Kale and Leafy Greens Salad with Garlic Homegrown Garlic Vinaigrette

I have been enjoying homegrown season to the fullest this week! Tonite, our family of four celebrated a low-key Father’s day at home with bone-in ribeyes from our friend who raises our beef, Jack McCormick of Ellis Grove. Jack provides us with steers for our meat department and he produces beautifully marbled beef. The steaks were amazing but I think they were even better because of our buffet of homegrown veggies! In addition to grilled beets, potatoes and onions and the last of the season asparagus, we made a fresh garlic dressing for a greens salad.

A few years ago, Chris and I took a couples cooking class at the Kitchen Conservatory in Clayton MO. We especially enjoyed the recipe for fresh garlic dressing. I have modified the recipe a bit to use honey instead of sugar and to let the fresh farm garlic really shine. I hope you will give it a try. Freshly-harvested garlic is very mild and roasting it mellows it even further. The result is a savory dressing with a hint of sweetness. I guarantee it will become your favorite balsamic dressing of the season!

 I hope you had a great Father’s Day weekend too! Eat well this summer, Angie

For dressing:

2 heads of Eckert’s Homegrown Garlic
½ cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil
1/8 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Eckert’s Pure Honey
½ tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp fresh cracked pepper
2 Tbs water

For salad:

5 cups of mixed greens and Eckert’s Homegrown Kale
1 cup of Eckert’s Homegrown Sungold Cherry Tomatoes, halved
2 oz goat cheese
Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut tops of garlic heads off (remove about 1/4 “ of papery tops). Place heads in an oven safe dish. Drizzle 2 Tbs olive oil over heads. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove garlic from oven, remove foil and allow heads to cool for 15 minutes.

Squeeze cloves out of papery heads into a blender or food processor. Process or blend roasted garlic, parsley, and vinegar. Drizzle in oil. Then add honey, salt, pepper and water until well incorporated.

Arrange greens in a medium bowl. Top with tomatoes and drizzle with dressing. Top with goat cheese crumbles and fresh cracked pepper. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumbed-Top Pie

My husband Chris adores Eckert’s bakery Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Of course, I do too but sometimes I get a bee in my bonnet to make my very own pie. Thanks to this week’s bounty of ripe strawberries in the field, I had plenty of home-grown berries to bake my version called Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb-Topped Pie. I love crumb topped pies and this recipe’s topping has a delicious harmony of sugar, flour and butter. Tart rhubarb and sweet, homegrown strawberries pair so well that you’ll even woo the non-rhubarb lover!

And for the crust…. I didn't have quite enough time to make my own so I used the next best thing, an Eckert’s frozen pie shell from our bakery. I like to pinch the crust before baking to give it a homemade touch or should I say disguise.

 I made this pie at work and sampled a few slices to my co-workers. I received rave reviews and lots of comments like “I didn't know I liked rhubarb!” Tonight  I plan to take the rest of the pie home for Chris. It will officially be his first pie of the year with homegrown berries. Yay!

Eat well this spring, Angie

1⅓ cups granulated sugar

⅓ cup flour

2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

2 Tbs. butter, cut into pieces

Crumb Topping

1 cup flour

⅓ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and flour and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine strawberries and rhubarb; add sugar/flour mixture to fruit. Pour contents into pie shell and dot with butter. To prepare crumb topping: in a medium bowl combine flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut butter into mixture until topping is crumbly. Sprinkle topping over top of fruit. Bake for 20 minutes: reduce temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until rhubarb is tender when tested with a toothpick or the point of a paring knife. Makes 6 servings.

If you would like to learn how to make your own pie crust in a hands-on class with experienced bakers, join us for our upcoming class……