Author: Jay Mendelsohn

Jay Mendelsohn is the co-founder of Stargazer Hollow, and he heads up the farming operation here.  He cares for all of the vegetables, trees, herbs, fruits, and animals here at the farm. Jay is also a long-time professional chef, and creates the recipe of the week as well as passing on tips for vegetable preparation and pairings!

Summer Veggies Paella – Recipe of the week!

Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

Summer Veggies Paella

  • 1 Zucchini (cut into ½” slices and quartered)
  • 1 small Eggplant (cut into ½” slices and quartered)
  • 1 Pint Green Beans (chopped into 1” segments)
  • 1 lb Heirloom Tomato (seeded and cut into thick wedges)
  • 1 ear of Corn (removed from cob)
  • 1 Bell Pepper (chopped)
  • ½ C Yellow Onion (diced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 T Tomato Paste
  • 2 t Paprika
  • 1 pinch Saffron
  • 1 t Sea Salt
  • 1 lb Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • 1 lb Mussels (rinsed and debearded)
  • 2 Chicken Thighs (boneless, roughly chopped)
  • 3 C Bomba rice
  • 2 C Bone Broth
  • 1 C White Wine
  • 1 1/2 C Water
  • 3 T Olive Oil
  • Zest + juice of 1 Lemon
  • Minced parsley for garnish
  1. Lay out ingredients.
  2. Heat 2T olive oil in a large frying pan (cast iron is ideal) at medium heat. Stir in garlic and onion, and sauté for 5 minutes.
  3. Add rice to pan and toss to coat and cook an additional 3 minutes.

  4. Slowly add water, wine, and bone broth while stirring. Add saffron, paprika, bell pepper, zucchini, beans, eggplant, and salt.

  5. Bring to a rolling boil for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
  6. Add mussels and cook covered for approximately 5 minutes, until all have opened.

  7. While the rice is cooking, in a medium frying pan, heat 1T olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken, tomato paste, and lemon juice and zest. Cook for 5 minutes.

  8. Add shrimp and ensure both sides are cooked, approximately 5 minutes.
  9. Combine meats with rice mixture in large frying pan, and add sliced heirloom tomato and corn. Allow to simmer covered for 5 minutes.
  10. Serve, garnished with minced parsley.

Summer Scallops & Veggies Pizza — Recipe of the Week!

Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

Summer Scallops & Veggies Pizza

  • 1 premade pizza dough
  • Cornmeal

For the Sauce:

  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 2 T flour
  • ¾ C buttermilk
  • ¼ t sea salt
  • ⅛ t black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove (grated)
  • ¼ C Atwells Gold cheese (grated)

For the toppings:

  • 8 oz burrata cheese
  • 1 medium zucchini (in ¼” slices)
  • 1 ear of corn (removed from cob)
  • 4 oz scallops (quartered)
  • ¼ t basil (minced)
  1. Lay out ingredients

  2. Preheat oven to 500°

  3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth. Continue to whisk while roux sets up, approximately 2 minutes.
  4. Reduce saucepan to low heat, and slowly add buttermilk, stirring until smooth with each addition.
  5. Once all buttermilk has been added, add garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. Allow to bubble for 1 minute while whisking.
  6. Remove the pan from heat, and add cheese.
  7. Dust counter service with cornmeal, and roll out pizza dough into a 12” circle. Roll up the corners to create the edges of the crust.
  8. Distribute sauce evenly on the crust. Feel free to improvise on the total amount of sauce used, to your tastes.
  9. Add zucchini, corn, scallops, and basil, evenly distributed on the pizza.
  10. Bake the pizza (ideally on a pizza stone) for 6 minutes.
  11. Remove pizza from the oven, and add burrata. Burrata can be shredded up and evenly distributed, left as a ball in the middle, or a mix of those!
  12. Cook for 2-3 additional minutes, until scallops are completely white and cooked through.
  13. Serve pizza with additional grated Atwell’s Gold Cheese, sea salt, and minced basil to taste.

National Lasagna Day – Recipe Inside!

Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

Today is National Lasagna Day, from the list of fun silly “holidays”!

Any excuse to make a lasagna, I’d say!

Lasagna with Eggplant and Zucchini Noodles

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 2 medium zucchini (sliced 1/8″ thick)
  • 1 medium eggplant (sliced 1/8″ thick)
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 16 oz ricotta cheese
  • 8 oz mozzarella cheese (shredded)
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 pinch herbes de provence

  1. Gather ingredients

  2. Brown meat in a medium frying pan, and set aside.
  3. Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onions about 5 minutes.
  4. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes and basil. Simmer on low for 45 minutes, uncovered.
  5. Meanwhile, slice zucchini and eggplant into 1/8″ thick slices, lightly salt and set aside or 10 minutes, then blot with a paper towel.
  6. Preheat oven to 375°.
  7. In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and egg. Stir well.
  8. In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Spread 1 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process, alternating between zucchini and eggplant, until all your ingredients are used up. The last layer top with remaining zucchini and sauce.
  9. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
  10. Uncover the foil, add the remaining mozzarella cheese and a pinch of herbes de provence, and bake 30 minutes
  11. Let stand about 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

Snap Pea & Radish Salad with Burrata – Recipe of the Week!

Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

Snap Pea & Radish Salad with Burrata

  • 2 French Breakfast Radishes (thinly sliced)
  • 1 pint Snap Peas (halved)
  • 2 C Spring Mix (roughly chopped)
  • ¼ C Mint (fresh leaves, chopped)
  • 1 T Scallions (finely chopped (about ½ scallion))
  • 8 oz Burrata cheese
  • 3 T Olive Oil
  • 1 T Lime Juice
  • 1 pinch Flaky Sea Salt

  1. Gather your ingredients

  2. Let burrata come to room temperature
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine radishes, peas, spring mix, mint, and scallions.
  4. Add olive oil and lime juice to bowl, and toss to coat.
  5. Tear burrata to expose center, and set out on plates. Sprinkle flaky salt on top.
  6. Top burrata with salad.

In mine, I split some of the pea pods open to add to the texture variation!

Snap Pea Panzanella with Grilling Cheese – Recipe of the Week!

Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

Snap Pea Panzanella with Grilling Cheese

A delicious summer salad with crispy grilling cheese.

  • 2 C Sugar Snap Peas (trimmed)
  • 2 C Spring Mix salad greens (roughly chopped)
  • 2 Scallions (finely chopped)
  • 1 T Mint (finely chopped)
  • ¼ t Garlic (minced)
  • ½ C Olive Oil
  • 1 T White Wine
  • 2 slices Sourdough bread (cut into ½” cubes)
  • 4 oz Grilling Cheese (thickly sliced)
  • 1 pinch Salt

  1. Set out ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350°.

  3. Toss sourdough with 2T olive oil and salt until coated.
  4. Arrange sourdough on a baking tray and cook approximately 10 minutes, until toasted.
  5. Whisk together wine, 2T olive oil, garlic, and mint in a small bowl. Set aside as dressing.
  6. In a serving bowl, combine snap peas, spring mix, scallions, and toasted sourdough.
  7. In a frying pan, heat remaining 2T of olive oil over medium high heat. Cook grilling cheese approximately 2 minutes per side, until golden.
  8. Allow cheese to slightly cool, combine with salad, add dressing, and serve.

Grilling Cheese comes from Narragansett Creamery. If unavailable, substitute Haloumi. 

Prosciutto & Spring Greens Crustless Quiche – Recipe of the Week!

Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

Prosciutto & Spring Greens Crustless Quiche

A farmers market take on the classic "ham and cheese" quiche.

  • 5 Duck Eggs
  • 1 C Spring Mix (roughly chopped)
  • 1 C Scallions (thinly sliced)
  • 1 clove Garlic (minced)
  • 1 C Prosciutto (chopped)
  • ½ C Milk
  • 2 C Gruyere (grated)
  • ½ C Romano Cheese (grated)
  • 1 T Butter

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°

  2. In a large saucepan on medium heat, melt butter and sauté scallions and garlic for 5 minutes, until aromatic and softened
  3. Add spring mix and prosciutto to saucepan, and cook for additional 3 minutes
  4. Beat together eggs, milk, and cheese in a mixing bowl
  5. Mix together vegetables and egg mixture
  6. Pour into oiled pie pan
  7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center

 

This quiche is a great make-ahead breakfast, as well as being a nice way to use up any extra salad greens at the end of the week.  

We get our milk from a local farm, Crescent Ridge Dairy. If you’re in the greater Boston area, I definitely recommend checking them out for that old-style “milkman” experience!

Spring Greens Flatbread – Recipe of the Week!

Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

Spring Greens Flatbread

A quick tasty dinner option using spring mix as the main feature!

  • 1 pre-made pizza crust
  • 3 C spring mix salad greens
  • 1 scallion (finely chopped)
  • ¾ C romano cheese (grated)
  • 3 T olive oil
  • flour or cornmeal (for work surface)

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°

  2. In a frying pan over medium heat, add 1T olive oil, scallions, and spring mix

  3. Stirring occasionally, heat for about 5 minutes to wilt greens

  4. Add flour or cornmeal to your work surface to prevent dough from sticking

  5. Roll out dough to approximately ¼" thickness — imperfection is fine!

  6. Spread remaining olive oil over crust, and add wilted greens + scallion mix and the romano cheese

  7. Bake, ideally on a pizza stone, for 11-12 minutes

  8. Serve immediately for best taste

 

As a note, when we took these photos, we only used 2C greens — we upped the greens to 3C in the recipe since it wasn’t enough!

 

If you’d prefer not to use pre-made dough, a great easy one to make at home is King Arthur’s!

Radish & Arugula Quiche – Recipe of the Week!

Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

Radish & Arugula Quiche

An easy, delicious quiche that tastes like early spring!

  • 1 Pie Crust, frozen
  • 6 Radishes (thinly sliced)
  • 2 C Arugula (fresh, chopped)
  • 6 Duck Eggs
  • ¼ C Milk
  • ½ C Feta Cheese
  • 2 T Cream Cheese
  • 1 T Herbes de Provence Seasoning

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F

  2. Set aside ¼C feta cheese, and a few pieces of arugula and radish, for garnish

  3. In a large saucepan, melt butter and sauté radish and arugula for 8 minutes and remove from heat

  4. Beat together eggs, milk, cream cheese, feta cheese, and herbes de provence

  5. Mix together vegetables and egg mixture

  6. Pour into frozen pie crust

  7. Top with remaining feta, arugula, and radish

  8. Bake for 35-40 minutes

  9. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center