J&S MiniFarm

Now that I’ve got it, what do I do with it?

Hello all,

The newsletter this week will focus on a couple of recipes for all your fresh produce.

Kale Chips

Kale chips are apparently all the rage. Who knew?! A quick search of “kale chips” finds recipes all over the place, from Whole Foods to Williams and Sonoma. This is the basic recipe, give it a try, and then see if you want to get adventuresome and try some of the flavorings. Some suggestions: vinegar and sea salt, seasoned salt, hot pepper flakes, nacho flavoring, cheese powder, garlic salt, etc…

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale

Oil (we used olive oil)

Salt or flavorings (optional)

Cut the stem and midrib out of the leaves and discard. Tear leaves into chip sized pieces (about 2 inches). Wash and dry well. If you have a salad spinner use that, otherwise lay the pieces on a towel and either blot dry or let air dry. The secret to success is to have the pieces completely dry.

Kale pieces, ready to dry

Put some oil in a bowl and add leaves. Mix well until all surfaces are covered, it’s more fun to use your hands! The leaves will look a little bruised. You can either add your seasonings now or after cooking. Be sparing with the salt-the leaves will shrink and only need a little bit.

Kale and oil

Put on a baking sheet in a SINGLE LAYER. I lined it with aluminum foil, and the residual oil was enough to keep it from sticking. Bake at 200-250^oF for about 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on it-this time can vary widely. It is done when it is very crispy, but not browned. Some of us (me) liked it really crispy; others (the MiniFarmer) liked it a little softer. Either way it is addictive.

Once you get the hang of it, do a search for recipes for other toppings. Next to try: powdered white cheddar popcorn cheese. Or maybe parmesan and garlic salt….

The finished product

Mizuna and Kielbasa pasta:

Mizuna is a Japanese mustard green. It pairs well with spicy meats such as kielbasa. Other types of meat, such as ham or sausage, could be substituted in this recipe.

Ingredients:

Kielbasa

Mizuna

Pasta (any type)

Green garlic

Olive oil

Salt/pepper to taste

Cheese (optional)

Kielbasa, green garlic, mizuna

Wash/drain mizuna and chop into pieces about 1 inch long. Set aside.

Cook pasta and drain. Put in a large bowl.

Cook Kielbasa in olive oil until warm. If you like it crispy, go ahead and crisp it.

When it is done, turn down heat, mince green garlic (make sure to remove any woody inner stalk if present) and add to oil. Cook for a few minutes on low heat until garlic is soft. Don't let garlic burn or it will be bitter.

Note woody inner stalk removed on garlic slice on the bottom left, still there on the upper right slice

Minced garlic

Add mizuna and stir to coat with the garlic flavored olive oil. The mizuna will shrink drastically.

Mizuna after shrinking

If you like your stems to be crispy pour the oil, kielbasa, garlic, and mizuna mixture over the pasta after only a few minutes. If you want them somewhat softer, continue to cook, continuously stirring, until it is the texture you prefer, then add to pasta.

Mix to coat the pasta. Add salt and/or pepper to taste. Add cheese if desired.

Serve warm.

This would also be good with the stir-fry sauce recipe listed on our webpage