What’s In The Box? April 25- May 1
APRIL 25-MAY 1
Cajun Comforts
From organic Andouille sausage, Bell peppers, and okra to light and fluffy corn muffins, the soulful flavors of the deep South await this week, blending beautifully with Pacific Northwest produce like peppery arugula greens, rhubarb, leeks, radishes and spring onions. Inspired by our recent cooking class here at the farm with Matt Lewis of Where Ya At Matt?, who has kindly shared the recipe to his famous gumbo with us (see recipes), this comforting box also includes farm-fresh eggs, citrus fruit and our signature chicken stock to complement the spread. Enjoy!
Here’s what you’ll find in your box this week:
Skagit River Ranch Andouille Sausage
This pig has some kick: spiced with fresh-cracked pepper, hot paprika and cayenne pepper, this flavorful sausage from our friends at the Skagit River Ranch in Sedro-Woolley is crafted from their famous all-natural pork. These pampered pigs roam outdoors in certified-organic pasture land to root and dig, thriving on a diet of flax seed, corn and wheat.
Farm & Larder Chicken Stock
Made from roasted Bella Luna chickens, this flavorful stock is simmered slowly for hours with carrots, onions and celery and seasoned with a dash of sea salt. This week, it will help you create a flavorful base for the suggested chicken and Andouille sausage gumbo recipe from local chef Matt Lewis.
Corn Muffins
Light and fluffy corn muffins from our favorite local bakery in Snohomish. (Just add honey!)
Villa Loren Pinot Grigio
Made from Valpolicella grapes in Veneto, Italy, this boutique wine boasts a light straw yellow color with greenish reflections, coupled with a fruity aroma that features enticing floral notes and tropical scents. Extremely well-balanced, it has a refreshing and crisp taste that lingers on the palate, making it an ideal pairing for salads, seafood, and of course, this week’s gumbo.
Farm Fresh Eggs
As they spend more time outdoors with the improving weather, our heritage breed laying hens are enjoying an extra helping of grain to supplement their diet, and continue to give us fresh eggs in beautiful shades of brown, beige and cream.
Piranske Soline Traditional Coarse Sea Salt
These sea salt crystals come from the famous European Piran salt pans, harvested using a special webbed spatula to remove them gently from the surface of the salt fields, where they form in a thin layer. A wonderful seasoning, this world-class sea salt enhances the natural flavors of fresh produce.
Seasonal Organic Greens
Peppery arugula greens.
Seasonal Organic Produce
This week’s produce selection also includes Calcot red spring onions, leeks, rhubarb, green Bell peppers, okra, yellow sweet onions and red top radishes.
Fresh Fruit
Beautiful citrus, including Cara Cara oranges and Meyer lemons.
Fresh Garden Herbs
Enjoy a bounty of bright herbs this week: Garlic, parsley, thyme, and fresh bay leaves. Also included: fresh lovage stalks, a parsley-like herb that boasts the same crispness as does celery, plus a pungent herbal flavor. A wonderful garnish for pastas and soups, it can also be tossed in with salad greens for extra punch, or used to flavor roasted chicken (just tuck the lovage into the cavity before roasting).
Matt Lewis’ Chicken, Seafood & Andouille Sausage Gumbo
This recipe is kicky with big, bold flavor and comes straight from the expert himself, Matt Lewis of Where Ya At Matt? (Do note that this will make a party-size amount of gumbo; scale down the ingredients to craft a smaller batch.)
Ingredients:
1 cup canola oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 pounds Andouille sausage, cut into half moons
2 pounds chicken thighs, diced
2 pounds shell-on crab, any type
2 pounds shell-on shrimp, tail on
3 onions, peeled and diced
2 Bell peppers, diced
4 celery ribs, chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
16 cups chicken stock
3 bay leaves
2 cups tomatoes, diced
2 cups okra, diced
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup Creole spice blend
Splash of sherry vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste
Method:
1. To create the roux: In a heavy bottom sauté pan, preferably a cast iron pan, add the oil and heat almost to the smoking point, then add the flour while whisking constantly. (Pro tip: You want to add enough flour to the mix so that it looks like wet sand at low tide. Also, don’t stop stirring, you want a constant bubbling and remember to clean the edges of the pot often.) Keep stirring until you reach your desired color, I like a nice café au lait color, but you can go lighter or darker. Once desired color is achieved, set aside and let cool.
2. Sauté the Andouille sausage in a large stock pot being careful not to burn it. Remove the sausage, reserve about 2 tablespoons of the oil from the sausage at the bottom of the pot and sauté the chicken, seasoning it with salt and pepper. Once chicken is browned on all sides, remove and set aside with the sausage, reserving about 3 tablespoons of oil this time in the bottom of the pot.
3. Add the diced onions, Bell pepper and celery to the reserved oil and caramelize until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add the Andouille and chicken back into the pot and stir well. Now, add the stock and bring to a boil. At this point, you will begin to add the cooled roux to the liquid as you stir constantly with the whisk. As the liquid comes back to a boil, the roux will fully incorporate and start to thicken the gumbo. Add enough to give you a thick, stew-like consistency.
4. Adjust the temperature so that the gumbo remains at a slow simmer. Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, and okra and simmer for about an hour. Once simmering for about 30 minutes, add the crab (shell and all). Once simmering for the full hour, add the shrimp, Worcestershire, Creole spice, hot sauce and adjust the salt to your liking. Cook until the shrimp is cooked through and just before serving you may want to add a couple of drops of sherry vinegar to brighten up the flavor.
Charred Spring Onion Gremolata
This smoky sauce is wonderful slathered on toasted bread.
Ingredients:
3-4 spring onions
3 small lemons
2 garlic cloves, skins on
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Method:
1. Cut off the roots of the onions, and trim about an inch off their greens. Cut the lemons into thin slices, reserving the ends for another use. Toss the scallions, lemon slices, and garlic with the oil, salt and pepper.
2. Grill until charred on all sides, being careful not to burn the garlic. Let cool in a bowl.
3. Peel the garlic and mince. Finely chop the lemons and onions. Mix everything together with the parsley. Add salt if desired.
