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!

CSA Week Nineteen

Here is what I got yesterday in my CSA:

-Kale
-Potatoes
-Radishes
-Carrots
-Broccoli
-Eggplant
-Mesclun
-Apples
-Bosc Pears
-Eggs
-Chrysanthemums

So I have big apple plans this weekend.  I am making caramel apples and an apple crisp or pie.  I have a ton of apples to use from my trip to the Hudson Valley.

I am so tempted to roast vegetables again and just put them on top of some farro or quinoa, but maybe I could get more creative.  We shall see.

Don't these Crostinis with Kale and Parmesan look tasty as an appetizer?  Or how about this carrot salad?

Can I just say I am in love with spaghetti squash?  You can literally eat it like spaghetti and not feel bad about all the carbs.  Genius.

CSA Week Seventeen

This has been a busy week, so sorry for the late post, but here is what I got last week in my CSA:

-Kale
-Edamame
-Leeks
-Radishes
-Cabbage
-Potatoes
-Carrots
-Pears
-Apples
-Eggs
-Wildflowers

As soon as I saw potatoes and carrots, I knew I had to roast some vegetables again.  They were so good last time!  Click here to learn how.  We also sautéed some kale, and munched on radishes.

This may sound weird, but I truly love shredded cabbage with lemon juice and salt.  It is great for digestion.  Roasted cabbage with lemon sounds pretty good too, or even homemade sauerkraut in Martha Stewart Living this month (not online yet).

Unfortunately, I won't be able to pick up my CSA this week so their won't be a post.

CSA Week Sixteen

This week in my CSA I received:

-One leek
-Parsley
-Collard Greens
-Beets
-Radishes
-Sweet potatoes
-Green bell peppers
-Apples
-Bosc pears
-Eggs
-Wildflowers

The night before, my friend roasted the beets for a tasty beet salad with toasted walnuts and goat cheese.  Last night, I still had a few things left over from the week before, so I made eggplant, caramelized onion, and tomato pasta, and sprinkled it with the parsley.

If you are looking for a hearty soup with sweet potatoes, try this Sweet and Spicy Lentil Soup.  Swap out the swiss chard for collards, and add the leek in with part of the onion, and you got yourself a meal.

Want to try a delicious dessert?  Try this Apple Cake.  I made it last weekend, and besides the peeling and chopping, the recipe is pretty simple.  Plus, you can sneak it in for breakfast and not feel too guilty.

And if you are feeling ambitious this weekend, try this Butternut Squash Ravioli.  Not going to lie - it is time-consuming, but you do feel kind of proud at the end: I made homemade ravioli - ta da!

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?

Potato Pancakes

This past Friday night, I decided I was going to make potato pancakes and caramelized apple sauce from the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook.  At 10:30 I had a burned pot of apple sauce (which I tried to convince myself otherwise that is was not burnt) and some delicious potato pancakes.  The recipe says "serves 4," but for a potato-lover it really serves 2.  I have no self-control when it comes to fried potatoes.  NONE.  Overall, I thought the potato pancake recipe was great, but there are few tweaks here in there thought I thought could make it more successful (which I included in the recipe).

Ingredients for Potato Pancakes from the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook, serves 4 (2 to 3 pancakes per person):

-4 Idaho potatoes
-Juice of half a lemon
-2 large eggs
-1/2 cup finely minced or grated onion (about half a medium onion
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper (sorry I only have black)
-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (you can substitute matzo meal)
-1/4 to 1/2 cup canola oil

To begin, peel the potatoes and place them in a cold bowl of water.

In a large bowl, squeeze in half the juice of a lemon.  Then in the same bowl, using a box grater, grate potatoes using the medium or largest holes (I used the largest).  Mix the lemon juice and potatoes by hand to prevent browning.

Okay, get another medium bowl - here comes the messy part.  Using your hands squeeze the liquid from the potatoes into the new bowl, and reserve the liquid.  I think this would work fine if I was Neil from Clinton Street, but I am Weakling Sam, so next time I am going to place my potatoes in a clean dish towel (NOT terry cloth) and gently twist my potatoes so all the liquid comes out.  I do this whenever I make Martha Stewart's potato pancake.  Click here to see what I am talking about.  You can also place your potatoes in a salad spinner and spin off the liquid - an Alton Brown trick.  Its not to say that I didn't squeeze out liquid, but by the time I started frying my pancakes, I noticed a lot of liquid started to seep out from the mixture.  I just didn't squeeze out enough, and I think these other methods could prevent that.

In a clean bowl, mix the potatoes, eggs, onion, salt, pepper, and flour, until all combined.  Discard the top layer of your reserved potato liquid and you will find potato sludge - er I mean starch at the bottom.  It is actually pretty cool because the starch is pretty thick and solid, it almost felt like fresh coconut.  Add this to the potato mixture and mix with your hands or spoon.  The starch is what actually makes your pancakes crisp.

In a large saute pan, heat oil to just below boiling point (this is just below medium high on my stove).  Form four 2-inch pancakes and saute them four at a time.  You can flatten the pancakes with your spatula if you want them thinner.  Mine were about 1/2 inch to start and were flattened a bit in the pan.  Once a pancake is golden and is partially cooked in the middle, the pancake  is ready to be turned.  When flipping the pancake, tilt the pan away from you so no oil splatters on you.  Lower the heat to prevent burning and cook the other side until golden brown, another 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove the pancakes from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve pancakes warm or at room temperature.  If you want to reheat the pancakes, place them on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven at 350 degrees F for up to ten minutes until they recrisp, but be careful - they dry out easily.

Below is my apple sauce disaster, but more on that later.  I am going to try it again this weekend :)

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 Twenty-Three

This my second to last week of my CSA.  So sad!  Here is what I got:

-Sweet potatoes
-Leeks
-Lettuce and other greens
-Fennel
-Carnival squash
-Broccoli
-Apples
-Eggs


Next week, I hope to be posting more frequently as Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.  For now, check out my perfect pie dough recipe.  Click here.

CSA Week Twenty-One

Hello!  Here is what I got from my CSA this week:
-Sweet potatoes
-Potatoes
-Broccoli
-Red and icicle radishes
-Beets
-Swiss chard
-Baby bok choy
-Lettuce
-Cherry tomatoes
-Hot peppers
-Apples


If you are looking for something to do with swiss chard, try these tacos.

Click here to read about my visit to Fairmount Bagels, one of Montreal's most popular bagel shops.

CSA Week Seventeen & Eighteen

I have had a couple busy weeks filled with visitors and traveling, so I have been a bit lax on posting.  Here is the produce I got from my CSA:

Week Seventeen

-Heirloom tomatoes
-Cherry tomatoes
-Dill
-Hot peppers
-Mesclun greens
-Kale
-Radishes
-Green beans
-Apples
-Plums
-Seckle pears
-Dozen eggs

Week Eighteen

-Tomatoes
-Grape tomatoes
-Bok choy
-Hot peppers
-Lettuce
-Green beans
-Collard greens
-Apples
-Plums
-Seckle pears
-Dozen eggs

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

CSA Week Fifteen

Hi!  Got a lot of great produce from my CSA:
-Broccoli rabe
-Bok choy
-Arugula
-Salad turnips
-Squash
-Green beans
-Hot House tomatoes
-Grape tomatoes
-Dill
-Apples
-Plums
-Seckle Pears
-Dozen eggs

CSA Week Fourteen

Hi!  This week my CSA welcomed in fall with squash, apples, and pears.  Here is what I got:
-Squash
-Lettuce
-Cherry tomatoes
-Tomatoes
-Bell peppers
-String beans
-Salad turnips
-Bok choy
-Mesclun greens
-Apples
-Barlett pears
-Peaches
-Plums
-Dozen eggs

This week I am going to pickle some green beans using this recipe by Bob McClure of McClure's pickles (swapping the cucumbers for the beans).  If you need some tomato inspiration, try this recipe for some Rustic Roasted Tomato Salsa by Rick Bayless.  Instead of buying fire roasted canned tomatoes, just roast your tomatoes under the broiler until the skins have charred black spots on both sides.  Let tomatoes cool, remove skins, and finish the recipe as usual.  And if you need a pear snack, try this recipe from Apples and Butter blog.

Enjoy!