eG Foodblog: Chardgirl - 21st Century Peasant

[chardgirl]

Here is the more official cardoon gratin recipe submitted by bleudauvergne!

[chardgirl]

chardgirl, do you get negative phone calls about radicchio because of its bitterness or what? I actually think really fresh radicchio is terrific, and it's only because the radicchio we get in New York is rarely fresh enough that it's often a bit more bitter than I prefer.

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sigh, I wish I had a CSA that only delivered to egulleteers. We tried one season to have an 'adventurous eaters' box with all the fun stuff, but very few folks were interested, (although those that were were VERY interested!) and it was difficult getting the 'regular' box people to not pick up the special ones. In the end we had to simplify. However: the restaurants and the farmers market public love the radicchios.

Verona Radicchio Photo

[chardgirl]

I wish you shipped!  (You don't, do you?  )

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No, we don't ship at all, we only sell the three ways in the Bay area: CSA, farmers market, and restaurants.

[chardgirl]

Wow, you have members who don't want radicchio?  I'll take it every week, if you put cardoons on the once-a-decade list.  As far as I can tell, you eat cardoons as a vehicle for fried batter, butter, cream, or anything else that will give it flavor.  I can detect a faint, faint flavor of artichoke heart in the cardoon itself, but otherwise, to me, it's just a stick of fiber.  Is something wrong with my palate?

Chardgirl, are you making cheese from your goats' milk?  If so, please to a cheese show and tell for us.

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first: the milk: we don't milk goats at this point in our lives. Maybe someday, maybe not. Mr. CG first got goats when I was nursing our daughter, I felt like a milk goat at that point, and I had a toddler running around in diapers. It's a blessed thing to have adorable young children, but I've never been so exhausted in all my life before or since, not even chemo was that tiring! Well... maybe about. But the kids were only aged 2 and 4 during chemo so who knows which made me more tired! I'm enjoying being healthy and having kids that can do chores and make their own lunch and tie their own shoes.

Whoa: wasn't I talking about goat milk?

I also trade vegetables at farmers market for some great goat cheeses most weeks, and I buy cow milk (Claravale raw or Straus in glass or Trader Joes organic: none of it is homogonized: our kids roll their eyes that their family is so weird to have to shake up the milk.)

Abra: come on down the coast and set up camp here: we have the goats, we just need a twice a day milker! I would even do it once or twice a week for you in case you wanted to go to the movies or take a hike in the local forest...

CARDOON: Martin's gratin was great: but yes, it was heavy on the cream (he asked I get cream, I cheated and bought half and half!) and parmesan cheese. Maybe it could be done with chicken broth and parmesan? I thought it tasted a bit like artichokes and I liked the texture.

HOWEVER: today was a much 'heavier' day than yesterday. I must do pennance.

Yes, egulleteers: I admit it: I've been on a path of getting smaller, I HATE the 'd' word (diet) because I want this to be permanent. So some days I drink more tea and eat more/mostly vegetables and other days are like today. But I had very small portions of the dinner, and medium portions at lunch, and I skipped the bread wine and dessert at both meals.

I'm now officially rambling, I'm signing off and will post a few more photos tomorrow am when I'm brighter and shinier.

cg

[bleudauvergne]

That gratin still looked pretty good. I wish I'd had some. We're still eating turkey pot pies - hey maybe you could make a cardoon pie! Hmmm, pennance is satisfying in its own way. I'm enjoying your blog so much. Keep it up!

[curlywurlyfi]

People are mad. Radicchio is delicious! Favourite way is to cut it in thick (one-inch) slices through the whole thing, put the slabs on a baking tray, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, top with gorgonzola + grill (broil). yes it goes really weird colours, but mmm with crusty bread for the amazing juices (this is why you did it on a baking tray, remember??) In fact, I've got some less-than-fabulous Gorgonzola that needs using up.... hmmmm.

[chardgirl]

I took a few photos that are food related at the Monterey Bay Aquarium with darling daughter:

This is Daughter under the surround-sound Sardine room. And I had 3 Monterey Bay Sardines for lunch so...

I know, no politics, but the Aquarium is a leader in fish-consumer education:

And my lunch from yesterday, it's a terrible photo, sorry about that.

It's a brandade with house-cured halibut (I think that's what it's called, like a potato pancake) with avocado mousse and and yummy oozey chard gratin. NOT a light meal, so when Martin showed up with his creamy chard gratin... Well, while the kiddos are at art class today I'll be on the treadmill at the spa since it's pouring rain. Otherwise it would be to the beach for walking with me! Spa?? A farm girl needs a spa? Yes for 2 larger reasons: I like to take the small humans swimming and since our home ranch has so little water I take my showers there to conserve: far more important to irrigate herbs. I'd rather wash myself out and do laundry at home.

[chardgirl]

10:40am

Breakfast for kids = eggs and granola (not together!) for him, granola and orange for her.

Mr. Chardgirl had leftover cardoon gratin with eggs.

Me? green tea again, lecture all you want on the importance of breakfast: I only eat when I'm hungry, which is often enough. I plan to drop off kids at their art class then have a great sandwich or something else that might catch my fancy in that area.

Dinner is still undetermined, I'm thinking albondigas soup would hit the spot: I still have plenty of ground beef from our quarter cow in the freezer, both Grownups in our household are pondering sore throats, and it's raining.

Any advice on soup with vegetables and ground beef?

cg

[ludja]

...

Any advice on soup with vegetables and ground beef?

cg

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Albondigas sounds nice. Another soup idea is "Italian Wedding Soup". Some versions use meatballs, carrots, sliced greens, parmagiano and small pasta like orzo or pastina. Here's a recipe: click

[JAZ]

CARDOON: Martin's gratin was great: but yes, it was heavy on the cream (he asked I get cream, I cheated and bought half and half!) and parmesan cheese. Maybe it could be done with chicken broth and parmesan? I thought it tasted a bit like artichokes and I liked the texture.

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Last spring a friend and I picked up some cardoons at the farmers' market, just because they were there and looked interesting. We ended up making a composed salad of the cardoons (blanched) and potatoes (boiled) with a white wine vinaigrette with anchovies and lots of garlic. Topped with chopped Kalamata olives and parsley. It was great -- I really liked the cardoons. To me they tasted a lot like artichokes.

The recipe we followed is from Vegetables From Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider. It's a great book for ideas on unusual vegetables.

[johnnyd]

Yes, we send out an availability to the restaurants, usually with a little note like: "chef's Challenge this week: how much cardoon can you use??" etc.

Cool. This is a fascinating perspective - I loved the delivery route. Thanks a million for taking time for us.

[ludja]

CARDOON: Martin's gratin was great: but yes, it was heavy on the cream (he asked I get cream, I cheated and bought half and half!) and parmesan cheese. Maybe it could be done with chicken broth and parmesan? I thought it tasted a bit like artichokes and I liked the texture.

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Last spring a friend and I picked up some cardoons at the farmers' market, just because they were there and looked interesting. We ended up making a composed salad of the cardoons (blanched) and potatoes (boiled) with a white wine vinaigrette with anchovies and lots of garlic. Topped with chopped Kalamata olives and parsley. It was great -- I really liked the cardoons. To me they tasted a lot like artichokes.

The recipe we followed is from Vegetables From Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider. It's a great book for ideas on unusual vegetables.

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Along the same lines, I glanced at Chez Panisse Vegetables to see what Waters had to say about cardoons. She gives an interesting recipe for a "Cardoon, Cannellini Bean and Artichoke Ragout". The only fat is some olive oil, a small piece of salt pork or bacon and reggiano parmesan cheese. She recommends this as a dish on its own or as a side dish for a roast pork or lamb.

[chardgirl]

Albondigas sounds nice.  Another soup idea is "Italian Wedding Soup".  Some versions use meatballs, carrots, sliced greens, parmagiano and small pasta like orzo or pastina.  Here's a recipe: click

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THANKS this is what's for dinner. I have all the ingredients, that's a key factor around here...

Lunch today: kids ate some cheese, crackers and carrots in the car en route to art/pe class. (every Thursday for 2 hours at their 'school' they're enrolled in, they also go on Tuesday for 4 hours...) I had chai cup # 2 for the day and a half broiled salmon sandwich with tapenade and arugula from Carried Away in Aptos: a little charcuterie (I don't spell in French well at all, apologies) that we occasionally sell to: I needed to get them their turnips and chard... and I forgot to take a photo. But it was a delicious sandwich.

[chardgirl]

Last spring a friend and I picked up some cardoons at the farmers' market, just because they were there and looked interesting. We ended up making a composed salad of the cardoons (blanched) and potatoes (boiled) with a white wine vinaigrette with anchovies and lots of garlic. Topped with chopped Kalamata olives and parsley. It was great -- I really liked the cardoons. To me they tasted a lot like artichokes.

The recipe we followed is from Vegetables From Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider. It's a great book for ideas on unusual vegetables.

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I LOVE this cookbook/vegetable book. I will look it up and maybe I'll try this tonight!. I don't look up recipes enough in this cookbook. I have many vegetable (not nec. vegetarian, but 'vegetable') cookbooks, I'll try to gather many and post a photo or two:

Please do post any of your favorite vegetable cookbooks here. Thank you.

[chardgirl]

Along the same lines, I glanced at Chez Panisse Vegetables to see what Waters had to say about cardoons.  She gives an interesting recipe for a "Cardoon, Cannellini Bean and Artichoke Ragout".  The only fat is some olive oil, a small piece of salt pork or bacon and reggiano parmesan cheese.  She recommends this as a dish on its own or as a side dish for a roast pork or lamb.

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oooooh, I have this cookbook too: I'll look it up. I use Alice's Chez Panisse Vegetables lots. I like the alphabetical cookbooks: I can look up recipes for my vegetable-in-abundance at that time. I'm all out of roast pork and lamb though...

[constanela]

Some of your gorgeous escarole would be great in your soup!

This is a great local blog (for me). It's so interesting to see how the people who sell us our vegetables eat. I'll look for your stand at the market this Saturday.

[chardgirl]

Hello, it's Thursday evening...and I need to go get my daughter from her 4-H meeting: tonight it was crafting. She's going to start her bunny project in the spring. (she loves goats, but she's not old enough to sell a raised up goat for meat, the bunnies are shown but not sold or neccessarily eaten...)

Here's dinner, I'll be back in an hour or less

The Italian Wedding Soup will have to wait til tomorrow, but I do intend to try. I guess the reality of my world keeps showing up: I've wanted to cook so many things but there are so many hours in the day. I spent over an hour cleaning and tidying the kitchen (much preferable while cooking!) and I put some sore-throat chicken soup on, then I made my grain/vegetable salad and voila it was dinner time! I"ll post recipe-ish text on both a little later.

[chardgirl]

It's 8pm, and I've just finished sending out our newsletter. Here's a photo essay I put together with some of the photos I took last night at 'cardoon class'.

So this leads into the question and answer "What do you do on the farm?" I've already touched on this. I like gardening but I wasn't hankering to be a farmer when I married Mr. Chardgirl... My role is nearly entirely in the office because that's where my skills are. When I've been dispatched to go and cut a pound of rosemary here and 12 bunches of thyme there I've never managed to do a good job. I cut the wrong stalks, I cut them too short, I make the bunches too skimpy, I whine about the scratchy weeds: I don't make a good farmer or farm worker! (which is good because Mr. CG has fired me from even cutting herbs) BUT I've learned how to update our website, I do a fairly good job at farmers market, and I've learned how to do all the bookeeping in the office.

Every other Thursday we send out our Ladybug Letter: Mr. Chardgirl writes the article (usually, but tonight he still didn't have anything he was happy with so we inserted info and a link to this blog! a perfect substitute) (Here's a sample from 2003, I really should update this!) info

We started doing a CSA newsletter: a paper note with recipes for our veggie boxes: that was in 1997. Members LOVED Mr. Chardgirls funny, occasionally snotty essays on farm life and the vegetables themselves. Around that time I was getting interested in email and whatnot... sometime later (98 or 99) we started also Emailing our CSA newsletter. Then I had the bright idea to email out a special letter to all our farmers market customers, with Andy's same articles. I had already started quite a recipe index and photogallery, it was a natural. Fastforward to tonight: we have over 2000 live email addresses that have requested the Thursday night 'market' letter: many folks don't live around here or attend our market, so we now call it the "Ladybug Letter" and try to make it more general so that folks all over can enjoy it.

On another subject: our food this week! There are many recipes I've dreamed of making, thought of making, hoped to make. I still hope I get to some of them. Tomorrow I plan to try that Italian Wedding soup (Italian Albondigas!) and maybe corn bread with the kids. I also bought sushi rice and fresh nori paper today, so maybe I can get a bit of Japanese kid cooking with with Son aged 10.

Tomorrow Lourdes and I have to make the plan for all the non-goat food for Sunday's goat roast: sopa, frijol (de Rancho Gordo of course!), unas ensaladas? y mas. Stay tuned. and yes, my camera is working again, so on Saturday we'll both be armed with cameras: Mr. Chardgirl and Son Aged 10 might get a couple more great photos on the restaurant route. I'm off to invoice for tomorrow's harvest and packing: we have WAY too much broccoli di cicco.

I'll go load a photo to image gullet and then post it...

cg

[chardgirl]

This is Broccoli di Cicco: also called 'roman sprouting broccoli' and 'baby broccoli'... This is what I wrote for the caption on my website:

"In the middle is Broccoli Raab. It's also called rapini, or just raab. See below for more information about it. It's the yellow/green spiky-leaf one. The blue green leaf is Broccoli di Cicco. The raab differs from broccoli di cicco in name, texture, color, and flavor being a good deal sharper in flavor from the mustard oil. Raab tastes like a turnip green because it is a turnip."

Because we went away last week (all 4 of us left the farm for a whole week and shut the whole thing down. Manny and Lourdes house sat and goat sat: he's got more experience with goats than Mr. Chardgirl anyway! 2 were born while we were gone. I think it's supposed to stop raining tomorrow, and I'll take photos of the muddy darlings and post them tomorrow afternoon...) the broccoli and rapini didn't get cut. It's cold enough it didn't even think about going to flower: it means THIS weekend we have so much of it it's bordering on amazing. The goats will eat well on Saturday night after market! We did challenge the chefs to buy lots but they can only do so much with broccoli...

[constanela]

Chard Girl, could you let me know what Broccoli di Cicco tastes like? Is it bitter like broccoli rabe or more along the lines of regular broccoli? Is it the same thing as "broccolini?" Thanks!

[chardgirl]

Chard Girl, could you let me know what Broccoli di Cicco tastes like?  Is it bitter like broccoli rabe or more along the lines of regular broccoli?  Is it the same thing as "broccolini?"  Thanks!

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Broccoli di Cicco is an old-fashioned, (heirloom?) open-pollinated variety of broccoli, sweet and not at all bitter like rapini (raab, rabe, etc. ) It's sweet like the broccoli in the supermarket, but it doesn't hold up under ice for 4-6 weeks like the larger heads we all get at the market. Some say the di cicco is a bit nutty flavored, to me it just tastes like really fresh broccoli. and the stems and leave are great too.

I just rinse it and chop the whole thing then steam or saute. With lemon juice and chile flakes...

'Broccolini'!? I think that's the patented product from Mann Packing, but I'll have to checkwith Mr. Chardgirl, he's been researching this forever. I'll either find his old article he wrote about this a few years ago or ask him tomorrow am. His sore throat is newer so he crashed early tonight to try to beat it.

cg

[chardgirl]

It's Friday morning, the rain is mostly passed with a few lingering showers. Breakfast is still a good two hours away, it's likely granola and chai. I guess we tend to eat the same thing for a few-several days, then go on to the next thing. Mr. Chardgirl finished up that creamy cardoon gratin yesterday for lunch, thankfully.

Here's a few photos of the aquarium visit (the Monterey Bay Aquarium) that I've not yet posted: they are food related:

#1 in the tuna series:

#2 in the tuna series:

and #3 in the tuna series:

text in case you can't read it: Tuna fisheries kill thousands of sharks each year because we haven't passed laws to protect them, like we have for dolphins. You can help protect sharks by choosing canned salmon instead of tuna....

2 in the shrimp series:

text in case you can't read it: Each year, tens of thousands of sea turtles drown when they're accidentally caught in shrimp nets. You can help protect sea turtles when you ask for shrimp that's been caught with traps, which don't harm sea turtles.

and one last food-related photo:

this 'diner' is another educational tool, where kids (all ages!) can push buttons for menu selections and then the chef and waitress come on the video screen to talk about that fish and why/how it's been overfished, and what a better choice would be.

I'm impressed at the Aquariums efforts to educate the public on the environmental cost to 'cheap' food, there's a great amount of the same kinds of costs to 'cheap produce' that includes dumping ridiculous amounts of chemicals into the soil, etc.

Ok, enough soap boxing, I just thought y'all would like the photos!

cg

[SMW]

One book that I love is Jane Grigson's vegetable book. It's also an A-Z vegetable book, with loads of interesting information about the vegetables themselves and a diverse set of great recipes. I think it's out of print in the U.S. but available on Amazon UK.

[jsolomon]

Here's a few photos of the aquarium visit (the Monterey Bay Aquarium) that I've not yet posted: they are food related:

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CG,

I think it is very germane to eGullet when we talk about things like sustainability within our food production. I really appreciate you taking the time to show us how you are interested in this.

I do have to admit that I was very perplexed for quite some time about the flash reflection from the toast on the tuna sandwich.

[chardgirl]

Hello, it's Friday midday around here. I'm posting two promised photos and a bonus below. I'll be back later, hopefully with more vegetable photos. I'm taking Daughter Aged 8 to a playdate with her friend who is the farmers daughter at The Other Farm we do our CSA program with: I'll see if they have any gorgeous farm shots today... But Mr. Chardgirl has the camera so I'll limp along with the inferior, backup digital.

#1:

The Vegetable Cookbook Collection: We have more than this (ie Alice W's "Chez Panisse Vegetables which is in the (small) office of Mr. Chardgirl where he writes... but this is many of them. Most of them I don't use much, a few of them I love and use often:

(the ones I use often include the Alice book (not photographed) the Shepherds Seeds ones, both of E. Schneiders, the Wisconsin CSA one (From Amaranth to Zucchini) and the Jack Bishop one. )

The Cute Goat Boy who is surviving despite the evil mother, here he's munching on some yummy frayed plastic twine, but Mr. Chardgirl and Son Aged 10 are wrangling badmama twice a day so he can swig and he goes for it with gusto!

And the bonus shot for those of you who are TRULY nerdy about vegetables: the sous chef Brent at Zuppa (a new Italian restaurant in SF) enlightened Mr. ThinksHeKnowsMost about Vegetables/Mr. Chardgirl that we in fact have 2 kinds of cardoons, and he prefers the smaller, bianco version. If any of you know more about these two varieties, let us know. thanks

(the larger is "Gobbo di Nizza", I may or may not have spelled that correctly...