Inspiration - Week #10

In this week's box: sweet corn,  white onions, fresh dill, bell peppers, savoy cabbage, white potatoes, cucumbers, golden cherry tomatoes, red slicing tomatoes

Things are pretty exciting around our house this week.  In addition to the regular members of the household (my husband Frank, my 85 year old father (Ray) and me) we have been joined by my older son, his wife, their two boys (ages 3 and 5) and of course they had to bring the dog all the way from Atlanta.  In a few days my younger son and his girlfriend will arrive. With a cat.

As you might guess, I have more on my plate than vegetables this week.  So I have arranged for some reinforcements to help me out with the blog.  Frank will be posting on Wednesday about tomato juice - past and present.  My friend and Featherstone CSA member Bonnie Prinsen will be writing on Thursday and my New York sister (and member of a Brooklyn CSA) will take over on Friday and I will be back again Saturday morning with a post on Gazpacho.  Hope you enjoy the variety. 

This week's menu ideas and recipes will be short and sweet.  Sometimes it is fun to take all day to prepare an elegant dinner party and try complicated new recipes.  Sometimes you just need to get something on the table. 

Menu ideas for this week (items marked with an asterisk have recipes below)

My favorite summer meal  -   Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches on toast, corn on the cob, coleslaw*, cucumber salad*.   And a big cold glass of milk.  If you are feeling ambitious, use homemade bread and homemade mayo for the sandwiches.  Use really high end bacon along with your excellent Featherstone tomato.  Find some really nice homegrown leaf lettuce. Voila.  A Rolls Royce of a BLT.   When dinner is done, go for a walk and get an ice cream cone someplace.  Life is good.

Simple cabbage stir fry - Make sure you use fresh ginger and garlic along with the sliced cabbage.  About half a cabbage should serve four.  (Save the other half for making coleslaw) Add some onion, bell pepper and a little carrot too if you have some.  Use your favorite stir fry meat or other protein if you wish.   I think some roasted peanuts would be nice with this dish.  Serve with rice.  And iced tea.

Who needs clams when you have sweet corn? - Potato corn chowder*, good bread, cucumber salad*.

Pizza doesn't always have to be red - Caramelized onion pizza*.  This rich pizza would be good served with a crunchy and tart salad - maybe thinly sliced fennel with sliced oranges and a simple vinaigrette.  Or grated raw beets and apples with horseradish and yogurt. 

Cherry tomatoes aren't just for salad anymore -  Italian salami or proscuitto, angel hair pasta with roasted cherry tomato sauce*, cucumber salad, French or Italian bread

Throw something on the grill - Grilled meat, homemade potato salad* or sliced potatoes cooked on the grill in little foil packets with some onion, butter, salt and pepper, coleslaw*

RECIPES
Cole slaw - see post for July 24

Cucumber salad - See post for July 29

Potato salad - see post for July 10

Corn chowder -  Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1/4 pound bacon or pancetta
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
3 cups corn - cut fresh from cob
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
about 3 cups milk
fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
Cook bacon or pancetta until crisp.  Set aside meat.  Saute onion and peppers in fat remaining in pan until soft.  Add potatoes and corn and about 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer until potatoes are soft.  Add milk, dill and seasonings.  Gently heat.  Serve with bacon or pancetta as a garnish.  (Note as with most soups, you can vary the amounts of various ingredients according to your preference and what you have on hand.)

Caramelized Onion Pizza

Caramelized onions - the beginning

Caramelized onions - the middle

To Caramelize onions:  Cut in half and thinly slice about two pounds onions.  (Note: each half pound of sliced onions should yield about 1/3 cup of caramelized onion.) Saute over low to moderate heat in a heavy skillet with 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter.  You might want to cover the onions for the first fifteen minutes or so.  Be patient.  It will take about an hour for the onions to turn the rich brown color that will tell you they are caramelized.  Stir every ten minutes or so. If the process is going way to slowly for you, then turn up the heat a little.  Just don't get too impatient or you will burn the onions and then you will be sorry.

Caramelized onions - the end

For pizza - Spread onions on your favorite homemade or purchased crust.  Crust should be fairly thin.  Add goat cheese or other favorite cheese.  Add some herbs - you could use basil, parsley or chives or all three.  Thyme would also be good with onions.  A little chopped cooked bacon or ham would be nice - but I wouldn't overdo it.  The onions are the star here.  Bake in a hot oven just until crust is done and topping is bubbling.

Roasted cherry tomato sauce for pasta
Wash and stem a pint of cherry tomatoes.  Mix with about 2 T. olive oil.  You also can add a few handfuls of chopped onion or about a dozen cloves of garlic.  Mix well and spread on a baking sheet.  No need to cut tomatoes in half.  You can leave them whole.  Bake at 400 degrees about 30 minutes -  or until tomatoes and onions or garlic are lightly colored and soft. Scrape tomatoes and other ingredients into a bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add herbs to taste -   thyme or rosemary would be excellent.  Some Mediterranean type black olives would be good added to this sauce. Add a bit more olive oil and a 1/3 cup or so of pasta cooking water to the tomatoes.
Toss with cooked pasta - such as angel hair.  If desired,  serve with some grated Parmesan cheese.

Inspiration - Week # 7

In this week's box: blue potatoes, 1 bunch basil, zucchini,  green garlic, Alisa Craig onions (sweet), red leaf lettuce, beets, kale.

I just spent about two hours in the kitchen having my own personal CSA party.  I know two hours sounds like a long time, but I did get a lot done.  It was more fun than watching reality TV, that is for sure.   I will sleep better knowing that the vegetables are snug in their bags and jars and meal time will be easier all week.  I made another batch of pesto with the basil and popped it right into the freezer.  I roasted some garlic and even caramelized about half the onions. (The onions can cook away whilst you do other chores.  Multi-tasking is the cook's friend.)  The lettuce is washed and dried and bagged.  Kale washed - half cut up and braised.  The other half shaken dry and bagged.  Potatoes in the refrigerator too because they are "new" potatoes - not cured.

Plus I triaged the vegetable crisper.   I try to do this once a week - it really helps me stay on top of the produce situation.  I like to empty the whole thing and give it a quick rinse.  Then I dry it and repack the veggies.  This way I am much less likely to forget what I have - like the little bag of green beans I found tonight.   I know some of you are thinking - man, she needs to get a life.  Rinsing the vegetable crisper once a week!  But it really goes fast and trust me, this is a good habit to develop.  Helps prevent waste.  You can skip a week once in a while - I do.

Now for some meal ideas.  Dishes marked with an asterisk means recipe is included in this post. 
Note that I have included a recipe for roasted garlic - that can be served with bread for any meal if you wish.   Roasted garlic is a great addition to mashed potatoes, salad dressings or greens.  Or just mixed with a little butter or oil and used as a spread for bread or crackers.  It can be frozen.

Minestrone Soup*; simple leaf lettuce salad; grapes

Marinated raw beet salad on lettuce leaf*; Baked blue potatoes; sauteed sliced zucchini; meat, poultry or fish


Caramelized onion and kale over pasta*; goat cheese or blue cheese with nuts and dried fruit

Cold beet borscht* with boiled blue potatoes; rye bread or crackers; chocolate ice cream

Frittata with sauteed grated zucchini, caramelized onion and basil (or pesto); corn bread

Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup can take many forms.  It is basically a hearty vegetable soup with Italian seasoning.  Ingredients can vary according to what you have on hand and the season.  This recipe is only a guide to help you get started.  This soup is nice served with grated parmesan cheese on the side.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
About one cup each: diced zucchini, diced potato, chopped green beans (or peas if you have them)
About 2 cups chopped kale (or spinach or chard)
One can tomatoes (28 oz. is a typical store size.  I would use one quart home canned.)
about 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans
handful of chopped basil or a few spoons of pesto
salt and pepper to taste
a bay leaf is nice if you have it

Saute onions, carrot and garlic in olive oil until softened.  Add all the rest of the vegetables along with about 6 cups water or broth.   (More or less broth/water depending on how thick you like your soup)  Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer, partly covered, until all vegetables are tender.  If you need to stretch this soup because a few unexpected guests arrive, then add a few cups of cooked macaroni and some more water or broth.  This soup is even better served the second day.

Marinated raw beet salad
Click this link for a good basic raw beet salad recipe - along with several very other recipes for beets.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/beet-recipes-even-a-beet-hater-can-love/?src=me&ref=health
If you are still resisting beet literacy, this link might get you started.  If you absolutely insist on maintaining beet resistance - then look for a beet buddy.  Because I have to tell you, if you are going to be a happy Featherstone CSA member, you will either need to learn to embrace beets in all their glory or else find a beet buddy.  If you feel you need some one on one personal beet counseling or encouragement, I am at your service.   You can contact me at cook@featherstonefarm.com


Caramelized onions and kale over pasta
It is really easy to caramelize onions.  You do not need to go to a fancy restaurant to get these. You can make them at home.
Start by thinly slicing a few cups of onions.  I like to cook my onions with a mixture of olive oil and butter - about 1 T. fat to 1 cup sliced onions.  Cook the onions in the butter/oil in a large skillet over medium heat about 15 minutes.  Then add a little salt, lower the heat and cook about another 10 minutes.  If desired, you can add a little white wine to the onions if they seem too dry.  Or just a pinch of sugar if they need more sweetness.

Wash kale, cut out tough rib and chop or cut into strips.  Saute in a little oil and garlic, add a tablespoon or two of water and cover.  (You can also add some bacon or pancetta or sausage along with the garlic.)  Braise until kale is tender - about 10-12 minutes. Stir every so often to make sure kale doesn't dry out too much.

Combine the onions and kale and serve over cooked pasta.  A little crumbled feta or blue cheese is a good complement to this dish.  Toasted walnuts would also be good.

Cold beet borscht
This recipe is adapted from a Molly Katzen's recipe in the Moosewood Cookbook (new revised edition)
4 large beets (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 t. salt
1-2 T. lemon juice, to taste (you could also use red wine vinegar)
2-3 T. sugar or honey, to taste
1-2 T. fresh dill, minced (or 2 t. dried dill)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
1/4 cup finely minced sweet onion
2 c. buttermilk

Scrub beets and trim.  Cover with water, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer until beets are tender - time will vary depending on size of beets.
Remove beets from cooking water.  Save 3 cups of cooking water in a bowl or pan.  When beets are cool enough to handle, peel and grate beets.  Stir together grated beets, cooking water and all other ingredients except the buttermilk.  After all ingredients are cold, stir in the buttermilk.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serve with slices of potato.  If you have blue potatoes, the combination of bright pink soup and blue potatoes should be quite striking. 

Roasted garlic
Trim top and root end of bulb.  Place several bulbs in a heavy pan with a cover.  Add about 1/4 inch of water to the pan and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the garlic.  Cover pan and bake at 375 degrees about 30 minutes - or until garlic is tender.  Once it is tender, drizzle on a little more oil, uncover and roast another 7-10 minutes.  To serve, just separate the cloves and squeeze out the roast garlic.  You can squeeze out a quantity of roast garlic and freeze if desired.