Soup Hens

We have Soup Hens for sale and are currently taking orders.  These chickens have lived 2 1/2 years on our farm, enjoying fresh pasture and eating only organic grain.  They are very flavorful and hold a lot of healthy fat on their bodies.  They can be frozen and brought out of your freezer all winter when you want to make a chicken soup, enchiladas, stews, etc.  This will be our last chicken harvest until June 2012 so feel free to stock up.  $12 per bird.  Please send us an email at: email hidden; JavaScript is required to order yours.

Winter Salad

Mix in approximately equal parts:

Grated carrots

thinly sliced cabbage

thinly sliced kale leaves.

(optional but great is toasted sesame and sunflower seeds)

We dress it with Lemon Tahini Dressing; here is a recipe our friend Heather came up with  and Emilly adapted to approximate Annies Goddess Dressing. We eat this on winter salad but also on rice and steamed vegetables, or raw vegetables, or other vegetable dishes.

Lemon Tahini Dressing

Mix together (in a blender if you want, but we just mix it in a jar)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup oil (mix of olive and sesame is great)

1/2 cup tahini

2 T apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup tamari

1 T minced onion

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 cup water.

Ingredients:
2 cups white or whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into little cubes
1/3 cup very cold water
4 whole quince, peeled, cored, and cut into slices
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup agava nectar (or sugar)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the pastry dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the cold butter and quickly massage with your fingers until the mixture resembles a very course meal with pea sized lumps of butter. Add the cold water and quickly mix and form the mixture to a ball. Turn out onto counter and form into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Combine the butter and agava in a 10 inch diameter cast iron or heavy bottomed pan with short sides. Heat until sugar turns a golden amber color about 5 to 7 minutes. Swirl pan to combine butter. Add the quince slices, toss to coat completely, and sautee over medium heat until the slices start to soften, stirring frequently.

Turn off the heat. Working quickly, remove the slices from the pan to a plate. Arrange the slices in the pan, starting on the outer perimeter of the pan, and working in a circular manner towards the center of the pan, packing the slices close together and in an interlocking design. Cover the bottom of the pan completely and evenly.

Place the pan over medium high heat, and, without stirring, cook the quince slices for a few minutes, letting the caramel come to a full bubbly boil, until the caramel is a deep brown. Remove the pan from the heat.

While the quince slices are cooking, on a lightly floured surface roll dough into a circular shape about 1/4 inch thick. Diameter should be at least 1 inch larger than the pan with the quince.

Place circle of dough over surface of quince and tuck edges underneath quince to neatly cover.

Bake for 20 to 40 minutes or until pastry is golden (mine took a long time, maybe because of the whole wheat flour?). Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes. Flip quince tart onto a serving plate or wooden board. Serve warm with Crème Fraiche. Enjoy!

Fava Beans with Olive Oil and Parmesan

- Serves 2 as a little snack
From www.restaurantwidow.com/2007/05/fava_beans_a_si.html.

1 pound fava bean pods, favas removed from pods (further description of husking follows; removing them from the pods should be self-explanatory)
Really good extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt (I like Maldon)
Freshly cracked black pepper
Good Parmesan

Place the favas in boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Rinse in cold water and begin the second shelling. Of course, as with all tedious things, there’s an easy way: (for a right-handed person) take the fava bean in your left hand, between thumb and forefinger, “belly” (hollow, scooped out side) up, with the sprout end (sometimes has a black striped) towards your right hand. With your right hand, hold a small pairing knife perpendicular to the bean, cut horizontally across the sprout end, making a tiny slit. Squeeze the bean out of the husk; it should pop right out. Repeat, ad nauseum, remembering the whole time how delicious favas are and how much you are going to enjoy them.

Bring another pot of water to a boil and salt liberally. Add the husked beans and boil for another 2 minutes. Rinse the beans lightly in cold water and drain well. Place on plates and drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add just a few tiny grates of Parmesan.

Eat, savoring bean by bean, enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Cut the onions in large half moons and sauté them in butter or olive oil, stirring regularly. After a few minutes add the garlic and continue cooking till the onions are quite brown. At this point add:
Cut up broccoli, sweet peppers, summer squash, eggplant, steamed green or yellow beans, or another vegetable and continue cooking until the vegetable is tender. Eat with potatoes, rice, pasta, pesto pasta (the best), or good bread.

1 bunch purslane
1/2 of a lemon’s juice
1/4 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 clove garlic
1/4 c or less olive oil added slowly until it reaches desired consistency
salt and pepper to taste

Blend up in food processor and enjoy!
Serves two. Excellent over salmon, and a medley of roasted onion, new potato, sweet carrots, and cutting celery greens. So delicious!

Here is a link to more information about purslane.

Here are some of the plants it includes this time of year (late May):

Lettuce (8 varieties)

Arugula

Mizuna (regular, purple and ruby streaks)

Mispoona

Tatsoi

Yokatta-Na

Minutina

Tres fin endive

Shungiku

Parsley

Chervil

Fennel

Lambs quarters

Chickweed

Spinach

Chive blossoms

Sweet cicely

Johnny jump ups

Ingredients

16 slices bread cut in 1” cubes
½ pound sharp cheese, shredded
2-3 cups cubed ham, sausage, or salmon
9 extra large eggs
2c milk
1t salt
½ cup melted butter

Place ½ the bread in bottom of a 9 x13 greased dish; cover with ½ the cheese and ½ the ham, repeat layers.  Combine milk, eggs, and salt. Beat thoroughly  Pour over ham/bread/cheese mixture. Drizzle melted butter over top.  Refrigerate 12-24 hours. Cover loosely with foil. Place in pan containing ¾” of hot water. Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until knife in center is clean. No foil last 15 minutes

This is a dramatic looking egg dish that is super quick and easy to make.

We also add 1 teaspoon salt to the recipe at the 4 serving size.

Put butter in heavy skillet and set in 425 degree oven.  Mix batter quickly while butter melts.  Put eggs in blender and whirl at high speed 1 minute.  Gradually pour in milk, slowly add flour (and salt if you are using it), whirl 30 seconds.

Remove pan from oven, pour batter into melted butter.  Return to oven, bake until puffy and well-browned, 20-25 minutes.  Serve immediately with topping.

Classic topping: Sprinkle powdered sugar on pancake, squeeze lemon over top. We also like it with fresh jam.