ITEMS
Napa Cabbage
Tarragon
Swiss Chard
Spring Garlic
Kombucha
Dozen Eggs
Bison Bites (for those missing them last week)
PRODUCERS
Townes Harvest Garden - MSU Bozeman
Wild Plum Farm - Dixon
Lowdown Farm - Moiese
Chance Farm - Bozeman
Dean's Zesty Booch - Bozeman
Black Dog Farm - Livingston
Go Roam Free - Hot Springs
Green Shakshuka
Shakshuka is traditionally a North African dish of simmered tomatoes, peppers, and spices with eggs poached in the simmering sauce. There are now countless iterations, with the basic elements of sautéed or simmered vegetables and eggs poached or fried in the same pan. Whether or not this particular green version ought to be called "shakshuka" is up for debate. Either way, it's tasty, healthy, and goes great with some toasted bread or flatbread for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
1-2 stalks of green garlic, scallions, or both
2 Tbs oil, butter, or a bit of both
1 bunch chard, stems and leaves separated (~1/2 lb)
1/2 lb any other greens you have: shredded napa cabbage, perhaps, or spinach, kale, beet tops, etc.
2 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves separated from stem
salt and pepper, to taste
Eggs: 1-2 per person
Handful of grated or crumbled cheese: gruyere, swiss, manchego, feta, chèvre...
Prep all your ingredients: Wash and thinly slice the green garlic and/or scallions. Wash the chard, then thinly slice the stems and coarsely chop the leaves. Wash and chop any other greens you're using. Shred/crumble your cheese, if necessary.
Heat a large, deep skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the oil and butter, when it's hot add the garlic/onion and chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the greens and tarragon leaves to the pan, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, until the greens have mostly wilted. Spread out the greens into an even layer, making little dents to hold the egg yolks. Break the eggs into the pan, trying to keep the yolk intact. Turn heat to medium-low and cover the pan until the eggs are set to your liking, anywhere from 2-5 minutes.
Top the shakshuka with the cheese (if you want meltier cheese, add it before the eggs are done and cover again.) Serve with bread, potatoes, hot sauce, plain yogurt, or whatever sounds good to you.
Creamy Chard Pasta With Tarragon & Lemon Zest
A rich pasta dish balanced in taste and texture with lemon zest, fresh tarragon, and crunchy bread crumbs. Recipe adapted from Alexa Weibel, NYTimes cooking. Serves ~4
1 bunch chard, washed and trimmed
2 large leeks - sub shallot or ~1/2 a medium onion
5 Tbs unsalted butter, divided
1/2 C panko bread crumbs, or other bread crumbs (crushed croutons work well, too)
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 Tbs nutritional yeast (optional)
2-3 stalks green garlic, rinsed and chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves - sub ~2/3 tsp dried thyme
2 C chicken or vegetable stock
1 C heavy cream
16 oz linguine or fettuccine noodles
3/4 C finely grated Parmesan
Handful of fresh tarragon leaves
1 lemon, for zest
For additional seasonings, try ground coriander, Italian seasoning, or herbes de Provence
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Separate the chard leaves from stems, then thinly slice the stems crosswise and coarsely tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Set aside in separate bowls.
If using leeks, trim off the root ends and the dark green tops, halve the remaining stalk lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise into half-moons. Wash and drain the sliced leeks well and set aside (or thinly slice the onion or shallot)
If using unseasoned bread crumbs, like panko, melt 2 Tbs butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the bread crumbs, season lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and toasted, 3-4 min. Stir in nutritional yeast, if using, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or bowl.
Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 3 Tbs butter, melt over medium-high. Add the leeks, chard stems, garlic and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks start to wilt and soften, ~5 min. Add the torn chard leaves, a bit more salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until just wilted, ~2 min.
Add the stock and heavy cream and simmer until thickened, ~10 min. Once the mixture is simmering, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook to al dente. Drain pasta. Transfer chard mixture to the empty pasta pot. Stir in the cooked pasta, then sprinkle with the Parmesan, stirring vigorously to melt it into the sauce. Taste and season to your liking with salt and pepper.
Dish up the pasta, then sprinkle generously with the prepared bread crumbs. Top everything with tarragon leaves and fresh lemon zest to taste. Serve immediately.
Additional Recipe Suggestions
Napa cabbage is incredibly versatile. It's abundant in Asian cuisines, from Korean kimchi to Vietnamese summer rolls and so many things in between. Shred it up and put it in your stir-fry, fried rice, ramen, cold noodle salad, you name it. It holds up to dressing for coleslaws (like this cucumber & cabbage slaw), and is tender enough to be the main green in a salad, like this one. You can stuff the leaves and wrap them up for cabbage rolls, top your fish tacos with it, grill it in wedges... the possibilities are nearly endless.
If sipping kombucha isn't for you, try a Kombucha Cocktail or Mocktail