stirring them down as they wilt. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, then cover the skillet; braise for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Pour off any liquid left in the skillet, then season the greens with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 cup of broth and half-and-half in a saucepan, just until bubbles form around the edge of the pan.

In the large skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add the hot broth mixture all at once and stir over medium heat until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Whisk in the grated Parmesan and ricotta cheeses. Stir the greens into the cheese sauce and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and then sprinkle the grated mozzarella over the top; bake for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the mozzarella is melted and lightly browned. Serve immediately.
Serves 6.

Copied from Diana Rattray at about.com

http://southernfood.about.com/od/collardgreens/r/bl00311i.htm