Fettuccine with Kale Pesto

green curly kale

Who knew you could make pesto with kale?

Here’s a recipe shared by one of our fantastic customers at the Ballard Farmer’s Market. This kale pesto is great with or without cheese, and also as a veggie dip.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6

Unlike pesto made with basil, this delicious kale version doesn’t lose its bright-green color. It also has more micronutrients and protective phytonutrients.

Pesto
4 cups stemmed chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

lacinato kale, bunched

Experiment with a variety of kales to find your favorite flavor and texture. We here at Nash’s are harvesting lacinato kale and red Russian kale.

Pasta
1 lb fettuccine or pappardelle pasta
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

Make the Pesto
Bring large pot of water to a boil. Fill large bowl with ice cubes and cold water. Plunge kale into boiling water and cook 3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer kale to ice bath. (The cold water allows the kale to keep its bright-green color.) After 3 minutes, drain kale in colander, then squeeze it firmly to press out excess water.

Put kale, remaining pesto ingredients, and 1 teaspoon salt in food processor and puree until smooth. (Makes 1 cup.) Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. (Keeps up to 3 days.)

Prepare Pasta
Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook until al dente, per package directions. Just before the pasta is done, remove 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and add it to the pesto. Add cheese and mix well.

Drain pasta and toss with pesto. Serve with extra cheese, if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)
549 calories, 20 g protein, 63 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 25 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 717 mg sodium

We thank Prevention.com for this recipe.

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Roasted Beets, Sauteed Beet Greens and Creamy Horseradish Sauce

Nourish Restaurant in Sequim, WANourish, 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.

Don’t throw away those beautiful beet greens. They are a great source of proteins, minerals and vitamins, as well as fiber. Here’s an easy, delicious way to eat the whole beet.

3 lbs beets with greens
2/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons horseradish
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon minced chives

Chiogga beets, gold beets, cylinder beets, and Detroit beets

If you get beets with greens at your farmer’s market, you can cook the greens with the roots.

Cut greens from beets and put aside. Scrub beets and roast them at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours until tender. Cool, peel and slice beets into 1/4″ slices.

Make sauce by mixing the sour cream, horseradish, lemon zest and chives. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Wash greens well, chop stems into 1/4″ pieces and chop leaves into ribbons. In a sauté pan, melt the butter, add greens and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

Sauté beets in a little butter until warmed through. Place on top of greens. Drizzle with horseradish sauce.

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Bubble & Squeak Patties

Nourish Restaurant in Sequim, WANourish, 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.

Bubble and squeak is made in most homes in England on a Monday as a way to use the vegetables left over from Sunday roast dinner. Sometimes it’s served from the pan like a stir-fry or made into patties. The dish is named for the bubbling and squeaking sounds it makes as it is cooked. It is most often accompanied by leftover cold meat and relishes or pickles. Tanya, one of the owners of Nourish, says, “We have adapted the idea to use some of Nash’s wonderful cabbages in a different way. We have used fresh vegetables rather than pre-cooked.”

4 tablespoons butter or oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
Leftover mashed potatoes
Leftover vegetables, like cabbage, carrots, and, in winter, Brussels sprouts. Today we are using red and Napa cabbage, steamed lightly.
Salt and pepper

In a large sauté pan, fry onions until soft. Add the other vegetables and fry for 10 minutes, turning over every couple minutes to get a thorough reheat with a little browning on the cabbage.

You can also form the mixture into little patties and fry individually.

Serve with a good-sized dollop of Ila’s Fiery Hot and Heavenly Sweet or Walla Walla Relish.

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Cucumber Mint Gazpacho

cucumber in the field

Got lots of cucumbers? It’s gazpacho time!

1 1/2 pounds thin-skinned cucumbers
1/2 cup cold water
1 small onion or 1/2 large onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon tightly packed mint leaves
1/2 cup almonds (skinned)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine/sherry vinegar
Salt
1 cup stale bread, cut into cubes

Roughly chop the cucumber and puree with water until smooth. Roughly chop the onion and garlic and add to the blender with mint leaves. Puree again. Then add the almonds, oil, and vinegar, and keep pureeing until smooth. Add the bread cubes and let them soak up the liquid for at least 30 minutes. When they have softened up, puree again until very smooth. Add salt to taste.

Refrigerate for at least an hour (straight in the blender jar) before serving. The soup will thicken a bit, so you may need to add a little cold water and blend until it’s the consistency you want. Drizzle with mint oil (soak a handful of mint in 1/2 cup oil for at least a day, then strain), and sprinkle with toasted almonds and/or chopped cucumber.

We thank zaharah of food50.com for this recipe.

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Almond Skillet Cake with Nectarines

Nectarines from Sunnyslope Ranch, Wapato, WA

Juicy organic nectarines from Sunnyslope Ranch in Wapato, WA! Come down to our farm store and pick up a handful — or a case — of your own.

1 1/4 cups white flour
1/2 cups almond meal (also called almond flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar (use organic evaporated cane juice if you can)
10 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 lbs of nectarines, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the flour, almond meal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Measure 1/2 cups melted butter and remove it to a small bowl. Increase the heat to medium; sprinkle the brown sugar into the remaining melted butter, still in the skillet, and place the nectarines into the butter-sugar mixture, in a pretty pattern if you like but at least evenly spaced, to cook. Let them go for about 5 minutes which should be about the time it takes to put together your batter.

Now, back to the melted butter in your small bowl. To the butter, add the buttermilk, lemon juice and eggs and whisk until the yolks are broken and everything is combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold just until combined; the batter will be fairly thick and slightly sticky.

Carefully remove the skillet from the burner to a trivet or hot pad on the counter. Dollop the batter into the pan until it covers the nectarines. I found that almost a dozen small spoonfuls placed strategically worked best; I could then use a spatula to spread the batter to cover the fruit, without upsetting the pattern of the nectarines. Just as carefully, move the skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 25-35 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream for a special treat.

We thank CookCanRead.wordpress.com for this recipe.

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Three Tasty Ways to Enjoy Basil

Basil

The scent of basil is in the air, and there are so many ways to enjoy that basil!

Pesto is easy with a food processor. Put 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic and 1/4 cup pine nuts in the processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese. Pesto goes great on just about anything—noodles, eggs, winter squash, pizza, whatever.

Make an easy Basil and Bread Salad with day-old artisan bread. Cut 12 ounces of bread into cubes. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the bread in a large bowl and toss to mix it all up. Add 3 large, chopped tomatoes, 1 large chopped green pepper, 1 cup cubed Mozzarella cheese, 3 finely-minced garlic cloves, and 1 cup slivered basil leaves. Mix it all together and serve over a bed of young spinach leaves. Add feta or olives, if you like.

Basil Syrup can be drizzled over fresh fruit, soft cheese, or even added to a cocktail. Place 1 cup each of water, sugar and basil in small pan and heat until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, steep for 30 minutes, and strain.

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Massaged Kale Salad

The concept behind “massaging” kale with salt, lemon juice and olive oil is that the kale leaves will soften and relax, not just because you are rubbing them with the citrus juice and oil, but because the acid in the juice helps breaks down fibers in the kale and makes it taste sweeter.

lacinato kale

Even your kale deserves a good massage. Any type of kale will work well with this recipe — try them all to find the one you like best!

1 bunch Nash’s kale, any type
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (optional)

De-stem one bunch of Nash’s kale and break the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Mix them with salt and lemon juice. Massage the leaves thoroughly for about 5 minutes, then add olive oil and massage for 1 minute more. The kale should be noticeably softer and darker. You could also add honey or maple syrup if you prefer a slightly sweeter salad. Yes, your hands will be oily, but your kale will love you for it!

Toss kale leaves with:

• Toasted nuts (pine nuts, almonds, pecans)
• Dried cherries, currants, or cranberries
• Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, or crumbled Feta
• Sprouted quinoa or cooked whole Nash’s triticale or wheat berries
• Sliced radishes, baby white turnips, cucumbers, or zucchini

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Gooseberry Fool

Nourish Restaurant in Sequim, WANourish, 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.

Serves 6-8

4 ounces sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 pound gooseberries
1 orange, juice and finely grated zest
1 tablespoon Pernod liqueur (optional) (we used fennel blossom)
1 1/4 cups double cream, softly whipped

Gooseberries

Don’t let these gooseberries fool you–they make a fabulous dessert.

Melt the sugar with the water, add the gooseberries and orange zest and juice, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Set aside and add the Pernod. Blend the gooseberries until they are smooth. The skin has most of the gooseberry flavor and provides the fool with a bit of bite, but you can push it through a sieve for a smoother finish.

Taste the gooseberry purée for sweetness and then fold gently into the whipped cream. Serve with some toasted flaked almonds and shortbread on the side.

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Summer Peach Tart

Nourish Restaurant in Sequim, WANourish, 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. We now have peaches and nectarines in from Sunnyslope Ranch in eastern Washington! Here’s one sweet way to enjoy them. You could make this tart with either peaches or nectarines–or maybe even both. Let us know how your tart turns out in the comments below the recipe.

Makes one 12″ tart

Crust
9 dates, pitted
1 cup toasted pecan pieces
1 cup almond meal
2 teaspoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch salt

Pulse all ingredients in food processor until crumbly. When you pinch some between your fingers it should stick. Add a tiny splash of water if it needs help holding (this will depend on the freshness of your dates). Press the mixture into an even layer the bottom of a parchment-lined 9″ or 10″ springform pan.

Nectarines from Sunnyslope Ranch, Wapato, WA

What do you think: does this recipe work best with peaches or with nectarines? Let us know in the comments below!

Cream
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup muscavado sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
3 large or 4 small ripe peaches
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Toasted, chopped pecans for garnish

Tip: Powdered sugar helps set the creme fraiche to not puddle everywhere; a liquid sugar like maple syrup or honey will not work.

Whisk together the creme fraiche, powdered sugar, muscavado and corn starch. It will be loose but should hold shape when spread over the crust. If it looks too loose, add another tablespoon or two of powdered sugar. Spread the cream layer over the crust.

Halve and pit the peaches and slice them thin. Layer the slices in concentric circles, starting against the outer edge and then starting again with another circle inside that outer circle. Brush the top with lemon juice and garnish with chopped pecans. Refrigerate for at least two hours to chill completely. Remove the ring of the springform pan and cut the tart into slices. The colder it is, the easier it will be to slice. Enjoy!

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