CSA Week Thirteen

Here is what I got in my CSA this week:

-Fennel
-Corn
-Potatoes
-Eggplant
-Tomato
-Red peppers
-Jalapenos
-Summer squash
-Red onion
-Peaches
-Plums
-Green beans
-Eggs

This week I made this eggplant, tomato, and caramelized onion pasta.  It makes for really great leftovers.  My friend froze some of the corn for soups this winter.  We made some Mexican rice with the peppers and onion.  I also made a peach upside-down cake too (more on that later).

The plums go great on top of vanilla ice cream.  And the green beans are perfect for Parmigiano Gremolata, but doesn't this green bean salad with fennel and fried almonds look good too?

CSA Week Twelve

I can't believe today is September 1st.  Where did the summer go?  Here is what I got in my CSA yesterday:

-Swiss chard
-Eggplant
-Green and red peppers
-Corn
-Cucumbers
-Summer squash
-Tomatoes
-Peaches
-Nectarines
-Eggs
-Marigolds

Last night I made penne with eggplant and tomato.  It was so good and easy, you should definitely try it.  I love most recipes on Alexandra's Kitchen!  Doesn't this tomato, ricotta, and grilled bread look good too?

Definitely making fajitas tonight with peppers, Swiss chard, maybe some squash, and with some Mexican corn on the cob.  These charred corn tacos look pretty good too.

Hope to share my peach ice cream recipe soon too!

CSA Week Eleven

Okay, I am totally behind, blame it on Irene.  She really put a cramp in everyone's style this week.  Here what I got in my CSA this week:

-Red onion
-Hot peppers
-Green bell peppers
-Eggplant
-Carrots
-Corn
-Tomatoes
-Basil
-Watermelon
-Nectarines
-Peaches
-Eggs

The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This week has been a huge disappointment of mediocre food.  Accidentally added guac in my Chipotle burrito online order - FAIL.  Had Dominos Pizza - health FAIL.  Ate at Dos Toros - LivingSocial FAIL.  There were some successes - Roasted Tomato and Eggplant soup (which I also used as pizza sauce), homemade pizza, and this tomato grilled cheese sandwich.  Fresh CSA tomatoes with Consider Bardwell Farm Pawlet cheese.  Major SUCCESS and the best thing I had in my mouth all week.

If you are in the mood for some baking - try this chewy and crispy chocolate chip cookie recipe.

CSA Week Ten

Hooray!  Finally got real tomatoes!  Here is what else I got this week from my CSA:

-Basil
-Carrots
-Corn
-Eggplant
-Cucumber
-Summer squash
-Lettuce
-Peppers
-Cherry tomatoes
-Tomatoes
-Peaches
-Melon
-Eggs
-Wild Flowers

Last night I made tostadas with the lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

Sometimes my favorite thing to do with a tomato is just slice it up and put some salt on it.  I think I am going to save a few and make a margherita pizza, with my own tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese, and basil.  A pepper pizza sounds pretty good too, and even this grilled-peach and proscuitto pizza sounds interesting.  Pizza party!

I am actually making tomato and eggplant soup tonight, and I desperately need to make some zucchini bread and freeze it for the later.  I still have a few zuccs hanging around in my fridge.

If you end up making tomato sauce, how about some homemade pasta to go with it?

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil

My apologies for not posting this spaghetti squash with tomatoes and basil recipe as soon as I had hoped, but alas here is the recipe as promised.  I am not the biggest fan of spaghetti squash, I think it is kind of weird, and kind of insipid.  It seems like you have to add a lot of other flavors for the squash to actually taste like something.  It does have a pretty amazing texture though, which is why it is called spaghetti squash - duh.  In the original recipe from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, the squash is stuffed with the tomatoes and basil mixture and baked in oven.  I had half a stuffed squash for my meal, and although it was delicious, it honestly should be a side dish.  So I have edited the recipe to be baked in a casserole dish instead of the squash shell and tweaked it just a bit.  The photos are from my first attempt, so just imagine the squash filling in a casserole dish instead of a shell.


Ingredients for Baked Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil, adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, serves 4:


-1 large spaghetti squash, or 2 medium
-16 fresh plum tomatoes, or whole tomatoes from a can (I used a combo - some from my CSA, some from a can)
-2 cloves garlic, peeled
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-4 ounces basil, plus sprigs for garnish
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/4 freshly ground pepper
-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated


Place spaghetti squash in a stockpot and cover with 2 inches of water.  Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, until slightly tender when you press it with your finger.


Cut in half crosswise, and stand the halves on ends, and set aside to let cool for 15 minutes.


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Meanwhile chop 12 tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces and place in large bowl with 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan.  Slice the remaining 4 into 1/4-inch thick rounds and set aside.


Place garlic, olive oil, basil leaves, salt, and pepper into a food processor.  Process until the basil has been very finely chopped.  Place basil mixture in the bowl with the tomatoes.

After the squash has cooled, scooped out the seeds and discard.  Then take a fork and scrape the flesh, it will separate like spaghetti strands (whoa - so cool).  Add squash to the tomato-basil mixture and toss to combine.

Place squash mixture into a small casserole dish and spread evenly.  Place sliced tomatoes on top and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and the squash is hot.  Garnish with basil sprigs and serve hot.


Last year, around this time I took a trip to Montreal.  Click here to check out my food adventures.

CSA Week Twenty

Hi!  Here is what I got this week from my CSA:

-Green beans

-Collard greens

-Arugula

-Spaghetti squash

-Sweet potatoes

-Parsley

-Tomatoes

-Apples

-Pears

-Eggs

Since I have parsley and green beans I might make green beans with gremolata, and last weekend my friend made this sweet and spicy lentil soup with sweet potatoes and collards.

Stay tuned later today for a surprisingly tasty spaghetti squash recipe with tomatoes and basil :)

CSA Week Sixteen

Hello! I cannot believe it has already been four months of fresh produce.  It is sad to think that I only have two months left before my CSA comes to an end until next summer.  Here is what I got:


-Mesclun greens
-Lettuce
-Edamame
-Beets
-Garlic
-Green beans
-Tomatoes
-Radishes
-Apples
-Peaches
-Eggs

Stacked Tomato Salad

Last week I tried out this fancy little salad from The Splendid Table's How To Eat Supper.  It is a great way to showcase the summer's tomato.  Although, slabs of mozzarella is not my personal favorite, I could definitely see this as a crowd pleasing recipe and perfect for a starter at a dinner party.  In fact, Lynne Rossetto Kasper mentions in her cookbook that it is the most downloaded recipe on her The Splendid Table website.  Some tips for making the recipe - make sure your tomatoes are small enough, and they are juicy yet firm, to ensure that the tomatoes do not topple over.  If you do not mind a sloppier salad, then go for larger tomatoes.  Visually, the salad should be stacked back as a whole tomato with cheese inside.

Ingredients for Ripe Tomato Stack with Pine Nuts and Mozzarella, from The Splendid Table's How To Eat Supper (serves 4 as a main dish, 6 to 8 as a starter):

Dressing 
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove. minced
1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
Generous pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons dried currants
Salt
2 tight-packed tablespoons fresh basil leaves, torn
2/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (I used almonds.  Use pine nuts if you can afford them)

Salad
6 medium ripe tomatoes
1 pound fresh mozzarella packed in liquid, sliced 1/2 inch thick
About 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

To begin, make the dressing in a small bowl.  Combine the lemon juice, garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes, onion, currants, and salt to taste.  Let the mixture stand for 20 to 30 minutes.  Just before assembling the dish, stir in the basil and all but 1/4 cup of the pine nuts.

Core the tomatoes.  Cut each tomato horizontally into 1/2-inch-thick slices.  Place the bottom slice of each tomato on a serving platter.  Season them with a little salt, then top each with a slice of cheese.  Season the cheese with a teaspoon or so of the onion mixture.  Continue the layers until all the tomatoes are reassembled.

To finish the dish, sprinkle the tomatoes with the reserved pine nuts, the olive oil, and any leftover onion mixture.  Serve at room temperature.  Enjoy!

Summer Zucchini Pasta

Last night I whipped up this super easy and not to mention quick recipe of Summer Zucchini Pasta from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper.  I even got to use a few of my CSA goodies - cherry tomatoes, basil, and zucchini.  Seriously this took me ten minutes total, and I love the pops of tomato, the freshness of basil, and the heat from the red pepper flakes.  The best part is that is great warm, room temperature, or cold.