This Week's Delivery Saturday June 12, 2010

He who likes cherries soon learns to climb.

German Proverb

Store In The Fridge:

Chard - Tuscarora Organic Coop

Romaine - Help from Above Farm

Cherries - Papa's Orchard -Some are split from the rain but still taste great!

Slicing Cucumber - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Wax Beans - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Yellow Squash - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Broccoli - Mountain View Organics

Recipes:

Wax Beans with Mint

• 1/2 pound wax beans

• Several mint leaves

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Salt

METHOD

1 A little bit ahead of time, crush a few mint leaves (reserve some for garnish) with a mortar and pestle. (or just chop them) Put the crushed mint leaves into a small jar and add a couple tablespoons of high quality olive oil to cover. Let sit for at least an hour if you can. The longer the mint is in the olive oil, the better the infusion.

2 Prepare the beans by cutting off and discarding the tips and ends. Snap the beans in half, if necessary, to have pieces about 2 inches in length.

3 15 minutes before serving bring an inch of water in a saucepan to a boil. Place the beans in a steamer basket in the saucepan. Cover and cook, until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Check for doneness after about 8 minutes or so. If a fork easily goes through them, they're done.

4 Remove beans from pan and place them into a serving bowl. Use a strainer to drizzle the mint-infused olive oil over the beans. Sprinkle salt over the beans to taste. (Fleur de sel would work really well with this dish.) Chop up a few more mint leaves to add as garnish.

Serves 3-4.

Alice Waters' Long-Cooked Broccoli (yum!)

Adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.

- serves 4 as a side dish -

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds broccoli
1/4 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
Pinch of dried chili flakes
A few good pinches of salt
1 cup water
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 to 4 tablespoons grated parmesan or pecorino cheese, optional

Procedure

1. To prepare the broccoli, cut the florets into small pieces. Trim the ends off the stems. Peel the stems with a paring knife and thinly slice.

2. In a medium pot with a heavy bottom, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the broccoli, garlic, chili flakes and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until the garlic is very fragrant. Add the water and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer, cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally until the broccoli is very tender and falling apart, about an hour. You may need to add more water if the broccoli starts to dry out. After an hour or so, stir vigorously with a spoon to create the texture of a coarse purée. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and the cheese if using. Serve as a bed for grilled fish, shellfish or chicken, as a side dish, mixed with brown rice or pasta, or as a topping for crostini.

with thanks,

christy and tom