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Chef’s Plate: Our Katchkie Farm CSA

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Chef's Plate: Our Katchkie Farm CSA

By Great Performances

For the past 16 years, we’ve shared the magic of Katchkie Farm, our organic farm in Kinderhook, NY, with the GP family and our NY friend and family through our annual CSA. A CSA, or community-supported agriculture, connects the farm with consumers by allowing individuals to invest in the farm and receive a share of produce each week during the growing season.

Each year, we have hundreds of people participate in the Katchkie Farm CSA and this year, we were delighted to share our CSA with our chefs at Great Performances.

You can learn more about the Katchkie Farm CSA and the produce we grow through Farmer Jon’s weekly updates on the Katchkie Farm blog here.

Check out some of the great things our chefs have been making at home with their CSA shares.

One of the salads I’ve made with the Katchkie portions is the roasted beet salad. I included radishes, beets, quinoa, baby spinach, almonds, and cucumber. Super simple and clean, it’s finished off with balsamic vinaigrette.  

 With the beets, I roasted them with some salt, pepper, butter, blended oil, water, and some red onion, covered in the oven at 375˚ for about 1.5 hrs. 

Nicolas Acosta, Venue Chef

One of the salads I’ve made with the Katchkie portions is the roasted beet salad. I included radishes, beets, quinoa, baby spinach, almonds, and cucumber. Super simple and clean, it’s finished off with balsamic vinaigrette.  

 With the beets, I roasted them with some salt, pepper, butter, blended oil, water, and some red onion, covered in the oven at 375˚ for about 1.5 hrs.  

 

Mike Deuel, Executive Chef of Catering Operations

Katchkie Greens pesto 

Each week I try to use all of the tops from everything in our CSA bag. There is no recipe, just improvisation based on what is in our bag and what we readily have in our pantry. Carrot, turnip, and beet tops are all great and why should they go to waste? We’ll clean the greens, add Katchkie garlic, extra virgin olive oil, any type of nut, and parmesan cheese.

We make different flavored batches each week changing the amount of garlic, type of nut or cheese we use.  We freeze in small containers and label the variations so we can enjoy through the fall and winter season.

Katchkie Farm Adirondack Red Hash Browns

We also prepared hash browns with the Adirondack Red potatoes, and topped it with eggs, avocado, Batsoula Deuel Farm scallions and tomatoes, and salsa verde.

Alan Hepner, Venue Chef

My favorite veggie (in this case fruit) is tomato. I consider it so versatile. From a cold gazpacho to a bruschetta to a simple sauce, there are so many things you can make.

I cook a lot at home so I use up all the produce from the farm share.

One simple recipe that I did at home is a roasted tomato gazpacho. 

Roast off your tomatoes in the oven at 400F until blistered. You can leave the skin on or peel them. 

Put all of the tomatoes in a blender with salt, pepper, EVOO, sherry vinegar, a little garlic, cucumber, and optional are bell peppers and onion. Blend all the ingredients, serve with some chopped cucumber, basil or any fresh herb and a drizzle of EVOO. Serve very cold. 

Another very simple recipe is a vegan pesto. Just blend fresh basil with salt, garlic and EVOO. Super easy, quick and delicious. 

Andrew Smith, Culinary Director

Throughout the year I like to use my CSA in simple ways that can make a big impact. Either in a dish with fish, chicken, or beef or on its own.  

 

Spring: Sugar Snap Panzanella

Ingredients
  • 2 cups cleaned and cut sugar snaps  
  • ½ cup fresh parsley leaves whole stem removed  
  • 2 tbs spoons of chopped pickled garlic scape and pickling liquid  
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil  
  • 1 cup croutons (made from toasted, day-old bread)
Procedure

Clean sugar snaps removing tops and tails and any strings from sides. Cut in half and place into mixing bowl. Add in parsley, garlic scape, olive oil and croutons. Salt to taste then allow to stand for at least 20 minutes to allow croutons to soak up any excess liquid and serve room temp. Great with grilled scallops or as a first course salad  

  

Summer: Gooseberry and Cucumber Relish  

Ingredients
  • 1 cup fresh gooseberries removed from husk (you can sub fresh bing cherries, pitted and halved)
  • 1 cup cucumber cut in 1×1 chunks  
  • 1 tbs fresh dill finely chopped  
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice  
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil  
  • ¼ cup toasted and roughly chopped almonds  
  • Salt to taste  
Procedure

Place all ingredients into a mixing and stir together till all have been evenly mixed. Best when eaten right away either as a side or with roasted fish  

 

Fall: Pumpkin Pesto  
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds fall squash (e.g., butternut, delicata, or acorn), seeds removed and roasted whole  
  • 1/4 cup dried basil  
  • 2 tbs toasted pumpkin seeds  
  • 1/4 cup chunk Parmesan cheese  
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil  
  • 2 tsp water  
  • Salt to taste  
Procedure

Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds, place on baking sheet and coat surface of squash with 1 tsp of olive oil saving the remaining for later use. Dust squash surface with 1 tsp dried basil and lightly season with salt. Cover squash with foil and place in 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes or till tender. Remove cooked squash from skin using spoon scoop into food processor add in remaining oil, basil, chunks of Parmesan cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds and water. Blend till cheese has broken down and you have achieved a pesto like consistency add more water if too tight. Great tossed with pasta, risotto or on fresh toasted bread with ricotta and apples  

 

Winter : Roasted Maple Beets  

Ingredients
  • ½ tsp canola oil  
  • 2 each beets peeled and dice 1×1 
  • 1tbs maple syrup  
  • ½ ounce butter  
  • ¼ cup ruff chopped shelled walnuts  
  • 1 tbs fresh rosemary chopped fine  

 

Procedure
  1. Pre heat oven to 350  
  2. In an oven safe sauté pan over medium heat  
  3. Add canola oil to coat bottom of pan. When hot but not burning add beets to pan sauté till you have achieved a lite golden brown. Place beats into preheated oven and allow to cook for approximately 20 minutes or till tender. Remove from oven taking care as pan will be hot. Return to stove top add butter to pan and allow to brown and start to foam. Add rosemary let perfume then add maple syrup while stirring pan allow maple to begin to reduce enough to coat beats. Then add walnuts allow to lightly roast in maple the remove from pan to plate. Great as a side or with roasted chicken

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