Categories
Cucumber Edible Floers Eggs Garlic Herbs Microgreens Olive Oil Onions Radish Shallots Snap peas

Snap Pea and Radish Salad  

Words and photos by Amanda Callahan of Callywood Farms

This is a true farmer’s lunch — real fast food, if you will! It shines with things you could walk onto a farm, pull from the ground or the coop and be ready to eat in about 10 minutes! It is a delightful spring salad that satisfies my lunch time desires for something fresh, light while adding interest with sweet and tangy notes. Simply put everything in a bowl as you prep, toss with dressing and you’re ready to go.

Because I really wanted a chopped and crunchy salad, I used out-of-season cucumbers (I couldn’t resist!), but you can omit and focus on our gorgeous spring greens instead. You might add some fresh goat cheese, cooked white beans or chickpeas for added depth, hearty layers and extra protein. Make enough for a few meals, and use up within three days to avoid soggy bites, or toss and simply keep the dressing separate until ready to serve.

Right now radishes are in abundance! Help your local farmers out by snagging a couple bunches this week. You need a full bunch for this recipe (more if you love radishes like I do!). Get extra and pickle them alongside some onions for an extra special taco topping. I love pulling one out each day to put on top of whatever salad or sandwich I make for lunch. Yum!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. snap peas
  • 1 bunch radishes
  • 4 Persian cucumbers (optional)
  • 2 spring onions or shallots
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped herbs such as parsley, wild onion/chives and dill
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • For serving: hard boiled eggs, microgreens, edible flowers

Directions

  1. Prep vegetables for the salad. Lay snap peas down and cut roughly into thirds. The radishes were thinly sliced into half moons, as were the cucumbers. I sliced the shallots into rings and tossed everything in a large bowl. 
  2. Make the dressing right on top of the vegetables: grate the garlic clove, juice the lemon, and add the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine. EAT! 
Categories
Eggs Kale Onions Rutabaga Sweet Potatoes Turnips

The Anatomy Of A Breakfast Hash

Words and Photos by Amanda Callahan of Callywood Farms

I’m a big fan of breakfast. I’m especially a big fan of breakfast when I’m not running the morning school/work routine marathon. So, when I have the time, I LOVE putting in the extra effort for a big, hearty breakfast. On the weekends, we like having a super late breakfast around 10 a.m. The animals have been fed, and we can settle in as a family to enjoy a table loaded with yummy food. (It’s also a perfect time to shore up sustenance for a weekend full of to-do lists and commitments.)

Our go-to options are frittatas or a sheet pan hash made with delicious, roasted local vegetables accompanied by fresh eggs and savory meats. The beauty of both of these dishes is that you can spice them any way you like, creating a truly customized meal based on the seasons and whomever is sharing your table that morning (actually, these make great last-minute brunch-for-dinner nights too!). Dress them with hot sauce and microgreens for extra pizazz and nutrition.

Here’s a breakdown of combinations to try. Play around and experiment! You really can’t go wrong — this is basically a fail-proof meal guaranteed to taste delicious.

Vegetables: potato, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, turnip, carrots, parsnips, squash (winter and summer), radish

Optional meat: Break up ground sausage, slice up bacon, or add leftover meat from the night before (see recipe on when to add)

Greens: kale, Brussels sprouts, spinach

Seasoning profile: Mexican (chili powder, cumin, garlic), Moroccan (cumin, coriander, cinnamon), herbaceous (garlic and a mix of herbs)

Serving: hot sauce, microgreens, cheese or go vegan and sprinkle some hemp hearts for added protein!

Ingredients as pictured

2 rutabagas, peeled and diced
1 turnip, peeled and diced
3 sweet potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
Salt and pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika
½ bag/bunch lacinato kale
Fried eggs
Hot sauce and microgreens for serving
Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

On a large sheet pan that has been greased or covered (parchment, Silpat, foil), heap your vegetables in the middle. Coat with about two tablespoons of the oil, and sprinkle with seasonings. If you’re going to include any uncooked meat, like sausage or bacon, add now. Toss all ingredients and spread out into a single layer.

Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, flipping the mixture when it’s a little more than halfway done.

When it looks like the vegetables are just about done (good browning on the edges and cooked through), remove the sheet pan. Add the shredded kale (if you were going to add any leftover or previously cooked meat as noted in the rundown above, you would add now). Toss together lightly and roast for an additional 5-7 minutes until the kale is browned.

Serve as desired!

Categories
Baked Food Beef Eggs Garlic Onions Pork Recipes Ricotta Rosemary

Ricotta Meatballs

Words and photos by Amanda Callahan of Callywood Farms
Adapted from this recipe

I’ve been making this recipe for years, and it has become a beloved standby. It simplifies making meatballs by multiple steps and ingredients, and the results are still tender and delicious with endless possibilities. Serve them over spaghetti with tomato sauce, glazed in jam for an appetizer, or with a side of Romesco such as this one. I used ground pork here, but you can use any meat you like including ground chicken as in the original recipe linked above. In the summertime, I swap the rosemary for basil — use what speaks to you and the seasons. You really can’t go wrong. My family prefers straight up meatballs without the bread, but you can certainly add in breadcrumbs if desired.

Ingredients
1 small onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground meat
8 oz. ricotta cheese
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, minced
1 egg, whisked
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 
2. In a small sauté pan, sauté the onion until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Set aside to cool down. 
3. Set up a sheet pan and line with a Silpat mat, parchment paper or tin foil. 
4. In a large mixing bowl combine the meat, cheese, rosemary, cooled onion/garlic, egg, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until combined. 
5. Form the mixture into meatballs and arrange on the sheet pan. 
6. Bake for about 25 minutes, turning the meatballs and pan after the first 15 minutes. They should get nice and brown with some darker brown spots. 

Categories
Baked Food Eggs Garlic Recipes Spinach

Spanakopita Quiche

The bounty of spring brings to mind eggs, greens, and dairy! I know everybody is making quiche and frittata these days, but I wanted to introduce something that’s a little different: spanakopita-inspired quiche! This rich and savory dish brings Greek flavors to your table any time of day, and takes full advantage of local ingredients. You will need to purchase a few items from the store, but it’s more than worth it!

If you’ve never worked with phyllo dough before, you can find it in the freezer section next to puff pastry and pie dough shells. Make sure to thaw it the night before so it’s ready to go when you are ready to cook. Phyllo dough can be finicky: it dries out quickly and the super-thin sheets make it a blessing and a curse — difficult to work with but a joy to eat. For this recipe, it doesn’t need to be perfect, and tearing will add to the rustic plating, but do make sure you take the time to prep your ingredients and work space so that you can work quickly once you unwrap the dough.

A note about equipment. I used a 10-inch springform pan so that I could remove the “collar” or side of the pan for a pretty presentation. This is totally not necessary and this recipe will work in a regular 9 inch pie pan! However, if you do use a 10-inch springform pan, I do recommend adding 2 more eggs (for a total of 6 eggs) as it’s a bit bigger and fills out nicer. I made the recipe both ways with equal success.

Ingredients

  • ½ package of phyllo dough
  • 4 TB. butter, melted
  • 1 TB butter or cooking oil of choice
  • 1 package of large scallions/spring onions, diced
  • 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 lb greens – I used a combination of Swiss chard and spinach to mix it up
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • S & P
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup freshly chopped herbs – dill, parsley, oregano, chives are all good choices
  • 4 oz. feta, crumbled

Directions

Defrost phyllo dough in the fridge the night before. Take it out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature while you start prepping the quiche filling.

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter/heat oil and add onions. Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.

Start adding greens in batches, stirring to wilt and incorporate. Continue adding until all greens are cooked down, reserving one small handful of spinach leaves for the top.

While this happens, you can whisk eggs in a bowl with the milk. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

When all greens have wilted down, season the skillet with salt, pepper, lemon zest, and fresh herbs. Turn the heat off, taste and adjust seasonings.

Set up your phyllo dough station. Unwrap phyllo dough and set next to melted butter with a brush. Using your preferred quiche pan, brush the insides with melted butter. Start by removing one phyllo sheet and covering the bottom of the pan. Brush lightly with butter. Place another sheet down in the other direction to cover the bottom thoroughly and brush with butter. Now, work on draping the sheets of dough over the pan. Brush each lightly with butter, and continue draping the sheets of dough to cover the sides and bottom of the pan while creating a large overhang on the outside of the pan. If you need to walk away or notice your phyllo dough drying out very quickly, you can cover it with a very lightly damp dish towel that will help! I used roughly 15-20 sheets of phyllo dough. I still had some leftover that I wrapped up for another use.

(recipe continues below)

Next, spread the greens over the dough, spreading out in an equal layer. Top with whisked eggs/milk. Finally, top with crumbled feta cheese.

Fold the hanging dough on top of the quiche. You may have to crinkle it a bit to make sure you can visually see the greens in the center. Drizzle remaining butter all over the top of the phyllo.

Bake the quiche at 400 for about 35 minutes until the dough is browned and crunchy and the eggs are set (if it jiggles in the center, the eggs may need another minute or two)!

Categories
Asparagus Eggs Grilled Food Recipes

Grilled Asparagus & Asparagus Frittata

Submitted by Member: Ellen Holtz