My Favorite Kale Dish

Greek-Style Kale and Sausage Stew with Egg-Lemon Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Small onion, diced
1 pound uncooked Italian hot sausage
6 cups (4 ounces) coarsely chopped kale leaves (trimmed of thick stems)
1 ¼ cups hot chicken broth, divided
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Heat Olive Oil in large pan. Add onion and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Break sausage into bite-size pieces and add to pan. Brown sausage on all sides for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add kale and ½ cup chicken broth. Stir. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until kale is tender.Beat eggs with lemon juice in heatproof bowl. Gradually add remaining ¾ cup hot chicken broth to egg mixture while beating consistently so eggs do not scramble. Pour egg mixture into kale and sausage mixture. Simmer over low heat 1 to 2 minutes, or until egg mixture is slightly thickened. (Do not bring mixture to a boil or eggs will scramble). Serve immediately and enjoy!

Local Connection -or- Where to get things
Kale is at the farmers' market right now and I buy eggs from a woman at church. The sausage is a little trickier to find locally. I get it from my uncle's meat market back in Michigan or from the NW Pennsylvania Grower's Co-Op and freeze it for spring and summer. You can probably get it directly from the Bender Family of Fruitful Farms near Cochranton in Crawford County.
Chicken broth or stock is a staple in any chef's kitchen. Moms and average cooks, like me, also ought to have a pretty steady supply. For the healthiest and best-tasting stock, you'll need a chicken carcass to make your own. Making stock isn't that hard and you can freeze it to use later, so I try to make it every week. I get whole chickens from my parent's farm and they make great stock! Happy, healthy chickens make for happy, healthy meals.Olive oil and lemon juice cannot be grown in the Mid-Atlantic. Don't sweat the small stuff. These two ingredients are only a small fraction of the recipe.So, here you go: a recipe you can enjoy in the wintertime and early spring! Thanks to my old neighbor in Frederick, Maryland, Pam, for introducing me to this household favorite.

Market Report for June 24th

Yesterday evening I went downtown to the Farmers' Market with my mother and daughter with the idea that we could pick up some vegetables for dinner, but ended up with a bunch of tasty treats instead! We did get some English cucumbers (the long, skinny kind) that we sliced, wilted in salt, rinsed and mixed with sour cream and black pepper. This is a family favorite that ends up on the table whenever cucumbers are in season.

We also bought some amazing blackberries from Dawson's Orchard from Enon. They were $5 for a pint, which I thought was expensive at first, but then I realized that I had spent that much on ice cream earlier in the week. Why is it that I'm eager to spend $5 on ice cream and not sweet, delicious berries? We'd all be better off if we ate a pint of berries instead of the ice cream.

Micela had some free samples of coffee and pastries from Beans on Broad. She brews coffee from every body's local supplier, George Howe. Beans on Broad was this weeks' market sponsor. Beans on Broad features Andrea's pastries and Andrea was also at the market! She was passing out samples of her top treats and we just had to buy a box of apricot kolchi and strawberry lemonade. The best part of the market for little Asha was the balloon man. He made her a balloon flower with a bee on it!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Although getting great fruits and vegetables is enough at the Farmer's Market, the Market also has wonderful activities for children as well. As soon as we walked into the gazebo this week, my children were offered the opportunity to plant a seed (sponsored by Oesterlings) or color a picture for the chance to win a coupon to Dairy Queen. My kids lost no time sitting down at the table to color for that chance to have a treat so I was able to enjoy the Market on my own. This made for one very happy mom.

Sandy still has strawberries as well as some snow peas and promises there will be more strawberries next week. These are home grown and completely natural - no pesticide use. They're also delicious! Andrea's Pastries has also added strawberry lemonade for $1. It tastes fabulous on a hot afternoon.

Lots of wonderful lettuce, greens, and kale from J&P and Philsons. It is looking very green at the market now but within a few weeks there will be a beautiful burst of color as these hot days bring on lots of other vegetables. Please be patient - it takes a few extra weeks here in Northern Western PA.

I have always found it a challenge to introduce kale to my children and found it best to hide it in a pasta dish. So let me share with you my favorite pasta and kale recipe from my very favorite cooking magazine, Cook's Illustrated. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pasta with Kale

6 oz bread crumbs

3 TBSP olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced (2 TBSP)

Salt

3 oz pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 med onion, diced small (about 1 cup)

1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes

14 cups loosely packed kale, thick stems trimmed, leaved chopped into 1 inch pieces and rinsed

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 can (15oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinse

13 to 16 oz. whole wheat spaghetti

4 oz fontina cheese, grated

1. Heat 2 TBSP oil in 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 TBSP garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant and bread crumbs are dark golden brown, about 1 minute. Season bread crumbs with salt and transfer to small serving bowl. Wipe out pan with paper towels.

2. Heating remaining TBSP of oil in now empty pan over medium-high heat, add pancetta, and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to small bowl.

3. Add onion to pan; cook until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add remaining TBSP garlic and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Add half of greens to pan; using tongs, toss occasionally, until starting to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add remaining greens, broth, and 3/4 tsp salt; cover (pan will be very full); increase heat to high and bring to strong simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, tossing occasionally, until greens are tender, about 15 minutes (mixture will be somewhat soupy). Stir in beans and pancetta.

5. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add spaghetti and 1 TBSP salt; cook until pasta is just shy of al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add greens mixture to pasta, set over medium-high heat, and toss to combine. Cook until pasta absorbs most of liquid, about 2 minutes. Add fontina; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, passing garlic bread crumbs separately.

Strawberries!

This was the week to enjoy fresh strawberries from the Farmer's Market. Both Sandy McDowell and Janet's Produce had delicious, locally grown strawberries for sale. Both assured me there will be strawberries again next week.

J&P did not disappoint with their salad mixes and even had some fresh salad with salad dressing to sample. A nice addition to the market this week was Philson's Bushel and a Peck. They have amazing lettuce, spinach, and onions. Both J&P and Philson's will have more and more produce as the summer continues.

Andrea's Pastries was back with free samples which thrilled my children and their friends. If you're having company over for dinner or just want to treat your family, you will not be disappointed by anything you buy from Andrea.

My favorite bargain this week - a flat of 4 basil plants from Sandy for $1. Between $1 vegetable flats and free pastries to try, everyone should make it a priority to come to the Olde Town Farmers' Market next week.

Marilyn's Antiques was the Market Sponsor this week. Marilyn is always so fun to talk to and has amazing things in her store. It was lots of fun to have her at the market this week. It's worth stopping by her store just to see her dog, Miss Dolly.

The market is definitely starting to expand - this week a group of enterprising middle schoolers had beautiful earrings and magnets for sale. You just never know what you'll find at the market!

Since there is tons of lettuce at the market and beets will start appearing soon, let me share with you a sure fire way to get your family to eat beets.

If you roast beets, it brings out their natural sugar, and they taste amazing. Just cut them up and serve them over a bed of lettuce with some gorgonzola or blue cheese crumbled on top. Mix up some balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the perfect dressing. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Beet Salad

Lettuce

Beets

Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese

Wash the beets and cut off the leaves and root. Do not peel the beets. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour or until the beets can be pierced easily with a knife.

Remove the beets from the oven and open up the aluminum foil to allow the beets to cool. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the beets and chop.

Serve the beets over a bed of lettuce and sprinkle cheese over top.

Pictures From the First Farmers' Market

Just in case my description of yesterday's market was not enough to entice you to come next week, check out these fabulous pictures taken of the first Farmers' Market by Matthew Barber.

Farmers' Market is Open!

My children and I have been so excited for the opening of the Grove City Farmers' Market. Every Thursday we love to hang out at the Market chatting with our favorite farmers and friends. I always think I can run quickly down the Farmers' Market and back home, but there are so many wonderful things to buy and wonderful people to see that I often spend a long time there.

This first week did not disappoint. I dropped the children off to get balloon animals and headed straight for J&P to pick up a bag of lettuce and green onions. They also had farm fresh brown eggs available this week. Right next to them was a farmer selling delicious strawberries and then onto the Natural Options stand to pick up some free samples. Natural Options often runs sales at their store during the hours of the Farmers' Market so make sure to stop by their stand before heading to their store.

Next was a farm from Cochranton with some delicious tomatoes from their greenhouse. An unexpected treat! Then, I picked up a pack of 6 pepper plants from Sandy for $1 for my garden. My best bargain of the day.

The last stand I visited was Pastries by Andrea which was giving out free samples of their baklava and brownie bites. Anything made by Andrea is delicious so I impulsively bought a package of the brownies to help celebrate my son's tenth birthday. My children were ecstatic about this purchase.

I hope I've enticed you to stop by the Olde Town Farmers' Market between 3pm and 6pm next Thursday. Since there were wonderful farm fresh eggs there today, let me share with you my favorite egg salad recipe. I must warn you - once you've had farm fresh eggs, you will never want to buy eggs from the grocery store again. You may become like me stalking farmers throughout the winter to find fresh eggs. Enjoy the recipe!

Egg Salad

8 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp snipped fresh dill or 1/4 tsp dried dill weed

1 tsp Dijon style mustard

1/2 tsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Optional - 8oz asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces or 1 cup small broccoli florets

If using asparagus or broccoli, cook it in a small saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and asparagus/broccoli (if using). Stir in the remaining ingredients. Enjoy on a bagel or hearty bread.