Mad About Food

Recently Made

2012-01-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

Looking through the pictures of food I've taken recently and the recipes I've been talking about, it occurred to me that I've been doing a good job of cooking and trying new things more frequently in the first few weeks of 2012. Below are a few highlights and links to the new dishes I've made.

The first two were technically put together on December 31, 2011, but the leftovers bridged the transition into the new year. I wish I'd remembered to take pictures when everything was on display in pretty dishes, but we're stuck with the image of this awesome Asian Slaw in tupperware.

I loved all of the colors in this slaw, the crunch of the peanuts, and the abundance of edamame. I'll eat just about anything with edamame. The dressing was flavorful and coated the veggies lightly, and the leftovers retained the crunch from the first night we ate it.

For some reason, Gourmet Live's dairy-free chocolate layer cake recipe was especially enticing during the holiday season. New Year's Eve was my excuse to make it, and though I didn't have quite enough corn syrup and the frosting was runnier than anticipated, the cake was incredibly moist, and the icing rich and chocolatey. The "secret" dairy-free component is coconut milk, which I'd never worked with before, but it definitely gave everything a velvety texture, as seen below.

I'm blanking on where I first read about fromage fort, which is essentially a fancy-sounding way to use up the odds and ends occupying your cheese drawer, but it was a welcome alternative to cooking on a night that Davy wasn't feeling well and I didn't want to be in the kitchen.

Based loosely on this method, I chopped the cheese, added some garlic and white wine, and let the food processor work its magic. The fromage fort and slices of local bread, brushed with olive oil, all went under the broiler.

And no, this is not creme brulee.

The cheese was warm and spreadable, just as I'd hoped, but the white wine flavor was a little bit sharper than I wanted. I think next time I'd use less than 1/4 cup, or try sherry, which was suggested in different recipe. I'm looking forward to making this again in the future as an alternative to using the cheese in sandwiches or eggs. It's nice enough to serve to guests, and no one would ever know that it's made of neglected cheese pieces.

My original plan for the fromage fort dinner was pan-fried fish, and Davy and I were both glad that we didn't abandon it completely. On the following evening, we assembled two breaded flounder filets using flour, egg, and panko, for a very quick meal. This is especially good if the fish is extra fresh, and ours certainly tasted like it was - we didn't even need tartar sauce.

I also bought fresh fish, halibut this time, for a braised dish one of my friends has been raving about. I neglected to take pictures because I was so excited about how well it turned out, but I will say that it's pleasing both to the palate and the eyes. We served it over whole wheat cous cous, but I'd love to try it over rice or pasta. Using fresh tomatoes and basil made such a difference, and I'm guessing that it would have turned out even better when those ingredients are in season.

My final offering is Bon Appetit's "Special Sunday Roast Chicken." It seemed like the perfect meal for a lazy Sunday, and its flavors were luxurious and healthy at the same time. Instead of mustard greens, which weren't available at Ellwood Thompson's on Sunday, I purchased a large bunch of local chard, which held up nicely to the roasted root vegetables and chicken. The picture below was an afterthought (literally taken after I'd already plated our food), but I think it represents the dish well. It's served family style, and is intended to be nourishing and comforting. Despite the fact that it looks like Davy and I ate nearly a whole chicken, that's not the case. A lot of it was reserved because I knew it wouldn't fit on the platter.

Here's to continuing to branch out and eat well in 2012!

Weak Brunch at Stronghill

2012-01-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

Brunch "appetizers" are one of my very favorite things to order at a restaurant. They're usually ready quickly, and can stave off a worsening hangover or just rescue you from overeating and feeling sick afterwards. They can also solve the sweet/savory debate I tend to go through every time I'm getting ready to order brunch.

When I read that Stronghill has Monkey Bread on the menu, I couldn't wait to try it. I'd experienced Monkey Bread as a brunch starter a few years ago, on a cold Saturday in Philadephia, and have been seeking it out ever since. I was so intent on having it that I dragged Davy and a few friends with me to the restaurant on Sunday afternoon.

Stronghill has high ceilings, an impressive chandelier, and a welcoming atmosphere. Unfortunately, most of its positive attributes end there. Our server was unevenly attentive. She took awhile to take our order, didn't mention the specials and forgot a few minor things. She refilled coffee regularly, but didn't provide a spoon with my tea, and didn't check our water. The water for my tea wasn't very hot, even though it arrived in a cute pot settled into the mug underneath.

The Monkey Bread was a disappointment. It wasn't very warm, and while it did have a healthy amount of cinnamon flavor, the texture was on the crumbly side; the balls of dough really would have benefited from a glaze.

My main dish was an omelet with goat cheese, onions, and peppers. I took a peek inside and couldn't detect any vegetation aside from a sprinkling of minced, sauteed onions. There was plenty of goat cheese, and as much as I love cheese, the omelet needed more of a balance between its vegetables and dairy.

Unfortunately I won't be returning to Stronghill for brunch anytime soon, and while I'll have to eat at venues without Monkey Bread, I'd rather just make it myself and get it exactly right.

NYC Highlights

2012-01-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I took a trip to NYC for a good friend's bachelorette party. Aside from being tons of fun, she and her fiance have a deep appreciation for food, and I always eat well with them.

The night before the festivities officially began, we ate pho and visited Ayza, a wine and chocolate bar. Below is the spread of chocolates our table ordered, and I sampled all except the Lovebug (in the bottom left corner) because it's white chocolate with a key lime filling. My favorite, without question, was the "King Tut." The two pieces on our board are the only two in wrappers, and I'm happy the picture captured the shape of the chocolate. The "King Tuts" were filled with gianduja, the glorious combination of chocolate and hazelnut.

Our activities for the bachelorette party included a stop at Eataly, which was overwhelming in the most wonderful way. Fortunately, after a bit of browsing, we scored a table in the middle of the establishment and selected a variety of food to nibble on while sipping some wine. Fresh mozzarella, olives, a variety of cheeses and meats, razor clams, roasted calamari, and an endless supply of bread were almost too much for us to handle, but we left feeling sated and very happy.

We experienced our fair share of alcoholic indulgence, of course, and stopped at the scandalous Museum of Sex to try a cocktail from OralFix, the Aphrodisiac Bar in the museum's dungeon-like basement. Most of us tried the "Hot Sex in the City," pictured below, which was made with "X-rated liqueur," Combier, lime juice, and jalapeno-infused vodka. The drink was pleasantly tart and sweet, with the appropriate amount of spiciness.

I can't speak to the museum itself, because we didn't have the chance to tour it, but if you're in need of a treat, cocktail, or an edible oral fix, any of these venues are worth a try.

My Unplanned Blogging Hiatus

2011-12-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

We've all fallen victim to the feeling of time flying by, events arriving sooner than seemingly possible, and the holiday season barging its way into a perfectly good routine. For the record, this holiday season seems to have been especially aggressive, and I know I'm not alone in saying that I don't know what happened to December.

We're halfway through the month already, and I didn't even have the chance to put together a CSA wrap up email after Thanksgiving. My goal is to finish it up in the next week or so, along with a few blurbs about some new culinary venues. In the meantime, I've been lucky enough to be busy with fun activities, visits from friends, and spectacular food.

Out-of-town guests often warrant extra restaurant meals, and last weekend was no different. We had a phenomenal meal at Tastebuds Saturday night, with amazing hot beignets and a fudgy brownie for dessert, and a unique brunch at The Roosevelt on Sunday.

I'd tried to get a reservation at The Roosevelt for dinner the night before, but they were booked solid. The only reason we were able to dine there for brunch was because we sat at the bar, though I was very happy with the bartender's demeanor and service.

After much deliberation, I opted for the slow-cooked egg with foie gras butter and local mushrooms, as well as a biscuit with vanilla butter. The egg had a rich flavor and was served in a cast iron pan with a hearty piece of grilled bread for dipping. Davy couldn't resist the breakfast sausage corn dogs, which were crisp on the outside, savory on the inside, and extra-tasty dipped in maple syrup.

One of my favorite parts of the meal, aside from the cozy ambiance and creative menu, was the fact that the food wasn't over salted. I understand the importance of salt as an enhancement tool, but I'm often thirsty for a few hours after I eat at a restaurant. The dishes at the Roosevelt had a pleasant balance of flavors. I'm looking forward to having dinner there - if I can ever get a reservation.

Market Mix-up and More Week 8

2011-11-16T04:21:00.001-08:00

I blame the time change. Last week we had a bit of a mishap and didn't get our share on Tuesday. It's too dark to think!

Fortunately the Saint Stephen's indoor market, which is conveniently nearby, opened for the season on Wednesday. I scored some crunchy Stayman apples, a fresh head of lettuce, and a dark, leafy bunch of kale.

I needed something healthy to bring with the chicken and biscuits I delivered to Shannon (which was partially a plot to visit baby Paige), and I made them a simple salad with pistachios and feta.

The kale was shredded and dressed to make another kale salad. Lyndsey and I consumed it with our carbo-loading meal of chicken pesto meatballs and pasta the night before the half marathon.

Speaking of pasta, I made a new pasta dish earlier in the week with cabbage and speck (smoked prosciutto). It was from The Splendid Table's weekly newsletter and a Mario Batali recipe, which are two extremely reliable culinary sources. We weren't disappointed by this dish, and happily ate a few rounds of leftovers.

Adam and Darbi were gracious enough to save our share for us to pick up at the South of the James Market on Saturday. We gave about half of it to my mother-in-law, a fellow veggie lover, since we're going out of town this weekend. There were more delicious apples, sweet peppers, baby bok choy, two kinds of mustard greens, salad mix, a parsnip, and eggplant. I bet none of you can guess what I chose to give away first.

CSA Meals - Weeks 7 and 8

2011-11-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

I don't fall for all of the pumpkin frenzy that goes on in October, though I'm not opposed to it. I love squash and pumpkin; I just wouldn't choose them to flavor one of my daily treats if I had chocolate as an option.

The overabundance of sweet potatoes hanging out on our bakers rack inspired me to bake outside of my comfort zone. Jamie at Home, one of many in my collection of Jamie Oliver cookbooks, includes a recipe for Butternut Squash Muffins with a Frosty Top that I've had in the back of my mind since I saw him make them on his show.

Sweet potatoes are close enough to butternut squash that I thought I could make the substitution work. I used the same amount of potatoes by weight that Jamie calls for in his recipe, and steamed them for about five minutes to soften them a little before pulverizing in the food processor.

I also cut back on the sugar (I used a scant two cups instead of 2 1/4) and used vegetable oil instead of olive oil. The olive oil flavor would probably be a nice foil for the sweet potato, but Jamie made muffins, and I was making cupcakes, and vegetable oil just seemed more appropriate. It made the cupcakes less orangey, which was a little surprising, but I found the color to be appealing. They were fluffy but not too light in texture, and held up well to the icing.

I love Jamie, but my cupcakes were not going to have a frosty, citrusy "top" like his muffins did. The frosting I made was thick and flecked with cinnamon, and the base was cream cheese instead of sour cream.

We may or may not have dipped gingersnaps in the extra frosting after the cupcakes were gone - I tried to pile as much of it on top of the cupcakes as I could, but we still had some extra.

To counter the indulgence of the cupcakes, I made a veggie soup with the collard greens. Until my mom made soup with collards, I didn't think they were a viable soup ingredient. The leaves are tough, but as long as they're cooked long enough, they are delicious in soup.

I sauteed chopped onion, carrots, and the greens in a little olive oil. When they wilted down, I added chicken stock and a big cheese rind to the pot. Everything simmered together, and sat overnight. Before dinner the following evening, I added the remainder of a box of orzo and a can of white beans, and let the soup boil softly until the pasta was cooked through. Unfortunately I forgot to photograph the finished product, but it was a hearty and pretty soup.

The roasted broccoli from earlier in the week turned out beautifully, and tasted as great as it looked. I had it with some pasta and pesto when I was on my own for dinner one night.

We ate the sweet peppers raw, cut into slices and dipped into hummus with the last of our homegrown cherry tomatoes.

I ate both of the Asian pears for my mid-morning snack, and I wasn't blown away by them. The smaller one definitely had more flavor, but they were both fairly bland and it wasn't easy to get used to the texture. I like them better than, say, eggplant, but wouldn't go out of my way to eat them again.

Our kohlrabi and turnips were neglected for over a week, so I decided to roast them with the massive sweet potato. When I was chopping the turnips, I was surprised to see how beautiful they were inside.

I wish I could say that I liked them better than I have in the past, but I'm still not a big fan of their bitter taste. Davy and I both preferred the sweet potato to the kohlrabi and turnips after everything was roasted.

We ate them with roasted red snapper and sauteed spinach.

I wish I could say that the subsequent meals were as healthy as that one, but the only vegetable we've eaten at home since them is sauteed broccoli rabe with leftover Belmont pizza. Don't worry though, I'm still getting my daily (plus) dose of chocolate.

CSA Meals - Week 6

2011-11-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how the past few weeks have been so busy and exhilarating, since we haven't gone out of town, but I don't know where the time is going.

My efforts in Week 6 weren't so wonderful again, but I did manage to try a few new recipes.

Since we knew we weren't getting anymore green beans, we decided to just eat them in their crunchy, raw state. Our spicy salad mix was delicious, and it lasted longer than delicate greens in the summer normally do. I ate it in salad form, as well as in a sophisticated sandwich that Davy made to use some of our nice salami and cheese from our antipasto night.

The broccoli we got in our share was bright green, as you may have seen from my pictures last week, and didn't have a weird odor, like most of the broccoli I eat usually does. We made a delicious macaroni and cheese from 101 Cookbooks, which called for broccoli-studded bread crumbs. If you've eaten roasted broccoli, you know how sweet and nutty the florets turn after being baked on a high temperature. That flavor definitely carried over into the casserole topping, and the incorporation of basil lifted the dish without overpowering the taste.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this recipe to any mac and cheese lover, because it was decadent and hearty without that mild guilt that washes over me from eating an unhealthy children's food. I halved the recipe and omitted the squash for Davy, but we had the opportunity to try a more authentic replication of the recipe later in the week, and it was just as satisfying.

It's been so long since I made the food from this week that I've lost track of one of the recipes I tried with the napa cabbage. It was basically a slaw with a warm dressing. If I remember correctly, the dressing consisted mainly of pepper flakes, sugar, and vinegar. The cabbage we got was absolutely beautiful, and I enjoyed this dish, but it didn't hold up well as leftovers, and was a bit too much for those who don't love spicy food.

Every once and awhile I'll notice a food trend that doesn't interest me or that, for some reason, I resist for awhile. Raw kale fell into that category for several months. I'm not sure what changed, although it may just have been a kale salad that was posted in the right place at the right time, and the fact that I had all of the ingredients to make it. It may also have been that like everything we've gotten recently from Fertile Crescent Farm, the kale looked more vibrant than it does in the spring, and thus more appropriate to eat without cooking it.

A kale salad is definitely worth trying, even if it's very simple, like the one I made. I didn't bother with the mushrooms, and used pine nuts instead of walnuts, but I enjoyed the dressing, and the basic nature of the salad, which could be used as a base for just about anything.

I'll do my best to get a Portland post up soon, as well as a report about Week 7. I'm still running behind because of Halloween, and a new addition to my Richmond family (Shannon's sweet baby girl!), but it's still comforting to be handed a bag of vegetables every week.

November!

2011-11-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe it's November! The weather has been agreeable for crops, and this week we got a large share:

- sweet peppers

- apples

- broccoli rabe

- cabbage

- sweet potatoes

- spring onions

I gave eggplant to a co-worker, and the kohlrabi and turnips to Josh and Caitlin, because we still have the ones from last week.

Wednesday Pictures

2011-10-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

The pear/apple fruit - Asian pears - we got in our CSA this week

Gigantic 1.5 lb sweet potato dwarfing a cherry tomato

Beautiful broccoli almost ready to be roasted

New Fruit

2011-10-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

There isn't really a good word that combines "pear," and "apple," but I'm looking forward to trying the hybrid fruit we got this week. Does anyone know if there's an official name for this?

Update: the mystery fruit are Asian pears!

In addition, we took home:

- sweet potatoes

- kohlrabi

- a tomato

- collard greens

- butternut squash

- sweet peppers

- Japanese turnips

CSA Meals - Week 5

2011-10-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

I'm almost embarrassed to post about last week because it was so uneventful in terms of vegetables, and I didn't take any pictures. Davy grilled green beans on Tuesday night to go with some of Keith's venison and goose, and we ate the rest raw as snacks.

There was tons of basil, and I barely made a dent in it. I put some in a baked pasta dish that I threw together from ratatouille Davy made for my birthday dinner (sans eggplant), linguine, mozzarella, and parmesan.

On Thursday we ordered pizza and made a salad and used some of the share tomatoes, which still have great flavor even though they're winding down. We used the remaining tomatoes in another salad that was my attempt to balance out some delicious fried seafood in Chincoteague. The candy binge that occurred later that night probably undid any good from the salad, but at least I tried, right?

Davy carried on the makeshift dinner trend on Monday when we decided to have a wine and cheese night. Again, to offset the rest of the meal, I prepared some mustard greens with onion, garlic, chicken stock, and sesame oil. We both had to add soy sauce to avoid having our sinuses completely cleared out by the spicy greens. The rush from eating them was comparable to an intense horseradish flavor, or the fiery sensation one gets from wasabi.

I froze the okra, and still had plenty of basil and mustard greens to experiment with at the end of the week, and hopefully Week 6 won't be quite as boring.

Spicy Salad Mix

2011-10-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

I think spicy salad mix is my favorite name of any item we've received in the share. It's also visually appealing (pictured). In addition, we received:

- sweet potatoes

- the last of the green beans and wax beans

- last of the tomatoes

- napa cabbage

- kale

- broccoli

More Rain

2011-10-12T06:22:00.001-07:00

Adam and Darbi said that they had a tough time with all of the rain we had in the past few weeks, but we still got a great share this week:

- two huge bunches of basil

- pretty mustard greens

- assorted tomatoes

- onions

- beets

- okra

- green beans

Fall CSA - Weeks 2 and 3

2011-10-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a stomach bug a couple weeks ago. Combined with attending several concerts last week, our CSA routine was considerably disrupted, and we didn't use any of our Week 2 produce until Week 3. Luckily, I was still on my stay-in-the-kitchen-and-off-the-couch kick, so we ate just about everything.

On Monday I made Jacques Pepin's Quick-Roasted Chicken for the second time, and this time I had enough foresight to let the butcher remove the chicken's backbone. I love this recipe because it really is quick enough for a weeknight, which makes anything extra satisfying. We made roasted potatoes and a salad with pistachios to go with the chicken. The salad mix from Week 2 was very crisp, and the leaves stayed fresh for longer than usual.

The next night, after going to the market, I made carbonara-like dish with the fresh pasta (spinach and plain fettuccine and black pepper linguine). I sauteed the cremini mushrooms, removed them from the pan, and then cooked the yellow squash with garlic and chopped homemade bacon.

I added sungold cherry tomatoes and pasta when the squash was done, and stirred in tempered egg yolks and parmesan to finish it off.

Unfortunately, the fettuccine was overcooked, and the noodles clumped together when I stirred everything together. It was still pleasant to eat, and was fine leftover, but I was disappointed since I'd gotten special ingredients from the market to make dinner.

We ate raw wax beans on the side to finish off the bag from the previous week, and had our apples as mid-morning snacks the next day. As in the past, they were far superior to any grocery store apple available.

On Thursday I gave eggplant another chance in this recipe for Eggplant Tian. Kerry Saretsky, the author, describes it as "easy" and "awesome," but I'm not sure I'd agree with it being "easy." The techniques are simple enough: slicing, marinating, broiling, baking, but it took several steps to complete the recipe, and took longer than I'd like for a work night.

As you can see, I baked it in one dish instead of four. I was very happy with the results, and had no problem eating a few rounds of the leftovers with generous dollops of pesto on top. This is a great way to use up eggplant, and it's almost as comforting as lasagna. We enjoyed it with bread and a salad with homegrown peppers and tomatoes.

We munched on our green beans raw and also included them in a Saturday morning veggie scramble. The eggs were also mixed with sweet peppers, feta, and eggs for a delicious and filling brunch.

That afternoon, in anticipation of a special dinner on Sunday, I julienned and pickled our daikon radish and a large carrot.

The radish emitted an not-so-pleasant odor that lingered in our fridge and freezer for most of the weekend, but it did add a nice crunch to shrimp spring rolls. Below are a few shots of Davy's spring rolling handiwork. We served them with a peanut butter and hoisin dipping sauce.

We also made homemade chicken pho from a recipe we made in a cooking class, and I got so caught up in preparing and eating it that I didn't take any pictures. It also deserves its own post, which hopefully I'll have the time for at some point, but it turned out well and was comforting on a chilly Sunday night.

Monday was our wedding anniversary, and I made a simple dinner since we're going to Portland, OR for a long weekend. I prepared two recipes from The Best Recipes in the World, by Mark Bittman: sole meuniere (made with flounder) and a braised leek and rice dish (made with bok choy instead of leeks).

Both were subtly flavored and allowed the quality of the ingredients to really shine through.

I'll be taking Week 4 off, but plan on some Portland posts for next week!

Spicy and Sweet...Mostly Sweet

2011-10-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I came down with a nasty 24-hour stomach bug. For most people, that would mean avoiding the Food Network and anything else with edible references, but I got just as much out of watching the daytime lineup as I would have if I'd been healthy. By the weekend, I was itching to get back into the kitchen and start eating the way I wanted.

My first task was to make good use of the seven habaneros given to us by a friend. I never got around to making jerk seasoning last fall, and I wasn't going to make the same mistake again. I'm also not going to make the mistake of letting a short Saturday afternoon project prompt a long-overdue organization session with my spice cabinet again, but that's a different story.

Following my dad's tried and true recipe, I prepped and gathered spices, scallions, onion, and the peppers - I left half with seeds, and gutted the others.

Everything went into the food processor, and I pulsed it for a few minutes until the jerk was almost smooth but still had some texture left.

It's not the prettiest of seasonings, but it's got a luxurious layering of flavors, and there are two jars worth of it that I'm impatient to use on some grilled chicken or fish.

The next item on my post-sick list was a batch of The Pioneer Woman's Knock you Naked Brownies. I had my eye on these since she posted the recipe, and was feeling just sorry enough for myself that I felt the time was right to try them. These are interesting because the bulk of the ingredients is composed of German chocolate cake mix, and doesn't really have anything to do with brownies. The end result, however, is quite brownie-like.

I added more chocolate chips to my middle layer, of course, and changed the caramel filling. Instead of making my own caramel sauce, I used the remainder of the Trader Joe's jar I bought a few months ago. It had the right flavor, and added some stickiness to the brownies, but it didn't have the same oozing quality as The Pioneer Woman's filling. After the first few days of eating them, I discovered that microwaving the brownies achieved the desired level of gooeyness. They wouldn't be first on my list of desserts to make again, but they were well-liked by others and were fairly easy.

My next two brownie efforts, which came about a week later, will probably stay in my regular baking rotation. One of my co-workers changed departments, and I made Reese's cheesecake brownies in her honor, because she likes cheesecake, brownies, and peanut butter. And I hate all of those things. This wasn't about me at all. This also wasn't an excuse to buy a box of Ghirardelli brownie mix from Costco. Who even likes that stuff?

My brownie layer, true to the guide on the box for two mix packets, was extra thick. I think next time I make these, I'll use a different recipe (not another mix - I'm loyal to Ghirardelli) or just not use as much of the batter so they're a little thinner. Some of the brownies in the middle weren't even cooked through, though I didn't see that as a problem, and neither did many others who consumed these.

The top layer, melted chocolate chips and a little bit of cream, wasn't really soft enough to cut through with a fork without dismantling the whole square. I'm not sure how to adjust that, but it wasn't so distracting that it took away from all of the rich flavors in the brownie. These are no joke, as Jillian Michaels would say.

Last but not least, the Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle from How Sweet it Is. I don't think this warrants much of an explanation. I will say I messed up and got regular cream cheese instead of whipped cream cheese, although I think I would do it with the regular again. My layers weren't exactly even, and I ended up making a side trifle, because not everything fit in my dish, but I am not complaining.

It's genius to have chocolate pudding as one of the components instead of excessive amounts of whipped cream, because it prevents each bite from being overly sweet. Make this ASAP. You will be able to feed a crowd with it, and no one will be disappointed.

Davy's anxiously awaiting a taste as he sits in a tub of trifle.

Who's ready for dessert?

The Whole Branzino Phenomenon

2011-10-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

I feel as though I'm missing something. Last month, I ate in three or four restaurants, two of which specialize in seafood. At all of them, the "whole fish special" was always branzino. It just seems a little silly to me that all of these places have the same whole fish, and one of them wasn't even in Richmond, so I know it's not because of a local trend. Mamma Zu and Edo's Squid have had branzino on their menus for years, so I don't think it's a recent trend. Why is it so common to feature whole branzino?

Photo from www.bonappetit.com

Rainy September

2011-09-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

Despite all of the rain we've been getting, Fertile Crescent Farm still presented us with lovely, varied veggies yesterday:

- eggplant

- daikon radish

- watermelon radish

- okra

- sungold cherry tomatoes

- bok choy

- green beans

I also bought:

- fresh eggs

- fresh pasta (spinach and plain fettuccine, black pepper linguine)

- cremini mushrooms

Fall CSA - Week 1

2011-09-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

Last week reinforced my love for the CSA, and I was so grateful to have our share back that I even decided to try eggplant again. Since Davy and I both didn't hate last year's fish-fragrant eggplant, I decided to try it again. There was also a small amount of okra that I hadn't really planned anything for, and it made sense to throw them in with the eggplant.

The okra worked very well with this preparation. It retained its texture without being slimy, and the seeds popped pleasantly when I bit down on them. It's not the prettiest dish, or at least it wasn't when I made it, so I didn't take any pictures of the final product. Our main course that night was Asian turkey burger sliders which didn't photograph well but were flavorful and moist. We topped them with sauteed onions and a delicious carrot habanero hot sauce from our friend Travis.

Our yellow wax beans were crunchy and made a refreshing accompaniment to takeout from 8 1/2 (pizza, spaghetti carbonara and an arugula/mozzarella/prosciutto hero). Similarly, I blanched and sauteed the broccoli rabe to have alongside a leftover sandwich from Secco. Lunch at Secco is just as delectable as dinner, and the prices are just as reasonable. I even threw in the remaining fried chickpeas with the broccoli rabe, and they added a lovely saltiness and contrasting texture to the greens.

On Tuesday we had a large dinner salad with romaine, grilled chicken, feta, tomato, sweet peppers, and cucumber dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. It was simple but extremely fresh and satisfying, especially as we grasp at the end of summer vegetables.

Davy used the other sweet pepper and some of the basil to make me an omelet with lots of feta. Again, it was nice to taste summery flavors even though the temperatures are cooling off.

This is one of my favorite times of the year because I'm excited about so many types of food - the last of light, summer meals as well as the more comforting dishes that suggest autumn and colder weather. I feel fortunate to have the CSA as an excuse to take advantage of it all.

Apples!

2011-09-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

We weren't able to pick up our share from Josh and Caitlin until Thursday due to a fantastic dinner at Iron Fish and a trip to Charlottesville for a concert. We received:

- wax beans

- baby yellow squash

- apples

- jalapenos

- eggplant

- watercress

- salad mix

Full Produce Drawer

2011-09-14T05:31:00.000-07:00

It feels so good to have an influx of vegetables again. This week we received:

- sweet peppers

- onions

- eggplant (I took one)

- okra

- yellow beans

- broccoli rabe

- basil

CSA Meals - Week 15

2011-09-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

Please accept my apologies for neglecting my blog. The last week of our summer share was fairly uneventful, with some homemade 8 1/2 subs, grilled venison tenderloin marinated in chimichurri, grilled peppers and onions, pizza with arugula and prosciutto, and sauteed yellow squash.

We spent the past few weeks coping with various natural disasters, celebrating birthdays, including the first of our friends' 30th birthday. Along with all of these events came some extraordinary edibles: prime rib started in the oven and finished on the stove when we lost power, funfetti cake, nutella dream cookies, and crab dip made with crabs that were caught and picked within twenty-four hours. It was a fitting and wonderful way to conclude the summer.

Next up: the fall CSA, which starts on Tuesday!

CSA Meals - Week 14

2011-08-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

Looking back over my notes from last week's dinners, I realized that everything I made was (unintentionally) vegetarian. This occurred partly because Davy went on a fishing excursion that yielded several pounds of mahi mahi, and also because I was on my own for more than one dinner during Week 14.

My solo meal on Tuesday night consisted of a typical pasta dish: whole wheat and regular penne fresh tomato, baby zucchini, garlic, mushrooms, pine nuts, and basil.

Two nights later, I branched out and experimented with cacik, a Turkish yogurt dip/soup that I saw on Big Girls Small Kitchen. The cucumber was from my garden, and it was somewhat bitter, but the tomato I used was juicy and sweet.

I enjoyed the dish until I was about halfway done; I felt full, but not totally satisfied, and the recipe was meant to serve one. There's a good chance that I didn't water it down correctly, and that I should have cut the cucumber into smaller pieces, but the idea of cacik was more appealing to me than the food itself.

My other new recipe venture was more successful. I'd almost forgotten how wonderful roasted tomatoes are until a recipe for Roasted Tomato Lentil Salad with Crispy Shallots from Serious Eats reminded me. The salad hits several different flavor targets (sweet, tangy, savory, etc.) and is extremely healthy. I had to use vinegar instead of lemon, because I forgot to purchase one during my three trips to the grocery store in two days. I also substituted feta for goat cheese, because I had feta and because Davy doesn't love goat cheese like I do.

We ate the lentils in whole wheat pita pockets, though I almost think I'd prefer the salad on its own or over some greens.

On Sunday we defrosted some of the mahi filets to make ceviche. We used tomatoes and sweet peppers from the share, and caught up on Breaking Bad while scooping the fish out of a big bowl with tortilla chips.

Before we put the leftovers in the fridge, I drained most of the juice so the fish wouldn't disintegrate into an inedible texture. We were able to use the rest in fish tacos the following night, and we ate sauteed zucchini on the side. The baby zucchini was incredibly tender and didn't need much time in the pan after I'd thinly sliced it. I used garlic, chili flakes, toasted pine nuts, and feta to make it a little more interesting, and I couldn't wait to get my fork into the rest of it the next day.

I'm certainly not drifting into vegetarian territory anytime soon, but I have really enjoyed our produce this summer, and it's comforting to know that dinners without meat can taste so good - as long as they're not comprised mainly of yogurt, and they don't include eggplant.

Last Summer Week

2011-08-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but we received our final share for the summer! Thankfully Fertile Crescent is offering a Fall CSA this year, and it will begin in a few short weeks. Here's what we got last night:

- pretty, multi-colored sweet peppers

- arugula

- heirloom tomatoes

- yellow summer squash

- tomatillos

- eggplant (we gave it away again)

Winding Down

2011-08-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

Davy and I came back from a lovely ten day vacation on Monday, and all of a sudden it feels like fall. The summer portion of our CSA ends next week, which is hard to believe, but Fertile Crescent is, thankfully, still churning out summer produce:

- baby zucchini

- beautiful heirloom tomatoes

- basil

- sweet peppers

- eggplant (tons of it, which Caitlin is going to bring into work)

- melon

We also picked the first cucumber from our garden yesterday!

Pizza Night

2011-08-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

My brother- and sister-in-law live in Chicago, and when we go to the beach, they're usually asked to make pizza on their assigned cooking night. My brother-in-law is also thrilled to come to the east coast so that he can eat soft shell crabs, and this year he decided to utilize the fresh seafood in a delicious dinner for pizza night.

Cary and Brian started with my pizza crust recipe (below), topped it with my homemade pesto, added sliced jalapenos and fried soft shell crabs, and covered everything with shredded mozzarella. The resulting pie is pictured below, and it doesn't need much more of an explanation aside from me saying that it was a delicious as it looks.

Homemade Pizza Crust

1 packet dried yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 Tablespoon oil

Stir flour, salt, and sugar together; add oil and yeast dissolved in water

Combine and knead until smooth and elastic; form dough into a ball

Grease a large bowl with oil, turn dough to coat, and allow to rise to twice its size (up to an hour and a half)

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and knead until smooth

Press into pizza pan, brush with oil, and allow to rise for 10 minutes

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes until the crust is slightly brown

Add toppings, and bake for another 10 minutes or so until the cheese is brown and all toppings are heated through

(If you're pressed for time, omit the resting phase and simply top the raw crust, then bake the entire pizza at 500 degrees until the cheese is brown.)

CSA Meals - Weeks 11 and 12

2011-07-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we leave for ten blissful days at the beach, and as a result, the posts for last week and this week are combined and brief. I made two batches of pesto with the large bag of basil we received, and still had enough to add several leaves to the meal we made on Tuesday.

I've produced a few different versions of vegetarian pasta dishes as the heat persists. Last Wednesday I combined penne with grated zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic and pesto. The zucchini was only available in grated form because I was making zucchini bread, and had a lot leftover. It was a nice change from eating it sliced or chopped, and it almost melted into the rest of the sauce.

This week's variety included the two-toned squash, tomato, feta, and basil, mixed with the three Bombolini pastas I purchased at the market (black pepper, spinach, and plain linguine). All of the linguine was tender, fresh, and had a lot of flavor. I'm looking forward to trying more of the Bombolini offerings the next time I get to the market.

Since it's too warm to make soup, I threw a bunch of ingredients together into a dish that could be called a salad. Purslane, tomato, parsley, and chickpeas went in the first night, with a lime juice, cumin, onion, and garlic dressing. We ate it with corn on the cob and grilled rockfish. I added feta and leftover corn kernels to some of it for lunch on Saturday, and on Monday Davy used the remainder for dinner in a few tortillas. The purslane worked very well with the chickpeas, lime, and cumin. It's has thick green leaves, and it gets a little slimy when you chew it (from its omega-3s), but I liked it's substantial texture and savory flavor.

I'll try to post a few pictures of dinners at the beach, and then I'll be back with CSA entries for Week 14. Have a great week!

Light Week

2011-07-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

Davy and I are getting ready to go to the beach, so I didn't take much from yesterday's haul. Josh and Caitlin got:

- eggplant

- tomatoes

- melons

we split:

- two bags of basil

- two-tone squash (pictured)

I also bought:

- peaches from Agriberry

- fresh Bombolini pasta (plain, black pepper, and spinach linquine)

CSA Meals - Week 10

2011-07-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

The sun is blasting everything outside, but the plants in my garden haven't given up just yet, and luckily the CSA is still going strong. Most of week was extremely bearable compared to the excessive temperatures we have now, and I managed to make a few different dishes with our CSA produce and Shannon's monster zucchini.

When Davy has a band activity and won't be around for dinner, I seize the opportunity and make pasta. Last Wednesday I ate it with sun gold tomatoes, basil, feta, and garlic, and it was spectacular - simple, sweet, and fresh. The sun gold tomatoes are so tasty, and for someone who doesn't love tomatoes (I'm getting there!), the perfect variety to eat uncooked.

The next night I realized we had a ton of zucchini to use, and some prosciutto, so I decided to try out a version of this salad from Serious Eats. We didn't feel like grilling, and I was using the oven for potatoes baked in parchment anyway (with basil instead of mint), so I sliced some zucchini on the mandolin and roasted it instead.

If you need to find another way to get rid of zucchini, the lentil salad is a healthy and delicious way to do so. The thin pieces almost melted down in the dressing, and the red wine vinegar provided just enough of a bite to keep the flavors interesting. I chopped my prosciutto and mixed it in instead of serving it on the side, and it contributed to making the dressing taste richer, which is completely worth it when you're eating health food like lentils and zucchini.

My parents came to visit for the weekend, and we welcomed them with takeout from 8 1/2 plus lime and peanut coleslaw on Friday night. I love this coleslaw recipe from 101 Cookbooks because it's a totally different take on shredded cabbage. It's tangy from the lime, crisp from the cabbage and peanuts, slightly juicy from the beautiful sun gold tomatoes, and very light because it doesn't have mayo. The slaw can be eaten for several days after, as long as you don't mind if the peanuts lose some of their crunch, because the cabbage is even better as it softens.

When I made the parchment potatoes, I used every potato we'd gotten in the share because I knew they could be recycled into other meals. We ate a them a second time in a Sunday morning frittata with zucchini, since both of those vegetables were in abundance.

After all of the glorious weekend eating (another phenomenal meal at Secco!), Davy and I were worn out. We made a cucumber and tomato salad with feta, and decided to defrost some bread to eat with Idiazabal cheese from Trader Joe's and spicy plum chutney for dinner on Monday. It's the kind of meal that's perfect in a heat wave, so we probably should have held off until Week 11, though I don't think either of us would complain if we repeated it the next round of candy-like sun golds.

more melons

2011-07-20T05:23:00.000-07:00

The watermelons from last week were juicy and sweet, and I was pleased that we got another one. We also received:

- cantaloupe

- sun gold cherry tomatoes

- slicing tomatoes

- salad tomatoes

- carrots

- onions

- purslane: (a succulent green that many in the US consider a weed, but is used more often in other countries and is high in nutrients)

CSA Meals - Week 9

2011-07-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

My default cuisine, especially in the summer, is Italian. Something about the combination of multiple vegetables and the abundance of basil always inspires me to make pasta, pizza, or risotto.

Week 9 was no exception. I combined the remaining zucchini and corn from the Fourth of July extravaganza with arugula, raw green beans, thyme, lemon juice, and tomatoes to make a tasty salad. It didn't have typical Italian flavors, but using the ends of several different dishes to produce something new is a very Italian technique.

I employed the same method on Wednesday and used cherry tomatoes, arugula, and more of the Brigid's Abbey cheese in a pasta dish for lunch. The cheese lent the perfect "saline funk" (the appropriate words Melissa Clark used to describe a pecorino) to the plain pasta and fresh vegetables.

That night for dinner we used more of the arugula to imitate 8 1/2's arugula, prosciutto and mozzarella hero. Davy even got the rolls and mozzarella from 8 1/2, and the prosciutto from the butcher. By now I don't need to describe how much we love these ingredients together, but hopefully the pictures do them justice. We also had a cucumber, tomato, and feta salad to complete the meal.

Our bag of arugula seemed never-ending, though it help up nicely for the whole week. On Sunday I made myself an arugula and feta omelet, and on Monday I finished it off in a risotto tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, onions, garlic, and basil.

I sauteed the garlic, onion and zucchini, and added the tomatoes and arugula after I'd turned off the burner. When the risotto was ready, I was able to unload all of the contents in the pan, as well as three cheeses (fresh mozzarella, Brigid's Abbey and parmesan), and we had a wholesome one pot meal for dinner and lunch the following day. If I lived in Italy, I would have used the risotto to make arancini during my siesta the next day, but for now, I'll have to be content with mimicking the cuisine as well as I can from Richmond.

Spicy Basil

2011-07-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

My amethyst basil is doing well, but I haven't been able to grow any standard basil. We got some in our share this week, however, and the smell alone is much spicier than the leaves from the amethyst plant. I'm ready to use as much of it I can in the next week. We also received:

- sun gold cherry tomatoes

- salad and heirloom tomatoes

- onions

- melons (not sure what kind yet)

- tomatillos

4th of July Pig

2011-07-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

On July 3, 2011, I had the privilege of eating the best pork ever. Our good friend Keith totally outdid himself at this year's Fourth of July party (hosted by our friend Tex) and roasted a whole pig. He ordered the 109 pound animal from Belmont Butchery, borrowed a giant grill on which to cook it, and made a pot of his own delicious, vinegar-based sauce with which to baste it for hours.

Keith, Davy, Tex, and a few other helpers oversaw the beginning of the process at 5:30 AM. The pig went on the grill around 6:15, was flipped once, and took about nine hours until it was ready for mass consumption. I say mass consumption because at 109 pounds, there was more than enough for everyone, and we were able to enjoy the leftovers for days.

Everyone was sufficiently appreciative of Keith's efforts, and I can honestly say that the pieces of meat I pulled off the carcass were incredible. The sauce gave it just the right spicy flavor, and it had a succulent texture that can only be achieved by cooking something whole. Below are pictures taken by the party host and a few other attendees (Clay, Davy, Keith, and Caitlin) - I was too busy stuffing my face to be bothered by my camera.

CSA Meals - Week 8

2011-07-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Due to the exciting three day holiday weekend, I stuck to basic and quick meals during Week 8: pasta with pesto and cucumber and tomato salad; tuna salad with cucumber, tomato, parsley, feta, lemon juice, and homegrown greens from our garden over toast; grilled mahi mahi fish tacos garnished with cabbage and spring onions, along with grilled carrots and spring onions. There are pictures of some of the highlights below, minus the fish itself, which I forgot to photograph. I hope you all had a nice Fourth of July!

Summer in Full Swing

2011-07-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

The summertime crops at the market yesterday were colorful and plentiful. We received the produce below in our share:

- onions

- potatoes

- salad tomatoes

- cabbage

- melon

- zucchini

- squash

- cucumber

- orange cherry tomatoes

I also purchased fresh eggs and arugula from Fertile Crescent Farm, and I love how the eggs are all different colors and sizes.

CSA Meals - Week 7

2011-06-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

To kick off Week 7, we got subs from 8 1/2 and had the first cucumber and tomato salad of the year. I never get over how such simple ingredients (cucumber, tomato, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, pepper) can turn into such a subliminal combination of tastes. This year's tomato crop has been sweet and beautiful so far, perfect for my staple summertime salad.

The next night we raided the fridge to eliminate some of last week's stragglers, and wound up with kale and potato quesadillas. The kale and potatoes were already cooked, so they took almost no time at all to make. I need to remember that almost all vegetables taste good encased in a tortilla, warmed with cheese, and served with salsa.

Last Thursday was the NBA Draft, which has turned into a notable event in our house. I got some frozen Trader Joe's goodies (including the transcendent fried mac and cheese balls), and made sauteed cabbage to ensure that we consumed something healthy that evening. The cabbage, as I mentioned in Week 6, had the appropriate balance of tenderness and crunch, and with soy sauce and sesame oil, blended in nicely with the rest of our spread.

The final culinary endeavor of the week was a white pizza. We'd obtained a beautiful piece of Brigid's Abbey cheese from River City Cellars, and I shaved several pieces off to layer onto the pizza crust. For the next layer, I sauteed a small portion of one of Shannon's giant zucchinis with onions and garlic until the onions were transparent and the zucchini started to soften around the edges. The vegetables went on top of the cheese, followed by a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, grated parmesan, and additional shavings of the creamy Brigid's Abbey.

We let the pizza warm up for five minutes in the oven, then added chopped tomato, and put it back in for a few more minutes. The cheese had a hint of brown when I pulled the pizza out and sprinkled it with several leaves of amethyst basil.

It was an aesthetically pleasing pizza, and also loyal to the season, which made it all the more satisfying to devour. As long as the tomatoes continue to be this wonderful, I'm going to try to use them in dishes that aren't (all) salads featuring them with cucumber.

Playing Catch Up

2011-06-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

Josh and Caitlin were out of town last week, which means we had the whole share to ourselves. It also means that we have a lot left over, and didn't take as much this week. We received:

- carrots

- spring onions

- tomatoes of various colors and sizes, like the purplish green one shown below

- cucumbers

CSA Meals - Week 6

2011-06-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Most people are aware that mint is easy to grow, and that it's a highlight in mojitos and desserts. What came as a surprise to me is that it can be a subtle and welcome addition to savory dishes, even in a non-jelly form.

On Saturday, Davy and I grilled some extraordinary red snapper from Yellow Umbrella. To accompany the fish, I made braised kale with onions and potatoes baked in parchment. The potatoes were prepared based on a recipe from The Splendid Table's weekly newsletter, which they reprinted from At Elizabeth David's Table: Classic Recipes and Timeless Kitchen Wisdom.

It's a simple combination of new potatoes, butter, salt, pepper, and two mint leaves. The mint contributes just a slight amount of coolness to the buttery potatoes, though they don't need much of an enhancement to be delicious.

Coincidentally, the other recipe I tried last week was also from The Splendid Table's weekly newsletter. The "Salad of Beef with Lime, Chili, and Mint" appealed to me because of its similarities to my beloved rice noodle salad. Its flavors are inspired by Laos, so there were some major differences in taste, but this salad is just as refreshing and wonderful in its own way.

The mint and hot pepper balance each other, while the vegetables add crunch and sweetness. I wasn't thrilled with the rice noodles I got (and I forgot to take pictures of the salad with the noodles), but otherwise I really loved this dish and want to make it again and again. The cabbage from our share is tender enough to eat uncooked without tiring out your jaw, and the spring onions added just the right amount of bite to the meat.

My only tip is to store the salad separately from the noodles so that they don't get too soggy. And also, make an effort to try mint in a new way while it's growing (or taking over) in your backyard. You won't be disappointed.

POTATOES IN PARCHMENT

Adapted from At Elizabeth David's Table: Classic Recipes and Timeless Kitchen Wisdom
(Enough for 4 people)

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Clean approximately 24 very small new potatoes, and halve or quarter any larger potatoes. Place them on a large square of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Add 2 leaves of mint, a little salt and 2 tablespoons of butter to the potatoes. Fold the paper in half, and then crease the edges to seal the packet.

Let the potatoes cook for about 35 minutes.

SALAD OF BEEF WITH LIME, CHILE AND MINT INSPIRED BY LAOS

adapted from The Splendid Table weekly newsletter
Serves 4 to 6

Noodles:

1 pound wide or linguine shaped rice noodles
4 quarts boiling water

Dressing:

1 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 packed teaspoons brown sugar, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 large lime
1 tablespoon Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam)
2 tablespoons water

The Salad:

between 3/4-1 lb. flank steak, seared on the grill then diced
4 scallions or spring onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, torn
2 jalapeños, minced
2 small cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into thick sticks
1 carrot, peeled and cut into sticks to match the cucumber
1 cup coarsely shredded green cabbage
1/3 tight-packed cup whole fresh mint leaves

Garnish:

Lime wedges

1. Cook noodles according to box directions, and rinse with cold water when they're finished
2. Heat vegetable oil a saute pan over medium high heat and add the flank steak when it's hot. Stir for a minute, add the onions or scallions, and continue stirring until the meat is cooked to desired doneness. Turn off the heat and leave the pan on the burner.
3. Blend the dressing ingredients in another large bowl and toss with the vegetables. Add the meat, stir to combine, and serve accompanied by a bowl of the rice noodles.
4. Take a small amount of rice noodles and spoon the salad over them. Squeeze on lime juice to taste.

Last of the Greens

2011-06-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

Aside from the gorgeous red raspberries I purchased from Agriberry, I went home with:

- kohlrabi

- onions

- garlic

- potatoes

- cucumbers

- tomatoes

- cabbage

CSA Meals - Week 5

2011-06-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

Sharing recipes and methods of cooking with friends is one of my favorite parts of participating in a CSA. Last week ended up being slightly different than normal, because Shannon and I arranged for a veggie swap over the weekend. She gave me a giant zucchini and lettuce from her garden, and I unloaded cabbage, radicchio, and kale into her produce drawer.

We both had the benefit of variety, and I got to try a recipe that I've been holding onto in anticipation of the zucchini harvest: "Pasta and Fried Zucchini Salad." The New York Times recipe includes zucchini, fresh mozzarella, basil, and lemon, all of which scream summer to me.

Frying the zucchini takes a lot of time, and I don't think that it has to be fried to make this dish. Next time I would grill or roast the zucchini, which would probably improve the taste and healthiness of the salad.

My favorite part of the pasta salad wasn't the tenderness of the mozzarella or the kale pesto-coated penne (although I always love pesto-coated pasta). What I liked most was the inclusion of capers, red wine vinegar and lemon zest, all of which brightened the dish and elevated it to a more interesting level. The dish isn't simple, but every component of it blends together effortlessly. I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but the recipe and my modifications are below.

The other big cooking effort of the week was "Kale Fried Rice," from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, and it was recommended by my friend Lyndsey. I used my garlic scapes in place of garlic cloves, and added eggs and edamame to make it into a one pot meal. I also ran out of brown rice, and ended up using half brown and half jasmine, which made the dish a little bit lighter.

My kale should have been sliced more finely, and I used more than called for, but this fried rice is deceivingly flavorful and satisfying.

We munched on the green beans and cucumbers raw, which really makes me appreciate just how fresh and cared for our CSA produce is. After the swap, we were only left with potatoes at the end of the week, which will endure longer than the greens I traded away.

Pasta and Fried Zucchini Salad

Published: April 26, 2011 (NYT)

Time: 45 minutes

Adapted from “Plenty” by Yotam Ottolenghi (Chronicle Books)

Salt and black pepper

2/3 cup sunflower oil (or vegetable oil)

3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3/4 cup frozen edamame

2 cups basil leaves, shredded coarsely*

1/4 cup parsley leaves*

1/3 cup olive oil*

9 ounces penne

Zest of 1 lemon (I used zest and juice of 1/2 lemon)

1 1/2 tablespoons capers

7 ounces buffalo mozzarella, torn into chunks.

*I used kale pesto from my freezer and a few leaves of fresh basil

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a medium saucepan, heat sunflower (vegetable) oil over medium-high heat. Fry zucchini slices in batches (do not crowd them) for 3 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a colander to drain. Tip zucchini slices into a bowl, pour vinegar on top and stir, then set aside.

2. In the hot water, blanch edamame for 3 minutes; drain, refresh under running cold water and set aside to dry. Keep boiling water in pot.

3. In boiling water, cook pasta until al dente; drain and rinse under cold water. Return pasta to pot. Pour zucchini slices and their juices over pasta. Add edamame, basil sauce (kale pesto), lemon zest and juice, capers and mozzarella. Stir together gently, then taste and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Before serving, stir in remaining basil.

Yield: 4 servings

Popsicles and Bacon Updates

2011-06-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

The strawberry ricotta popsicles I made a couple weeks ago weren't exactly what I expected. The strawberry flavor was fairly muted, and the texture of the popsicle was more grainy than smooth and creamy. It's still a refreshing snack, but I don't think I'd make these again.

In more positive news, our homemade bacon was much less salty the second time around. We defrosted it in the sink and ended up rinsing it again, which helped with the excessive amount of salt in each bite. There are a few scraps left which I'm excited to use for a nice smoky, savory flavor in an upcoming dish.

Minty Fresh

2011-06-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

This week's share included:

- mint

- cucumbers

- kale

- cabbage

- potatoes

- spring onions

CSA Meals - Week 4

2011-06-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

My creativity in the kitchen seemed to have departed with the month of May, at least for the first half of the week. The produce we received in Week 4 was varied and included some of my favorite vegetables, broccoli and spinach, but I didn't make anything special with them. The familiar veggies lent themselves to habitual preparations.

We ate some of the leftover quiche with sauteed spinach for dinner one night, which is one of the most common ways that we eat spinach. On Thursday I made a salad for lunch using some cucumber, and both the romaine and more bitter curly endive for a nice mix of flavors. We ate fajitas for dinner, made with garlic scapes, onion, sweet peppers, and leftover grilled chicken.

Our green side was steamed broccoli - another standard at our house.

After two days of attending festivals (the Greek Fest and Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival), things got a little more interesting. I made a stir fry with bok choy, squash, and the garlic scapes to eat with some boxed macaroni and cheese.

I used some of the ingredients I'd purchased for my attempt at fish-fragrant eggplant last year, including dark soy sauce, bean paste with chili, and rice vinegar. The dish tasted way better than eggplant, and had a spicy, rich flavor while still tasting fresh. I would definitely use this technique again with different combinations of veggies, and it would be easy to add in meat or seafood and rice to make it a full meal.

I made this Lentil Kohlrabi Salad on Monday evening because I was at a complete loss as to how to use my kohlrabi. I've eaten it in the past, mostly roasted with root vegetables, but was never really wild about it. The salad recipe caught my eye because I had almost everything for it at home already, and my friend came over with a loaf of cheese bread to round out our dinner.

After several years of putting sunflower seeds on salad, I got sick of them and no longer keep them in the freezer. I used a combination of chopped pistachios and peanuts for crunch and to try to mimic the soft nuttiness of sunflower seeds.

Considering how often I use cumin for Southwest/Mexican food, and sesame oil for Asian food, I was a little hesitant that the combination of the two would result in a pleasurable taste. Somehow they blend together perfectly, both brightening and enhancing the lentils and kohlrabi. This is another dish that would be a great meal for a hot summer night and packed lunches on the following day(s).

I didn't use the remaining lettuce or curly endive, but the Lentil Kohlrabi Salad re-inspired me to stay away from my fallback kitchen habits and continue to try recipes that highlight the fresh produce we're getting.

No Lettuce this Week

2011-06-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

I'm fine with not receiving any lettuce or salad mix, because I still have some curly endive and romaine from last week to finish, and we got a great mix of produce:

- curly kale

- red Russian kale

- radicchio

- new potatoes

- green beans

- cucumber

- garlic scapes

- tender green cabbage (pictured)

The Best Vanilla Frosting

2011-06-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

Normally I stick to chocolate or cream cheese frosting when I bake a cake, but I had some vanilla beans I've been meaning to use, and needed to make a birthday cake for Shannon. This recipe has been neglected in my recipe folder for way too long, and I'm going to have to make it again and again to make up for last time. It's simple, but a little bit more elegant than regular frosting because of the vanilla bean specks. I used it to top a chocolate loaf cake, which is another recipe I'm going to hold on to. They're wonderful together, but could easily be a success paired with other cakes or frostings.

And if you ever need to bake a cake shaped like a car, just give me a call.

Happy Birthday, Shannon!!!

CSA Meals - Week 3

2011-06-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Can anyone guess what this is?

I know I would have a hard time figuring it out. It's a blend of fresh strawberries, ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and sugar that was eventually poured into popsicle molds.

The strawberries we got last Tuesday were a little soggy, but still delicious, and Darbi recommended eating them that day. Davy and I were going out to dinner, and I knew we probably wouldn't get to them, so I made the mixture above based on this recipe. I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't tasted the popsicles yet, but I have a feeling that they're going to be creamy and refreshing.

Looking back on the week, I have to give myself credit for being somewhat more creative than normal with the produce. Aside from some standard salads with sliced radish, feta, pistachios and medium-boiled eggs, I made the popsicles, quiche and a kale sauce that is similar to pesto.

The quiche was based on a recipe for ham and spinach filling, and I substituted blanched rainbow chard for the spinach. I'd never made a quiche before, or used a store-bought pie crust, but it seemed to go pretty well. I baked the pie with dried beans according to the recipe directions, although I'm not sure that I needed to take that extra step.

The eggs I got from the market, not surprisingly, were far superior to eggs from the grocery store. You can see how deep the color of the yolks is in the picture below, and they don't have that weird chemical taste when you boil them.

I still have some of the amazing Christmas ham in my freezer, and it was smoky and divine in the quiche.

The only other change I made was the addition of some grated cheddar cheese. I just didn't feel right having eggs and ham without it, especially since the quiche was already extra healthy from the chard.

The quiche took a lot longer to set than twenty-five minutes, which is what the recipe suggested. The picture above was taken before it was really done, and I was so hungry by the time it was ready that I forgot to take another one.

We had some pieces of quiche for dinner last night, and I think it was almost better after sitting overnight in the fridge. Quiche is an easy, versatile meal, and can be made with tons of different fillings, so I'm glad I finally got around to trying it in my own kitchen.

On Friday night I was trying to figure out how to incorporate the curly kale we got into an appetizing side dish for a cookout we were having on Sunday. I was envisioning a smooth, creamy sauce for pasta salad, but I ended up with something fairly different.

I blanched the kale and chopped it, and then pureed it in the food processor with several cloves of garlic. At this point I was horrified at how much garlic there was, so I tried adding lemon juice to cancel some of it out. I squeezed in the juice of a lemon, sprinkled in some salt and pepper, and then the remainder of a container of ricotta (which was probably only a tablespoon or two) before giving up and using a lot of olive oil to get it to the right consistency.

I made a pound of orzo the same night, and while it was still hot, I added about half of my makeshift kale pesto so the pasta would absorb some of its flavor. When I was ready to assemble the salad on Sunday, I chopped and roasted an onion and several small sweet peppers. They went into the bowl with the orzo as soon as they were ready, along with about 3/4 lb of feta, 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts, and more lemon juice and olive oil.

Miraculously, the salad wasn't dry or too garlicky, probably because because I made the kale pesto ahead of time and the flavors had time to mellow. I think it also turned out so well because feta is such a great pasta salad ingredient, and can mask as well as heighten certain tastes. It's also a good dish to have hot, cold, or at room temperature, which is ideal for a summer cookout.

It's already June, and the weather has been absurdly hot already, so expect an update on the mysterious strawberry-ricotta popsicles any day now.

Not to be Missed

2011-06-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

After ignoring it for almost three years, I am officially on board with The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. There's a reason that it generated a big buzz when it was published, and continues to be a popular topic for food bloggers. The cookies that the recipe makes are other-worldly, and if you haven't tasted them, you really haven't tasted a chocolate chip cookie this good.

I don't always adhere exactly to a recipe - even for baking - but I made an exception when I tried this chocolate chip cookie recipe. I sought out 1 1/4 lbs bittersweet chocolate discs (and found them at Whole Foods), bought some bread flour, and made sure that I had enough cake flour to make an entire batch. My butter and eggs were at room temperature, and I sifted all of the dry ingredients, which is a step I would normally skip.

As Jamie of My Baking Addiction mentions in the post that ultimately inspired me to make the cookies, the dough requires some extra attention and time, but there's no question that the cookies are worth it. For whatever scientific reason, the dough needs to rest in the fridge for twenty-four hours, and that time makes all of the difference. I know this for a fact, because I tasted the dough and the cookies as soon as I finished stirring in the chocolate discs, and every night after that.

The cookie itself is lighter than my normal chocolate chip (a variation on the Tollhouse recipe), and the exterior has a delicate crispness when you bite into it. It's almost like the light crunch of sugar, but it's not at all gritty. I love how the discs keep there shape and ease into layers while the dough is baking. There is exactly the right amount of chocolate to have enough in every bite, and the richness of bittersweet chocolate make each mouthful special.

If you haven't already tried these or made these yourself, I strongly encourage you to go out and get the ingredients, or at least beg me to make them for you. I won't need much convincing.

Some of my favorite veggies

2011-05-31T15:20:00.000-07:00

This week's share is one of the best we've ever gotten:

- broccoli

- spinach

- lettuce

- curly endive (frisee)

- bok choy

- kohlrabi

- cucumber

- summer squash

CSA Meals - Week 2

2011-05-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

If I can help it, I like to make one pot meals, or at least use multiple types of vegetables in one dish. Surprisingly, Davy and I don't eat a lot of salads, even though they lend themselves to using a variety of ingredients.

Soup, on the other hand, is one of my favorite things to make and to eat, even in hot weather. Last Wednesday I used the garlic scallions, kale, and broccoli rabe from our to make a vegetable soup. Sauteed carrot and celery, along with the scallions, formed the base. Once they were cooked through, I added a little wine, then homemade chicken stock, and petite diced tomatoes.

I blanched the broccoli rabe separately from the soup pot, fearing that the bitter flavor would leach out into the broth. The contents got a good hour or so to simmer together before I added the greens (broccoli rabe and kale) and a can of cannellini beans.

I flavored the soup with some rosemary sprigs and parmesan rinds, but it still needed salt, pepper, grated parmesan, and oil to make it really tasty.

Thursday was the exception to the rare salad rule. I was on my own for dinner, and decided to make use of the nice lettuce mix. Pistachios, a hard-boiled egg, feta, and a sliced radish made the salad more interesting and substantial.

I blanched the remaining greens, which consisted mustard greens, mizuna and a few other Asian varieties. I froze about a quarter of them, and used the rest to lighten up a big bowl of sesame noodles (my uncle's recipe), along with frozen edamame.

The turnips from Fertile Crescent Farm have been large and gorgeous this spring. Normally I don't get excited about turnips, but I was intrigued when I realized I could mash them and then make them into cakes to pan fry.

As you can see, the cakes weren't overly sturdy, and I didn't do a great job of flipping them, but they were very tasty. Despite the fact that they were cooked in butter, I still felt healthy eating them alongside of a salad.

We're left with some nice-looking radishes and some salad mix, but considering all of the extras Adam and Darbi have been giving us, I feel good about how many vegetables we ate in a week. One dish dinners are a convenient and easy way to consume a lot of produce, even if you have to resort to a salad to do so.

Homemade Bacon

2011-05-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

My dad is a fantastic cook, and often has creative ideas involving food. His latest ambition was to cure his own bacon, and he was generous enough to give me a piece of the pork belly at the beginning of the process.

The initial step is to rub the pork belly with brown sugar and salt (a specific kind, with nitrates, to prevent the meat from turning gray) and place it in the fridge in a plastic bag. For seven days, you're supposed to drain any liquid that's accumulated and add more of the rub.

After the week is up, the meat needs to be rinsed and then dried completely so that you can smoke it. We left it in the fridge, uncovered, for about 48 hours, and then Davy prepared the grill.

We used hickory chips to smoke the pork belly, and monitored the charcoal so that it generated a very small amount of heat. Davy and I kept tabs on the grill for about three hours, and took the smoked meat inside. I sliced the skin off of the top, which was surprisingly easy to do, and then we left it alone to cool.

When we couldn't take it anymore, we cut a few slices to try for ourselves.

This bacon has a great smoky flavor, although it's saltier than we would prefer. We loved eating it since we'd made it ourselves, and I'm trying to decide if it would be best to combine it with another ingredient, or just eat it plain.

My dad is looking into ways to reduce the saltiness, and once we've gone through our bacon, I'm sure he'll be ready for all of us to try again.

Summer is here...

2011-05-25T05:49:00.000-07:00

...but the greens we received are still beautiful and bountiful. This week we received:

- strawberries

- curly kale

- rainbow chard

- Japanese turnips

- salad mix

- beets

- red Russian kale (this bunch of kale and the beets all went to Josh and Caitlin; we split everything in half else except for the curly kale)

I also picked up a dozen eggs from the stand next to Darbi and Adam's, and I can't wait to use them!

Rainy Week Veggies

2011-05-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

- salad mix

- turnips

- radishes

- broccoli rabe

- red Russian kale

- mustard greens

- a long-stemmed green I didn't catch the name of, which can be used like bok choy

- Asian greens

CSA Meals - Week 1

2011-05-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the beginning of the second round of produce, and I'm in surprisingly good shape considering the pounds of greens we got last week. I gave our radishes, bok choy, some broccoli rabe, and about half of our lettuce mix to my parents.

The highlight of last week, for me, was the container of beautiful strawberries we got in our share. We polished them off in just a couple days, and I put them in a salad for lunch one day. They added a welcome burst of flavor to the lettuce. The salad also included a medium-boiled egg, my first ever homemade, which came from one of my co-worker's chickens.

I've stressed this before, but fresh eggs taste so much better than grocery store eggs, especially if you're eating them on their own.

We had a large bunch of Asian greens, and I'm not sure what all of them were, but they were pretty.

I chopped them and Davy sauteed them with garlic and sesame chili oil. We sprinkled toasted sesame seeds on them after they'd wilted down.

Davy was having a rough week, so I decided to make one of his favorite Chinese take out meals to go with the greens, which is sweet and sour chicken. I used a recipe I found on How Sweet It Is, and it turned out very well. The chicken is crisp, tangy, and not greasy at all. We served the chicken over rice, and the recipe mentions making extra sauce, but we had the right amount. Next time I would consider adding some chili flakes to the sauce, or even some sriracha for a little kick.

before the sauce

finished product

The gigantic bunch of broccoli rabe was taunting me every time I opened the fridge, and on Thursday I decided to put it to good use. It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is an overwhelming mound of greens.

Mimicking one of the best pastas from Mamma Zu, I browned sausage without the casing (a spicy chicken and red wine variety from Trader Joe's) and blanched the broccoli rabe.

Once the sausage was ready, I added the greens, garlic, and rosemary, and let the broccoli rabe cook a little. Once it was warmed, I threw in cooked pasta - about half a pound of cavatappi - and stirred in tomato sauce and about a half cup of ricotta. Luckily I really enjoyed the pasta, because I ended up eating it three more times. It's a pleasant blend of flavors and textures; the ricotta makes it slightly creamy, the greens add a slight edge, and the sausage is spicy and savory.

When I went to Trader Joe's, I also purchased shelled pistachio pieces and their Light Champagne Vinaigrette in anticipation of a few weeks of salads. On Friday I used them with the salad mix, and they worked well together, not to mention they added some variety to my boring routine.

I wanted to change the normal sauteed kale routine, too, by making kale chips. I think I baked the pieces for too long, because they came out more brown than green, and the taste reminded me of pumpkin seeds. They were also very unattractive. Kale chips may have to be conquered this week, or the next time we get a bunch of kale.

On Monday, the only veggies left were the garlic scallions, peas, and kale. I'm not usually into peas, but I figured that these had to be better than what I'm used to since they're in season. I shelled them and dropped them in boiling water for about five minutes.

While they were in the pot, I toasted four thin slices of bread and sliced a hard-boiled egg. I spread a thin layer of pesto on the bread, followed by a layer of ricotta cheese. When the peas were done, I drained them, rinsed them in cold water, and pressed them into the ricotta. I topped everything on the plate with pepper and lemon juice, and admired my work. The meal was relatively simple to put together, and light but filling. It would be great for a hot night when cooking isn't very appealing, or if you needed something quick and healthy.

There aren't going to be any strawberries in Week 2 because of all of the rain and we still have some sauteed kale to finish in the fridge, but I'm eager to see what this week brings.

Festival Season

2011-05-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

Spring in Richmond brings a plethora of appealing festivals to go to, most of which are centered around food.

The first one Davy and I attended was the Lebanese Food Festival at Saint Anthony Maronite Church. We went last year and knew that we wanted falafel, chicken shwarma, and a spinach and feta cheese pie. We also tasted the meat pie, which had a savory filling of ground lamb (I believe) and onion, and agreed that it was even better than the spinach and feta version.

For dessert, we indulged in awamat, which are luscious fried dough balls with a sweet syrup coating, and they're available fresh from the fryer at the festival. I wanted to just look at the other desserts, because there was the possibility of bringing home some baklava, but we were sidetracked by the katayef.

From what I can tell, a katayef is sort of like a sweet empanada. There were three varieties to choose from. One was filled with sweet cream and topped with pistachios and syrup. The other two were stuffed, pinched closed, and fried. One had a walnut and honey filling while the other encased mozzarella cheese. Both were decadent and satisfying, but the cheese was by far our favorite.

This is how we felt during the last few bites:

Everything was so tasty, and it's probably worth going more than once to avoid a post-festival food coma, but those sweets are tough to resist.

First Share!

2011-05-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

The weather has been ideal for growing greens and strawberries, and Adam and Darbi were gracious enough to give us extras of both. This week's share consists of:

- strawberries

- shelling peas

- lettuce mix

- bok/pac/boc choy

- curly kale

- broccoli rabe

- Asian greens

- radishes

- garlic scallions

Below is a picture of the load of fresh produce. The fridge is fully stocked!

Sprout in the Spring

2011-05-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of the 2011 CSA, and as a warm up, Davy and I went to Sprout for dinner last night. Actually, we had a Groupon that was going to expire, but it was a nice way to begin the CSA season. The link to the specials for the day was titled "Nice Weather, Excellent Food," and neither description was misleading.

I started with the soup of the day, which was mushroom stew, and it reminded me of hot and sour soup without a lot of heat. It had a pleasant, earthy flavor and texture from the mushrooms and a sweet edge from a few soft chunks of sweet potato.

The local meat and cheese plate was hearty and delicious, consisting of pork sausage, chicken breast meat, swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, mixed greens, caramelized onions and a spread that I think may have been a pimento aioli. They were served on a wooden pizza board with a large basket of tasty Billy Bread, and the remaining goodies made a beautiful sandwich to take home.

Instead of sweet potato and caramelized onion on the pizzetta du jour, there were two kinds of cheese, bechamel and roasted tomatoes, plus fresh mixed greens to cut through the rich cheesy flavors. I was pleased with my order, and Davy liked his fish soft tacos, which were prepared with trout.

Sprout is one of the most loyal local food venues that we have in Richmond, and is worth a trip, even if you aren't celebrating the start of a CSA. In fact, it's a great place to console yourself if you aren't, because 90% of the food is produced in Virginia. Happy CSA season!

Book Recommendation

2011-05-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

I'm about halfway through the series of letters between Julia Child and her close friend Avis DeVoto, and I'm learning a lot about both women, as well as food and culture in the US and France in the 1950s. Whether you're Julia Child's #1 fan or know next to nothing about her outside of Julie and Julia, this book is both entertaining and informative, and definitely worth reading.

Makeshift Enchilada Lasagna

2011-05-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

There were a few tortillas on their last legs in my fridge, so I put together a quick casserole with green pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, black beans, chili in adobo, frozen corn, enchilada sauce, cheddar cheese, and queso fresco. These pictures aren't wonderful, but dinner last week certainly was.

Dinner for Two

2011-05-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Lillian is an experienced hostess who is quite accomplished in the kitchen and notorious for buying and making excessive amounts of food. She has multiple refrigerators and freezers, all jam-packed, and she can never understand why her four guests can't finish a homemade feast that would easily satisfy ten people. If you leave her house hungry, she considers the evening a failure.

I've inherited a few of my grandma's culinary habits, mostly involving baking too much dessert, and I also find myself frequently making enough food for more than two people. There are multiple reasons for this phenomenon: I enjoy eating leftovers for lunch and/or dinner, I'm occasionally too lazy to halve recipes, or I have the full amount of an ingredient and need to use it.

Sometimes recipes will say that they serve two, but we'll get more than one meal out of them. Pasta, for example, is often written into recipes as a half pound for two people, but we just don't eat that much, especially if there are other hearty components to the dish.

Last night I wanted something simple and healthy that wouldn't require a big trip to the grocery store. I knew I had about a half pound of ground chicken in the freezer (Grandma Lillian can document her freezers' contents in her head, too) and decided to make a Thai dish that I'd found a couple years ago on Serious Eats. I made it even easier by using frozen, shelled edamame instead of green beans since the grocery store beans were pathetic. (This picture is also pathetic, but I didn't want to get up for my camera while I was eating, so my phone had to do.) Miraculously, the grocery store had organic, locally grown holy basil, which is hard to see, but it made a big difference.

For a quick dinner, this has a ton of flavor and is a healthier option than Thai takeout. With white rice, it yielded just a little over two servings, and the extra was already consumed today. If my grandma had made it, she probably would've doubled the recipe for herself and my grandpa. The leftovers would be lost for weeks in her overflowing fridge, or maybe just force-fed to an innocent friend or family member.

Spring Bonus

2011-04-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

As far as I know, this is the first year that Richmond Restaurant Week is happening in both the spring and the fall. If you live in Richmond, you still have until May 1st to try or revisit one of the participating restaurants. $25.11 for three courses is quite a bargain, especially considering that $2.11 of it benefits FeedMore.

Davy and I went to Acacia mid-town last night, and it was a fantastic experience. We'd only eaten there once before, and it easily met my expectations despite the frantic pace and heavy traffic of restaurant week. The service was impeccable, my cocktail (a rhubarb sour) was creative and memorable, and the food was exquisite.

Everything on the menu appealed to me, but I'd spent enough pondering before we went, so I was prepared with my decision. I ordered the "fried ramp and pinenut risotto balls, fresh shrimp salad, garlic butter sauce"; "sauteed local rockfish, creamy rice beans, roasted mushrooms and romanesco, mushroom rosemary nage" and "chocolate cremeaux, passionfruit sorbet, cocoa streusel."

I'll be honest and tell you that I don't know what all of those ingredients are (nage, anyone?), but every single flavor and texture melded perfectly. My only criticism is that the risotto balls were a little on the bland side and I didn't detect much of a ramp taste, but they had a delicious crunch from the pine nuts and the shrimp salad was tender and creamy. The rockfish combined several of my favorite foods: the fish itself, white beans, and roasted mushrooms. If I could go back, I'd get it again. The same goes for my dessert. I don't usually care much for fruit with my chocolate, but the passionfruit sorbet was tangy and subtly sweet. It cut through the richness of the chocolate and served as a vehicle to pick up all three components in one bite.

Davy ordered the "red wine braised duck leg, housemade pasta, soft-cooked quail egg"; "braised beef boneless shortrib roulade, spicy potato pancake, warm market vegetable salad, fresh herbs" and "hazelnut shortcake, berries, creme fraiche ice cream." I would have eaten any of his dishes, too. The bites I tried of the duck, shortrib, and dessert had the same phenomenal textural and flavor balance as my meal.

Even if you aren't able to get to Acacia this week, keep it in mind for a special occasion. Or maybe for the next Restaurant Week, which is a short six months, or less, away.

Easter Dinner

2011-04-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pastimes is hosting friends and family, especially when the event centers around food. This year Davy and I had a nice group over for Easter, and we roasted six pounds of pork for the occasion.

Hosting dinner parties is a great opportunity to test out new recipes and techniques. I've had this spinach and cannellini bean dip recipe saved for quite some time, and finally got a chance to try it. If you're sick of hummus or just want a mild, healthy dip, it's definitely worth making. It would also be good as a sandwich spread, and it's useful if you need to use up fresh (or not so fresh) greens. My version ended up containing some leftover arugula that wasn't going to last much longer in my produce drawer.

As I've mentioned before, inviting guests over for dinner also gives me an excellent reason to shop at River City Cellars and The Belmont Butchery. They're both locally-owned and employ friendly, knowledgeable people to answer questions or help you decide on the most fitting product for your situation. We chose two cheeses from River City Cellars, along with the spicy plum chutney that's a signature part of the cheese and meat plates at Secco.

I'd called ahead to reserve two center cut pork loins from the butcher, one of which they butterflied for me. We slathered about 1/3 of the jar of chutney on the cut pork loin, and then rolled and tied it with string provided by the butcher.

I brined the other loin, which was left whole. My dad recently had luck with a Tyler Florence recipe, and I loosely followed the instructions for my brine. I halved the amount of salt called for, which is suggested in many of the comments, and used rosemary sprigs instead of juniper berries and thyme. I didn't have mustard seeds, so I substituted fennel seeds when I toasted the coriander seeds and peppercorns. The pork was only in the brine for about two hours, but the flavors really shined through in the finished product.

Instead of grilling, we used our grill pan to sear both of the pork loins, and then roasted them at 375 degrees.

After an hour, I checked the pork using a meat thermometer and decided to put them back in for another 10 minutes. I think at that point I should have taken them out to rest, but they were still fairly juicy when we served them. I made an impromptu yogurt sauce to go with the pork: plain yogurt, whole grain mustard, wasabi powder, lemon juice, olive oil, and a little salt.

Davy slices beautifully, even without an electric knife!

As soon as I spotted this cake on How Sweet It Is, I knew I'd have to bake it. Instead of using a boxed mix, I made a chocolate cake that Shannon tried in October. Unfortunately the website with the recipe doesn't seem to be functioning right now, but it's a delicious chocolate cake enhanced by a cup of coffee. I'm not a coffee drinker, but the inclusion in baked goods and other sweets results in a deeper chocolate taste.

After mixing and baking the cake, I cut the two layers in half. I made it the day before, and following tips from The Picky Palate (where Jessica got the recipe), I stacked the layers with wax paper and put them in the freezer. Freezing cake before frosting it helps reduce crumbs in the frosting, and also makes it easier to transfer the layers.

I was hesitant to make all of the frosting, since four blocks of cream cheese seems like a LOT, but I went for it and ended up using it all. I may have needed more sugar, which would have bulked it up a little more, because it ultimately tasted a little less sweet than I would have liked. I'm not complaining - this cake is unbelievably rich and hits all of the right notes for chocolate/peanut butter lovers. I also wouldn't make the frosting green next time, because it makes everyone think of mint, but the cake still looked pretty, and the color didn't stop me, or anyone else, from eating too much of it.

Some Healthier-than-Normal Dinners

2011-04-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I am often inspired by the blogs I read on a daily basis. I didn't even realize how much they influenced the most recent dinners I've made, although I think Davy and I are better off because of them.

I've recently dedicated some of my free time to reading through How Sweet It Is, which is creative, informative, and funny. Jessica, the author, often roasts heads of garlic and incorporates it into her recipes. I decided to mimic her technique (pour a little olive oil on the top of the garlic head, allow it to sit for 10 minutes, then wrap in foil and bake at 350 for forty-five minutes) for a pasta dish I made last week.

I was roasting a bunch of asparagus at 400 degrees, so I stuck the garlic in the oven and took it out after 15-20 minutes. My oven tends to be hotter, so I try to check anything I put in there before the recommended time frame. My garlic wasn't quite as golden as Jessica's, but it still tasted sweet and mellow.

The rest of the dish came together in my 12-inch non-stick pan. I browned a few pieces of leftover prosciutto from the picnic sandwiches, then tossed the roasted asparagus, cooked whole wheat penne, a little pasta water, half of the head of garlic, and some fresh mozzarella* together in the warm pan. Normally I only eat regular pasta, but someone had given me a few samples of this penne, and I really enjoyed the nutty taste and chewy texture of it with the crispy, salty prosciutto and smooth mozzarella.

*I learned recently that most pre-shredded mozzarella is coated in cornstarch to help prevent the pieces from sticking together. It doesn't melt as well, and the fact that it has to be messed with makes me not want to buy it.

The Yellow Umbrella, my local fish shop, sends out a newsletter every Friday detailing their selection, including prices and recipes. I was hoping they'd still have escolar when I went in last week, but they'd already run out. The friendly guy behind the counter recommended sea bass instead.

It was a beautiful night, so we took his advice and grilled the nice-looking fish, along with some marinated zucchini and roasted garlic flavored rice. Neither of us could remember trying sea bass before, and it's different from a lot of the other fish we normally eat. It's much firmer, and richer, with a texture that reminded me of crab meat.

This week I made pizza, but ran out of regular flour before finishing the dough. I added 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour (one-third of the total amount) before realizing I had to get more all-purpose from the story anyway if I wanted to be able to knead it. Luckily we both liked the way the crust turned out. I don't think I'll make it partially whole wheat all the time, but it's nice to know we can make our pizza a little bit healthier without sacrificing the familiar taste, or eating any extra cornstarch.

Follow that Blog

2011-04-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

I love my cookbooks, but lately many of the dinners and baked goods I make at home are inspired by or derived from recipes I find on blogs. Below is a sampling of some recent successes. I should have been better about taking pictures, but sometimes I just forget, so there aren't many to share.

Ginger Muffins from Orangette: These muffins are slightly sweet but with a spicy bite from the ginger root. Next time I'm going to follow Molly's advice and add more than the recipe calls for. There's a gentle citrusy undertone from the lemon zest that makes these taste very fresh and light.

BBQ Chicken Tenders from How Sweet It Is: I recently discovered Jessica's hilarious blog, and she has a ton of great ideas. She makes several variations of chicken fingers, and I used this recipe one night last week. It's a simple method that can be modified in many different ways, and I'm definitely going to fall back on it when I need a quick dinner.

Cookies and Cream Brownies from How Sweet It Is: Originally I found this blog because of the Cookie Dough Dip (which I still haven't made), but I felt the need to try these cookie bar brownies immediately when I saw the post. I made the original as well as a batch with thin mints instead of oreos, and leftover chocolate whiskey ganache instead of the peanut butter mixture. Both were divine, and very popular at a party.

Pressed Sandwiches from Crepes of Wrath: I never would have thought to do this myself, but making one big sandwich and then cutting it into pieces to serve to a group is a brilliant idea. I was really excited to make these because it gave me an excuse to go to the butcher for prosciutto and mortadella. Bonus: I was able to use up the remaining homemade pesto I froze last summer.

Irish Car Bomb Cake inspired by the Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes from Smitten Kitchen: I've been trying to find a way to make this recipe again since I made the lucky cupcakes last year. It wasn't a pretty cake, but it was so good that no one really noticed. The Bailey's buttercream frosting is to die for.

Layer Cake

2011-04-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my very favorite store bought cake. It's made by the Ukrop's bakery, and has five layers of light white cake and their rich, signature chocolate frosting. Last week it was on sale for $2 off the normal price, and I couldn't resist. Actually, if I decide I want it, it doesn't really matter what the price is. The "bar cake," as Ukrop's calls it, is best served on its original platter with a single fork.