Red Wagon Farm

Sage Brown Butter

Posted on July 26, 2022 by mo

I am a huge fan of herb butters. Herb butters are a simple way to brighten up everyday dishes. You can add them to mashed or steamed potatoes, drizzle some on pasta or ravioli, top mushrooms, beans, or corn to uplift almost any ho-hum dish into something special.

Sage brown butter only takes a few minutes to make and keeps for at least a couple weeks in the refrigerator so make some and keep it on hand.

All you need is

4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped (optional)
1/4 cup (about) coarsely chopped fresh sage leaves
Salt and pepper

Take the leaves off the sage and chop them.

Put the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and let it melt

The butter will start to foam, bubble, and pop, this is good! Eventually these bubbles will just sort of sink to the bottom of the pan and start to brown and it will start to smell nutty and yummy. Add the sage and garlic now, if you are using garlic. It will bubble a little and smell amazing.

Leave it to simmer on a medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes, but don’t let it get too dark. Take it off the heat if it is getting too dark.

When the butter is brown and clear and stops bubbling t’s done. Take it off the heat and add salt and pepper and taste it to see if it needs more.

At this point your kitchen will smell so good you won’t need me to tell you what to use this on, you will want to put it on everything!

Try some on eggs too.

Have great week. See you at pickup.

Posted in 2022, Herbs, Recipes | Comments Off

Reviving Greens

Posted on July 19, 2022 by mo

Reviving greens to (almost) their just harvested freshness is super easy. You can revive any greens, kale, lettuce, chard, arugula, even broccoli will work using this method.

This droopy bunch of kale is about a week old. It was in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. It is still fine to eat. If I was cooking the kale I would just wash it and go ahead and cook it. In this case I wanted a kale salad so I am going to revive it to give it a little crunch and freshness back.

Fill a bowl or your sink with some cold water and add a few ice cubes if you have them. Trim off the stems and submerge your greens in the water for 20-30 minutes.

That’s it! Look how bright and happy they are!

Drain and dry them really well and store them in an airtight container like a salad spinner or plastic bag if you aren’t using them right away.

Don’t give up on your produce too soon! Give it a dunk and a chance!

Posted in 2022, Recipes, Storage and Preparation | Comments Off

Stuffed Eggplant

Posted on July 19, 2022 by mo

This eggplant dish is gussied up grilled eggplants. You could use zucchini instead of or in addition to eggplant if that is what you have. It’s so hot this week I didn’t want to turn on the oven so I grilled them. You can roast your eggplant in a 400F oven if you don’t have, or want to use a grill. Roast them for the same time as you would grill them.

Cut the eggplant in half and rub them with oil and salt and grill them on high for 15 to 30 minutes until they are soft. The time will depend how big your eggplant are. I have both Japanese (left) and Italian (right) eggplant.

I topped my thin Japanese grilled eggplant with yogurt and a tomato relish I made with tomatoes, parsley and some red onions. I added a little lemon and olive oil to my yogurt, but that is all. Super simple.

The fat globe Italian eggplant I topped with ricotta, basil and parmesan cheese. You could top these with any pizza topping and it will be delicious.

This is a really quick meal I think you will really like. Leftovers are great in a salad or with pasta.

Have a great week and try to stay cool. See you at pickup.

Posted in 2022, Eggplant, Recipes | Comments Off

Cabbage Garden Salad with a Yogurt Honey Mustard Dressing

Posted on July 12, 2022 by mo

I don’t think I have ever made a salad without trying to use up odds and ends in the refrigerator and pantry. Today is no different. I am calling this a Cabbage Garden Salad but I could have called it “Kitchen Sink” or “Clean out the Crisper Drawer” salad. Garden salad sounded best to me so we are going with that. This dressing is thick so start with cabbage or kale, something substantial then use any vegetables you have; peas, cucumbers, turnips, broccoli, any fresh greens, peppers, any herbs; chop them up and throw in! The real star here is the dressing, we’ll get to that in a minute.

Here is what vegetables I had.

Shred the cabbage and chop up the other vegetables and herbs. I really like using a mandolin but if you don’t have one or like to use it just chop everything up.

Arrange everything in a serving bowl and make the dressing.

I saw this yogurt based ‘Sunny Honey Mustard‘ dressing and had to try it on a cabbage salad. It’s tangy and delicious and is assertive enough to stand up to this hearty salad. To make it you’ll need;

½ cup plain Greek yogurt (any % fat will do)
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup Dijon mustard
3 to 4 tablespoons honey, to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or more lemon juice
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine all of the ingredients as listed. Whisk until blended. Taste, and season with additional pepper if necessary.
This dressing is intentionally bold, but if it tastes too tart for your liking, whisk in another tablespoon of honey.
Store leftover salad dressing in the refrigerator, covered, for 10 to 14 days.

Absolutely delicious. I hope you try it.

Have a great week, I’ll see you at pickup.