Delivery Wednesday 9/4/19
Updated: Nov 3, 2020
ITEMS
Yellow Peaches
Eggplant
Slicing Cucumber
Montzarella Cheese
Sweet Onions
Black Butte Chickpeas
PRODUCERS
Forbidden Fruit Orchard - Paradise (WMGC)
Amaltheia Organic Produce - Belgrade
Three Hearts Farm - Bozeman
Lifeline Farm - Victor (WMGC)
Terra Greens Produce - Manhattan
Timeless Natural Foods - Conrad (WMGC)
Featured Recipes
Roasted Eggplant Dip
This is an easy and delicious dip that requires little prep and just a handful of ingredients. It's similar to baba ganouj but doesn't require tahini. If you don't like eggplant, this is a good recipe to try!
What you'll need:
1 eggplant, left whole - or 2 if they're on the smaller side
1 clove garlic (or a 1/2 clove if they're huge), roughly chopped
4-5 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
Fresh herbs, chopped - parsley, basil, dill, or mint (optional)
Heat your grill to medium-high heat (around 400 degrees). Put the whole eggplant on the grill and, rotating periodically, roast until it's soft and the skin is charred on the outside. This takes about 10 minutes, or less if they're smaller. [Alternately, roast it in the oven at 425 or 450 for about 20 minutes.] Remove from the grill and allow to cool until you can handle it. Slice in half lengthwise, scoop out all the flesh and transfer it to the bowl of a food processor. Don't worry if you get some bits of charred skin- it'll add some smokey depth to the dip. Add the garlic, 4 Tbs olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and puree everything together until well-combined. Taste and adjust seasoning. If it's too thick, add another Tbs oil. Transfer to a bowl and top with chopped fresh herbs. Serve with pita chips, sliced bread, veggies, or whatever sounds good to you! You could also puree with an immersion blender or just mix by hand until smooth.
Other eggplant suggestions: eggplant parmesan with Montzarella cheese, ratatouille with fresh zucchini and tomato, or an Indian curry with Black Butte Chickpeas would all be very tasty!
Â
Black Butte Chickpeas
This Black Butte variety is black on the outside and white on the inside. Once cooked, use them as you would any chickpea/garbanzo bean: in a salad or mediterranean themed bowl (with greens, grains, or both); roasted for a crunchy snack or salad topping; added to soup, stew, chili, or curry; or make your own falafel or hummus.
Cooking Chickpeas and Other Dried Beans
Full-soak method: This simply requires that you remember to put the beans in water somewhere between 8-24 hours before you want to eat them. Get out a medium or large pot and add however many beans you want. They will increase in size by 2-3 times, so if you want 1 C cooked beans, start with 1/3 to 1/2 C dry beans. Cover with water. If you are an exact person, add 3x as much water as beans. If you are not an exact person, cover with water by a couple inches. Set the pot on the stove or counter, put a lid on it, and walk away.
About an hour before you want to eat them, put the same pot with the same water on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. They like to foam up and boil over, so keep an eye on them - once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to simmer. Add ~1 tsp of salt per cup of dried beans, partially cover with a lid, and let simmer. Stir occasionally to help them cook evenly and test for doneness every 15 minutes or so. In my experience, the Timeless chickpeas are relatively fresh, and rarely take more than 30 minutes to cook if they've had 8+ hours to soak. But they could take longer, or you may like them softer, so give yourself plenty of time for this step.
Quick-soak Method: This cuts the soaking time in half or more. Put the beans in a pot with a lid and cover with 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a boil on the stove for 2-3 minutes. Put the lid on and turn off the heat. Let sit anywhere from 1-4 hours. When you're ready to cook them, return pot to a boil then lower heat to simmer. Add salt. Stir every 15 minutes or so and check for doneness. Again, active cooking should be about 30 minutes.
No-soak Method: There's nothing that says you have to soak beans. You can simply bring them to a boil and let them simmer until they're cooked. Plan on about 2 hours.
Modern Technology Methods: In a slow cooker, use a ratio of about 1 C beans to 3 C water to 1 tsp salt. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. This is a good method for cooking a pound of beans or more. Freeze extras in 2-cup portions for easy use.
Pressure cookers and instant pots I hear are amazing for cooking beans, but I can't help you there. If you have one, use it!
Additional Seasonings: Once you've brought the beans to a boil, you can add other seasonings besides salt: bay leaves, peppercorns, chili powder, garlic and/or onion, thyme, parsley leaves + stems, oregano, etc. Or use broth in place of some or all the water (taste before adding any additional salt).
If you're so inspired, share with us what you're cooking! Tag us @farmcartfoods