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Swiss Chard and Kale Gratin

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Photo by Pattie Garrett

Recipe by Cook’s Illustrated, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 2 pounds Swiss chard*
● 1 pound curly kale*, stemmed and cut into 1 inch wide strips
● 2 garlic cloves*, peeled
● 3 cups rustic white bread*, cut into ¾ inch cubes
● 5 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
● 1 cup Parmesan cheese
● ¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
● ½ teaspoon pepper, divided
● 1 onion*, chopped coarse
● 1½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme*
● 1 cup heavy cream
● ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Stem chard, then cut stems into 2 inch lengths and set aside. Slice leaves into 1 inch wide strips. Bring 2 cups water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add kale, cover and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook until kale is wilted about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Add chard leaves, cover and continue to cook until chard is wilted, about 4 minutes longer, stirring halfway through cooking. Transfer to colander set in sink and let drain. Do not wash pot.
2. Pulse garlic in food processor until coarsely chopped, 5 to 7 pulses. Add bread and 3 Tablespoons oil and pulse until largest crumbs are smaller than ¼ inch, 8 to 10 pulses. Add Parmesan cheese, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and pulse to combine. Transfer to bowl.
3. Add onion and chard stems to now empty processor and process until finely chopped, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to now-empty pot. Add thyme, remaining 2 Tablespoons oil, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until moisture has evaporated and mixture is just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Using spatula, press gently on greens in colander to remove excess moisture. Transfer greens to pot with onion mixture. Add cream and nutmeg and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to 13 X 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over surface. Bake until topping is golden brown and filling bubbles around edges 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Slow-Cooked Beef Shank with Polenta and Vegetables

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Recipe provided by market customer Enrico Patarini
Serves: 4

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

For beef shanks:
● 3-4 large carrots*, cut in rough cubes
● 1 large turnip, cut in medium-large cubes
● 1 medium onion*, cut into eighths
● 2 cloves garlic*, cut in large chunks
● 1 beef shank*
● 1 tbsp maple syrup*
● 1 cup of red wine*
● 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
● Salt, to taste
● Parsley* for garnishing
● 2-3 cups water (to mostly cover meat)

For polenta:
● 1 cup dried Abenaki corn*, ground (use blender or food processor)
● 1 cup water + 3 cups water
● ½ cup mozzarella*, cubed
● 1 tbsp salt

Instructions
1. Lay down a thin layer of onion, carrot, and turnip. Place the shank on top of that. Fill in around the sides with the remaining onion, carrot, and turnip to fill the crock pot.
2. Sprinkle garlic on top and pour red wine on meat. Then splash balsamic vinegar and maple syrup on meat. Add salt and seasonings of choice (rosemary or Italian seasoning fit great) sprinkled over meat.
3. Put the crock pot on medium-low heat. Add water to cover about three-quarters of the meat. Add the lid. Leave it going for 4.5 to 5.5 hours, flipping meat and stirring veggies every hour or so. It’s done when a fork will pull away the meat from the bone without a knife.
4. For the polenta: Combine a cup of cornmeal with 1 cup of water in a bowl and stir together into a paste. Bring the other 3 cups of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt.
5. Once the water is boiling, add the corn paste to the boiling water. Stir around with a wooden spoon and try to keep it from sticking to sides. Turn heat to medium and keep it at a low boil. After 5 or so minutes of intermittent stirring it should be one mass.
6. Add in mozzarella, continue stirring for 1-2 minutes and turn off the heat once the chunks start to melt in. Leave it on the hot burner for 5-10 minutes to dry out a little more. Done when set.

One-Pot Bunker Hill Mac

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Photo by Sarah Buschynski

Recipe by Sarah Buschynski
Serves: 8
Prep & cook time: 15 min

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 6 cups of Bunker Hill Organic Creamery Whole Milk*
● 1 lb pasta (I like to mix and match – elbows, shells, etc.)
● 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese*, shredded
● Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Instead of cooking your pasta in water, you are going to cook it in milk. In a large pot, bring the milk to a boil over high heat. Babysit it, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
2. Add the dry pasta to the pot and reduce to medium heat, cooking until the noodles are tender. Continue to stir often.
3. Once the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes, remove from heat. No draining necessary. Slowly add the shredded sharp cheddar cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted and the pasta is coated evenly.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

Note: If you want to add more flavor to the dish, try ¼ tsp garlic powder. For some heat, add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Experiment and have fun!

“I absolutely love sharing my culinary adventures and supporting local, all while feeding my family food made with love.” – Sarah Buschynski

Farmstead Macaroni and Cheese

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Photo by Pattie Garrett

Recipe by Argyle Cheese Farmer, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

 

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1 Tablespoon butter*
● ¼ cup chopped onion*
● 1 Tablespoon flour
● 1 Tablespoon dry mustard
● dash cayenne pepper
● dash garlic powder
● 1 cup milk*
● ½ pound Amazing Grace Cheese* (from Argyle Cheese Farmer but your favorite sharp cheddar will work)
● 1 cup cooked elbow macaroni

 

Instructions
1. In a sauce pan melt butter, cook onion until tender. Stir in flour, mustard, cayenne pepper, garlic powder.
2. Add milk and cook, stirring until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add cooked macaroni to cheese sauce.
3. Put in 1 quart casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees from 20 minutes or more. Top should be golden and starting to brown.

Notes
In a food processor add buttery crackers and process until crumbs. Sprinkle ¼ cup over the casserole along with a little grated cheese.

Planning a Summer Supper on the Grill

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

A great perk of summer is eating outdoors. My husband and I do this as often as we can manage. About 7 p.m., he gathers up wood and gets a fire going in our old charcoal goal. As the wood burns down to coals, I prep. Then, we cook and eat slowly, sipping wine and beer, watching the sun set and sky darken to dusk.

What goes on the grill? Where does it come from?

Most of what we eat comes from the Saratoga Farmers’ Market or our farm. What goes on the grill depends on what’s in season.

Grilled sirloin from Longlesson Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

The centerpiece of most of our meals is meat, farm-raised and brought to an ambient temperature, maybe brushed with a bit of Dancing Ewe Farm’s olive oil, maybe sprinkled with black pepper or garlic, maybe topped with finely chopped rosemary or sage.

The “maybes” are truly that. Options. The meats our farmers bring to market come from animals that feast on the flavorful bounty of outdoor pastures, and rarely require much to enhance their flavor. We rotate between chicken, goat, pork, fish, lamb, and beef.

With meat as the main course, vegetables in all shapes, textures, and tastes enhance the overall meal.

I plan a supper’s vegetables around three basic cooking styles: roasted, sautéed, and right on the grill. Roasted is usually a starch – such as hakurei turnips, trimmed, wrapped in foil and cooked until fork-soft and slightly caramelized. For sautéed, try a bunch of seasonal greens such as tatsoi, tossed into a frying pan or wok with olive oil, lemon juice, and maybe chopped onion, green garlic, or chive. Stir fry the greens for 2-4 minutes until they have wilted. Right on the grill is anything that likes a slight singe. For instance, zucchini, cooked until tender with a blackened patten from the grill.

Grilled lamb chops from Elihu Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Summer supper possibilities on the grill are endless. Try your own combinations and stop by the market to share your results.

On Wednesdays, locally raised meat and poultry may be found at Ramble Creek Farm, Slate River Farms, and Squashville Farm. On Saturdays, Elihu Farm, Lewis Waite Farm, Longlesson Farm, M&A Farm, and Ramble Creek Farm. Fish and seafood may be found at Pura Vida Fisheries. And, cured meats not for grilling may be found at Dancing Ewe Farm.

Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

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Adapted from recipe by Lucy Parissi of Supergolden Bakes

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market.

  • 2 ½ lbs fresh spinach*
  • 14 oz feta cheese crumbled*
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten*
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped dill*
  • ½  cup or a small bunch of fresh chopped parsley*
  • 8 scallions, finely chopped*
  • 2 large leeks, white part only finely chopped*
  • 1 pack frozen phyllo pastry thawed overnight in the fridge
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • Olive oil
  • salt and pepper

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a tray on the middle shelf.
  2. Warm olive oil in a pan over medium heat and gradually add the spinach in batches until it is all cooked.
  3. Allow to cool. Then drain excess water from the spinach using a cheesecloth or strainer.
  4. Sauté the green onions and leeks in a pan with a splash of olive oil until soft. Add the spinach and herbs and cook for a bit longer. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
  5. Add the crumbled feta and eggs to the spinach. Season generously with salt and pepper and mix together.
  6. Brush your pie dish with the melted butter then start layering the phyllo pastry, brushing each leaf with butter, in the dish letting the ends hang over the edge. Layer 5-6 phyllo squares over the bottom of the dish then add the filling in an even layer. Fold the edges over the top and brush with butter.
  7. Brush 4 phyllo squares with the melted butter then scrunch together and cover the entire surface of the pie.
  8. Bake for 45 minutes, covering with foil after 15-20 minutes to avoid the pie coloring too quickly. Cool before slicing (otherwise you won’t be able to slice neatly).