Steamed Fish on Kale

It's amazing what a search engine can do!  I just typed in "fish on kale" and what'dya know...Steamed Fish on Kale!  I had my last batch of fish from my CSF to cook up and a bouquet of kale from Tuckaway Farm as well as fresh garlic from a local farm stand.  A meal like this couldn't get an easier or quicker!

Steamed Fish on Kale
TOTAL TIME 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 medium bunch kale, collards or other greens, about a pound
1/2 cup dry white wine (or water)
1 or 2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
3 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds skinless white fillet, like cod, halibut, hake, whiting, red snapper or sea bass

Preparation
1. Wash greens and shake dry, allowing some water to cling to leaves. Cut into rough sections, 3 or 4 inches long; cut off and discard any stems thicker than 1/4-inch.
2. Put greens in a deep skillet that can be covered, along with wine, garlic, half the butter, and some salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high, cover and cook, checking occasionally to make sure mixture does not dry out, until greens are just about tender, 10 minutes or so.
3. Put fish on top of greens, season with salt and pepper, and dot with remaining butter. Re-cover, and cook until fish is done and greens fully tender, 5 to 10 minutes more.

YIELD 4 servings
Originally published with THE MINIMALIST; Rest Your Fins On a Nice Bed Of Greens 
By Mark Bittman, April 6, 2005

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Baked Hake with Herbs

I picked up my Eastman's CSF from Lasting Legacy Farm today and on the menu was hake!  Steve and I have never had hake, but read it was much like cod.  That worked for us.  I used the recipe that Eastman's Fish sent along and it turned out delicious!

For a side I shredded up some zucchini, onion, and potato and made some veggie pancakes.  I pulled from a few different recipes, so nothing to post here.  I do want to point out an awesome recipe resource though.  Food Blog Search is a great tool to use when you're looking for a recipe.  I love browsing blogs for recipes and scanning the comments for tips and tricks.  That's where I learned I can fudge the pancake recipe and use no eggs since I had none on hand.  Check it out, maybe you'll love it as much as me!  Onto your hake recipe for today!

Baked Hake with Herbs

1/2 c. butter
2/3 c. crushed Saltine crackers (I used Panko breadcrumbs)
1/4 c. Parmesean cheese
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 lb. hake fillets (can substitute sole, haddock or cod)

In 13x9 inch pan, melt butter at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine crackers, cheese, basil, oregano, salt, and garlic powder.  Dip fish in butter then in crumbs.  Arrange fish in baking pan.  Bake in the center of oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until tender.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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Cod with Mushrooms, Garlic & Vermouth

I picked up my CSF from Eastman's Fish Market last Friday.  They thankfully added in a recipe to try...without this I would have been lost!  I whipped it up today and it was quite tasty...for not being a fan of fish.  Here's the recipe for the cod you're going to pick up at the farmers' market this week, right?  Enjoy!

Cod with Mushrooms, Garlic & Vermouth
4 Tbs. cold unsalted butter
10 oz. white or baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced about 1/8 inch thick
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry vermouth (or red wine)
3-1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; more to taste
Four 6-oz. skinless cod fillets

In a heavy 12-inch skillet, melt 3 Tbs. of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring only occasionally, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the vermouth, 3 Tbs. of the parsley, the vinegar, salt, and pepper and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, lightly season the cod with salt and pepper and add it to the pan (tuck under the tails if necessary to even out the thickness), nestling the fillets into the mushrooms and spooning some of the mushrooms on top.

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, cover the pan, reduce to medium low, and simmer until just cooked through (use the tip of a paring knife to check), 7 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness. With a slotted spatula, transfer the fish to serving plates or a platter. Over low heat, whisk the remaining 1 Tbs. butter into the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve sprinkled with the remaining 1/2 Tbs. parsley.

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Eastman's Fish CSF

Eastman's Fish Market is gearing up for their six-week summer CSF (community supported fishery).  Sign up by this weekend if you want to get in on supporting the local fishing communities!  Here are the options available and prices:

• Filleted Share for Two- 1 lb ($60.00)
• Filleted Share for Four- 2lbs ($120.00)
• Filleted Share for Eight or Fill Your Freezer- 4 lbs. ($240.00)
• Whole Fish Share (4-6 lbs) ($96.00)
• Whole Fish Share ( 8-10 lbs) ($162.00)
  

What's even better is the many locations available for pickup! You can couple your CSF pickup with your CSA or co-op pickup and get a bunch of your grocery shopping done in one stop! You'll also experience a variety of fish, of which could include: haddock, cod, pollock, flounder, ocean perch, hake, or monk.

PICK UP LOCATIONS:
Dover, Mast Rd w/Heron Pond CSA- Monday, 3-7PM
Emery Farm, Durham- Wednesday, 4-6 PM
Exeter Farmers' Market- Thursday 2:15-6PM
Hampton Farmers' Market- Tuesday, 3-6PM
Heron Pond Farm, South Hampton - Daily 10-5PM
Lasting Legacy Farm, Barrington- Friday, 10-5PM
Merrimac, MA. Farmer's Market- Thursday 4-7PM
UNH, C- Lot, Durham- Monday, 3-5PM
New Roots Farm, Newmarket
Newburyport Farmers' Market- Sunday, 9-1PM
Portsmouth Farmers' Market- Saturday
Portsmouth, corner of Ash street & Orchard St w/Heron Pond CSA- Wednesday, 3-7PM
Rock-OP Co-op, Brentwood-Thursday
Wentworth Greenhouses, Rollinsford- Saturday

So, if you want to sign up, you can do so right on the Eastman's Fish Market website.  Let me tell you, I am not a big fish fan, but I am signing up because I know the nutritional value of eating fish weekly and I really want to support the local fishermen!  So challenge yourself to prepare one fish meal a week and sign up now to enjoy the convenient pick up locations!

You can also find Eastman's Fish at the upcoming Rye Farmers' Market!

"It's no fish ye'er buying, it's men's lives!"

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Upcoming CSA & CSF Fairs

There are a few CSA/CSF fairs scheduled for February.  If you're looking into joining a CSA/CSF this year, this is a great event to attend.  You will be able to browse many farms' CSA offerings in one central location.

What is a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a partnership between consumers and farmers in which members buy shares of the farm's harvest and enjoy regular allotments of food throughout the growing season. For farmers, this provides much needed cash flow for the beginning of the season as well as a ready market and community of supporters. Shareholders join in the risks of the growing season but reap the benefits of the harvest. Each CSA farm has its own pricing structure, disbursement schedule, and some have work requirements. Sign ups for CSA shares often begin in February by directly contacting the farm. CSAs are good choices for people looking for a wide variety of produce and a closer connection to a farm.

Definition from Seacoast Harvest, where you can also find a list of CSA farms in the Seacoast area.

Here's the run down of the CSA/CSF fairs in NH, ME, and MA:

Seacoast Eat Local will be hosting their CSA + CSF Day in conjunction with their Winter Farmer’s Market in Rollinsford, Saturday, February 27th.  Participating farms include:

• Brookford Farm
• Connolly's Organics
• Eastman's Local Catch
• Farmer Dave's CSA
• Heron Pond Farm
• Meadow's Mirth
• New Roots Farm
• Riverslea Farm
• Riverside Farm
• Stone Wall Farm/Osprey Cove Organic Farm
• Touching Earth Farm
• Two Toad Farm
• Wake Robin Farm
• Willow Pond Community Farm
• Wolf Pine Farm CSA

Newburyport, MA has their fair planned for Sunday, February 28th from 11 - 4 pm at the Tannery Marketplace Mill #1.  For more information, visit their website.

MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) will be sponsoring 12 fairs statewide in Maine on February 28th from 1 - 4 pm.  For more information and locations visit the MOFGA website.

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Go Fish!

From Seacoast Eat Local:

Starting the second week in October, Eastman’s Fresh Catch, the same folks that have been offering an amazing fish CSF (Community Supported Fishery, like a CSA) at the Exeter and Rye Farmers’ Markets this summer, will offer a pick up at Lasting Legacy Farm in Barrington for a 12-week share:

Fresh Fish Co-op starting in October at Lasting Legacy Farm

Are you looking for a source of fresh local wild-caught fish for you and your family?

Each week for 12 weeks “catch of the day” will be delivered to Lasting Legacy Farm for your local convenience.

Thanks to Eastman Local Catch – a husband and wife team - we will receive 2 lbs of fresh fish per week for 12 weeks at the prepaid price of $190.00 starting the second week in October.

Types of Seafood Available: Your weekly share from the fisherman’s catch will consist of the freshest fish and could consist of a variety of haddock, pollock, cod, flounder, monkfish or ocean catfish. Fish are cleaned, filleted and packed on ice at Eastman market in Seabrook Beach and then go to Lasting Legacy Farm.

Recipes will be included for “fresh” ideas.

Details of Pick-up Day and Dates will be given once size of co-op is known.
Payment is due before October 1 made out to EASTMAN’S FISH

E-mail Wendy Berry wberry@llfarm.net for additional information or to sign up for this fresh fish CSF.

For more information on the Community Supported Fishery model (and why its a very very good thing when thinking about sustainability and seafood!) visit NAMA’s website and nhseafood.com.

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