Late night at work
+ vegetables from last week on the verge of rotting that I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT (eek)
+ a new share
+ gone for the weekend
= stress
I was a super ninja and triaged the shit out of my fridge and cursed myself for forgetting about the basil and frisee hidden in the back that I forgot about. See, when frisee starts to go bad, it goes bad at the very tips and it goes bad unevenly. At least, mine did. So when I was picking out all the slimy leaves, I literally had to pick through each little tendril and pluck off the slimy bits to salvage what was left. Sure, I could have thrown it out, but I'm stubborn like that (though I do feel a little scared to eat it now after having gotten all up close and personal with the rotting tips). Besides, I felt vaguely guilty about tossing my kale salad and squash from last week. So I plucked. And plucked. And plucked some more.
Same thing with the basil, except basil starts to go bad where the leaves meet the stem, which means plucking each leaf off before stripping out the slimy part. Sigh. Fortunately, the parsley was in good shape. There were no other orphaned leftovers from last week's share to handle and I promised myself to be better about handling my CSA shares going forward.
I have to say, neglectfulness aside, I'm really impressed with myself. In under two hours, I managed to handle everything. In fact, I'm so impressed, I'm going to write down my triaging thought process so I can marvel at my ability to think on my feet later.
- Cabbage and napa cabbage: these keep forever ish. Take two seconds and store those suckers in fridge.
- Onion and fresh garlic: semi-long lived creatures. I lopped off their pretty green tops, rinsed those and tossed them in my "odds and ends" soup bag in the freezer. Tossed the bulbs in the fridge. Done. (Pro-tip: fresh garlic can be stored in the fridge for a week. Cured/dry garlic should NOT be stored in the fridge or in a plastic container, as it will sprout or mold. Store those outside in a dark location, like a paper bag or covered, ventilated basket.)
- Green beans and wax beans: Rinsed, admired their prettiness for a few moments, and stored them in ziploc bags as snack food. No prep, no cook, just rinse and store.
- Cucumbers: Washed, peeled, and sliced them into snackable sticks. No cooking (notice a trend?)
- Frisee and parsley: I debated cooking these together, but was too lazy after all that plucking, so I just googled "parsley frisee" and discovered that the internet says you can eat these together as a salad. Boom, done. I also chopped up a bit of parsley to sprinkle on some leftover hummus. I've discovered that I rather like the taste of fresh parsley on hummus and pasta. Those flecks of green are so surprising when you come across them, unlike their dried counterparts, which bear an uncanny resemblance to green paper.
- Basil and zucchini: arguably the most time consuming part of my evening. I basically followed the recipe for marinated zucchini, but spent a lot of time picking out the edible parts of the basil :/ I left the zucchini to marinate in a ziploc baggie and I made the basil-garlic-lemon dressing in advance. I'll give it a taste tomorrow and see how that went. My fingers are crossed. For once, I'm actually really excited to eat zucchini.
And that's it! My share(s) are packed into bags or containers or are safely in storage, and I am ready to face the rest of my week. Oh, I also got another chicken. I now have three chickens in my freezer and I'm running out of room. I should butcher one or roast one early next week so I have something to feed my brother when he gets here. That boy will eat you out of house and home. One time, I had to go to the grocery store twice IN ONE DAY to feed him. When you live in a five floor walkup, this is no laughing matter.
TL;DR: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, avoid cooking like the plague, and google has all the answers.
Side note: I feel like this is a weird thing to admit, but I really like the way zucchini feels when you cut it up with a super sharp knife. It's really soft, almost buttery, in texture and it looks so clean and fresh. And it's so much less messy than chopping up, say, a chicken.
Showing posts with label garlic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garlic. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Marinated Zucchini Salad
This looks promising, especially since I still have a ton of basil and a half lemon living in my fridge. I'll give it a go and see how it tastes. If not, I'll stock up on baking ingredients and toss all my future zucchinis into a loaf pan.
Ingredients:
- 2 zucchini
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 small spoon sugar
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 spoon lemon juice
- 1 spoon olive oil
Directions:
1. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into long ribbons (not coins).
3. Marinate zucchini strips overnight.
4. Blanch garlic and basil. Reserve a spoon of the liquid.
5. Chop garlic and basil finely and mix with the reserved cooking liquid, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Drain zucchini strips and top with the basil mixture. Serve!
Ingredients:
- 2 zucchini
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 small spoon sugar
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 spoon lemon juice
- 1 spoon olive oil
Directions:
1. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into long ribbons (not coins).
3. Marinate zucchini strips overnight.
4. Blanch garlic and basil. Reserve a spoon of the liquid.
5. Chop garlic and basil finely and mix with the reserved cooking liquid, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Drain zucchini strips and top with the basil mixture. Serve!
CSA 2013 Partial Share #7
CSA 2013 Partial Share #7
- 12 oz yellow wax beans
- 1 bulb fresh garlic
- 1 Walla Walla onion
- 2 golden or green zucchini
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 petit green cabbage
- 1 Napa cabbage
- 11 oz green beans
Winner: This is tough. Just kidding. Obvious winner of the week is the humble yellow wax bean. I won't even pretend to understand my fascination with these, but it borders on the obsessively unhealthy. I just like the idea of waxy vegetables. Waxy beans, waxy potatoes, waxy eggplants. It's kind of like my obsession with stems. I should note that wax beans are not waxy in texture. No one really knows why they're called wax beans (or butter beans, which is equally as cute). Speculative theories point to the yellow color of the beans as a possible explanation, but I personally find that solution too easy. I will ruminate over this quandary while I ruminate on some wax beans. (Sorry not sorry. Couldn't help it. When do you ever get to use the same word in different ways in the same sentence? If you have a brain like mine, the answer is "not often." Indulge me.)
Challenge: Zucchini. Sorry I just...not a fan...I like looking at them? I will try to be creative. Also a little concerned about the sheer volume of cabbage. Too bad none of these are very freezable, except perhaps the green beans. I must say though...I'm thankful for the break from the flood of lettuce and turnip/radish/beet greens. :)
- 12 oz yellow wax beans
- 1 bulb fresh garlic
- 1 Walla Walla onion
- 2 golden or green zucchini
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 petit green cabbage
- 1 Napa cabbage
- 11 oz green beans
Winner: This is tough. Just kidding. Obvious winner of the week is the humble yellow wax bean. I won't even pretend to understand my fascination with these, but it borders on the obsessively unhealthy. I just like the idea of waxy vegetables. Waxy beans, waxy potatoes, waxy eggplants. It's kind of like my obsession with stems. I should note that wax beans are not waxy in texture. No one really knows why they're called wax beans (or butter beans, which is equally as cute). Speculative theories point to the yellow color of the beans as a possible explanation, but I personally find that solution too easy. I will ruminate over this quandary while I ruminate on some wax beans. (Sorry not sorry. Couldn't help it. When do you ever get to use the same word in different ways in the same sentence? If you have a brain like mine, the answer is "not often." Indulge me.)
Challenge: Zucchini. Sorry I just...not a fan...I like looking at them? I will try to be creative. Also a little concerned about the sheer volume of cabbage. Too bad none of these are very freezable, except perhaps the green beans. I must say though...I'm thankful for the break from the flood of lettuce and turnip/radish/beet greens. :)
Saturday, July 13, 2013
basil mint vodka lemonade, maneul jjong jangachi and chicken soup
A weekend of cooking!
Light Chicken Stock
Straightforward, easy, just takes a little time.
In a pot, saute onions, carrot tops/peelings, and whole garlic cloves (leave skins on!)
Add chicken and cook until meat begins to brown. Add a little salt.
Add water and simmer for a while (20 min?).
Skim foam off the top. Remove chicken pieces and let cool.
Remove chicken meat from bones and return bones to the pot. Reserve meat.
Remove vegetables when the carrots and onions start becoming mushy. Keep whatever looks edible (including garlic!) and snack on them :D.
Add herbs/seasoning of choice (I used a mix of lavender, thyme, fennel, chives).
Simmer the bones for as long as you want (1 hour?).
Salt to taste. Remove bones, discard, and let the soup cool.
Store the soup in little ziploc bags and freeze for later use.
Maneul jjong jangachi update!
Had to adjust seasoning but everything is all complete and looks and tastes yummy :) I think I have enough to last me for a full year now... 밮도독 ㅋㅋㅋ
Basil Mint Vodka Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Fresh basil
- Fresh mint
- 1 lemon
- 2 heaping spoons sugar
- water and ice
Directions:
1. Chop lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Pick out the seeds and toss them.
2. Add 2-3 spoons sugar. Stir until somewhat dissolved.
3. Add a few sprigs of fresh mint and basil and muddle at the bottom of the glass.
4. Add chilled vodka and ice, stir.
5. Add cold water to taste. Garnish with lemon peel and mint/basil sprigs. Enjoy!
Light Chicken Stock
Straightforward, easy, just takes a little time.
In a pot, saute onions, carrot tops/peelings, and whole garlic cloves (leave skins on!)
Add chicken and cook until meat begins to brown. Add a little salt.
Add water and simmer for a while (20 min?).
Skim foam off the top. Remove chicken pieces and let cool.
Remove chicken meat from bones and return bones to the pot. Reserve meat.
Remove vegetables when the carrots and onions start becoming mushy. Keep whatever looks edible (including garlic!) and snack on them :D.
Add herbs/seasoning of choice (I used a mix of lavender, thyme, fennel, chives).
Simmer the bones for as long as you want (1 hour?).
Salt to taste. Remove bones, discard, and let the soup cool.
Store the soup in little ziploc bags and freeze for later use.
Maneul jjong jangachi update!
Had to adjust seasoning but everything is all complete and looks and tastes yummy :) I think I have enough to last me for a full year now... 밮도독 ㅋㅋㅋ
Basil Mint Vodka Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Fresh basil
- Fresh mint
- 1 lemon
- 2 heaping spoons sugar
- water and ice
Directions:
1. Chop lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Pick out the seeds and toss them.
2. Add 2-3 spoons sugar. Stir until somewhat dissolved.
3. Add a few sprigs of fresh mint and basil and muddle at the bottom of the glass.
4. Add chilled vodka and ice, stir.
5. Add cold water to taste. Garnish with lemon peel and mint/basil sprigs. Enjoy!
Friday, June 21, 2013
frisee, bacon, and a poached egg
Fact: bacon makes most things ten times better. Undaunted by all the green heads lolling around in my fridge, I set out to find a tasty way to split an entire head of frisee with my bestie. Just like I tossed in some sausage to balance out the escarole*, I decided to use some bacon to provide some richness and satisfying depth of flavor to the frisee. It was...really, really good. Thanks, bacon! Maybe a little salty, but not noticeably so. We paired the frisee with another garden salad (that head of red leaf lettuce just keeps on giving) and a bottle of Moscato that the bestie picked out. The sweet bubbly was a perfect complement to the bacon and eggs. Now that I think about it, I guess what we really had last night was a dinner version of brunch.
* While looking for the frisee, I pulled out one of the plastic bags in the fridge and peeped inside. Imagine my consternation when I looked into one and saw coarse green leaves with thick white stems that looked suspiciously like escarole... I think we cooked the green leaf lettuce with our pasta last night. Oops.
On the bright side, if I'm correct and if the green leaves in my fridge are in fact escarole and not lettuce, then this means I've found a tasteful, tasty way to cook lettuce! Which would be kind of awesome.
As a side note, I'm making good progress with the share! Remaining items: 1/2 head red leaf lettuce, 1 head of either escarole or green leaf lettuce (TBD), two spring onions, and radishes from share #1.
Wilted frisee with bacon and a poached egg (serves 2)
Ingredients:
- 1 head frisee
- 2 spring onions
- Minced garlic
- 5 strips bacon
- Cooking oil
- Salt, pepper
- 2 eggs
Directions:
1. Wash frisee and green onions thoroughly.
2. Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Throw in the bacon strips and let them cook for a bit.
3. Chop frisee into bite size pieces (they will shrink as they cook down though, so make your pieces a little bigger than you want them to be at the end). Chop green onions and set aside.
4. By now the bacon should be done. Remove from heat and extract the bacon from the pan. Wipe down the pan with a paper towel to remove most of the bacon grease.
5. Heat water in a small pan (add as much water as possible without risking a spill).
6. Add some cooking oil to the large pan and reheat. Once the oil is hot, add chopped green onions and garlic plus a dash of salt. Stir and cook until the garlic begins to turn golden brown.
7. Add the frisee to the large pan in big handfuls. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, and cook until wilted about 5 minutes.
8. While the frisee is cooking, check the water in the small pan. When it's boiling, turn the heat down to low. Crack an egg into a small dish and slide it into the water. Repeat and slide another egg into the pan. Poach to desired level of "doneness." (I personally think leaving the yolk all nice and runny makes a wonderful "dressing" for the frisee).
9. Once the frisee is wilted, remove the large pan from heat and set aside. Take the bacon strips and chop into small pieces.
10. Arrange the frisee into a little nest on your plate, gently place a poached egg in the middle, and top the whole dish with half of the bacon bits. Serve and enjoy the goodness that is bacon.
* While looking for the frisee, I pulled out one of the plastic bags in the fridge and peeped inside. Imagine my consternation when I looked into one and saw coarse green leaves with thick white stems that looked suspiciously like escarole... I think we cooked the green leaf lettuce with our pasta last night. Oops.
On the bright side, if I'm correct and if the green leaves in my fridge are in fact escarole and not lettuce, then this means I've found a tasteful, tasty way to cook lettuce! Which would be kind of awesome.
As a side note, I'm making good progress with the share! Remaining items: 1/2 head red leaf lettuce, 1 head of either escarole or green leaf lettuce (TBD), two spring onions, and radishes from share #1.
Wilted frisee with bacon and a poached egg (serves 2)
Ingredients:
- 1 head frisee
- 2 spring onions
- Minced garlic
- 5 strips bacon
- Cooking oil
- Salt, pepper
- 2 eggs
Directions:
1. Wash frisee and green onions thoroughly.
2. Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Throw in the bacon strips and let them cook for a bit.
3. Chop frisee into bite size pieces (they will shrink as they cook down though, so make your pieces a little bigger than you want them to be at the end). Chop green onions and set aside.
4. By now the bacon should be done. Remove from heat and extract the bacon from the pan. Wipe down the pan with a paper towel to remove most of the bacon grease.
5. Heat water in a small pan (add as much water as possible without risking a spill).
6. Add some cooking oil to the large pan and reheat. Once the oil is hot, add chopped green onions and garlic plus a dash of salt. Stir and cook until the garlic begins to turn golden brown.
7. Add the frisee to the large pan in big handfuls. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, and cook until wilted about 5 minutes.
8. While the frisee is cooking, check the water in the small pan. When it's boiling, turn the heat down to low. Crack an egg into a small dish and slide it into the water. Repeat and slide another egg into the pan. Poach to desired level of "doneness." (I personally think leaving the yolk all nice and runny makes a wonderful "dressing" for the frisee).
9. Once the frisee is wilted, remove the large pan from heat and set aside. Take the bacon strips and chop into small pieces.
10. Arrange the frisee into a little nest on your plate, gently place a poached egg in the middle, and top the whole dish with half of the bacon bits. Serve and enjoy the goodness that is bacon.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
garlic, the smelliest savior, and lazy radish tops
I've been hacking and coughing and generally trying to expel one or both of my lungs out of my chest for the last few weeks, and it's starting to drive me slowly insane. Also, my coworkers are about to quarantine me permanently. Apparently between the pneumonia, common cold, and strep throat going around my office, I caught all three. I kid (I hope).
Anyways, it's been a week since the last share, and I used up pretty much everything except the radishes and radish tops. While radishes keep for a while, the radish tops had faded a bit. If I didn't take care of them soon, I knew they'd be destined for the trash heap.
So even though I got home kind of late, I grabbed the tops out of the fridge, picked out all the older, yellowing, mushy stems and leaves, and washed them about twenty times. I hate dirt in my food more than anything else (hi clams, I'm looking at you), and these babies had some nice sandy buildup in the base of the stems. I was feeling lazy after all that washing, so I went the Korean muchim route and made some banchan to eat with lunch (quick "recipe" below).
As I was peeling garlic cloves, I kept coughing, and a thought niggled the back of my mind as I flitted around the kitchen. I eyed the garlic cloves cautiously, hopped onto google, and confirmed my suspicions. Raw garlic, like honey, lemons, ginger, oranges, and eucalyptus, is supposed to help cure colds and coughs.
I realize raw garlic smells. I realize eating raw garlic makes you smell. I also realized that my coworkers at this point, would probably prefer garlic BO over the walking cloud of germs that I've become. So I popped a garlic clove in my mouth, crunched around for a while (omg I didn't realize raw garlic was so spicy and strong and ugh), and when I couldn't take it anymore, I swallowed it down and chased it with honey. Maybe it's a placebo effect, but I immediately felt better and my coughing subsided a bit.
I went to bed with garlic breath (I brushed my teeth extra long, but to no avail). I woke up with garlic breath. I'm still coughing, but I actually feel much better today than I did last night, so I'm thinking perhaps there's something to this home remedy after all! As an added bonus, I saw a mosquito flying around my room this morning and while I didn't manage to kill it, I don't think I have any bites, which is unusual. Viruses, mosquitos, vampires, begone! lol.
Radish Top Muchim
Ingredients
- Radish tops, thoroughly washed
- Several cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or minced
- Red pepper flakes (gochukaru)
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil*
1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
2. Drop in the radish greens and cook briefly (less than a minute).
3. Drain and rinse the radish greens under cold water.
4. Squeeze out the excess water from the greens and chop into bite size pieces. Set aside.
5. In a pan, heat some sesame oil.
6. Add garlic and red pepper flakes.
7. Once the garlic begins to turn golden, add the radish tops and stir.
8. Add a little soy sauce to taste.
9. Remove from heat and enjoy!
Anyways, it's been a week since the last share, and I used up pretty much everything except the radishes and radish tops. While radishes keep for a while, the radish tops had faded a bit. If I didn't take care of them soon, I knew they'd be destined for the trash heap.
So even though I got home kind of late, I grabbed the tops out of the fridge, picked out all the older, yellowing, mushy stems and leaves, and washed them about twenty times. I hate dirt in my food more than anything else (hi clams, I'm looking at you), and these babies had some nice sandy buildup in the base of the stems. I was feeling lazy after all that washing, so I went the Korean muchim route and made some banchan to eat with lunch (quick "recipe" below).
As I was peeling garlic cloves, I kept coughing, and a thought niggled the back of my mind as I flitted around the kitchen. I eyed the garlic cloves cautiously, hopped onto google, and confirmed my suspicions. Raw garlic, like honey, lemons, ginger, oranges, and eucalyptus, is supposed to help cure colds and coughs.
I realize raw garlic smells. I realize eating raw garlic makes you smell. I also realized that my coworkers at this point, would probably prefer garlic BO over the walking cloud of germs that I've become. So I popped a garlic clove in my mouth, crunched around for a while (omg I didn't realize raw garlic was so spicy and strong and ugh), and when I couldn't take it anymore, I swallowed it down and chased it with honey. Maybe it's a placebo effect, but I immediately felt better and my coughing subsided a bit.
I went to bed with garlic breath (I brushed my teeth extra long, but to no avail). I woke up with garlic breath. I'm still coughing, but I actually feel much better today than I did last night, so I'm thinking perhaps there's something to this home remedy after all! As an added bonus, I saw a mosquito flying around my room this morning and while I didn't manage to kill it, I don't think I have any bites, which is unusual. Viruses, mosquitos, vampires, begone! lol.
Radish Top Muchim
Ingredients
- Radish tops, thoroughly washed
- Several cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or minced
- Red pepper flakes (gochukaru)
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil*
1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
2. Drop in the radish greens and cook briefly (less than a minute).
3. Drain and rinse the radish greens under cold water.
4. Squeeze out the excess water from the greens and chop into bite size pieces. Set aside.
5. In a pan, heat some sesame oil.
6. Add garlic and red pepper flakes.
7. Once the garlic begins to turn golden, add the radish tops and stir.
8. Add a little soy sauce to taste.
9. Remove from heat and enjoy!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
omg cilantro i have found a use for you
I have never, ever been able to use an entire bunch of cilantro in one go. But thanks to my wonderful, amazing Lebanese summer roommate, I think I have a solution!
First of all, she's awesome because she's really sweet and I got lucky because sometimes Craigslist people are weird. Second of all, she's awesome because she feeds me. But third of all, she's awesome because while she was feeding me, she showed me an incredibly easy way to use cilantro.
Lebanese Potatoes (and Steak)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb waxy potatoes
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 spring onion stalk or a quarter of an onion
- Minced garlic
- Cubed steak (optional)
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Recipe:
1. Thoroughly wash potatoes, cilantro, and onions. Defrost meat. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Chop potatoes into cubes (about 1 cubic inch, maybe a little smaller)
3. Toss potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to taste.
4. Roast potatoes for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a fork can be inserted easily.
5. While roasting the potatoes, cook the steak as desired. We cooked the steak in a pan with some garlic and salt. Set aside.
6. Finely chop the cilantro and onions.
7. Heat a spoon or two of olive oil in a small pan.
8. Cook the cilantro and onions over medium heat, stirring frequently to ensure they don't burn.
9. When the cilantro and onions are well cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
10. Remove the potatoes from the oven when done, add the steak and drizzle the cilantro-onion mixture over the top. Mix well and slide back into the oven.
11. Broil for about 3-5 minutes.
12. Remove, serve, enjoy!
The sharp taste of the cilantro is muted but it provides a nice richness to the dish that I wouldn't have suspected cilantro to be capable of. Plus, cooking down the cilantro reduces the volume significantly, making it easy to use up a lot of it at once. I approve!
First of all, she's awesome because she's really sweet and I got lucky because sometimes Craigslist people are weird. Second of all, she's awesome because she feeds me. But third of all, she's awesome because while she was feeding me, she showed me an incredibly easy way to use cilantro.
Lebanese Potatoes (and Steak)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb waxy potatoes
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 spring onion stalk or a quarter of an onion
- Minced garlic
- Cubed steak (optional)
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Recipe:
1. Thoroughly wash potatoes, cilantro, and onions. Defrost meat. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Chop potatoes into cubes (about 1 cubic inch, maybe a little smaller)
3. Toss potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to taste.
4. Roast potatoes for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a fork can be inserted easily.
5. While roasting the potatoes, cook the steak as desired. We cooked the steak in a pan with some garlic and salt. Set aside.
6. Finely chop the cilantro and onions.
7. Heat a spoon or two of olive oil in a small pan.
8. Cook the cilantro and onions over medium heat, stirring frequently to ensure they don't burn.
9. When the cilantro and onions are well cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
10. Remove the potatoes from the oven when done, add the steak and drizzle the cilantro-onion mixture over the top. Mix well and slide back into the oven.
11. Broil for about 3-5 minutes.
12. Remove, serve, enjoy!
The sharp taste of the cilantro is muted but it provides a nice richness to the dish that I wouldn't have suspected cilantro to be capable of. Plus, cooking down the cilantro reduces the volume significantly, making it easy to use up a lot of it at once. I approve!
Monday, October 29, 2012
CSA Share #20
Wow holy cow. Life seems to be racing by at snail speed. I know...right?
All the little moments are so easy to miss, but they're so worth savoring.
Okay, so it's definitely fall. Here we go:
CSA Share #20
- 1 napa cabbage
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 bunch turnips
- 1/2 lb spinach
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 bunch collard greens
- 1 bunch carrots
- 2 heads garlic
CWTC: squash! I adore squash. I love it. Seriously. It's joined my smaller decorative squashes on the ledge and is adding some much-needed autumnal cheer to my living room :) Hopefully it will keep until Thanksgiving...
TAV: Collard greens. I'll be honest. I've only ever seen these cooked up as a side dish at Cracker Barrel (which I really miss, by the way). Drowning in bacon flavoring and cooked almost to the point of unrecognizable mush from frozen collard greens, I really can't say I ever took a liking to them.
The collard greens did throw me for a loop at first, but they turned out delicious. Plus, they look so pretty when fresh! I also learned a new technique for cutting up my greens. I've actually learned a lot of little tricks and techniques in the kitchen this summer/fall season and its always nice to have one more trick up my sleeve just-in-case.
WTF: None, really. Maybe carrot tops. I GIVE UP. Carrot top stock turned out to be quite disgusting (at least, for me). I have two frozen Ziploc bags of chicken soup with carrot top infused broth in my freezer and I can't, for the life of me, bring myself to even consider reheating them up. Sigh. I have lost the battle with carrot tops. I really need a compost heap. >:\
All the little moments are so easy to miss, but they're so worth savoring.
Okay, so it's definitely fall. Here we go:
CSA Share #20
- 1 napa cabbage
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 bunch turnips
- 1/2 lb spinach
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 bunch collard greens
- 1 bunch carrots
- 2 heads garlic
CWTC: squash! I adore squash. I love it. Seriously. It's joined my smaller decorative squashes on the ledge and is adding some much-needed autumnal cheer to my living room :) Hopefully it will keep until Thanksgiving...
TAV: Collard greens. I'll be honest. I've only ever seen these cooked up as a side dish at Cracker Barrel (which I really miss, by the way). Drowning in bacon flavoring and cooked almost to the point of unrecognizable mush from frozen collard greens, I really can't say I ever took a liking to them.
The collard greens did throw me for a loop at first, but they turned out delicious. Plus, they look so pretty when fresh! I also learned a new technique for cutting up my greens. I've actually learned a lot of little tricks and techniques in the kitchen this summer/fall season and its always nice to have one more trick up my sleeve just-in-case.
WTF: None, really. Maybe carrot tops. I GIVE UP. Carrot top stock turned out to be quite disgusting (at least, for me). I have two frozen Ziploc bags of chicken soup with carrot top infused broth in my freezer and I can't, for the life of me, bring myself to even consider reheating them up. Sigh. I have lost the battle with carrot tops. I really need a compost heap. >:\
Thursday, October 11, 2012
CSA Share #18
This has been the week of chicken soup. Sometimes, a small gesture goes a long, long ways. A friend, not even a very close friend, dropped by last night because she was "in the area," to pick up a few books I'd promised to lend her (Atonement by Ian McEwan and If This be Treason by Gregory Rabassa, if anyone was curious). She came by as I was in the middle of sorting out my vegetables, with a warm smile and two bowls of chicken matzo ball soup for me and my sick roommate (who she is also friends with). Plus several lovely, thick slices of challah bread. What an angel.
She lives all the way on the UWS and is incredibly busy with her studies, but somehow she managed to make the time to stop by Kips Bay and drop off chicken soup. By the way, "in the area" was actually Penn Station, which is not even remotely in the area at all. Anyways, I really appreciated it and I hope someday that I can return the favor or pay it forward.
After she left, I went back to the task of de-stemming my giant pile of kale. See, I've been getting sick and tired of sauteed greens, and I was far too time-pressed to make kale chips, so I googled kale and what did I find? Recipes for massaged kale salad. Repulsed at first, I was slowly won over by the descriptions of the kale salad that kept popping up. "Silky," "tender," "luxurious," were all used to describe the compliant kale leaves post-massage. I had a lemon slowly drying away into oblivion in the fridge and of course, I had olive oil on hand. So I figured why not, rolled up my sleeves, and set out to make massaged kale salad. It's quite good! I had a small bite and then left the rest to marinate for a few days in the fridge while I do some damage to the more perishable items. The leftover kale ribs were not discarded either. I tossed them in a baggie and added them to my growing "leftover ends for chicken soup" pile in the freezer. I really must make soup this weekend. Anyways, I'll make a post on the kale salad later. I have a lot of posts to write this winter, it seems.
On to this week's CSA share. Lots of repeat vegetables and a few new ones.
CSA Share #18
- 2 sweet dumpling winter squash
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 bunch arugula
- 6 ½ ounces salad mix
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 2 eggplants
- 1 bunch red Russian kale
- 3 red bell peppers
Full disclosure: I swapped out the salad for a head of garlic. I just couldn't handle the thought of more salad...
CWTC: Winter dumpling squash! They really are just so adorable. It's perfect that we got these in our share this week, because I've been eyeing all the little displays of decorative mini squash and pumpkins that the corner delis have set out. They're perfect for decoration and they'll keep for a long while. Multi-functional vegetables that last a long time are definitely my favorite.
TAV: Kale. See above for my little ramble on massaged kale salad.
WTF: Cilantro. T______T No matter. I've been on a roll with preserving fresh herbs lately. I set out to dry the cilantro, remembered that dried cilantro tastes like dried paper flakes, and opted to chop and freeze the cilantro instead. I divided the bunch in two, washed each half-bunch, and chopped them finely and coarsely, respectively. Into ziploc baggies they went, along with a little bit of water (to avoid freezer-burn). I laid them flat in the freezer until they were solid and then stored them away next to the flat-packs of frozen chicken soup.
Side note on the fruit share: Once again, I die. This week's fruit share from Maynard Farms included a bowl of beautiful little Seckel pears and a bowl of large, bright, juicy Golden Delicious. Looks like Maynard Farms was spared the weather problems that have decimated most of the Northeast region's apple crop (yields are down 50%!) This is just not a good year for corn or apples, is it? Apparently raspberries have been hit hard as well, but not by weather problems. Spotted wing Drosophila have decided that the raspberry fields make excellent feeding grounds for their larva and have been quite actively laying their eggs in the berries. Gross. I had to look at Drosophila flies, breed them, mutate them, draw them, examine them, and write papers on them for my entire freshman year of college. These days, I prefer they stay unseen, especially in my food.
In any case, I am still dreaming about that heavenly Macoun I had a few weeks back and I really do wish I had signed up for the fruit share this year. Perhaps next year.
Side note on using up CSA shares: I've noticed that as the summer (and fall) have crept by, I've become more adept at what I've come to think of as vegetable triage. I take stock of this week's share and the leftovers still in the fridge, and quickly assess the survival time of each item. Things that can be frozen or dried are taken care of right away (e.g. garlic, herbs, green onions, soup stock vegetables).
Cut lettuce oxidizes very rapidly, so I store it as a whole head and use it up leaf by leaf, rather than slicing it all up at once. Loose, cut leaves go bad first, so I try to eat those or cook those first (e.g. bok choy, salad mix, arugula, beet/radish/turnip greens).
Long-term storage vegetables, which include essentially all the root vegetables, are separated from their bushy green tops and stored away until the more perishable items are used up first (e.g. potatoes, onions, garlic, beets, carrots, turnips). Even if I really want to eat them, I try to hold off until the more perishable items are used up. I actually haven't seen much of these in recent weeks - I assume Free Bird Farm is trying to keep those in the ground as long as possible as insurance against an unexpected frost that might decimate a planned CSA share. Plus, this gives them extra time to grow. At least, I hope that's the case! I'm really looking forward to at least one more haul of onions and garlic. I'm hoping for potatoes too, but I might be asking for too much. I do think there's a crop of peas headed our way too, but that of course, depends on the weather and the bugs. This week's forecast looks chilly but I don't see any real danger of a sudden frost (knock on wood). Then again, there's still four more weeks to go!
She lives all the way on the UWS and is incredibly busy with her studies, but somehow she managed to make the time to stop by Kips Bay and drop off chicken soup. By the way, "in the area" was actually Penn Station, which is not even remotely in the area at all. Anyways, I really appreciated it and I hope someday that I can return the favor or pay it forward.
After she left, I went back to the task of de-stemming my giant pile of kale. See, I've been getting sick and tired of sauteed greens, and I was far too time-pressed to make kale chips, so I googled kale and what did I find? Recipes for massaged kale salad. Repulsed at first, I was slowly won over by the descriptions of the kale salad that kept popping up. "Silky," "tender," "luxurious," were all used to describe the compliant kale leaves post-massage. I had a lemon slowly drying away into oblivion in the fridge and of course, I had olive oil on hand. So I figured why not, rolled up my sleeves, and set out to make massaged kale salad. It's quite good! I had a small bite and then left the rest to marinate for a few days in the fridge while I do some damage to the more perishable items. The leftover kale ribs were not discarded either. I tossed them in a baggie and added them to my growing "leftover ends for chicken soup" pile in the freezer. I really must make soup this weekend. Anyways, I'll make a post on the kale salad later. I have a lot of posts to write this winter, it seems.
On to this week's CSA share. Lots of repeat vegetables and a few new ones.
CSA Share #18
- 2 sweet dumpling winter squash
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 bunch arugula
- 6 ½ ounces salad mix
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 2 eggplants
- 1 bunch red Russian kale
- 3 red bell peppers
Full disclosure: I swapped out the salad for a head of garlic. I just couldn't handle the thought of more salad...
CWTC: Winter dumpling squash! They really are just so adorable. It's perfect that we got these in our share this week, because I've been eyeing all the little displays of decorative mini squash and pumpkins that the corner delis have set out. They're perfect for decoration and they'll keep for a long while. Multi-functional vegetables that last a long time are definitely my favorite.
TAV: Kale. See above for my little ramble on massaged kale salad.
WTF: Cilantro. T______T No matter. I've been on a roll with preserving fresh herbs lately. I set out to dry the cilantro, remembered that dried cilantro tastes like dried paper flakes, and opted to chop and freeze the cilantro instead. I divided the bunch in two, washed each half-bunch, and chopped them finely and coarsely, respectively. Into ziploc baggies they went, along with a little bit of water (to avoid freezer-burn). I laid them flat in the freezer until they were solid and then stored them away next to the flat-packs of frozen chicken soup.
Side note on the fruit share: Once again, I die. This week's fruit share from Maynard Farms included a bowl of beautiful little Seckel pears and a bowl of large, bright, juicy Golden Delicious. Looks like Maynard Farms was spared the weather problems that have decimated most of the Northeast region's apple crop (yields are down 50%!) This is just not a good year for corn or apples, is it? Apparently raspberries have been hit hard as well, but not by weather problems. Spotted wing Drosophila have decided that the raspberry fields make excellent feeding grounds for their larva and have been quite actively laying their eggs in the berries. Gross. I had to look at Drosophila flies, breed them, mutate them, draw them, examine them, and write papers on them for my entire freshman year of college. These days, I prefer they stay unseen, especially in my food.
In any case, I am still dreaming about that heavenly Macoun I had a few weeks back and I really do wish I had signed up for the fruit share this year. Perhaps next year.
Side note on using up CSA shares: I've noticed that as the summer (and fall) have crept by, I've become more adept at what I've come to think of as vegetable triage. I take stock of this week's share and the leftovers still in the fridge, and quickly assess the survival time of each item. Things that can be frozen or dried are taken care of right away (e.g. garlic, herbs, green onions, soup stock vegetables).
Cut lettuce oxidizes very rapidly, so I store it as a whole head and use it up leaf by leaf, rather than slicing it all up at once. Loose, cut leaves go bad first, so I try to eat those or cook those first (e.g. bok choy, salad mix, arugula, beet/radish/turnip greens).
Long-term storage vegetables, which include essentially all the root vegetables, are separated from their bushy green tops and stored away until the more perishable items are used up first (e.g. potatoes, onions, garlic, beets, carrots, turnips). Even if I really want to eat them, I try to hold off until the more perishable items are used up. I actually haven't seen much of these in recent weeks - I assume Free Bird Farm is trying to keep those in the ground as long as possible as insurance against an unexpected frost that might decimate a planned CSA share. Plus, this gives them extra time to grow. At least, I hope that's the case! I'm really looking forward to at least one more haul of onions and garlic. I'm hoping for potatoes too, but I might be asking for too much. I do think there's a crop of peas headed our way too, but that of course, depends on the weather and the bugs. This week's forecast looks chilly but I don't see any real danger of a sudden frost (knock on wood). Then again, there's still four more weeks to go!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
CSA Share #16
I can't keep up! But this week's haul looks particularly promising :) I'm very excited to pick it up later today!
CSA Share 16
- 1 eggplant
- 2 bell peppers
- 2 heads garlic
- 1 bunch arugula
- 1 pint salad tomatoes
- 1 bunch assorted braising greens
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 bunch purple carrots
- 3/4 lb yellow wax beans
- 1 bunch young celery stalks
CWTC: purple carrots! Actually, it's a tie between the purple carrots and the yellow wax beans. I have a thing for odd-colored vegetables and fruits. I don't know. Nom nom. Did you know carrots were originally purple until the Dutch bred all the purple right out of them? Yeah, me either. Someone should invent a produce trivia section on Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit and Who Wants to be a Millionnaire,
TAV: Yellow wax beans. I'm going to try very lightly sauteeing them with a squeeze of lemon, a bit of garlic, and a dash of chili pepper flakes. That plus some nice braised greens sounds like a perfect fall weather dish to me!
WTF: Celery tops. What? Apparently, the farm's field team mistook the celery tops for parsley, and harvested them a bit early. Oops.
Oh well! I'm glad they're distributing them, instead of throwing them away. They'll make a wonderful addition to a hearty fall vegetable soup. I've been squirreling away bags of chicken stock for an occasion like this!
I think, with all the work and travel and life happenings that have been going on, that it makes more sense for me to accumulate a pile of post-season topics that I'll return to later. I'll continue to update with the weekly CSA share and interesting tidbits, but I'll save the meatier posts and the recipes for when things settle down a bit. That way, I'll have something to occupy myself with, even during the winter months when there's no fresh produce coming in.
I've been keeping a pretty decent photo log of my CSA adventures on facebook, so hopefully that will help. And I'll try to go back and retroactively post all my lovely pictures in this blog during the post-growing season as well. In the meantime...I will fight off this nasty little stomach bug and the aftereffects of my flu vaccine! Rawr!
It seems frosty weather has begun to nip at our heels. Free Bird Farm reported the first Jack Frost visitations and have wrapped up the summer vegetable patch. No more eggplant, tomatoes, or bell peppers for us. That's okay with me, I think I've eaten more eggplant and bell peppers than I ever thought I could in the past few months. I hope we get potatoes and more garlic!
I've noticed another upside of seasonal eating. Vegetables ripen just when they start to look appealing and appetizing. For example, I wouldn't want a lot of potatoes and heavy collard greens or escarole, winter squash, and chili peppers in the dead middle of a hot and humid summer. Shudder. I'd have to turn my oven on. >.<
Neither would I want light salad greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers when chilly fall evenings start to creep into the Northeast. I want something more substantial, with more depth and smoke and body. But boy, does a refreshing salad sound delicious in the summer! And on a crisp, cool autumn evening, a hearty dish of roasted sweet potatoes, sauteed beans, and sturdy bitter greens cooked with garlic and a bit of fried pork sounds like absolute heaven. Preferably eaten while wrapped up in a warm, cozy sweater or a fleece blanket. See what I mean? Yum yum.
Side note: I WANT A FRUIT SHARE T___T. This week, Maynard Farms is distributing Chardonnay grapes and the last of the summer watermelon. I die.
Apparently, these are very sweet grapes with 24% sugar content, that can be eaten right out of hand. To reiterate, T___________T.
Next year...I am going to sign up for chickens, eggs, and fruit. I can eat the light veggies and eggs during the summer and cook/freeze up the leftovers in soup for winter. The chickens come pre-frozen, so I can just store them away in the freezer until the winter, and then I can make all sorts of lovely dishes. A whole roast chicken on a cold, snowy December night sounds brilliant. I'll have to think about this a little more and check the past few growing seasons to see if this is feasible, but if I'm careful, I may be able to stretch out a full CSA share over a good portion of the year. Hmm...
CSA Share 16
- 1 eggplant
- 2 bell peppers
- 2 heads garlic
- 1 bunch arugula
- 1 pint salad tomatoes
- 1 bunch assorted braising greens
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 bunch purple carrots
- 3/4 lb yellow wax beans
- 1 bunch young celery stalks
CWTC: purple carrots! Actually, it's a tie between the purple carrots and the yellow wax beans. I have a thing for odd-colored vegetables and fruits. I don't know. Nom nom. Did you know carrots were originally purple until the Dutch bred all the purple right out of them? Yeah, me either. Someone should invent a produce trivia section on Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit and Who Wants to be a Millionnaire,
TAV: Yellow wax beans. I'm going to try very lightly sauteeing them with a squeeze of lemon, a bit of garlic, and a dash of chili pepper flakes. That plus some nice braised greens sounds like a perfect fall weather dish to me!
WTF: Celery tops. What? Apparently, the farm's field team mistook the celery tops for parsley, and harvested them a bit early. Oops.
Oh well! I'm glad they're distributing them, instead of throwing them away. They'll make a wonderful addition to a hearty fall vegetable soup. I've been squirreling away bags of chicken stock for an occasion like this!
I think, with all the work and travel and life happenings that have been going on, that it makes more sense for me to accumulate a pile of post-season topics that I'll return to later. I'll continue to update with the weekly CSA share and interesting tidbits, but I'll save the meatier posts and the recipes for when things settle down a bit. That way, I'll have something to occupy myself with, even during the winter months when there's no fresh produce coming in.
I've been keeping a pretty decent photo log of my CSA adventures on facebook, so hopefully that will help. And I'll try to go back and retroactively post all my lovely pictures in this blog during the post-growing season as well. In the meantime...I will fight off this nasty little stomach bug and the aftereffects of my flu vaccine! Rawr!
It seems frosty weather has begun to nip at our heels. Free Bird Farm reported the first Jack Frost visitations and have wrapped up the summer vegetable patch. No more eggplant, tomatoes, or bell peppers for us. That's okay with me, I think I've eaten more eggplant and bell peppers than I ever thought I could in the past few months. I hope we get potatoes and more garlic!
I've noticed another upside of seasonal eating. Vegetables ripen just when they start to look appealing and appetizing. For example, I wouldn't want a lot of potatoes and heavy collard greens or escarole, winter squash, and chili peppers in the dead middle of a hot and humid summer. Shudder. I'd have to turn my oven on. >.<
Neither would I want light salad greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers when chilly fall evenings start to creep into the Northeast. I want something more substantial, with more depth and smoke and body. But boy, does a refreshing salad sound delicious in the summer! And on a crisp, cool autumn evening, a hearty dish of roasted sweet potatoes, sauteed beans, and sturdy bitter greens cooked with garlic and a bit of fried pork sounds like absolute heaven. Preferably eaten while wrapped up in a warm, cozy sweater or a fleece blanket. See what I mean? Yum yum.
Side note: I WANT A FRUIT SHARE T___T. This week, Maynard Farms is distributing Chardonnay grapes and the last of the summer watermelon. I die.
Apparently, these are very sweet grapes with 24% sugar content, that can be eaten right out of hand. To reiterate, T___________T.
Next year...I am going to sign up for chickens, eggs, and fruit. I can eat the light veggies and eggs during the summer and cook/freeze up the leftovers in soup for winter. The chickens come pre-frozen, so I can just store them away in the freezer until the winter, and then I can make all sorts of lovely dishes. A whole roast chicken on a cold, snowy December night sounds brilliant. I'll have to think about this a little more and check the past few growing seasons to see if this is feasible, but if I'm careful, I may be able to stretch out a full CSA share over a good portion of the year. Hmm...
Monday, September 17, 2012
Fresh soybeans and creative uses for CSA vegetables
Remember the soybeans from CSA Share #13?
Well, I cooked them. It was incredibly easy too.
1. Wash soybeans.
2. Place in pot and cover with water.
3. Add salt.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low boil. Let the soybeans boil for 5-10 minutes.
5. Test a soybean - if they taste nutty and tender, they're done.
6. Drain and salt, if desired.
I found a random soybean that escaped the pot and I was curious what raw soybeans might taste like. I figured I might not get another chance to try, so I went ahead and took a nibble. They tasted like a larger, rawer version of green beans, if that makes sense. Probably won't try that again, but it was interesting!
Alas, I lost my basil from CSA Share #13 to negligence. I kept thinking I'd use it for something and then it grew moldy. Tears.
But I did manage to use up a bunch of my other vegetables for the week!
Exhibit A: Arugula
I managed to toss a bunch of arugula into some late night shin ramen for late nightt post-drinking munchies. Mostly, I'm really really really impressed with my commitment to my vegetables. After all, drunk people normally don't think about vegetables as a first concern. I even washed the arugula before dumping it in my ramen! For the record, it was really delicious and it totally hit the spot. I demolished an entire pot of ramen singlehandedly. Yeah. Uhhhh....next.
Exhibit B: Cilantro + turnip greens
In my efforts to avoid wasting two weeks of herbs in a row, I thought what the hell why not, and tossed several healthy sprigs of cilantro into my sauteed garlic-turnip greens. This was a very flavorful preparation, as I accidentally peeled more garlic than I thought I could use. Eight cloves of garlic in one sitting. I was a little concerned, but it turned out just fine. This was actually not a bad combination at all! But then, I always did have a soft spot for cilantro.
Exhibit C: Basil
I did manage to use up a bit of my basil. I tossed them on top of a fried egg, which added a nice, herby touch. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything else to put the basil on before it went moldy, but better luck next time, I suppose.
Well, I cooked them. It was incredibly easy too.
1. Wash soybeans.
2. Place in pot and cover with water.
3. Add salt.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low boil. Let the soybeans boil for 5-10 minutes.
5. Test a soybean - if they taste nutty and tender, they're done.
6. Drain and salt, if desired.
I found a random soybean that escaped the pot and I was curious what raw soybeans might taste like. I figured I might not get another chance to try, so I went ahead and took a nibble. They tasted like a larger, rawer version of green beans, if that makes sense. Probably won't try that again, but it was interesting!
Alas, I lost my basil from CSA Share #13 to negligence. I kept thinking I'd use it for something and then it grew moldy. Tears.
But I did manage to use up a bunch of my other vegetables for the week!
Exhibit A: Arugula
I managed to toss a bunch of arugula into some late night shin ramen for late nightt post-drinking munchies. Mostly, I'm really really really impressed with my commitment to my vegetables. After all, drunk people normally don't think about vegetables as a first concern. I even washed the arugula before dumping it in my ramen! For the record, it was really delicious and it totally hit the spot. I demolished an entire pot of ramen singlehandedly. Yeah. Uhhhh....next.
Exhibit B: Cilantro + turnip greens
In my efforts to avoid wasting two weeks of herbs in a row, I thought what the hell why not, and tossed several healthy sprigs of cilantro into my sauteed garlic-turnip greens. This was a very flavorful preparation, as I accidentally peeled more garlic than I thought I could use. Eight cloves of garlic in one sitting. I was a little concerned, but it turned out just fine. This was actually not a bad combination at all! But then, I always did have a soft spot for cilantro.
Exhibit C: Basil
I did manage to use up a bit of my basil. I tossed them on top of a fried egg, which added a nice, herby touch. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything else to put the basil on before it went moldy, but better luck next time, I suppose.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
CSA Share #14
Mmm munching on mild and tender White Lady turnips.
Crazy busy at work, but managed to snag my (very green) share. No idea when I'll have time to wash and prep it all, but I made some headway already! Props to me.
CSA Share 14
- 7 oz arugula
- 7 oz baby salad greens
- 3 heads garlic
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 pint salad tomatoes
- 1 large slicing tomato
- 1 bunch carrots
- 1 head oak leaf bib lettuce
- 1 bunch White Lady turnips
CWTC: tomato. This one looks gorgeous, meaty, and is a beautiful deep, rich red. Storing it carefully on the countertop (tomatoes go mealy in the fridge!) and waiting for a good opportunity to slice it up and savor every juicy bite.
TAV: Arugula. I like arugula, but there's only so much salad I can eat in a month. Maybe this week I'll try cooking it up somehow. Recipe exploration time!
WTF: T________T more cilantro?!?! asdlfjkasl;fjkljas.
Also, I have given up on carrot tops. I just tossed them this time around. Couldn't help but feel a very strong twinge of guilt though. :(
Crazy busy at work, but managed to snag my (very green) share. No idea when I'll have time to wash and prep it all, but I made some headway already! Props to me.
CSA Share 14
- 7 oz arugula
- 7 oz baby salad greens
- 3 heads garlic
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 pint salad tomatoes
- 1 large slicing tomato
- 1 bunch carrots
- 1 head oak leaf bib lettuce
- 1 bunch White Lady turnips
CWTC: tomato. This one looks gorgeous, meaty, and is a beautiful deep, rich red. Storing it carefully on the countertop (tomatoes go mealy in the fridge!) and waiting for a good opportunity to slice it up and savor every juicy bite.
TAV: Arugula. I like arugula, but there's only so much salad I can eat in a month. Maybe this week I'll try cooking it up somehow. Recipe exploration time!
WTF: T________T more cilantro?!?! asdlfjkasl;fjkljas.
Also, I have given up on carrot tops. I just tossed them this time around. Couldn't help but feel a very strong twinge of guilt though. :(
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
CSA Share #13 and Radish Greens
Slow on the updates in spite of a long weekend... I have a few posts in reserve and will update accordingly when I get the chance.
In the meantime, this week's share:
- 2 red bell peppers
- giant lovely mess (10oz) of arugula (or rocket, as it's known in the UK)
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch Italian basil
- 3/4lb green beans
- 1 bunch radishes
- 1/2lb soybeans!
- 2 large tomatoes
CWTC: soybeans! I don't think I've ever had fresh soybeans before. Only frozen. This should be interesting, and fun.
TAV: Radish greens. Typically something that gets thrown out, but I was determined to make them edible in my quest to reduce food waste.
WTF: Arugula. I love it. But what do I do with this much of it? Maybe I can saute a plate of arugula and top it with a fried egg?
Radish Greens
Wasn't sure what to do with these, as they didn't look very appealing, especially with bug holes eaten through nearly all of them. After washing them very well and chopping them into small pieces, they looked considerably more appetizing.
I chopped up and froze the green portions of the scallions for later use, but I reserved the bulbs for my radish greens. The scallion bulbs were about as big across as a quarter, so they probably were more like onions than scallions at that point.
I sliced two cloves of garlic, the reserved onion bulbs, stray basil leaves, and sauteed them in a pan over medium heat. I added the chopped radish greens fairly quickly. I used a dash of fish sauce, rice vinegar, and a drizzle of sesame oil to finish off the dish, which actually turned out quite nicely. I think it was the seasoning that did it. Sesame oil is a nice counterpoint to root vegetable greens, with the nutty flavor balancing the bitterness of the greens. It's similar to using bacon when cooking turnip greens, but more subtle.
Pretty pleased with myself :)
In the meantime, this week's share:
- 2 red bell peppers
- giant lovely mess (10oz) of arugula (or rocket, as it's known in the UK)
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch Italian basil
- 3/4lb green beans
- 1 bunch radishes
- 1/2lb soybeans!
- 2 large tomatoes
CWTC: soybeans! I don't think I've ever had fresh soybeans before. Only frozen. This should be interesting, and fun.
TAV: Radish greens. Typically something that gets thrown out, but I was determined to make them edible in my quest to reduce food waste.
WTF: Arugula. I love it. But what do I do with this much of it? Maybe I can saute a plate of arugula and top it with a fried egg?
Radish Greens
Wasn't sure what to do with these, as they didn't look very appealing, especially with bug holes eaten through nearly all of them. After washing them very well and chopping them into small pieces, they looked considerably more appetizing.
I chopped up and froze the green portions of the scallions for later use, but I reserved the bulbs for my radish greens. The scallion bulbs were about as big across as a quarter, so they probably were more like onions than scallions at that point.
I sliced two cloves of garlic, the reserved onion bulbs, stray basil leaves, and sauteed them in a pan over medium heat. I added the chopped radish greens fairly quickly. I used a dash of fish sauce, rice vinegar, and a drizzle of sesame oil to finish off the dish, which actually turned out quite nicely. I think it was the seasoning that did it. Sesame oil is a nice counterpoint to root vegetable greens, with the nutty flavor balancing the bitterness of the greens. It's similar to using bacon when cooking turnip greens, but more subtle.
Pretty pleased with myself :)
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
CSA Share #12
Time is flying! Hard to believe, but there's only 10 shares left in the season (barring some unfortunate early frost/storm).
CSA Share 12 is in and it looks pretty solid:
- 5 medium red onions
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 1/4 lb small tomatoes (~12 ping pong size tomatoes)
- 2 small bulbs garlic
- 1 eggplant
- 3 leeks
- 3 bell peppers
- 6 oz baby salad greens
- 1 bunch cilantro
Lots of heartier vegetables this week than in earlier CSA shares. I noticed we've been getting a lot of stuff from the Solanaceae aka Nightshade family (tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers), which is fine by me!
CWTC: eggplant! I know, I know. I've had eggplant in the last few shares AND there's still one forlorn eggplant sitting in the bottom of my fridge. But this one is so beautiful! It's a rich, bright purple with creamy white streaks stippled across the skin. Also, I discovered several recipes for eggplant that I want to try (I have another eggplant in my fridge remember?) Baked eggplant chips anyone?
TAV: Cilantro. I normally would place this in WTF, since I'm not sure what to do with an entire bunch, but this time, I'm going to experiment with broiled eggplant marinated in a cilantro-lemon based sauce (lots of eggplant, remember?). Also, I cut off the bottom of the stems, stuck the bunch in a cup of water, and tented an open ziploc bag over the top of the cilantro bunch. Hopefully it'll stay alive until the weekend.
WTF: None. These are all quite literally garden-variety vegetables!
CSA Share 12 is in and it looks pretty solid:
- 5 medium red onions
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 1/4 lb small tomatoes (~12 ping pong size tomatoes)
- 2 small bulbs garlic
- 1 eggplant
- 3 leeks
- 3 bell peppers
- 6 oz baby salad greens
- 1 bunch cilantro
Lots of heartier vegetables this week than in earlier CSA shares. I noticed we've been getting a lot of stuff from the Solanaceae aka Nightshade family (tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers), which is fine by me!
CWTC: eggplant! I know, I know. I've had eggplant in the last few shares AND there's still one forlorn eggplant sitting in the bottom of my fridge. But this one is so beautiful! It's a rich, bright purple with creamy white streaks stippled across the skin. Also, I discovered several recipes for eggplant that I want to try (I have another eggplant in my fridge remember?) Baked eggplant chips anyone?
TAV: Cilantro. I normally would place this in WTF, since I'm not sure what to do with an entire bunch, but this time, I'm going to experiment with broiled eggplant marinated in a cilantro-lemon based sauce (lots of eggplant, remember?). Also, I cut off the bottom of the stems, stuck the bunch in a cup of water, and tented an open ziploc bag over the top of the cilantro bunch. Hopefully it'll stay alive until the weekend.
WTF: None. These are all quite literally garden-variety vegetables!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Tomato Sauce from Scratch
This weekend ended up being a little less domestic and a lot more crazy than expected. I need a month long detox. But I did manage to get around to making my tomato sauce!
My roommate, his friend, and yours truly, were bumming around the apartment on Saturday evening with no energy left for going out to eat dinner. We debated ordering takeout, but I really needed to use up my tomatoes, so I told the boys I'd cook pasta. They seemed skeptical, but they took a leap of faith and agreed to eat pasta for dinner. They even offered to help in the kitchen :)
The tomato sauce was sort of improvised, but I was pretty happy with it.
Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 onions
- 6 medium tomatoes
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 package pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
- a bit of olive oil
Recipe:
1. Peel and chop onions. Thinly slice the garlic cloves.
2. Heat some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Toss in onions and garlic.
3. Wash and chop tomatoes into small chunks.
4. Stir the onions and garlic occasionally until the onions turn slightly translucent.
5. Add tomatoes to the pan.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the pan simmer, stirring occasionally.
7. Put a pot of water on to boil.
8. When water reaches the boiling point, add pasta.
9. Boil the pasta for 10-12 minutes, or until al dente.
10. Drain pasta and set aside.
11. Chop up the jalapenos and basil leaves. Add to the pan.
12. Stir the tomato sauce and let it simmer until most of the liquid has boiled off. If the sauce is too thick, add water.
13. Ladle sauce over the pasta and serve. Garnish with extra basil leaves if desired.
Note: Be careful with the jalapenos! We were informed by my roommate's friend that the peppers "weren't that hot." Turns out, they were. If you're worried about making the sauce too spicy, remove the seeds and the white pith (this is the spiciest part of the pepper) or just omit the jalapenos altogether.
The boys were impressed, especially since there was no meat in the pasta. We were all happily fueled up for a night out, I used up a lot of my leftover CSA share, and I didn't even have to do the dishes afterwards! I'd say it was a success.
My roommate, his friend, and yours truly, were bumming around the apartment on Saturday evening with no energy left for going out to eat dinner. We debated ordering takeout, but I really needed to use up my tomatoes, so I told the boys I'd cook pasta. They seemed skeptical, but they took a leap of faith and agreed to eat pasta for dinner. They even offered to help in the kitchen :)
The tomato sauce was sort of improvised, but I was pretty happy with it.
Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 onions
- 6 medium tomatoes
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 package pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
- a bit of olive oil
Recipe:
1. Peel and chop onions. Thinly slice the garlic cloves.
2. Heat some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Toss in onions and garlic.
3. Wash and chop tomatoes into small chunks.
4. Stir the onions and garlic occasionally until the onions turn slightly translucent.
5. Add tomatoes to the pan.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the pan simmer, stirring occasionally.
7. Put a pot of water on to boil.
8. When water reaches the boiling point, add pasta.
9. Boil the pasta for 10-12 minutes, or until al dente.
10. Drain pasta and set aside.
11. Chop up the jalapenos and basil leaves. Add to the pan.
12. Stir the tomato sauce and let it simmer until most of the liquid has boiled off. If the sauce is too thick, add water.
13. Ladle sauce over the pasta and serve. Garnish with extra basil leaves if desired.
Note: Be careful with the jalapenos! We were informed by my roommate's friend that the peppers "weren't that hot." Turns out, they were. If you're worried about making the sauce too spicy, remove the seeds and the white pith (this is the spiciest part of the pepper) or just omit the jalapenos altogether.
The boys were impressed, especially since there was no meat in the pasta. We were all happily fueled up for a night out, I used up a lot of my leftover CSA share, and I didn't even have to do the dishes afterwards! I'd say it was a success.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
CSA Share #11
The drought is really hitting Free Bird Farm pretty hard...
...but the tomato, I am pleased to say, is alive and well!
This week's share:
- 1 bunch basil
- 3/4 lb green beans
- 4 large tomatoes
- 3 lbs salad tomatoes
- 3 red bell peppers
CWTC: all of it? If I had to pick one, I'd probably pick the large tomatoes. They look like they'd be amazing on a piece of foccacia with basil and olive oil drizzled on top.
TAV: bell peppers. These are ordinary peppers, but I think I'll experiment with charring them over my open gas stove to see if I can get the equivalent of a roasted bell pepper.
WTF: none! I like it all :D
I'm really excited about the green beans too. They're such a treat when they're as fresh as they are in my CSA share.
Free Bird Farm purposely put a bunch of basil with the bumper tomato crop this week in the hopes that some of us would get proactive and make some tomato sauce. If you recall, we've been getting a LOT of garlic and onions in the last few CSA shares, so this really is a great suggestion on their part. I could even make a batch of spicy tomato sauce with the jalapenos! Yum.
I need a break from all the partying, so I think I might devote my weekend to tomato sauce and soup making escapades. Both tomato sauce and soup freeze well in ziploc bags and they'll be welcome additions to my winter meals when CSA shares become a distant, wispy memory. I'm already excited. I really need to get some ground pepper though. Tomato sauce without ground pepper just seems wrong. It's like wearing sneakers without socks. >.<
...but the tomato, I am pleased to say, is alive and well!
This week's share:
- 1 bunch basil
- 3/4 lb green beans
- 4 large tomatoes
- 3 lbs salad tomatoes
- 3 red bell peppers
CWTC: all of it? If I had to pick one, I'd probably pick the large tomatoes. They look like they'd be amazing on a piece of foccacia with basil and olive oil drizzled on top.
TAV: bell peppers. These are ordinary peppers, but I think I'll experiment with charring them over my open gas stove to see if I can get the equivalent of a roasted bell pepper.
WTF: none! I like it all :D
I'm really excited about the green beans too. They're such a treat when they're as fresh as they are in my CSA share.
Free Bird Farm purposely put a bunch of basil with the bumper tomato crop this week in the hopes that some of us would get proactive and make some tomato sauce. If you recall, we've been getting a LOT of garlic and onions in the last few CSA shares, so this really is a great suggestion on their part. I could even make a batch of spicy tomato sauce with the jalapenos! Yum.
I need a break from all the partying, so I think I might devote my weekend to tomato sauce and soup making escapades. Both tomato sauce and soup freeze well in ziploc bags and they'll be welcome additions to my winter meals when CSA shares become a distant, wispy memory. I'm already excited. I really need to get some ground pepper though. Tomato sauce without ground pepper just seems wrong. It's like wearing sneakers without socks. >.<
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
CSA Share #10
Can't believe we're already at CSA Share number TEN. Crazy! But, here we are, and so are the tomatoes. The dry weather has been wilting the corn but the heat has been equally as oppressive to all but the mighty eggplant, according to our lovely Free Bird farming family. Extreme heat keeps tomatoes from producing carotenes, including lycopene, according to “The Mystery of Unripening Tomatoes," an article from the Cooperative Cornell Cooperative Extension newsletter. That's really too bad because I fucking love corn and tomatoes.
However, the tomatoes at Free Bird Farm conquered the heat and made their grand debut this week in the form of a pint of ping pong ball size tomatoes and a gorgeous beefsteak tomato. Happy to report that the ping pong tomatoes made a delicious accompaniment to dinner at work. I still think the hydroponic tomatoes my dad would bring home from his research lab win the all-around-tomato award though (he researched irrigation techniques, so never fear - the tomatoes were perfectly edible). I suppose it's unfair to compare heat-stricken tomatoes with greenhouse tomatoes. I'm sure if I were a plant, a greenhouse would be a bit more comfortable. Regardless, I'm just happy to have tomatoes.
If we get a lot more tomatoes in subsequent CSA shares, I fully intend to bring a bag of them to work and blend them into tomato milkshakes (YUM). My coworkers are incredibly skeptical of tomato milkshakes, but I am here to assure them that they are delicious and out of this world. My mom used to blend up milk, ice, sugar, and tomatoes in the summer. Odd combination but the frothy, strawberry-colored milkshakes would always hit the spot for me.
On to the CSA share.
- 1 pint small tomatoes
- 1 large tomato
- 1 eggplant (American)
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 2 jalapenos
- 4 onions
- 3 heads of garlic
- 6 oz baby salad greens
CWTC: if the previous three paragraphs haven't clued you in yet...the CWTC winner this week are the tomatoes.
TAV: fennel. I like fennel when I encounter it in restaurants, but I have yet to cook them myself. Excited! Although...the fennel fronds look alarmingly like carrot fronds...
WTF: onions. Oh dear. I still have two onions from previous shares sitting on my countertop. Six onions, one little Asian girl. Whatever shall I do? There's only so many ways to eat onions. On the bright side, at least they'll last for a while.
Plus, my little brother is in town and he eats lots of anything. I shall make him eat onions. Heh heh heh.
However, the tomatoes at Free Bird Farm conquered the heat and made their grand debut this week in the form of a pint of ping pong ball size tomatoes and a gorgeous beefsteak tomato. Happy to report that the ping pong tomatoes made a delicious accompaniment to dinner at work. I still think the hydroponic tomatoes my dad would bring home from his research lab win the all-around-tomato award though (he researched irrigation techniques, so never fear - the tomatoes were perfectly edible). I suppose it's unfair to compare heat-stricken tomatoes with greenhouse tomatoes. I'm sure if I were a plant, a greenhouse would be a bit more comfortable. Regardless, I'm just happy to have tomatoes.
If we get a lot more tomatoes in subsequent CSA shares, I fully intend to bring a bag of them to work and blend them into tomato milkshakes (YUM). My coworkers are incredibly skeptical of tomato milkshakes, but I am here to assure them that they are delicious and out of this world. My mom used to blend up milk, ice, sugar, and tomatoes in the summer. Odd combination but the frothy, strawberry-colored milkshakes would always hit the spot for me.
On to the CSA share.
- 1 pint small tomatoes
- 1 large tomato
- 1 eggplant (American)
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 2 jalapenos
- 4 onions
- 3 heads of garlic
- 6 oz baby salad greens
CWTC: if the previous three paragraphs haven't clued you in yet...the CWTC winner this week are the tomatoes.
TAV: fennel. I like fennel when I encounter it in restaurants, but I have yet to cook them myself. Excited! Although...the fennel fronds look alarmingly like carrot fronds...
WTF: onions. Oh dear. I still have two onions from previous shares sitting on my countertop. Six onions, one little Asian girl. Whatever shall I do? There's only so many ways to eat onions. On the bright side, at least they'll last for a while.
Plus, my little brother is in town and he eats lots of anything. I shall make him eat onions. Heh heh heh.
Friday, August 10, 2012
CSA Share #9
This drought must be heavily affecting Free Bird Farm. Supposed to get a ton of rain this weekend though. Good for them, bad for me, especially since I have no clue where I put my umbrellas as I was moving to my new apartment.
Anyways, this week's share:
- 2 japanese eggplant
- 2 light green bell peppers
- thai basil
- carrot and carrot tops
- 3 leeks
- swiss chard
CWTC: leeks! I'm thinking about making leek soup this weekend. om nom nom.
TAV: Carrot tops. Must find a new use for them, as I would very much prefer not to repeat last week's toasted grass experiment.
WTF: Thai basil. What to do with MORE thai basil???
I've actually managed to do pretty significant damage to this week's share already. Down to the eggplants, one bell pepper, the leeks, and some thai basil. But before I get ahead of myself, I must admit that it's probably just because the drought is reducing the sheer volume of our shares.
Since my update is a bit delayed, I already made a few things with this week's share, with varying degrees of success.
Bell pepper and carrot sticks make for lovely office snacks, especially with a bit of 된장 or hummus.
Carrot top tea is...interesting. I couldn't stomach (haha) the thought of eating more woody, chewy, bitter stems, so I decided to try carrot top tea. Besides, I fucking love tea. Apparently, carrot top tea is chock full of vitamins and minerals, and detoxes your kidneys. I probably need a liver detoxifier more than anything else, but any kind of detox is probably a good idea for me. Pretty straightforward stuff.
1. Wash and trim carrot tops.
2. Boil a pot of water.
3. Drop carrot tops into the pot and wait one minute.
4. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let cool.
6. Strain out carrot tops.
7. Refrigerate and enjoy.
The carrot top tea was a pale olive green color and tasted pretty nasty when still warm. Much better after being chilled in the fridge overnight, but it was a struggle to finish the entire glass. I would probably only make two or three cups of tea and call it a night. I don't think I'm capable of drinking more than that in one week. Definitely interesting though!
Sauteed swiss chard with garlic and wilted thai basil
Yum. This was probably the crowning glory of my culinary experiments with my CSA shares this season. I blanched the chard and sauteed it with some aromatics. It's pretty simple, but it's more like a real recipe than anything else I've done so far, so I'll document it as such. Really delicious stuff. Even my coworker thought it tasted good. It probably can't compete with anything from the food trucks or midtown eateries, but hey, one step at a time right? #turtlewinstherace
Ingredients:
- Handful of thai basil
- 7-8 large leaves of swiss chard
- 5 cloves garlic (or to taste)
- olive oil
- salt
1. Wash chard and basil thoroughly.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
3. Drop the swiss chard in the pot of water for about 30 seconds to a minute.
4. Drain and refill pot (with swiss chard still in there!) with cold water. Repeat until water drains cold.
5. Squeeze the water out of the swiss chard, chop into ribbons, and set aside.
6. Slice garlic.
7. Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan (medium-low heat). When a drop of water "spits" back at you, add the sliced garlic. Stir occasionally until the garlic just begins to brown.
8. Add chopped swiss chard to the pan.
9. Sprinkle some salt over the pan.
10. Add the handful of thai basil leaves (stripped from their stems).
11. Stir gently until the thai basil is wilted.
12. Remove from heat and serve!
Yum yum. This weekend will be eggplants and leek soup. We'll see if I can top the swiss chard dish...
Anyways, this week's share:
- 2 japanese eggplant
- 2 light green bell peppers
- thai basil
- carrot and carrot tops
- 3 leeks
- swiss chard
CWTC: leeks! I'm thinking about making leek soup this weekend. om nom nom.
TAV: Carrot tops. Must find a new use for them, as I would very much prefer not to repeat last week's toasted grass experiment.
WTF: Thai basil. What to do with MORE thai basil???
I've actually managed to do pretty significant damage to this week's share already. Down to the eggplants, one bell pepper, the leeks, and some thai basil. But before I get ahead of myself, I must admit that it's probably just because the drought is reducing the sheer volume of our shares.
Since my update is a bit delayed, I already made a few things with this week's share, with varying degrees of success.
Bell pepper and carrot sticks make for lovely office snacks, especially with a bit of 된장 or hummus.
Carrot top tea is...interesting. I couldn't stomach (haha) the thought of eating more woody, chewy, bitter stems, so I decided to try carrot top tea. Besides, I fucking love tea. Apparently, carrot top tea is chock full of vitamins and minerals, and detoxes your kidneys. I probably need a liver detoxifier more than anything else, but any kind of detox is probably a good idea for me. Pretty straightforward stuff.
1. Wash and trim carrot tops.
2. Boil a pot of water.
3. Drop carrot tops into the pot and wait one minute.
4. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let cool.
6. Strain out carrot tops.
7. Refrigerate and enjoy.
The carrot top tea was a pale olive green color and tasted pretty nasty when still warm. Much better after being chilled in the fridge overnight, but it was a struggle to finish the entire glass. I would probably only make two or three cups of tea and call it a night. I don't think I'm capable of drinking more than that in one week. Definitely interesting though!
Sauteed swiss chard with garlic and wilted thai basil
Yum. This was probably the crowning glory of my culinary experiments with my CSA shares this season. I blanched the chard and sauteed it with some aromatics. It's pretty simple, but it's more like a real recipe than anything else I've done so far, so I'll document it as such. Really delicious stuff. Even my coworker thought it tasted good. It probably can't compete with anything from the food trucks or midtown eateries, but hey, one step at a time right? #turtlewinstherace
Ingredients:
- Handful of thai basil
- 7-8 large leaves of swiss chard
- 5 cloves garlic (or to taste)
- olive oil
- salt
1. Wash chard and basil thoroughly.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
3. Drop the swiss chard in the pot of water for about 30 seconds to a minute.
4. Drain and refill pot (with swiss chard still in there!) with cold water. Repeat until water drains cold.
5. Squeeze the water out of the swiss chard, chop into ribbons, and set aside.
6. Slice garlic.
7. Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan (medium-low heat). When a drop of water "spits" back at you, add the sliced garlic. Stir occasionally until the garlic just begins to brown.
8. Add chopped swiss chard to the pan.
9. Sprinkle some salt over the pan.
10. Add the handful of thai basil leaves (stripped from their stems).
11. Stir gently until the thai basil is wilted.
12. Remove from heat and serve!
Yum yum. This weekend will be eggplants and leek soup. We'll see if I can top the swiss chard dish...
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Housewarming-ish
I am finally getting ahead in my summerlong battle with the vegetables!
The roasted beets, potatoes, and onions were lovely. The roasting kitchen was rather not. I think I'm going to avoid roasting anything in the summertime from now on... On the bright side, I did manage to finally use up (and eat) all the root vegetables I'd been collecting over the last few weeks!
The roasting process itself was quite simple: drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil packets, bake for 40-60 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork. I'm pretty impatient though. I kept taking my potatoes out every 15 minutes and serving them, hoping they were fully cooked (they were not). I think my poor guests ingested at least one entire undercooked baby potato each. Luckily, I have very patient friends who let me putter around the kitchen, constantly shuttling their dinner back-and-forth from their plates to the oven and back again.
The eggplant sauteed very nicely. I splashed a bit of olive oil in a pan, added some sliced up garlic, and let the garlic crisp and turn a bit golden. When the garlic was on the verge of browning, I dumped in my eggplant cubes, sprinkled some salt on top, and let the whole thing cook for about 10-15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
Carrots with 됀장 made for a nice midnight snack (and desk snack).
I tried cooking my carrot tops like I cook 쑥갓, since the taste is pretty similar. I blanched the carrot tops for about 30 seconds to a minute and then sauteed them lightly with garlic and oil and a smidge of fish sauce. While they weren't too bad, I don't think I'm going to try that again. I seriously felt like I was eating garlicky toasted grass.
On a side note: I'm really glad I have so much garlic. At first, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all of it, but then I realized that it really helps with the vegetables. Especially since I have no spices at the moment (thanks to moving into my new apartment).
I think next time, I'll probably try making carrot top tea instead. Apparently there's a lot of Vitamin K, potassium, and other minerals/vitamins that are quite good for you. Carrot top tea is also supposed to serve as a particularly effective kidney cleanser. Regardless of the health claims, I'm obsessed with tea, so I'll give that a try the next time I get carrot tops in my share.
The roasted beets, potatoes, and onions were lovely. The roasting kitchen was rather not. I think I'm going to avoid roasting anything in the summertime from now on... On the bright side, I did manage to finally use up (and eat) all the root vegetables I'd been collecting over the last few weeks!
The roasting process itself was quite simple: drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil packets, bake for 40-60 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork. I'm pretty impatient though. I kept taking my potatoes out every 15 minutes and serving them, hoping they were fully cooked (they were not). I think my poor guests ingested at least one entire undercooked baby potato each. Luckily, I have very patient friends who let me putter around the kitchen, constantly shuttling their dinner back-and-forth from their plates to the oven and back again.
The eggplant sauteed very nicely. I splashed a bit of olive oil in a pan, added some sliced up garlic, and let the garlic crisp and turn a bit golden. When the garlic was on the verge of browning, I dumped in my eggplant cubes, sprinkled some salt on top, and let the whole thing cook for about 10-15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
Carrots with 됀장 made for a nice midnight snack (and desk snack).
I tried cooking my carrot tops like I cook 쑥갓, since the taste is pretty similar. I blanched the carrot tops for about 30 seconds to a minute and then sauteed them lightly with garlic and oil and a smidge of fish sauce. While they weren't too bad, I don't think I'm going to try that again. I seriously felt like I was eating garlicky toasted grass.
On a side note: I'm really glad I have so much garlic. At first, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all of it, but then I realized that it really helps with the vegetables. Especially since I have no spices at the moment (thanks to moving into my new apartment).
I think next time, I'll probably try making carrot top tea instead. Apparently there's a lot of Vitamin K, potassium, and other minerals/vitamins that are quite good for you. Carrot top tea is also supposed to serve as a particularly effective kidney cleanser. Regardless of the health claims, I'm obsessed with tea, so I'll give that a try the next time I get carrot tops in my share.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
CSA Share #8
I love my new apartment! I think a housewarming party this weekend is in good order.
Sangria + CSA produce + friends + summer nights = happy people
In fact, my eighth CSA share seems like it was designed just for a nice summer dinner:
- 1.5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 bunch Thai basil
- 1 bunch beets
- 1 Italian eggplant
- 2 heads garlic
- 1 bunch red onions
Extras:
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 bunch carrots
CWTC: POTATOES! Eek! I love new potatoes and these are as new as they get. They look so lovely and waxy and yummy... My absolute favorite dish to cook when I'm in a hurry but need a crowd-pleasing favorite for potlucks or dinners is roasted new potatoes. This "recipe" is super forgiving. Quantities, temperature, and timing are all approximate and have large margins for error, which is excellent news for challenged cooks like me.
WTF: None. I like all these. And I know what to do with mostly all of these.
TAV: Thai basil. Everything else is pretty garden variety, but I'll admit that I'm less sure of how to use this herb. However, I've eaten it in pho and curry countless times, so I know I definitely like it. Brainstorming ideas for this weekend...my best ideas so far are:
- Thai basil infused lemonade (spiked :D)
- Eggplant stir fry with garlic and thai basil
If I still have leftover basil, I suppose I could always try to freeze it. Nahhh...moar cocktails! :D
Sangria + CSA produce + friends + summer nights = happy people
In fact, my eighth CSA share seems like it was designed just for a nice summer dinner:
- 1.5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 bunch Thai basil
- 1 bunch beets
- 1 Italian eggplant
- 2 heads garlic
- 1 bunch red onions
Extras:
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 bunch carrots
CWTC: POTATOES! Eek! I love new potatoes and these are as new as they get. They look so lovely and waxy and yummy... My absolute favorite dish to cook when I'm in a hurry but need a crowd-pleasing favorite for potlucks or dinners is roasted new potatoes. This "recipe" is super forgiving. Quantities, temperature, and timing are all approximate and have large margins for error, which is excellent news for challenged cooks like me.
- Preheat oven to 350 ish.
- Wash potatoes thoroughly.
- Quarter into bite size chunks. Leave the skin on!
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Add a dash of salt, rosemary, and pepper. Extra points if you can get coarse sea salt flakes, fresh rosemary, and freshly ground pepper. I just love the texture and taste of the giant salt crystals on the potatoes. In lieu of rosemary, feel free to experiment with dill, parsley, or plain.
- Line a pan with foil for easy cleanup.
- Evenly spread the potatoes in a single layer.
- Pop in the oven and wait a while. Depending on the size of the potato chunks, this could take anywhere from 15-40 minutes. Check the potatoes by poking them with a fork (or chopstick). If the fork slides in easily, the potatoes are cooked. If not, best leave them a bit longer. If I'm in a huge hurry, I'll slice the potatoes smaller so they cook faster.
- Garnish with sprigs of rosemary or other pretty things if desired. ENJOY.
WTF: None. I like all these. And I know what to do with mostly all of these.
TAV: Thai basil. Everything else is pretty garden variety, but I'll admit that I'm less sure of how to use this herb. However, I've eaten it in pho and curry countless times, so I know I definitely like it. Brainstorming ideas for this weekend...my best ideas so far are:
- Thai basil infused lemonade (spiked :D)
- Eggplant stir fry with garlic and thai basil
If I still have leftover basil, I suppose I could always try to freeze it. Nahhh...moar cocktails! :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)