May 22-28, 2013 Urban Roots CSA NEWSLETTER

above: volunteers harvest green beans

THIS WEEK’S BOX onions • fennel • beets • garlic chives yukon gold potatoes • leeks • kale cabbage • summer squash • dill carrots • green beans • cucumbers

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016

SAY POTATO YOU SAY POTATO, I

Store potatoes in a cool (but not too cold), dark, dry place. Don’t wash potatoes before storing—any additional moisture will shorten their shelf life and make them more likely to rot. Be careful not to store potatoes near fruits or onions. These foods often excrete ethylene gas, which encourages ripening and can cause your potatoes to sprout. Potatoes can be baked, boiled, fried, mashed, pureed, roasted, sautéd, steamed, or made into a gratin. Potatoes are often served with beef or pork or dairy (yogurt, sour cream, butter, cheese, etc.) and are usually seasoned with butter, garlic, chives, leeks, rosemary, thyme, or bay leaf.

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016 NEWS FROM THE FARM

from left to right Zacil cuts the root end off just- harvested lettuces; Saturday’s prep list; Paige sells greens at the Farmers’ Market; Gus recalls the size of the (not dangerous) spider he found earlier, while harvesting green beans 3 3

; Lorem IpsumUrban Dolor Roots SpotlightSpring 2016 Meet the folks behind Urban Roots!

NAME: Jamal

WHAT DO YOU DO AT UR? First Year Youth Farm Intern

FAVORITE VEGGIE & HOW YOU EAT IT: I really like tomatoes—maybe it has something to do with ketchup? The majority of what I eat has tomatoes in it and my mom uses tomatoes in a lot of her cooking.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO WORK WITH URBAN ROOTS? I wanted to learn about different vegetables. Before I started here, I didn’t know about kale or fennel!

WHEN YOU’RE NOT AT UR, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY DOING? I like to play basketball, hang with my homeboys, and I spend a lot of time at school.

NAME: Charlize

WHAT DO YOU DO AT UR? First Year Youth Farm Intern

FAVORITE VEGGIE & HOW YOU EAT IT: I love carrots and I make really good carrot zucchini cookies. (She says she’ll give us the recipe).

WHY DID YOU WANT TO WORK WITH URBAN ROOTS? I like the workshops we get to do—they make you go out of your comfort zone and help you grow.

WHEN YOU’RE NOT AT UR, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY DOING? I like to go fishing for catfish at Emma Long Park and Muleshoe Park. I know it seems really different than fishing, but I also like to go shopping for things to make crafts, especially to use with my sewing machine! 4 4

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016

Zucchini & Yogurt Soup Serves 2-4

This soup can be made with any summer squash, and it can be served hot or cold, as you like. Combining the yogurt with the egg yolk and helps prevent the yogurt from separating during cooking.

2 pounds zucchini, sliced into thin rounds " cup butter ! teaspoon salt 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced 1 egg yolk 1/4 teaspoon mild dried chili flakes 2 teaspoons flour (or use a GF flour) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint 8 ounces plain yogurt zest from one lemon 1 ! cups chicken stock Place the zucchini slices in a colander and toss evenly with the salt. Allow them to drain over the sink for 15 minutes—the salt will help pull out moisture from the zucchini.

Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolk, flour and yogurt until smooth. Stir in the stock and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over very low heat. As the butter melts, the whey will separate. Continue heating until the white bits turn a gentle golden brown. Be careful they do not become too dark. When ready, remove from heat and set aside half of the butter, to use for garnish.

When the zucchini are ready, wipe them with a paper towel and return the saucepan with half the butter to medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and stir for five minutes, then add the zucchini and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove half the mixture from the pan and set aside. Pour the yogurt mixture into the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Use an immersion blender to blend until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and stir back in the reserved zucchini. Pour into serving bowls and garnish with reserved browned butter, chili flakes, mint, and lemon zest. 5 5

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016

Hamousta Serves 6-8

I love recipes like this one that are full of history and stories. It is said that years ago, most Jews living in Kurdistan could only afford to buy meat rarely—when they could, they would buy the whole animal to make the most of it. They cooked their meat with celery for a very long time, ground it, and stored it in a very dry place for several months, using it sparingly to stuff dumplings like these. For more about how this style of kubbeh soup evolved, check out http://www.sarahmelamed.com/2009/11/hamousta-kurdish-sour-dumpling-soup/

FOR KUBBEH: FOR SOUP: 1 ! tablespoon oil 4 cloves garlic ! medium onion, very finely chopped 5 celery stalks, cut into !” slices 12 oz ground beef 12 oz swiss chard or beet greens ! tsp ground allspice 2 tablespoons oil # tsp salt 1 large onion, chopped 1 large clove garlic, minced 2 quarts chicken stock 2 celery stalks, very finely minced 1 large zucchini, cut into !” cubes 1 ! cups semolina 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup hot water ! teaspoon ground black pepper 6 6

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016 MAKE THE KUBBEH

Prepare the meat stuffing by heating the oil in a sauté pan, and adding the onion. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the beef, allspice, salt and stir as you cook for 3 minutes to brown the meat. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes, until the meat is completely dry. At the end, add the garlic and celery and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the kubbeh dough. Mix the semolina flour, all purpose flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add the hot water and stir together (first with a fork, then with your hands) until you get a sticky dough. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Knead the dough for about 8 minutes until it is supple and spreadable without cracking. Add a little water or flour if needed. To make the dumplings, take a 1-ounce piece of dough, roll into a ball and flatten it into a disk 4” in diameter and stuff with about 2 teaspoons of the meat.

I don’t know if this is the most traditional way to form kubbeh, but it seemed to work the best for me! I pinched two sides together, then pinched up the remaining sides to completely seal the dumpling. Then I broght the 4 corners together and rolled it into a ball shape. Slightly flatten the balls so that they are only a little more than an inch thick.

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016

MAKE THE SOUP

Place the garlic, half the celery, and half the greens in a food processor and pulse until it forms a coarse paste. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the celery and greens paste and cook for 3 more minutes. Then, add the stock, zucchini, the remaining celery and greens, lemon juice, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed—it should be sharp and lemony.

Finally, carefully add the kubbeh to the soup—a few at a time so they don’t stick to each other. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the dough to soften, then reheat to serve.

above: kubbeh wait to be cooked below: inside the finished kubbeh

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