Auntie Em's Kitchen, Catering and Local Organic Produce Delivery

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Produce List for the Week of May 5th

Spinach

Dino Kale

Red Chard

Beets

Green Onions

Rosemary

Thyme

Gold Nugget Tangerines

English Peas

Cucumbers

Artichokes

Zucchini

Elephant Garlic

Red Torpedo Onions

Carrots

Auntie Em's Produce Delivery Add-Ons

Email Michelle@auntieemskitchen.com at least 3 days before your next delivery and it will be delivered with your produce!

1 Dozen, Free Range Eggs $6.50

1 Sourdough Boule $3.00

Grass-Fed Beef Meatloaf $8.95 (serves 2)

Organic Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs: $15.00 for 12 meatballs - made fresh to order! It is great over rice for a quick meal!

Artichokes Braised in Lemon and Olive Oil

Ingredients:

1 lemon, halved, 8 medium artichokes

3 small shallots, sliced into thin rings

1 carrot, finely chopped, 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, 1 1/2 cups water

3 strips lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

Trim artichokes into hearts:
Add lemon halves to a large bowl of cold water, squeezing to release juice.

Cut off top inch of 1 artichoke and bend back outer leaves until they snap off close to base (keep stem attached). Discard several more layers in same manner until you reach pale yellow leaves.

Cut remaining leaves flush with top of artichoke bottom using a sharp knife. Trim dark green fibrous parts from base and sides of artichoke.

Peel sides of stem down to pale inner core. Put in lemon water while preparing remaining artichokes.

Cook shallots, carrot, garlic, and seeds in 1/4 cup oil in a 4-to 5-quart heavy pot (pot should be wide enough to hold artichokes in 1 layer with stems pointing upward) over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add water, zest, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Stand artichokes in pot and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover artichokes with wax paper, then a lid, and simmer over medium-low heat until bases are just tender when pierced with a knife, 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer artichokes to a dish and reserve cooking liquid. When artichokes are cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise. Scoop out and discard inner choke (fuzzy center and any sharp leaves).

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown cut sides of artichokes in 2 batches, about 2 minutes per batch, transferring to a serving dish. Add reserved cooking liquid to skillet along with remaining tablespoon lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Boil vigorously 3 minutes, then stir in parsley and pour over artichokes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bon Appetit, October1999

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Artichokes-Braised-in-Lemon-and-Olive-Oil-350606

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Why I Started Auntie Em's Organic Local Produce Delivery Service

You might have already figured out that these produce baskets are my passion. I opened the restaurant 10 years ago, and have been doing the catering for 14 years now. I hit a point a couple of years ago where the restaurant and the catering pretty much ran themselves. I have the best staff in the world (all friends). I found myself in a place where I didn’t have that much to do anymore. For months and months I tried to come up with something to do. Another restaurant-no way! If I were 20 again, I might have the energy to do it all over. But as you probably know, it is really hard to start a restaurant. I didn’t want to have to do it all over again.

While visiting New York a few years ago, I came up with the idea for the produce baskets. Everything in New York City is delivered! Dry cleaning, groceries, sheets, furniture, plants-everything. I would sit in cafes sipping coffee and watch chefs from all of the local restaurants wheel carts of food to office buildings. This really got me thinking. I would bring the beautiful produce from the local farms to my customers who cant get to the farmers markets. This, I knew was not reinventing the wheel, but I wanted to personalize my service. Give recipes, let customers know what farms their food is coming from, pick all of the produce myself, and really inspire people to start cooking again and get them excited about food. Most importantly, the service would give back to the community. It would support local, small sustainable farms; it would keep the money local, giving it to small local farms rather than a big corporation. Which also means that there are less people in our area having their food shipped in from who knows where. Less demand for food that has no taste, that is sprayed with pesticides, that is grown by giant corporations that only have regard for making money and don’t have a passion for what they are actually doing. Less demand for it means they sell less, produce less and ship less!

I also wanted the service to offer “cute” boxes, and not crummy grocery sacks; something that could be re-used over and over. This, to be honest, was the hardest part. I searched and searched high and low for an appropriate box. I finally designed and had made the boxes that you get today.

I wanted a grass roots company. Not a giant company that needed backers with lots of money to start it. That is how I started my restaurant. When we got more customers I would get more boxes made, and so on. I am happy to report we have a new space to pack the boxes. We grew out of the space that we used in the back of the restaurant. We have tripled the amount of customers that we started with. Yes, my team has grown from one (me) to Tommy and Scott (your delivery people), Michelle (handles new customers and billing) as well as Fabian and Virginia (who helps pack the boxes). The farms and farmers that I buy from are ecstatic. I am helping bring their hard work to more people.

Most of all my customers are happy. I get so many emails about what you are cooking, how much your kids love it, how this produce has totally changed they way you and your families eat and how you are introduced to produce you have never had before.

I set out to do everything I wanted and much more. I have a little community of healthy eating foodies, more friends that I am employing, happy farmers, and my little contribution to a healthier society.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

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