Pasta Primavera for the Fall

This Sunday's Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can look forward to the following offerings from Sweetwater Farm and Fair Valley Farm:

• variety of sweet and spicy peppers (try in the pasta sauce below)
• variety of tomatoes including bargains on flats of San Marzano romas
• Akane apples and Asian pears from SLO Farm (time for roasted apple sauce)
• Italian prune plums (make a galette)
• cantaloupe and honeydew mellons
• kohlrabi, baby carrots, cabbage, and celery (make some kimchi)
• kale and collards (try as a kale salad)
• broccoli and eggplants (try a roasted salad)
• lettuces and baby lettuce salad mix
• zucchini and summer squash
• variety of potatoes including bargain bags of red potatoes
• sweet onions, garlic, leeks, and fennel
• fresh herbs, including basil, cilantro, dill, thyme, oregano, and sage
• tomato sauce and pesto
• naturally fermented pickles, dilly beans, and sauerkraut
• homemade jams (delicious in crepes)
• Scottish oats (make this teff oatmeal)
• a selection of dried beans and grains from Camas Country Mill
• pastured chicken (try spatchcocked)
• pastured pork: pork chops, shoulder roasts, and ham roasts
• pastured lamb: ground, rib chops, and leg roasts (grill some burgers)

Last week we used our left over Fair Valley Farm ham in pasta primavera, which was my family's extra special meal when I was growing up, reserved for birthdays and other celebrations. The funny thing about pasta primavera is that it's not really a springtime dish; it really makes more sense at the height of summer or during the warm fall days we've been so lucky to have. The classic Le Cirque recipe calls for asparagus and tomatoes, which are never going to be at their peek at the same time. Instead, I recommend pairing summer's sweet cherry tomatoes with the best produce of the season. I used leeks, sweet peppers, zucchini, and summer squash, all fresh from Sweetwater Farm.

Le Cirque's recipe uses a cream sauce, which my family's version omitted. Instead, the core flavor I remember from my childhood recipe was cubed ham and walnuts. Here I experimented with turning the walnuts into a very loose pesto for the kids, and the adults got the added layer of sauteed goodies (while the kids ate their veggies raw on the side). And because this was an extra special dish, we made fresh pasta to soak up all the flavors of the end of summer's harvest.

Pasta Primavera for the Fall

for the pasta
4 eggs
3 cups flour

Combine the eggs and flour in a food processor and mix until the dough starts to come together in a ball. Add a dribble of water if you need to. On a clean work surface, combine the dough into a log and cut it into about 12 pieces. Roll them out with a pasta maker (a fun task for kids) and cut them into fettucini. Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling, salted water for just a couple of minutes. Reserve a half cup of the pasta water if you need to moisten the sauce at the end. Drain the pasta and toss in a large bowl with the walnut sauce and toppings.

for the sauce
2 small or 1 large leek
2 medium bell peppers
2 small or 1 medium zucchini or summer squash
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup cubed ham
1/4 cup white vermouth
1 cup walnut pieces
1 large garlic clove
1 cup basil leaves
~3/4 cup olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese and more for passing around the table

1. Prepare all of the vegetables, rinsing them and cutting them into small bite-sized pieces, except for the cherry tomatoes which you will keep whole.

2. Peel and mince the garlic. Chop the walnut pieces into small pieces (I did this with a meat pounder). Alternatively, you could combine the garlic clove and walnuts in a food processor and pulse a few times.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add about a 1/4 cup of olive and when it is warm, add the garlic and walnuts to the oil and saute for a couple of minutes until they are fragrant, but before they start to burn. Transfer the walnut mixture to a large serving bowl that will hold all of the pasta. Add a 1/2 cup of grated Tear the basil leaves and toss into the bowl.

4. Wipe out the skillet and return to medium high heat. Add another 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the chopped leaks and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped peppers and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped zucchini and summer squash with a generous pinch of salt and saute for a couple of minutes. Now add the ham for a minute, and then the cherry tomatoes. When the cherry tomatoes have just started to collapse under the heat, add the vermouth. Cook for another minute and then turn off the heat. Season with a generous amount of fresh pepper and salt to taste.

5. When the pasta is cooked, toss it in the bowl with the walnuts, parmesan cheese, and basil leaves and drizzle on about 1/4 cup olive oil. This is the point at which I removed some pasta for picky eaters/pesto purists/raw foodists. Then toss in all of the sauteed vegetables and ham. If the pasta seems dry, add a splash of reserved pasta water. Serve at once, with special occasion napkins and dishes.

Kohlrabi, Lemon, Caper Salad and Roast Ham

This Sunday's Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can look forward to the following offerings from Sweetwater Farm and Fair Valley Farm:

• variety of tomatoes including 10 lb flats of San Marzano romas for $15
• Akane apples and Asian pears from SLO Farm (time for roasted apple sauce)
• Italian prune plums (try some pickled)
• cantaloupe and honeydew mellons
• kohlrabi, baby carrots, cabbage, and celery (great in Pad Thai)
• kale and collards (try as a kale version of saag paneer)
• globe and Japanese eggplants
• bargain bags of broccoli and red bell peppers
• lettuces and baby lettuce salad mix
• cucumbers, zucchini and summer squash
• a variety of potatoes including bargain bags of red potatoes (try fried wedges)
• sweet onions, garlic, leeks, and fennel
• fresh herbs, including basil, cilantro, dill, thyme, oregano, and sage
• tomato sauce and pesto
• naturally fermented pickles, dilly beans, and sauerkraut
• homemade jams (delicious in crepes)
• Scottish oats (make this teff oatmeal)
• a selection of dried beans and grains from Camas Country Mill
• pastured chicken (try roasted with five spices)
• pastured pork: pork chops, shoulder roasts, and 10% discount on ham roasts
• pastured lamb: ground, rib chops, and 10% discount on leg roasts

There's a definite chill in the air these mornings and it's time to start turning our attention to some of the heftier fall vegetables. I want to make a plug for the kohlrabi, which can make a nice transition from summer to fall in this tangy salad. Kohlrabi are knobby and awkward-looking, but once you slice off their outsides (and do so generously to remove any woody parts), then they have a deliciously crunchy white interior with just a hint of sharpness to them. I found that they pair beautifully with a briny lemon and caper dressing.

This salad would make a perfect first course for a hearty meal of baked beans and roast ham, which we enjoyed recently with Farimount Neighborhood Farmers Market-sourced heirloom dried beans (King of the Early Beans variety) and Fair Valley Farm's pastured ham. You'll want to stock up on these ham roasts this Sunday, on sale at a 10% discount. Not only do they make a delicious meal, but the leftovers have infinite uses in stir fries, salads, crepes, stuffings, and soups.

Kohlrabi and Caper Salad

makes four small dinner salads

1 small kohlrabi
~16 tender lettuce leaves 

lemon caper dressing
1 Tbsp capers
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 heaping tsp mustard
1/4 cup olive oil

1. You can prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a miniprocessor, or chop the capers by hand and whisk in the other ingredients. I like to zest the lemon with a microplane grater.

2. Cut the kohlrabi in half and peel very generously with a paring knife to remove any woody parts. Cut the peeled kohlrabi halves into very thin slices (or use a mandoline).

3. Wash the lettuce leaves and arrange on four salad plates. Spread over the kohlrabi slices. Pour a generous amount of the lemon caper dressing over the sliced kohlrabi. Enjoy.

Ham Roast

One ham roast (about 5 lb)
1 tsp whole cloves
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Mix together the mustard and brown sugar and slather it over the ham. Stud the ham with whole cloves. Place in a baking pan and roast at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes per pound of ham. At the same time you can cook these baked beans.

Putting Away Tomatoes

This Sunday's Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can look forward to the following offerings from Sweetwater Farm and Fair Valley Farm:

• bargain tomatoes (20 lb for $20 for many varieties, 10 lb for $15 San Marzano romas)
• Akane apples and Asian pears from SLO Farm (add to a salad)
• Italian prune plums (bake a galette)
• cantaloupe and honeydew mellons
• kohlrabi, baby carrots, and celery
• kale and collards (try this kale pesto pizza)
• eggplants and broccoli (try a roasted salad)
• cucumbers and corn 
• peppers both sweet and spicy (make a roasted vegetable barley risotto)
• baby lettuce salad mix
• zucchini and summer squash
• red, white, and blue potatoes (make a frittata)
• sweet onions, garlic, leeks, and fennel (make some pickles)
• fresh herbs, including basil, cilantro, dill, thyme, oregano, and sage
• tomato sauce and pesto
• naturally fermented pickles, dilly beans, and sauerkraut
• homemade jams (delicious in crepes)
• Scottish oats (make this teff oatmeal)
• a selection of dried beans and grains from Camas Country Mill
• pastured chicken (try it spatchcocked)
• pastured pork: bacon, ground pork, pork chops, shoulder roasts, ham roasts, spare ribs, and the best sausage for hash
• pastured lamb: ground, stew meat, leg roast, rib chops, loin chops (try in gozleme)

A stop at the Market will be part of a busy day for University of Oregon students participating in the Office of Sustainability's Project Tomato. They will spend the week harvesting tomatoes at nearby farms and processing them into pizza sauce to be consumed in the University dining halls by their lucky classmates.

I did my own tomato processing last week, having snatched up a 10 pound flat of Sweetwater Farm's brilliant red romas. I followed these instructions for processing whole tomatoes, but rather than canning them, I took the easier route of freezing them in Ball plastic freezer jars. My flat of romas yielded four quart containers of whole tomatoes (each held about a dozen romas), plus a batch of tomato sauce and two sheets of slow roasted tomatoes. The whole ritual of coring and scoring, blanching and peeling, roasting and simmering, gave me immense satisfaction, and I can't wait to savor summer's flavors in soups, sauces and chilis over the winter.

Freezing Whole Tomatoes

Fresh, ripe tomatoes
Glass or plastic freezer jars (I packed ~12 romas per quart (32 fluid ounce) jar)

1. Boil water in a large pot.

2. Remove the tomato cores and score an X on the opposite end.

3. Set up a big bowl of ice water.

4. In batches of about a dozen, blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes and then transfer them to the ice bath.

5. Remove the skins, which will have blistered, and pack them into the jars up to the fill line (leave some room to allow for them to expand when frozen).

6. Close the lids loosely and label. When the tomatoes are completely cooled, tighten the lids and freeze.

Five Spice Chicken and Roasted Eggplant Salad

This Sunday's Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market will be extra fun because it coincides with Eugene Sunday Streets, but be forewarned that Agate will be closed to cars from 19th to 24th from noon to 4 PM.  You can look forward to the following offerings from Sweetwater Farm and Fair Valley Farm:

• cantaloupe and honeydew mellons
• Italian prune plums (bake a plum cake)
• kohlrabi (delicious in salads)
• baby carrots
• eggplants (try the roasted eggplant salad below)
• corn and cucumbers
• tomatoes (20 lb for $20 for many varieties, 10 lb for $15 San Marzano romas) 
• peppers both sweet and spicy (make this roasted pepper and fresh tomato pasta)
• baby lettuce salad mix
• zucchini and summer squash (try shredded)
• green beans, yellow wax beans, and romanos
• red, white, and blue potatoes
• sweet white onions, garlic, fennel, and leeks
• fresh herbs, including basil, cilantro, dill, thyme, oregano, and sage
• tomato sauce and pesto
• naturally fermented pickles, dilly beans, and sauerkraut
• homemade jams
• Scottish oats (try these Swedish pancakes)
• a selection of dried beans and grains from Camas Country Mill
• pastured chicken (try the five spice chicken recipe below)
• pastured pork: bacon, ground pork, pork chops, shoulder roasts, ham roasts, spare ribs, and the best sausage for hash
• pastured lamb: ground, stew meat, leg roast, rib chops, loin chops

Every recipe has its own story of its origins, when it was prepared, and who it nourished. This recipe for five spice roasted chicken and ginger scented rice comes from my friend Katharine, who I met with a group of new mothers through the well baby clinic at the PeaceHealth Birth Center when it was still at its old location in a charming Victorian on 12th Street. We all bonded over our concern for the Birth Center's future and, working together on this cause, became friends. Our children outgrew the scales at baby clinic, the new Birth Center was eventually built, and this recipe circulated among us. Katharine delivered it to Renee after the birth of her second daughter. Elly played with it, using wheat berries as a local substitute for rice. Now that we have a supply of delicious chickens from Fair Valley Farm at the Fairmount Farmers Market, I wanted to share this recipe with you.

First I bought a new pair of poultry sheers, since the last ones had been worn down by too many of my daughter's craft projects, and then I studied this excellent video on cutting up a whole chicken. Once the bird was disassembled, the rest was straight forward. I marinated the chicken pieces overnight, which allowed this dinner to come together easily on a weeknight. And while I had the oven on, I also roasted some eggplant and broccoli for a salad inspired by this one from Melissa Clark. The roasted eggplant is the heart of this salad, and you could substitute in roasted peppers or zucchini for the broccoli, or prepare it, like Clark does, was fresh cherry tomatoes. Enjoying this delicious meal and watching my son gnaw on a drum stick, I had to marvel for a moment at how the babies have grown since this recipe started circulating.

Five Spice Roast Chicken

from Katharine Gallagher

1 small chicken (2 to 3 lb), cut into pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp coarse kosher salt
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp Chinese five-spice powder
2 onions, each cut into 16 pieces

1. Combine the garlic, salt, olive oil, and Chinese five-spice powder in a large bowl or bag for marinating. Add the chicken pieces; turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 425. Arrange the onion wedges in a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Arrange the chicken pieces, skin side up, on top of the onions. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 35 minutes for a 2 lb bird; add about 10 minutes per pound. The onions should char a little at edges. 


3. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest 10 minutes. Arrange the chicken and onions on a platter and serve with ginger scented rice.

Ginger Scented Rice
from Katharine Gallagher

1 cup jasmine rice
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 inch ginger root, peeled and finely minced or grated
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt

Combine the ingredients, cover and bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes until tender. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Roasted Eggplant and Broccoli Salad
adapted from Melissa Clark

1 eggplant
1 bunch broccoli (or substitute red peppers or zucchini)
1 large garlic clove, unpeeled
~3 Tbsp olive oil
salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp hot chili oil (or to taste)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese black vinegar
2 tsp rice wine
large handful of chopped cilantro leaves

1. Slice the ends off the eggplant, cut it lengthwise into about eight pieces and the cut the pieces widthwise to produce about 3/4 inch wide wedges. Wash the broccoli and cut into bite sized florets. Place the eggplant and broccoli pieces on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and toss with olive oil to coat. Place the unpeeled garlic clove on the baking sheet as well. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked through and slightly charred. Remove from the oven.

2. Peel the roasted garlic clove and in large serving bowl mash it with a fork. Add in the sesame oil, hot chili oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and rice wine and whisk together the ingredients with the mashed garlic to make a dressing. Toss the roasted vegetables with the dressing. Just before serving, toss in the chopped cilantro leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Shredded Zucchini with Shallots and Parsley

Oregon was the first state to celebrate Labor Day, in 1887, to honor the laborers and workers who are the foundation of our economy. For many of us Labor Day resonates as a personal holiday marking the end of the relaxed days of summer and the commencement of the labors of the new school year. In our household it means rousing bleary eyed children in time for the first school bell, scrambling to pack peanut and nut-free lunches, and juggling all of their school activities and homework with our own busier work schedules. In September, it also means laboring to cook piles of prolific vegetables that burst from our garden and CSA box. For many of us, zucchini is the chief offender.

On this national holiday of workers, I would like to suggest that rather than trying to shoe horn summer squash into soggy quick breads, we should let this workhorse vegetable shine in its own right. Here is one great approach that brings out the zucchininess of zucchini: shred it, salt it, squeeze it, and then saute it with a mild allium (here I use shallots) and toss in some fresh herbs (here parsley). This makes a delicious side dish and can be the basis for gratins or used as taco fillings. By removing the zucchini's excess moisture, this method eliminates the sogginess and concentrates the summer flavors of this delightful squash just when we need to savor them most.

Shredded Zucchini with Shallots and Parsley

this recipe is easily scalable to the number of zucchini you want to process

2 medium zucchini
1 tsp salt 
1 shallot
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large handful of flat parsley leaves

1. Clean the zucchini and trim off the ends. Using the grater insert of a food processor or a box grater, shred the zucchini. Place the shredded zucchini in a fine mesh strainer positioned over a bowl, toss with the salt, and let it drain for about 10 minutes. Then take handfuls of the salted zucchini, squeeze out the excess moisture, and transfer to another bowl.

2. While the zucchini is draining, chop the shallot finely. Wash and chop the parsley leaves.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and when it shimmers, add the shallots. Saute, stirring frequently, until translucent but not brown. Add the zucchini and saute, stirring occasionally, until it is cooked through, about five minutes. Taste and add more salt if desired. Stir in the parsley and serve warm.

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can look forward to the following offerings from Sweetwater Farm and Fair Valley Farm:

• eggplants and corn (throw them on the grill)
• honeydew mellons
• apples from SLO Farm (bake a pandowdy)
• tomato sale! 20 lb for $20 (lots of varieties including early girl, big beef, beeefsteak, brandywine, san marzano, Japanese black trifele, new girl, ponderosa del oro, principe, borghese, rebeleski, red pear piriform, sun gold, celebrity, mt. fresh, orange blossom, paragon, polbig, qualit, taxi, and valley girl)
• peppers both sweet and spicy (including: ace, ancho, anthoi romanian, carmen, conchos, czech black, el jefe, flavor burst, italia, jalafuego, lipstick, melrose, numex joe, parker, red rocket, sahauro, serrano del sol, tiburon and yankee bell) (try these bruschetta)
• baby lettuce salad mix
• zucchini and summer squash (make ladybugs on a log)
• green beans, yellow wax beans, and romanos
• cucumbers
• red, white, and blue potatoes
• sweet white onions, garlic, fennel, and leeks (make a tomato and leek clafouti)
• fresh herbs, including basil, cilantro, dill, thyme, oregano, and sage
• tomato sauce and pesto
• naturally fermented pickles, dilly beans, and sauerkraut
• homemade jams
• Scottish oats (make granola)
• a selection of dried beans and grains from Camas Country Mill
• pastured chicken
• pastured pork: bacon, ground pork, pork chops, shoulder roasts, ham roasts, spare ribs, and the best sausage for hash
• pastured lamb: ground, stew meat, leg roast, rib chops, loin chops

We brought home these beauties from Sweetwater Farm last Sunday (freshly picked corn, plump eggplants, elegant Red Long of Tropea onions, and lipstick peppers). Indulging in all of this fresh produce is one of the great pleasures of summer. But all this bounty can leave one with a nagging sense of panic about how to process it. 

Grilling is a great solution, because leftover grilled vegetables can be used in so many ways. While my husband tended our grill piled high with corn, eggplant, peppers, onions, and lamb burgers, I cooked down some of Sweetwater's romas in a simple tomato sauce. Later that evening I mixed up a batch of Jim Lahey's no-knead pizza dough, which conveniently needs about 18 hours of rising, ready in time for next night's dinner. And the following evening, dinner practically assembled itself.

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

1 recipe of Jim Lahey's no-knead pizza dough
tomato sauce (preferably made with fresh romas)
grilled peppers, onions, and eggplant, chopped
fresh mozzarella balls, sliced
handful of basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and insert a pizza stone if you are using one. Divide the dough into four balls, flour them lightly, and shape them according to Lahey's instructions (or use a rolling pin to roll them out on a silicone mat). Sprinkle polenta on a baking sheet or pizza peel and place the pizza dough on top. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the dough, distribute over the grilled vegetables, and then sliced mozzarella.  Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes until the crust in browned and the cheese is bubbling. Top with fresh basil leaves and enjoy.

Wheatberry Kisir

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can look forward to the following offerings from Sweetwater Farm and Fair Valley Farm:

• tomato sale ($1.95/lb; $18/10 lbs; $30/20 lbs), with an abundance of varieties including: early girl, big beef, beeefsteak, brandywine, san marzano, Japanese black trifele, new girl, ponderosa del oro, principe, borghese, rebeleski, red pear piriform, sun gold, celebrity, mt. fresh, orange blossom, paragon, polbig, qualit, taxi, and valley girl (feast on salads and make a few batches of sauce for the winter)
• peppers both sweet and spicy, including: ace, ancho, anthoi romanian, carmen, conchos, czech black, el jefe, flavor burst, italia, jalafuego, lipstick, melrose, numex joe, parker, red rocket, sahauro, serrano del sol, tiburon and yankee bell
• baby lettuce salad mix and lots of greens
• Japanese and globe eggplants (delicious in a hearty pasta sauce)
• zucchini and summer squash (make refrigerator pickles)
• green beans, yellow wax beans, and romanos
• cucumbers (combine with tomatoes in gazpacho)
• a variety of potatoes 
• sweet white onions, garlic, fennel, and leeks (make a leek and bean soup)
• fresh herbs, including basil, cilantro, dill, thyme, oregano, and sage
• tomato sauce and pesto
• naturally fermented pickles
• homemade jams
• a selection of dried beans and grains from Camas Country Mill
• pastured chicken
• pastured pork: bacon, pork chops, shoulder roasts, ham roasts, spare ribs, ground sausage and ground pork (try ma po doufo)
• pastured lamb: ground, stew meat, leg roast, rib chops, loin chops

With the glut of summer tomatoes, you can't have enough ways to incorporate fresh tomatoes into a meal, in soups, salads, tarts, pastas, and grain dishes. My sister, who developed a taste for Turkish food while living in Berlin, recently taught me how to make kisir, a parsley-packed, harissa-spiked salad made with very fine bulgur. Since bulgur is a form of wheat grain (parboiled and dried), I experimented with giving the same treatment to whole wheat berries from Camas Country Mill. And I let some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers sneak in for a complete bowl of grains, fruits, and vegetables. This makes a delicious accompaniment to lamb burgers or roast chicken. 

Wheat Berry Kisir


3/4 cup wheat berries 


2 Tbsp harissa
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup olive oil 
1 small onion
1 tsp ground cumin 
2 bunches parsley
juice from 1 1/2 lemons
3 Tbsp pomegranate molasses 
salt
1 cucumber 
1 pint cherry tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes






1. Cook the wheat berries by simmering them in 2 cups of salted water over low heat until tender but still firm, about 90 minutes. When they are tender, drain them if necessary, transfer them to a serving bowl, and stir in the harissa and tomato paste. 


2. Peel and dice the onion. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, and then add the diced onions. Cook until they are thoroughly cooked through but do not let them brown. Add the cumin and cook for one more minute. Then pour the spiced onion oil over the wheat berries and mix.


3. In a food processor, chop the parsley leaves until quite fine. Scrape them into the bowl with the wheat berries and stir. Stir in the pomegranate molasses and lemon. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt, or harissa as desired.


4. Peel the cucumber and chop it into lengthwise into quarters or sixths and then widthwise into 1/4 inch pieces. Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes or chop the large tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Fold the cucumbers and tomatoes into the dressed wheatberries. Serve at room temperature.


Note: to make an authentic kisir, hydrate 1 1/2 cups fine bulgur with 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Then  proceed with the recipe above as written for the cooked wheat berries. And exclude the tomatoes and cucumbers if you are feeling like a stickler.

Scallion Pancakes

I wanted to share this recipe for scallion pancakes, which falls under the category of amazing things you can make with just flour and water, including farinata and corn tortillas. I made these pancakes earlier this spring with some lovely shallot scapes from Open Oak Farm, but now you could make them with Sweetwater Farm's scallions, which are amazingly flavorful and hefty, and deserve a starring role on your table. 

I remember when I sampled scallion pancakes as a teenager on my first visit to a Korean restaurant and I was intoxicated by their chewy, flaky texture. At the time, I thought these delicacies must involve many exotic ingredients, but now I realize that they are just flour and water and some special tricks for processing the dough. First, you use boiling water, which denatures the proteins in the flour and gives the dough a tougher, chewy consistency. Then to achieve the flakiness, you roll the dough flat, slick it with sesame oil, wind it into a snail shape, and flatten it again. You do this several times, incorporating the scallions in the last round. 

Finally you fry the pancakes until crispy. These were a big hit with the whole family eaten piping hot with a soy dipping sauce. I was happy to introduce my kids to this Korean delicacy, demystified and delicious. 

Scallion Pancakes

adapted from Serious Eats (makes 2 large pancakes)

For the dipping sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely sliced scallion greens
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons sugar

To prepare the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients and set aside.

For the pancake dough:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup boiling water
about 2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 cup chopped scallion greens
about 2 Tbsp vegetable oil for frying
salt to taste

1. Place the flour in the bowl of a food processor. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in about 3/4 of boiling water. Process for 15 seconds. If the dough does not come together and ride around the blade, drizzle in more water a tablespoon at a time until it just comes together. Transfer to a floured work surface and knead a few times to form a smooth ball. You can also mix the dough by hand and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge.

2. Divide the dough into two even pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. Working one ball at a time, roll out into a disk roughly 8-inches in diameter on a lightly floured surface. Using a pastry brush, paint a very thin layer of sesame oil over the top of the disk. Roll the disk up like a jelly roll, then twist roll into a tight spiral, tucking the end underneath. Flatten gently with your hand, then re-roll into an 8-inch disk. Paint with another layer of sesame oil, twist into a spiral, flatten gently, and re-roll into a 8-inch disc. Repeat the oiling, rolling, and flattening process a third time. 

3. Now for the final rolling step, paint on the sesame oil and sprinkle the dough with 1/2 cup scallions, roll and twist again, flatten and re-roll into a 8-inch disk. Your first pancake is formed. Repeat the whole process with the second ball of dough to form the second pancake.

4. Heat oil in an 8-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering and carefully slip pancake into the hot oil. Cook, shaking the pan gently until first side is an even golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip with a spatula or tongs (be careful not to splash the oil), and continue to cook, shaking pan gently, until second side is even golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Season with salt, cut into 8 wedges. Serve immediately with sauce for dipping. Cook the remaining pancake in the same way.