We're excited to share a second recipe with you this week! CSA member Miranda Tucker sent us this great recipe to use up some of those hot peppers you've been seeing in your CSA shares. We love seeing what our members are doing with their JBG veggies - feel free to drop us a line at farm@jbgorganic.com if you've cooked up something you'd like to share. Thanks Miranda!



Hot Pepper Scones by Miranda Tucker

The recipe is based on the Jalapeno Scones in Leanne Brown's Good and Cheap cookbook (a great resource by the way!), but I made a few small changes (mostly adding way more peppers and subbing in some cornmeal - I think it adds nice texture and flavor.).

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter (1 stick) - leave in freezer for at least 30 minutes
• 1.5 c whole wheat flour
• 1 c cornmeal
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 4 oz. sharp cheddar, diced (monterey jack, asadero, manchego, and colby work as well - I think nearly any cheese would.)
• 3-6 peppers, diced (any type works here - whatever's in the CSA, fresh or roasted! I remove the seeds but leave the membranes for a bit of heat, but prepare according to your preferred level of spicy.)
• 1/2 cup half and half (milk would work just as well)
• 3 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and 1 t salt.
2. Use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the dry ingredients, then mix. (I use my hands.) You want to still have roughly pea-size clumps of butter in the mix. (Don't stress though; this recipe is pretty forgiving. I haven't had a bad batch yet!)
3. Mix in the diced peppers and cheese.
4. I get a little fancy with the eggs. If you want to keep it simple, just beat two eggs for the batter and save one egg for the eggwash at the end; skip to #5. What I do: Separate out two of the egg yolks, reserving the whites for the eggwash at the end. Beat the two egg yolks together with the third egg.
5. Mix your eggs for the dough and 1/2 cup half and half into the batter with your hands. Don't worry if it's a little shaggy; that's fine.
6. Dust a clean counter top or cutting board with flour. Plop your dough onto that and use your hands to press it into a circle about 1.5 inches thick. Cut your dough into 6 pieces like a small pizza.
7. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put your scones on the baking sheet.
8. Beat the egg (or egg whites) you reserved for your eggwash thoroughly. Brush onto scones. (A pastry brush would probably help here. I've just been using my hands!) Sprinkle scones with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Bake scones at 400 F for 25 minutes.

This recipe is really easy, and it goes great with nearly anything. In a pinch, one of these isn't a bad on-the-go breakfast even by itself. The pile of greens on the side are collards that I cooked to go with the scones. The greens themselves were good, and dipping the scones in the "juice" from the greens was DELICIOUS. I'm probably going to make the same thing again next week with the braising mix that's coming in next week's CSA.

Thanks for everything y'all do - I love the CSA!