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 Twenty-Two

Ugh...still so busy, but here is what I got in my CSA last:

-Acorn squash
-Braising greens
-Escarole
-Parsley
-Collard greens
-Potatoes
-Sweet potatoes
-Mesclun
-Apples
-Eggs

I did have a chance to make my favorite soup - hearty winter vegetable, which uses escarole, potatoes, and squash.  It is soooo good.

I am making several pies this weekend - and I think sweet potato might be one of them.  I'll keep you posted.

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.

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 Fifteen

I have been such a lazy bum when it comes to cooking these days.  I have been pretty busy at work, etc., etc..  So hopefully I can get back on track with cooking this week.  Here is what I got from my CSA last week:

-Kohlrabi
-Kale
-Lettuce
-Carrots
-Potatoes
-Eggplant
-Jalapenos
-Onions
-Pears
-Plums
-Eggs
-Marigolds and one sunflower

On Wednesday I made tacos, story of my life.  And on Sunday I roasted a ton of veggies, and I might make a cannelloni bean and kale soup this week.

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?

Fiddlehead, Potato, and Ramp Pizza

I can't tell you how nice it is to go to the Greenmarket early Friday morning.  I am almost hesitant to tell you, because I don't want people to hear and it to become crowded!  Anyways, I made my rounds last Friday on a mission to get ramps, rhubarb, asparagus, and fiddlehead ferns.  I ended up with all of those and a small basil plant, eggs, and shiitake mushrooms.  In the booth where I bought the fiddleheads and ramps, some guys from The Spotted Pig (my favorite restaurant) were buying a hefty load of fiddleheads!  By the way, I am noticing a trend - if you carry herb plants with you, someone is bound to talk to you.   It happened to me with my rosemary, and it happened to with my basil on Friday.

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-Two

Hello!  I got a lot of greens this week from my CSA.  I think I am going to my FAVORITE soup - hearty winter vegetable with this produce.  Here is what I got:
-Collard greens
-Leeks
-Potatoes
-Boy choy
-Mesclun
-Arugula
-Broccoli
-Acorn squash
-Eggs
-Jonagold Apples
-Mutsu Apples

Have a great weekend, I am off to watch the NYC Marathon!

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 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 Thirteen

Yes, I realize I forgot to post last week's CSA.  My apologies, but I had a flight to catch.  My BFF got married last weekend and I couldn't be happier - like I-couldn't-stop-crying-in-front-of-everyone-at-ho-down-happier.  That said, lets skip to this week's bounty.

Photo by AWD.

Here is what I got:

-Parsley
-Meslcun greens
-Lettuce
-String beans
-Tomatoes
-Red Peppers
-Potatoes
-Zucchini
-Peaches
-Plums
-Eggs


Thinking about making this plum cake (so pretty) over the weekend, and drinking some of these Porch Crawlers (so deadly).

CSA Week Nine

This is one of those weeks that when you get the food and you know exactly what to do with it - just eat everything on its own.  Slice up tomato and add some salt, cut up some melon for a fresh dessert, or add some cucumber to a pitcher of water for a fancy drink.  Here is everything I got:

-Cabbage
-Basil
-Zucchini
-Cucumbers
-Hot house tomato
-Cherry tomatoes
-Potatoes
-Corn
-Peaches
-Melon
-Watermelon
-Eggs

Murdered Peach

Last night I pan roasted the cherry tomatoes, threw in some garlic at the end, tossed with angel hair, and topped with basil and Parmesan.  Delicious!

Hearty Winter-Vegetable Soup with Popovers

Last week I made a delicious soup perfect for this cold weather, hence the name Hearty Winter-Vegetable Soup from Martha Stewart's January 2010 issue. The soup takes a lot of prep work, but once you get though all the chopping, you are on your way. It makes great leftovers, in fact I liked it better the second day because the flavors had melded together and the escarole had softened even more.

Here are the ingredients for Martha Stewart's Hearty Winter-Vegetable Soup (serves 10-12):

-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

-4 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, cut into 1-inch pieces, and washed well

-3 celery stalks, cut on the bias into 1/2-inch-thick pieces

-3 medium carrots, cut into cubes

-2 garlic cloves, crushed

-2 pinches of red-pepper flakes

-Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

-5 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock (I used vegetable stock)

-1 1/2 cups water

-1 small (1 to 1 1/2 pounds) butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes

-2 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 12 ounces), cut into cubes

-1 head escarole, cut into 1-inch-thick ribbons

-1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

-2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint

-2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh dill

To begin, chop leeks, celery, carrots and peel garlic.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Cook leeks, celery, carrots, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until leeks are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add stock and water, and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, peel and cut squash and cut potatoes. Add squash and potatoes to the soup and return to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir in escarole and chickpeas, and return to a boil.

Stir in lemon juice and herbs.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy with a popover.

Ingredients for Popovers from Martha Stewart's January 2010 issue (makes 1 dozen*):

-2 1/2 cups whole milk

-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon coarse salt

-6 large eggs

-Unsalted butter, softened for pans

*Note: Using a standard muffin tin, the recipe made 2 dozen popovers.

Before I begin with the directions let me compare a popover tin to a muffin tin. In my experience, the muffin tin only affected how the popovers turned out visually, but taste-wise the muffin tin popovers were still very delicious.

Cooks Illustrated explains the importance of the popover tin's design, "Only tangentially related to muffin tins, popover pans are composed of heavyweight steel cups affixed to one another with thick steel wire; they typically have six cups. The open design maximizes heat transfer, which is crucial to high-rising popovers and babas au rhum."

Because my muffin tin could not achieve the heat level needed, all my popovers collapsed except for one miraculously. I made two attempts, I used Martha's oven temperature for the first round, and then I increased the temperature to 450 degrees for the first 15 minutes, and reduced it to 425 for the second half of baking. The second attempt had better results, but still far from perfect.

This is a Chicago Metallic Gourmetware Nonstick 6-Cup Popover Pan which can be purchased here.

To begin, heat oven to 425 degrees F. Meanwhile whisk together milk, flour, and salt.

Add eggs and whisk together until combined. Mixture might be lumpy.

Place popover or muffin tin in oven to heat up for 5 minutes. Quickly remove the tin and generously coat each cup with softened butter. Fill each cup a little more than halfway with batter. Place back in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Do NOT open the oven and reduce temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for about 25 minutes.

First attempt.

Second Attempt at higher temperature.

Let stand for 5 minutes and then turn popovers out and serve warm. If not using all the popovers, poke a small hole to release steam. Reheat when ready to eat.

My one perfect popover.

For original Popover recipe, click here.