Farmers Market Cooking

First Basket of the Season

2012-05-02T17:05:00.001-07:00

Okay...so I noticed that the last post I made on this blog was about a Frittata and this one is too. But we were so excited to have our basket we had to make something quick and easy tonight so we could enjoy them. Here is what we got this week. Salad Turnips Scallions Asparagus Spinach Salad Mix Spicy Salad Mix

Fritatta

8 eggs
1/2 cup half and half
2 strips bacon
1 bunch spinach
3 scallions
1 cup cheddar Jack Cheese
Salt
Pepper

I diced up the bacon and started it in a non-stick pan. Right about the time it started to crisp up I added my chopped scallion. I cooked that a bit until the bacon was crisp and the onion was soft. Next I added my spinach (roughly chopped) and cook that until it had wilted down. In a separate bowl I wisked together the eggs and half and half. I let the spinach,onion, bacon mixture cool a bit and then added in my eggs. I then added salt and pepper. Over medium heat I stirred it a while until the eggs started to cook and it began to look like scrambled eggs. I stirred in the cheese and then let it sit for a bit to brown and cook through. After it was cooked mostly through I slid the fritatta off onto a plate and then used the plate to flip the frittata over in my pan. Once the second side was browned, I added a bit of cheese on top and served with our salad greens. A fantastic way to use 3 of our basket items.

A super-fast fritatta.....did I spell that right????

2012-01-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

    My wife and I don't usually get home from work until almost 6pm. That is after a stop to pick up our son from daycare. That really doesn't leave a lot of time for cooking, eating and family-fun-time before the start of Simon's bedtime routine at around 7:30, so I am ALWAYS looking for a quick recipe. Tonight I found a good one, and with a few changes to speed things up...it was fantastic.

Spinach, Sausage and Potato Fritatta
Small bunch Fresh spinach
1 sweet italian sausage (casing removed)
1 russet potato
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup diced onion
8 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil

     The first thing I did was start my sausage to browning. Stirring it often to break up the large pieces. While that was browning, I microwaved my potato for about 5-7 minutes until mostly soft. I then removed the sausage from the frying pan and sauted my onion in a bit of olive oil. Once it was translucent, I added my potatos and cooked them until they started to brown. Next I added the spinach and the sausage back in and tossed until the spinach began to wilt.
     While that was going on, I whisked my eggs and milk together until well mixed and poured it over the sausage, potato, spinach and onion mix in the saute pan. I stirred it until I was sure that all the ingredients would not settle to the bottom of the pan. At this point I stirred in my cheese and salt and pepper.  I then reduced the heat to medium and pulled back the edges of the Fritata to let the runny, top-part move into contact with the pan. I kept doing this until the there wasn't any runny top part and the bottom was beginning to brown.
     Here is the tricky part. I like to slide the fritata off onto a plate and then use the plate to flip the fritata. It can be tricky and can be avoided by using an oven safe saute pan and moving it to a 400 degree oven right after all the ingredients are added. I prefer to flip and do it all on the stovetop. Once the fritata is flipped, add a bit more cheddar cheese to the top and cook through. Slide off onto a cutting board and cut into wedges. Serve with a simple tossed salad. Delicious.

RESULTS:   This was a really great tasting and really fast dinner. The potatos are really the key as they add a bit more texture to the fritata. By the way....this makes a HUGE fritata. Enough for dinner for 3 plus enough leftovers for 3 lunches the next day. Always a plus in my book!

CSA season is over....BUT STILL COOKING!

2012-01-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

Okay...I never really planned for this blog to be ONLY about our CSA basket and cooking with it. I wanted it to be about all the adventures my family and I have with out weekly meals. We are constantly trying to eat meals that are a little more interesting and a little healthier. Last night, we tried a recipe that Wendi supplied me from her "REAL SIMPLE" magazine. It was for a pizza-like flatbread. Very simple, but incredibly delicious. WE LOVED IT. Here is the recipe.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND FETA FLATBREADS

dough
approx. 1 1/2 cup warm water
1 packet yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 TB olive oil

Topping
1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 clove garlic
1 cup roasted red peppers
1 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper

    Much like my earlier pizza recipe you make the dough by dissolving the sugar in the warm water and then stirring in the yeast. While that begins to foam. Mix together the salt, flour and olive oil. Once yeast appears active add slowly while mixing into the flour until a dough ball forms. ONce it all comes together, continue to mix (knead) for about 5 minutes until smooth. Place in a bowl with a bit of olive oil and cover. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour.
    If you have fresh peppers, roast them in your broiler or on a grill until charred all around. Then place them in a zip top bag or bowl with a lid and seal. Let cool. This makes removing the skin and seeds a LOT easier. I then cut the red pepers into about 1" x 1/4" strips.
   In a saute pan, brown the ground turkey. Season it with salt and pepper and cook it until no longer pink. Add the oregano and set aside to cool.
   Now add to the top of the dough the peppers, ground turkey mixture and feta cheese. I made a mistake and bought feta with mediterranean herbs, but it was a "happy accident" as it turned out to be perfect. Either type of feta will work fine. Bake in a 425 degree oven until brown. Remove from oven and sprinkly on the chopped parsley. Cut and enjoy!
   Once dough has risen. Oil a sheet pan flatten dough on it. Press it thin to cover all the sheet tray. I like to add a bit more oil to the top of the dough and let it rise again for about 15 minutes.

     I am usually not much of a person for following a recipe, but this was really delicious. Light, but extremely flavorful. We thought about how it might be with some black olives, or capers, but I think they would have been overkill. They just wouldn't be needed. I guess sometimes simpler really is better. We will definitely be having this one again!

First attempt at Apple Butter

2011-10-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

My family has a long history of making apple butter. We used to do it in my grannies backyard in a copper cauldron, over an open fire. That is one of the best memories I have from my childhood. Last year we broke out the same cauldron and made applebutter. This year I had to do it at home in my crockpot. I had never tried this before, but I really wanted to give it a shot.

Apple Butter
12lbs apples (sweet...not too crisp)
sugar
cinnamon
nutmeg
That's it.

9:00pm. First peel an slice all those apples. It took me about an hour. Then add all the apple slices to a stockpot and add about 1/4 cup of water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until apples begin to break down and volumn decreases enough to fit them into your crockpot.
Next I added the apples to the crockpot, turned it on low, covered it and let it go until about 9:00am the next day. Here is what it looked like at that point. After I gave it a couple good stirs.

I put the lid back on and let it go until 2:00pm that afternoon. Stirring occasionally. At this point I added my sugar and spices to taste. I think I used about 3 cups sugar and only a little of the spices. I like my apple butter to taste like apples....NOT Cinnamon, nutmeg or nasty, nasty cloves. At this point I removed the lid and set the crockpot on HIGH. I gave the mix a stir every 20 minutes or so until about 7:00pm.
Here is what we had. ( I am talking on the telephone to my mother asking her for advice!) Thanks mom!

I thougth the mix was thick enough so I stopped there and filled my jars with the apple butter.

It tasted amazing, but was a bit too thin. I think I should have let it go a few more hours on high. Mine is really about half way between thick apple sauce and thin apple butter, but at least I know how to do it now and can improve upon my technique next year!

Busy, Busy. Busy.

2011-10-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy lately that there hasn't been much time for creative cooking. However, last night I had no choice. My wife was working late so Simon and I were on our own for dinner. I was hoping for a simple trip to a restaurant, but Simon said he wanted to go home and have dinner. Most of the stuff we had planned for the week was too big of a meal to fix for just the two of us so we had to make something up. The only thing you can EVER count on Simon eating much of is pasta, so that and a little from our basket and we were off to cooking.

Pasta with Sausage and Arugula

2 Sweet Italian sausage links (casing removed)
1/2 medium onion
1/2 red bell pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
5 medium tomatoes (diced)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup chopped arugula
1/2 tsp Berbere spice (Ethiopian hot pepper spice)
1/4 tsp Mekelesha (I will talk about this below)
1/4 cup red wine
1 tsp red wine vinegar (only if your wine is a bit sweet as mine was!)

I am not going to tell you how to boil pasta, but do that while you do the sauce. I started by sauteing my sausage in a little olive oil. I then removed it from the pan and sauted my onion, and peppers in the leftover fat until soft and then added in my garlic, tomatoes and wine. I cooked this a little and then added my basil, berbere and Mekelesha. Mekelesha is an Ethiopian spice blend that is a bit tough to find. It is however, Delicious in red pasta sauces. Check out this website to buy Ethiopian spices: http://www.ethiopianspices.com/index.asp I know it has some cinnamon, nutmeg, and maybe some cumin in it, but I wouldn't guarantee anything. Season with some salt and pepper and puree with a stick blender. Add back in your sausage after blending. Right before you add the pasta (after cooking it) toss in the arugula and a bit of parmesan cheese. It is delicious. As you can see by the photo above.....Simon loved it!

Butternut squash Gnocci

2011-09-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we got our first Butternut Squash of the season on Wednesday. We usually love to make a soup with them, but I wanted to try something different. I decided to try making Butternut Squash Gnocci. Since squash vary in size etc. there are no amounts for this recipe.

Butternut Squash Gnocci
1 Butternut Squash
AP Flour
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Olive Oil

The firs thing I did was split my squash in half, longways and scoop out the seeds. I then rubbed the cut side with some olive oil and seasoned with Salt and Pepper. I placed them on a baking sheet (cut side down) and roasted them in a 400 degree oven until soft. Let them cool and scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash with a potato masher.
Next I seasoned the puree with a bit of salt and pepper and some nutmeg. I don't really like a lot of nutmeg so I only put a dash. Feel free to adjust to your tastes. I then transferred the mixture to my stand mixer and began slowly adding flour. It takes a LOT. I added it until the mixture began to pull away from the sides and form a dough. I then turned it out onto a floured surface and kneaded it a few times. I then pinched off parts of the dough and rolled them out into 3/4 inch ropes. I cut them into 1/2" pieces and rolled them across the back of a fork and placed them on a floured baking sheet. I then put the sheetpan in the freezer and froze until solid. I packaged up the gnocci and put them back in my freezer for a later date. Now how should I sauce my Gnocci? Brown butter and sage? Bolognese? Not sure just yet.
I hope these taste good as they are quite a lot of work. I am afraid they might be a bit too doughy, but without a LOT of flour the dough was just WAY TOO STICKY. I guess we'll find out when I cook them!

Holy cow....Spaghetti Squash Gratin. Amazingly delicious.

2011-09-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe one of my best "made up" recipes ever. First of all, I should point out that I really do NOT like spaghetti squash. Everyone says "Just use it like spaghetti", so I tried that and hated it. I have always thought there was potential for something better and tonight I finally found out what it was. We got a small (9" or so) spaghetti squash in our basket and somehow the idea of a gratin got into my head. I had never even heard of using spaghetti squash that way so I looked it up online. As it turns out there are a LOT of recipes online and all very different. I read about 5 or 6 and then made up my own. Here is how it went.

Spaghetti Squash Gratin
1 sm-medium spaghetti squash
1 shallot minced
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesian cheese
2 TBS Sour cream
2 TBS half and half
1 egg
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
2 TBS sharp cheddar cheese (finely shredded)
Topping:
Bread crumbs ( i used the large kind like you would use for stuffing)
butter

   First halve and de-seed your spaghetti squash. I like to place mine (cut side down) on a microwave safe plate with a little water in it and microwave for about 10 minutes or until soft. Set aside to cool.
   In a small saute pan add some butter and saute your shallot until soft. Set this aside also to cool.
   In a large mixing bowl, add your ricotta, sour cream, half and half, and egg and mix together. I then added my Thyme and parmesian cheese. To this add your cooled shallot and spaghetti squash and mix until thoroughly combined. Here is where I added a little shredded sharp Cheddar cheese and mix it in.
   Butter a small to medium baking dish and fill with squash mixture.
Melt about two TBS of butter in a bowl and mix in your bread crumbs. When thoroughly mixed add on top of your squash mixture and bake at 375 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.
   I have to say that this was delicious. Not only did it taste great, but it looked really pretty too. Too bad we still do not have a camera at home. This would be great with some goat cheese, and I thought a little sweet corn mixed in would have been nice too. It was very light and airy and not as heavy as you would think a gratin to be. I HIGHLY recommed this as an alternative use for spaghetti squash.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms and Incredible Sweet Potatos

2011-09-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

    As I said in my last post, I have been wanting to try stuffed squash blossoms for a long time and I finally got my chance. I bought eight of them at the farmers market on Saturday and sent them home with my wife as I went to work. I asked her to take them out of the paper bag I had them in, put them in plastic and in the fridge. Chaos ensued. Evidently they warmed up just enough in the bag that when Wendi opened it, the "dozens" of bugs living in the blossoms became active and flew out of the bag in a "cloud" as soon as she opened the bag. OH..and a grasshopper jumped out of the bag too! Her and Simon spent a little while chasing down and "squashing" bugs.
   Well, after a thorough cleaning, I did stuff the blossoms with a mixture of goat cheese and a bit of ricotta (should have left the ricotta out!) and fried them in a beer batter (1 cup flour, salt pepper and enough beer to make a thin batter). After all this waiting and excitement....they were okay.   Just okay. I am terrible at deep frying things so I don't think I had the oil hot enough and they soaked up a bit too much oil. Also, the batter did not coat them as well as I had hoped. A good first try.
    On Wednesday of last week we got our harvest basket and it had white sweet potatos in it. I remembered these from last year and they are delicious. Last time I just roasted them whole with a bit of salt and they tasted great. This time I wanted to channel a little southern lady (my mother) and candy them. I cut them into large chunks and put them in a baking dish with butter and brown sugar. That's it. I roasted them at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes (stiring them once or twice to get all them covered in the syrup). Oh my...they were excellent. I served them with some grilled pork chops and some greens that I also got from the basket. A simple, but excellent Sunday dinner.
   I think tomorrow I am going to try and make a gratin with some spaghetti squash. The truth is that I do not like spaghetti squash very well and I thought I would try something different. I'll let you know how it goes.

We hope to have our camera back soon!   I keep forgetting to bring one home from work.

I am so excited about this one!!!!

2011-09-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

For years I have seen chefs on television cooking squash blossoms and they always look great. There is something about them that always looks so delicate and tasty that I have always wanted to try. I have NEVER NEVER NEVER seen them anywhere that I could buy them UNTIL TODAY!!!! The downtown Lafayette farmers market had them four for $2 so I bought eight. I think I am going to stuff them with goat cheese and tempura fry them. Yummy! I'll let you know how they come out!

Ethiopian Food - Doro and Misr Wat

2011-09-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

My wife and I try to incorporate Ethiopian culture into our lives as much as possible. We want our son to have some connection with his heritage and food it a great way to do that. I have been working on these recipes for a few years now and I think I am finally getting pretty good at them. These are my versions, but that taste great and are very similar to what I had during my trip to Ethiopia. Both dishes use Berbere spice, which is a hot pepper spice mixture used heavily in Ethiopian cooking. It is worth ordering! It has a lot of heat, but also a great and really unique flavor.

Doro Wat
5-6 chicken legs (they really do work best!)
Juice of one lemon
3 medium red onions
1 tsp sugar (not traditional, but it helps)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp fenugreek
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/8 tsp Cardamom (ground)
1/4 cup Berbere spice (You can find it online!)
Salt (to taste)
Water as needed
2-4 hard boiled eggs (optional)

This is one of the very fist Ethiopian dishes I ever tried. It is the main dish for most traditional meals (Christmas etc.). First you want to let the Chicken set in the lemon juice for about an hour or so.    While that happens, start dicing your onions. I like to dice them very fine (I have even used my food processor).
In a hot stockpot, saute your onions (DO NOT USE ANY OIL!) until they lose most of their moisture and start to carmelize a little. I like to add a tiny bit of sugar to aid in carmelizing the onions.   Once this gets to the point that it want to stick and burn, add in your butter.   Then add in all of your spices and stir them in. Next add the chicken and lemon juice marinade and put a lid on it. Typically you would cook this on the stove top, but I like to put mine into a 350 degree oven for about an hour and a half. You may need to add a bit of water after half and hour or so. I really depends on how much liquid comes out of your chicken. When this is done, you should have a thick sauce and chicken that is falling off the bone. I like to pull my chicken legs out of the sauce, remove the meat and add the meat back into the sauce.   Here is a great time to add your hardboiled eggs. Just take the shell off them and poke them all over with a fork to allow some of the sauce to seep in. The eggs are my favorite part!   This would normally be eaten with the hand with Ethiopian flatbread called Injera, but we like to serve it over rice or couscous also.

Misr Wat (red lentil stew)
1 cup red lentils
1 can chicken stock
1/2 medium onion
1 carrot (diced)
1 stalk celery (diced)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 TBS Berbere
salt
butter for sauteing

   Start this recipe by sauteing the onion, carrot and celery in butter until softened. Next stir in all the spices and let them toast for a minute. Add your lentils, tomatoes and stock, cover tightly and simmer until the lentils are cooked. You may need to add more stock or water as this goes. In the end you should have a bot of lentils that are a bit on the mushy side. I actually like to smash mine a little extra (especially if I substitute green lentils as they don't cook up as easily as the red) with a potato masher.   Serve hot or at room temperature with Injera, rice, or couscous.

    I have tried and tried to make Injera this traditional way and it never comes out well for me. It was so bad once that the ducks at our local pond wouldn't even eat it. Here is a quick version you can try that comes out well.   I think this recipe came from Marcus Samuelson's book on African cooking. It is a fantastic book if you like trying new things. You can find the Teff flour at most health food stores.

Injera
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup Teff flour
1 cup plain yogurt
2 cups (or more) club soda
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the flours, salt and baking soda together in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix the yogurt and club soda then add that mixture to the flour mixture and stir. This should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. I make mine a lot like crepes. I get my largest nonstick skillet hot over medium heat and pour the batter in. I then lift the pan and tip it around in circles to spread the batter out evenly over the surface of the pan. You want this pretty thin. cook for about 30 seconds then cover and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from pan and let them cool. This can be very tricky and you will surely lose a few the first time you try this.

Grilled vegetable corn chowder - This was really nice on these first few cold days.

2011-09-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Okay....so I've been gone a couple of weeks. I have been fighting allergies, and sinus problems as well as returning to college to complete a nursing degree. I've been busy to say the least. Our basket this week was kind basic, but I was able to make a nice soup with some of it as well as some corn we had frozen from earlier baskets. I wish I had a good photo, but alas...my wife left our home camera at my parents house.

Grilled vegetable corn chowder
4 oz. diced ham
4 ears corn on the cob
2 cups corn cut off the cob
1 red pepper
1/2 yellow onion
2 carrots
1 1/2 cups new potatos diced
1 qt. chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup half and half (optional)
Salt and Pepper

     The first thing you want to do it fire up your grill and char the 4 ears of corn, the red pepper, the onion and the carrots.    Just put them over high heat so that they get a little char on them. Don't worry if they are not cooked through. Set them aside to cool.
     Put your 2 cups of corn that is off the cob into a blender with some of the chicken stock, and puree it until it is as smooth as you can get it. Set it aside.
     In a large stockput add a bit of olive oil and then your ham. Cook until browned. Next add your grilled and diced up onion, pepper, and carrot in a little olive oil and give a quick stir over medium heat. Then add the grilled corn (after you have cut it off the cob of course!), followed by the white wine.   Bring this to a simmer and add the pureed corn and all of your chicken stock. Once this has returned to a simmer, add your potatos and some of your cilantro, Thyme, salt and pepper and cook until the potatos are tender. This should look like a creamy soup without the cream. I went ahead and added a bit of half and half just to make it a bit creamier, but you could easily leave that out. Add a bit of cilantro to your bowl when you serve this. It is fantastic. I think this would also be great using butternut squash instead of potatoes.

Ribollita!!!!!!! I have been waiting years to make this!

2011-08-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

While my wife and I were on our honeymoon in Tuscany, I had this fantastic, hearty soup and I loved it. I must have had it three or four different times at 3 or 4 different restaurants. All were slightly different. This weeks vegetables made me think about it again, and of course, I put my own twist on it (mostly to use the vegetables that I had on hand).

Ribollita

1 medium onion (large dice)
3 stalks celery diced
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced peppers (I had a wide variety from   the market this week)
1 medium yellow squash
1 cup tomatoes diced
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cup chopped Cabbage
3 small leeks (I had these and decided to throw them in!)
3 cans chicken stock
2 cups marinara (homeade is of course better. I made mine with last weeks tomatoes)
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp dry oregano
fresh basil (I used a LOT, but use as much as you like)
Salt and Pepper
2 cans cannellini beans
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups crusty bread cubed

Okay...that is a LOT of ingredients. At least more than most of the stuff I make. I cooked my onion, carrot, celery and peppers in a little olive oil until they started to soften. I then added my tomatoes, squash, garlic, leeks, red pepper flakes and oregano. After a bit I added my white wine and then chicken stock, and my cabbage. I let this simmer for quite a while until all the vegetables were tender.
    At this point I stopped since I wasn't planning on serving it until the next evening. I let it cool and put it in the fridge over night.
    The next day I added my beans and heated it back to a simmer, I added my marinara and basil and simmered for another hour or so. Lastly, I added my bread and simmered until the bread, sort of , fell apart. (I cut the crusts off mine as I thought it would help). This should be VERY thick. Hardly a soup at all. Serve in a bowl topped with a bit of parmesan cheese and a drizzle of good olive oil.

RESULTS: This came out very, very close to what I remember in Italy. However, my cabbage was still quite crunch...I couldn't believe that. If I didn't have the cabbage, I think Kale would have been a much better substitute for the original "Black Cabbage" that most Ribollita recipes call for. Also, some tomato paste right after sauteeing the onion, carrot, celery and peppers would have made a big difference. My final result wasn't quite tomato-ee enough. Still a very good, hearty soup.

This weeks Haul of Vegetables

2011-08-17T12:20:00.003-07:00

Here is the list of our items for the week:

1 head of cabbage
leeks
cherry tomatoes
tomatillos
Squash
Cucumber
Carrots
and a few "Scratch and Dent' tomatoes that Kevin gave me!

I have been wanting to make "Ribollita" for a while now. It is a really hearty Tuscan vegetable soup with cabbage, white beans and day old bread. You top it off with marinara so I will use my tomatoes for that as well. I fell in love with Ribollitta in Italy while on my honeymoon and have always wanted to try my hand at making it. They use black cabbage, but I have never seen or heard of that around here so green will have to do. It can't be that different.....right???? I think I will try that this week. My in-laws are coming so I can't be too creative in the kitchen. They are classic Pennsylvania Dutch and aren't very adventurous.

Basket Tomorrow...but a great dinner tonight

2011-08-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

Grilled Marinated Swordfish, lemony basmati rice, and green beans. Some friends gave us some swordfish steaks and I decided they would make a nice quick dinner tonight.

Swordfish
Swodfish steaks
Mirin
Soy sauce
garlic
Ginger
Lemon Juice

I mixed all the marinade ingredients together and marinated the fish in it for about 4 hours. I got my grill good and hot and grilled them until barely done through.

Lemony Basmati Rice
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced carrot
3/4 cup basmati rice
1 cup Chicken Stock
2 TBS Lemon Juice
1 tsp lemon zest
Pinch of salt

I sauted my carrot and onion until soft and then added my rice, stock, salt, zest and Juice. Bring to a boil then cover and set on low heat for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

This was very good. I only wish the rice had a bit more lemon flavor. Next time I will put a bit more zest and lemon juice. It was a very nice, light dinner.

Pasta Caponata......sort of.

2011-08-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here is how this one came about. I have said before that I watch entirely too many cooking shows. On several I saw them make caponata as a dip and I thought to myself.....I bet that would be great as a pasta sauce. We got several eggplants , some tomatos and some peppers in our basket this week so I was off and running. Not a traditional caponata, but made with what I had on hand.

Caponata

3 small eggplants diced (skin left on)
1/2 small onion
1 small bell pepper
1 medim tomato diced
1/2 small can tomato paste
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup red wine
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1/2 cup green olives
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup almonds
good olive oil!

First of all, it was supposed to be pine nuts not almonds, but have you seen the price of those things! No way. I like almonds better in my pesto so I thought what the heck. First I sauted my eggplant, onion, and bell pepper in olive oil until well softened. I then added the chopped tomato and tomato paste and cooked it a bit to carmelize the tomato paste. I then added the red wine (mostly because I had an open bottle sitting there and thought it could only help). I transferred all of this to my food processor. I added about 1/2 of the olives,red wine vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, and the almonds and pureed. I added this back to my pan. Rough chopped the remaining olives for texture and added them. I then added my pasta, tossed it together and served. Really nice. I feel like it was missing some flavor, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I think I might try it as a dip soon with some pita chips.

Sorry forgot to take a photo! Chicken Corn Chowder

2011-08-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

   As a photographer, by trade, you would think I would remember to take photos of the recipes I make. I forgot to do it with this one. We got a LOT of corn in our last basket and some red potatos and some onions so that sounds like corn chowder to me.   I even went so far as to make my own chicken stock for this one.

Chicken Corn Chowder
4 Chicken Drimsticks
1 qt chicken stock
2 cups sweet corn
2 cups red potatos 1/2 inch dice
1 small onion diced
2 carrots diced
1 pt. half and half
salt and pepper

   For this one, I boiled the chicken legs until they were done and then used the water and bones to make my stock, with a little celery, carrot, onion, water. Oh ya...I roasted the bones first. I diced up the chicken and set it aside.

A Guatemalan Dish.....Jocon. LOVE IT!

2011-08-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

Okay...I did NOT want to make salsa with my tomatillos. I love it, but it was just too easy and boring. I posted that I wanted to make something different and a friend said to try "Jocon". So I did. Here is how it went.

Jocon

3 boneless chicken thighs
1 can chicken stock
1 cup tomatillos (diced)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 bunch cilantro
1 small onion
2 corn tortillas (soaked in water then drained)
1 jalapeno pepper
1/4 tsp cumin (optional)
salt
pepper

Okay...first I put my can of stock and about 1 cup of water in a pot. I added some cilantro stems, some cumin and the chicken and simmered it until the chicken was done. Skim off any foam on top as you go.

As that is going, I toasted my seeds in a small pan and put them into my food processor (DO NOT DO WHAT I DID). You will be much better served to use a coffee grinder and grind these into a fine powder. My food processor did not get it fine enough. After that, I added my tomatillos, onion, jalepeno, cilantro and tortilla to the processor and pureed until as smooth as I could get it. I added a bit of the stock the chicken was cooking in to make it blend better.

When the chicken was done I removed it from the pot and strained the stock. I added my tomatillo mix to the pan and thinned it out a bit more with the stock. I shredded the chicken and returned it to the pot, and simmered it for about 20 minutes more. I then seasoned with salt and pepper and served it over rice. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy. I WILL BE MAKING THIS AGAIN. I LOVED IT!

note: in this I used several items from my basket. Tomatillos, onions, and jalapenos. I think I might try some fried green tomatillos next. Kinda like a friend green tomato....How does that sound to you?

Thai Green Curry with Eggplant

2011-07-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for a while! Last week I used almost all of my vegetables in one single dish...my spicy cabbage rolls. This week we got some nice stuff from our basket and a bit from a friend with a large garden (thanks Randy!). Thanks to our basket and Randy we have several small eggplant to work with and some peppers. I thought....GREEN CURRY! One of our favorite restaurants has a great green curry so I am going to try and replicate that...to some extent. Here it is:

Green Curry with Eggplant
3 small eggplant cut on the bias
1 zucchini cut into matchsticks
2 TBS green curry paste
1 can coconut milk
2 small chicken breasts
4-5 basil leaves
1 small bell pepper sliced
2 jalepeno peppers Sliced into strips
2 Scallions
1 tsp fish sauce
Salt and Pepper

I cut the eggplant and sauted it in a bit of oil until it started to brown. I removed it from the pan and cooked my chicken quickly in the same pan. I then removed it. I then added my zucchini, and peppers and cooked for only a minute or so on high heat before adding back the chicken and the eggplant. Next I stirred in the curry paste and let it cook for a few seconds before adding the coconut milk, fish sauce, salt and pepper. I let this go on medium heat for about 5 minutes just to let the flavors meld. Just before serving, I added my chopped basil and then the scallions as a garnish. Serve over a little rice and you have a wonderful dish. I think this would also be great with a little cilantro instead of the basil.

Spicy Vegetable Cabbage Rolls - An invented Recipe

2011-07-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

When we picked up this weeks basket, I admit that I wasn't very inspired. However, I pushed forward and sought advice from others in the CSA farmer's basket world and received a great idea. (Thanks Steven!!!). I am going to attempt to make Spicy Vegetable cabbage rolls. I am literally going to use about every vegetable I have on hand in this one. I have eaten cabbage rolls twice before...I think. I have never seen a recipe or had anyone describe to me how to make them...so this should be interesting. Here is what I think I am going to do:

Spicy Cabbage Rolls

1 head Cabbage

2 small carrots

1/2 yellow onion

1 small yukon gold potatos
1/4 cup sweet peas
1 cup cooked rice (not fully cooked)
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 small bunch Kale (diced)
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt and Pepper

Sauce
4 tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped Parsley
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp Mekalesha (Ethiopian Spice Blend) OBVIOUSLY OPTIONAL!
Salt and Pepper

I think that I remember something about blanching my cabbage leaves first so I did that (in order to make them more pliable?) In a pan I started with my onion, carrots and garlic in a bit of olive oil. I then added my potatoes that I diced into about 1/4 inch pieces. Next I added my Sweet peas, Broccoli, Kale and finally my rice. I added a bit of chicken stock and cooked it until most of that was evaporated or absorbed by the rice. Set Aside to cool.

After it cooled I layed out 2 leaves, overlapping. I placed a large spoonful of mixture into the middle of the leaves and rolled them like a burrito or eggroll. I then placed them into a backing dish. (I put a little of my sauce in the bottom of the baking dish first). I had a lot of leftover filling so I spread that around on top of the rolls before I added the sauce.

RESULTS: The filling for this came out wonderful. It had a great texture and a great taste. The only real problem I had is that I didn't have a big enough head of cabbage. I think this is a recipe that really tastes great and I will make it again when I have a bigger head of cabbage with larger leaves to work with.

For the sauce, I started a saucepan with a little olive oil, onion and garlic. Once that softened I added my diced tomatoes. I then added my red pepper and Mekalesha. After that it was just a matter of seasoning to taste with Salt and Pepper, and pureeing with a stick blender.

I ladled the sauce over the rolls and baked, covered, at 350 deg. for about 45 minutes.

Hoping for Some Inspiration!!!

2011-07-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Okay...so today is the day! We pick up our CSA basket on Wednesdays at the West Lafayette, IN farmers Market from Cooley Family Farms. They are always so nice and helpful. By what I saw at the weekends farmers market, there is a lot of things coming ripe this time of year. I am really hoping for something this week that inspires me.
I haven't had a lot of time to cook the last two weeks. My 2 year old has been in swim lessons right after work so it has mostly been about grabbing a "quick bite" and off to the pool. I am really "jonesing" to cook something new and unusual. I am also looking forward to some sweet corn! We haven't got any yet, but I am betting that this is the week. Maybe also some melons!
I will let you know later what we got and if I have any good plans. The "surprise" aspect of the harvest basket is really tough sometimes!

ART and 3 fresh dips!

2011-07-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

I had a gallery exhibit of my Fine Art Photography on Friday and decided to use some of my vegetables to create some "Dips" to put out for my guests. Out of the 3...2 came out great. The other one was good, but I think it is missing something. Maybe you could fix it.

#1 White Bean and Spinach Dip
(you can find the recipe for this in an earlier post)

#2 Gazpacho Dip (Use as a dip or as a cold soup. Excellent either way!)

3 Tomatos (large)
1/2 Red onion
2 cucumbers (medium)
1 Jalepeno (small)
1/4 cup Fesh dill (Chopped fine)
Salt, Pepper
Lime Juice

This one came out very good. I am not a huge fan of Gazpacho, but this is pretty good. Simply place everything, except the salt, pepper and Lime Juice in a food processor and let it rip. Don't blend it too smooth if you are using it as a dip. I like it a bit "Chunkier". Add the salt, pepper and Lime Juice to fit your tastes.

#3 Southwestern Zucchini Dip
4 medium Zucchini
1/2 yellow onion
1 Jalepeno
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Cayenne
Salt and Pepper

I found a recipe similar to this online (which is how I got the idea), but then I couldn't find it again...so I made it up. It came out okay, but I think it needs something. I diced the onion and Jalepeno and sweated them in olive oil until they were soft. I then added the cubed (3/4 inch) zucchini, the chicken stock and the spices. Simmer on low until the zucchini gets soft and the chicken stock has evaporated. Remove all to a bowl and mash well with a potato masher. I think this needs to be strained and mixed with some sour cream or something. What do you think?

Arugula and Cashew Pesto

2011-07-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that the first time I ever even had Arugula was last year. Before then, I did the majority of my shopping in supermarkets and I have NEVER seen Arugula there. Needless to say that once I tasted it...I LOVED IT! However, I had no idea what to do with it. One of my friends suggested a pesto with Arugula and Walnuts. We tried that and liked it, but I am just not a big fan of walnuts. This year we bought a big bunch of Arugula with the plans to make up the pesto and freeze it for later use. I also decided to try something a little different, and that is when I opted for Cashews.

Arugula and Cashew Pesto
Arugula (I used two large bags)
Cashews (roasted and salted, about 1 cup)
garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
olive oil (about 1/4 - 1/2 cup)
Parmesan Cheese ((1/4 - 1/2 cup)
Salt, Pepper

When you make this you can vary the amounts to fit your taste. I simply added everything except about 1/2 of the olive oil to my food processor. I drizzled in the remaining olive oil until I got to the consistency that I was looking for. I spooned about 1/3 cup into zip-top bags and then put them in the freezer. You can thaw them quickly by putting them in a bowl of hot tap-water.

This came out GREAT. To me, the walnuts were a little too bitter in combination with the bitterness of the Arugula. The Cashews brought a nice nuttiness as well as a richness that went much better with the spicy Arugula. I can't wait to try this on some pasta with a little squeeze of lemon Juice. I also plan to use some of it with some pork loin. I like to cut the loin so as to "unroll" it, cover it with a thick layer of pesto an then roll it back up and tie it. Give it a good grillin' and it will be fantastic. I'll let you know how that one comes out. Maybe I will make that next week!

chicken cacciatore...sort of.

2011-07-13T18:48:00.000-07:00

Okay..I admit....I have only had real chicken cacciatore once in my life, but that was in Florence Italy. I have never even seen a recipe for it, so this is PURELY interpretation.

chicken cacciatore
4 boneless Chicken Thighs (bone in is fine)
1/2 cup celery rough chopped
1/2 cup carrot rough chopped
1 small onion quartered
3 med-lg. tomatos quartered
10-12 basil leaves
1/2 cup parsley chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup chopped black olives
salt and pepper

I like to get some olive oil REALLY hot in my pan and add my chicken thighs to brown. While that is happening, I put everything else except the wine, into my food processor and give it a whirl. This never really gets smooth so don't worry if it is a bit chunky. It will good down fine. Quite honestly, I prefer it a little "Rustic".
After my chicken is brown I remove it from the pan and return the pan to the heat. Once it is REALLY hot again, I add my puree to the pan and let it go for a few minutes. This would also be a good time to add some tomato paste if you have some. (I didn't have any on hand so I left it out.) I then add my wine and return my chicken to the pan.
I like to cook it on the stovetop without a lid for about an hour at just above a simmer. A very slow boil. If it starts to get too dry, I add a bit more wine or some water.
After a while the vegetables will begin to break down and make a nice thick sauce. This is when I add the olives. I let it go about another 1/2 hour until the chicken is almost falling apart.
Serve over some pasta, garnish with some fresh basil and enjoy.
( I sometimes like to add about 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese near the end of the cooking, but that can also be left up to the individual diner to add however much they like.)

This weeks haul!

2011-07-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

Well today was a good basket day! Here is what we got:

Tomatos
Cucumbers
Yukon Gold Potatos
Broccoli
Salad
Basil
Parsley
Dill
Green Beans

I think that is it. I also purchased about 3 bunches of Arugula to make some pesto. I'll be putting that recipe up sometime soon.

I have some plans for this basket already. Tonight I am making chicken cacciatore for tomorrow's dinner. My son has swim lessons right after work so this is a good "make ahead" recipe. I think It actually tastes better after one day. I will also use some of the tomatos and cucumber for some Gazpacho dip. I think I will make this really thick and use it for a dip. I have an art gallery opening on Friday and think I will make a few dips. The Green Beans I am going to try a recipe I got off the facebook group CSA for newbies.
We'll see how the week goes!

Blueberry and Goat Cheese Turnovers

2011-07-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

Okay...I have been working on this one for a while. My first attempt was in "pie" form and it came out pretty good....at first. Right out of the oven it was beautiful, but after it set until the next day when I wanted to serve it to guests...It got soggy. I TASTED WONDERFUL...but it was an embarrassing disappointment. BUT! Since the farmers' market is full of blueberries...We try again.

This is a version of a recipe I saw on food network and have never been able to make it come out just right. Here was tonights attempt:

Dough:
1 1/2 cups AP Four

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS butter (melted)
7 TBS lemon Juice
1/4 cup hot water

Filling:
1 8oz. pkg. Cream cheese
1 4oz. pkg. goat cheese
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 pint blueberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
8 basil leaves (chopped)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Sugar

Start the dough by putting the flour, spices, salt and baking soda in a food processer and pulse to combine. I then add the lemon juice and butter at the same time while pulsing. I then turn on the processor and let it run while I add the hot water. After it forms a ball, put in a bowl that you have coated with cooking spray, cover and let sit for 15 minutes.

The filling is pretty easy... add everything except the blueberries and mix thoroughly. Then gently "fold" in the blueberries so as not to crush them.

I boke off golf ball sized pieces of dough and rolled them out to about 4-5 inch rounds. Placed a large dollop of filling in the middle, wet 1/2 of the edge with water and then fold over into a semi-circle and crimp closed. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
I brushed the tops of mine with a little egg wash (cut a slit in the top of each if baking) and baked at 400 degrees until golden brown. These would be MUCH better fried. I just hate frying anything.

Critique: Well, Still not perfect. I think I needed more sugar and I should have fried them. Mine exploded a little in the oven and the juice made the bottoms wet and a bit soggy. Not all of them...but a few. The do taste great. The basil and blueberry really go together well, and the goat cheese just gives it a bit of a tanginess. If you can "fix" this recipe....PLEASE tell me what you did. I can make it taste good, but I just can't seem to make it pretty.