It's a Sign

And what a sign it is!

Wanted: Your Recipes!

What an evening! The brief shower that passed through the area cooled temperatures and chased away critters, leaving CSA staff, members and friends to enjoy quite a feast indeed. The stars of the show were, of course, the tomatoes. It is hard to believe such a variance of flavor exists among fruits bearing the same name, but each was unforgettable and delicious in its own way. My personal favorites were the Striped Germans. Do you have a preference, or did you just love them all? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

We sat on comfy bales of hay and watched Farmer Fred's nieces play on the tractor as we ate. Blue sky peeked in gaps through the clouds, and although the heat returned to the area by Sunday, the temperatures were as pleasant on Saturday night as they have been all summer. We feasted on, to name just a few of the incredible dishes shared by participants: a bright purple beet-and-walnut-hummus; delectable baba ganouj, a salad of chick peas, tomato and basil; curried squash soup; a potato and onion tart; a rich tomato tatin; tangy shrimp salad; crunchy lentil and carrot salad; and a scrumptious eggplant gratin.

The Beckett family has forwarded the recipe for their incredible baba ganouj, and we're thrilled to be able to share it.

We'd love to hear from the rest of you! Please email recipes to diggingrushtonfarm@gmail.com if you'd like to share!

Baba Ganouj (roasted eggplant dip)
Mollie Katzen, Moosewood Cookbook

2 medium-small eggplants
Juice from one large lemon
½ cup tahini (sesame paste)
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
¼ cup finely minced scallions (optional)
Lots of fresh black pepper
1 Tbs. olive oil (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut off the stem-ends of the eggplants, then prick eggplants all over with a fork. Place eggplants directly on oven rack and let them roast slowly for about 45 minutes (put a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips). When the eggplants are sagging, wrinkled, crumpled and totally soft, you’ll know they’re ready. Remove them from the oven and wait until cool enough to handle. Scoop the insides out and mash well. Combine with all other ingredients, except olive oil. Chill completely. Drizzle olive oil (if using) over the top just before serving.

Good with fresh or baked pita bread or crudités.

Tomato Jam

Cookbook author Mark Bittman is a tremendous essayist, a courageous activist and a modern-day hero on the national battlefield of food politics. He calls attention to the plight of small farmers, points out conflicts of interest among the various parties clamoring for agricultural subsidies or changes thereto, and has personally changed his way of cooking and eating to reflect his beliefs, eating less meat and seeking to boost his vegetable intake for both his health and that of the environment. If you aren't already reading him, we'd suggest you have a look.

And by the way, the man can write a serious recipe.

This tomato jam, from Bittman's column, "The Minimalist" in the New York Times, is sweet and savory, with a hint of fire from the peppers. We've made tomato jam that tastes just like ketchup, leaving you to wonder why you've wasted your afternoon in front of your stovetop. Not this one. The clove and ginger bring an exotic complexity to the tart-sweet jam that makes it just about the ideal summer condiment. It's delicious on grilled meats and vegetables -- we'll be bringing it tonight to serve with grilled flank steak, grilled chicken and grilled eggplant -- and is also great with a soft cheese (goat, ricotta, even Philadelphia's finest, cream cheese) and crackers.



Tomato Jam
Mark Bittman, The New York Times (Aug. 20, 2008)
Here is the recipe, cut and pasted from the column. We can't remember the last time we didn't make changes to a recipe, but no need here. The recipe doubles beautifully, and if you are handy at canning, this would seem a good keeper.

1 1/2 pounds good ripe tomatoes (Roma are best), cored and coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeño or other peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced, or red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste.

1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan, Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use; this will keep at least a week.

Yield: About 1 pint.

Send us your recipes!

Will you be attending the Tomato Celebration and potluck supper tonight? What will you bring? Please be sure to send recipes to diggingrushtonfarm@gmail.com, and we will post the menu, with recipes. Check back here next week for photos, recipes and stories!

Magic Beans

So truly, we meant to do something creative with the gorgeous purple beans we received today. I mean, look at these beauties!



We had a lentil salad in mind, inspired by a delicious lunch at Public in New York City last month. We were thinking a shallot vinaigrette, perhaps some walnuts, some tomatoes, some avocado. Maybe some basil or mint.

But then we cooked the beans, for about four minutes, in boiling, well-salted water. And here is what happened:




They changed color! And it was so exciting. . . and they were so delicious. . . that we ate them straight from the pot, with just a bit of salt.

Magical!

Midsummer Night's Supper

This week's share from Rushton Farm includes many summer favorites: juicy red tomatoes, bright yellow squash, a flash of deep green basil. Put them all together, and you've got a flavorful summer vegetable gratin. The instructions involve removing much of the moisture from the vegetables before cooking, to avoid a soupy gratin. This extra step is well worth it, and involves merely letting the lightly-salted vegetables rest and drain, giving you plenty of time to prep the remaining ingredients and even to marinate chicken or whip up a chilled dessert while you are waiting.

This makes enough for four vegetarian main dishes (serve with a simple tossed salad and a well-chilled white Burgundy) or six-to-eight sides, perfect with grilled chicken or fish.

Gratin of Summer Squash and Tomatoes
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated (July 2008)

Ingredients
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 pounds summer squash (prettiest with green and yellow, but either works), ends trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick coins
2 teaspoons table salt
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 large slice white sandwich bread, ripped in four
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
2 medium shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in upper-middle position. Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish (or gratin casserole dish) with 1 tablespoon oil; set aside.

Place summer squash slices in a colander. Toss with 1 teaspoon salt and let rest about 45 minutes. Transfer squash slices to clean, absorbent towels. Cover with paper towels and press firmly to remove as much liquid as possible. You will be amazed at how much liquid comes out!

Place tomato slices in single layer on absorbent towels. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let rest about 30 minutes. Cover with paper towels and press firmly -- but not too hard -- to dry tomatoes. The idea is to dry them without squashing them.

Meanwhile, caramelize the onions: heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, melty and deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Set onions aside.

In a small bowl, mix garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and thyme. Toss dried summer squash in a large bowl with half of oil mixture, then layer in the bottom of the greased baking dish. Evenly layer caramelized onions over squash. Layer tomato slices on top of onions. overlapping slightly if necessary. Top with remaining garlic-oil mixture, spread evenly over tomatoes. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and tomatoes are starting to crisp at edges.

For topping, pulse bread in food processor until finely ground, no more than 10 seconds. (Yield: approximately 1 cup crumbs) Mix bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon oil, cheese and shallots in medium bowl. Remove baking dish from oven and crank heat to 450 degrees. Top the vegetable mixture evenly with the bread-crumb mixture and bake gratin an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese is just browned. Sprinkle with minced basil and let rest out of oven 10 minutes before serving.

The whole of summer in each bite.

Presto!

Few things taste of summer quite like classic pesto: that bright, fresh basil, the tang of good cheese, the earthiness of nuts and the spice of raw garlic. Too often, though, the garlic overpowers the other ingredients and, even worse, stays with you well into the next meal. To combat this problem, some recipes suggest blanching the basil leaves to boost their flavor and parboiling the garlic to dull it, two labor- and heat-intensive steps that defeat the spirit of the dish. After all, this is not lasagna; as with all good summer dishes, pesto is meant to be simple to prepare, something to throw together straight out of the garden, with your eyes closed and your oven turned off.

However, because it is critical to toast the pine nuts -- they are bitter unless toasted and have none of the sweetness that makes them such a distinctive and critical component of this recipe -- I will concede that one pan and one burner can be used to prepare pesto. Therefore, I was willing to try this solution, from Cooks Illustrated's The New Best New Recipe: pan-roast the garlic in the same skillet used to toast the pine nuts. The result? Slightly mellower garlic and a classic pesto flavor, without the harsh aftertaste and with only one skillet to clean. Presto!

This pesto is delicious on pasta -- linguine or fusilli hold the sauce beautifully -- but is equally tasty spread straight onto still-warm-from-the-vine tomatoes or good, crusty bread. Any leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge, especially if you press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pesto.

Basil Pesto
1/4 cup pine nuts (walnuts work nicely, too)
3 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves (optional -- this is mostly to boost the green color)
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

Toast the nuts in a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan frequently, until nuts are golden and fragrant. Be careful: they burn suddenly and disastrously. Tip the nuts into the bowl of a food processor to cool.

To the same skillet, add the garlic and toast for about 7 minutes, shaking the pan frequently, until garlic is slightly darkened and fragrant. (For an even mellower flavor, leave the garlic in for a few extra minutes, and the texture will start to be more like roasted garlic, as will the taste.) Let the garlic cool, and then peel it and dump it into the food processor.

Wash and spin the basil leaves (and parsley if using). Make sure they are fairly dry. Dump the dried leaves into a plastic zipper-lock bag, and whack the basil until it is slightly bruised, using a rolling pin, meat pounder or other blunt object. This is kind of fun, depending on the kind of day you have had.

Add the bruised leaves, oil and salt to the food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, and stir in the cheese. Season to taste with salt.

If you'll be adding this to pasta, this makes about 3/4 cup which should cover about 1 pound of pasta. Cook the pasta in boiling, well-salted water. Drain al dente pasta, saving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Thin pesto with about 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water before tossing it with the pasta. Add more water if needed. At the table, pass more freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a large bowl of fresh, diced tomatoes.