farm fresh dinner: new potatoes, braised greens and a beet salad

This weekend we got out into the country. On Saturday there was a hike to Lindeman Lake (don't listen to your guidebook, it's definitely not "easy") and afterward, there was time to check out a few local farm markets. I was hoping we could find a flat or two of local strawberries, but since we were nearing the end of the afternoon, everywhere seemed to be sold out. Our first stop was Wisbey Veggies in Chilliwack where I walked out with 2 very full bags full of local farm fresh produce for $20. Beets, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, snow peas, new potatoes, carrots, raspberries, zucchinis and mushrooms...all locally grown, all so delicious. A few minutes away, we discovered a goat cheese dairy selling all kinds of goat cheese products from ice cream to yogurt to gouda! I walked away with cheese curds (not goat) and some goat cheese feta. I was already imagining all the menu possiblities.

On Sunday, after a big breakfast and a little garage sale snooping, we decided to head out to visit our CSA farm in Langley for their open house weekend. It's a beautiful farm and we got a great tour from the very enthusiastic farmer, Stephen. We also got to pick out some seedlings to take home and harvest some of our own rhubarb and greens (kale, mustard, chard and arugula)! We even dug into the farm's cooler and into a tub containing mouldy leeks. Stripping off the gooey outter layers revealed a perfectly good leek, so we took a few of those home too. I think it's safe to say that when you harvest your own food, it tastes so much better and you get bragging rights which is always a good thing.

After looking through my haul on Sunday evening, I got to work. First I tackled the beets. I knew I wanted a beet and arugula salad topped with feta. Recalling a similar salad I made last summer, I decided to stick with a good thing but still make a few tweeks here and there. The beets were incredibly sweet and worked so well with the feta and the tangy dressing. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing. For the new potatoes, I took the simple road. Boiled, buttered and sprinkled with fresh herbs from my garden. The mint made this dish and made the potatoes sing. I couldn't leave well enough alone, and as i gathered the beet greens, I decided to make use of the kale and chard as well, braising them simply with the leeks and a lemon. It was a farm fresh dinner from start to finish.

buttered new potatoes with mint & parsley
8 new potatoes
1 T fresh mint, chopped
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 T unsalted butter
kosher salt & black pepper

Boil potatoes in water until tender. Drain. Coat with butter, fresh herbs and salt & pepper. Serve.

beet & arugula salad with goat cheese & pecans
8 baby beets, quartered or cut in half
arugula, torn
1/4 c goat cheese feta
2 T pecans, chopped
1 T sour cherry jam
1/4 c olive oil
1 t dijon mustard
2 T cider vinegar
salt & pepper

Boil the beets until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly so that removing the skin from the beets isn't too painful. Further chop the larger pieces of beets, if necessary. Set aside. Mix the dressing by combining the jam, olive oil, mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper until thick. Adjust seasonings to taste. Scatter arugula on plate, then the beets, feta and pecans. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

braised greens with leeks & lemon
2 lbs of assorted greens (chard, kale, beet greens is what I used)
1 T olive oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes
3 leeks, sliced thinly
zest & juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper

Rinse the greens very well to get rid of any dirt hidden within the leaves. Remove the tough ribs from the kale and discard. Chop the greens and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute the leeks and red chilies until fragrant. Add in the toughest leaves first (kale) and then the chard and then the beet greens. Reduce heat. What looks like a massive amount of greens will soon wilt into a very manageable amount. Add in the lemon juice and zest and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and stir about until all the leaves become wilted and tender, about 10 minutes. Serve.

it's a critical beetdown: my hedge house salad

The last few times I've been to Portland, OR I always make sure to visit the Hedge House and eat their house salad. It's amazing and I just can't seem to shut up about it. I tried in the past to recreate it and wasn't wildly successful. I mean it should be easy enough: beets, hazelnuts, blue cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. But when I returned last week after another taste of the infamous Hedge House Salad, I decided that this baby would be mine to recreate in my Vancouver kitchen whenever the hell I wanted. And as you can tell by my smile, I reached salad nirvana.

I didn't have blue cheese or hazelnuts so I figured right there that my attempts at remaking would be thwarted. I used toasted pecans and feta instead and, oh my, the salad gods did not let me down. I like my dressing to be the perfect mix of sweet and sour so I've added an extra blob of honey in the directions, but you can choose to use either jam or honey or be brave and use both like I did. I also used a balsamic vinegar Dijon mustard, but you could sub in any old Dijon and I'm sure it would be great. Just taste before you pour so you don't get any surprises.


beets, feta & pecan green salad with balsamic dressing
salad greens, torn, rinsed & dried
2 young cooked beets, roasted or boiled, sliced
1/3 c feta, crumbled
2 T chopped toasted pecans
1/3 c good olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 t cherry jam
1 t honey (optional)
1 t balsamic Dijon mustard
salt & pepper

In a small jar combine dressing ingredients (olive oil through salt & pepper) and shake well to combine. Taste and add more sweet or more tang, if needed. Add the sliced beets to a small bowl and cover with some of the dressing to marinate for a little bit. Add the prepared greens to a serving bowl and toss with remaining dressing. Scatter marinated beets over top and then top with feta and pecans. Serve with a smile.

i love the beets & the beets love me

I've always been a fan of the beet. I love their sugary sweet flavour after they've been roasted in the oven and I love how they turn everything on your plate a deep shade of pink. I've turned a simple ho-hum hummous into an electric shade of fuchsia just by pureeing a small roasted beet into the chickpea-tahini mix. Even my colourful lunch (leftovers from last night's meal) turned into a veritable rainbow with the addition of a few baby beets.

For the longest time, I used only the beets but had no idea what to do with the leaves...so into the compost bucket they went. However, emboldened by an article about eating what I was throwing away, I steamed them up and served them with a bit of butter. Amazing! Tangier and bolder than spinach, they were much more "meatier" than I expected and a hundred times more delicious. Similar in taste to kale, I quickly became a beet green convert and tried to get others into the fold. However, when it comes to beets and their greens, there aren't very many willing converts. When I'd wax poetically about the red root, people wouldn't hear it. Instead, they'd tell me all kinds of horror stories about how their mothers would force feed them beets until all their bodily fluids would turn red from the trauma. Hmph! Sometimes you just don't know what you're missing.

sauteed beet greens with lime and garlic
1 bunch of beet greens & stems, rinsed and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
juice of half a lime

1. Heat olive oil and garlic in a large pan. When garlic becomes fragrant, add in the beet greens. They might splatter a bit, but it will all simmer down shortly. Turn down the heat and squeeze some lime juice into the mix and let the leaves and stem wilt for a few minutes until tender.