CSA Week Twenty-Three

My last week of my CSA - wow, that was fast.  Sorry, I have been so busy - just had a lot going on.  Here is what I got:

-Kale
-Butternut squash
-Collard greens
-Sweet potatoes
-Potatoes
-Garlic
-Lettuce
-Carrots
-Acorn Squash
-Pea shoots
-Red onion
-Apples

Looks like a lot of great things for Thanksgiving!

Roasted Carrots and Potatoes

Sometimes I forget how freaking delicious simple roasted vegetables are.  On Sunday I finally got my act in gear and made something.  Granted, it was just roasted potatoes and carrots, but hey, there was peeling involved!  This recipe is from Jamie's Food Revolution, just minus the parsnips, and with his directions, it creates beautifully caramelized carrots and crispy-exterior potatoes with ultra-creamy insides.  It just doesn't really get any better.

CSA Week Fourteen

Wow, it's finally fall, or at least it looks like it in this picture.  This week in my CSA I got:

-Eggplant
-Collard greens
-Beets
-Fennel
-Peppers
-Garlic
-Carrots
-Sweet potato leaves
-Spaghetti squash
-Apples
-Eggs

I have no idea what I will be making this week, but my CSA group emailed us a little about sweet potato leaves:

The sweet potato is one of the world's most cultivated crops, and is grown all over the world, but especially in Asia and the Pacific. The leaves are high in protein. Chinese herbalist lore says that the leaves can improve the respiratory and renal system function. Like spinach, chard and other greens, sweet potatoes leaves are highly versatile. Here is a recipe for stir-fried sweet potato leaves:
Ingredients: One bunch of sweet potato leaves; 1-2 hot dried red chilies (optional); 1-2 cloves of garlic
Salt, soy sauce, pepper to taste
Method

1. Fill a pot with water and put it on the stove over high heat. The pot should be large enough to hold the leaves, and there should be enough water to cover the leaves.
2. Strip the leaves from the branches. The thin stems that attach the leaves to the branch are tender enough to eat, so there is no need to remove only the leaves. Wash and drain the leaves.
3. Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic.
4. Chop the chilies fine, and combine with the garlic.
5. When the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and carefully add the sweet potato leaves. After 2 minutes, remove and rinse with cold water. Chop the leaves. (This step was recommended by the cookbook to remove traces of natural slime from the leaves.)
6. In a large skillet or wok, heat some vegetable oil over high heat. When it is hot, add the garlic and chilies. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring often.

Add the greens, then stir-fry the mixture until the greens are tender, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper, soy sauce, or other flavorings to taste.

If you are looking for a fall pasta dish, try this pasta with brocoli rabe, toasted garlic, and bread crumbs - soooo good.  Or how about chocolate ice cream for dessert?

CSA Week Seven

YESSSS!  Cherries are finally here!  Here's what else I got in my CSA this week:

-Cucumbers
-Corn
-Parsley
-Basil
-Purslane
-Summer squash
-Garlic
-Peppers
-Cherries
-Melon
-Peaches
-Eggs
-Zinnias

Ahhhh!  What to do with purslane?  I found this Shell Bean Salad that may do the trick.
If you can resist eating some of the cherries, this Dark Cherry Crumble Cake with Cinnamon is delicious.
Or try this Dutch Baby with Peaches for breakfast this weekend.
These corn fritters are definitely on the list to make this week too!
This Green Beans with Parmesan Gremolata is perfect for all the parsley we got.
And if you want to use some peppers, try a Rick Bayless Salsa.  Ha cha cha.
Cucumber Cocktails anyone?  I am obsessed with cocktails this summer.

Smokey, Spicy & Tangy Hot Salsa

A couple weekends ago I made some delicious hot salsa from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everday.  It was a cinch to make and I ended up using it on everything - quesadillas, scrambled egg tacos, and of course chips.  I love the smokiness of dry roasting the ingredients, the tanginess of the tomatillos, the spiciness of árbol chiles.  You can find the chiles at Fairway, Whole Foods, or a Mexican grocery store.

CSA Week Twenty-Four

Last Wednesday was my final week of my CSA.  It has not really hit me yet, but I know it will once I run out of all the produce.  Seriously, I don't realize how the CSA shaped my eating until it is gone.  Here is what I got my final week:
-Broccoli
-Sweet potatoes
-Cabbage
-Butternut squash
-Garlic
-Kale
-Leeks
-Lettuce
-Sage
-Apples
-One quince
-Eggs

Oh CSA, how I will miss you!  Stay tuned for Thanksgiving recipes :)

CSA Week Nineteen

I got so much food last week, that I had to cab it home.  Pounds after pounds of tomatoes, potatoes, and greens.  Here is what I got:
-Peppers
-Lettuce
-Arugula
-Baby bok choy
-Dill
-Green beans
-Potatoes
-Tomatoes
-Garlic
-Turnips
-Apples
-Seckel pears
-Bosc pears
-Plums
-Dozen eggs

Last year around this time I made Pear-Caramel Ice Cream.  Click here to check it out.

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

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe, Toasted Garlic, and Bread Crumbs

Here is a simple pasta recipe that I have been making for a couple years, using broccoli rabe, some stale bread, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Have you ever watched The Minimalist with Mark Bittman?  I love this New York Times series.  It is sweet and to the point, and this is where the recipe came from.

Here are the ingredients for Mark Bittman's Spaghetti with Broccoli Rabe, serves 4 to 6:
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, more as needed
-3 or 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and slivered
-A chunk of stale piece of bread to make about 1 cup of bread crumbs, chop into small pieces
-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
-About 1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed, washed, and roughly chopped
-1 pound of spaghetti, linguine, or other long pasta
-Freshly ground black pepper
-Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

-Salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add broccoli rabe and cook uncovered until tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well.  Set aside.  Add pasta to the water, and cook until done.

Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  When oil is warm, cook garlic until it is toasted to golden brown.  Be careful not to burn.  Remove garlic with slotted spoon, and then add bread crumbs and red pepper flakes.  Cook until golden, about 5 minutes.  Remove and set aside.

When pasta is done, drain it, reserving a little cooking water.  Toss pasta in skillet with broccoli rabe mixture, moistening with a little reserved water if necessary.  Adjust seasonings and serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

Click here to watch Mark's video for the recipe.

Check out the first ice cream I ever made (last year) - Chocolate!  Click here.

CSA Week Eleven

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

-Corn

-Cucumbers

-Zucchini

-Green Bell peppers

-Heirloom and Hot House tomatoes

-Carrots

-Garlic

-Basil

-Dozen Eggs

-White peaches

-Yellow peaches

-Nectarines

 

Last weekend, I had an impromptu pizza party.  The variety of vegetables this season are perfect for pizza making.  I also made this Lemony Zucchini Tart from Good Food, Good Wine, Bad Girl blog.  I could not find lemon fetish feta cheese, but replaced it with a regular feta, and it still turned out very tasty.  I definitely recommend trying it if you still have zucchini lying around.  It was a pretty quick, especially if you have a mandolin to slice up the zucchini and shallot.  

I am also planning on making this Nectarine Pizza with Fresh Basil from Alexandra's Kitchen today.  Click here for more homemade pizza.  Enjoy your Sunday!

Basic Pasta Dough And Simple Tomato Sauce

I have been meaning to post about this for a while - like I-lived-in-a-whole-'nother-apartment-while-ago.  When I have time I make my own pasta.  The dough is super simple, and it just takes a little crafty work and voila - you have fresh pasta that just makes you feel proud that you  have made it.  And no - you don't need a pasta maker, a rolling pin works just fine.  Once you learn how to make the dough, the possibilites are endless.  Since I have gotten so many fresh veggies, I thought it would be a great time to share the recipe.


Ingredients for Basic Pasta Dough from Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, makes 4 (12-inch square) sheets of dough:

3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large bowl, mix 3 cups of the flour and the salt.  Shape a deep well in the middle of the four - it should look like a volcano.  In another bowl, beat the eggs, then beat in the oil.  Slowly pour the egg mixture into the center of the flour, stirring it into the flour.  Keep incorporating the eggs into the flour until the mixture gets too stiff to mix with a fork.  Switch to your hands and add enough flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to mix it together into a sticky dough.

Once your dough has come together, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface.  Work the dough by pushing all the sides into the middle, then bringing the bottom over the top and down, in a repetitive motion.  With a steady flow of motion, this should take about 8 to 10 minutes of kneading.  You'll know your ready when the dough feels somewhat elastic and it no longer cracks and crumbles while being handled.  It will also take on a bit of subtle shine.

Dampen a clean kitchen towel and wrap the dough in the towel.  Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Unwrap the dough and with a scraper or knife, cut into equal quarters.  Roll the first piece into a ball, flatten it with your hands, then roll it out into a 12-inch square about 1/8-inch thick, keeping the work surface and the rolling pin well floured.  I rolled mine out until I could see the counter top coming through.

At this point you can make whatever shape of pasta you want - lasagna, fettuccine, spaghetti, ravioli squares, etc.  On this day I made fettuccine, so I go out a ruler and a pizza cutter and went to town.  Karen even suggests folding into thirds and then cutting, just make sure the dough is well floured.

Flour a large rimmed baking sheet well.  Once pasta has been cut, gently place in baking sheet and let rest, stretched long, to dry.

To cook the pasta, boil a large stockpot of water with salt.  Start tasting the pasta after 5 to 7 minutes (or shorter if you made thinner pasta).  It should be soft and visibly cooked in the middle.

To go along with the pasta I came up with this sauce to use up my heirloom tomatoes and my quarter of an onion.  The quantity is based off the two leftover tomatoes I had, but you can easily double or triple the recipe.  I had read about Smitten Kitchen's tomato sauce with onion and butter a while ago and thought I would give it a whirl using fresh tomatoes.


Simple Tomato Sauce, adapted from Smitten Kitchen, serves 2:

-2 heirloom tomatoes (you can use any fresh flavorful tomato)
-1 clove garlic, peeled
-Quarter of a large onion, peeled
-2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
-Salt to taste

First cut tomatoes into large chunks, about 2 by 3 inch pieces.  Place all the ingredients into a medium sauce pan and cover over low heat.  Bring to a simmer, and then reduce it to the lowest heat so it is just barely bubbling, still covered.  Cook for about 40 minutes or until droplets of fat separate from the tomatoes.  Stir every ten minutes or so and break the tomatoes down using a wooden spoon against the side of the pan.

Once the tomatoes are broken down, uncover and raise the heat so it comes to a strong simmer.  Cook until the tomato sauce has thickened to your liking, about 10-15 minutes.  Disgard the onion and garlic clove.  

Place the sauce over your favorite pasta or eat it by the spoonful - it is hard to resist.

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.

CSA Week Six

Here is what I received from my CSA this week:

-3 pounds summer squash
-1 pound potatoes
-1 bunch flat leaf parsley
-2 heads of garlic
-mesclun greens
-1 kohlrabi
-1 bunch red beets
-cherries
-blueberries
-3 peaches

This morning I preheated my oven to 400 degrees and chopped up my potatoes and tossed with olive oil, rosemary, chives, sage and two cloves of minced garlic. I roasted them for about 25 minutes until they were soft and had browned on the edges.My roommate and I had a BBQ last week so we grilled the squash, and I ate all the cherries and peaches already. I plan to make blueberry muffins today. Click here for the recipe. I used the parsley I had on a quinoa salad for a picnic on Friday. Click here for the recipe.