This week your basket contains: Potatoes, radish, Swiss chard, carrots, BLUE FENUGREEK, spinach, and salad mix (lettuce & arugula)

THIS IS THE FINAL WEEK OF THE 2021-22 YEAR!  We thank you all for the support you have given us in the past year.  With the apparent shift in the weather toward the better, we go into the 2022-23 with high hopes and a good dose of excitement!

We bagged the spinach separate from the lettuce to give you options.  You can mix it with the salad mix, use it raw or cook alone, or cook it with your Swiss chard. Spinach & chard are not only related, they cook up almost exactly the same.  This would be a great recipe to use.

BAKED POLENTA WITH SWISS CHARD AND CHEESE

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 pound Swiss chard, thick

stems and ribs removed, leaves cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips

3 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal) or yellow cornmeal

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
2 cups coarsely grated low-fat mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil 2-quart glass baking dish. Heat oil in heavy large deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in garlic and crushed red pepper, then chard; cover and cook until chard is tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Uncover; stir until any excess liquid in skillet evaporates. Season with salt and pepper.   Meanwhile, bring 3 1/2 cups water and salt to boil in heavy large saucepan. Gradually stir polenta into boiling water. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until polenta is very thick, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.  Whisk ricotta and eggs in bowl; whisk in 1 cup hot polenta. Stir ricotta mixture into polenta in saucepan. Spread half of polenta mixture in baking dish. Spread half of chard mixture over. Sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Repeat layering with remaining polenta, chard, and cheese. Bake until puffed and brown on top, about 45 minutes. Cool 30 minutes.

You may know fenugreek as a spice used primarily in Indian dishes.  Blue fenugreek is used as an herb.  The greens are a cross between radicchio and pea greens in flavor, but when you cook them a whiff of maple syrup emerges. In Italy and Eastern Europe, the plant is grown for its seed, which is ground and added to baked goods (rye bread in Italy) and vegetable patties (in Georgia). So we had to devise a recipe that we thought shows off Blue Fenugreek leaves! Of course, throwing it in salad, or using it in Indian dishes is always an option.  This is the second year we have grown it (it worked better last year) and plan to keep working on it.  The following recipe is a good option for the small amount we have for you this week.

FLUFFY PARMESAN BISCUITS WITH BLUE FENUGREEK

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

4-6 Tbsp. butter

¾ cup milk

3 Tbsp. chopped blue fenugreek leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar then cut butter into the mixture, using 2 knives, a pastry cutter or your fingers. When the mixture is sandy, with no pieces of butter larger than a pea, add the grated Parmesan. make a well in the center and add the milk all at once. Stir just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle finely chopped fenugreek leaves over dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead gently and quickly, folding over about 8-10 times. Roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin between ¼-1/2” thick. Cut with 1 1/2” biscuit cutter and place on an ungreased baking sheet. You may brush the tops with milk or melted butter. Cook for 12-15 minutes until golden. Adapted from The Joy of Cooking.

DO YOU RECYCLE YOUR EGG CARTONS? If so, we can use them!  We are in need of pulp/cardboard (no plastic please) 1 dozen sized egg cartons (no multi-dozen cartons, please) that are clean and in good condition.  Just leave them in your empty basket and our driver will take care of them.