The Backyard Beet Savor the Magic: Homegrown Frisée from Garden to Table

by Chris Mattingly, for the Shuttle

There's nothing more satisfying than growing vibrant greens at home. At Backyard Eats, we offer several unique greens crops to keep your cooking exciting and interesting, including frisée, a member of the chicory family

Frisée tolerates heat better than traditional lettuces and has a slightly bitter flavor. It has tender, frilly leaves that are packed with nutrition.

Even new gardeners can harvest frisée with ease, thanks to our Harvest Toolkit, a comprehensive guide on how to harvest, store and cook your produce. We share the magic of homegrown food by creating customized gardens that help people transform simple ingredients into shareable “garden-to-table” memories and experiences.

Harvesting Frisée

Although this curly lettuce grows in a dense “head” close to the ground, you can harvest the entire plant by cutting it at the base of the rosette near the soil level with a sharp, serrated knife.

Next, carefully separate the layers of greens and wash thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris. Notice that the inner leaves are a creamy white color, while the outside leaves are green; this is a feature of the plant and doesn’t mean that your plant isn’t ready for harvest. Dry the leaves in a salad spinner before storing or serving.

With a little preparation, frisée makes a great addition to this Warm Bacon Vinaigrette Salad from Bon Appetit. The hearty leaves provide the perfect base for a rich, umami-packed dressing, easy homemade croutons and poached eggs.

Chris Mattingly is the founder of Backyard Eats, a full-service food gardening business with an array of offerings in the greater Philadelphia area. Email him at chris@backyard-eats.com or visit www.backyard-eats.com

Fris E Salad With Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

by Molly Baz for Bon Appetit

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/4 baguette

• 6 oz. thick-cut bacon (about 6 slices)

• 1 large shallot

• 1/2 small bunch chives

• 8 cups frisée (about 1 large head)

• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 Tbsp. honey

• 2 large eggs

Directions:

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Meanwhile, tear baguette into 1" irregular craggy pieces (these will be your croutons). Cut bacon crosswise into 3⁄4" strips. Peel shallot, then thinly slice crosswise. Slice chives into 3⁄4" batons.

Thoroughly wash and dry frisee. Transfer to a large bowl.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add torn bread and stir well to evenly coat in oil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp in some areas, 4-5 minutes. Don’t crisp them all the way through — just brown them on the outside. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and transfer to a plate. Let cool; reserve skillet.

Return skillet to medium heat. Cook bacon, stirring frequently, until just shy of crisp, 4–5 minutes. Add shallots and pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are just softened, about two minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in red wine vinegar, scraping bottom of skillet to collect all those yummy bits.