Dear Farm Friends,
Don’t let any rain in the forecast dissuade you this weekend….we have a full and beautiful harvest coming with us to Bitterroot Day tomorrow, and we’ll be there no matter the weather. We have all the baby greens, big bunches of kale and chard, the first few little heads of cabbage and Napa cabbage, lettuce heads, carrots, beets, radishes, scallions, herbs (including the first basil, cilantro, and a flavorful bunching celery we are just loving), and one really fun new crop for us: radicchio.
The story on this elegant “bitter green” at our farm is that Sabrina, who developed as a farmer in western Washington, came to love it there, as many in the region do. Seattle has a chicory festival, and we know several farms who have annual tasting/ research trips to Italy to learn about new raddicchios! They seem to be one of those crops that inspire a deep devotion, perhaps bordering on obsession. We may be getting infected a little bit ourselves.
We had had radicchio in the crop plan a time or two, but never really succeeded. We totally messed up the timing one fall and they never got big enough to harvest. Other times we missed the seeding date and had to cut them out of the plan. But when the three of us sat down in winter to discuss growing plans and we each took a turn thinking of the top few things we wanted to not miss out on this season—the things we had to make sure to make time and space for, no matter what else happened—for Sabrina, one was raddicchio. We are pretty excited to have made it happen as a team, and will be bringing the first batch, in the form of some beautiful frilly heads of frisée and some bunches of large leafy Italian-dandelion types, to market this week.
The rest of this week’s newsletter is really all Sabrina’s work, a detailed and meal-idea-rich love letter to these greens! Take it to heart, this is a farmer who knows what she’s talking about, and that pasta dish is truly heavenly.
And if for whatever reason you don’t make it to market, plenty of veggie goodness will be in the farmstore all week.
Originally bred in 1400’s northern Italy, radicchios (a loose term also covering chicory, endive, and frisee) have been used not only as a delicious addition to a wide array of dishes, but has also touted health benefits ranging from digestion aid, liver support, and even according to Pliny the Elder, insomnia. They are lightly bitter greens, growing in a diverse range of styles, including bunching dandelion types; big, full heads of electric green frisee; and the classic burgundy softball most often seen in grocery stores.
A relatively new flavor to most Americans, these bitter greens (BUT not too bitter, we should note, don’t let that word scare you!) are an excellent addition to your favorite dishes and salad. They’re sturdy, but not tough, meaning they traverse well between raw salads where they add punch and loft, to cooked pasta and rice dishes where they balance out heavier fatty or umami flavors.
One of our favorite farm crew trialed recipes is for a hearty pasta and bean dish that was originally based on pasta i ceci- but is now far removed to no detriment. A forgiving dish we’ve used many types of pasta including gluten free ones, different beans, or even mixed in tomato sauce instead of alfredo (because sometimes your farmers forget to go grocery shopping and just have to make due).
The basic formula is:
One pound cooked pasta of your choice
2 to 3 cups of cooked beans (this is a great way to use up leftovers!) Pinto or great northern are our favorites
Jar of alfredo sauce (or your personal favorite from scratch creamy sauce method)
Finely chopped radicchio or chicory to taste
Seasonal additions (we love sliced peppers, dried farm chili flakes, caramelized onions, grilled and chopped garlic scapes, get creative! Clean out your veggie drawer!)
Extra spices (We’ve found store bought sauce never has enough black pepper or garlic. Fresh basil or sage would not be amiss)
Once the pasta is cooked and drained we throw it all in a big pot and hope we added enough sauce to coat everything, mixing on low heat until the sauce is incorporated, the greens have just begun the soften, and the beans are heated enough.
If you’re a little intimidated by the idea of a bitter green, chop up a bunch of the dandelion type and mix in a bowl of regular salad. The flavor will happily hold its own against intense toppings, so embrace the bitter with a side of crisp bacon pieces, cranberries, gorgonzola and your favorite balsamic vinaigrette.
Cooked slowly on medium heat with just some butter, salt and pepper, the greens also make a memorable and delicious addition to loaded breakfast bagels- think gooey sunny-side-up eggs, slices of avocado, a hearty slab of cheddar, and perfectly crisp bacon or slices of thick ham.
This week we have the beginnings of a frisee flood. This lightly blanched, frilly head chicory is great cooked with mushrooms (perhaps with a dijon honey dressing?), tossed with warm roasted potatoes and fresh herbs, or as the classic Salade Lyonnaise- with fresh frisee, chunks of bacon, and a poached egg on top; bonus points if you emulsify the vinaigrette with leftover, still warm bacon drippings.
