Arganica Farm Club

Hello Dear Arganicans,

We love it when you share your wish-list of items you’d like to see available for purchase on our website. One request we’ve seen repeatedly is that you’d like to have more yogurt options. Well, you asked and we’re delivering (literally)! This week it’s all about yogurt, from the new 6oz containers of yogurt from Pequea Valley Farm, to a producer profile of our beloved yogurt supplier, Seven Stars Farm, to a recipe that is best served with the yogurt-based Indian condiment, raita.

When you’ve had your yogurt fix, take a peek at our new pork and beef offerings, fresh from the family of farms run by Buffalo Creek Beef. And check out our new, in some cases drastically, lower prices for dried cranberries, raisins, rice and other grains.   

New This Week:

• Pequea Valley Farm Yogurt in 5 different flavors
• Boneless Beef Short Ribs and Rib Eye Steak from Buffalo Creek Beef
• Baby Back Pork Ribs and Boston Butt from Buffalo Creek Beef
• Underhill Farms Elk Rib Eye Steak
• Dried Cranberries, Quinoa, Peanut Butter and Rolled Oats
• Lost Rhino Ashburner Dunkel and Legend Brown Ale Half-Growlers
• Producer Profile: Seven Stars Farm Yogurt
• Suzy’s Kitchen Notes: Indian Potato and Cauliflower Curry (Aloo Gobi) with Raita

Pequea Valley Farm Yogurt is produced from the milk of happy grass-fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free Jersey cows on a small farm in Ronks, Pennsylvania. One spoonful and you’ll realize that this is not your run-of-the-mill, off-the-shelf yogurt. This stuff is rich and silky with just the right amount of zippy tang to create a heavenly flavor balance on your tongue. By the way, it’s pronounced “peck-way” and their yogurt is filled with wholesome ingredients and all those live active cultures all the health-advocates are rooting for these days. Our favorite in this week’s test kitchen was the Blueberry. But the Vanilla, Maple, Strawberry and Plain varieties garnered rave reviews as well. We hope you give them a try and maybe you’ll find a favorite too!

Introducing: Seven Stars Farm Yogurt, Chester County, Pennsylvania

David and Edie Griffiths, managers of Seven Stars Farm, have been making all-natural, organic yogurt on their 350-acre biodynamic farm in Chester County, PA since 1987.

Seven Stars Farm yogurts are blended from natural cultures and the pasteurized, unhomogenized milk of Guernsey, Jersey and Holstein cows—breeds chosen to make the best yogurt possible. Jersey cows produce milk with the highest percentage of protein and butterfat, so that no artificial thickeners or additives are necessary. The Seven Stars herd grazes on grass (when it’s not covered in snow), and are supplemented with homegrown and purchased grains in the winter months to keep them happy, healthy, mooing, and milking.

Pair Seven Stars’ rich and creamy European-style yogurt, available in plain, vanilla, maple and low-fat varieties, with Michele’s Granola and a handful of organic blueberries for a quick n’ easy breakfast that will send you off to work with a smile.

Suzy's Kitchen Notes

I order Aloo Gobi whenever I try out a new Indian restaurant. It’s a kind of test that I use (whether fair or not) to determine the quality of the restaurant. It was only natural that I started searching for a homemade version of this tasty cauliflower (gobi) and potato (aloo) curry several years ago. The one recipe that stuck with me involved first roasting the cauliflower and potatoes then finishing them on the stove with a mixture of sweet onions, fresh ginger, garlic and multiple spices. I can’t claim that the resultant dish qualifies as “authentic” Indian, but I can promise that it’s delicious.

Indian Potato and Cauliflower Curry (Aloo Gobi) with Raita

Adapted from Gourmet magazine, February 2004, via Epicurious
Serves 2 to 3 when accompanied with cooked rice

Ingredients

2-3 servings of cooked basmati rice

1 small head cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets (about 3-4 cups)
2 small Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed and unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons canola oil

½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¾ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped (about 2 1/2 to 3 cups)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 jalapeno, minced (remove and exclude seeds)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced (equivalent to a 1-inch by 2-inch piece)

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup water

Additional salt, to taste

Raita ingredients:

½ cup plain yogurt

½ cup chopped and seeded English cucumber

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons chopped green onions

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of salt

Lemon slices

Directions

1.     Position oven rack in upper third of oven. Place the largest shallow baking pan you can find on the rack to preheat. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

2.     Toss cauliflower, potatoes, 3 tablespoons oil, cumin seeds and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl. Spread onto the preheated baking pan and roast until vegetables are just tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir halfway through.

3.     Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft, translucent, and slightly browned. Add garlic, jalapenos and ginger and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning the garlic.

4.     Add ground cumin, garam masala, coriander, turmeric, cayenne and salt. Cook an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

5.     Add water. Scrape up any brown bits that may have cooked onto the bottom of the skillet. Add the roasted cauliflower and potatoes. Mix thoroughly, cover and cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season liberally with salt.

6.     Mix raita ingredients in a bowl. Serve aloo gobi on top of rice with lemon slices and dollops of raita.