This Week's Delivery Saturday May 21, 2011

store in the fridge:

rhubarb - new morning farm

green leaf lettuce - landisdale farm

spring onions - northern neck fruits and vegetables

chard - hartland farm

mustard greens - hartland farm

store in a cool dry place:

strawberries - papa's orchard

also, for any mushroom nerds out there, we have locally foraged (PG County) chicken of the woods (latin name: Laetiporus cincinnatus) mushrooms available at $18 a pound.

These mushrooms can be prepared like chicken, they even taste like chicken but have more of a mushroom texture. They need to be cooked all the way through.

If you are interested please contact tom directly: tom(at)foodmattersva(dot)com

recipes and information:

last night we made tapioca pudding and rhubarb compote to go on top. it also works well on ice cream. this compote recipe is a little different because i used butter in the mix as well, just to make it a little richer, so feel free to throw in a couple of spoons of butter if you wish...

rhubarb compote

and here is a link to a great tapioca pudding recipe

3 cups 1-inch pieces fresh rhubarb

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until rhubarb is very soft and begins to fall apart, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer compote to medium bowl. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.) Serve cold.

sauteed swiss chard with golden raisins and capers

This dish also makes a delicious pasta partner. Tossed with a pound of your favorite pasta and 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, this Swiss chard goes from a sumptuous side dish to a spectacular main course.

1 pound Swiss chard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon drained capers

1. Trim tough stem ends from Swiss chard. Cut stems crosswise into 1-inch pieces; cut leaves into 2-inch pieces, keeping stems and leaves separate.

2. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook about 4 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Add chard stems and cook, covered, 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Stir in raisins. Add leaves to stems in batches, covering skillet after each batch; cook 7 to 10 minutes total or until leaves are tender and wilted, stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in capers.

mustard greens wrapped in proscuitto

1bunch of mustard greens

olive oil

red wine vinegar

red pepper flakes

garlic, 3 cloves finely chopped

salt and pepper

1/8-1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, about 8-12 slices


Wash greens, remove stems, and coarsely chop leaves. Leave some water droplets on the greens. In a large saute pan, heat enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. Toss in garlic. Cook garlic for just a quick moment and then add the greens. Cook covered for about 5 minutes until the greens are wilted and tender. Set aside to cool. Season with a splash of red wine vinegar, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, and fresh ground pepper. (Go easy on seasoning with salt - the prosciutto adds plenty.)

Slice each piece of prosciutto in half lengthwise. Place a spoonful of greens on one end of the prosciutto and roll. Repeat. Serve at room temperature.