Sweet Potato and Sausage Bisque

Nash’s ground pork comes in several varieties, including Italian, breakfast, and unseasoned.

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 pounds Nash’s Italian sausage
2 carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 celery stalks, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, quartered and separated
4 cloves garlic, quartered
3-4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated
Juice of lime
Yogurt (optional)

In Dutch oven or soup pot, saute vegetables and spices in 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until soft.

While potatoes cook, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large skillet on medium and cook sausage until nicely caramelized on both sides. Set aside.
When potatoes are done, transfer soup to blender or food processor and puree until smooth. You may need to add water to thin. Return soup to Dutch oven, add sausage and lime juice, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Pour into individual bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt (optional).

We thank chef Annie McHale of Port Angeles for this recipe.

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Posted on March 6, 2014

Fava Bean Borscht

Fava beans are great fresh, but you can also dry them and eat them in hearty soups, like this flavorful borscht. The crews have taste tested this particular recipe, and we give it a big thumbs up!

Make 2 quarts

1/2 cup Nash’s Windsor fava beans, dried
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/3 cup oil
1 medium leek or onion, sliced fine
2 sticks celery, sliced
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon Nash’s mustard seeds
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium turnip, sliced fine
4 medium potatoes, cut into eighths
4 medium beets, sliced
2 cups cabbage, sliced
2-3 cups water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dill, parsley or beet greens
Black pepper

Wash the favas and soak overnight, covered with water. Place beans in a pot with 3 cups fresh water, then add bay leaves and basil. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat until tender. Do not drain.

Heat the oil in a stock pot. Add leeks/onions, celery, caraway seeds, mustard seeds and garlic, and cook until tender. Add carrots, turnip, potatoes and beets, and simmer 3-5 minutes until veggies are tender. Combine with cooked fava beans. Add water, vinegar, dill, pepper and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in sliced cabbage. Serve with hot sauce and sour cream.

We thank Mary Wong of our Nash’s Farm Store crew for this recipe.

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Posted on March 6, 2014

Six Nettle Recipes

Young nettles are easily blanched and frozen to enjoy year round. They are easy to dry as well for healthy herbal teas.

Farmer’s Nettle Frittata
Saute red onions, mushrooms in season, grated carrot, finely sliced broccoli spears and minced chickweed together in olive oil until wilted. Add a handful of minced young nettle stalk and leaves on top, cover and let steam until nettles wilt. Meanwhile, prepare a mixture of eggs, minced parsley and dried basil. Stir well and pour it over the steaming veggies. Place a cover on the pan, wait until eggs set, then flip until done. Delicious as is or with salsa or chickweed pesto.

Leek, Chickweed and Nettle Soup
Saute chopped leeks, celery and crushed garlic cloves in olive oil until soft; add diced potatoes (I use russets or Yukon golds). Add minced chickweed, nettles, parsley, dried basil, turmeric, salt and perhaps a bit more oil or butter. Saute a few minutes more, mixing all the ingredients well to blend the flavors. Cover with stock or water and simmer until everything is tender. Other veggies can be added, such as tomatoes, grated carrots, or perhaps a tin of salmon added at the end for even more variety. Unlike most leek and potato soup recipes, I do not use milk or cream as an ingredient, nor do I find a need to puree if the ingredients are diced small enough, as everything seems to meld together just fine.

Nettle Lasagna
Any spinach lasagna recipe will do for nettle lasagna with the obvious substitution of sauteed or steamed young nettles. If you make your own noodles, toss a spoonful of dried nettle powder into your flour mixture for added nutrition or into your homemade tomato sauce.

Nettle Quiche
Again, there are countless recipes for making quiches. My favorite is from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen. Since I make my own crusts, sometimes I’ll throw in a tablespoon of dried nettle powder with my flours. For the filling, I use a large handful of chopped and steamed nettles, along with sauteed onions, mushrooms in season, chopped broccoli, and an assortment of fresh and dried herbs laid on a bed of feta and shredded raw cheddar cheeses. Over that goes an egg-and-milk mixture to which I might mix in an additional tablespoon of flour depending on how moist my ingredients are.

Nettle Greens Medley
Saute slivers of red onion and garlic in olive oil or coconut oil until translucent. Add equal amounts of chopped Swiss chard and nettle tops. Pour in a small quantity of water, cover with lid and steam until wilted and tender. Mix gently to blend the veggies and oil, sprinkle on some sea salt and serve.

Sesanelp
A seasoning mixture of sesame seeds, nettle seed and nettle herb plus kelp and Celtic salt. Tasty! Roast 1/2 cup sesame seed in a frying pan to your liking. Cool. To a blender add cooled sesame seeds, 2/3 cup of nettle seed, 2 tablespoons dried nettle herb, 2 tablespoons kelp granules and 1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt. Blend till fine. Store in a glass jar. Goes great with a wide variety of foods. My morning toast is sprouted grain bread with a dribble of olive oil topped with this mixture and nutritional yeast. Yum!

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Posted on February 20, 2014

Teri’s Coleslaw

Teri of Nash’s Farm Store generously shared her coleslaw recipe. You, too, can submit a recipe and potentially be published here on our recipes blog!

4 to 5 cups grated green cabbage
1 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup minced white sweet onion or red onion
1 cup minced celery or 1/2 cup minced loveage
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon raw honey
1/2 to 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Combine vegetables and greens in a bowl. Dissolve honey in vinegar and add salt and pepper. Pour over mixed greens and stir. Add yogurt and toss until blended.

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Posted on February 19, 2014

Traditional Field Peas

1 pound dried field peas
1 meaty ham bone
1 large onion, chopped, about 1 cup
1-2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot cooked rice for 6
Sliced green onions for garnish

Rinse, pick over (for pebbles that may have escaped the cleaning process), and simmer field peas in water for about 1 1/2 hours. Rinse and drain the peas. In a slow cooker, combine peas with ham bone, onion, celery and garlic. Add 1 cup water or broth. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add Cajun seasoning, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking for 1-2 hours longer. Serve with hot cooked rice and sprinkle with sliced green onion if desired.

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Posted on February 8, 2014

Stuffed Savoy Cabbage Rolls

This recipe is a little involved, but so delicious that it’s worth it.

Stuffing
2 cups milk
4 ounces bread
1 large onion, cut in chunks
1 large carrot, cut in chunks
1 large rib celery, cut in chunks
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds Nash’s sweet Italian sausage
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry white wine
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Cabbage Rolls and Sauce
1 medium head Savoy cabbage
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock, hot

Pour milk over the bread chunks and let soak until completely saturated. Using a food processor, mince onion, carrot, celery and garlic into a paste. You should have about 2 cups. Pour olive oil into a heavy pan and set over medium-high heat. Scrape in 1/2 cup of the paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to dry and stick to the pan. Crumble sausage into the skillet and cook, stirring, until all the meat is sizzling and no longer pink. Season with salt and pour in the white wine. Bring to a boil and cook until the wine has evaporated. Remove from heat and scrape into a bowl.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. When sausage has cooled, squeeze milk from the bread. Crumble over the sausage and combine with your hands. Work in egg, parsley and cheese, tossing together in a loose stuffing.

Cut out core of the cabbage and separate 12 of the largest leaves from the head. Lay each leaf flat, outside up, and shave off raised ridge of the rib at the leaf base. Slice the remaining small inner leaves into shreds about 1/4-inch wide. Drop the big leaves into the boiling water and blanch them until soft, about 7 minutes. Cool them in icy water; drain well and lay on paper towels to dry.

Wipe the sauté pan and return to stove. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil on medium-high. Stir in the remaining paste and cook until dried and sticking, about 4 minutes. Toss in the shredded cabbage and salt, and cook, stirring, until the cabbage starts to wilt. Pour in white wine, raise heat to bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 10 minutes or so, to blend flavors. Lay out each softened leaf, rib side down. Form 1/3 cup stuffing into a plump log, and lay it on the leaf. Roll the bottom of the leaf over the filling, tuck the sides in, and roll up tightly the rest of the way.

When all the rolls are formed, lower the heat under the sauce and place each roll in the sauté pan, seam side down. Pour in the stock, submerging the rolls, heat to a bubbling boil, and put on the pan lid. Set the pan in the oven to braise the rolls for an hour. Remove the lid and push the rolls down in the sauce, which will have reduced. Bake, uncovered, for another 30 minutes or so, until the sauce has reduced and thickened and the tops of the rolls are nicely caramelized. Serve with remaining sauce.

We thank Lidia’s Italy for this recipe.

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Posted on October 30, 2013

Roasted Celery Soup

Nash’s celery, planted in spring, is finally ready to harvest, and it makes a wonderful soup — perfect for October’s cooler weather.

8 large celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 bulb fresh fennel, cut into 2-inch chunks
2 large whole garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut small
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup light cream or half-and-half
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Celery leaves/fennel fronds

Place the cut celery, fennel and cloves of garlic in a 9 x 13 inch roasting pan. Add the salt, pepper and olive oil and toss to coat everything. Roast in a 350F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, turning occasionally, until the edges of the vegetables just begin to brown.

While the vegetables are cooking, cook the potatoes in the chicken broth until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set the pan aside to cool.

When the vegetables have finished roasting, add them to the potatoes and broth. Let everything cool. In a blender puree the soup in batches. Strain the soup through a mesh strainer. Once pureed, return the soup to the pot and bring up to the boil. Stir in the cream and the lemon juice. Re-season if needed and garnish each bowl with celery leaves and fennel fronds.

We thank food52.com for this recipe.

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Posted on October 3, 2013

Smoked Salmon and Corn Chowder

Nourish, Sequim’s new garden-to-plate restaurant and gathering place, is featuring a series of meals created using items from Nash’s farm share boxes each week. This week, expect Nash’s own (non-GMO) corn in your box.

2 ears of corn, shucked
3 medium leeks, cleaned and sliced (3 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces smoked salmon
4 cups fish broth
1 cup heavy cream
Dill for garnish

Locally grown (and non-GMO) corn on the cob!

Heat olive oil. Sauté leek and garlic.

Add potato, celery salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Add broth and simmer until potato is tender, about 10 minutes.

Add milk and salmon and bring the temperature back to a simmer. Do not let it boil or milk will separate.

As the mixture simmers, stir in cream.

Top each serving with chopped dill.

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Posted on September 24, 2013

Zesty Chicken Spinach Casserole

We’ve just started harvesting beautiful bunches of spinach! Spinach is a great addition to any casserole for extra flavor, color, and nutrients.

9 ounces water chestnuts, drained
2 ounces pimento olives, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
4 cooked skinless chicken breasts, excess fat removed, and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the whole wheat flour, add skim milk and chicken broth, and cook until thickened.

Mix in whole wheat noodles, sour cream/yogurt, lemon juice, spinach, mushrooms, water chestnuts, pimentos, onion, celery, seasoned salt, cayenne, paprika, and pepper.

In a greased 4-quart baking dish, alternate layers of noodle mixture and chicken. Top with grated cheese and bake 30 minutes.

We thank FaveHealthyRecipes.com for this recipe.

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Posted on May 21, 2013

Grain and Bean Soup

“I like to stir in a big handful of cheese and garnish the top with some as well!” says Lynne Vea, PCC Chef.

1 cup Nash’s dried kidney beans (or any other dried beans, such as cannellini, navy, adzuki, black-eyed peas, etc. in any combination)
1/2 cup Nash’s whole grain wheat berries (kamut or barley also work)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
2 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary
6 to 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 can (14 ounces) Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (or your favorite brand)
1/2 cup lentils (optional)
2 cups frozen tortellini
2 cups winter greens, such as chard, kale or collards, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Romano or Parmigiana cheese for garnish

Soak the beans and grains together in about 3 cups of cold water overnight. Drain and proceed with the recipe.

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the vegetables and herbs for 5 minutes. Add 6 cups of the stock, the tomatoes and the soaked beans and grains. Add the lentils here if you are using them. Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the beans are tender. (Add a little more stock if the mixture is too thick.) Stir in the tortellini and the greens and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes more or until the pasta is just al dente. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve garnished with freshly grated Romano or Parmigiana cheese.

We thank Lynne Vea, PCC Chef, for this recipe. It appeared originally in PCC Fresh in January 2010.

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Posted on May 8, 2013