WendyKate

Maple-Braised Carnival Squash

2012-01-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

This Boistfort recipe is incredible. I can barely stand to look at the picture without eating what's in it.

Ingredients:
6 T. butter
One 3-to-3 1/2-lb. carnival squash, butternut squash, or other winter squash (halved lengthwise, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks)
1 1/4 c. chicken broth (I made some with Better than Bouillon)
1/3 c. maple syrup (none of that Aunt Jemima fake crap)
1 T. minced fresh thyme leaves (or some dried thyme, which is what I used, because we didn't have any fresh)
Freshly ground black pepper
Coarse salt, to taste

Melt the butter in a very large, heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Add the chunks of squash, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth, syrup, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Then cover the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook until the squash is tender--8 minutes or so. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked squash to a bowl. Boil the liquid in the skillet, uncovered, until thickened--4 minutes or so. Return the squash to the skillet, and toss to coat it with the reduced sauce. Add some pepper, then taste and add salt if desired.

Comments:
Oh my. This is amazing and decadent.

Simple Radish Salad

2012-01-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

This is my own creation. It's quick, easy, and tasty.

Ingredients:
Radishes, sliced into thin rounds
Red wine vinegar, to taste
Coarse salt, to taste
Fresh or dried herbs, to taste (this time, I used dried oregano)

Drizzle the radish rounds with vinegar, then sprinkle with salt and herbs. Toss to coat.

Comments:
Liam, Annika, and I all gobbled this up at lunchtime a couple weeks ago.

Roasted Pork with Carrots and Onions

2012-01-21T16:01:00.000-08:00

Yet another recipe from Penzeys. Their version is waaaaaaay more photogenic than ours.

Ingredients:
4-5 lb. pork shoulder roast (we used bone-in, but boneless would work too)
Vegetable oil (a tablespoon or so)
2 T. (or so) pork seasoning (we used Penzeys' 33rd & Galena)
2 onions, sliced into thin rounds
1 lb. carrots, cut into large chunks
1/2 c. (or more) apple juice
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rinse and pat dry the roast. Rub it with a little vegetable oil, then coat it with the pork seasoning. Place the onions in the middle of a roasting pan, drizzle them with a little oil, and toss to coat. Put the seasoned roast down on top of the onions. Arrange the carrots around the roast, and drizzle them with a little more oil. Roast at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F. The roast will need about 2 hours total cooking time if it's bone-in, slightly less if it's boneless. Stir the carrots and any exposed onions every 20 minutes or so during the 2 hours of cooking. After the first hour, sprinkle them with the apple juice. Add more apple juice if everything seems to be drying out too much during roasting.

Comments:
We could not figure out how to cut this roast, so we ended up hacking it to pieces. It tasted pretty good, but I'm not sure it meets our criteria for a repeatable meal.

Baked Beets and Shallots

2012-01-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

This is another Penzeys recipe. Don't let the small ingredient list fool you--it's excellent.

Ingredients:
4-6 beets, cut into large chunks
4-6 shallots, sliced
Olive oil (a tablespoon or so)
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Freshly pressed garlic (a couple cloves)
1 t. crumbled rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put the beets and shallots in a cast-iron skillet, other type of oven-safe & heavy-bottomed skillet, or a heavy metal baking dish. Add the other ingredients, and toss to coat. Cover the skillet with foil, and bake for about 60 minutes. The beets are done when a sharp knife can pierce them fairly easily. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Comments:
This is such a simple recipe, but it's really quite incredible. We cooked it for a dinner with some dear friends, and everybody raved about it.

Shredded Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and Shallots

2012-01-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

Another Boistfort Valley Farm recipe.

Ingredients:
Olive oil (a tablespoon or so)
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cored, and shredded
1/2 c. water
Balsamic vinegar, to taste
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, and sauté until softened--about 3 minutes. Stir in the Brussels sprouts and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender--about 8 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Comments:
This tasted fine, but it was so not worth the tremendous effort of coring and shredding all those darned Brussels sprouts.

Chicken Pot Pie

2012-01-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know it's been a long time since I last posted, but hopefully this amazing recipe will make up for my long absence. As a bonus, there'll be a whole lot of recipes to follow in the days to come. (Even though I've been blog-silent, we have indeed been cooking, complete with photo documentation.)

This is another recipe from a Penzeys catalog. We've made it two different ways--with puff pastry and with biscuit topping. I know puff pastry might scare some of you away from a calorie standpoint, but calorie-wise, these two come out about even, assuming you only do a top crust with each. However, they do have different features, which I'll point out in the comments.

with puff pastry

with biscuit topping

Ingredients:
2 c. cooked, diced chicken
1/4 t. (or so) dried rosemary*
1/4 t. (or so) dried thyme*
1/4 t. (or so) poultry seasoning*
1/4 t. (or so) rubbed sage*
1/4 t. (or so) celery seed*
1/4 t. (or so) herbes de provence*
1/4 t. (or so) curry powder
Ground cayenne pepper, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Puff pastry (1 sheet) or biscuit topping (see recipe below)
Olive oil (a tablespoon or so)
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
1 c. potatoes, somewhat finely diced
One 13-oz. can coconut milk
2 t. chicken base (I use Better than Bouillon)
2 T. flour (to thicken)
1-2 c. frozen mixed vegetables, or a mixture of fresh veggies if it's summertime
1/2 to 1 c. water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. If you don't have 2 c. cooked and diced chicken, cook and dice some before proceeding. Mix together all the herbs/spices and set aside. If using puff pastry, take it out of the freezer to thaw. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and potatoes. Cook until softened, 4-5 min. Stir in the coconut milk and the chicken base, and cook until heated through--about 2 min. Add the flour. Cook, stirring, until the gravy is fairly thick. Add the pre-mixed herbs/spices, along with the cooked chicken and the frozen veggies. Stir until heated through. Add water to thin the gravy to the desired consistency. Then pour the mixture into the greased baking dish. If using biscuit topping, proceed to the recipe below. If using puff pastry, press/roll it out until it's big enough to cover the baking dish. Drape it over the dish, then pinch it around the edges of the dish to seal in the filling. Cut a few slits in the top of the puff pastry, and bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes, until the top is nicely browned.

*You don't absolutely have to use all of these if you don't have them on hand. (Case-in-point: I didn't have any celery seed, and the pie still turned out great.) Just use this list as a general guideline.

Biscuit-Topping Ingredients (if not using puff pastry):
1 3/4 c. flour (plus some extra for rolling out the topping)
1 t. salt
1 T. baking powder
4 T. butter, softened
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t. granulated garlic powder
1 t. crumbled dried rosemary (optional)
3/4 c. milk
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 T. water (optional)

Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter, spices, and milk. Stir well. Dust your rolling surface and a rolling pin with flour, then roll out the topping gently and evenly, turning twice. Make sure it's big enough to cover the baking dish. Drape it over the dish and seal the edges with a fork. Cut a few slits in the crust. Brush with the egg-yolk mixture if you want a deep golden crust. Bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes, until the top is nicely browned.

Comments:
This is delicious. I never would have thought to use coconut milk in a pot pie, but it's an amazing touch, as is the spice mixture. My mouth is watering just thinking about this meal. The puff-pastry version was wonderfully buttery and flaky. The biscuit-topping version had a pleasant crunchiness, with a nice rosemary flavor boost. Either way you make it, you're in for a treat.

Barley Soup

2012-01-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

This recipe from Penzeys is a cheap, easy, and tasty cold-weather classic. It's also great if you're recovering from illness, as I found out recently when I made it for some friends recovering from The Stomach Plague of 2011 . . . which we passed along to them. Sorry, Goffs! I imagine you enjoyed the gift of soup more than the gift of nausea that preceded it.

The soup's ingredient list is quite flexible. For example, you can add more carrots or leave out celery, depending on what you have on hand.

Ingredients:
6 c. beef, chicken, or vegetable broth (or 6 c. water and 6 t. Better Than Bouillon, which is what I used)
1/2 c. pearled barley
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 small potatoes, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c. (or so) fresh parsley, chopped
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Add everything to a stock pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 50-60 minutes, until the barley is soft.

Comments:
I'm making it again this week!

Baked Delicata Squash with Apple Filling

2011-12-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

This is another Boistfort recipe. I like what Heidi and Mike posted about the recipe: "Get crazy when it comes to filling choices and use up your carrots or fennel or whatever. This dish is the meaning of fall. We often top with a little cheese and have even been known to add sausage to filling."

Ingredients:
1 delicata squash
1 apple, chopped*
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 c. (or so) leeks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 c. (or so) slivered almonds or chopped walnuts
Butter (a tablespoon or so)
Water (a couple tablespoons)
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the delicata squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds, and compost them. Place the squash halves facedown in a shallow, ovenproof dish. Add about a quarter-inch of water to the dish. Combine the remaining ingredients (except the salt) in another small, ovenproof dish. Cover this dish with foil (or a lid, if it's fancy like that. I used a glass loaf pan, so foil it was for me). Put both dishes in the preheated oven, and bake for 45 minutes or so--until the squash is tender. Stir the filling once or twice during baking, re-covering it each time. Once everything is cooked, salt the squash halves. Add salt to the filling to taste, then scoop the filling into the squash halves.

*We rarely peel our produce (apples, beets, carrots, potatoes, etc.). It just doesn't seem necessary, because the texture of the peel doesn't bother any of us, it's often quite nutritious, and since we're using organic produce, we don't need to worry about the pesticides that would otherwise be present in large amounts in the peel.

Comments:
Tasty. Liam and Annika loved it especially well. Steve and I liked it a lot too but felt that it could use a bit more salt to balance out the sweetness of the delicata and the apples. (We didn't sprinkle the filling with salt, but I added that to the recipe above, and we'll do it next time.)

Winter CSA, Month 2 (December)

2011-12-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

Here's what was in this month's box from Boistfort:

Apples (cameo)
Beets
Cabbage (red)
Carrots (purple)
Celery Root (a.k.a. celeriac)
Chard
Garlic
Kale
Leeks
Onions (yellow)
Parsley (Italian, a.k.a. flat-leaf)
Pears (d'Anjou)
Potatoes (Yukon gold and French fingerling)
Radishes
Winter Squash (carnival, delicata, and orange kabocha)

Buttercup Squash and Leek Soup

2011-12-09T13:42:00.001-08:00

Here's another delicious, easy soup recipe for you. This one uses buttercup squash (different from butternut squash). The recipe comes from Boistfort. I made a half recipe, and it yielded about 4 servings. You can easily double the ingredient amounts if you want a bigger batch of soup.

I know this looks a whole lot like the Esau's Soup I posted last week, but I promise it's not the same photo.

Ingredients:
2 c. (or so) sliced leeks--white and light-green parts only
1 medium buttercup squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 c. dry white wine (e.g., Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay)
3 c. chicken stock (or 3 c. water and 3 t. Better than Bouillon organic chicken base, which is what I used)
Salt, to taste (I didn't add very much)
White pepper, to taste (start small, because it can be powerful stuff)
Chopped fresh chives, for garnish (optional; I didn't use them because I didn't have any--my garden is sleeping until spring)

Put the sliced leeks, chopped squash, white wine, and chicken stock into a stock pot. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes--until the squash is tender. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes or so. Carefully purée the soup with an immersion blender (a regular blender will work too). Add salt and white pepper to taste. Garnish with chives if desired.

Comments:
This soup is smooth, thick, and delicious. We all loved it. The white pepper is a perfect touch; I don't recommend skipping it unless you absolutely can't find some.

Sweet-Potato Black-Bean "Enchiladas"

2011-12-05T15:03:00.001-08:00

I saw this recipe in a recent Penzeys catalog, and it looked too tasty and intriguing to pass up.

In retrospect, I really wish I'd cut the "enchilada" open so you could see the filling in this photo.

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, diced (no need to peel them)
1/2 c. shoyu (soy sauce) or tamari
1 c. apple cider vinegar, divided
1 T. (or so) neutral-tasting cooking oil (I used canola)
2 leeks, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 lb. chorizo (optional; we opted for it)
1 t. (or so) cumin
Red pepper flakes, to taste
One 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed (or about 1/2 c. dried black beans, soaked overnight)
3 c. (or so) shredded cheddar, divided
Flour tortillas (6 big ones if you want huge enchiladas, or maybe 12 medium ones for more reasonable-sized portions. I used 6 huge ones and ended up eating half of one, because it was ridiculously enormous.)
Salsa
Sour cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the potatoes, shoyu/tamari, and 2/3 c. of the apple cider vinegar into a large saucepan over medium-ish heat. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the saucepan and boil, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are very soft and the liquid is mostly absorbed (30 minutes or so).* Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic, stir to coat, then add the chorizo and cumin and cook until everything is wonderfully fragrant and the chorizo is cooked through. Add the remaining 1/3 c. of apple cider vinegar, the pepper flakes, and the black beans. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pan, and continue to cook until it looks and smells too delicious not to taste. When the sweet potatoes are soft, mash them (but leave them somewhat lumpy). Combine the sweet potatoes with the chorizo/bean deliciousness, and stir in 1 c. of the cheddar. Divide the mixture evenly between the tortillas. Fold and roll each filled tortilla the way you would a chimichanga (go to the link and scroll down for photos of this process; skip the toothpick part unless you want to be picking splinters out of your teeth). Snuggle the filled tortillas together in a lightly greased 9x13" pan. Even if you pack them super tightly, you may end up needing a smaller auxiliary pan to hold the overflow tortillas. Top the tortillas with the rest of the cheddar. Bake them at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble. Then broil them for 3-5 minutes more, until the cheese is golden brown. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

*I actually had a lot of trouble with this step. I cooked those darned sweet potatoes for a long time, and I kept having to add more vinegar and shoyu, because it was absorbing (I suspect it was actually evaporating) at a rapid rate, while the sweet potatoes remained resolutely firm. I think part of the issue was that I cut the sweet potatoes into large-ish chunks. Dice would've cooked through more quickly. I've also upped the amount of liquid in the recipe to help, and I think covering the saucepan (which the source recipe didn't mention and I didn't do) should keep the liquid around longer. I'll admit that the instructions I've posted in the recipe are a bit of a guess; I'll update the recipe more firmly once I've tried my new method (I'd welcome your comments if you try it). It's possible that you may actually end up needing to uncover the saucepan to allow some liquid to evaporate once the sweet potatoes soften. I do think this recipe is worth a try, though. After all, I loved the finished product despite the procedural difficulties.

Comments:
These were delicious. We all liked them well, and we'll definitely make them again. The cheese on top formed a delicious crust on the flour tortillas, and the filling had a wonderful spicy-sweetness to it. I put enchiladas in quotation marks in the recipe title, because these are not like any enchiladas I've ever had. I'm used to my enchiladas being made with corn tortillas and drenched in sauce. These were much drier (prior to the application of salsa and sour cream). And in texture, they were really more like chimichangas, though without the deep-frying.

Esau's Soup

2011-11-29T10:36:00.001-08:00

I originally got this recipe from a Penzeys catalog; it was called Red, Red Soup. When looking [unsuccessfully] for a link to it, I found a virtually identical version here. The soup's two names come from the biblical account of Jacob and Esau--specifically the time when a very tired and hungry Esau (who, as an interesting side note, was very red and hairy at birth) got home, saw Jacob cooking some lentil stew, and demanded, "Give me some of that red stew!"

As you can see, this soup, unlike Jacob's, is not in fact red. But don't let that deter you.

Ingredients:
Olive oil (a couple tablespoons)
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 potato, roughly chopped
The cloves from 1 garlic bulb, peeled and roughly chopped
At least 1 c. red lentils (I probably used about 1 1/2 c.)
6 c. vegetable or chicken broth (or 6 c. of water and 6 t. of Better than Bouillon, which is what I used)*
2 bay leaves
2 lemons, halved (if you're using lemons that are really big, you might want to use just one)
Ground cumin (1/2 t. or so)
Ground cayenne, to taste
Salt, to taste (I didn't add much at all, because I didn't think it needed much)
Fresh parsley, chopped (optional; I didn't use it, because I didn't have any)

Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook until soft--about 5 minutes. Then add the celery, carrots, potato, and half of the chopped garlic. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies begin to soften a bit. Add the lentils and the broth, stir to combine, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes. Then add the bay leaves, the remaining garlic, and two of the lemon halves (save the other two for later). Cook for 10 more minutes, then remove the bay leaves and compost them. Using tongs, squeeze the juice from the cooked lemon halves and stir it into the soup. Squeeze the juice from the two fresh lemon halves as well, and stir it into the soup too. Compost all the lemon halves. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender (in batches, if the latter), carefully purée the soup. Stir in the cumin, cayenne, and salt. Garnish individual servings with parsley (if using) and an extra dash of cayenne, if you like.

* Both source recipes called for only 4 c. of broth, so that's what I initially added. Once I puréed it, it was so thick that it was kind of like a cross between mashed potatoes and soup. I wanted it a bit soupier, so I added some extra broth. It was still nice and thick the way I made it.

Comments:
This was absolutely delicious--we all thought so. It was so creamy and flavorful that Steve almost couldn't believe it didn't have any cream in it. I have a feeling it will be making its way into our stock pot on a regular basis this winter. The lemon and cumin were great touches. And I love that the soup is so inexpensive to make!

Garlic Mashed Parsnips

2011-11-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

I've occasionally heard people talk about mashing parsnips like potatoes, and since I have so many parsnips on hand right now, I decided to try it. This particular recipe comes from here. I made 3 pounds' worth of mash, but I'll do what the recipe's creator did and list amounts for a 1-pound recipe instead.

Ingredients:
1 lb. parsnips, chopped into big pieces
4-6 cloves of garlic, peeled but not chopped (you could use granulated garlic instead)
1/3 c. (or so) milk
1 t. dried parsley (you could use chopped fresh parsley instead)
1 T. butter
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Put the parsnips in a pot and cover them generously with cold water. Bring the water to a boil. Add the garlic cloves to the boiling water, and continue boiling until the parsnips are tender. Drain. Add the milk, parsley, and butter, and mash everything together. (I, like the recipe's creator, used an immersion blender, and it worked well. You could also use a food processor or even a mixer.) Once everything is mashed up, taste the mixture and then add salt and pepper as desired.

Comments:
These are really yummy. I'm glad I made such a big batch, because we're going to enjoy the leftovers!

Italian Kale with Almonds and Raisins

2011-11-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

Happy American Thanksgiving, everyone! In honor of Thanksgiving, here's a thoroughly unThanksgiving recipe. (That doesn't mean it doesn't make you want to give thanks!)

I've cooked with kale before, but this is the first time I've used Italian kale (a.k.a. lacinato kale). I got the recipe from Boistfort. I know a lot of my recipes lately have come from their site; they just have such a great database of recipes! You could make this with regular kale instead if you don't have any lacinato.

Ingredients:
1 bunch lacinato (or regular) kale
1 T. olive oil, divided
1/4 c. (or so) slivered almonds
4-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 c. water
1/4 c. (or so) raisins
1/2 t. salt (Seriously, start with just this much. You can always add more after cooking if you want.)

Remove the stems from the kale, and save them for another recipe (or compost them). Coarsely chop the kale greens. Heat 1/2 T. of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until they're beautifully golden and fragrant. Remove the almonds from the skillet and set aside. Add the remaining 1/2 T. of olive oil to the skillet, along with the sliced garlic. Cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently, until the garlic starts to brown just a little. Don't let it burn, though. Add the water, kale, raisins, and salt. Toss/stir to coat. Cover the skillet and cook until kale is tender (about 8 minutes), stirring once halfway through the cooking time. Stir in the almonds.

Comments:
This is simple and delicious; it's got great flavor without being overwhelmingly salty. Of everyone at the table, Steve was its biggest fan. He thought it was fantastic.

Celery-Root Bisque

2011-11-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

This is actually a hybrid recipe of this one and this one from the Boistfort site. This is my first experience cooking with celery root.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced (about 2 c.)
1 large onion, chopped
Celery root (celeriac), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 5 1/2 c.)
Russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 12 oz.)
2 c. chopped celery stalks (including leaves)
1 1/2 t. minced fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
7 c. chicken broth (or 7c. water and 7 t. chicken base, which is what I used)
1/3 c. whipping cream
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Additional chopped fresh thyme (as a garnish)

Melt the butter with the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. When sizzling subsides, add the leeks and onion, and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the celery-root cubes, potato cubes, chopped celery, 1 1/2 t. thyme, and the bay leaf. Add broth, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. Compost bay leaf (oops--I forgot to do this and puréed it together with everything else). Using immersion blender, carefully purée soup in pot. (Alternately, carefully purée in batches in a regular blender or food processor.) Stir cream into soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with additional chopped thyme.

Comments:
This is very, very good. It's smooth, rich (but not overly so), and has a beautiful celery flavor. The chopped thyme sprinkled on top complements the flavor of the bisque so well.

Happy birthday, Steve!

Stir-Fried Radish Greens

2011-11-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

I've been holding on to this recipe for months now, waiting for another bunch of radishes. I found the recipe here, though I've since found several similar ones elsewhere online.

Ingredients:
1 T. (or so) sesame oil
Freshly pressed garlic (a couple cloves)
Radish greens (1 bunch), roughly chopped
1 T. (or so) shoyu (soy sauce) or tamari
1 t. (or so) rice vinegar
Hot sauce, to taste (we used Sriracha)

Put the sesame oil and garlic in a small, unheated skillet. Put over medium heat and cook until the garlic is sizzling and fragrant but not browned. Add the radish greens and stir/toss to combine. Continue cooking until the radish greens are wilted and tender--a couple minutes. Transfer the greens and garlic to a small bowl (discarding any liquid left in the skillet). Add the shoyu and rice vinegar to the greens, and toss to combine. Add hot sauce to taste. You can add the hot sauce to individual servings if desired.

Comments:
These were absolutely delicious; I look forward to repeating the recipe. The one downside is that radish greens reduce so much during cooking that we were left with a total of maybe half a cup once I cooked them. One of the similar recipes I found mentioned using chard in addition to the radish greens or instead of them. That could definitely increase the yield and subsequent deliciousness.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

2011-11-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

I've always been intrigued by the idea of twice-baked potatoes. They just seem like one of those naughty, delicious comfort foods that immediately decrease artery function by 50 percent. This is the first time I've ever made them, and it's also the first time I've ever tasted them. I got the recipe from Penzeys. I won't say it's healthy, but I think it's downright artery-friendly compared to some T-B-P recipes.

Ingredients:
2 medium russet potatoes
1 T. butter
1/2 c. (or so) cheese (I used shredded white cheddar)
2 T. sour cream or Greek yogurt
Seasoning of choice, to taste (I used Northwoods Seasoning)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Poke the potatoes several times with a fork. Bake them right on the oven rack for 1 hour, then remove them from the oven (but keep the oven on). Let the potatoes cool until you can handle them without burning yourself. Cut each one in half lengthwise. Scoop out the innards, leaving just enough potato in the skins so that they keep their shape. Put the potato innards into a bowl along with the butter, and break up/stir until the butter is melted. Add the cheese, sour cream, and seasoning. Mash everything together. Then scoop the mixture back into the potato skins. Put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (foil should work too). Bake for 15 minutes, then broil for another 5 minutes until they're pleasantly browned.

Comments:
Yum. These were a hit.

Apple-Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal

2011-11-20T15:40:00.001-08:00

I know this one is a little out-there for a CSA recipe, but we did indeed get apples in our CSA box this month, so it's not cheating to post this! I came up with this particular iteration of the apple-cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal concept on my own, though I realize many people have done this before me.

Ingredients:
4 c. water
2 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. (or so) raisins
1 1/2 t. (or so) ground cinnamon
1 large-ish apple, chopped
Brown sugar, to taste (I probably used about 1/4 c.)

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the oats to the boiling water and stir. Reduce heat so the mixture is barely simmering. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the raisins, and continue cooking for another couple minutes, until the liquid is fairly well absorbed and the oatmeal is the desired consistency. (If it gets too thick, you can add a little water or milk to thin it out a bit.) Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the cinnamon, apple, and brown sugar.

Comments:
This was a perfect breakfast for a snowy Saturday morning (a rarity around here). Everybody liked the oatmeal; Liam and Annika were particularly vocal and enthusiastic in their enjoyment. Steve thought it could stand to be a bit sweeter, but that problem can be easily remedied by having more brown sugar available for individual servings. I figure it's better to err on the side of not-sweet-enough and let people add more sugar as they see fit.

Sautéed Chanterelles

2011-11-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled to see chanterelles in our share this month. I've heard rave reviews but have never (before now) had occasion to verify them for myself. This recipe comes from Boistfort.

Ingredients:
Butter (a tablespoon or so)
Olive oil (a tablespoon or so)
Fresh chanterelles (half a pound or so), halved or quartered depending on size
Dry white wine (a splash or two)
Coarse salt, to tast
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh herb of choice (I used about a tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme)
Lemon juice, to taste

Melt butter with oil in a skillet over moderately high heat. Once the foaming mixture quiets down, add the chanterelles and sauté, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes or so. Then add the salt, pepper, and wine. Cook, stirring frequently, for a few more minutes--until the wine has evaporated and the chanterelles are pleasantly tender. Transfer the chanterelles (but not the remaining butter/oil mixture) to a bowl. Add the chopped herbs and lemon juice, and toss to coat.

Comments:
Mmmmmmm. Chanterelles definitely deserve the rave reviews. And this method of preparing them definitely bears repeating.

Black Bean Soup

2011-11-17T16:01:00.001-08:00

This is one of our trusty stand-by recipes. It ranks among my favorites because it is:

1. inexpensive,
2. easy,
3. healthy, and
4. delicious.

I got the original recipe from Stephanie O'Dea (a.k.a. The Crock-Pot Lady). A bonus about her slow-cooker blog is that almost all the recipes are gluten free. Which I'm not. But I know lots of people who are, so I can still appreciate it!

I'm not sure which labels/tags to attach to this recipe, because you really could probably use almost any veggie combination you wanted in it. I've tried lots of different veggies. This time around, I used a couple large carrots, some radishes, and some corn that I had in the freezer from our Pigman's summer CSA.

Ingredients:
Black beans (three 15-oz. cans, drained and rinsed, or about 1 1/2 c. dry beans that you've soaked overnight and then drained)
Tomatoes (one 15-oz. can [I use diced with green chiles] or a couple fresh tomatoes, chopped)
Your choice of veggies, chopped if needed (a pound or so. I've used a bag of unthawed frozen organic veggies in the past, and that works great too.)
3 c. broth (or 3 t. Organic Better than Bouillon base and 3 c. water)
Hot sauce, to taste (enough to add flavor but not a lot of heat)
Garnishes (any or all of the following: shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, lime wedges, more hot sauce)
Tortilla chips

Put the beans, tomatoes, veggies, broth, and hot sauce in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally if you, like me, can't just let it cook undisturbed. Using an immersion blender, carefully purée the soup until it's smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can carefully transfer the soup--in batches--to a regular blender and carefully purée it that way. You may notice that I'm using the word carefully a lot. That's because this soup is, not surprisingly, hot. Stir more hot sauce into individual bowls as desired (I always add a lot), and garnish with some or all of what I listed. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping. You can also crumble chips over the top if you like.

Comments:
Need I repeat that this soup is inexpensive, easy, healthy, and delicious?

Winter CSA, Month 1 (November)

2011-11-17T15:32:00.001-08:00

We got our first Boistfort Valley Farm winter CSA box yesterday! I'm so excited that we don't have to go on a seven-month CSA hiatus. Here's what was in the box:

You may notice the change in photo locale.

Everything will have to migrate from the kitchen counter to the kitchen table for the next few months,

because the monthly winter deliveries are, as you can see, significantly larger than the weekly summer ones.

Apples

Beets

Brussels Sprouts

Buttercup Squash

Butternut Squash (This wasn't on our list, but it was in the box. I think maybe we got it because the pie pumpkin is so teeny.)

Carrots

Celeriac (a.k.a. celery root)

Celery

Chanterelles (I was super excited to see these)

Delicata Squash

Garlic

Gourds (not edible)

Italian Kale

Leeks

Parsnips

Pears

Pie Pumpkin (a cute, tiny little one!)

Radishes

Russet potatoes

Thyme

Yellow onions

Simmered Cabbage with Bacon

2011-11-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

I got this cabbage recipe here (it's called Wilted Cabbage on that site).

Ingredients:
Bacon, chopped (about 12 slices)
Onion, chopped (about 2 c.)
1/3 to 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. vinegar (I used chive vinegar, and it was a good choice)
2 t. salt, plus more to add later
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large head of cabbage, shredded (we probably had about 14 c. once we shredded ours)

Cook the chopped bacon until crisp in a huge skillet over medium heat. If you don't have a huge skillet, I recommend using a stock pot. This is a lot of cabbage. Once the bacon is crisp, remove it from the skillet/pot, but leave the bacon grease and keep the stove on. Add the onion, sugar, vinegar, 2 t. of the salt, and the pepper to the hot bacon grease. Stir to combine, then add the cabbage. You may have to add it in batches and wait until a batch has cooked down a bit before you can add more, unless you want a stovetop covered with cascading cabbage. Cook uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the cabbage has reached your desired level of tenderness, it's ready. Add more salt or sugar if needed. Serve the cabbage sprinkled with the bacon.

Comments:
This was tasty. Steve said he thought it would have been even better with either less sugar or more salt. After hearing him say that, I realized I totally agreed, which is why I changed the recipe to include a sugar range, so to speak, rather than a specific amount.

Roasted Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes)

2011-11-14T15:05:00.001-08:00

I don't know if you know this about Jerusalem artichokes, but they are neither from Jerusalem nor artichokes. Perhaps you've never even heard of a Jerusalem artichoke/sunchoke before. In that case, I can tell you that it's the tuber from a type of flower similar to the sunflower that is native to North America. I was thrilled to get sunchokes in the final delivery of our summer Pigman's CSA, because I'd never prepared, eaten, or even seen them before. I decided to roast them along with the sirloin tip roast we were having (from our quarter of beef).

Ingredients:
Sunchokes, scrubbed and peeled*
Seasoning, if desired

Preheat the oven. I preheated ours to 300 degrees F, because that's the temperature I was using to somewhat slowly cook the sirloin tip roast around which I nestled the sunchokes. But if you were just doing sunchokes, you could probably turn up the heat to 350 or more. They'd roast more quickly that way and perhaps brown better; you'd just have to keep an eye on them. Anyway, place the sunchokes in an oven-safe dish. Roast them in the preheated oven until they're fairly tender; a sharp knife should pierce all the way through one without much difficulty when they're tender. (Ours probably took an hour or more to cook at 300 degrees F.) Season the roasted sunchokes if you like.

* As you can probably tell from the photo above, I didn't actually peel the sunchokes before roasting them. I had read that the peel was edible, so I just scrubbed the sunchokes really well. It turns out that you can indeed eat the peel. But despite all my efforts at scrubbing, the sunchokes were still gritty. (Now that's some seriously tenacious earth.) After inadvertently polishing my teeth a bit with the grit from one piece of roasted sunchoke, I decided to peel the rest. It would've been significantly easier, I think, to do so before roasting. I certainly will next time.

Comments:
These were decent in texture and flavor, but I'm going to withhold final judgment until I can try this recipe again with peeled sunchokes. The grittiness and post-roast peeling process made it difficult for me to give them a fair trial this time.

Baked Acorn Squash with Apple Filling

2011-11-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

I was hoping we'd get acorn squash this week so we could try this recipe. It's another Penzeys one, though I can't find it on their site.

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
2 T. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. (4 T.) melted butter, divided
1 c. peeled, cored, and chopped tart apples (e.g., Granny Smith)
Zest from 1 orange
2 T. raisins
A dash of freshly grated nutmeg (ground nutmeg from a jar will also work fine)
A dash of ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the squash halves cut-side-down in a baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes. When they're almost done baking, mix together the brown sugar and 2 T. of the melted butter. In a separate bowl, combine the other 2 T. of melted butter with the remaining ingredients. Once the squash is finished baking, remove it from the oven (but keep the oven on). Carefully turn the squash halves face-up. Prick the surface of each half several times with a fork, then brush each half with the butter/brown sugar mixture. Fill each half with equal amounts of the apple mixture. Put the baking dish back in the oven and bake the filled squash for another 30 minutes or so.

Comments:
Tasty. The tart applyness of the Granny Smiths was a nice touch.

CSA, Week 23

2011-11-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

Well, this was the final week of the Pigman's CSA season. It's been a wonderful season. Thanks so much to Jan and Dean Pigman for all their hard work! We've so enjoyed their veggies these past few months, and we look forward to more starting next June. Our winter share with Boistfort Valley Farm starts in a couple weeks. In the meantime, here's a look at what the Pigmans put together for us this week. The last week of the extended season is a double share, so I actually had to take two photos to get everything in.

Acorn Squash
Beets
Bell Peppers
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage (HUGE!)
Carrots (lots)
Copra Onions
Delicata Squash
Garlic
Jerusalem Artichoke
Kale
Leek
Pie Pumpkin
Potatoes
Raspberries (totally forgot to get these in one of the photos!)

Pot Roast

2011-11-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

To me, pot roast is just a cold-weather kind of meal. Growing up in Hawaii, I didn't eat a lot of pot roast. It's a bit jarring even to think about, honestly. But pot roast feels totally right when the weather is the way it was here in the Northwest when we ate this on Friday--grey and chilly. This particular recipe comes from the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook, which contains about a bazillion pot-roast recipes that are all just about the same. (Don't get me wrong--it contains a lot of recipes for things other than pot roast. Like twenty-something baked-bean recipes, for example. But really, it's a useful cookbook. Wow. Not that you'll believe me after what I've just said about it.) Ahem. This particular pot-roast recipe does differ considerably from the typical one in that it calls for a lot more liquid--more like what you'd expect to see in a stew recipe. I figured I'd give it a shot. Not counting our CSA share, our beef, and what we had in our cabinets, I had to buy exactly zero ingredients to make this. And that always brings a smile to my face.

Ingredients:
Chuck roast or pot roast (3-4 lbs.)
1 envelope of dry onion-soup mix
Potatoes, cubed (I used 3 large-ish ones)
Carrots, sliced (I used 4 large-ish ones)
3 c. water*
1 t. beef bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube)*
Granulated garlic, to taste*
Salt, to taste*
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste*

Sprinkle all sides of the roast with the onion-soup mix, patting/rubbing in the mix so it sticks to the meat. Put the roast in a slow cooker along with the potatoes and the carrots. (I used a 4-quart cooker for this, and it was absolutely filled to the brim.) Mix together the water, the bouillon, and a little bit of granulated garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour this mixture over everything in the cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. I always uncover and stir occasionally, despite the fact that some purists say this ruins everything.

*If you'd prefer, you could probably just use 3 c. of beef broth instead of these five ingredients.

Comments:
This tasted like pot roast. It wasn't fancy, and it didn't have complex flavors . . . and that's just the way pot roast is. But it was tender, hearty, and filling. Annika had two servings and was miffed at being denied a third. Liam barely ate anything. Steve and I didn't eat until after the kids were in bed, and Steve came up with the brilliant idea of having our pot roast in open-faced sandwiches with homemade chipotle mayo (and the pot-roast veggies on the side). It was quite good that way. Here's a photo:

Seasoned Roasted Potatoes

2011-11-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

This is a Penzeys Spices recipe. It sounded simple and delicious.

Ingredients:
Potatoes with skins, cut into bite-sized chunks (I used 3 medium-to-large Yukon Gold potatoes)
Yellow onion, chopped (I used half an onion)
Seasoning (a couple tablespoons; I used Northwoods Seasoning, as did the original recipe, but you could use something else)
Vegetable oil (a couple tablespoons; I used canola)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put the potatoes and onions in a 9x13-inch baking dish (or similar). Sprinkle the potatoes and onions with the seasoning, and toss to coat. Add the olive oil, and toss again. Put the dish in the preheated oven. Bake for about an hour, stirring ever 10 minutes during the first 30 minutes of cooking, then baking uninterrupted for the next 30 minutes or so. The potatoes will be nicely browned when done.

Comments:
We had these on the same night as the corn, and it must've been a disappearing-seasoning sort of night (aside from the steak, which was fantastic). The potatoes were so totally mediocre flavor-wise, despite the fact that Northwoods Seasoning has some serious flavor before roasting. Perhaps another type of seasoning would work better for this recipe, or perhaps it would work better to add the seasoning toward the end of the roasting process, because it was virtually undetectable the way we used it. However, the potatoes had a great texture and were excellent once we drizzled them with the reserved (boiled) marinade from the steak.

Teriyaki-Marinated Grilled Rib Steak

2011-11-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

This is another one from Taste of Home: Backyard Grilling. The recipe doesn't call the marinade teriyaki, but that's what it is.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. shoyu (soy sauce) or tamari
1/2 c. (or so) sliced green onions or chives (We used chives, because we have them in our yard. They were about to die due to the changing weather, and this seemed a fitting use for them.)
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
Freshly pressed garlic (a couple cloves)
1/4 t. (or a bit more) ground ginger
1/4 t. (or a bit more) freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 lb. (or so) beef rib steak

Combine all the ingredients except for the meat in a container about the size of the steak(s) or in a zip-top plastic bag. Add the steaks and move them around so they get coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours (we did ours overnight), turning occasionally to distribute marinade. Remove steaks and grill over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until they're cooked the way you like them. You can boil the remaining marinade and pour it over the plated steak and/or you can drizzle it on a side veggie.

Comments:
Delicious.

Seasoned Grilled-in-Husk Sweet Corn

2011-11-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

Steve found this recipe last week in Taste of Home: Backyard Grilling, which he got as a birthday gift a couple years ago from my brother and sister-in-law. We thought we'd have to wait until next summer to use the recipe but were pleasantly surprised to see corn in our share again this week.

Ingredients:
4 ears of sweet corn in husks
3 T. butter, softened
1 T. minced fresh parsley
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic salt (If you, like us, don't have garlic salt, you can use a mixture of granulated garlic and salt.)
1/2 t. ground cumin

Carefully peel back the husks from the ears of corn to within 1 inch of the bottom. Remove silk and compost. Combine remaining ingredients and spread over the corn. Rewrap each ear in its husk and secure with string. Put the corn in a big pot and cover with cold water. Soak for 20 minutes, then drain. Grill the corn for 10-15 minutes or until tender, turning frequently.

Comments:
This was tasty to the same extent that our regular grilled corn (minus the lime and Parmesan) is tasty. Meaning that all the effort of seasoning this was pointless, because it tasted the same as normal. I'm not quite sure what happened to all the extra flavor, which was definitely noticeable in the butter mixture before grilling. The seasoning was still visible post-grilling, but it didn't taste like anything anymore. On a positive note, we do think that soaking and grilling the corn in its own husk may help the corn be moister. We may do that again. But we'll skip the peeling and seasoning beforehand.

Pumpkin Soup

2011-10-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

I first made this recipe about four years ago as baby food for Liam. The original recipe comes from Annabel Karmel's Top 100 Baby Purées, which is thankfully not what the name implies if read literally. She mentions that the recipe is so good that you could make it as a soup for the whole family. After tasting it that first time, I realized she was right. Baby Liam loved it too. Anyway, it seemed like a fitting recipe to post today (we actually made it on Saturday).

Ingredients:
2 T. butter
1 leek, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 pie pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled* and cubed (pulp and seeds composted or saved for roasting separately)
4 c. vegetable or chicken broth (I made some broth using Better than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the leek, and sauté until soft and lightly golden. Add the pumpkin/squash and cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Then simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin/squash is tender. Then mash the mixture, but leave it somewhat chunky (I used a potato masher to accomplish this). Add salt and pepper to taste.

* I found it much easier to peel the pumpkin after quartering it. I also found it easier (though also more dangerous) to use a paring knife rather than a vegetable peeler.

Comments:
Tasty. Interestingly enough, the only one who wasn't a huge fan this time around was Liam.

Mustard Greens with Garlic

2011-10-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

Ever since our last experience with preparing mustard greens, I've wanted a chance to cook them a different way--a way that preserved their spiciness this time.

Ingredients:
Mustard greens
1/4 c. (or so) broth (I used beef broth that I made with Better than Bouillon Organic Beef Base)
Freshly pressed garlic (a couple cloves)
Olive oil (a couple teaspoons)
Lemon juice, to taste

Remove the thick stems from the mustard greens and compost them. Tear greens into pieces. Heat the broth and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. When the broth is hot, add the greens. Toss to coat. Cover the skillet and cook for four minutes or so, uncovering occasionally to stir. When the greens are tender, remove them from the skillet and toss with a little olive oil and lemon juice.

Comments:
This cooking method definitely preserved the spiciness of the mustard greens. I think it may have even enhanced it. The kids and I happily ate our portions, which were admittedly meager (mustard greens reduce a lot during cooking). Steve is the only one who didn't like the final product. He thought it was just too spicy. While I thought the end result was pretty good, I'd probably try some other method next time.

CSA, Week 22

2011-10-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

In this week's share:

Broccoli
Carrots
Copra Onion
Corn
Mustard Greens (We had a choice of mustard greens, chard, and kale. We chose mustard greens, because we've only had them one other time this season.)
Parsnips (Look at the size of the one in back!)
Pie Pumpkin (We had a choice of pie pumpkin, raspberries, or garlic. It was a tough choice between pumpkin and raspberries, but we chose pumpkin, because I had a recipe picked out for this week.)
Potatoes
Sweet Meat Squash

Next week is the final Pigman's share until next June. And in a couple weeks, the Boistfort shares begin!

Roasted Spiced Delicata Squash

2011-10-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

Initially, I was just going to roast our delicata squash the same way I did the sweet meat squash a few days ago. But then I figured it would be a little boring for you if I did that, so I tried something a little different. I still roasted it, but I added some spices. I came up with the idea from this message board.

Ingredients:
Delicata squash or other winter squash, chopped into 2-inch pieces (if you're using delicata, you don't need to peel it first*)
Olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Granulated garlic (freshly pressed would work too)
Cinnamon
Cumin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the squash pieces in a single layer in a shallow, oven-safe dish. Toss with a little olive oil to lightly coat. Add salt, pepper, and garlic to taste, along with a little bit of cinnamon and some cumin. Toss again to coat. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or so, checking occasionally for doneness. When the squash is done, you should be able to easily pierce all the way through a piece with a sharp knife.
* Yes, you can indeed eat the peel of delicata squash. Texturally, it's obviously a little different from the rest of the squash, but that didn't bother us. If you don't want to eat the peel, I suggest roasting the squash in large sections, instead of chopping it before roasting. Peel it after you roast it, because it's much easier to do so at that point. After peeling it, chop it.

Comments:
This was a definite hit with the kids--particularly with Liam. Steve and I liked it too, and we'd gladly eat delicata squash again prepared this way. But we didn't think it was absolutely amazing to the same level that some of the recipes we've tried these past few months have been.

Roasted Sweet Meat Squash

2011-10-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

In our share this week, we got a big chunk of sweet meat squash. It seems to me that minimalist recipes are usually best for winter squash, and what follows is definitely a minimalist recipe. But that's not a bad thing! I found the instructions here. If you follow the link, you'll also find a good overview of how to cut a whole winter squash.

Ingredients:
Sweet meat squash or other winter squash, cut into pieces (I used one piece)
Oil (a couple tablespoons; I used canola oil)
Coarse salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the piece(s) of squash on a baking sheet. Coat the flesh with a little bit of oil, then sprinkle it with a fairly generous amount of salt. Roast in the preheated oven for about an hour. The flesh should be browned (though not burned), and a knife should slide easily all the way through. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh away from the skin. This should be pretty easy to do after roasting. Cut into chunks and serve. Alternately, you could do what the original recipe's author did and mash the squash with a little bit of oil or butter.

Comments:
This was simple and delicious. We all liked it. Annika ate every bit of her serving before continuing on to the other components of her dinner.

CSA, Week 21

2011-10-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

We're now started on the first week of our three-week extended share with Pigman's, before our winter Boistfort share begins. In this week's share:

Beets
Broccoli
Carrots
Corn
Leek
Potatoes
Raspberries (we had a choice between raspberries, eggplant, and bell pepper)
Sweet Meat Squash

Kale with Garlicky White Beans

2011-10-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

My mom clipped this recipe for me a few months ago. She got it from The News Tribune.

Ingredients:
1 lb. dried white beans, soaked overnight* (I used great northern beans)
1 small onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 bay leaves
Thyme (4 sprigs fresh, or 3-4 teaspoons dried; I used dried, because it's what I had on hand.)
Coarse salt
Garlic (about 16 cloves)
Kale (1 bunch)
Olive oil (3 tablespoons or so)
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
Sriracha (optional)

After soaking the beans overnight, put them in a stock pot along with the soaking liquid. Add enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches. Put the onion, carrots, bay leaves, thyme, and most of the garlic cloves into the pot. Reserve 4 cloves of garlic for use later in the recipe. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium or medium-low; you want the liquid to be bubbling just a tiny bit. Cover the pot and let it continue to cook until the beans are tender. This should take 1-2 hours. Once the beans are tender, add about a teaspoon of salt and let everything cook for a few more minutes. Drain the bean mixture, reserving about 4 cups of the cooking liquid. Compost the bay leaves.

Remove the center rib from each kale leaf (save the ribs!). Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Chop the ribs into small, thin slices. Thinly slice the reserved 4 cloves of garlic, too. Heat the olive oil in a huge skillet. If you don't have a huge skillet, I suggest a stock pot or a dutch oven. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the garlic slices. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Don't allow the garlic to burn. Then add the chopped kale stems. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the stems are tender. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds or so. (Make sure the flakes don't burn.) Then add the kale leaves in batches, tossing each batch to coat it with oil and let it wilt before adding more. When all the kale is wilted, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes--until the kale leaves are tender. Add spoonfuls of the cooking liquid from the beans as needed if the kale mixture seems to be drying out. (I probably ended up adding about 1/3 c. of liquid over the course of 10 minutes.) When the kale is tender, add the drained bean mixture and 3 cups of the cooking liquid. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover the skillet again and cook for a few minutes to let the flavors mingle.

Steve and I ate our servings drizzled with Sriracha.

* When soaking the beans, make sure to cover them with plenty of water. They will absorb water and expand during the soaking process, and you want to make sure that they remain covered with water the whole time.

Comments:
We had this as our main dish tonight, and let me just say this: Wow. It was so spectacularly not worth the effort. Steve and I agreed in retrospect that it would've been decent as a side dish, but it just didn't cut it as the lead. And even as a side dish, it wasn't exceptional. The cooking process was fairly time-consuming, and I wouldn't go to that trouble again for something mediocre.

Taco Soup

2011-10-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from the most-recent Penzeys Spices catalog.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
Two 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed (or about 1 c. of dried black beans that you've soaked overnight and then cooked)
Kernels cut from 3-4 ears of corn (you could also use a 14.5-oz. can of corn, drained)
One 14.5-oz. can (or box) of diced tomatoes, undrained (you could also use fresh tomatoes if you make this when they're still in season)
One 16-oz. jar of salsa
1 pkg. taco seasoning
Water
Chili powder or hot sauce, if desired (we used chipotle powder)
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Tortilla chips and/or tortillas

Brown the meat in a stock pot. Drain off fat, if needed (we didn't really have any to drain). Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and taco seasoning. Add water until the mixture reaches the desired level of soupiness. Cook over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes. Add chili powder or hot sauce to individual servings if desired. Garnish with cheese and sour cream. Serve with chips and/or tortillas for dipping.

Comments:
Yum! For some reason, I couldn't find this recipe on the Penzeys site. I think that might be due to the fact that if you made it the way the original directions indicated, it would be so thick you could barely get the spoon in, and it would be really bland. BUT if you make it the way I've indicated above, it's hearty, flavorful, and spoon-worthy. A great fall dinner!

Brussels Sprouts with Buttered Pecans

2011-10-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

. . . and it's another Boistfort Valley Farm recipe today! I've been nervous and excited about this one, because I don't have a lot of experience with brussels sprouts, aside from hearing a bunch of people say they don't like them (not you, Em!).

Ingredients:
1/4 c. pecan halves, roughly chopped*
2 T. butter, divided*
Coarse salt*
Honey (about a teaspoon)*
Brussels sprouts, halved or quartered depending on size
Freshly pressed garlic (a couple cloves)
Lemon juice (a splash or two)
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread out the chopped pecans in a small, shallow baking dish. Bake for about 10 minutes, until they're somewhat darker and fragrant. While the pecans are baking, bring a large-ish pot of water to boil. Then salt the water and add the brussels sprouts. Cook the sprouts for about 5 minutes, or until just tender. Then move them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the sprouts and dry them off somewhat. (The original recipe said to pat dry, but this was difficult to do. I ended up squeezing them gently to get some of the water out.) When the pecans are finished baking, add 1/2 tablespoon of the butter to the baking dish, along with a pinch of salt and the honey. Toss to melt the butter and coat the pecans with the sweet, buttery goodness. Put the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and the garlic in a large [cold] skillet. Put the skillet on the stove over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is sizzling and fragrant. Increase the heat a bit, then add the sprouts. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Then add some pepper, some salt, and the lemon juice (the lemon juice will help deglaze the pan a little). Sprinkle with the pecans and enjoy!

*You really may want to consider upping these amounts, because oh.my.gosh. the roasted and glazed pecans are so amazing that you're going to want to eat a ton of them while you're waiting for the brussels sprouts to cook. In fact, you may want to make a lot more and save the extras to put on other things, like ice cream. And sardines. And old rubber tires.

Comments:
This was quite yummy. Definitely repeatable. (Go, brussels sprouts! Stick it to the brussels-sprout-hating public!) The original recipe said to halve or quarter the sprouts only if they were really large. But we decided that our halved and quartered sprouts had a better texture and also absorbed the flavors more than our whole ones, so we say chop 'em all!

Despite the fact that the final product was quite good, you might be wondering, Wouldn't you rather have had a plateful of just the glazed pecans? My answer? Absolutely.

Kohlrabi Salad

2011-10-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

This is yet another idea from Boistfort Valley Farm. I've actually had this recipe sitting around for months, and I finally decided to use it this past weekend.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1 large or 2 medium kohlrabi, peeled* and sliced into matchsticks
Lemon juice (a couple tablespoons)
Olive oil (a couple tablespoons)
Capers, drained (a couple tablespoons)
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces (I used a whole head of green-leaf)

Rinse the onion slices, then pat dry (I did this by sandwiching the slices between paper towels). Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and capers. Add this mixture to a large salad bowl along with the onions and sliced kohlrabi. Stir to coat. Add the lettuce, and toss to combine. Taste, then add salt and pepper as desired. You can also add more lemon juice, olive oil, and/or capers if you want.
*Use a paring knife, not a vegetable peeler, to peel the kohlrabi.

Comments:
This was decent. Edible and not off-putting, but not extraordinary by any stretch of the imagination. We probably won't make it again.

CSA, Week 20

2011-10-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

This week's share:

Carrots
Corn
Delicata Squash
Green Beans (we could choose this or brussels sprouts)
Kale
Potatoes (look at the size of the big one!)
Raspberries (we could choose this, blackberries, or a pie pumpkin)
Sweet Onion

...and a glass of shiraz to toast to a tasty CSA season! We actually have three weeks left, because we invested in an extended-season share, but this marks the last week of the regular CSA season. Cheers!

I'm especially looking forward to the delicata squash this week. I've never cooked one before, but I've heard they're delicious.

Chard and Feta Pie

2011-10-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

I listed out several chard-recipe options for Steve, and he voted for this one. It's another recipe from the Boistfort Valley Farm site. I wasn't entirely sure if the original recipe was calling for entire chard stalks or just the greens. I decided to use just the greens and save the stalks for another meal.

Ingredients:
1 pie crust (I used a 9-inch frozen one)
Olive oil (a couple tablespoons)
1 large onion, chopped
Freshly pressed garlic (I used 6 cloves)
Basil, to taste (I used dried)
Rosemary, to taste (I used dried)
Thyme, to taste (I used dried)
Chard greens, chopped into fairly narrow, 1/2-inch-wide strips (I used the greens from 7 or 8 stalks)
Balsamic vinegar (a couple tablespoons)
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. crumbled feta

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prick the pie crust liberally with a fork. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. (Keep the oven on! It would've made my job a whole lot quicker if I had done this, instead of later putting the filled pie crust into the oven and "baking" it for 30 minutes in a cool oven. Sigh.) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, basil, rosemary, and thyme in the oil until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the chopped chard greens. The original recipe said to "cook until you see a color change." Pretty soon after I added the chard, the onions turned pink and the chard was wilted. I figured that was the color change I was supposed to be looking for. When this happens, pour in the balsamic vinegar, and stir to distribute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the chard mixture to a large mixing bowl, and allow it to cool somewhat. Then add the eggs and 3/4 c. of the feta, and stir to combine. Pour all of this into the baked pie crust. Sprinkle the pie with the remaining 3/4 c. feta. Bake in the [heated] oven for 30-40 minutes.

Comments:
This is really, really good. The flavors work together beautifully. Steve could barely answer when I asked for his opinion, because he was so busy stuffing his face. The most he could muster initially was "Mmmmmmm."

Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken

2011-10-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure where I got this recipe, and an online search didn't yield the answer. The recipe's origins may be a mystery, but that doesn't prevent it from visiting our kitchen regularly.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. honey

Lime juice (a couple tablespoons)

Shoyu/soy sauce/tamari (a tablespoon or so)

Fresh cilantro, chopped (a couple tablespoons)

Freshly pressed garlic (a couple cloves)

Fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced (a couple teaspoons--optional, but tasty and not particularly spicy)

1 lb. (or so) boneless, skinless chicken pieces (in the past, we've used breasts, and they're good, but we used thighs this time, and they're even better)

Cooked brown basmati rice (optional)

Combine all ingredients except chicken and rice in a medium-sized, shallow baking dish. Then add the chicken, and flip it to coat it well with the marinade. Cover and chill for at least a couple hours--or even overnight. Flip the chicken pieces once or twice during the marinating process. After marinating, remove the chicken from the dish (reserve the marinade!). Grill the chicken over medium heat until it's cooked through and slightly crispy on the edges. Meanwhile, bring the reserved marinade to a rolling boil (to kill any bacteria that were lurking in the raw chicken juices). Serve the chicken with the boiled marinade spooned over it. We typically eat this with brown basmati rice, but you don't have to.

Comments:

Delectable. My thanks--indeed, my whole family's thanks--go out to whoever came up with this.

Beef! (a.k.a. My Vegetarian and Vegan Friends Might Want to Skip This Entry)

2011-10-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

I told you we would, and we did! We invested in a quarter cow.

We don't eat a whole lot of meat in our household--partly due to cost, partly due to health decisions, and partly due to wanting to be good stewards of creation. But we are in fact omnivores. And we're concerned about the origins of the meat we do eat. As much as possible, we want that meat to come from organically fed animals who were raised without antibiotics or hormones on small local farms. And we want the workers on those farms to be treated well and to receive fair wages. We also care about how the animals were treated. Perhaps this seems strange, considering that we plan to eat them, but we want the chickens, cows, and pigs who provide us with the meat we eat to have led low-stress lives during which they were able to express their chickenhood/cowhood/pighood before they were slaughtered. And we want to know that even the slaughtering process was as quick, painless, and stress-free as possible for the animals.

I know not everyone has the options we have. I'm so grateful that we live in an area where there is plentiful water and space for raising animals and produce--and where sustainable, humane options are so readily available. Local, organic farms (for veggies and for meat) just aren't a reality for a lot of people.

Maybe you're thinking, Yeah, and meat like you're describing is a luxury that only the wealthy can afford! First of all, I'll acknowledge that in the global scheme of things, we're definitely wealthy. And I can almost guarantee that if you're reading this, you have electricity and running water, and you eat protein regularly. That means you, too, are wealthy in comparison with much of the world's population. Truly. That said, believe me when I say that our family is not wealthy by American standards. I'm well aware that non-factory-farmed meat is often a more expensive option. Our bank account has felt that. But for us, that has meant a decision to consume meat less frequently (and in smaller servings), not to make what we would consider ethical compromises on its origins.

I feel that I should clarify that when we are guests in someone else's home, we don't grill them on the origins of the food they've lovingly prepared for us, nor do we turn up our noses at it. The guidelines I've laid out above are in place for what we purchase, not for what others generously choose to share with us. It would be rather two-faced, I think, if we professed concern and gratitude for the workers and animals who produce the food we purchase, and yet we weren't similarly grateful as guests at someone's table.

Anyway, in our search for a source for local beef, we found Wilcox Angus Beef, which is within 25 miles of our house. Chris and Lisa Wilcox (yes, they are part of the Wilcox Farms family) raise a small herd of grass-fed cattle on their organic pastures. Each fall, they humanely slaughter some of their herd right there on the farm. Then the meat is transported 25 miles away to The Meat Shop of Tacoma, where it's dry-aged for 21 days and then cut, packaged, labeled, and quick-frozen.

Last Friday, we cleaned out and defrosted our [mostly empty] five-cubic-foot chest freezer. Then on Saturday morning, the four of us drove up to The Meat Shop of Tacoma to pick up our beef. The shop's name is a bit misleading, because it's actually a farm on a pleasant rural road far from downtown Tacoma. A nice, very soft-spoken young man helped us load the boxes of beef into our trunk, and we were off! On our way back to the main road, we passed piglets grazing by the roadside. Literally. When I got out of the car to open Liam's door so he and Annika could get a better look, the piglets scurried back through holes in a fence and into their pasture.

Once we got home, the process of sorting the beef and figuring out how to fit it all in our freezer began. Here's the final product of our organization:

Our chest freezer is in our garage on an awesome platform Steve built (props to him!). The platform is suspended over the hood of our car (it's in the photo--can you see it?). Taking this photo involved me looming over the freezer on a tall stepstool set on our garage landing. Steve stood on tiptoe next to me, holding aloft a bright shop light. Talk about professional photography, huh? Despite our photographic contortions, you can't get a feel from looking at this for how much meat is in the freezer. Each of those baskets is 14x8x6". And to give you an idea of how much beef is in the freezer itself, the bottom of the freezer is a good two feet below the packaged meat you can see. It's going to take us a long time to go through all of this meat. And that's just fine.

Buying this much meat all at once was a big investment, but it truly was way cheaper in the long run than buying individual cuts would be. In fact, if you take into account water weight lost in the dry-aging process, it was way cheaper than buying even an equivalent amount of wet-aged, grass-fed ground beef would be. And only 32 pounds (or so) of this is ground beef.

Last night as we sat down to dinner (which, incidentally, did not include beef), we thanked God for the cow that provided us with the beef that is now waiting in our freezer. Maybe that seems strange. Maybe it seems like we should shelter our kids (and even ourselves) from the truth of our food's origins. Or maybe it seems like if we were really concerned about animals' welfare, we wouldn't eat them. But that's not the decision we've made. We choose to eat meat. But we choose to do it as responsibly, humanely, and sustainably as possible. We don't have it all figured out, but we're trying.

Italian Omelet

2011-10-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

This is a fairly frequent guest at our breakfast table. We usually make it with a red bell pepper and cheddar, but this time I made it with a green bell pepper and feta, because that's what we had. The cheese is optional. The source recipe (which, predictably, we've changed a bit) comes from the cookbook Toddler Menus, the problems with which I've mentioned before. This is one of the good recipes in the book.

Ingredients (for four single-serving omelets):

Butter (about three tablespoons, divided)

1 bell pepper, chopped (red, orange, or yellow will be sweeter than green, and I think red is prettiest in this recipe, but any of the four will work)

4 eggs, divided

4 T. water, divided

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper
Cheese (Optional. We've tried shredded cheddar and crumbled feta, and both work great.)

When we make this, we make one little omelet for each person, instead of making a big one and dividing it up. You could make one huge omelet if you like, but I'll warn you that it'll be harder to work with. Besides, it's just kind of nice to see a cute little omelet on your plate.

Heat about a tablespoon of butter in a small skillet or omelet pan over medium heat. Add the chopped bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it's fairly soft--about 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and save for later. Return the skillet to the hot burner. Whisk together one of the eggs with one tablespoon of water. Add about half a tablespoon of butter to the hot skillet. Let it melt, then pour in the egg mixture. Cook the omelet until the edges are set--about 2 minutes. Then lift one edge of the omelet with a spatula, and tilt the pan so the egg mixture that's still fluid pours into the open space underneath. Continue to cook the omelet until the entire thing is set. Spoon one-fourth of the peppers over the omelet. Season with a little salt and pepper, then fold in half and move to a plate. Sprinkle with a little cheese. Repeat the omelet-making process with each of the remaining eggs.

Comments:

This is such a simple and delicious dish. We all love it, and I bet you will too.

CSA, Week 19

2011-10-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

In this week's share:

Bell Pepper
Brussels Sprouts (we had a choice of Brussels sprouts or cabbage)
Carrots
Chard (we had a choice of chard or lettuce)
Corn
Green Beans
Kohlrabi (we traded in our huge share of potatoes for three big kohlrabi)
Onion
Raspberries

To be honest, I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of kohlrabi we got as a trade-in for the potatoes. That's a lot of kohlrabi. I'm also wondering about the Brussels sprouts. I've never cooked with them before, and there are plenty of people who would rather eat dirt. But I'm not going to back away from a challenge!

Beet and Kale Salad

2011-10-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe from Boistfort Valley Farm. I made some changes from the original recipe. For example, it called for walnuts, but I don't have any on hand. Besides, they make my mouth hurt. (Weird, I know.) So I used almonds instead. Also, I couldn't quite figure out how much garlic the recipe was actually calling for. Was it really a whole bulb, and if so, how was I to lay it flat, and what was I supposed to do with it after I cooked it? So here's my version of the recipe.

Ingredients:
Beets, scrubbed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (I used 5 smallish beets, but more would've been fine)
Olive oil (a few tablespoons, divided)
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Garlic cloves, peeled (I used 6 cloves, but you could use way more)
Kale (I used maybe 6 stalks)
Almonds or walnuts, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 c.)
Balsamic vinegar (about 1/4 c.)
Crumbled feta

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the chopped beets in a large baking dish.* Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil along with some salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place the garlic cloves in with the beets. Bake for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the center ribs from the kale leaves, and compost them. Chop the leaves into smallish pieces. When the timer goes off for the beets and garlic, remove the dish from the oven and add the kale and nuts. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and add a bit more salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then put the dish back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. Then remove the garlic cloves and set them aside. Transfer everything else to a large bowl and let cool. Smash the garlic cloves and combine them with the balsamic. Add the balsamic mixture to the beets and kale, and toss to combine. Top with some crumbled feta. You can serve this chilled if you like.

*I initially used a 9x9" dish, and it wasn't big enough. I had to transfer everything to a 9x13" dish when I added the kale, and even that was a tight squeeze until the kale cooked down.

Comments:
This is absolutely delicious. Liam had two helpings. Annika ate all her beets and put everything else in her glass of water.

Glazed Carrots

2011-10-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

This is the other half of the Cheese and Spinach Tart meal. The original recipe calls for frozen carrots, but you could use fresh.

Ingredients:
Carrots (about 1 lb.; I used orange and yellow)
Slightly more than 1/2 c. water
Butter (about a tablespoon)
3 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a skillet. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook over medium heat for 7 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the carrots are soft.

Comments:
Very good. Nobody ever complains about these.

Cheese and Spinach Tart

2011-10-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe* from Parents magazine back when I had an inexplicable several-years-long free subscription that I didn't even want. Frankly, I wasn't a big fan of the magazine, but we do like this recipe! The original recipe calls for frozen spinach, but you could use fresh. It also calls for mozzarella, but after trying it once with mozzarella, we've been making it with Emmentaler since. The sharper flavor of the Emmentaler makes for a way better finished product, in my opinion.

*Sorry; I couldn't find the recipe on the actual Parents magazine site.

Ingredients:
Olive oil (just a touch)
2 c. chopped onion
One 9-inch frozen pie shell
1 c. milk
3 eggs
1 c. Emmentaler or Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Spinach (a large-ish bunch of fresh spinach that you've chopped, or 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach that's been thawed and squeezed dry)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onions, and sauté on medium high for 10 minutes, until caramelized. Remove; let cool slightly. Meanwhile, prick the pie shell several times with a fork. Bake it for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool. Whisk together the milk, eggs, cheese, garlic powder, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Add the slightly cooled onions and the spinach. Place cooled pie shell on a foil-lined baking sheet. The baking sheet will catch any drips that bubble over the edge of the pie as it cooks. Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell. Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Comments:
Tasty and pretty mild. I think this might be the first time Annika has ever had it, and she had seconds.

Potato Corn Chowder

2011-10-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Boistfort Valley Farm. Turns out they have tons of recipes on their site. I'll definitely be making use of those.

Ingredients:
3-4 ears of corn (I used 4 smallish ones)
1 1/2 quarts vegetable broth (I made mine with organic Better than Bouillon base, because it's cheaper and less wasteful to make broth that way than to buy it in Tetra-Paks or cans. I also actually used chicken base, because I don't have any vegetable base.)
2 vegetable bouillon cubes (or 2 more teaspoons of Better than Bouillon, which is what I used)
Potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes (I used 4 medium red potatoes)
1 large carrot, halved lengthwise, then sliced 1/4 inch thick
Olive oil (a tablespoon or so)
1 onion, chopped (the original recipe calls for a medium onion, but the one I used was ridiculously huge)
1 bell pepper, chopped (I used a red one, and I'm glad I did, because it added to the amazing color variety in the chowder)
Chopped flat-leaf parsley (a couple tablespoons)
1 medium bay leaf
2 cups milk (The original recipe calls for heavy cream but lists milk as an option. That's what I had on hand. As a bonus, it's slightly--or should I say "slightly"--lower in calories, if also slightly lower in rich flavor.)
1/2 t. white pepper
1/8 t. ground cayenne

Cut the corn kernels off of each cob. Then hold each cob with one end resting on a cutting board (or in a wide, shallow bowl), and scrape down the whole length of the cob with a knife to glean the "milk" from the cob. Set aside the corn kernels and "milk." Put the cobs in a stock pot along with the broth, the extra bouillon, the potatoes, and the carrots. Cover the pot and bring everything to a gentle boil. Boil, covered, for about 10 minutes (or until potatoes and carrots are fairly tender but not disintegrating), stirring occasionally. Remove the cobs and compost them. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté them until they're somewhat soft. Then add the bell pepper and continue to sauté until both the onions and bell peppers are tender. Add the onion/bell pepper mixture to the stock pot along with the corn, corn "milk," parsley, and bay leaf. Cover the pot again, turn down the heat, and allow everything to bubble very gently for a few minutes. Then stir in the milk, white pepper, and cayenne (and salt, if you think the chowder needs it). Remove the bay leaf and compost it before serving the chowder.

Comments:
Very tasty--an excellent autumn meal. I liked the hint of kick from the white pepper.

Beet and Pear Purée (guest post)

2011-10-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

We had some dear friends over the other night, and we made this. Well, I can't really take much credit. Missy made most of it. I just stirred it a little. Because this was mainly Missy's culinary effort, the recipe below is written largely by her.

Ingredients:
Beets, scrubbed (we used 4 huge ones)
Butter (a couple tablespoons)
Onion, chopped (we used 1 whole medium yellow onion, none of that 1/2 cup nonsense!)
Sugar (a couple teaspoons)
1/4 c. (or so) balsamic vinegar
Pears, cored and chopped (we used 3 and didn't peel them first)
Salt (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the beets in an oven-safe dish, and roast them in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes (until you can poke a fork in them). If the beets are huge (like ours were), cut them in half before roasting them, and roast them facedown in the dish. Allow the roasted beets to cool somewhat. While the beets are cooling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the somewhat-cooled beets. After the onion mixture has cooked for a while, add the chopped beets & the pears to the simmering onion goodness. Let it simmer all together for about 10 or 15 minutes, reducing the vinegar/liquid and melding the flavors. Transport (by thirds) to the blendy thingy*--give it a few pulses to just chop everything, but try to keep it coarse-ish (you don't want to make beet PASTE). Return the coarse purée to the pan to keep warm. Oh, yeah--add salt to taste at the end of cook time.

*Right. Food processor. Blendy thingy is not a real term, is it? You could do this with an immersible blender or a regular blender if you don't have a blendy thingy. It'll be a bit more effort, but it'll work okay. We don't have a blendy thingy either, but Missy and her family brought theirs!

Comments:
YUM. This is definitely worthy of repeating. It would be an awesome side dish at Thanksgiving. Thanks, Missy!

CSA, Week 18

2011-10-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

This week's share:

Not pictured: Berries. We ate all our berries before I managed to get this photo taken.

Beets
Berry Choice (straw or rasp; we chose one of each)
Corn
Green Beans
Herb Choice (we chose stevia*)
Kale
Red Onion
Summer Squash
Tomato

*I was super intrigued to get stevia in this week's share. Stevia is used as a sweetener, and its leaves are indeed incredibly sweet. We had a few leaves shredded on our berries this morning. In the past, there has been controversy over the safety of stevia, but recent studies show it to be safe and possibly even beneficial to people with diabetes and hypertension.

Winter CSA!

2011-09-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

We just signed up for a winter CSA! Hooray!

It's been awesome to learn to eat more seasonally (and healthily! and tastily!) this summer, and I'm so excited that we'll be able to continue to do that all year long. Pigman's doesn't offer a winter-CSA option, so we signed up with Boistfort Valley Farm. Starting in November (when our Pigman's shares end), we'll get monthly boxes full of produce and other goodies. In the wintertime, Boistfort's boxes actually include produce from other local and regional farms too--as well as other locally produced treats, like bread, cheese, and coffee. Boistfort's winter CSA will take us through May, and Pigman's summer CSA should start back up in June, so we're covered! It's fun to imagine all the somewhat-unfamiliar winter veggies we'll start learning how to prepare and eat in a couple months. So stick around; the recipes will continue!

Speaking of recipes, I know I haven't been posting them as often lately. Sorry; it's just that we've liked some of them so much that we've been repeating them a lot. I really will post new ones as we try them.

Roasted Beet and Potato Borscht

2011-09-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

We have beets and potatoes. Lots of beets and potatoes--particularly potatoes. So Steve suggested that we make a soup. I looked around and--duh--found tons of borscht recipes. I actually wasn't planning to make a borscht-type soup, but this one looked yummy, so I thought I'd try it. We're planning to continue with a winter CSA from a different farm (Pigman's doesn't do winter shares), so I'm sure we'll be getting a lot of beets. Might as well find a good borscht recipe now!

Ingredients:
Beets, scrubbed and chopped into 1-inch cubes (I used 4 large-ish beets)
Olive oil (a couple tablespoons)
Potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into 1-inch cubes (I used roughly half as many potatoes as beets)
Shallots (I used 2 large ones), roughly chopped
Thyme (I used a couple teaspoons of dried thyme, but the original recipe called for fresh)
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
7 c. chicken broth (I made my own using organic Better Than Bouillon chicken base)
Red wine vinegar (a couple tablespoons)
Sour cream (a few tablespoons)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the beets on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle them with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Add the thyme. Toss to coat the beets with oil. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven, and roast the beets for 25 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Add the potatoes and shallots to the beets. Drizzle with another tablespoon or so of olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat the veggies with oil. Roast for about 20 more minutes--until the veggies are tender but not mushy. Remove from oven. If you used sprigs of fresh thyme, you can compost them now. If you used dried thyme, I wouldn't suggest trying to pick out all the flecks of thyme. I mean, go ahead if you want to. I'll check on your progress in five years. Anyway, put the chicken broth in a stock pot, and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Add the roasted veggies, and mash them somewhat with a potato masher or other kitchen gadget that can mash things (a large fork, a large spoon, an unopened jar of pickled beets that you're never going to use--you get the idea). You want to soup to be pretty chunky when you're done, so don't mash too vigorously. Add the vinegar, then taste and add more salt, pepper, and/or vinegar as desired. Garnish individual servings with sour cream.

Comments:
We all liked this quite well; we will definitely be making it again. It was hearty and richly flavorful. After cooking and tasting the soup, I did make some changes to the original recipe (changes reflected above). I added a couple more cups of chicken broth, because it was acting more like a stew than a soup. (I think I used more veggies than the original recipe called for, which is why ours wasn't very soupy at first.) Also, the potatoes and shallots roasted a lot more quickly than the beets did, so they got kind of overcooked in the oven. Then they basically dissolved in the soup, which is why I changed the recipe so that the beets roast for a while before you add the potatoes and shallots. Lastly, we decided that the texture of the parsley was at odds with the rest of the soup, so I omitted that.

CSA, Week 17

2011-09-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

This week's share:

Candy Onion (look at the size of that thing!)
Carrots
Corn
Green Beans
Strawberries
Sugar Snap Peas (We traded in the summer squash again. We currently have two and a half large bread-intended zucchini in our fridge--the last our plants will probably produce--and 18 loaves of zucchini bread in our freezer. We'll likely have 22 loaves before we're done. And that doesn't include the loaves we've already consumed or given away. Not that I'm complaining; we'll have nearly a loaf a week for the "lean months" of no fresh zucchini!)
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Choice of spinach or lettuce (we chose spinach)

Chicken and Bok Choy

2011-09-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try cooking bok choy with something else this time. I found this recipe, which looked like a good one. But when I read it more carefully, I noticed that the directions were totally confusing. It literally would be impossible to follow them as they were written. So Steve and I put our heads together and came up with the following variation.

Ingredients:
½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken pieces (I used thighs), thinly sliced
Shoyu/soy sauce or tamari (a couple tablespoons), divided
3/4 T. plus 1 t. cornstarch, divided
Oyster sauce (a tablespoon or so)
1 t. sugar
2 T. water
Neutral-flavored cooking oil (a few tablespoons), divided
Bok choy (1 bunch)
1/4 t. salt
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated (a microplane works well for grating ginger; grate it lengthwise)
Freshly pressed garlic (a couple cloves)
Sriracha (optional)

Combine the chicken, about a tablespoon of shoyu, and ¾ T. of the cornstarch. Set aside.

Mix together the oyster sauce, sugar, water, the remaining tablespoon or so of shoyu, and the remaining 1 t. of cornstarch. Set aside.

Clean the bok choy according to my guidelines for storing and preparing vegetables. Then separate the stem sections of the bok choy from the greens. Slice the stem sections lengthwise into strips, then chop them into sections (I chop the stems into thin, inchlong pieces because of our younger eaters, but you can chop them into larger pieces if you want). Roughly chop the greens also, but keep them separate from the stems.

Heat the skillet or wok, then add a couple tablespoons of oil. Add the bok-choy stems and the salt, and stir-fry until the stems are crisp-tender. Remove from skillet/wok.

Let the skillet/wok cool somewhat (this will make the difference between cooked garlic and burnt garlic). Put the remaining couple tablespoons of oil in the skillet/wok. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook until fragrant but not burnt; the mixture should be just starting to stick to the bottom of the skillet/wok. Add the chicken slices, and stir-fry until cooked through. Add the bok choy stems and greens, and cook until the greens start to wilt. Then add the oyster-sauce mixture. Turn the heat to high, and stir to combine. Cook until mixture really starts to sizzle and the liquid reduces considerably, then remove from skillet.

Serve with Sriracha if desired.

Comments:
This was really, really good--definitely something we'll make again. (Here's where we pat ourselves on the back for our resourcefulness in the face of recipe roadblocks.) The flavor of the sauce was excellent and, as a bonus, would be very transferable to other Asian stir-fry dishes. You could change the type of veggie(s) and the type of protein and still end up with a delicious meal.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

2011-09-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

I harvested the last of our cauliflower this week, and this is what I made with it.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets (as far as amount goes, I used 3 smallish heads of cauliflower)
Olive oil (a couple tablespoons)
Freshly pressed garlic (a few cloves)
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan (1/3 c. or so)
Chopped fresh parsley (a few tablespoons' worth)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the cauliflower florets in a large, oven-safe dish. Add the olive oil and garlic, and toss to distribute. Add a little salt and pepper. Bake for about 12 minutes, stir, then continue baking for another 12 minutes or so. Sprinkle on the Parmesan and parsley, turn the oven control to broil, and broil for 3-5 minutes.

Comments:
This was delicious. Absolutely delicious. We all loved it, but I think Annika was the biggest fan of all.

Hot and Spicy Cabbage

2011-09-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't cooked a lot with cabbage. In fact, I've never cooked with cabbage before. But I found this site with a long list of cabbage recipes. We had this one with Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry. The original recipe called for Chinese five-spice powder, which we don't have, so I used components of it instead.

Ingredients:
Half a head of cabbage
1 T. shoyu (a.k.a. soy sauce) or tamari
Heaping 1/4 t. cinnamon
Heaping 1/4 t. anise seed
Heaping 1/4 t. ground cloves
Heaping 1/4 t. ground ginger
1/8 t. ground white pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes (a dash or more)
Freshly ground black pepper

Before continuing, I suggest removing any remnants of the cabbage stem, like so: If you look at the cut side of the cabbage, you'll see a solid section in the center of the bottom edge. Remove it and compost it. Now we continue: Place the cabbage on a cutting board with the cut side of the cabbage down. Slice it once across the middle, from one edge to the other. Then swivel it 90 degrees and slice it into thin strips. Put the cabbage strips in a pot, and add water until the water reaches about halfway up the pile of cabbage. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir to distribute them. Bring the cabbage mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has cooked down considerably and is tender but not mushy.

Comments:
This was decent. It wasn't spicy, and it wasn't amazingly flavorful, but it definitely had some flavor. We typically have our Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry on top of rice, but at Steve's suggestion, this time we served it on top of this instead. It worked pretty well in that role. This would be a great option for those of you who don't (or can't) eat rice.

Creamy Cilantro Potato Salad

2011-09-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

This recipe is based on a Rachael Ray one from 365: No Repeats, but we've adjusted it to suit our potato-salad preferences.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lb. (give or take) russet potatoes, cubed*
Salt
Freshly pressed garlic (a couple cloves)
1/3 c. (or so) mayonnaise
Red wine vinegar (a couple tablespoons)
1/2 c. (or so) fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Put the potatoes in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add some salt to the water, lower the heat somewhat, and simmer the potatoes for 8-10 minutes, or until just tender. Drain the potatoes and spread them out in a single layer to cool quickly. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the cooled potatoes. Stir to combine, then taste. Add more salt, vinegar, or mayonnaise if desired.

*I used to peel the potatoes too, but I didn't last time, and the potato salad was great as usual.
Comments:
We make this potato salad all the time, and it's a favorite of ours. This particular time was not my best work (a bit mushy and soupy due to not lowering the heat as well as adding too much red wine vinegar), but it was still tasty.

CSA, Week 16

2011-09-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

In this week's share:

Berries (blackberries and strawberries; I took the above photo after we'd already eaten a lot of them)
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Corn
Green Beans
Red Potatoes
More Red Potatoes (We traded in our summer squash, because while we don't really need lots and lots of potatoes, we need them more than we need summer squash, as the following photo will make clear. Besides, potatoes keep well.)

Carrot Top Scramble

2011-09-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe during my search for carrot-top recipes a couple months ago.

Not the best picture, I'll admit.

Ingredients:
Olive oil (a tablespoon or so)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
Freshly pressed garlic (a few cloves)
Carrot greens from one bunch, chopped
Tomatoes (I used a few halved cherry tomatoes from our garden, but you could use another type or even boxed/canned tomatoes if necessary. Or you could substitute something else you have on hand.)
Eggs (I used 4)
Cilantro, chopped (or you could substitute another herb that you have on hand)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Shredded cheese (optional)

Heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the onions in the oil for a couple minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the carrot greens and cook for another couple minutes. Add the tomatoes, cover the skillet, and cook for a couple more minutes. Uncover the skillet and stir in the eggs until everything is well mixed and the egg is cooked. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the cilantro, and add salt and pepper to taste. Top with a little shredded cheese if you want.

We had this with toast.

Comments:
Quite tasty--and very modifiable. You could add all sorts of different veggies and herbs.

Chicken Packets

2011-09-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

This has become one of our standard camping dinners. But it's so delicious and easy that you shouldn't confine it to camping trips. You can use just about any veggies in it that you want. In the past, we've used a bag of frozen mixed veggies, because that's easy to bring on a camping trip, and mixed it with chopped onion and tomato. This time, I chopped up carrots, corn, green beans, summer squash, onion, and potato--all from Pigman's--ahead of time, put them in a container, and put that in the cooler. And it was just as easy to assemble the packets at the campsite as it has been in the past.

I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but you can see it a little bit in this photo--

along with a gorgeous though blurry moonrise and two gorgeous and nonblurry children.

Ingredients:
Chicken or your choice of meat (We usually use about 4 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast per person, and that's plenty for us.)
Chopped veggies--your choice
Seasoning
Broth--a tablespoon or two per packet

Roll out a 3-foot piece of foil for each packet (I know, I know), then fold it in half to yield about 1 1/2 feet of double-thick foil. Fold up all four edges to make little walls so the broth doesn't run out while you're assembling the packet. Put the meat in the middle of the foil fortress, then add veggies, seasoning, and broth. Carefully pull in two opposing foil walls (while making sure the other two walls stay intact so the broth doesn't pour out!), and fold the edges together a couple times to make a good seal. Repeat with the other two walls. Wow. I really wish I'd taken pictures of this process, because it would be a lot easier to explain this visually. Anyway, you should end up with a neat, well-sealed little foil pouch. Repeat for the other packets. Place the packets on a grate over the campfire (or on a hot grill), and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Carefully (!!) open one foil packet and check the meat for doneness. (Seriously--be careful! There's steam in there!) Continue cooking for a while longer if necessary.

Comments:
These always turn out well. Assuming you don't lose the broth, I'm not sure how you can go wrong when cooking these.

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Lime and Parmesan

2011-09-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

We got our Pigman's CSA share on Thursday instead of Friday last week, because we were leaving on our camping trip midday on Friday. When I saw that we had corn in our share, I knew we had to cook it Thursday night, because corn on the cob has to be eaten fresh. It really has to, otherwise the sugar converts to starch and it's not worth eating.

Our friends Sarah and Nate introduced us to corn with lime and Parmesan years ago. Thanks are due to them--and to Steve for remembering the idea!

Ingredients:
Corn
Butter
Lime juice
Parmesan (I've had it with shredded and with grated. Grated Parmesan certainly adheres better to the corn, but the general consensus in this house is that shredded tastes better.)

Remove and compost the husk and silk from each ear of corn. Wrap each ear in a paper towel. Dampen the paper towel thoroughly, then add a layer of foil around it. Don't crimp the ends of the foil, though; just fold them over gently. Place the paper-towel-and-foil-wrapped ears of corn on the hot grill, and cook them for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally. When you're ready to eat, unwrap the ears of corn (compost the paper towels), rub them with butter, squeeze or sprinkle them with lime juice, and shake on some Parmesan. Enjoy!

Comments:
Mmmmmmmmmm. Once you've eaten corn that was harvested just hours before, you'll realize what you've been missing.

Kohlrabi Hash Browns

2011-09-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

This is another kohlrabi recipe from Urban Harvest. I made these during our camping trip this past weekend. I mixed everything up ahead of time, put it in a container in the cooler, and then cooked it at our campsite.

Ingredients:
1 large kohlrabi bulb (or 2 small ones), peeled* and shredded
1 very small onion (or 1/2 medium onion), chopped relatively finely
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 T. bread crumbs
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
2 T. olive oil
Plain yogurt (optional)**

Squeeze the shredded kohlrabi to remove as much moisture as you reasonably can. I just picked up small handfuls and squeezed them in my fist. Combine everything except the olive oil and the yogurt, and mix well. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the kohlrabi, fry it until golden, then flip it and fry the other side until golden. You'll notice that my photos show the hash browns slightly more golden than might reasonably be called golden. We only had one spatula on our camping trip, and there was a burger-bun emergency that required immediate spatula intervention right when the hash browns needed flipping. The responsible parties will be left mercifully unnamed.

The original recipe said to drain the hash browns on paper towels. I totally forgot to do that on our camping trip, but they didn't seem overly oily. Perhaps that's because I didn't use as much oil as the original recipe called for.

*Use a paring knife, not a vegetable peeler, to peel the kohlrabi.
**The original recipe called for plain yogurt as a topping. I'll try that next time, but we didn't use it this time.

Comments:
I'm not sure how I feel about calling these hash browns. The kohlrabi is shredded and pan-fried, as with hash browns, but the end result has a much different--and even more delicious, in my opinion--flavor. This is a tasty recipe. Definitely repeatable.

The original recipe called for 2 kohlrabi bulbs, and I just assumed that meant 2 smallish ones (it usually seems to mean that), so I used one large bulb instead. While the final product was tasty, I did adjust the amounts in the ingredient list above to make the dish slightly less eggy and more hash-browny.

CSA, Week 15

2011-09-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

This week's share:

Beets
Berry Choice (choice of blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries; we chose black and blue)
Candy Onion
Carrots (We traded in our summer squash again. We have a ridiculous amount from our own garden.)
Corn!
Green Beans
Kale
Russet Potatoes

I was really excited to see corn in our share this week.

Peppermint Tea

2011-09-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

I decided we should try making tea with the peppermint we got in our CSA share this week. I was hoping for instant gratification, so Steve found this recipe, which uses fresh peppermint leaves rather than dried.

Ingredients:
3 c. water
Peppermint (about 20 leaves)
Honey or other sweetener, to taste (optional)

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Meanwhile, crush the peppermint leaves in your hands a bit, but don't utterly destroy them. Add the leaves to the boiling water, then turn off the heat. Let the leaves steep in the hot water for a few minutes before straining the tea into mugs. Add sweetener if desired.

Comments:
Tastes like peppermint tea. :)

Rosemary (Chicken) Potato Pizza

2011-09-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is a copycat recipe of a California Pizza Kitchen pizza that CPK doesn't seem to offer anymore. I haven't been to CPK in ages, and there's not one anywhere near us, but I checked online and couldn't find this pizza listed. Anyway, I've been making this from time to time since early high school.

Ingredients:
Freshly pressed garlic (3 cloves or so)
Olive oil
Pizza crust (I used a ready-made whole-wheat crust, but you could make your own)
Rosemary
Dried oregano
1 medium potato, sliced into thin rounds
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Shredded mozzarella
Chicken breast, cooked and sliced (optional; I usually don't add it, but you can!)
Feta

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the garlic and a little olive oil over the pizza crust. Heat a couple more tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the rosemary, oregano, and potato rounds. Cook until the potato rounds are tender and are beginning to turn a bit brown in places. Arrange the potato rounds (along with the rosemary and oregano) on the pizza crust. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with an even layer of mozzarella, arrange the chicken on top (if using), then sprinkle with feta. Cook the pizza--on a pizza stone/pan, a cookie sheet, or directly on the oven rack--for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the feta is brown in areas.

Comments:
Yum. As always.

CSA, Week 14

2011-09-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

In this week's share:

Berry Choice (blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries; we chose black and blue)
Broccoli (we traded in our slicing cucumber, because we have some from our own garden)
Cabbage
Chard
Garlic
Green Beans
Herb Choice (we chose peppermint)
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Onions (we traded in our summer squash for a bag of onions and potatoes, because we have plenty of squash from our own garden)
Russet Potatoes

Grilled Carrots with Carrot-Green Pesto

2011-09-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here's another recipe that uses the whole bunch of carrots. The creator of the original recipe chose to go very basic for her pesto, but I decided to add some of the ingredients she listed as optional. Note: I didn't measure ingredients at all. Sorry; I realize it's not very helpful for me to say, "Just add what feels right," but that's the best I can offer for this one.

Ingredients:
Carrots (1 bunch)
Olive oil (a couple tablespoons, then about 1/2 c.??)
Carrot greens (from the aforementioned bunch), coarsely chopped after removing (and composting) the thicker stems
Garlic, coarsely chopped (a couple cloves)
Grated Parmesan (1/4 c.??)
Slivered almonds, or other tree nuts (1/4 c.??)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, add the carrot greens, and boil for about one minute. Drain the greens. Purée the drained greens with the garlic, Parmesan, almonds, and the remaining 1/2 c.-ish of olive oil. I used our immersible blender to purée everything, because that's the appliance we have for the task, but a food processor would certainly be quicker. Add more olive oil as needed to loosen the mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste (I forgot the pepper).

Cut the carrots lengthwise into long spears. Depending on the girth of your carrots, you may be able to simply halve them, or you may have to quarter them--or even cut them into sixths or eighths. The point is to get them fairly uniform in size and thin enough that they'll grill fairly quickly. Coat them sparingly in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste (I forgot to do this). Grill the carrots until they have nice grill marks on all sides and are tender. As the recipe's creator mentioned, you can cook the carrots in a heavy-bottomed skillet if you don't have a grill.

Serve the grilled carrots with the pesto.

Comments:
The original recipe's creator was right--the carrots do smell amazingly sweet while grilling. We all thoroughly enjoyed this dish. Steve and I both thought it was fantastic. Liam repeatedly commented on how much he loved it and how amazing the carrots tasted when they were dipped in the pesto. Annika initially ignored the pesto and even refused the tiny amount I offered her on a fork. But then she accepted the pesto-dipped piece of carrot I gave her. The next time I looked at her plate, her entire dollop of pesto was gone. She proceeded to eat all her remaining carrots, too. Despite having been fairly generous in our servings of pesto, we have a lot left over. Oh darn.

Marinated Kohlrabi and Carrots

2011-09-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

For the past couple months, I've had several kohlrabi recipes set aside for when kohlrabi showed up in our CSA share again. So I was happy to trade in our zucchini/summer squash (of which we have plenty in our own garden) for kohlrabi this week. I made a few changes to the source recipe, which are reflected below.

Ingredients:
2 large kohlrabi, peeled* and cut into matchsticks
3 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 c. olive oil
4 T. lemon juice
4 T. red wine vinegar
2 t. sugar
2-4 T. capers, drained
1 t. dried thyme
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Optional step: Steam the carrots and kohlrabi for 2 minutes. Oops. I forgot this step, which is fine by me, because I liked the crunchiness of the final product. If I change anything next time I make this, I might just steam the carrots (not the kohlrabi) for a couple minutes to soften them up a little. They were a bit crunchier than the kohlrabi, and some studies suggest that briefly steaming carrots increases the bioavailability of their nutrition.

Place the veggies in a bowl or a quart jar. I suggest a jar; it will make things easier! Combine the other ingredients, and pour the mixture over the veggies. Stir well--or cover the jar and shake well. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 48 hours, stirring/shaking occasionally. Remove from the fridge a couple hours before serving. (The olive oil got weird and gunky when it got cold, and giving it time to get back to room temperature solved that problem.) Serve the veggies drained.

*Use a paring knife, not a vegetable peeler, to peel the kohlrabi.
Comments:
This stuff is amazing. I couldn't stop myself from sampling generously every time I took it out of the fridge to stir it--another reason a jar would've been a better choice. I also gobbled up the portion I scooped out for the photo.

Cucumber Cheddar Sandwiches

2011-08-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

I've had cucumber-and-cream-cheese sandwiches before, but this recipe with cheddar intrigued me. I altered it to make toasted sandwiches, because we like those.

Ingredients:
Sliced bread
Butter or mayonnaise (we used butter)
Sliced cheddar
Thinly sliced cucumber
Seasoning (I used lemon pepper)

Toast the bread, then let it cool. Once the bread has cooled, spread each slice with a thin layer of butter or mayonnaise. Top half of the slices with cheddar, and broil them until the cheddar is melty. Add cucumber slices on top of the cheddar, and dust the cucumbers with seasoning. Place the other slices of bread on top of the cucumbers to make sandwiches.

Comments:
This was really tasty; we all liked it quite well. I thought it would be pretty good, but I was surprised by how delicious such a simple combination was. Both of my children threw fits about the other component of the meal (always a fun addition to the dinner table, right?), but we were all quite enthusiastic about the sandwiches. While he sat in front of his virtually untouched beet greens (which he has professed to love in the past), Liam was already making plans to eat the rest of his and Annika's sandwiches for lunch tomorrow (they were able to eat only part of their sandwiches, because they refused to eat the other part of the meal).

Thai Cucumber Salad

2011-08-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

This morning, I went on a cucumber-recipe hunt, because at that moment the only use my brain could think of for cucumbers (the slicing variety) was salads. Now, of course, I remember their use in cucumber sandwiches. But I still needed more ideas. So I found this one--a combination I've tasted before in Thai restaurants.

Ingredients:
1 c. cucumber, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red chili pepper, finely chopped (I used a dried arbol, because that's what I had)
1 T. vinegar
2 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
2 T. hot water

Put the cucumber, onion, and chili pepper in a bowl. Combine the other ingredients, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the marinade over the veggies and refrigerate, stirring periodically to make sure all the veggies get infused with the flavor of the marinade.

Comments:
Steve thought this was really good. I thought it was pretty good, which is perhaps even higher praise than Steve's comment, because I'm not typically a fan of raw onions.

Grilled Zucchini Sandwiches

2011-08-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

Steve came up with this variation on a portobello-sandwich recipe we found in the Penzeys Spices catalog a couple years ago. I searched and searched for the original recipe on the Penzeys site, to no avail. Anyway, we love the portobello sandwiches and have them way too often, considering the price of portobellos. Steve figured that since we have no shortage of zucchini, it grills well, and it's way cheaper than portobellos even if you have to buy it at the store, we should try using it instead. This recipe works particularly well with zucchini that is enormous. We serve the sandwiches with homemade chipotle mayo, which is spicy and divine (keep in mind that I don't like mayonnaise), but you don't have to.

I forgot to include the chipotle mayo in the photo!

Ingredients:
Mayonnaise (about 2-4 tablespoons)
Chipotle powder, to taste (If you have trouble finding this, check the hispanic-foods section of your grocery store. It's often sold in bags hanging near the bags of peppers, rather than in jars. If you still can't find it or would rather not have to buy something new, a mixture of cayenne and chili powder will also work.)
Olive oil (we used about 1/3 to 1/2 c. for 8 large zucchini slices)
Freshly pressed garlic (a clove or two)
Parsley, to taste--either dried flakes or chopped fresh parsley (we usually use dried because it's easier and turns out fine)
Seasoned salt, to taste (watch out for the MSG-laden ones, folks!)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Large zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
Sliced crusty bread or rolls (we used asiago-cheese bread)
Cheese, sliced (we usually use pepper jack or white cheddar)

Mix together the mayonnaise and the chipotle powder. Put in the fridge to chill for a while so the chipotle flavor pervades the mayonnaise. In a shallow, wide-ish bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, parsley, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Dip the zucchini slices in the oil mixture, coating them well on both sides with the oil and spices. Put them on the hot grill. Once the underside of the zucchini has nice grill marks on it, flip it. At this point, put the slices of bread on the grill too. Cook the zucchini for another couple minutes. Then flip the bread slices over. Put the grilled zucchini slices on half of the bread slices (the other slices will go on top later). Place the cheese slices on top of the zucchini, and continue grilling until the cheese is melty. Then put the other bread slices on top to make sandwiches, and remove them from the grill. Serve with the chipotle mayo for dipping. Alternately, you can spread chipotle mayo on the bread after grilling.

Comments:
These were yummy and well received by all. We will definitely repeat this recipe variation. If you want to make the delicious but pricey portobello version instead, increase the olive-oil mixture considerably (portobellos soak up a lot). Compost the portobello stems. Dip the portobello caps in the oil mixture, coating both sides well with all the goodies. Put the portobellos on the hot grill, underside down. Flip after 3-5 minutes. Continue as described in the above recipe. We usually use ciabatta rolls with the portobello version.

Red Flannel Hash

2011-08-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

I actually came across this recipe back when I was searching for beet-dessert recipes. This is definitely not a dessert, but it sounded very intriguing. Apparently, it's a classic New England dish. It often has meat, but I decided to mimic this recipe, which uses eggs but no meat, because that meant I didn't have to buy a single ingredient. I also liked that this version basically cooks itself.

Ingredients:
Neutral-tasting cooking oil (I used 1/3 c. canola)
Beets, diced (I used 4 pretty large beets)
Red potatoes, diced (I used about the same amount of potatoes as beets)
Onion, chopped fairly finely (I used half a Walla Walla Sweet Onion)
Freshly pressed garlic (I used 3 large cloves)
Fresh herb(s) of your choice, to taste (optional; I used thyme)
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Granulated garlic/garlic powder, to taste (optional)
Seasoning, to taste (I used Old Bay Seasoning; the original recipe didn't call for seasoning, but I thought it needed some)
Fresh parsley, chopped (I used about 1/2 c. from our garden)
Eggs (I used 4)
Shredded cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet. (You could probably use a baking dish instead, but I'm not sure it would cook quite the same.) Put the skillet in the preheated oven until the oil is nice and hot. Add the beets, potatoes, onion, garlic, some salt, some pepper, fresh herbs (if using), and granulated garlic (if using) to the skillet. Stir to combine and coat everything with the oil. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Then stir the mixture and cook it for about another 25 minutes, until the beets and potatoes are cooked through. Everything will look a little brown, crispy, and delicious. Remove the skillet from the oven. Add seasoning to taste and stir in the parsley. Make indentations in the mixture, and crack an egg into each indentation. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Put the skillet back in the oven until the eggs are cooked to your preference. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the eggs with cheese, if desired.

Comments:
This one was a winner. We all liked it quite well, and Annika had seconds. We ate it for dinner, but it would be an awesome breakfast, too. We do think it would be even better as a winter meal; it uses standard winter vegetables, and Steve did say, "I'm sweating" while eating it in our non-air conditioned house. He also said he thought it would be amazing with bacon. (Surprise, suprise. This coming from the man who once said, "If I were to die from eating something fattening, it would be bacon.") This is another dish that lends itself well to improvisation. I found so many different recipes for red flannel hash, but they were all basically beets, potatoes, and onions with other stuff; you just choose what the other stuff is. You could even abandon the red-flannel idea--skipping the beets and just using just potatoes and other stuff (e.g., sausage, peppers, cheese, other fresh herbs), or you could substitute sweet potatoes. However you make it, enjoy!

CSA, Week 13

2011-08-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Here's what was in this week's share:

Artichokes
Carrots (check out those carrot greens!)
Kohlrabi (We traded in our summer squash, since we have almost more than we can handle with our two zucchini plants--we've already made literally 14 loaves of zucchini bread!)
Lettuce
Pole Beans
Red Onion
Strawberries
Yukon Gold Potatoes

Carrot Top and Quinoa Soup

2011-08-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

When I was on my quest to find carrot-top recipes, I found this one. I thought I'd try it tonight. I made some changes to the original recipe. It could easily be vegan if you wanted it to be.

Ingredients:
Olive oil (a tablespoon or so)
1/2 onion, chopped (I used a sweet onion, but I don't think that's absolutely necessary. You also could use an entire onion if you like, rather than just half.)
4 medium carrots (I actually used 7 smallish ones), chopped into rounds
6 c. beef, chicken, or vegetable stock (I made mine right in the soup pot with everything, using Better Than Bouillon organic beef base)
1/2 c. quinoa, rinsed
Carrot tops from the bunch of carrots, chopped
Salt (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Grated Parmesan (optional)

Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Dump in the carrots, stock, and quinoa. Stir. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add the carrot tops and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle servings with Parmesan if desired.

Comments:
This is one of those meals that could very well become a regular visitor to our table, because it's quick, easy, healthy, cheap, and tasty. It also lends itself quite well to improvisation. You could add meat, other veggies, rice instead of quinoa, etc., and it would be delicious. I did have to adjust the original recipe, though (changes are reflected in the recipe above). When I first made the soup, it was really thick (as I had suspected it might be). I knew I could make it go farther and behave more like a soup by adding more liquid, so I increased the broth amount from 1 quart to 6 cups. I also think it would have been even better if I had added the carrot tops toward the end of the cooking process (as I did with the Tuscan Carrot Top and Rice Soup), instead of adding them with the carrots (as the original recipe suggested). I also increased the total cooking time by five minutes, because I wanted the carrots to be slightly more tender.

CSA, Week 12

2011-08-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

Our share this week:

Oops! I forgot to include these in the photo:

Beets
Berries (choice of blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, raspberries, or strawberries; we chose raspberries and blackberries)
Carrots
Cucumber
Green Beans
Kale
Onion
Spinach
Tomato

Grilled Summer Squash

2011-08-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

We love grilled zucchini. We usually cut it into long spears, but we decided to try a different method this time--let's call it the slab method. We were grilling one zucchini and one UFO-shaped yellow summer squash.

Ingredients:
Zucchini/summer squash
Olive oil
Seasoning (we used Old Bay Seasoning)

Slice the squash lengthwise into long, quarter-inch-thick slabs. Put them in a dish, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Put the slices on the grill and sprinkle with seasoning. Grill the squash slices for about 4 minutes. Then flip them over, sprinkle the other side with seasoning, and grill for another 4 minutes or so--until they are very flexible and have nice grill marks but aren't charred.

Comments:
These were very tasty, as expected. We'd never tried Old Bay Seasoning on them before, but it was an excellent pairing.

Greek-Caprese Fusion Salad . . .

2011-08-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

. . . is just a fancy way of saying I added basil instead of oregano or some other Greek spice mixture. We have lots of basil, so that's what I used.

Ingredients:
Cucumber, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Onion, coarsely chopped (I didn't include this, because I'm not a big fan of raw onion)

Basil, torn (that's what I used, but I suggest oregano or a Greek spice mixture instead)
Crumbled feta
Kalamata olives
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Combine the fresh veggies with the feta, olives, and any seasonings. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste, and toss to coat.

Comments:
This was good--the tomatoes in particular were amazing once again--but Steve and I both agreed that the basil was distracting and the salad would probably be better with standard Greek-salad herbs.

Tuna Melts with Capers and Basil

2011-08-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

This is another twist on the classic tuna melt.

Ingredients:
Bread
Tuna
Mustard (to taste)
Mayonnaise (to taste)
Capers (to taste)
Basil, torn (to taste)
Bread
Cheese, sliced or shredded (we used pepper jack)

Toast the bread. (This step is key to a good tuna melt, in my opinion.)

If you like your tuna to be smooth and creamy:
Combine the tuna, mustard, and mayo. Blend together using a food processor or an immersible blender. Then stir in the capers and basil.

If you like some chunkiness in your tuna:
Combine about 2/3 of the tuna with the mustard and mayo. Blend together using a food processor or an immersible blender. Then stir in the remaining tuna, the capers, and the basil.

If you like very chunky tuna:
Mix the tuna, mustard, mayo, capers, and basil together.

Spread the tuna mixture on the toasted bread. Top with cheese and broil until the cheese is bubbly and a bit brown.

Comments:
Tasty. Definitely repeatable. Tuna melts are another meal that lends itself very well to variations. Add feta, pickles, hot sauce, or something else that strikes your fancy, and you've got a delicious new twist on a classic.

CSA, Week 11

2011-08-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

In this week's share:

Berries (choice of raspberries, strawberries, and boysenberries; we chose rasp and boysen)
Bok Choy
Cucumber (slicing)
Dry WWS Onion (see here for an explanation of the name)
Herb Choice (There was a choice of basil, chives, cilantro, or parsley. By the time we got there [relatively late in the day, as usual], there was only basil left, and we already have that growing in our greenhouse. But it's just as well, because we already have the other three growing too.)
Lettuce (such pretty lettuce this week!)
New Red Potatoes
Summer Squash (2 kinds)
Tomatoes

Potato Purslane Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing

2011-08-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

This recipe marks the fifth purslane dish I've made. Oh, wait. It marks the fifth purslane dish I've made this week. We had a big ol' bunch of purslane, and it went a long way.

Ingredients:
6 small red potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
2 c. purslane, chopped
4 scallions/green onions, chopped, or an equivalent amount of chives, chopped (I used chives, because we have them growing in our yard)
Capers (optional)
Crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Lemon juice (a couple tablespoons--to taste)
Red wine vinegar (a couple tablespoons--to taste)
Freshly pressed garlic (a clove or two)
1 t. (or so) ground mustard
1/2 t. (or so) dried tarragon
Salt (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1/2 c. (or so) olive oil

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and boil until the potatoes are just tender. To check for tenderness, pierce the largest part of the largest potato with a sharp knife. If the knife slides in fairly easily, the potatoes are ready. But don't wait until the potatoes break apart when you pierce them! Ours took about 10 minutes to cook. Once the potatoes are ready, put the saucepan (with the potatoes) in the sink and run cold water into it until the water stays cold. Once the potatoes have cooled, chop them into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with the purslane, scallions/chives, capers (if using), and feta (if using). In a smallish bowl, mix together the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour about half of the vinaigrette over the potatoes mixture, and toss to coat. Taste, and add more vinaigrette if desired. Chill the potato salad in the fridge until ready to serve. Add more vinaigrette at that point if needed.

Comments:
This was a yummy potato salad. Definitely repeatable. We didn't use capers or feta in ours, because I didn't even think about it, but in retrospect, it would've been tasty. There are lots of different variations on the basic bones of this potato salad that would be good.

Steamed Artichokes with Creamy Butter Dip

2011-08-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

I was excited to see artichokes in our CSA share this week. There were four little ones, which is perfect for our family. Although I've had steamed artichokes many times, I've never been the one to cook them before, so I had to look up how to prepare them. Then I had to share what I learned with you. I found the dip recipe here.

Ingredients:
Artichokes
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 T. (or so) lemon juice
Ground cayenne (just a dash; optional)

Rinse the artichokes, scrubbing gently. Using a serrated knife, trim about 1/2 to 1 inch off of the top and about 1/2 inch off of the stem of each artichoke. You might be tempted to cut off the entire stem so that the artichoke will sit up nicely on a plate, but the stem is part of the artichoke heart (the best part!), so you'll be missing out if you do. If you want to help prevent the trimmed ends from browning, rub a little lemon juice on them. Put an inch or two of water in a large pot. Put a steamer basket/steamer insert into the pot, making sure the water is below the level of the steamer. Put the artichokes into the steamer, stem side up, and cover the pot. Bring the water to a boil, and steam the artichokes until tender. To check for tenderness, pierce the base of one of the steamed artichokes with a sharp knife. If the knife slides through easily, the artichokes are ready to eat. Our small artichokes took 15 minutes to cook.

When you're ready to eat, mix the butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and cayenne.

Pull off an artichoke petal, dip the fleshy end of it in the butter/mayo dip, and scrape off the flesh with your teeth. Compost the rest of the petal. Once all the petals are gone, you'll be faced with a somewhat scary looking fuzzy part in the center of the base (unless your artichokes are baby ones like ours were, in which case there won't be much fuzz). Scoop out the fuzz (a.k.a. the choke), if present. What's left is the artichoke heart. Devour it.

Comments:
These were good. The outer petals were tough and had no flesh to scrape off; we actually had to pull off a lot of petals before we got to edible ones. But once we got there, they were tender and tasty. The dip was incredible.

Beet Pie with Sweet Yogurt Topping

2011-08-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

A while back, my friend Jessica at OlyMomma tasked me with finding a beet recipe for her anti-beet (though pro-beet green) family. I think she suggested beet cake. No, Jess, I didn't forget! I found beet cupcakes, caramelized beet topping for ice cream, chocolate beet cake, and more. But this recipe particularly intrigued me. I liked that the results were still beet colored and the recipe used mostly what I already had on hand. I did change some things from the original recipe to make the results hopefully more appealing to my anti-beet friends.

Not the best picture, but this was the only way I could get the deep red color to show up.

All the other photos made the pie look black. Yum yum.

Ingredients for the pie:
1 lb. (or so) beets
1/2 T. (or so) lemon juice
1 egg
2 T. heavy cream
1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
4 T. flour (I, like the recipe's creator, used whole wheat)
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground or freshly grated nutmeg
Store-bought graham cracker crust (I cheated and didn't make the hazelnut pie crust that the original baker used, but you can!)

For the yogurt topping:
1/2 c. Greek yogurt (plain)
1/2 c. powdered (confectioner's) sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

I didn't peel the beets, and you don't have to either. Just scrub them really well. Remove any stem remnants from the tops of your beets, remove roots, and compost stems and roots. Chop the beets into 1/2-inch dice. Spread the chopped beets on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (foil would probably work just fine too). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, but leave the oven on.

After I took the beets off the parchment, I was left with a work of art that begged to be photographed.

Purée the cooked beets with the lemon juice, egg, heavy cream, and vanilla. Purée just until beets aren't chunky anymore; don't overpurée. The resulting mush won't be totally smooth. I used an immersible blender for the puréeing, and it worked, but a food processor would probably be easier. We don't have one.

Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the beet purée and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pie crust, smooth it out, and bake it for 30 minutes. Remove the pie. Turn up the oven to 400 degrees F, cover the pie with foil, and bake it for 10 more minutes. Remove and cool, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and cool for another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the yogurt and powdered sugar until smooth.

Serve slices of pie with dollops of yogurt topping.

Comments:

This was delicious, and we all devoured it. Liam put half of his slice in his mouth all at once, and Annika picked hers up and stuffed it in her face. The yogurt topping was the crowning glory of it all. Even though we all loved it, Steve and I felt that the pie could use a bit more sweetness--particularly if it wasn't absolutely drenched in yogurt topping. So I added some more brown sugar to the recipe (we used only 1/2 c. in our version). You gonna try it, Jessica?

Purslane, Cucumber, and Yogurt Salad

2011-08-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe that came along with our CSA share this week.

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber
1 c. (or so) chopped purslane
Chopped mint (about 1 T.)
Chopped cilantro (about 1 T.)
1 c. Greek yogurt (plain)
Olive oil (a tablespoon or two)
Freshly pressed garlic (a clove or two)
1/2 t. (or so) ground coriander seed
Salt (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Peel and halve the cucumber lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape the seeds out of each half. Compost the seeds. Cut each cucumber slab lengthwise into two to four strips, depending on how big you want your cucumber pieces. Then chop the strips. Combine the cucumber, purslane, mint, and cilantro in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, garlic, and coriander. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the yogurt mixture to the veggies and mix well. Taste again, and add more salt if desired. Serve chilled.

Comments:
I liked this; it was fresh and summery. Steve thought it was decent but wasn't absolutely sold on it. Liam ate his, and Annika ate a couple bites before refusing the rest.

Pan-Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Hazelnuts

2011-08-08T23:34:00.000-07:00

Here's another recipe from The News Tribune. I have no idea why it was in an article with the title "Time to get out and grill your dinner," because it has nothing to do with the grill. I thought I'd try it anyway, but I did change the recipe in some ways: I decided to steam the veggies rather than boiling them, because steaming preserves more of their nutrients. I also used chopped hazelnuts with skins, even though the recipe called for lightly crushed blanched hazelnuts. I couldn't find whole blanched hazelnuts, and even if I had found whole unblanched hazelnuts (which I didn't), I didn't want to do the work of blanching them myself. So chopped, unblanched hazelnuts it was. I also think I--gasp--fell victim to the error of not reading directions closely enough. That truly is rather remarkable for me. I have many faults, but not reading directions is not typically one of them. Anyway, apparently I was supposed to use the broccoli stalk, too. Oops. But I really couldn't have done that anyway, because this week's CSA broccoli did not come in a big bunch but rather in florets.

Ingredients:
Broccoli (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
Cauliflower (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
2 T. or so vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 T. or so butter
1/2 c. chopped hazelnuts
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Note: You can steam the veggies ahead of time and then store them in the fridge until you're ready to continue with the recipe. Just make sure you let them come to room temperature before proceeding.

Cut off the top 1 1/2 inches of broccoli florets. You want pieces that are reasonably bite-sized, so cut larger florets into smaller chunks if needed. If your broccoli has a big stalk attached to it, trim off the end and compost the end. Chop the remaining stalk into bite-sized pieces (peel the stalk before chopping if the broccoli isn't fresh). Remove the cauliflower leaves and compost them. Chop off the bottom inch or so of the cauliflower stem and compost it. Cut the cauliflower head in half, then break it apart into florets. Cut florets if needed. Rinse the veggies. Then put an inch or so of water into a big pot and bring to a boil. Put the veggies into a steamer basket/steamer insert, put that into the pot (make sure the steamer sits above the level of the boiling water), cover the pot, and steam the veggies for about 5 minutes or until just tender. Transfer the veggies to a large bowl of ice water to chill. Continue to soak, changing the water as needed, until the veggies are cold. Drain them, then put them in a colander over a bowl to continue draining for a while. When they're well drained and at room temperature, you're ready to move on. Put the oil and butter into a large skillet, then put the skillet on a burner over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the hazelnuts and "sauté until you begin to smell them and they just begin to turn golden." Add the veggies and turn the burner to high. Let them cook for a while, stirring seldom. You want the veggies to sit undisturbed on the heat for a while so they brown a bit. When the veggies are hot and somewhat browned, remove them from the skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Comments:
I did the steaming part of this recipe, and Steve did the pan-roasting and photo. Our verdict on the dish: It was okay . . . but not repeatable. The end result was more interesting tastewise than simple steamed broccoli and cauliflower would've been, but not much more interesting. The hazelnuts did add some crunch and flavor, but the increased time and effort of pan-roasting was not worth the payoff.

Purslane with Tomatoes and Rice

2011-08-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

We got this recipe with our CSA share this week. Apparently, it's Turkish.

Ingredients:
1/4 c. brown rice (I used basmati)
1 small onion, chopped
Olive oil (a couple tablespoons)
1 c. purslane, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 tomatoes, chopped, or a 14-oz. can of diced tomatoes
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 c. hot water

Put the rice in a small saucepan and cover generously with water. Put on stove over low heat. Once water is hot, start timer. The rice should soak in the hot (but not boiling) water for about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse the rice. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add the purslane, tomatoes, and drained rice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the 1 c. of hot water and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, and cover the skillet with a lid. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then uncover and simmer for another 10 minutes or until rice is cooked and liquid is pretty well absorbed. Add more salt if desired. Serve hot or cold.

Comments:
This was tasty. After making it, I did change the recipe, because I thought the result was just a bit more liquidy than it should've been. So instead of simmering the food covered for the whole 20 minutes, I think it's a better idea to uncover it for the final 10 minutes. The change is reflected above.

Salads with Purslane

2011-08-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

Now that I know what purslane looks like, I see it growing everywhere. Seriously. Yesterday, Liam and I went to Tolmie State Park, and I saw it growing in patches on the rocky shoreline. So, this is what it looks like:

Now you'll see it growing everywhere--possibly including in your own yard. If you see it growing there, feel free to treat it like a weed and pull it, but don't stop there--eat it! (As long as you're sure it's purslane, of course! I don't want lawsuits.) Purslane has a slightly lemony flavor, and it's extremely nutritionally dense.

We made two salads with purslane the last couple days. The first was a simple combination of lettuce, purslane, and chive blossoms:

Dumb seemingly unresolvable photo-rotation issues!

The second was a Greek-ish mix of tomatoes, feta, purslane, and lettuce:

Comments:

Both salads were good. The second was, not surprisingly, the better of the two. Almost anything with feta is good. More purslane recipes will follow.

Berry Crisp

2011-08-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is a composite recipe; I took ideas from several different people, and this is what I came up with. Berry-wise, I used raspberries, marionberries, blueberries, and strawberries. But you could use pretty much any combination of berries--or even peaches.

Ingredients:
6 or more cups fresh berries (frozen if necessary)
4 tablespoons white sugar (you could probably omit this if you wanted)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup butter
Chopped pecans (optional)
Cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put the butter in a 9x13-inch baking dish, then put the dish in the preheating oven until the butter is melted. In a large bowl, gently combine the berries and white sugar; set aside. In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pecans (if using). Add melted butter and stir until well distributed. Press half of oat mixture in the bottom of a 9x13-inch dish. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over the berries. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top, if desired. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Comments:
This is delicious. The only thing Steve suggested was more fruit, which is interesting due to the fact that he's a recovering no-desserts-with-fruit person. I used 5 cups of berries in the crisp, but I've edited the recipe to suggest 6 cups or more. Go wild.

CSA, Week 10

2011-08-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

In this week's share:

Cucumber (slicing)
Green Beans
Lettuce
Purslane
Choice of Shelling Peas or Sugar Snap Peas (we chose sugar snap)
Choice of Broccoli or Cauliflower (we chose broccoli)
Choice of Artichokes or Chard (we chose artichokes)
Choice of Strawberries or Raspberries x2 (we chose strawberries--largely because we have a ton of leftover raspberries, marionberries, and blueberries from jam-making today)

I was excited to see some newcomers to the share this week--namely cucumber, purslane, and artichokes. I was particularly excited about purslane, because I've heard about its remarkable nutritional value, weedlike growing habits, and tastiness, but I've never actually seen it before (at least not knowingly).

Zucchini Bread

2011-08-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

I don't remember exactly where we got this recipe, but it came in very handy during our Great Zucchini Summer of 2009. Last year--alas--slugs ate our fledgling zucchini plants before they had even reached adolescence, but this year we're back in business!

Ingredients:
2 c. raw zucchini, shredded
3 eggs
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 c. oil
2 c. flour (I usually use whole-wheat, but you could make the recipe even less healthy by using all-purpose!)
1/4 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
1 c. nuts, chopped (optional)

Put zucchini in a strainer or colander and press/squeeze with hands to get excess liquid out. Beat together eggs, sugar, and oil. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and nuts (if using). Mix together. Add zucchini (minus liquid). Beat mixture. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 45 min. at 350 degrees F. Let bread cool in loaf pans for a while, then remove it and transfer to a cooling rack or plate. Recipe may be doubled if, for some reason, you happen to have four loaf pans on hand.

Comments:
This is so tasty. You should make it right now.

Grilled ¿Sweet-Potato? Salad

2011-08-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from The News Tribune. It sounded tasty enough that I worked it into our weekly meal plan ahead of time. I know there are people who love sweet potatoes, and there are others who love yams, and supposedly never the twain shall meet. Well, the fact is that oftentimes people think something is a yam when it's actually a variety of sweet potato that's more orange than some other varieties. A true yam is a different veggie altogether. I'm not sure if I've ever tasted real yams. Hmmmmm. That's one of life's deep mysteries. At any rate, I tend to prefer the softer, moister, more orange tuber--be it yam or sweet potato. So that's what I used to make this.

Ingredients:
2 lb. sweet potatoes/yams (oh, whatever, you purists!), peeled and sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slabs
Canola oil or other neutral-tasting cooking oil (a couple tablespoons)
Coarse salt, to taste
Scallions (2 bunches) or chives (enough to equal about 2 bunches of scallions), washed and trimmed at both ends
Cilantro, finely chopped (a couple tablespoons)
Butter (a couple tablespoons)
Lime juice (a couple tablespoons)
Ground cumin (1 t. or so)

Heat or light your grill. You want it to be on medium heat, if you have that option with your grill. While the grill is heating, toss the sweet-potato slabs with some oil. Add salt to taste. Oil and salt the scallions/chives, too, keeping them in a loose bunch. Put the scallions/chives on the grill in a bunch (perpendicular to slats). Cook, turning once, until they're softened and lightly charred in places (about 5 min.; a bit less for chives than for scallions). Remove from grill. Place sweet potatoes on grill and cook, turning once, until they have nice grill marks on both sides and are cooked all the way through (6-8 min.). Remove from grill. Coarsely chop the scallions/chives. Chop the sweet potatoes into bite-size pieces while still hot. Put the chives and hot sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add the cilantro, butter, lime juice, and cumin. Toss to coat. Add more salt to taste, if desired.

Comments:
The flavor combination of this dish was very good. It's definitely repeatable. We sliced our sweet potatoes into rounds, which made for a pretty presentation but a lot of work at the grill. Placing about a hundred sweet-potato pieces on the grill, then flipping them, then removing them makes for a long project. Slicing them lengthwise would mean a much quicker grilling process, though perhaps a slightly less attractive presentation. But it would be worth it. I've adjusted the recipe accordingly.

Caprese-esque Salad

2011-08-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

This isn't a full-fledged caprese salad. But when I looked at our beautiful Pigman's tomatoes, I couldn't think of a better way to eat them than this way--despite the fact that we had no fresh mozzarella.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Fresh basil, torn (we used some from our garden)
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Coarse salt, to taste (optional)

Combine all ingredients except salt. Taste, then add salt if desired. (I thought it was great without salt; Steve thought it was even better with salt.)

Comments:
This was so fresh-tasting and delicious. I've never been a huge tomato fan . . . until I started eating real tomatoes. If you've had them, you know what I mean. There's just no comparison.

Spinach Sautéed with Butter and Lemon

2011-08-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

Up until now, I've always sautéed spinach in olive oil. I decided to try butter this time. I also decided to try tearing the spinach into somewhat smaller pieces to make it easier for Liam and Annika to eat.

Ingredients:
Spinach leaves, torn
Butter (a couple tablespoons)
Lemon juice (a tablespoon or so)
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a large skillet or biggish pot over medium heat. Add the spinach, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook until spinach is just wilted.

Comments:
This was tasty. Steve liked it especially well.

Lemony Green Beans

2011-07-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe out of a Rachael Ray cookbook. It's simple and tasty.

Ingredients:
1 lb. green beans, topped and tailed
Lemon juice (a couple tablespoons or so)
Olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Bring an inch or two of water to boil in a skillet with a lid. Place the green beans in the boiling water. salt the water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the beans are just tender. Drain and dress the beans with a drizzle of olive oil, the lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Comments:
These green beans are quite good. They taste bright and fresh, and they still have a little crunch to them, which is the way I like my green beans. The only thing I notice is that if you don't eat them right away, they get a little brown. I have a hunch that's some sort of reaction with the lemon juice. It doesn't make them taste any worse, though; they're just not as pretty.

CSA, Week 9

2011-07-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes are here! In this week's share:

Sorry about the backlighting; there's nothing I can do about it at that time of day.

Beets
Berries (choice of marionberries, raspberries, strawberries, and/or tayberries--we chose rasp and tay)
Cauliflower
Green WWS Onion (see this post for an explanation of the name)
Herb Choice (we chose cilantro, because it's yummy and because we already have pretty much all the other choices growing in our own garden. In fact, we also have cilantro, but ours has long since gone to seed.)
Shelling Peas
Spinach
Tomatoes!

Thanks for all your hard work this week, Jan and Dean Pigman! We know you already have a lot on your plate with your daughter's wedding this weekend.

Lemon Raspberry Jam

2011-07-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

My mom and I have made this jam together for the past two years. We use Pomona's pectin because it works well with recipes that use less than the standard amount of sugar (typically 6 cups or more). Trust me--you won't miss the added sugar in this jam. And isn't 4 cups more than enough, anyway? You could probably even use a lot less than that and still have very tasty jam. The lemon balm is optional; it does add a little lemony brightness, but this would be great raspberry jam even without it.

Yield: approx. seven 8-oz jars, with a little left over

Ingredients:
5 half-pint baskets of raspberries (we used a mix of red and golden raspberries)
4 c. sugar, divided
1 t. butter
3 t. Pomona’s Universal Pectin
3 t. Pomona’s calcium water (calcium powder is included with Pomona’s pectin; instructions are in the box)
1 bunch lemon balm (optional)

Sort out any stems, leaves, and mushy or moldy berries. Crush the berries in a large pot (a potato masher works well). You want them fairly uniformly crushed but not lumpless. Add the butter and calcium water to the berries. Mix ¼ c. of the sugar with the 3 t. pectin and add to the berries. Tie lemon balm with string and place in mixture. Bring mixture to a full boil over high heat, stirring often. When mixture is at a full boil (one that cannot be stirred away), quickly stir in the remaining 3 ¾ c. sugar. Return mixture to a full rolling boil and continue boiling for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and test to see if the jam is setting properly (see below). Remove lemon balm. Skim off foam if necessary. Ladle jam quickly into sterilized jars (see below), filling to within ¼-inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads to remove any jam remnants. Cover jars with hot lids (see below) and rings. Tighten rings (not too tight). Place jars in canning rack. Lower rack into canning pot filled about half-full with almost-boiling water (you'll need more water if you're using large jars). Top off with hot water if necessary to bring water level 1 to 2 inches above jar tops. Start timing when water comes to a boil. Remove canning rack full of jars after about 5 minutes (10 minutes max). Place jars on a towel to cool. After a couple minutes, press the center of each lid to check for a true seal. The lid should not flex at all in the center if you’ve got a true seal.

To test if the cooked jam is setting properly: Put a metal spoon in a glass of ice water. When the spoon is cold, use it to scoop up a little of the cooked jam. Let that sit for a minute and then check if it seems set to a jam-like consistency. If not, add more pectin to the jam and bring to a boil again.

A note on jars: Avoid 4-ounce jars, because they tend to fall out of the canning rack. It’s also best to use a uniform jar size.

To heat lids: Place lids in a pan of hot water over low heat. Do not let the water come to a boil. The point is to help the sealing compound get soft and gummy.

Comments:
This jam is delicious.

Roasted Cauliflower with Meyer Lemon Mayonnaise

2011-07-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe off the back of a jar of Spectrum Organics mayonnaise a couple years ago. I am not a mayonnaise fan. At all. Steve, on the other hand, loves it. So when I saw this recipe, I figured it'd be a nice thing to make for Steve and I'd probably be able to tolerate it due to the addition of lemon, which I love.

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 c. mayonnaise
Zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon
Minced fresh parsley or dried parsley flakes (I've used both, and they both work fine)
Coarse salt

Mix the mayonnaise with the zest and juice of the Meyer lemon. Ideally, refrigerate the mixture for a while, though you can use it right away if need be. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Put the cauliflower pieces on a foil-lined, lightly oiled baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes or so. Dust the roasted cauliflower with coarse salt and parsley. You can drizzle the mayo/lemon mixture over the cauliflower, or you can serve it on the side for dipping.

Comments:
This far surpassed my expectations in deliciousness (which is probably why it's still the featured recipe on Spectrum's mayo label two years later). We make it pretty much any time we can get our hands on a Meyer lemon. I suppose it also would be good with a regular lemon. If anyone tries that, let me know!

Swiss Chard and Bacon over Soft Polenta

2011-07-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from an article in The News Tribune--the same article from which I got the Quick Beans and Greens recipe. Thanks again for sharing your newspaper, Mom! The original recipe called for pancetta and shaved Parmesan, neither of which I had, so I just used thick-cut, uncured bacon and grated Parmesan instead. The original recipe also called for twice as much polenta, which I dutifully made, and it was way too much. We're happy to use the leftovers as a few days' worth of breakfast mush, but I've halved the polenta recipe here so it's a more reasonable amount for this meal.

The photo shows chard stems around the edges of the polenta. The original recipe didn't use them,

but I didn't want to waste them, so I sautéed them in butter and added them to the meal.

Steve and I both think they detracted from the finished product;

next time I'll use them in something else instead.

Ingredients:
For Chard:
6-ish slices of bacon or 2 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/4-in. pieces
Freshly pressed garlic (I used about 6 cloves)
1 1/2 c. chicken broth (I made this with Better Than Bouillon organic chicken base)
1 T. chopped fresh thyme, or 1 t. dried thyme (I used dried, because it's what I had; it was good, but fresh would be even better)
8 c. coarsely chopped chard (stems removed and saved for another recipe)
1/4 t. coarse salt
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
Shaved or grated fresh Parmesan

For Polenta:
1 1/4 c. yellow cornmeal
1/2 t. salt
4 c. water

Cook bacon or pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp (about 10 min.).

Meanwhile, put the cornmeal and salt in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in the water (whisk constantly while pouring in water so the cornmeal doesn't get lumpy). Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low (original recipe says medium, but that's too hot). Cook for 15 minutes over low heat, whisking often.

When bacon/pancetta is crisp, remove it from skillet, but leave drippings. Add garlic to the drippings and sauté for 30 sec. Add broth and thyme, and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture reduces to about 3/4 c. Add the chard, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Cover and reduce heat to low. After 3 min., remove chard and liquid from skillet so they stop cooking. Serve chard and liquid on a bed of polenta. Top with bacon/pancetta and Parmesan.

Comments:
This was very good. It wasn't what I'd call a quick and easy meal, nor was it light on pot-and-pan usage, but it was tasty. As the original recipe stated, this also would be good made with some other type of bitter green, like kale, broccoli rabe, or mustard greens. The article also said that greens like this are great in wintertime. I would agree--at least for this recipe--because standing in front of that many hot stove burners for that long isn't my favorite activity in an 80-something-degree house. Nonetheless, yummy result!

Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

2011-07-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Lori added this to our recipe box when she visited us shortly after Liam was born. The recipe is actually the brainchild of her brother, Ryan. We love it and make it often. Thanks, Lori and Ryan!

Wow. This meal is not photogenic--especially considering I forgot to take a photo until after the leftovers

had been in a container in the fridge for a couple hours. But it sure is tasty.

Ingredients:
1 lb. (give or take) boneless, skinless chicken, sliced into strips
1 lb. (give or take) veggies (I used broccoli, carrots, and bell peppers, because that's what we had, but you could use any stir-fryable veggies)
Cooked rice (to serve)
Canola oil or other cooking oil (a couple tablespoons)

Marinade:
1/3 c. white vinegar
1/3 c. canola oil or other cooking oil
2 T. peanut butter
3 T. shoyu (soy sauce)
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. ginger
1 t. granulated garlic

Mix marinade ingredients together. Add chicken and marinate for a few hours or overnight. When ready to cook, heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or wok. Remove the chicken from the marinade and brown it in the skillet (reserve the marinade). When the chicken is cooked through, add the veggies and reserved marinade and stir-fry for a few minutes--until veggies are cooked but still somewhat crisp. Serve over rice.

Comments:
Great as always.

CSA, Week 8

2011-07-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

In this week's share:

Berries (choice of strawberries and/or raspberries; we chose one of each)
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Chard
Green Beans
(Green) Red Onion (hee hee. confusing enough name?)
Shelling Peas

A good portion of the berries will be incorporated into our Yogurt-Berry Saturdays tomorrow. The rest we'll eat as is. We won't even bother cooking the peas; they're too wonderful straight out of the pod. I'll keep you posted about the rest!