Notes From the Farm

The week we brought the sheep back to graze the perimeter of the farm. We have Katahdin/Barbados crossed sheep, which many people mistake for goats. These hair sheep are small, hardy and help us with some weed management.

This Week’s Veggie Feast

Zucchini, Cauliflower, Chives, Salad, Broccoli, Napa Cabbage

New This Week

This versatile veggie can be sautéed, baked, stuffed, grilled, added to soups, and grated for baked goods. Zucchini contains a fair amount of water, which makes it perfect for salting. Salting improves texture and concentrates the squash flavor. Simply toss coarsely grated or diced zucchini with a small amount of salt, let it sit in colander for 15-30 minutes, then rinse and squeeze dry. Zucchini partners well with butter, yogurt, Parmesan cheese, garlic, dill, basil, marjoram, mint, lemon, walnuts, tomatoes, and peppers.

Part of the cabbage family, cauliflower is composed of bunches of florets on clusters of stalks. In Mark Twain’s words, “cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” When fresh, cauliflower has a sweet, delicate flavor that pairs well with butter, olive oil, garlic, curry, parsley, saffron, cheddar, parmesan, blue cheese, and sun dried tomatoes. Tender, fresh cauliflower can be served raw or blanched with dips and seasoned salts. Cauliflower makes a great addition to many pasta dishes, soups, stews, and curries. Stored in a perforated bag in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator, cauliflower should last for several days.

Recipes

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower
• extra-virgin olive oil, for roasting
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for sprinkling
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Break the cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread evenly onto the baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned around the edges.
• Season to taste with more salt and pepper and toss with lemon zest and parsley. Or keep it plain and use it in any recipe that calls for roasted cauliflower.

Source: Love and Lemons

Cauliflower Turmeric Rice

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• ½ cup yellow onion
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 small bunch broccolini, chopped, stems finely diced
• ½ cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ½ teaspoon curry powder, more if desired
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, plus lime slices for serving
• 2 cups cauliflower rice
• ¼ cup chopped scallions
• ¼ cup toasted cashews
• red pepper flakes or hot sauce, as desired
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• naan bread, for serving
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

cardamom yogurt sauce:

• ½ cup Greek yogurt*
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Make the cardamom yogurt: In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, lime juice, cardamom, salt, and black pepper, to taste. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, diced broccolini stems, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the broccolini florets and the chickpeas and cook 4 minutes or until the broccolini is tender but still bright green.
3. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the curry powder and turmeric, and then the lime juice. Add the cauliflower rice and the scallions. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is warmed through and the scallions are softened. Season to taste and top with the cashews, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Serve with scoops of the cardamom yogurt on top and the lime slices, naan bread, and hot sauce on the side.

Source: Tumeric Cauliflower Fried Rice

Roasted Zucchini

1. Boldly crank your oven to 450°F.
2. Dress your sliced zucchini rounds with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
3. Arrange the rounds on a baking sheet, taking care not to overlap them.
4. Grate parmesan cheese generously over the rounds.
5. Roast! About five minutes, and then finish the rounds off with a quick broil to ensure the cheese gets nice and crisp-bubbly.
6. Dive in! Enjoy these as a side dish, snack, pasta stand-in—the possibilities are endless.

Source: The Modern Proper