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Growing and cooking heirloom vegetables is the best way to keep cherished varieties around. An heirloom vegetable is one that has not been cross-pollinated or genetically altered and is generally more flavorful than its counterparts. Heirloom vegetable seeds can be purchased from a variety of catalogs and websites and the vegetables themselves are available at many green markets and at farms across the country.
Karen Masterson, owner of Big Fresh Café in Framingham, Massachusetts, is a tireless champion for organic and heirloom vegetables. Many of her delicious recipes are based on vegetables she purchases from John Mitchell at Heirloom Harvest Farm in nearby Westborough. Here she shares a simple preparation using some of John's beautiful kale and squash
1 pound new potatoes or fingerlings, such as Red gold, French fingerling or Russian banana
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
½ large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 pound kale, tough stems removed, and coarsely chopped, such as Red Russian or Toscano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese rice wine)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 yellow squash, halved and sliced, such as yellow crookneck or Costata Romanesco
2 large heirloom tomatoes, chopped, such as Green zebra, speckled roman or Ox heart paste
Crème fraiche, for serving
1. Put potatoes in a saucepan with cold water, salt the water heavily and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes until just tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain and rinse potatoes in cold water; transfer to a platter. Preheat grill to medium heat.
2. Halve potatoes lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and toss well to coat. Grill potatoes, turning once, until grill marks appear, about 5 minutes.
3. Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add kale, cover and cook, tossing occasionally, until completely soft, about 5 minutes. Remove cover, and continue cooking until liquid evaporates. Add mirin, season with salt and pepper, and stir well. Transfer greens to a large serving platter.
4. Add another tablespoon of oil to skillet and return to heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened. Add squash, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring gently, until squash is just turning opaque but still holding its shape, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, season, and continue cooking until tomatoes just begin to break down, about 3 minutes more.
5. To serve, arrange the grilled potatoes on the greens and top with the squash-tomato mixture. Serve warm with a dollop of crème fraiche over the top.
Serves 4 as a main course.
Special Thanks:
Karen Masterson
Big Fresh Café
341 Cochituate Rd # 3
Framingham, MA 01701
(508) 879-7000
www.bigfreshfood.com
John Mitchell
Farmer, Heirloom Harvest Community Farm and CSA
Heirloom Harvest Community Farm and CSA
P.O. Box 1031
Westborough, MA 01581
www.heirloomharvestcsa.com