Persephone Farm

Sustainably Grown Vegetables & Flowers – Indianola, Washington

Bill

Sauteed Frisee

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Our first full-week CSA pickup included Frisee, a wonderful salad green. Our friend, Abra Bennett, a professional chef and blogger at French Letters gave us this Frisee recipe. We thought we’d share it with you.

Sautéed Frisée

Recipe By: Abra Bennett for Persephone Farm

1  Large head very fresh frisée
1  T  olive oil
1  T  bacon fat (or use 2 T olive oil)
1  T  water
3  Cloves garlic
1  T  lemon juice
1  T  heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the frisée, not too finely. Heat olive oil and bacon fat in a large
skillet with a tightly-fitting lid. Add the frisée to the fat in the pan,
add the water, cover tightly, and let simmer 3-4 minutes, stirring
occasionally, until thoroughly wilted.

Remove lid, add garlic, and sauté another minute or two. Add lemon juice
and sauté to combine. Add cream and sauté to combine. Taste for salt and
pepper.

The greens will be slightly bitter and piquant. They’re delicious with rich
foods like duck, pork, macaroni and cheese, or stirred into a bowl of penne.

Serves one person who really loves greens, or two more reasonable people.

Lettuce and Tarragon Soup

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6 servings

2 medium leeks (about 1 1/2 lbs.)

4 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

4 cups homemade, or canned, low-sodium chicken stock, or golden vegetable stock

About 1 tps salt, less if using canned stock

1 medium head romaine lettuce, with the outer, deep green leaves

1/4 cup fresh French tarragon leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

Optional garnish: creme fraiche or sour cream, and heavy cream

1-Cut off and discard tops of leeks at point where they turn from light to dark green. Split rest lengthwise in half, keeping roots attached so the layers won’t fall apart. Wash thoroughly. Thinly slice into half circles and discard roots. Melt butter in a large (4 quart) saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until softened and just beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes.  Add stock and salt (omit if using canned stock) and simmer. Turn heat to low and cover, and cook at a bubbling simmer for 15 minutes to further soften leeks. (The soup may be made up to this point up to two days ahead and stored covered in refrigerator.)

2–Slice whole head of romaine lettuce crosswise into one-inch thick strips (you don’t need to separate the leaves first) and discard the base. Wash and drain the lettuce. Stir the lettuce into the soup, increase the heat to medium, and cook uncovered until the lettuce is wilted and softened, about 5 minutes.

3–Stir in the tarragon leaves. Put half of the soup in an electric blender (you can use a food processor but the soup won’t be as smooth). Holding down the lid, turn blender on to low, then gradually increase to high until soup is very smooth. Pour the pureed soup into a second saucepan and repeat with the remaining soup. Gently reheat all the soup, tasting and seasoning if needed with salt and pepper. Serve in warmed bowls.

4–If you wish to garnish with cream, vigerously stir the creme fraiche with a teaspoon and thin it with cream until it falls off the spoon in a thick stream. Hold a spoonful of the cream about 6 inches above the bowl and let it fall in a circular or zigzag pattern onto the soup.

(Herb substitutions–Use 1 cup chervil, gently packed, or two Tbs. lovage leaves in place of the tarragon.)

Leek and Goat Cheese Quiche

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The center of the quiche will be surprisingly soft when it comes out of the oven, but the filling will continue to set (and sink somewhat) as it cools. If the pie shell has been previously baked and cooled, place it in the preheating oven for about five minutes to warm it, taking care it does not burn. Because ingredients in the variations that follow are bulkier, the amount of custard mixture has been reduced to prevent overflowing the crust. Be sure to wash the leeks thoroughly to remove any grit.

2 medium leeks–washed and cut into 2-inch dice (about 2 cups)

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

3/4 cup whole milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

pinch fresh grated nutmeg

4 oz. mild goat cheese broken into 1/2-inch pieces

1 nine-inch partially baked pie shell (warm) baked until light golden brown, 5-6 minutes

1–Adjust oven rack to center position and heat to 375 degrees. Saute’ white leek parts in butter over medium heat until soft; 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk all remaining ingredients, except goat cheese, in medium bowl

2–Spread goat cheese and leeks evenly over bottom of the warm pie shell and set shell on oven rack. Pour in custard mixture to 1/2-inch below crust rim. Bake until lightly golden brown and a knife blade inserted about one inch from the edge comes out clean. Center should feel set, but soft like gelatin, 32-35 minutes. Transfer quiche to rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temp.

Serves 8