Pasta Fagioli with Kale

This is another one of my grandma's recipes.  This traditional Italian dish varies from town to town and family to family in Italy.  The name means "pasta and beans" and is pronounced as pasta fazool for the region of Italy that my 'great-Nonni' came from. It was originally a peasant dish and had no meat in it, but that has changed. You can put proscciuto or any kind of meat you want into it, but this recipe goes without. This is simple recipe that is simply delicious.  This is one of my cousin Alena's favorite dishes and she orders it in almost every restaurant she goes to, even when we visited a restaurant in Rome. But don't pronounce it pasta fazool in Rome or the waiter may not serve you!


Pasta Fagioli with Kale

3 tbl. olive oil

1 celery stalk, diced

6 garlic gloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 cups vegetable broth

One 14 oz can diced tomatoes (we used frozen tomatoes from last year)

8 oz whole wheat pasta (small type like elbow or ditalini) 

2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups kale, chopped leaves only ( or any other green in season ie. spinach) 

salt and pepper to taste, grated parmesan for serving

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon parsley

2 bay leaves

1. Heat large dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to heat. Add onion, cook 2 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add celery and carrot, cook stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. Add oregano and parsley. Add tomato paste and heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
2. Stir in tomatoes, broth, bay leaves and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer. Add pasta. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Add kale and cook 5 more minutes. Add kidney beans and reduce heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parmesan cheese. (remember to save the kale stalks to make vegetable broth later in your week)

Dried Cherry and Cream Scones

This past summer my Mom and I fell in love with Woodyatt Cherries.  We bought tons of bags of them so that we would have enough over the winter and spring.  After eating them and using them for our recipes, we finally ran out of them in April.  Woodyatt has his cherries all year round and they are delicious on their own.  They are great in granola and scones! These scones make a great dessert and they are easy to make! Make sure to visit him at the Farmers Market and stock up for the year.  Hope you love them! 


Dried Cherry and Cream Scones
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1/2 cup sugar 
4 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon salt 
1-1/4 cup butter chilled unsalted butter, cut in 1/2 inch pieces 
1 cup dried tart cherries  (Woodyatt)
2 large eggs, slightly beaten 
1 cup chilled half and half (or buttermilk)
1/2 cup chopped nuts such as pecans or almonds (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375˚ F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Work in butter with fingertips until mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in the cherries.
2. Beat eggs and half and half together, then stir into flour mixture until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead gently, about 4-6 turns. Divide dough in half and pat each into a 7 inch round. Cut each round into 6 wedges; transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing the wedges apart. Sprinkle with additional sugar and nuts. (optional)
3. Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown and beginning to color on top.
4. They are great served warm with some local cherry preserves. Don't store in plastic bags since it tends to make them soggy. Just place on a cooling rack and cover with a clean dishtowel over night. Since this make 12 scones and we are only a family of three, we usually makes these to bring to a gathering but they also freeze well. Just pop them out of the freezer and into a toaster oven or warm oven for a few minutes.

The Second Week

From left to right: Tarragon, Arugula, and Russian Kale

We got our second week of our CSA from Bell Organics.  Hopefully you enjoyed your CSA from last week and found my recipes helpful and delicious. This week we got Russian kale, Chinese kale (Chinese broccoli), arugula, tarragon, spinach, and salad greens.  Sorry about the image, we cooked the Chinese kale immediately and we hope you know what spinach and salad greens look like. For this week you might find the pizza dough recipe very helpful, especially because two of the recipes are pizzas.  This week should be another good time to experiment with different types of salad.  Find things that compliment each others flavors.  Also feel free to use the recipes from last week for this week too.

If you have any recipes that you would like to see on this blog or recommendations, feel free to contact me or comment.  Remember that in less then a month on June 11th, the Downtown Farmer's Market will begin!

Chicken Tarragon Pizza



Chicken Tarragon Pizza



Tarragon is called the "King of Herbs" by the French, and with good reason. It is the main flavoring in many of the sauces that form the foundation of classic French cuisine, as well as the basis of many Italian dishes too. This aromatic blend enhances the flavors of egg, chicken and fish dishes, and is also used as a basis for salad dressings. The scent and taste of tarragon is disliked by many garden pests, making it useful for intercropping as a companion plant, to protect its garden mates. It is also reputed to be a nurse plant, enhancing growth and flavor of companion crops. For this recipe it enhances the taste of the chicken and makes this recipe even more delicious!

Chicken Tarragon Pizza

Pizza dough (see previous post)

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (McDowell Farm)

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, softened and sliced 

4 ounces shredded mozzarella or feta cheese

Parmesan cheese to taste

Tarragon pesto (can double this recipe and then freeze in ice cube trays for later use):

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbl. chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tbl pecans
• 1 tbl fresh lemon juice
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Alfredo sauce (optional, but this is a basic sauce that we use a lot at my house):

• 2 tbl flour
• 2 tbl butter
• 2 cups warm milk
• 1/2-1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Roll out pizza dough on pizza stone.
2. To make tarragon pesto (great for use in barbecued chicken skewers): Puree first five ingredients in food processor. Add the olive oil and blend until a coarse paste forms. Add 2 tbl water. Mix with the cubed chicken.
3. To make alfredo sauce, melt butter in heavy saucepan then add flour and cook for 2-3 minutes while constantly stirring. Slowly add warm milk (I heat it for 2 minutes in the microwave) while stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and add grated parmesan cheese. 
4. Preheat oven to 450° F. Roll out pizza dough on pizza stone.  Spread the alfredo sauce on the pizza dough. Save any reserved sauce in the refrigerator for later use. Evenly spread the chicken terragon mixture over the bechamel, then spread on the sun dried tomatoes and shredded cheese. Place in oven and back for 15-20 minutes.
5. Take out, serve, and enjoy.

*For a healthier version, omit the alfredo sauce and just mix the chicken with the tarragon pesto, spread the sun dried tomatoes and cheese and bake. We made it both ways and although the healthier version was good, it was a bit dry so we, of course, preferred the one with the alfredo sauce. 

Pizza With Fig Jam, Prosciutto, Gorgonzola, Balsamic, and Arugula

Arugula, another leafy salad green that is full of vitamins A and C and low on any unnecessary calories. Many people describe arugula as bitter while others may say it has a peppery,  mustard-like taste. Arugula is known by many names, such as rugola, rucola, roquette, garden rocket, Roman rocket, or Italian cress. You can always use arugula for salads, but you might want to mix in other greens to tame this peppery green. In this recipe though, the fresh, peppery green adds important vitamins and phytochemicals to the homemade pizza. Remember, for this recipe you can buy crust at the stores or us the recipe that is already posted on this blog. I hope you enjoy this pizza and the many different flavors it brings with it.

The "Pizza"

Pizza With Fig Jam, Prusciutto, Gorgonzola, Balsamic, and Arugula
Cornmeal, for sprinkling
1-pound pizza dough (Or enough dough for a good sized pizza)
2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (About 4-6 ounces)
1/2 cup Fig Jam (bought at Whole Foods)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
8 thin slices of prosciutto or sausage
8 cups arugula

1. Preheat oven to 450° F.  Sprinkle rimless baking sheet generously with cornmeal.  Roll out dough on floured work surface to the size of a pizza; transfer to prepared pizza stone or pan. 
2. Spread fig jam over prepared crust.  Sprinkle gorgonzola over the fig jam evenly. Sprinkle with pepper.
3. Bake pizza for about 10-12 minutes.
4. Then immediately add the prosciutto (or sausage) for the last 5 minutes of baking. Bake pizza till it is golden brown.
5. During this time, you can whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and Dijon mustard together. Then add the arugula and toss to cover.
6. Take the pizza out when done and mound the arugula on top. 
7. Cut into pieces and serve.

Stir-fried Beef with Chinese Kale



Stir-fried Beef with Chinese Kale

Other than my mother being Italian, my stepmother is Chinese, and when I saw the Chinese kale sitting in our CSA box, I instantly knew what it was and what to do with it. Chinese kale is used for dim sum, a traditional Chinese late morning meal that is often taken with tea. At dim sum, you can get all kinds of food; boiled, fried, steamed, baked, and broiled.  There are sweet dumplings and savory dumplings that contain either meat or vegetables or both.  I have gone many times to dim sum with my stepmom and her family and I love it every time. I often see this exact recipe below at the dim sum restaurant we go to, only it’s called Chinese broccoli (Chinese broccoli is the same as Chinese kale, but the kale is just picked a little earlier).  I hope you get a taste of dim sum from this recipe!

Stir-fried Beef with Chinese Kale

6 cups of Chinese Kale, chopped

    (leaves and stems included)

2 cups of beef, thickly sliced

2 tablespoons of Olive oil

2 tablespoons of Oyster Sauce

2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon of Garlic, chopped

A pinch of Sugar

1. Set a wok or heavy pan over high heat, wait till it is hot.
2. Add olive oil, and wait till it is even hotter.
3. Add the beef and fry to your liking.  Remember frying the beef too long will make it very tough, 2-3 minutes is usually enough to make the beef medium-rare.
4. Remove the beef from wok and store it to the side.

5. Now put the wok back on medium-high heat and wait for it to get warm again.
6. Add the chopped garlic, stir till aromatic.
7. Add Chinese kale, stir the kale and garlic together.
8. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar.
9. Add the beef back in and stir fry to combine well.
10. Serve and enjoy!

The First Week

From left to right:
Spinach, Collard Greens, Kale, and Beet Greens

This week my family got our first Early Spring vegetable share from Bell Organic CSA. I assume many other people did, so I am beginning to post recipes.  For those who don't know what a CSA is, it is Community Supported Agriculture, which means you pay in advance for part of a farmer's total crop.  This week in our CSA we got beet greens, collard greens, kale, spinach, salad greens, and green onions.   For the greens just make salads. You can come up with your own recipes as well! I encourage it!

Most of all, try not to waste anything. Sometimes these fresh veggies come so fast that you don't have time to cook them all up! I am learning what veggies are coming in season and had already selected the recipes I wanted to try before we picked up the CSA share.  Next week, I will post easy pizza and frittata recipes that go with just about anything type of cheese and vegetable and are great for leftovers.  For frittatas you simply saute your leftover vegetables and then throw in some cheese and/or meat in with some eggs and cook them up.  For pizza you do the same except with dough and pizza sauce.  These are both great things to make if you have anything leftover.  Feel free to make either one of these any day of the week.  They are great for busy families!

If you get anything in your CSA that you need a recipe for,  contact me and I will post one! Enjoy your first week of fresh vegetables!