C – It’s another CSA Week from Azolla Farm.
This will be week one of two. It’s always exciting, but also nerve racking, getting an opportunities to use their products. I love getting all the wonderful things. They also love giving us a lot of things.
It’s so nice to be friends with farmers who are willing to share their harvest. The nervous thing about it is using all of the products they give us. It’s a lot, of course. What we don’t use, we share with other friends and, hopefully, not waste anything.
This week our CSA box was special. We got to go out in the field and pick with Scrivener. It’s always fun because he doesn’t pack a normal CSA box … usually filled with the normal vegetables like tomatoes, beets and cucumbers.
Nope, ours was exclusive. Pretty much, we got to choose whatever we wanted. We got a few things that only go to restaurants and are not found normally in a CSA box. Thanks, Scrivener and Leila, for the great produces and the opportunity to see the new farm.
They gave us lots of Hatch chilies, yellow beets, bronze fennel fronds, Walla Walla onions, Opal basil, purple daikon and my favorite type of eggplant. I don’t know what they are called, but they are amazing. My goal for these next two weeks is to use as much of this wonderful produce I can. Can I do it? Or, will I have to give it away?
First up, Hatch chiles. Hatch chiles are great for roasting and making into a sauce. Or, blistered and peeled, mixing them into meat or enchilada mix. I wanted to showcase them a little. Officially, Hatch Chilies are only from Hatch, New Mexico … however, Scriv did get his seeds from Hatch, New Mexico. Just in case you were wondering.
I was also in a really big junk food mood. So, instead of the traditional way of using Hatch chilies, I wanted to stuff them with bacon, a lot of cheese and some of the great produce from the CSA box. It worked out nicely.
| CSA Box Week #1 2016: Stuffed Hatch Chilies with Fontina, Walla Walla Onions, Opal Basil and Bronze Fennel Fronds |
- 4 Hatch chilies
- 2 oz Fontina cheese, grated
- ¼ Walla Walla onion, chopped
- 2 slices thick cut bacon, cubed and cooked
- 1 Tbsp Opal basil, chiffionade
- 1 Tbsp bronze fennel fronds, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut a slit lengthwise and a small slit below the top of each Hatch chili to form a T cut. Remove the seeds and vein of the chilies.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the cheese, onion, bacon, basil and fennel fronds.
- Fill each pepper with the cheese mixture.
- Place oil in an oven safe saute pan on medium to medium high heat, blister all sides of the chilies.
- Place in the oven to let the cheese melt and continue cooking the pepper. For about 10 minutes.
- sprinkle on more cheese if there is any remaining. Turn on the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden brown and bubbly. Be careful not to burn them.
- Serve.
- Enjoy!
Creamy, gooey Fontina was a great match for the chilies. What’s not to like when you have bacon in anything? I really loved the basil and onion mixture. It really made the peppers taste like a pizza … without a pizza crust. I didn’t really taste the fennel fronds unless I focused on it. I could do without it, or just add a little more to make it shine more.
I am so excited for this week and the great food we are going to share with you. Thanks again, Azolla Farm, for letting us use your produce. It’s always so great to have you as friends.