The Acre Potboiler

A budding young vegetable connoisseur

Two Small Farms started delivering gorgeous CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes to Town School last Wednesday. They included beautiful veggies like Portuguese Kale, Chantenay Carrots, Butternut Squash and Spring Onions, to name a few. There were also amazing Tulips for those who ordered flowers as well. We are excited to hear the wonderful meals families prepared with their bounty.

One great thing I noticed with my box is that it really encouraged me to cook at home more often last week. I made a tasty vegetarian Thai Curry, an earthy pasta dish and a hearty chicken soup, made bright with the fennel and spring onions from my box!

More pictures and recipes to follow!

Doesn’t this look great?! Such a healthy, bountiful garden on what was once a vacant plot of land in Potrero Hill. And what’s more, it’s a permaculture garden, meaning it is designed to mimic the genius design of nature. I visited this lovely piece of land today just by chance, and just by chance, David Cody was harvesting some Sorrel for dinner that night. David, one of the designers and caretakers of this garden and educational space, generously spent half an hour with me, explaining all about how the garden was built on three feet of cardboard, and how this amazing system works. And boy does it work! I felt so alive walking through all the clover and fava, fruit trees and bee hives. David works with Kevin Bayuk in this garden http://www.18thandrhodeisland.org/ , as well as www.hayesvalleyfarm.com . They teach permaculture garden design four times per year. There are many opportunities to help out too. Check it out!

This teacher is documenting a year of eating school lunch. She takes pictures, gives critiques and lets you in America’s School Cafeteria. It’s not pretty. http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com

Thai cooking is a fun experience that combines all sorts of aromatic spices with fresh, flavorful ingredients. From tangy soups to rich, coconut curries, Thai food features great vegetarian dishes, as well as all the protein options you can think of. And it’s very healthy!

During a recent trip to Thailand I had the opportunity to take a one-day cooking class at the Blue Elephant Cooking School in Bangkok. We prepared a variety of dishes from Tom Kha Kai Sai Hed Phang (Coconut Milk Soup with Chicken and Straw Mushrooms) to Keang Pa Nua (Spicy Jungle Beef Curry), the recipe for which I will share below.

There were three important lessons I took away from this class:

1. The order in which you add ingredients is VERY important.

Before the class I used to add ingredients at random times and after this class, I can truly see the difference in flavor and texture when following the prescribed protocol.

1. It is important to allow the dish to reach a certain simmer point between ingredients to facilitate aromatic oils being released, or for flavor profiles to develop.

1. Distinguishing between ingredients (types of basil and ginger, cilantro and cilantro root) and using a mortar and pestle to crush the aromatics is crucial. Holy basil, for example, is quite different from Genovese basil – you don’t want your curry tasting like it came from Italy!

Here are two great recipes!

Keang Pa Nua (Spicy Jungle Beef Curry)

Ingredients:

100 grams            Beef (slices)

1 ½ TBS            Vegetable Oil

180 grams            Chicken Stock

20 grams            Red Chili (1 piece, angle sliced)

2 leaves            Kaffir Lime Leaf

40 grams            Eggplant (aubergine)

2 pieces            Baby Corns (Angle sliced)

10 grams             Holy Basil Leaves

Seasoning:

1 TBS                         Fish Sauce

1 TBS                         Sugar

Paste Ingredients:

1 ½ TBS            Red Curry Paste (see recipe below)

3 grams            Bird’s Eye Chili

7 grams            Garlic

5 grams            Lesser Ginger (Chinese Keys)

Preparation:

1. In a mortar, pound garlic, bird’s eye chili, lesser ginger and red curry paste until it turns into paste.
2. In a pot, warm up the oil and then add the paste. Stir until an aroma is developed for 5 mins.  Bring paste to a boil to eliminate fish smell. Then add some chicken stock, mix well and cook for 3 mins.
3. Add veggies first, then more stock. Next add beef, piece by piece, ginger, kaffir lime leaf and red chili. Simmer for 5 mins.
4. Add seasoning when beef is about eighty percent cooked. Turn the heat off and garnish with holy basil leaves.

Kruang Kaeng Daeng (Red Curry Paste)

Ingredients:

5 pieces            Red Dried Chilies (soaked in room temp. water for 15 mins.)

5 cloves            Garlic

½ TBS                        Galangal (sliced)

1                        Coriander root

½ TBS                        Kaffir Lime Zest (sliced)

1 ½ TBS            Lemongrass Stem (sliced)

½ tsp                        Ground Roasted Cumin Seeds

½ tsp                        Ground Roasted Coriander Seeds

1 tsp                        Salt

4 pieces            Shallot

½ tsp                        Shrimp Paste

Preparation:

1. Soak the dried chilies in water for a minimum of 15 mins.
2. Dry-roast the cumin and coriander seeds in a wok for a few seconds until an aroma rises. Grind them and set aside.
3. Grind, pound in a mortar or process all the ingredients until well blended into a smooth paste. Add the salt and pepper.

Note: The paste can be kept for two weeks in the refrigerator or one month in an airtight container in the freezer. For a vegetarian version, omit the shrimp paste.

Chinese New Year's Lunch at Town School

Town School’s Chinese New Year’s Lunch of Broccoli Beef, Napa Cabbage Salad with Carrots, Jicama and a Citrus Vinaigrette, Sauteed Braising Mix of Chards, Kale and Collard Greens,  Chicken Noodle Soup and  for dessert- Cara Cara and Blood Orange wedges, and Chef Ric’s Homemade Chocolate Cake.

Featured farms:

Marin Sun Farms Beef

Broccoli from Her Farm

Braising Mix from County Line Harvest