Week 3 Harvests

This past week at Lavender Lane has been very busy and very wet. Thanks to the rain, and now the sunshine, the plants are growing very well. Aside from tending to the plants, we have begun building our outdoor cobb oven. We are really looking forward to all of the bread and pizzas we can soon bake.

This week's offerings are:

Canadian Shallots - with a flavor somewhere between onion and garlic, these are sought out by many chefs. Excellent cooked with wine or roasted like garlic with the skin on.

Broccoli - tasty enough to be eaten raw or chop it up into a stir fry.

Candy Sweet Onions - these have a mild, almost sweet flavor. Try them raw.

Collards - good for braising or sautéeing with caramelized onions.

Snap and Snow Peas - no shelling required. Eat both of these types in the pod, raw or cooked.
Salad Mix - a blend of several types of lettuces and greens, including merlot lettuce and mizuna.

And the recipes....

Augie’s Portobello Mushroom and Caramelized Shallot Omelet

Keep the shallots in chunks when you cook them for soft pockets of caramelized shallots in your filling. 

6 tsp. unsalted butter

4 shallots (quartered) (in basket)

few drops of maple syrup

4 portobello mushrooms
salt
pepper
some tarragon (mmm? where might I get a snipet of tarragon???)
3 Tb. goat cheese (mmm? where might I get some fresh goat cheese???)
4 large eggs (mmm? where might I get some fresh eggs???)
2 Tb. water
Olive oil

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and maple syrup. Cook over medium low for 10 minutes. Scrape shallots into bowl.
In same skillet, add mushroom and cook for 10 minutes. Then stir in shallots, and gently stir in goat cheese. Set aside.
In bowl beat eggs with water and salt to taste
Heat oil over medium-high heat. Pour half of egg mixture in skillet. With inverted spatula push the set egg toward the center and tip the pan to let the liquid run back to the edge. When most of the egg is cooked, spoon in filling on one half and immediately flip omelet in half. Serve immediately.

Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews

Ingredients:
1 small head broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped salted cashews

Directions:
Place the broccoli into a large pot with about 1 inch of water in the bottom. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Drain, and arrange broccoli on a serving platter.
While the broccoli is cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Mix in the soy sauce, pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Mix in the cashews, and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately.

Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients:
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
kosher salt to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Spread sugar snap peas in a single layer on a medium baking sheet, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with shallots, thyme, and kosher salt.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender but firm.

Enjoy!