The wind is really crazy on the farm today. The sun is shining brightly, but the trees are practically bent in half. You don’t get much of a sense of weather inside our house except when the wind is blowing this hard and that sounds like soup weather...Lentil Spinach Soup- Serves 4
4 TB Butter 2 Scallions, chopped 1 Spring Garlic, chopped 1 1/2 Lb of diced Potatoes - if you don’t have potatoes at home I think it would be fine without them 1 Bay Leaf 1 Qt Eatwell Farm Chicken Stock or use any stock you have at home 1 Cup Lentils - small french lentils cook faster 1 1/2 tsp Eatwell Farm Tomato Salt 1/2 to 1 Bunch Spinach, washed well and chopped you could also use the Chard and even a little of the Dandelion Greens A little fresh Lemon Zest
Sauté scallions, garlic and potatoes in the butter a few minutes. Then add to the pot potatoes, bay leaf, stock and salt. Bring everything up to a boil then turn down to a low simmer for about 15 minutes. Add spinach and cook another 10 minutes. Add zest just before serving.
Open Kibbeh Once again I played with one of Yotam Ottolenghi recipes, this time from Jerusalem. His version is, according to Yotam, very non-traditional and is more of layered savory cake incorporating bulgur, ground meat and spices The original recipe is done with ground lamb which I don’t have in the house, so I used ground beef instead. It also had fresh cilantro, which is not in season here and sumac which I also don’t have, but definitely planning on ordering some to play with. Sumac I read on line can be replaced with lemon zest and since we do have that in the box that is what I did. I think the basic idea for the base is really delicious and you can top it with loads of veggies instead of the meat, which I think would be even nicer. 1 Cup Bulgar covered w/boiling water - let sit for 30 minutes 3 TB Oil 2 Scallion 1 Spring Garlic 1/2 to 1 bunch Spinach OR Chard, washed and a little chopped, again you could use some of the Dandelion Greens too 1 lb. Beef 1 tsp each: Cinnamon, Coriander, Chili Flakes 1/2 tsp Lavender Salt Pepper to taste 2 to 3 TB Self-Rising Flour or add a pinch of baking powder
While the bulgur is soaking sauté scallions and garlic in 2 TB of the Oil, until translucent, remove from the pan. Add the ground meat and cook until almost browned then add the spices and spinach, cook until the meat is finished and spinach well wilted. Once the bulgur has absorbed all the liquid (if it hasn’t drain it a bit) add 1 TB of the oil, 2 TB Flour and 1/2 tsp Salt. Mix with your hands until it all just holds together. Line a cake pan with parchment or use a springform. Spread the meat/vege mixture evenly and put into the oven, preheated to 400 F. Bake for 20 minutes. You can top this with the Tahini Sauce and bake 5 minutes longer. We didn’t use the tahini sauce but rather the we used the Miso Sauce Recipe below. Tahini Sauce 3 1/2 TB light Tahini 2 tsp fresh Lemon Juice Salt and Pepper to taste
Sautéed Turnips and Greens With Miso Tahini Sauce Slice turnips and sauté in butter When the turnips are turning golden remove from the pan and add washed chopped greens. You may or may not want to add a little more butter. You can also squeeze a little lemon juice onto the greens. Once they are cooked to your preference remove from pan and plate. Serve with Miso Tahini Sauce on the side.
Miso Tahini Sauce 1 TB Red Miso 2 TB Tahini 1 TB Honey 1 TB Umeboshi Vinegar or Rice Vinegar 1 TB Water 1 TB Lemon Juice and if you like 1 TB Yogurt
Mix well. This can be kept for at least a week. I made it up one day with our lunch a couple of weeks ago and just loved it. It was great to have on hand along with precooked greens to have something ready made, fresh, healthy and delicious. Hope you like it as much as we do